Sending colors over Lacewing and Optimization help

[zoomingmaf]

Hi! As you can see, I'm new to these forums, but I've had some experience with MMF2. My first real project is an online top-down 2D shooter that is still in the works. I've nailed many things down such as peer movement and weapon firing, but I'm still having some difficulties with certain features.

In the game, the player can select a color to colorize their avatar when playing online. When you play with one peer in the game, it's fine and the peer's selected color shows. However, when there are 2 or more peers playing with you, each instance only takes on one color... which shouldn't be happening.

Also, peer movement seemed to be pretty smooth when I was testing it locally, but when I tested it with a friend it was a bit choppy. Any tips on optimization and smoothing that out?

Here is the download if anybody would like to help me please: View MFA or http://www.mediafire.com/?1b0l7uc2px0dnnv if that doesnt work

[LB]

Here is the Aquadasoft download for people like me who can't access Mediafire: http://mfa.aquadasoft.com/upload/1310006937-circlewarsnew.mfa

each instance only takes on one color

I don't understand, isn't this what you wanted?

I can't actually open the MFA because apparently I don't have "OnuEng_AdvSound.mfx", and I am sure I have the entire Onu audio extension set...

[zoomingmaf]

Sorry, I meant that all the peers take on one color as opposed to each taking an individually selected color.

Here is a new download link with Onu removed:

[LB]

OK, a few things I noticed when looking only at your "Online Stuff" group: Blasting via UDP is faster, but not always reliable. Usually the message gets through, but not always. If you want to guarantee a message getting through, Send it rather than Blasting it. In the case of sending the colors, I think it is important enough to send, whereas things like movement are better blasted.
The second thing is, Lacewing already has expressions for you to get the name and ID of the peer who sent a message, it doesn't only work for on peer leave and join. These things do not need to be sent with the message.
The third thing is that Colors use 3 bytes, whereas you're sending a short which is only two bytes. You need to either send the three bytes individually or send the color as a Integer which is four bytes.

[Dynasoft]

Doesn't "replace colour" affect all duplicates of that object?

[LB]

Yes, which I hadn't realized he was doing - good catch, Dynasoft.

@zoomingmaf: You'll have to come up with an alternative to using the Replace Color action.

[zoomingmaf]

Ahh, that's a shame. Thanks for the help LB and Dynasoft. I'll get to finding a workaround now.

[Jacob]

You can use a surface object instead of an active

EDIT: It's probably better to just draw 15 or so different recolours and have the user pick from one of them. It causes far less headaches that way.