Common Patterns

Common multiplayer state machine patterns

These patterns help you structure networked state machines effectively.

Player State Machine

For player-controlled characters:

Start Node [Run on Owner]
└─ Input Trigger [Run on Owner]
    └─ Movement Actions [RPC to All]

Breakdown

Node	Run On	Reason
Start	Owner	Initialize only for controlling player
Input Trigger	Owner	Only the owner reads input
Movement Actions	RPC to All	All clients see the movement

AI State Machine

For server-authoritative AI:

Start Node [Run on Master]
└─ AI Decision [Run on Master]
    └─ AI Actions [RPC to All]

Breakdown

Node	Run On	Reason
Start	Master	AI runs on server only
AI Decision	Master	Server makes all AI decisions
AI Actions	RPC to All	All clients see AI behavior

Shared Game Logic

For game-wide state (lobby, match state):

Start Node [Run on Master]
└─ Game State Changes [RPC to All]
    └─ UI Updates [Run on All]

Breakdown

Node	Run On	Reason
Start	Master	Server controls game flow
Game State Changes	RPC to All	Sync state to all clients
UI Updates	Run on All	Each client updates their own UI

Hybrid Pattern

Combine local and networked behavior:

Trigger: On Interact [Run on Owner]
├─ Action: Play Local Sound [Run on Owner]
└─ Action: Toggle State [RPC to All]
    └─ Action: Play Animation [Run on All]

This pattern plays a sound only for the interacting player while syncing the actual game state change.