Questions tagged [multiplayer]
Played by multiple players, cooperatively or competitively, locally or remotely.
842
questions
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
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
59
votes
14
answers
18k
views
Why do some games persistently have mostly one viable strategy, while others can have many?
The interesting thing in League of Legends is the existence of the "meta", which, for the purpose of this question, can be defined as the One Strategy That Rules Them All. The meta shifts between ...
- 947
51
votes
10
answers
17k
views
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
39
votes
9
answers
56k
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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
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
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
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
29
votes
14
answers
11k
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
26
votes
5
answers
13k
views
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
26
votes
2
answers
16k
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What to send to server in real time FPS game?
What is the right way to tell the position of our local player to the server? Some documents say that it is better to send the inputs whenever they are produced. And some documents say the client ...
- 376
23
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Techniques to prevent non-official clients in network gaming?
In multi-player network games, what techniques exist to try to ensure that users are connecting with the official client application, and not some hacked client app?
I realise there is probably no ...
- 520
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
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
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
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
18
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How can I implement multiplayer cloaking with visuals that resists client-side hacking?
I've been thinking about implementing stealth in a multiplayer game. It's a MOBA style game, so think League of Legends (LoL) and Heroes of the Storm (HotS). Multiple clients connect to a single ...
- 297
18
votes
12
answers
3k
views
Balance in online PvP games
I don't know if there's an accepted solution to this wicked problem. I'm thinking about the design of an online PvP game. A key aspect of the game, something that is just a given, and not my choice, ...
- 2,294
18
votes
6
answers
2k
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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
2k
views
Handling player logoff and logon in a persistent world without breaking immersion
One problem I've never seen fixed in any persistent online game is how to handle player logon and logoff without the characters just popping in and out of the world. My first thought is to simply ...
- 4,903
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
17
votes
3
answers
15k
views
Player ranking using Elo with more than two players
I would like to use Elo to track player rankings between matches of a certain game, however the game can be played with up to four players in a match. I have seen games like Carcassonne use Elo with ...
- 423
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
9
answers
8k
views
Adding multiplayer to an HTML5 game [closed]
I am interested in making a game that I currently have a co-op experience, however I'm curious as to the best method of implementing this in HTML5.
I have made games before using straight C sockets, ...
- 1,378
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 ...
15
votes
4
answers
9k
views
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
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How to compensate for moving objects with client side prediction?
I'm implementing a game server that supports Star Control-like melee. So you have ships flying and shooting, with super simple velocity/acceleration/dampening physics to drive movement.
I've read ...
- 655
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
14
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Multiplayer Implementation, Can I implement it later if I chose to?
I plan to use XNA to build a game project. I'm not entirely sure at the moment if I want to add multiplayer functionality or not, bearing I have a lot of other problems to solve that I'm still new at. ...
- 745
14
votes
4
answers
925
views
How to protect your real time online shooter from potential bots
I'm looking to create a multiplayer top down shooter. While I've read about different topics, I can see them I've got some real challenges ahead, but I'm all up for it.
One thing I can't understand ...
- 1,136
14
votes
2
answers
941
views
How can I stop the player from drifting due to local input prediction when they stop?
I'm working on a 2D server-client multiplayer game engine (which you can try here). It uses WebRTC DataChannels. (The connections are peer-to-peer, but the host ...
- 470
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
13
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Which Database (RDBMS vs NoSQL vs BOTH) to use for a Realtime Multiplayer Game?
I'm working on a realtime multiplayer game that will require a database (for features such as player profiles, friends, unlocks, news, etc.) This is a standard PC game (not browser-based) and will use ...
- 131
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
13
votes
1
answer
15k
views
Multiplayer HTML5, Node.js, Socket.IO [closed]
I trying create simple Multi-player with HTML5 Canvas, JavaScript(too using John Resig simple Inheritance library) and Node.js with Socket.IO.
My client code:
var canvas = document.getElementById('...
- 131
13
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is involved in creating a real-time multiplayer platformer game?
I'm creating a platformer game that has a "co-operative" feature which I'd like to work over networks / the internet.
Now I've read up on network game programming including articles like What every ...
- 1,376
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
3
answers
437
views
P2P network hiding positions?
I have been working on a P2P architecture for secure gaming and I have divided the problem into five sub-problems:
Unlawful modification of sent game state
Accurately drop cheaters
Agreeing on a game ...
- 131
12
votes
3
answers
6k
views
How to handle multiplayer in JavaScript?
I'm just doing a bit of research into tech to use for a mobile multi-player game.
It's more an experiment at present so for the moment, the only thing that Players need to be aware of is the other ...
- 237
12
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Do you need expensive servers and fancy hosting in order to make a multiplayer game?
I've finished working on an RPG and it would seem so much more fun to make it multiplayer. SFML has a networking feature, I figured it's possible but then again, never in my life have I even tried ...
- 2,014
12
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How do you allow networking code to be written in the later stages of the development?
I'm currently in the early progress of writing a game which I eventually will want to improve in most aspects.
How can I skip out on writing network code yet leaving it fairly easily implemented, that ...
- 191
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
12
votes
2
answers
8k
views
How to synchronize actions like jump in multiplayer?
I am a newbie game developer and I have been researching about multiplayer games. I observed that there's always some latency, the players always get updates from past actions. But there are ...
- 301
12
votes
2
answers
437
views
Are there tools for testing multiplayer code?
Are there reliable tools that can simulate real life-like network conditions e.g. networks with different bandwidth, different latencies, packet loss etc...?
- 407
11
votes
3
answers
1k
views
I know that my super simple multiplayer setup is probably not a good idea, but why?
I'm making a simple little MOBA just for fun. I was making everything single-player then I realized "oh crap I should probably add multiplayer, huh."
I've never done anything with networking before, ...
- 255
11
votes
7
answers
961
views
How can I make permanent death in a MUD seem acceptable and fair to players?
I have considered writing a MUD for years, and I have a lot of ideas my friends think are really cool (and that's how I'd hope to get anywhere -- word of mouth).
Thing is, there's one thing I have ...
- 213
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
11
votes
3
answers
22k
views
Why can't cross-platform multiplayer games exist?
At least, why are they so difficult to make? - assuming that's the reason why not even AAA studios accomplish this feat for their games. Especially with modern cross-platform game engines like Unreal ...
- 2,031