Checking data
Is there a way to see how many bytes of data the normcore system is sending over the network? I have not optimized anything and suspect that I'm probably sending way too many requests.
9 Replies
Hi @Alix Ollivier. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:
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Yes, you can see how many bytes of data Normcore is sending over the network by using Normcore's network profiler tool. The network profiler is available as a module within the Unity Profiler window. It allows you to analyze bandwidth usage in real-time, showing both the total data sent and received per frame. You can add the "Normcore" module to the Unity Profiler to see this information.
To set it up:
1. Open Unity's Profiler window (Window > Analysis > Profiler).
2. In the Profiler window, click on the "Profiler Modules" dropdown.
3. Select "Normcore" to see total bandwidth use, or modules like "Normcore Audio" for voice chat bandwidth.
This will let you monitor how much data is being sent and received, helping you identify if you're sending too many requests and need to optimize your application's network usage. For more details and sample projects, see the official guide: Using the Network Profiler
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<@185325614775926784> Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
@kapa.ai for a small server, to avoid lag, let's assume there's 8 players with voice chat. How much data should I try to limit them sending?
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:
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The knowledge sources do not provide a specific recommended bandwidth limit per player for a small server with 8 players using voice chat. However, they do provide some useful context:
- For a Small room server, the typical supported player count for a VR title with voice chat is 8 players (Room server configurations).
- VR applications with voice chat use significantly more bandwidth than other types of games—typically 5-10 times more than a standard FPS or racing game.
- The number of data streams scales O(n²), so with 8 players, the server manages 64 streams (How room servers scale).
- Optimizing bandwidth is important as the number of players increases, and even small reductions in per-player data can have a large impact on total bandwidth.
While there is no explicit per-player or per-room bandwidth target given, if you are using the default settings for a Small server and keeping to 8 players with voice chat, you are within the expected supported range. If you notice lag, you should consider optimizing your data usage (e.g., by reducing unnecessary updates or optimizing voice chat settings) and use the network profiler to monitor actual bandwidth usage in your application.
If you need to support more players or higher data rates, you may need to move to a Medium or larger server configuration.
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<@185325614775926784> Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
@kapa.ai Are there no bandwidth recommendations at all? I ran the Unity play mode for a minute and saw roughly 2 kb per seconds
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:
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I'm sorry, but the knowledge sources do not provide explicit bandwidth recommendations or target values (such as a specific number of kilobytes per second per player or per room) for Normcore. The documentation emphasizes the importance of optimizing bandwidth, especially as player count increases, and provides tools like the network profiler to help you measure and manage your application's bandwidth usage. However, it does not specify what is considered "too much" or "ideal" bandwidth for a given scenario.
Your observed value of roughly 2 KB per second is within a reasonable range for many multiplayer applications, but without official guidelines, it's best to use the profiler to monitor and optimize based on your specific use case and server configuration. If you encounter lag or performance issues, consider reducing unnecessary data transmission or upgrading your server configuration as needed Using the Network Profiler Room server configurations.
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<@185325614775926784> Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
It’s unfortunately not that simple. Each message has a different amount of processing overhead for the server depending on what has changed in the datastore. You’re better off looking at how many network frames that you have model changes per client * how many clients are in the room