Milestone 1: Proxy actors now equip remote players' right-hand weapons and play armed idle/locomotion poses when weaponDrawn=true. Adds rightHand weapon slot to equippedItems protocol, weapon graph variable support (iSyncGunDown: 0=drawn, 1=holstered), and weapon FSM events (weaponDraw, readyStateEnter, gunDownStateEnter). Fixes two critical animation state churn bugs: frustum-visibility flicker no longer resets animation state on every update tick, and idle proxies no longer register as changed on every frame. Includes WeaponBehavior graph loading via AIProcess::RequestLoadAnimationsForWeaponChange() and manual weapon attachment fallback. New docs/weapon-animation-sync.md reference guide maps animation events and variables from F4-Animation-Research. Experimental alert-state reassertion for armed proxies to test NPC combat state gating of weapon-ready poses.
Adds optional `isPipboyOpen` to transform packets, remote player state, proxy animation logging, and fake client/player samples. Updates protocol and architecture docs to describe the new Pip-Boy open/raising/closing state and related movement-state handling.
Adds optional `appearance` snapshots to transform packets, applies supported appearance data to runtime proxies, and has the server replay stored transforms to newly connected clients so late joiners receive current visuals immediately.
Introduce an optional equippedItems transform extension to snapshot tracked visible apparel slots. Plugin: capture local equipped ARMO form IDs on the game-thread, include equippedItems in transform packets, parse equippedItems on the networking thread, and apply/clear synced apparel on runtime proxies (with defensive logging for missing forms). Server: fake_client parses and prints equippedItems. Docs and protocol updated; changelog and dev-log entry added. Backwards-compatible: equippedItems is optional and empty formId denotes intentional unequip.
Implement solo-cell logic to suppress transform packet sends and remote proxy representation while the local player is in COVault109, allowing first-time character creation to remain visually single-player. One entry location update is sent so other clients can hold stale proxies before suppression begins. Added F4TSoloCell.h helper for load-order-independent solo cell recognition by editor ID and cached FormID.
Add new Papyrus scripts (CoSync.psc, CoSyncPlayer.psc, CoSyncQuest.psc) providing native bindings and quest/player proxy logic for networking: connection/session APIs, entity management, world/weather/workshop/companion sync, consumable/pipboy/door/power-armor events, and proxy animation/initialization handlers. Refactor the proxy actor controller (F4TProxyActorController.cpp) to support dynamic/runtime proxy spawning and improved lifecycle/visibility handling: change proxy base/form IDs to COPlayerProxy/CommonwealthOnline, add process-list actor lookup, spawn helpers, play-space/cell checks, 3D visibility refresh, ActorHandle usage, and spawn mutexes and globals for safer spawning. Update docs and setup (architecture.md, limitations.md, plugin/setup.md) to describe global dynamic spawn behavior, max runtime proxies (kMaxRuntimeProxyActors = 4), and validation checklist; update launch-two-fallout4.bat to show instance log locations. Misc: small tweaks to logging and debug flags to gate diagnostics.
Replace occurrences of "Fallout 4 Together" with "Commonwealth Online" across docs and testing guidance. Add Interface assets and tooling: MainMenu/Pipboy SWFs, translation/fonts, exported scripts (Interface/exported/scripts/MainMenu.as) and a PATCH_MainMenu_Multiplayer.md describing how to add a Multiplayer menu entry that calls root.f4se.plugins.commonwealthOnline.openManager(). Also add build/run batch scripts and apply assorted updates to README, plugin, server and protocol documentation/source to align with the rename and UI changes.
Investigation summary:
- Tested velocity-based animation triggering: graph variable writes, animation
events, character controller velocity manipulation, and Move() API calls
- All approaches failed: animations do not play on SetPosition-backed proxy actors
- Root cause: Fallout 4's animation system requires active AIProcess-driven
locomotion packages, which are incompatible with networked puppet actors
- Fallout 4's animation system fundamentally ties animation evaluation to the
character controller's actual velocity AND active AI-driven locomotion state
- PlaceAtMe proxies updated via SetPosition cannot provide either requirement
Proxy actors currently work correctly for:
- Smooth position synchronization
- Heading/rotation updates
- Jump animations (via Z-position)
- Network sync and lifecycle
What remains impossible without deep engine access:
- Walk/run/sneak animation playback
- Animation graph variable manipulation affecting behavior
- Character controller velocity synthesis for puppets
Recommendation: Accept this architectural limitation and provide alternative
visual feedback (particles, glows, state indicators) instead of animations.
Files changed:
- plugin/src/F4TProxyActorController.cpp: Reverted to SetPosition-only approach
- docs/dev-log.md: Added comprehensive investigation summary and conclusions
Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
Add a temporary in-cell holding fallback for the single placed proxy actor when no valid same-cell remote player is available. Introduces kProxyHiddenHoldingPosition, ProxyLifecycleState, RemotePlayerSelection, MoveProxyToHoldingPosition and RestoreProxyForRemotePlayer, plus selection/state-tracking and throttled logs. The controller now moves the proxy to the hidden position on disconnect, disappearance, or cell-mismatch and snaps it back when a valid same-cell remote appears. Documentation and dev log updated to describe the lifecycle and rationale (docs/architecture.md, docs/dev-log.md, protocol/player-sync.md).
Add optional movement-state fields (isMoving, isSprinting, isSneaking, isJumping, weaponDrawn, movementSpeed) to transform packets and wire them end-to-end. Plugin changes: extend F4TNetworking API and RemotePlayerState, derive movement speed/jump state on the game-thread, validate values, include fields when formatting transform JSON, and add throttled remote movement-state logging. main.cpp adds sampling, speed/vertical calculations, jump hold logic, and change-detection to avoid extra sends. Networking parsing (F4TNetworking.cpp) reads optional booleans/floats safely, preserves backwards compatibility, and clears movement-state logs on disconnect. Proxy controller includes a TODO note for future animation use. Server and docs: update protocol and packet docs, dev-log, server README, and fake_client.py to parse/display optional fields safely. Also add several .cursor rule files for coding, documentation, protocol, project overview, and testing guidance. This milestone prepares the data model for later animation/behavior work while keeping existing relay behavior unchanged.
Separate normal transform send cadence from movement logging and improve proxy smoothing. Key changes:
- Polling/send logic (plugin/src/main.cpp): introduced distinct send vs log intervals (100ms send, 1s log), lowered send thresholds (≈3.0 units position, 0.02 rad rotation), renamed/clarified functions, and added special movement types (worldspace_change, cell_change, teleport) that bypass the send gate and are logged immediately. Normal movement targets roughly 10 Hz while moving to avoid packet-per-frame traffic.
- Proxy controller (plugin/src/F4TProxyActorController.cpp): tuned proxy position lerp alpha to 0.15 for smoother motion, renamed movement-interval variables for clarity, and removed the generic per-update movement gate so normal proxy visual updates are applied each game update while only the safety-offset path is throttled.
- Documentation updates (docs/architecture.md, docs/dev-log.md, protocol/player-sync.md): describe the new send/log separation, cadence and thresholds, smoothing behavior, and recorded dev-log about smoothing tests and results.
These changes reduce network noise, produce smoother remote visuals, and keep readable local movement logs while preserving immediate sends for large/categorical movement changes.
Introduce simple position smoothing for normal proxy movement and snap special movements. Adds kProxyPositionLerpAlpha, Lerp/LerpPosition helpers, and ShouldSnapRemoteMovement to lerp proxy position on normal updates while snapping on cell_change, worldspace_change, and teleport. Update MoveProxyToRemotePlayer to use lerp or snap, keep heading snapping (TODO: wrapped angle smoothing), and add throttled/readable logs for smoothing start, first smoothed movement, snaps, and idle-on-cell-mismatch. Minor messaging change on disconnect to leave proxy idle at last position. Update docs (architecture, setup, protocol) and dev log to reflect the new behavior and testing notes; dynamic spawning/multiple proxies remain out of scope.
Enable game-thread proxy actor movement driven by a copied remote-player snapshot and update related networking/validation, docs, and test client.
- Plugin: add F4T::ProxyActorController::Update() (alias UpdateSafetyTest preserved) and implement remote-state-driven movement for the single placed proxy (F4TProxyRemotePlayer01REF) in F4TTestCell01. Selects lowest available playerId, validates same-cell/worldspace for movement, and caches represented playerId. Adds helper functions (ParseHexFormId, IsRemotePlayerInSameLocation, SelectRemotePlayerToRepresent, MoveProxyToRemotePlayer) and improved throttled logging.
- Networking: tighten transform packet required-field checking (requires type, playerId, x, y, z, angleZ, cellId), add GetMissingRequiredTransformField, make movementType/worldspaceId/clientTime/serverTime optional with sensible defaults, and switch LogThrottledWarning to accept string_view.
- main.cpp: call ProxyActorController::Update on game-thread tasks.
- fake_client.py: mirror new packet validation and provide defaults for optional fields.
- Docs/dev-log/protocol/setup: update architecture, dev log, protocol, and setup notes to describe the single-proxy remote-state milestone, required packet fields, and testing checklist.
This change keeps networking thread limited to parsing/updating plain remote-player state and moves all actor access to the game-thread controller. Dynamic spawning, multiple proxies, and interpolation remain out of scope.
Add a networking receive loop and in-plugin remote-player storage. Introduces F4TRemotePlayerState (header + implementation) to track assigned playerId and remote player snapshots with thread-safe access. Expands F4TNetworking to start/stop a background receive thread, parse newline-separated JSON packets (welcome, transform, disconnect), validate fields, update remote state, throttle logs, and handle socket/thread synchronization. Add nlohmann_json to xmake and plugin build. Update docs and dev log to reflect the new receive behavior and current prototype scope.
Expand documentation to describe the current local networking prototype and its protocol. Adds a Current Architecture section and Fake Client responsibilities, clarifies that the Fallout 4 plugin currently only sends transforms (no receive loop yet), and documents implemented message types (welcome, transform, disconnect) with packet field descriptions and examples. Update player-sync and packets docs to reflect movementType, server/client timestamps, and the in-memory remote player state model used by server/fake_client.py. Flesh out server/README with run/test flow and implemented behavior. Revise dev-log with milestone entries, testing notes, and an entry template for future updates.
andrew
