Questions tagged [multiplayer]
Played by multiple players, cooperatively or competitively, locally or remotely.
59
questions
75
votes
6
answers
34k
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How to write a network game? [closed]
Based on Why is it so hard to develop a MMO?:
Networked game development is not trivial; there are large obstacles to overcome in not only latency, but cheat prevention, state management and load ...
- 963
39
votes
9
answers
56k
views
How can I make a peer-to-peer multiplayer game? [closed]
How can I make a p2p multiplayer game?
I would like to have a server-less multiplayer game. But then, how all the clients know each other?
Why the p2p-protocol is so famous in file transfer but not ...
- 531
30
votes
5
answers
4k
views
How do I avoid "too" lucky / unlucky streaks in random number generation?
I'm currently dealing with a multiplayer combat system where the damage dealt by the players is always multiplied by a random factor between 0.8 and 1.2.
In theory, a truly random RNG may eventually ...
- 1,030
20
votes
6
answers
11k
views
What are some ways to prevent or reduce cheating in online multiplayer games? [closed]
Punkbuster exists just to prevent cheating, and yet cheating is common in punkbuster enabled games. Modern Warefare 2 is seriously locked down from the end user running their own server or making any ...
- 4,486
13
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Prevent Multiplayer Cheating
I am almost complete developing a small indie-style multiplayer game. While I intend to allow people to cheat in single-player, this is obviously not acceptable in multi-player. Does anyone know of ...
- 357
311
votes
14
answers
27k
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How can I find an optimum set of colors for 10 players?
I want to give each of 10 players a unique identifying color. Is there an optimum set of colors for this? How do I create one?
Every set I've come up with contains colors that are too similar.
...
- 2,945
14
votes
4
answers
5k
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How should I track players' real-time positions in an MMO?
How do you keep track of the positions of the players in a MMORPG? I read that you can use either a database or you can store the coordinates in files. I tried using a database but it was slow. How ...
- 301
10
votes
1
answer
5k
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Network client-server message exchange and clock synchronization help
i'm doing a fast paced physics game that is a table hockey. With two mallets and one puck. The game runs on iphone / ipad and i'm doing the multiplayer part through GameCenter.
This is how the ...
- 659
9
votes
2
answers
15k
views
Best way to interpolate player movements in a very fast paced Unity game?
In my Unity online multiplayer game players move very fast and I currently use Lerp to interpolate between their last position and current position:
...
- 171
0
votes
1
answer
707
views
Can't figure out what's making the player teleport back to spawn
I've been working on a multiplayer game that uses pathfinding and I'm really confused over this one weird bug. On your screen, the other player glitches between the spawn point and his current ...
- 3
35
votes
4
answers
20k
views
How does client-side prediction work?
I've read Valve + Gafferon and hundreds of pages from Google, but for whatever reason I can't get my head around client prediction.
To my understanding, the basic problem is:
Client A sends input at ...
- 851
26
votes
5
answers
13k
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Game logic on the server! Good or bad?
I'm currently planning a simple online multiplayer game. And here is the question. Does it make sense to make the whole game logic on the server and just send the input from the client to the server? ...
- 363
20
votes
3
answers
11k
views
How to make a multiplayer game work reliably behind NAT?
Even games that are 100% client/server sometimes have issues when the client is behind NAT. Peee-peer games are even a bigger issues. Some games need to use multiple transports (such as UDP and TCP) ...
- 4,486
19
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Best strategy (tried and tested) for using Box2D in a real-time multiplayer game? [duplicate]
I am currently tackling real-time multiplayer physics updates for a game engine I am writing. My question is how best to use Box2D for networked physics. If I run the simulation on the server, should ...
Simon Grey
16
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Interpolating positions in a multiplayer game
In order to save bandwidth in my multiplayer game, I do not update every object every server tick, instead each object has an updateRate which tells the game that this object is expected to be updated ...
- 2,412
15
votes
4
answers
9k
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Does it make sense to use both TCP and UDP at once?
After reading Is UDP still better than TCP for data-heavy realtime games?, I'm wondering if it makes sense to use both TCP and UDP at the same time, but for different things:
TCP for sending ...
- 257
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How do you design a record/replay system for a frequently changing game?
I'm working in a free MMORPG and I have a problem.
I'm (with other people) developing a video recording system for the game. The idea is basically: we record all the packages sent & received with ...
- 203
8
votes
2
answers
9k
views
What data to exchange in multiplayer real time games?
I am a hobbyist programmer and right now I am curious about what data is exchanged in a multiplayer session in real time games like starcraft 2. I did a bunch of searches. I found gafferongames.com ...
- 547
5
votes
1
answer
888
views
Handling Different Aspect Ratios for a Multiplayer Game
I'm currently designing a competitive 2D, side-scrolling multiplayer game and I want support full screen play at any aspect ratio (e.g., 4:3, 5:4, 16:10, 16:9). Doing that is not so much a problem, my ...
- 849
5
votes
6
answers
2k
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Developing an ELO like point system for a multiplayer gaming site
I'm currently working on a gaming site where users will submit virtual players for different games, like Chess, Nash, Backgammon, Go, etc. The idea is that users don't compete themselves, but through ...
- 310
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How to develop both a client and headless server together in Unity
I'm making a multiplayer 2d shooter platformer in unity. And after studying the different options to program an authoritarian server and with the great help that many of you have already provided me ...
- 47
3
votes
1
answer
559
views
How are trajectories calculated and transmitted to other players, in multiplayer?
I play a lot of "Call of Duty", and can see tracers for gunfire, missiles, care packages falling from helicopters etc. There is a lot of activity. I am curious to know the algorithm one would use, at ...
- 133
2
votes
2
answers
2k
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Implementing an online database [closed]
I'd like to get into online games programming. I thought that as a start i'd be a good idea to implement an online database that would store the progress and score for a game i have made, i'll ...
- 3,524
51
votes
10
answers
17k
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How to detect and prevent abuse (botting) of online game API?
I have been ocassionally working on a game idea in my free time. The gameplay and content renders it to be implemented as a online multiplayer game built with well established web technologies. You ...
- 613
33
votes
2
answers
19k
views
How should multiplayer games handle authentication?
I've been lurking around to understand how an authentication system would work in games, but after many searches, it seems that working with ssl/certificates could be a little complicated for just a ...
- 666
29
votes
14
answers
12k
views
How to implement "bullet time" in a multiplayer game?
I have never seen such a feature before, but it should provide an interesting gameplay opportunity.
So yes, in a multiplayer/real-time environment (imagine FPS), how could I implement a slow motion/...
- 3,356
20
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How do game clients know that a server is running on their LAN?
In lots of multiplayer games there is the option for LAN play. My question though is how does a client know where a server is on the LAN?
The only ways I can think of
Send out broadcasts over the ...
- 355
20
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How to predict movement correctly when a player is invisible?
I have a multiplayer game and I'm doing client-side prediction, but some players can drink a potion and become invisible...
The problem is that when they become invisible I don't share anything that ...
- 301
18
votes
6
answers
2k
views
In what kind of variable type is the player position stored on a MMORPG such as WoW?
I even heard J. Carmack quickly talk about it...
How a software can track a player's position so accurately, being on a such huge world, without loading between zones, and on a multiplayer scale ? ...
- 5,243
17
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Creating a seamlessly looping 2D multiplayer level?
A discussion came up recently about how to create a 2D side-scrolling multiplayer game that can have an looping level design (Think of Starbound and how their worlds are looping).
I thought the ...
- 173
15
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Should the game host be the authority, or another dumb client?
When designing a networked multiplayer-game where one player hosts and others connect, there are two strategies I'm aware of:
Have the host-player's game be the authority, with all other players as ...
13
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How would a game-state snapshot system be implemented for networked real-time games?
I want to create a simple client-server real-time multiplayer game as a project for my networking class.
I've read a lot about real-time multiplayer network models and I understand the relationships ...
- 1,160
13
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Simplest most effective way to rank and measure player skill in a multi-player environment?
I know of the Truskill algorithm, it's quite complex but effective.
My question is there other algorithms/methods to determine a players skill for accurate measuring for multi-player competitive ...
- 1,184
12
votes
3
answers
35k
views
Limitations of p2p multiplayer games vs client-server [closed]
I am reading up on multiplayer game architecture.
So far most of the articles i've found deal with the client-server model.
I'd like to know what are the limitations for using a p2p architecture? ...
- 899
12
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Realtime multi-player game design principles for Node.js
I've been reading the Valve article on multi-player networking which has been adapted from Yahn Bernier's 2001 paper called Latency Compensating Methods in Client/Server In-game Protocol Design and ...
- 223
11
votes
3
answers
18k
views
Best solution for multiplayer realtime Android game [closed]
I plan to make multiplayer realtime game for Android (2-8 players), and I consider, which solution for multiplayer organization is the best:
Make server on PC, and client on mobile, all communition ...
- 1,388
11
votes
3
answers
14k
views
How do I sync multiplayer game state more efficiently than full-state updates?
I've done a little game network coding before, but primarily with TCP for games without real-time needs. I am working on a 2D Java game with networked multiplayer. For learning, I want to do this ...
- 211
9
votes
2
answers
7k
views
How to structure a simple game server for a multiplayer game?
I would like to create a simple multiplayer game server for a simple game:
The game is supposed to be similar to Command & Conquer, you have a few tanks and a few soldiers. You can select one ...
- 195
9
votes
3
answers
14k
views
How to synchronize clocks in multiplayer game?
I have 2 to 3 clients, that can exchange messages through Apple Game Center.
The only synchronization I need is: start the game at the same moment.
I guess this involves clock synchronization. How ...
- 261
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Detecting wins in peer to peer RTS games like Starcraft
A typical RTS game is implemented with the standard networking model: peer to peer lockstep.
Consider Starcraft 2, given that Battle.net presumably doesn't know anything about the state of game given ...
- 1,007
8
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Which server platform to choose [closed]
I'm going to write a server for an online multiplayer with these requirements:
Pretty simple turn based game (think a card game) that is played entirely on the server (security reasons)
Must be able ...
- 1,290
7
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Tips for communication between JS browser game and node.js server? [closed]
I am tinkering around with some simple Canvas based cave flyer game and I would like to make it multiplayer eventually. The plan is to use Node.js on the server side.
The data sent over would ...
- 1,743
6
votes
1
answer
683
views
Applying the input for the always-moving player in the multiplayer game
I've read several articles published on gambrielgambetta.com, gafferongames.com plus some pages about how Valve handles multiplayer networking in its games but I still can't get it how to implement ...
- 63
6
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Should I encrypt my multiplayer network traffic?
My plan has been to use RSA to exchange AES session-keys with a client, which is then used for all the usual in-game stuff. Clients never connect with each other, all communication is client to server ...
- 766
6
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How significant is the addition of multiplayer to a singleplayer game compared to starting with multiplayer in mind?
Especially for game designers or software engineers, I was wondering how significant of an increase in difficulty/frustration/workload it would be for multiplayer to be an afterthought of a ...
user32182
4
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Key mapping for a 2-players game
I've been struggling for a while trying to figure out the best way to map two players on a single keyboard. Let's consider something generic:
Arrows
Validation
Cancel (optional)
Some common actions ...
- 143
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How can I alleviate network lag issues with players from other countries?
I am developing a small multiplayer game where players move through the map and interact with each other. The game is written in VB.Net.
When I tested my game with players on a LAN everything worked ...
2
votes
1
answer
828
views
Can Cloud Functions be used for a multiplayer game server?
I'm building a turn-based online multiplayer game with Unity for both desktop and mobile.
Traditionally, I would build a Java socket server, host it in Google Compute Engine or similar, and have ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How to solve "server lag" problems that break the game
How do real-time multiplayer games deal with latency problems (or “server lag”)?
Imagine an online fighting game where 2 players battle head-to-head in real time. When a player performs an action, ...
- 257
2
votes
3
answers
493
views
Implementing single and muliplayer without messing everything up [closed]
I don't know a good way to implement single and multiplayer in a game without messing up the whole project structure.
Should I create separate classes for single and multiplayer entities or is there ...
