---

MP_ChatSystem - Multiplayer Chat System Plugin for Unreal Engine

MP_ChatSystem is a powerful, efficient, and modular multiplayer chat system built for Unreal Engine. Supports Global, Team, Party, and Private (DM) channels with a room-based design and highly optimized message replication — ideal for both Listen Server and Dedicated Server projects, it's Scalable, extendable, and open-source.

---

🚀 Features

• 💬 Structured support for Global, Team, Party, and Private (DM) chat
• 🧩 Room-based system: clean isolation of conversations and channels
• 📡 Network-efficient via FastArray Replication — not RPC per message
• 🔀 Supports temporary and persistent rooms per use case
• 🧠 Client-specific relevancy filtering — only receive what you need
• 🎛️ Full runtime control: create, join, route messages through code or UI
• 🖼️ Built-in scrollable chat box system for easy UI integration
• ⚙️ Easy to extend, debug, and customize for games, simulation, and more

---

🧩 Plugin Code Features

📁 Core Classes

Class	Role
AMP_ChatManager	Central server-side manager that handles room creation, joining, and message routing.
AMP_ChatRoom	Replicated actor that holds message state per room. Sent only to relevant clients.
UMP_ChatBox	ScrollBox class for displaying dynamic chat messages using slot injection.
IMP_Chat_PlayerController_I	Interface to fetch player identity like SenderID/Name from any PlayerController.

---

🧱 Structs & Enums

📦 Structs

Struct	Purpose
FMP_ChatMessage	Stores chat message data: sender, body, timestamp, channel, etc.
FMP_ChatMsgItem	Wraps a message in FastArray for replication tracking.
FMP_ChatMsgArray	The actual FFastArraySerializer, replicates all message deltas.
FMP_ChatRoomKey	Unique identifier for a room (used internally).
FMP_ChatRoomDesc	Room metadata (optional name, visibility, etc.).

📘 Enums

Enum	Description
EChatChannel	Channel types: Global, Team, Party, Private, System, Admin

---

🧠 Architecture & Replication Model

• Each chat room is one replicated actor (AMP_ChatRoom), spawned on the server.
• Clients receive that actor only if they've joined the room.
• This filtering is handled using IsNetRelevantFor() to decide which clients should see the actor.
• Global rooms can be marked as bAlwaysRelevant = true to make them visible to all.

This design ensures minimal bandwidth, no duplicated actors, and room-specific visibility — scalable and efficient.

---

🛫 Getting Started

📥 Installation

git clone https://github.com/Yuvi-GD/MP_ChatSystem.git

1. Copy the MP_ChatSystem folder into your project's Plugins/ directory.
2. Open your project → Edit ➡ Plugins ➡ Enable "MP_ChatSystem"
3. Restart Unreal Editor when prompted.

---

🛠 Usage

1. Place AMP_ChatManager in your level (or spawn it via GameMode).

2. In your PlayerController Blueprint, implement IMP_Chat_PlayerController_I

   • Define GetSenderID() and GetSenderName().

3. Add UMP_ChatBox to your widget hierarchy.

4. On input: call a Server RPC → Manager → Room → AddChatMessage(...)

5. Bind AMP_ChatRoom::OnMessageReceived to a Widget function for UI updates.

---

🧪 Replication Flow

1. Client sends message → RPC → AMP_ChatManager
2. Manager finds correct AMP_ChatRoom
3. Server calls Room->AddChatMessage(...)
4. Message is added to FMP_ChatMsgArray
5. MarkItemDirty(...) triggers FastArray delta replication
6. Client receives OnRep_Messages() and dispatches to UI

---

🧼 Best Practices

• Use IsNetRelevantFor() to control who receives which room
• Use bAlwaysRelevant = true for global chat
• Use ForceNetUpdate() and FlushNetDormancy() after join/subscription
• Never spawn room actors on clients manually — server handles replication
• Avoid calling expensive logic (e.g., Blueprint interfaces) inside Tick or IsNetRelevantFor() if not needed

---

🤝 Contributing

We welcome all contributions to help improve and expand MP_ChatSystem! Whether it's bug fixes, feature enhancements, documentation improvements, or performance optimizations, we'd love to have your input.

🛠️ How to Contribute

If you're new to open-source, here's the standard workflow:

1. Fork this repository
   Click the Fork button at the top-right to create your own copy.

2. Clone your fork locally

   # Clone your fork (Don't Forget to Change 'your-username' with your github username in URL)
   git clone https://github.com/your-username/MP_ChatSystem.git
   cd MP_ChatSystem

3. Create a new branch

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

4. Make your changes
   Add your improvements, fix bugs, or update documentation.

5. Commit and push

   git add .
   git commit -m "Describe your changes"
   git push origin feature/your-feature-name

6. Open a Pull Request (PR)
   Go to your fork on GitHub and click Compare & Pull Request. Describe your changes clearly.

---

✅ Contribution Guidelines

• Use feature branches to keep your fork’s main branch clean and synced.
• Write clear commit messages and document your changes.
• For major changes, open an Issue or Discussion first.
• Be respectful and collaborative—feedback is part of the process!

---

📜 License

Licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

You may use, modify, and distribute this plugin under the license terms. See the LICENSE file for details.

---

💬 Feedback & Suggestions

We'd love to hear from you!

• 💡 Found a bug?
• Have an idea for improvement?
• Want to request a new feature?
• Want a new channel type?
• Need better save/persist logic?
• Thinking about database sync or REST API features?
• Would you like to add any additional sections or details to the README file?

Feel free to open an Issue or Discussion to share your thoughts! let's build it together.

---