CharacterNetwork

Synchronizes character state across the network — movement, look direction, sprint state, and interactions. Handles ownership transfer for interactables and replicates interaction input via RPCs.

Definition

Namespace: Paragon.Townskeep.CharacterSystem Assembly: Townskeep.dll

public class CharacterNetwork : ParagonNetworkBehaviour, IParagonComponent<Character>

Inheritance: NetworkBehaviour → ParagonNetworkBehaviour → CharacterNetwork Implements: IParagonComponent<Character>

Remarks

CharacterNetwork is the networking backbone of the Character system. Unlike other character services that extend CharacterComponent (a serializable subsystem component), this class extends ParagonNetworkBehaviour directly because it must be a MonoBehaviour on the character's GameObject for Unity Netcode to manage it.

It implements IParagonComponent<Character> to participate in the Character's component lifecycle (OnAdded, OnRemoved, Initialize).

Synchronization Strategy

The class uses two complementary sync mechanisms:

1. NetworkVariable<SyncData> — Continuous state sync (position, rotation, sprint, look direction). The owner writes every Update(); non-owners read and apply to the character controller.

2. RPCs — Discrete event sync (interaction begin/end, interaction inputs). Sent NotOwner so all remote clients replicate interactions.

3. OnSynchronize — Initial state synchronization when a new client joins. Serializes all active interactions so late-joiners can reconstruct interaction state.

Interaction Networking Flow

Quick Lookup

Goal	How
Access owner character	IParagonComponent<Character>.Owner (explicit interface)
Check if local player owns this	IsOwner (from NetworkBehaviour)
Get client ID	ClientID (static, from ParagonNetworkBehaviour)

Methods

Awake

Initializes the NetworkVariable<SyncData>, SyncData struct, and input callbacks dictionary.

void Awake()

Initialize

Subscribes to the character's interaction system events (InteractionBegin, InteractionEnd).

public void Initialize()

OnAdded

Called when this component is added to a Character. Stores the character reference.

public void OnAdded(Character character)

Parameter	Type	Description
character	Character	The owning character

OnRemoved

Called when this component is removed from a Character. Clears the character reference.

public void OnRemoved(Character character)

OnSynchronize (override)

Handles initial state sync for late-joining clients. Serializes/deserializes all active interactions with their network object references.

protected override void OnSynchronize<T>(ref BufferSerializer<T> serializer)

Late-join deserialization uses Yield.WaitForEndOfFrame() to ensure NetworkObject references are resolved before attempting interaction replay.

BeginInteractionRpc

Replicates an interaction start to non-owner clients.

[Rpc(SendTo.NotOwner)]
private void BeginInteractionRpc(NetworkObjectReference networkObjectReference, NetworkTrigger networkTrigger)

EndInteractionRpc

Replicates an interaction end to non-owner clients.

[Rpc(SendTo.NotOwner)]
private void EndInteractionRpc(NetworkObjectReference networkObjectReference)

InputRpc

Replicates an interaction input press to non-owner clients.

[Rpc(SendTo.NotOwner)]
public void InputRpc(NetworkObjectReference networkObjectReference, string inputName)

Parameter	Type	Description
networkObjectReference	NetworkObjectReference	Reference to the interactable's network object
inputName	string	Name of the InteractionInput to invoke

Update

Per-frame sync loop. Owner writes SyncData to the NetworkVariable; non-owners read and apply movement to the character's controller.

void Update()

Nested Types

SyncData

Network-serializable struct containing the character's synchronized movement state.

[Serializable]
public struct SyncData : INetworkSerializable, IEquatable<SyncData>

Field	Type	Description
TargetPose	Pose	Target position and rotation
IsRunning	bool	Whether the character is sprinting
LookAt	Vector3	Camera look direction

Common Pitfalls

Not a CharacterComponent subclass Unlike CharacterAnimator or CharacterCamera, this class is a MonoBehaviour (via ParagonNetworkBehaviour). It is added as a Unity component on the character's GameObject, not as a serialized subsystem component. It participates in the Character lifecycle via explicit IParagonComponent<Character> implementation.

Ownership transfer on interaction When the owner begins interacting with an object, OnInteractionBegin requests ownership transfer of the interactable's NetworkObject. This blocks on WaitUntil(IsSpawned) — if the network object never spawns, this will hang.

Debug.Assert on ownership After ownership transfer, there is a Debug.Assert(OwnerClientId == interactableNetworkObject.OwnerClientId) that will fire in development builds if ownership transfer fails or is contested.

SyncData equality check NetworkVariable<SyncData> only sends updates when the value changes (via IEquatable<SyncData>.Equals). The equality check uses Pose.Equals and Vector3.Equals, which are exact comparisons — even tiny floating-point differences trigger network updates.

See Also

• ParagonNetworkBehaviour — base class providing network + debug integration

• CharacterComponent — base class used by non-network character services

• IParagonComponent<T> — component lifecycle interface