Ok... So without going into the nitty gritty details. We have got multiplayer working and running smooth. Using the latest implementation from exits games photon networking solution.
Things we have implemented and changed
- Regional server selection.
- Room and host searching.
- Host your own room or join friends.
- Persistent data saving (spawning at last location even in new servers).
- Inventory and skill persistence.
- Binary serialisation to ensure safety from hackers.
- NPC network spawning and syncing.
- Combat RPC syncing.
Things still need to be done
- Character outfitting and network syncing.
- Networking the quest system
- Networking horses anf boats.
- Networking the town managers
- Adding databases to handle spawned in objects
Now further more to this we wanted the communities help. In order to handle the construction system and get the multiplayer working and playable for all the community. We need to implement a system that saves structures upon server shut down. The reason for this is because it is a player hosted server. So when the first player connects to a room they take host and when they quit it moves to the next player in the list. When no players are left on the server the server itself shuts down. So any built structures will be wiped. Now here is the problem....
Because the terrain is a procedural generated terrain and the shear size of the map 100km x 100km. we are worried that in order to save and load built bases will cause a huge load time. We are racking our brains at the moment trying to figure out the best way to solve this, but from experience this might take a while, because no one has done it with this engine, map size, and data needed. So we would like to put it to a vote in the community.
The options are
- Scrap the construction system in online games.
- make the construction system last only till the server shuts down (this will also require less effort to make the bases, materials and such).
- Do either of the above suggestions and keep working for implementation in later updates.
Head to this link to give us your feed back.
https://vote.pollcode.com/78862492
thanks for your time guys.