Unity Netcode Learning Project - For My School

Educational project demonstrating Unity Netcode for GameObjects (NGO) and Unity Multiplayer Services. Built as a reference for learning multiplayer game development fundamentals.

UI aspects adapted from Unity Multiplayer Widgets package.

What It Does

Two-player shooter where players fire projectiles at each other to score points. Includes session creation/joining via Unity Multiplayer Services (relay or direct connection) with a simple UI for matchmaking.

Core Netcode Concepts

NetworkedPlayerController.cs - Player movement and shooting. Only the owning client processes input (IsOwner check). [Rpc(SendTo.Server)] sends fire request to server which spawns projectile for all clients. [Rpc(SendTo.Owner)] callback updates score when projectile hits opponent.

NetworkedProjectileController.cs - Server-authoritative projectile. Movement only runs on server (IsServer check). OnTriggerEnter only processes on server to prevent duplicate hit detection. Uses NetworkObject.Spawn() and Despawn().

NetworkedScoreManager.cs - Synced score tracking using NetworkVariable<int>. Clients call RPC to update score, server increments the NetworkVariable, OnValueChanged callback fires on all clients to update UI.

NetworkedAudioManager.cs - Positional audio sync. Client requests sound via ServerRpc, server broadcasts to all clients via ClientRpc. Spawns temporary AudioSource at position then destroys after clip plays.

Session Management (Advanced)

SessionHandler.cs - Manages Unity Multiplayer Service sessions. Creates/joins sessions with relay or direct networking. Anonymous auth via AuthenticationService.

SessionWidgetEventDispatcher.cs - Event bus pattern. Widgets register to receive session lifecycle events (joining/joined/left) and player events (joined/left session). Prevents tight coupling between UI components.

Widget System - Reusable UI components (CreateSessionAction, JoinSessionActionByCode, DisplayJoinCode, SessionPlayerList) that automatically respond to session state changes. Inherit from WidgetBehaviour and implement event interfaces.

Simple vs Complex

Two implementations provided:

Networking_Simple/ - Bare minimum for creating/joining sessions (~100 lines total). Good starting point.

Networking_Complex/ - Production-ready architecture with widget pattern, connection type selection (relay/direct), player list, configurable spawn points. Shows best practices for scalable multiplayer UI.

Key Patterns

• Server Authority: Only server spawns/despawns objects and processes physics
• RPC Types: SendTo.Server for requests, SendTo.ClientsAndHost for broadcasts, SendTo.Owner for individual client updates
• NetworkVariables: Automatic replication when value changes on server
• IsOwner/IsServer: Guard clauses prevent duplicate logic execution
• Connection Approval: SessionConnectionApproval.cs sets spawn position when players join