Note: This documentation assumes that you understand fundamental networking concepts such as the relationship between a host, server and client. To learn more about these concepts, see documentation on Network System Concepts.
Property: | Function: |
---|---|
Show Runtime GUI | Tick this checkbox to show the Network Manager HUD GUI at run time. This allows you to reveal or hide it for quick debugging. |
GUI Horizontal Offset | Set the horizontal pixel offset of the HUD, measured from the left edge of the screen. |
GUI Vertical Offset | Set the vertical pixel offset of the HUD, measured from the top edge of the screen. |
The Network Manager HUD (“heads-up display”) provides the basic functions so that people playing your game can start hosting a networked game, or find and join an existing networked game. Unity displays the Network Manager HUD as a collection of simple UI buttons in the Game view.
The Network Manager HUD is a quick-start tool to help you start building your multiplayer game straight away, without first having to build a user interface for game creation/connection/joining. It allows you to jump straight into your gameplay programming, and means you can build your own version of these controls later in your development schedule.
It is not, however, intended to be included in finished games. The idea is that these controls are useful to get you started, but you should create your own UI later on, to allow your players to find and join games in a way that suits your game. For example, you might want to stylize the design of the screens, buttons and list of available games to match the overall style of your game.
To start using the Network Manager HUD, create an empty GameObject in your Scene (menu: GameObject > Create Empty) and add the Network Manager HUD component to the new GameObject.
For a description of the properties shown in the inspector for the Network Manager HUD, see the Network Manager HUD reference page.
The Network Manager HUD has two basic modes: LAN (Local Area Network) mode and Matchmaker mode. These modes match the two common types of multiplayer games. LAN mode is for creating or joining games hosted on a local area network (that is, multiple computers connected to the same network), and Matchmaker mode is for creating, finding and joining games across the internet (multiple computers connected to separate networks).
The Network Manager HUD starts in LAN mode, and displays buttons relating to hosting and joining a LAN-based multiplayer game. To switch the HUD to Matchmaker mode, click the Enable Match Maker (M) button.
Note: Remember that the Network Manager HUD feature is a temporary aid to development. It allows you to get your multiplayer game running quickly, but you should replace it with your own UI controls when you are ready.
Did you find this page useful? Please give it a rating:
Thanks for rating this page!
What kind of problem would you like to report?
Is something described here not working as you expect it to? It might be a Known Issue. Please check with the Issue Tracker at issuetracker.unity3d.com.
Thanks for letting us know! This page has been marked for review based on your feedback.
If you have time, you can provide more information to help us fix the problem faster.
Provide more information
You've told us this page needs code samples. If you'd like to help us further, you could provide a code sample, or tell us about what kind of code sample you'd like to see:
You've told us there are code samples on this page which don't work. If you know how to fix it, or have something better we could use instead, please let us know:
You've told us there is information missing from this page. Please tell us more about what's missing:
You've told us there is incorrect information on this page. If you know what we should change to make it correct, please tell us:
You've told us this page has unclear or confusing information. Please tell us more about what you found unclear or confusing, or let us know how we could make it clearer:
You've told us there is a spelling or grammar error on this page. Please tell us what's wrong:
You've told us this page has a problem. Please tell us more about what's wrong:
Thanks for helping to make the Unity documentation better!