[Question] Multiplayer and Dedicated Servers

[ZachZent]

Obviously this isn't an immediate concern right now, but I'm wondering some things about multiplayer.

First is that a long time ago in a forum far far away, you said your plan for multiplayer was "Minecraft like" with dedicated servers. Is this still the plan or has things changed? Single shard shared server, region locked, etc?

Second, assuming the plan for multiplayer is "Minecraft like," will you be adding this sooner or later. Obviously it is not an immediate priority, but would be nice to know if it is planned to be added in say the next 6 months or later. There is a plan for a substitute multiplayer that would be better discussed in DMs, but we need more information first about current multiplayer efforts.

[tsunamayo]

So I am currently looking at multiplayer options. Unity new tech is still not available but is targeted at Q1 2021. But it would mean to embrace the new ECS system... I might have to roll my own solution, or stick the current UNET deprecated stuff forever... My plan is still to get a "minecraft like" multi, meaning dedicated servers, no p2p or no mmo stuff. But unfortunately the priority is the gameplay loop. Without this nobody will play the game, and if nobody is playing the game then multi doesn't count. But all the feature I am adding are multi compatible, and you can still report mp issues that I plan to fix. I might try to give you a few much needed feature in the meantime if dont takes too much time, so you have a list (like chat, player name ect). Cheers

[MatCat]

I would like to request that when you get to the dedicated server system, please please please embrace mutli-threadiing so high core count servers can really take advantage :).

[Vincent14]

Really interesting to read this @tsunamayo well I unterstand you rely on a game engine that could help you to implement the multiplayer feature in the game, and it requires to wait a bit to get a more reliable multiplayer feature in the game.

I think Minecraft-like servers is a good approach, while a MMO would require far more work for the first MVP. It's been a fantasm for year for me to see portals in Minecraft allowing to switch from a server to another with all my stuff copied, and be able to meet other communities. A kind of MMO feeling in a non-MMO game. That could be "parallel universes" of this kind of explanation, as a trick to avoid too much technical complexity (a raw save game copy under the hood).

Anyway, digression aside, I know you care about optimization and I really would like to see Minecraft-like servers able to handle a bunch of players (as much as possible, for a public community), that could perhaps limit the simultaneously connected players, but not the registered players on the server (some games do it unfortunately). Minecraft had some drawbacks with people exploring the world a lot, ending in eager RAM consuming resources.

Really pleased to read any feature is built with multi in mind to avoid a self solo lock of the game. Good luck for the next game loops!