Hi, I'm dAkshEN3. Some of you might recognise me from the BC forums. I created Advanced Power Systems and am currently in the process of updating it for the new MC and Forge. This also means I need to add multiplayer, which is where my problem arises:

 

I have no idea how the packets and such work to make GUIs and TileEntities and things work in multiplayer.

 

I'm not really looking for a tutorial or an example, I can handle the coding myself, I just need help understanding the theory and the process as I've never ventured into multiplayer game programming before.

I would recommend looking at cpw's IronChests and CompactSolars mods as examples:  https://github.com/cpw

 

In essence though:

 

GUI:  You have a container on the server side, a GUI on the client side, they talk, plenty of examples in vanilla as to how, but usually it just works.

 

TileEntities:  You use the getDescriptionPacket call or whatever it was to send information to a TileEntity, you want to minimize the size and how often these occur, 'emulate' things on the client if possible, the lower network usage then the better. 

Ok, is there any circumstance where a TileEntity would need to send packets to the server?

Ok, is there any circumstance where a TileEntity would need to send packets to the server?

yes when you edit something on the client per say a setting in a GUI you would need to tell the server that setting changed. For example TheCowGod's Locked doors and chest have player list to access. Every time someone add/remove a user to the block it send a packet to the server telling it to remove/add the player from its list as well.

 

https://github.com/TheCowGod/GreaterSecurity <- your welcome to use this as an example for making packets for both client and server.