Add ContinuousChannel field to NetworkAnimator for split-channel sync (events stay reliable, continuous values opt-in unreliable) - #1039
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FirstGearGames merged 1 commit intoAug 9, 2026
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… (events stay reliable, continuous values opt-in unreliable).
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Thank you for this PR. The code was reviewed but I'm not able to fully test this, and given the current animator is hardened I'm hesitant to ship this as default. I'll add this in as a 'Beta' component. which you can toggle via the Fish-Networking menu. |
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Sep 2, 2026
- Fixed ZigZagDecode improperly decoding values in IL2CPP with specific backing CPP libraries. - Fixed Scene object expecting prefab ID (#1032). - Fixed eliminated or significantly reduced wobble in local reconcile resimulations on server-authoritative objects. - Fixed NetworkAnimator delay/desync on host owned object, observed by clients (#1062). - Fixed NetworkCollider/2D tick comparison error (#1041). - Fixed prefab objects generator cannot include folders with spaces in the path (#1045). - Fixed large writers pooling incorrectly, causing them to not be re-used (#1054). - Fixed LiteNetLib wrong data length after BasePacketLayer modification (#1064). - Fixed NetworkTrigger2D by uncommenting entire file. - Fixed nested NetworkObjects not spawning recursively when spawned via OnStartServer of their parent. - Fixed SyncType values being reset to default before OnStopServer as clientHost (#1036). - Fixed disconnecting clients not being cleared on Transport shutdown (#1044). - Fixed Quaternion ScaleToFloat helper math, cause of marginal rotational errors (#1067). - Fixed loading scenes by path not loading the scene for clients under certain conditions (#1060). - Obsoleted SceneLookupData.Name in favor of SceneLookupData.FullName. - Added NetworkBehaviour.ToString null safety (#1046). - Added Unity 6.5 scene handle change support (#1052 / #1051 merge). - Added Unity 6.5 GetEntityId/GetInstanceId support. - Added NetworkCollider2D use PhysicsScene2D.OverlapCollider as a fallback (#1042). - Added NetworkCollider/2D.RemoveEnteredCollider. - Added NetworkCollider/2D InvokeStayOnEnter. - Added NetworkAnimator channel option - under Beta menu, Animator Channel (#1039).
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Problem
In games with many concurrent NetworkAnimators (zombie hordes, large-scale RTS, etc.), continuous parameter sync (floats, layer weights, speed) generates steady reliable-channel pressure on every tick. With enough instances this saturates the reliable lane on lossy transports — in our case we hit Steam P2P send-buffer overflow during high-density frames, eventually causing connections to drop.
Our take: The reliable channel isn't the right fit for continuous interpolated values: a missed packet doesn't matter, the next tick supersedes it. But triggers and state changes are one-shots that do need to arrive.
Solution
Add a per-instance
ContinuousChannelfield onNetworkAnimatorthat lets you opt continuous values onto Unreliable while keeping triggers, state changes, and crossfades on Reliable._continuousChannelDefault is
Channel.Reliable, which routes through the original code path bit-for-bit unchanged. Existing projects see no behavior change. The split-channel path is only entered when an instance opts in.ContinuousChannelis exposed as a public property and can be flipped at runtime — useful for distance-based importance (Reliable when close to a player, Unreliable when far).Implementation notes
AnimatorUpdatedSplitwrites to two pooled writers in parallel — same logic asAnimatorUpdated, just routed by category.TargetRpcs and two newServerRpcs carry the streams. Receive logic is shared with the existing path viaReceiveTargetAnimatorPayload/ReceiveServerAnimatorPayload, so deserialization stays identical.Testing
Tested in a 4-player co-op zombie game with up to 300 concurrent NetworkAnimators per host. Reliable-lane pressure on the host's outbound traffic dropped substantially with
ContinuousChannel = Unreliable, and Steam P2P disconnects during burst spawns stopped reproducing. Triggers (hit reactions, attack states) still arrive reliably.