Advance Chat Documentation

Complete guide for the Advance Chat System for MFPS

Overview

The Advance Chat System is a comprehensive replacement for the default MFPS lobby chat. It introduces modern chat features such as multiple channels, private messaging, emoji support, command systems, and a built-in profanity filter.

Key Features:

Multi-Channel Support: Global, Friends, Party, Team, and Room channels.
Rich Media: Pixel art emoji support.
Commands: Built-in commands for moderation and navigation.
Security: Profanity filter and spam protection (rate limiting).
Customization: Fully customizable UI colors and settings via ScriptableObject.

Installation

1. Enable the Addon

First, you need to enable the addon in the project settings:

Go to the Unity top menu: MFPS > Addons > BlinkBox > AdvanceChat > Enable.
Wait for the script recompilation to finish.

2. Scene Integration

Once enabled, integrate the chat system into your MainMenu scene:

Open your MainMenu scene.
Go to MFPS > Addons > BlinkBox > AdvanceChat > Integrate.
Click the Integrate button in the wizard window.
The tool will automatically:
- Disable the default bl_LobbyChat.
- Instantiate the Advance Lobby Chat prefab.
- Migrate your previous chat settings (like history length).

Configuration

All settings are managed via the ChatSettings ScriptableObject located in the Resources folder.

Location: Resources/ChatSettings.asset

Channel Settings

Default Channels: List of channels to join automatically (e.g., "Global", "Friends").
Channel Names: Customize the display names for Global and Friends channels.
History Length: Number of past messages to fetch when joining.

Message Settings

Rate Limit: Minimum time (in seconds) between messages to prevent spam.
Max Length: Maximum characters per message (default: 200).
Pooling: Configure Max Pooled Messages and Max Visible Messages for performance optimization.

UI & Debug

UI Colors: Set custom colors for different channel messages (Global, Friends, Party, Room).
Debug Mode: Enable Enable Debug to see detailed connection logs in the Unity Console.

Features

Channels

The system supports dynamic channel switching:

Global: Public chat for all players in the region.
Friends: Private channel for friend communications.
Party: Automatically created when joining a party.
Room: Lobby/Match room chat.

Profanity Filter

The ChatProfanityFilter automatically censors offensive language. It comes with a pre-populated list of block words but can be extended via the ChatBlockList script.

Behavior: Bad words are replaced with ***.

Emojis

Users can send pixel art emojis. These are rendered as sprites within the chat UI. Emojis are stored in the AdvanceChat/Arlan Trindade/Free emojis pixel art folder.

Chat Commands

Users can execute commands by typing / followed by the command keyword.

Command	Alias	Description	Usage Example
`/help`	-	Displays a list of available commands.	`/help`
`/clear`	-	Clears the local chat history.	`/clear`
`/join`	`/j`	Join a specific channel.	`/join Trade`
`/msg`	`/w`	Send a private whisper to a user.	`/msg PlayerName Hello!`
`/team`	`/t`	Send a message to your team (in-game).	`/team Defend A!`

Script Reference

bl_Advance_LobbyChat

Path: Scripts/bl_Advance_LobbyChat.cs

The core controller script. Handles Photon Chat connection, channel subscriptions, and message instantiation.

Connect(): Initiates connection to Photon Chat.
SendMessage(string text): Processes and sends input text.
OnSubscribed(): Callback when channels are successfully joined.

ChatSettings

Path: Scripts/ChatSettings.cs

Singleton ScriptableObject for global configuration. Access via ChatSettings.Instance.

ChatCommandSystem

Path: Scripts/ChatCommandSystem.cs

Parses and executes chat commands. New commands can be registered via RegisterCommand(string name, Action<string[]> action).

Blinkbox Chat