Commonwealth-Online/Commonwealth-Online-Public

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andrew d724d7404c Document local networking prototype and protocol

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.

2026-05-31 19:28:58 +12:00

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Server

This folder is for the external multiplayer test server.

The current server is a tiny local-only TCP test server. It listens on 127.0.0.1:7777, accepts one or more clients, reads newline-separated JSON packets, assigns incrementing playerId values, sends welcome packets, adds playerId and serverTime to transform packets, broadcasts transform packets to every other connected client, and broadcasts disconnect packets when clients disconnect.

This is still a local prototype. It does not make Fallout 4 multiplayer playable yet.

Run

cd server
python server.py

Then launch Fallout 4 through F4SE and move the player. The plugin should send local player transform packets, and this server should print matching transform packets.

If the server is not running, the plugin should log a warning and Fallout 4 should continue launching normally.

Current Test Flow

Terminal 1:

cd server
python server.py

Terminal 2:

cd server
python fake_client.py

Then launch Fallout 4 through F4SE and move the player.

Expected behavior:

The server assigns a playerId to each connected client and sends each client a welcome packet.
The server receives transforms from the Fallout 4 plugin.
The server adds playerId and serverTime to each transform packet before broadcast.
The server broadcasts those transform packets to connected clients except the sender.
fake_client.py receives broadcast transform packets.
fake_client.py stores remote player state by playerId.
When a client disconnects, the server removes that client and broadcasts a disconnect packet with the departed playerId to the remaining clients.
fake_client.py removes disconnected players from its in-memory remote_players table.

The fake client exists so broadcast behavior can be tested before coordinating a second Fallout 4/F4SE instance. It stores remote player transform state only; it does not spawn remote actors or send movement.

Implemented

Start local server
Accept client connections
Assign server-owned player IDs
Send welcome packets
Receive transform packets
Add server timestamps
Broadcast transforms to other connected clients
Broadcast disconnect packets
Handle disconnect cleanup

Working In Fake Client Only

Receiving welcome packets
Receiving transform broadcasts
Storing remote player state
Removing disconnected remote players

The Fallout 4 plugin does not yet receive remote transforms from the server.

Planned Later

Fallout 4 plugin receive loop
Plugin-side remote player state storage
Remote actor spawning
Gameplay synchronization
Authentication
Public matchmaking
Anti-cheat
Persistence
Quest state
Settlement state
Large-scale world simulation

2.7 KiB Raw Blame History