All characters start disabled in the multiplayer mode, and are enabled when the client starts receiving position updates for the character, OR when the server starts receiving inputs from the client controlling the character, OR if the character is controlled locally. (-> no more floating, frozen characters at the start of a round)

+ the server disables AICharacters that are far away from all players

Subsurface/Source/Characters/CharacterNetworking.cs

@@ -212,6 +212,10 @@ namespace Barotrauma
                     memInput.RemoveRange(60, memInput.Count - 60);
                 }
             }
+            else //this == Character.Controlled && GameMain.Client == null
+            {                
+                AnimController.Frozen = false;
+            }
 
             if (networkUpdateSent)
             {
@@ -288,6 +292,8 @@ namespace Barotrauma
                     UInt16 networkUpdateID = msg.ReadUInt16();
                     byte inputCount = msg.ReadByte();
 
+                    if (AllowInput) Enabled = true;                   
+
                     for (int i = 0; i < inputCount; i++)
                     {
                         InputNetFlags newInput = (InputNetFlags)msg.ReadRangedInteger(0, (int)InputNetFlags.MaxVal);
@@ -763,7 +769,7 @@ namespace Barotrauma
                 }
             }
 
-            character.Enabled = enabled;
+            character.Enabled = Controlled == character || enabled;
 
             return character;
         }