Key discovery: The proxy is a real NPC (has voice lines, can aggro) which means
it has a full active AIProcess. This changes everything!
ROOT CAUSE IDENTIFIED:
- We use SetPosition() which bypasses the character controller
- This prevents Move() from being called
- Without Move(), velocity is never updated
- Animation graph never sees velocity, so no animations
SOLUTION:
- Let the proxy's AIProcess drive Move() calls naturally
- This will update velocity and trigger animations automatically
- Use SetPosition() only occasionally (~200ms) to correct network drift
- Result: Smooth networked movement WITH proper animations
Why this wasn't realized before:
- Previous investigation assumed proxies were 'puppets'
- We now know they're real NPCs with full AI capability
- We were just bypassing the animation pipeline with SetPosition()
Added:
- ApplyRuntimeProxyTransformWithAI() function (hybrid approach template)
- Comprehensive breakthrough notes in dev-log
Next: Implement actual hybrid movement that lets AI drive animations
Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
andrewandCursor
2ac4b8f07c