Mirror/doc/General/Deprecations.md

Deprecations

Certain features of Unity Networking (UNet) were removed from Mirror or modified for various reasons. This page will identify all changed and removed features, properties, and methods, the reason for change or removal, and possible alternatives.

Note: Some changes in this document may apply to an upcoming release to the Asset Store.

Match Namespace

As part of the Unity Services, this entire namespace was removed. It didn't work well to begin with, and was incredibly complex to be part of the core networking package. We expect this, along with other back-end services, will be provided through standalone apps that have integration to Mirror.

Network Server Simple

This was too complex and impractical to maintain for what little it did, and was removed. There are much easier ways to make a basic listen server, with or without one of our transports.

Couch Co-Op

The core networking was greatly simplified by removing this low-hanging fruit. It was buggy, and too convoluted to be worth fixing. For those that need something like this, consider defining a non-visible player prefab as a message conduit that spawns actual player prefabs with client authority. All inputs would route through the conduit prefab to control the player objects.

Message Types

The MsgType enumeration was removed. All message types are generated dynamically. Use Send<T> instead.

Network Transform

Network Transform was significantly simplified so that it only syncs position, rotation and scale. Rigidbody support was removed. We may create a new NetworkRigidbody component that will be server authoritative with physics simulation and interpolation.

Network Animator

Network Animator was also simplified, as it batches all Animator parameters into a single update message.

SyncVar Hook Parameters

SyncVar property values are now updated before the hook is called, and hooks now require two parameters of the same type as the property: oldValue and newValue

SyncListSTRUCT

Use SyncList<YourSpecialStruct> instead.

SyncList Operations

• OP_REMOVE was replaced by OP_REMOVEAT
• OP_DIRTY was replaced by OP_SET

SyncIDictionary Operations

• OP_DIRTY was replaced by OP_SET

Quality of Service Flags

In classic UNet, QoS Flags were used to determine how packets got to the remote end. For example, if you needed a packet to be prioritized in the queue, you would specify a high priority flag which the Unity LLAPI would then receive and deal with appropriately. Unfortunately, this caused a lot of extra work for the transport layer and some of the QoS flags did not work as intended due to buggy code that relied on too much magic.

In Mirror, QoS flags were replaced with a "Channels" system. This system paves the way for future Mirror improvements, so you can send data on different channels - for example, you could have all game activity on channel 0, while in-game text chat is sent on channel 1 and voice chat is sent on channel 2. In the future, it may be possible to assign a transport system per channel, allowing one to have a TCP transport for critical game network data on channel 0, while in-game text and voice chat is running on a UDP transport in parallel on channel 1. Some transports, such as Ignorance, also provide legacy compatibility for those attached to QoS flags.

The currently defined channels are:

• Channels.DefaultReliable = 0

• Channels.DefaultUnreliable = 1

Currently, Mirror using it's default TCP transport will always send everything over a reliable channel. There is no way to bypass this behaviour without using a third-party transport, since TCP is always reliable. Other transports may support other channel sending methods.

Changes by Class

NetworkManager

• networkPort
  Removed as part of separating Transports to components. Not all transports use ports, but those that do have a field for it. See Transports for more info.

• IsHeadless()
  Use isHeadless instead, as it's a property now.

• client
  Use NetworkClient directly, it will be made static soon. For example, use NetworkClient.Send(message) instead of NetworkManager.client.Send(message).

• IsClientConnected()
  Use static property NetworkClient.isConnected instead.

• OnStartClient(NetworkClient client)
  Override OnStartClient() instead since all NetworkClient methods are static now.

• OnClientChangeScene(string newSceneName)
  Override OnClientChangeScene(string newSceneName, SceneOperation sceneOperation, bool customHandling) instead.

• OnClientChangeScene(string newSceneName, SceneOperation sceneOperation)
  Override OnClientChangeScene(string newSceneName, SceneOperation sceneOperation, bool customHandling) instead.

• OnServerAddPlayer(NetworkConnection conn, AddPlayerMessage extraMessage)
  Override OnServerAddPlayer(NetworkConnection conn) instead. See Custom Player Spawn Guide for details.

NetworkRoomManager

• OnRoomServerCreateGamePlayer(NetworkConnection conn)
  Use OnRoomServerCreateGamePlayer(NetworkConnection conn, GameObject roomPlayer) instead.

• OnRoomServerSceneLoadedForPlayer(GameObject roomPlayer, GameObject gamePlayer)
  Use OnRoomServerSceneLoadedForPlayer(NetworkConnection conn, GameObject roomPlayer, GameObject gamePlayer) instead.

NetworkIdentity

• clientAuthorityOwner
  Use connectionToClient instead

• GetSceneIdenity
  Use GetSceneIdentity instead (typo in original name)

• RemoveClientAuthority(NetworkConnection conn)
  NetworkConnection parameter is no longer needed and nothing is returned

• Local Player Authority checkbox
  This checkbox is no longer needed, and we simplified how Authority works in Mirror.

NetworkBehaviour

• sendInterval attribute
  Use NetworkBehaviour.syncInterval field instead. Can be modified in the Inspector too.

• List<SyncObject> m_SyncObjects
  Use List<SyncObject> syncObjects instead.

• OnSetLocalVisibility(bool visible)
  Override OnSetHostVisibility(bool visible) instead.

NetworkConnection

• hostId
  Removed because it's not needed ever since we removed LLAPI as default. It's always 0 for regular connections and -1 for local connections. Use connection.GetType() == typeof(NetworkConnection) to check if it's a regular or local connection.

• isConnected
  Removed because it's pointless. A NetworkConnection is always connected.

• InvokeHandlerNoData(int msgType)
  Use InvokeHandler<T> instead.

• playerController
  renamed to identity since that's what it is: the NetworkIdentity for the connection. If you need to convert a project after this change, Visual Studio / VS Code can help...read more here.

• RegisterHandler(short msgType, NetworkMessageDelegate handler)
  Use NetworkServer.RegisterHandler<T>() or NetworkClient.RegisterHandler<T>() instead.

• UnregisterHandler(short msgType)
  Use NetworkServer.UnregisterHandler<T>() or NetworkClient.UnregisterHandler<T>() instead.

• Send(int msgType, MessageBase msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable)
  Use Send<T>(msg, channelId) instead.

NetworkServer

• FindLocalObject(uint netId)
  Use NetworkIdentity.spawned[netId] instead.

• RegisterHandler(int msgType, NetworkMessageDelegate handler)
  Use RegisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• RegisterHandler(MsgType msgType, NetworkMessageDelegate handler)
  Use RegisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• UnregisterHandler(int msgType)
  Use UnregisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• UnregisterHandler(MsgType msgType)
  Use UnregisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• SendToAll(int msgType, MessageBase msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable)
  Use SendToAll<T>(T msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable) instead.

• SendToClient(int connectionId, int msgType, MessageBase msg)
  Use NetworkConnection.Send<T>(T msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable) instead.

• SendToClient<T>(int connectionId, T msg)
  Use NetworkConnection.Send<T>(T msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable) instead.

• SendToClientOfPlayer(NetworkIdentity identity, int msgType, MessageBase msg)
  Use SendToClientOfPlayer<T>(NetworkIdentity identity, T msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable) instead.

• SendToReady(NetworkIdentity identity, short msgType, MessageBase msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable)
  Use SendToReady<T>(NetworkIdentity identity, T msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable) instead.

• SpawnWithClientAuthority(GameObject obj, GameObject player)
  Use Spawn(GameObject, GameObject) instead.

• SpawnWithClientAuthority(GameObject obj, NetworkConnection ownerConnection)
  Use Spawn(obj, connection) instead.

• SpawnWithClientAuthority(GameObject obj, Guid assetId, NetworkConnection ownerConnection)
  Use Spawn(obj, assetId, connection) instead

NetworkClient

• NetworkClient singleton
  Use NetworkClient directly. Singleton isn't needed anymore as all functions are static now.
  Example: NetworkClient.Send(message) instead of NetworkClient.singleton.Send(message).

• allClients
  Use NetworkClient directly instead. There is always exactly one client.

• GetRTT()
  Use NetworkTime.rtt instead.

• RegisterHandler(int msgType, NetworkMessageDelegate handler)
  Use RegisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• RegisterHandler(MsgType msgType, NetworkMessageDelegate handler)
  Use RegisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• UnregisterHandler(int msgType)
  Use UnregisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• UnregisterHandler(MsgType msgType)
  Use UnregisterHandler<T>(T msg) instead.

• Send(short msgType, MessageBase msg)
  Use Send<T>(T msg, int channelId = Channels.DefaultReliable) with no message id instead

• ShutdownAll()
  Use Shutdown() instead. There is only one client.

ClientScene

• FindLocalObject(uint netId)
  Use NetworkIdentity.spawned[netId] instead.

Messages

Basic messages of simple types were all removed as unnecessary bloat. You can create your own message classes instead.

• StringMessage
• ByteMessage
• BytesMessage
• IntegerMessage
• DoubleMessage
• EmptyMessage

NetworkWriter

• Write(bool value)
  Use WriteBoolean instead.

• Write(byte value)
  Use WriteByte instead.

• Write(sbyte value)
  Use WriteSByte instead.

• Write(short value)
  Use WriteInt16 instead.

• Write(ushort value)
  Use WriteUInt16 instead.

• Write(int value)
  Use WriteInt32 instead.

• Write(uint value)
  Use WriteUInt32 instead.

• Write(long value)
  Use WriteInt64 instead.

• Write(ulong value)
  Use WriteUInt64 instead.

• Write(float value)
  Use WriteSingle instead.

• Write(double value)
  Use WriteDouble instead.

• Write(decimal value)
  Use WriteDecimal instead.

• Write(string value)
  Use WriteString instead.

• Write(char value)
  Use WriteChar instead.

• Write(Vector2 value)
  Use WriteVector2 instead.

• Write(Vector2Int value)
  Use WriteVector2Int instead.

• Write(Vector3 value)
  Use WriteVector3 instead.

• Write(Vector3Int value)
  Use WriteVector3Int instead.

• Write(Vector4 value)
  Use WriteVector4 instead.

• Write(Color value)
  Use WriteColor instead.

• Write(Color32 value)
  Use WriteColor32 instead.

• Write(Guid value)
  Use WriteGuid instead.

• Write(Transform value)
  Use WriteTransform instead.

• Write(Quaternion value)
  Use WriteQuaternion instead.

• Write(Rect value)
  Use WriteRect instead.

• Write(Plane value)
  Use WritePlane instead.

• Write(Ray value)
  Use WriteRay instead.

• Write(Matrix4x4 value)
  Use WriteMatrix4x4 instead.

• Write(NetworkIdentity value)
  Use WriteNetworkIdentity instead.

• Write(GameObject value)
  Use WriteGameObject instead.

• Write(byte[] buffer, int offset, int count)
  Use WriteBytes instead.

Transport

• GetConnectionInfo(int connectionId, out string address)
  Use ServerGetClientAddress(int connectionId) instead.

TelepathyTransport

• MaxMessageSize
  Use MaxMessageSizeFromClient or MaxMessageSizeFromServer instead.