multiplayer

Multiplayer Game Development

Networking architecture and synchronization principles.

---

1. Architecture Selection

Decision Tree

What type of multiplayer?
│
├── Competitive / Real-time
│   └── Dedicated Server (authoritative)
│
├── Cooperative / Casual
│   └── Host-based (one player is server)
│
├── Turn-based
│   └── Client-server (simple)
│
└── Massive (MMO)
    └── Distributed servers

Comparison

Architecture	Latency	Cost	Security
Dedicated	Low	High	Strong
P2P	Variable	Low	Weak
Host-based	Medium	Low	Medium

---

2. Synchronization Principles

State vs Input

Approach	Sync What	Best For
State Sync	Game state	Simple, few objects
Input Sync	Player inputs	Action games
Hybrid	Both	Most games

Lag Compensation

Technique	Purpose
Prediction	Client predicts server
Interpolation	Smooth remote players
Reconciliation	Fix mispredictions
Lag compensation	Rewind for hit detection

---

3. Network Optimization

Bandwidth Reduction

Technique	Savings
Delta compression	Send only changes
Quantization	Reduce precision
Priority	Important data first