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Mathieu Duperré, CEO and founder of Edgegap
It’s common for video game developers to launch a day-one patch for new releases after their game goes gold. The rapid development of video games means that some bugs may be missed during QA and may not be discovered until they reach the hands of players.
Some of the most common problems encountered by game developers in the beginning are related to the network and systems, such as the connection problems that cause chaos in Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, although some players have experienced problems related to the games. And while there is no way to eliminate lag, latency and disconnection from multiplayer games, developers can reduce the time it comes and the mess they create by tracking it. some simple tasks.
Plan for the best, expect the best
For many video developers, the best feature for the launch of their game – which is very important and more people playing than expected – can be become the best case for business-related problems. Too many players can lead to severe bottlenecking, resulting in lag and related issues. In a worst-case scenario, servers are overloaded and stop responding to requests, usually leaving players unable to connect to online matchmaking.
Another good example is planning for big numbers at the beginning and building the necessary systems to support this, because your game is just starting and nowhere near the traffic you expected. Not only is this a big problem for your bottom line, but it can get worse if you rush your search for a good supplier and forget to read the T&Cs carefully.
Some server providers will put new studios on a fixed contract, not allowing them to back out if they have upgraded their servers. Some lenders offer free loans, initially, because those loans are paid off after the first few months. Game publishers then find that they are responsible for purchasing the cost of network traffic, load balancers, bundles, API calls, and other products they own. to think about.
With that in mind, try not to sign up for long-term contracts that don’t offer flexibility for upgrades or downgrades. There are many things to gain from your server setup through flexibility, and your servers may change weeks after launch as you get a better impression of your player base; Unused servers are a waste of money and resources.
Try, try and try again
You have not tested your online competition properly if you have tested your servers under the pressure of 1000 players, but you expect 10,000 or 100,000 in the beginning. Planning for the worst-case scenario is an important part of your testing, and you should test your site under the same conditions as if you had suddenly experienced a burst of players.
Testing is important because you will experience business problems when your website is down. However, by facing those problems you can identify them and plan for them as soon as your game starts.
Likewise, you’ll want to test your game in different locations because there’s no way to tell where your adventure will come from. We have had cases where studios released a very popular game overnight in Chile but needed data centers. Thankfully, you can mitigate problems like this by using edge computing providers to reduce the distance between your players and the point of connection.
Consider the specific system requirements of your game
Classic games have a multiplayer component that is very different from MMORPGs, with thousands of players connected to a central world. Likewise, a first-person shooter with 64-player matchmaking will have a different online experience than a side-scrolling beat ’em up or fighting game, which often requires custom netcodes due to fast mode of combat.
People outside of the video game industry consider all video games to be the same, but different types of games differ in terms of business requirements such as specific applications.
With that in mind, it’s important for game studios, especially smaller ones, to regularly communicate with business partners and make sure you have a full understanding of how the multiplayer aspects of your game work. A qualified property supplier can work with you to not only ensure that the testing is done properly but also help identify any potential problems.
There are too many tools and not enough resources to use them
One thing that the big internet providers are very good at providing is tools, but these things are complex and require specific knowledge and experience. It should be noted that major gaming houses have dedicated engineering teams to manage these devices for AAA games with millions of players.
Small game studios need to be aware of the number of players they expect to release new games and their internal resources to manage business-related issues and questions. You need to partner with a provider that can handle all of this, so your studio can focus on making the best game possible. The more automation you can plan into your DevOps approach, the better!
Carriers for small playrooms
While game studios encounter many challenges as part of their game development journey, implementing these three tips into your DevOps pipeline is a sure way to reduce the headaches associated with the business.
Don’t reinvent the wheel – We have seen many studios trying to build bespoke systems rather than automating and using outsourced materials. If you can develop your own netcode, engine and manage your Kubernetes, that’s great! But is it worth it, or is building these things from scratch creating problems down the line?
Understand your process – Plan for everything, use technology-agnostic tools to stay flexible, get real-time insights and tools for your competitive journey, and have a 24/7 support plan for life measure your game. The more problems you find, the better.
Upload to test your game – Build small tools and scripts to generate as much traffic as you can, breaking your system as often as possible.
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