Network layer

KoderFPV

Hi,
Is there any description of the network layer in rpgjs? I wonder if it's a typical websockets connection or maybe it's webrtc with udp support <3?

I assume that is websockets tcp only, and I wonder if it would be ok for action action-based MMO PVP game.
And if its any plans for webrtc support in near future.

Best regards

Samarium

Hello and welcome to the forum.

It's a WebSocket connection with socket.io. And it's not a problem for a MMO PVP game.

I've seen libraries for UDP (https://github.com/geckosio/geckos.io) that may be interesting but I haven't tested the side effects.
I'm already thinking about it, without actually implementing it in RPGJS. To be seen in the future, but it's not on the roadmap at the moment 🙂

KoderFPV

Hi @Samarium

Thanks for the fast response!
Why do you think it's not a problem for MMO PVP games? I am just curious about your opinion. I'm doing research about network layers in other multiplayer games, and the common opinion is that the UDP protocol is highly recommended for action games due to being more lag-free than TCP connection.

However, I am not an expert in the case of network layers, so I am looking forward to knowing what you think about this 🙂

Samarium

Yes, UDP is inevitably more interesting than TCP for latency, I won't argue the contrary. But it's more complex to use, and I hadn't implemented it because there were unanswered questions. For example, socket.io offers horizontal scaling. This may be less obvious (more complex?) with UDP

however, I have put an abstraction layer in RPGJS for transport. In the sense that other types of transport or WebSocket engines could be implemented. RPGJS therefore doesn't have a strong dependency on socket.io, which would make it possible to quickly put in a transport type.

Latency is an important issue in games. At present, we're getting pretty good results with socket.io. At least, it's good enough not to inconvenience the user. This is why the addition of UDP is not urgently on the roadmap. But engine optimization is a constant preoccupation, so I'll keep this possibility in mind 🙂

KoderFPV

Ok, I watched video from geckos.io https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEEBsq3eQmg
And it seems, as long users has decent and stable network connection there is not so much difference between TCP and UDP.

Maybe some day, after I finish my game (if so ;p), I will think to use geckos.io.
Http3 as far I know should support UDP by default.
We will see 🙂

endel

Hi @Samarium, just discovered your project and loving to see it! 👏

I wonder if you had a chance to evaluate Colyseus? I think your project aligns super well with Colyseus' mission - there are plans to support HTTP/3 + WebTransport on Colyseus for 2024. 🙌

Samarium

endel

Hello and welcome to the forum,

Yes, I've already seen Colyseus in my research. However, RPGJS already includes a similar development (separated by a library called simple-room).

The principles are the same, but it's mainly based on property change detection

For example, a chatroom is created as follows:

export class ChatRoom {
    $schema = {
        messages: [String]
    }

    $actions = {
        message: true
    }

    messages =  []

    onJoin (client) {
        this.messages.push(`${ client.id } joined.`)
    }

    onLeave (client) {
        this.messages.push(`${ client.id } left.`)
    }

    message(client, message) {
        this.messages.push(`${ client.id } ${message}`)
    }
}

Thanks for the feedback and congratulations on the design of Colyseus, which is very well done 👌