http://www.jenkinssoftware.com/raknet/manual/creatingpackets.html
Creating Packets with Bitstreams
Write less data with bitstreams
Lets take our mine example above and use a bitstream to write it out instead. We have all the same data as before.
MessageID useTimeStamp; // Assign this to ID_TIMESTAMP
RakNet::Time timeStamp; // Put the system time in here returned by RakNet::GetTime()
MessageID typeId; // This will be assigned to a type I've added after ID_USER_PACKET_ENUM, lets say ID_SET_TIMED_MINE
useTimeStamp = ID_TIMESTAMP;
timeStamp = RakNet::GetTime();
typeId=ID_SET_TIMED_MINE;
Bitstream myBitStream;
myBitStream.Write(useTimeStamp);
myBitStream.Write(timeStamp);
myBitStream.Write(typeId);
// Assume we have a Mine* mine object
myBitStream.Write(mine->GetPosition().x);
myBitStream.Write(mine->GetPosition().y);
myBitStream.Write(mine->GetPosition().z);
myBitStream.Write(mine->GetNetworkID()); // In the struct this is NetworkID networkId
myBitStream.Write(mine->GetOwner()); // In the struct this is SystemAddress systemAddress
Common mistake!
When writing the first byte to a bitstream, be sure to cast it to (MessageID) or (unsigned char). If you just write the enumeration directly you will be writing a full integer (4 bytes).
Right:
bitStream->Write((MessageID)ID_SET_TIMED_MINE);
Wrong:
bitStream->Write(ID_SET_TIMED_MINE);
In the second case, RakNet will see the first byte is 0, which is reserved internally to ID_INTERNAL_PING, and you will never get it.
http://www.jenkinssoftware.com/raknet/manual/receivingpackets.html
void DoMyPacketHandler(Packet *packet)
{
Bitstream myBitStream(packet->data, packet->length, false); // The false is for efficiency so we don't make a copy of the passed data
myBitStream.Read(useTimeStamp);
myBitStream.Read(timeStamp);
myBitStream.Read(typeId);
myBitStream.Read(x);
myBitStream.Read(y);
myBitStream.Read(z);
myBitStream.Read(networkID); // In the struct this is NetworkID networkId
myBitStream.Read(systemAddress); // In the struct this is SystemAddress systemAddress
}