I am receiving a NetworkAnimator.CheckParametersChanged error.

[wraith sundial]

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
Unity.Netcode.Components.NetworkAnimator.CheckParametersChanged () (at ./Library/PackageCache/com.unity.netcode.gameobjects@837011a5fcd5/Runtime/Components/NetworkAnimator.cs:1072)
Unity.Netcode.Components.NetworkAnimator.CheckForAnimatorChanges () (at ./Library/PackageCache/com.unity.netcode.gameobjects@837011a5fcd5/Runtime/Components/NetworkAnimator.cs:957)
Unity.Netcode.Components.NetworkAnimatorStateChangeHandler.NetworkUpdate (Unity.Netcode.NetworkUpdateStage updateStage) (at ./Library/PackageCache/com.unity.netcode.gameobjects@837011a5fcd5/Runtime/Components/NetworkAnimator.cs:102)
Unity.Netcode.NetworkUpdateLoop.RunNetworkUpdateStage (Unity.Netcode.NetworkUpdateStage updateStage) (at ./Library/PackageCache/com.unity.netcode.gameobjects@837011a5fcd5/Runtime/Core/NetworkUpdateLoop.cs:191)
Unity.Netcode.NetworkUpdateLoop+NetworkPreUpdate+<>c.<CreateLoopSystem>b__0_0 () (at ./Library/PackageCache/com.unity.netcode.gameobjects@837011a5fcd5/Runtime/Core/NetworkUpdateLoop.cs:238)

I don't understand how to fix it, even though the animation from the child object is transferred to the parent.

[high wing]

I would guess the error is happening because the animator is not set before the network starts. And setting it afterwards doesn't seemt to fix it.

So you would either need to set it before the network starts

or

have the NetworkAnimator disabled by default, set the animator and then enable it

You can also try finding a solution that allows for the animator to be set on the prefab to avoid all of this.

[wraith sundial]

How do you think it should be set up before the start?

Before the start, the prefab looks like this

After selecting a character and starting the game, the selected character is transferred.

[subtle nest]

This is why the network animator should be disabled until you have the animator to assign to it

[subtle nest]

It's giving this error message even when disabled?

[wraith sundial]

yes

[subtle nest]

open a bug report on that. I'm not sure why any Update() is running on a disabled component. As a workaround you can put an Animator or on the Player prefab

[wraith sundial]

If I am a regular animator and upload a player prefab, how will I receive the character animation?

However, the error still occurs even if the network animator is disabled on the player prefab.

[high wing]

Do all of your characters use the same states? Ex. Walk, Run, Jump, etc.

[wraith sundial]

yes

[high wing]

I think you might have better luck putting NetworkAnimator and the regular Animator on the Player Prefab itself. Then through your script swap out the Controller field on the regular Animator.

And I would also use Animation Override Controllers as well.

[wraith sundial]

NetworkAnimator hangs on the player prefab, the regular animator on the selected character is also a prefab.

[high wing]

So you can drag in the base controller by default just as a placeholder so it can register all the parameters, and then through script your can swap in an overrice controller her each hero.

[high wing]

Yeah. I'm saying to put both on the Player Prefab.

[high wing]

Correct, and then you would set Animator.runtimeAnimatorController through script

with each hero's specific controller

[wraith sundial]

There are no errors, but the animation does not work.

[high wing]

Did you do this?

[wraith sundial]

Where can it be used?

[high wing]

I don't know what you're asking.

[wraith sundial]

As you suggest, the animation does not function at all.

[high wing]

Because you did 1 step out of multiple that I suggested.

[wraith sundial]

I don't understand what you're offering me.

[high wing]

• Put OwnerNetworkAnimator and Animator on your Player prefab.
• Create one Animator Controller that has all the states your player needs. Drag it in to the Animator on the Player prefab.
• Create an Animator Override Controller for each hero and their specific animations.
• Create a script HeroAnimatorData that will be attached to each hero prefab that holds its Animator Override Controller. Should just be a script with a single variable, something like public AnimatorOverrideController heroAnimatorController;
• In your NetworkPlayerSpawn script you can do var heroAnimationController = selectedCharacterPrefab.GetComponent<HeroAnimatorData>().heroAnimatorController and then do playerController.ownerNetworkAnimator.Animator.runtimeAnimatorController = heroAnimatorController

If you don't understand an individual step, feel free to ask.

You can change up the last step to use your SetAnimator function on the player controller if you want.

[wraith sundial]

hey all

I just woke up and now I'm going to try what you wrote.

[subtle nest]

Are you adding or destroying any components on the player at runtime?

[wraith sundial]

No, I'm not deleting it.

when there is only one customer, everything is fine

[subtle nest]

Are you creating a build? There are not many reasons why the prefabs would be different between client and server

[wraith sundial]

host in Unity, second player in the build

[subtle nest]

You might need rebuild

[wraith sundial]

I just launched two builds, etc., but the error remains.

[high wing]

Build the application again - not run two builds.

[wraith sundial]

It doesn't help. I'm writing about it.

Works only on the first player, error on the second

[high wing]

We also can't see the line that is erroring. (PlayerController Line 90)

I would also reccomend using Multiplayer Play Mode or ParrelSync. Would make tracking down errors like this much easier.

[wraith sundial]

34

[high wing]

PlayerController Line 90

[wraith sundial]

it's because of the first mistake

Why are you looking at what happens next? If the problem is initially in the first error, which causes the following errors,

[high wing]

Just because the errors are logged in that order does not mean the first causes the other.

We've also already told you what causes the first error. I'm just trying to get a full picture of what's happening currently.

[wraith sundial]

What happens is that there is a player prefab in which the selected character appears, which has a normal and network animator. On the host, everything is fine, but on other players, the first error is triggered.

[high wing]

It's saying NetworkBehaviour at index 2 is out of bounds, which means it can't find it on your clients. That means the third NetworkBehaviour on your Player object.

index 0 - PlayerController
index 1 - ClientNetworkTransform
index 2 - OwnerNetworkAnimator

So the network is starting, and because you haven't manually spawned the Hero/Character prefab with the OwnerNetworkAnimator on it yet, it's erroring.

[high wing]

This is one of the reasons I recommended putting OwnerNetworkAnimator on the Player prefab.

[wraith sundial]

Yes, it was hanging there, and there was another mistake.

I even checked with Monke, and he also has animation running on his daughter's computer, and everything works fine.

[high wing]

Because it's a part of the prefab.

Yours is not.

You're adding it at runtime.

[wraith sundial]

What if I add them in advance and simply disable them? And enable them if the player selects that character?

[high wing]

That works.

People just tend to avoid doing that because that solution doesn't scale well. But if you only have a handful of heroes/characters, it's fine.

[wraith sundial]

I have 20 characters.

[high wing]

Yeah. That may be problematic.

[subtle nest]

What I've done in the past is swap out the mesh renderer and materials. Which works as long as the animation avatar is the same between characters

[high wing]

The other thing you could try is just combing your hero and player prefabs. Put all the network and player scripts right on the heroes and spawn that.

I'm not sure if NGO has a problem with Player objects being different, but I don't think it would.

[high wing]

You'd have to have them all enabled by default, disable them after the player spawns and keep the selected one enabled.

[subtle nest]

If they have network behaviors on them then they would need to be enabled at spawn. You can disable the renderer on them

[wraith sundial]

I still get an error even if they are all enabled and then disabled.

[subtle nest]

Don't disable the objects at all. just disable the renderer

[wraith sundial]

For some reason, the second player's prefabs won't turn off.

[wraith sundial]

In general, I don't understand how to disable them for other players.

[subtle nest]

You'll need to use RPCs or Network Variables. I would have a NetworkVariable<int> that the player can set. 3 will enable the renderer on the 3rd child and disable the renderer on the rest

[wraith sundial]

I'm already doing that.

[subtle nest]

This is a singleton. the network variable here will be the same for all clients

[wraith sundial]

I disabled rendering for all characters, and it only turns on for the host; the client refuses to turn on via RPC.

[subtle nest]

post the code for your PRC

[wraith sundial]

Did I really beat it after a month? 😄

Thank you all.

[high wing]

👏