Replication Debugger

Module: Tech · Category: Debugging · Tool ID: ReplicationDebugger

Audits the active level for replication setup issues: actors with bReplicates=true but missing replicated properties; replicate-movement on actors without root components; components not set to replicate when their parent does; high net update frequency warnings; net relevancy distance; dormancy mode; bandwidth estimation per actor.

Debugger after scan, mixed-severity actor list visible with bandwidth column, summary block showing total estimated bandwidth.

When to use it

• Multiplayer pre-shipping audit: finding actors with broken or suspect replication setup
• Bandwidth budget review: per-actor estimated kbps
• Debugging “this actor doesn’t replicate” reports: usually a missing flag

What it isn’t for

• Don’t expect runtime traffic capture. This is asset/level-side analysis.
• Don’t use this for non-multiplayer projects. There’s nothing to debug.

Opening the tool

1. Open the EQLabs Hub and search for Replication (or browse to Tech → Debugging).
2. Click the tool card.
3. Click Scan Level.

Interface tour

Section	What it does	Default
Scan Level	Walks every actor in the active level
High Frequency Threshold	NetUpdateFrequency above this is flagged	30.0
Show Issues Only	Hide healthy actors
Include Non-Replicating	Include actors with bReplicates=false
Copy Results	Plain-text dump
Stats	Total / replicating / issue count / total bandwidth
Actors list	Per-actor row: name, class, replicates flag, replicate movement, NetUpdateFrequency, NetCullDistance, dormancy, replicated component count, total components, est. bandwidth kbps, severity, issues

Severity coding

Severity	Meaning
OK	Properly configured
Info	Minor inefficiency
Warning	Likely issue (high frequency, suspect setup)
Error	Broken (replicates but no replicated properties, etc.)

Issues-only view showing 5–10 actors with mixed severities and recommendations.

Workflow

1. Open the level.
2. Click Scan Level.
3. Toggle Show Issues Only to focus on actionable rows.
4. Walk Error severities first.
5. Sort by Est. Bandwidth descending — top entries are highest-impact.
6. Single-click rows to select the actor in the viewport.

Settings reference

Field	Default
High Frequency Threshold	30.0
Show Issues Only	false
Include Non-Replicating	false

Settings file: [Project]/Saved/EQLabs/Settings/ReplicationDebugger.json

Output

• In-panel actors list
• Clipboard. Copy Results.
• No level edits. Read-only audit.

Tips and gotchas

• Bandwidth is an estimate. Based on NetUpdateFrequency × replicated property size. Real traffic is affected by relevancy + dormancy + delta compression.
• High NetUpdateFrequency is rarely needed. Typical actors should be 10–30 Hz. 60+ Hz is usually a bug or a hero actor.
• Dormancy modes can save significant bandwidth. Review actors with Awake dormancy that should probably be Initial or DormantAll.

Related tools

• Project Doctor Suite. Broader project audit.
• Subsystem Viewer. For replication-related subsystems.