Multiplayer
Nova Arena — Multiplayer Systems
Authoritative multiplayer architecture, session flow and dedicated server deployment for a fast-paced competitive arena project.
Challenge
A single-player arena prototype needed to become an online competitive game. Movement and abilities assumed local authority, and there was no session, lobby or server infrastructure at all.
Objectives
- Convert gameplay to a server-authoritative model
- Keep input response acceptable at 120ms round trip
- Ship a containerized dedicated server build
- Establish a per-player bandwidth budget
Technical Approach
We separated cosmetic from authoritative state, moved damage, scoring and ability activation to the server, and introduced prediction with reconciliation for movement and instant-feedback abilities. Session flow was rebuilt around the online subsystem with lobby, party and reconnect handling. Dedicated servers were containerized for automated deployment.
Development
- Replication graph and relevancy tuning
- Client prediction and rollback for movement
- Lag compensation for hit registration
- Lobby, party and reconnect flow
- Dedicated server build pipeline and container images
- Network profiling harness with simulated latency and loss
Key Features
- 01Server-authoritative combat and scoring
- 02Predicted movement and abilities
- 03Lobby, matchmaking hooks and reconnection
- 04Automated dedicated server deployment
Technology Stack
Results
- Stable sessions under simulated 150ms latency and 3% packet loss
- Per-player bandwidth held inside the target budget
- Repeatable server deployments from CI
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