Any update on this bug?

Problem Description

____ A concise description of your problem here ____

The code running the HOST of a MULTIPLAYER GAME is supposed to keep running in the background, even if it's not in the active tab. This is how C2 games worked for at least the last 3 years (from my experience).

Recently, something changed. Now, if the HOST is not running in the ACTIVE WINDOW, the multiplayer game ceases to communicate position information to synchronize objects. Basically - the multiplayer aspects of the game, halt. This is bad.

Attach a Capx

____ Upload a Capx to this post ____

I tested this using your standard "MULTIPLAYER GAME" example where you control the little dude who shoots, just to confirm it was not my code. It's not my code. You should test with your standard example.

Description of Capx

____ Concise description of what this CapX does ____

It's your code. You know what it does.

Steps to Reproduce Bug

• Step 1: Run your MULTIPLAYER GAME example. Enter an alias. That's now your host.
• Step 2: Run another TAB of the same game. I do this by just cloning the tab, running, and entering a new alias. Then, run a THIRD TAB of the same game. Another alias. You now have three little dudes - the host, and two clients. That's all you need to see the problem.
• Step 3: If you PULL YOUR THREE TABS out so they are separate windows, so you can see them all at the same time. Moving any one of the dudes, causes that dude to move in all three windows. That's how multiplayer works. All good...
• Step 4: If you OPEN ANOTHER TAB so the host tab is hidden, or minimize the HOST TAB... then, move one of the dudes in a CLIENT... guess what - it does NOT move in the other client. Basically, the data from the client to move and synchronize, halted. That's not good. That is a big limitation of the use of Multiplayer. It means if the person running the host changes to another window, everyone is frozen. It also means, making a host that runs efficiently, sitting the background without graphics, is not possible. Big limitation of C2 as a gaming engine with this new issue.

Observed Result

____ What happens? ____

Multiplayer stops sychonizing objects, when host tab is not active.

Expected Result

____ What do you expect to happen? ____

Multiplayer has always synchronized objects when host tab is not active - years and years it worked like that.

Affected Browsers

• Chrome: (YES/NO) YES
• FireFox: (YES/NO) YES
• Opera: YES

Operating System and Service Pack

____ Your operating system and service pack ____

Windows 8 and Windows 10 and OS... basically, any OS where Multiplayer currently works.

Construct 2 Version ID

____ Exact version ID of Construct 2 you're using ____

239 (64 bit) ---- basically, the current stable release.

Thanks for the insight Ashley. It's good to know that the click is not indicative of some bigger problem. That gives me piece of mind.

Any CAPX that has an audio object causes the problem. (You don't even need to have audio files) - just an audio object.

UPDATE: I tested FIREFOX and it causes the same CLICK ERROR.

Problem Description

____ A concise description of your problem here ____

When I build my app and run it on a Galaxy Tablet, the speakers CLICK every 24 seconds - a tiny blip of static. At first I assumed this was my code causing the problem, so I searched for some stray audio command. I could not find anything wrong. Then, I went back to old builds and found that they did not make this CLICK.

So, I took the old code (that works perfectly) and recompiled it with the latest CONSTRUCT 2 build (221) and guess what... the CLICK happens ever 24 seconds.

This means the same code, when compiled on older builds of CONSTRUCT 2, do not make the click... but when compiled with the new CONSTRUCT 2, it does.

To make things extra strange, I do not hear the click on a PC. Only when I run on a GALAXY TABLET. (Using CHROME.)

The same sound was confirmed on another device - a Samsung Galaxy Note phone. (Using CHROME)

This makes me wonder if it's somehow related to TOUCHSCREENS or MOBILE?

And finally, if I remove the AUDIO OBJECT from the code and compile... not CLICKS.

So, the new build of CONSTRUCT 2 seems to be creating a stray click of static every 24 seconds... when running on

Attach a Capx

____ Upload a Capx to this post ____

The file creates the CLICK SOUND. It's an odd program that won't seem like it does much, but that's because I stripped out EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to see what was causing the click, and yet... the click still happens even with this sparse program.

Description of Capx

____ Concise description of what this CapX does ____

Steps to Reproduce Bug

• Step 1 - RUN CODE
• Step 2 - Touch the Touchscreen
• Step 3 etc.

Observed Result

____ What happens? ____

Phone (or Tablet) gives a STATIC CLICK every 24 seconds...

The CODE IN QUESTION does not have any PLAY commands.

It does include the AUDIO OBJECT, however.

Expected Result

____ What do you expect to happen? ____

No STATIC CLICKS. (Which is how the code worked when compiled on the prior release of C2).

This problem just appeared with the new release. (Even when compiling the exact same code).

Affected Browsers

• Chrome: (YES/NO) - YES
• FireFox: (YES/NO) - UNTESTED
• Internet Explorer: (YES/NO)

- UNTESTED

Operating System and Service Pack

____ Your operating system and service pack ____

Running code on Android (latest for Galaxy Tab and Galaxy note)

Compiling on Windows 7.

Construct 2 Version ID

____ Exact version ID of Construct 2 you're using ____

221 (64 bit)

newt -- All the problems mentioned exist for all the other file types loaded from a URL, including large files and cross domain.

GIFS have become massively popular over the last 12 months, now exceeding still-image posts on sharing sites like Imgur.

As for BUG REPORTS, it would not be used any differently than loading other image types of a URL.

This is basically no different than the existing command, with nothing new for users to learn, other than having it support one of the most popular image formats.

GIFs should be supported like other image types for loading from a URL. Not doing so is having a product that is not keeping up the times.

I'm not looking to create frames. I just want to be able to LOAD and DISPLAY a standard GIF IMAGE at run-time (just like you can do with all image types).

This is standard HTML5 stuff, nothing fancy. I can do it with an iFRAME already, but that's clunky and does not look nearly as clean.

The core issue seems simple: The LOAD IMAGE FROM URL command in C2 already works great for other image types, but fails for GIFs.

It should allow GIFs too. Especially if a player wants to load a personal avatar image, but not use a still image, use a GIF.

As for cross domain stuff, if you load from an open site like IMGUR, there is no problem.

Currently, LOAD IMAGE FROM URL is a great feature, allowing easy run-time access of images, loading them straight into SPRITES.

But if the image is a GIF, it does not allow the GIF to play when you display the SPRITE.

The only way I've found to load a GIF form a URL and display it within C2, is by using an iFRAME plugin. But this has other problems.

The clean and simple and consistent method would to allow LOAD IMAGE FROM URL to work with GIFS, loading them into sprites like any image, and allowing them to repeatedly play the GIFS always do.

As more and more people are using GIFS as personal AVATARS instead of static images, this is a very useful feature.

Would be great in C2, or the new C3.

All of these answers assume you are a PROGRAMMER and not a USER.

If you're creating an APP and you want to allow a USER to identify a GIF to import into the game, they have no access to the LAYOUT.

Now, users CAN identify images (for example, importing their own avatar) if you create a dialog box and use the LOAD IMAGE FROM URL function in C2.

This would allow any user to just drop in a URL for an IMAGE, and load that image into the game (at run-time).

But, GIFs FAIL when you use LOAD IMAGE FROM URL.

Actually, they don't fail - they just load the first image in the sequence, and not the actual GIF.

This would be massively useful, allowing the loading of GIFs at runtime... the way you can load OTHER KINDS OF IMAGES into C2 at runtime.

Has anyone figured out a solution? And if not, does C2 have a plan to fix this hole?

On a related front, the folks at Ericsson say that the latest release of Bowser should enable all compliant webrtc apps on iOS.

This new version of Bowser was release d in early December in the App Store.

Unfortunately, all C2 programs that use Multiplayer that I've tried, fail to run inside Bowser.

They connect fine with the Signaling Server, but the peers can't communicate with the host.

I've tested the standard C2 demo programs, compiling them with the latest version of C2.

Thus, my tests have been 100% with code from Scirra with no modification.

Still, it fails to run in Bowser.

Has anyone had different results?

The folks at Ericsson suggest this is must be flaw with C2, not with Bowser.

Are we sure that C2 is 100% compliant with WebRTC standard?

I bring this up because it raises the possibilities that the problems others are facing on this thread are because of something non-standard in the C2 exports, not because plugins are flawed. Or, if Ericsson is wrong... and the problem is with Bowser itself, it would be good to know that so we're not incorrectly thinking C2 is the problem.

This feels like a useful issue for Scirra to explore a little, not just with Bowser, but with Cordova as expressed earlier in this thread.

There is a browser called BOWSER for iOS that does support WebRTC. (It's made by Ericsson)

In theory, Construct2 multiplayer games should work on iOS inside of the Bowser browser. (According to Ericsson)

In my testing, I've not been able to get Construct2 mutliplayer apps to work in Bowser on iOS. (I've tried the standard demo apps from C2).

Anyone else had better luck? (You can download Bowser from app store for free)

Ashley - if you are reading this - have you tried it?