hey guys
I want to make an online game that runs on a matchmaking queue system (where players get together in a game randomly). something like fortnite lol valorant… etc.
-so is it possible to do it without paying for a dedicated server?
-and if anyone have a good guide on how to do it I would be very thankful
-and does it make a difference in main game logic (coding or blueprint) which network system I will use ? (dedicated server or a listen server)
Hey there @Remous1! It’s absolutely possible to do this with just the peer listen server, but this causes a number of gameplay issues down the line.
So speaking from a high level design view, you’re wanting to make a game with matchmaking, so it’s likely competitive right? One thing to account for is that the Host will have the innate advantage regardless of how you build it. You can mitigate this, but it should be taken into account before you get rolling.
Now you can avoid all of that with a dedicated server, but you’d have to build the engine yourself from the source code to make a dedicated server build. You’d also then need a server to host it on and maintain that, which can get pricey.
If you’re working on a commercial multiplayer project with matchmaking, I’d highly recommend being fluent in C++ as you’ll be facing more unique challenges than just blueprints handle alone. Still, I’ve seem formidable multiplayer games entirely in Blueprints.
problem is I’m taking the whole game dev things as a side job/hobby so i don’t have much time to learn c++ (i’m familiar with it but i’m not fluent) maybe i can start the game as a normal listen client server and later on replace it with a dedicated server, can’t i do that?
and do u mean even if i use a listen server i would still need c++? it would be such a downer dude
You can work from the listen server in pure blueprint without a source build totally fine! I just recommend being able to use C++ for dedicated server based multiplayer projects. Technically you can do the same with the dedicated server, but will need a bit of a C++ tutorial getting the environment ready to go and building.
You can totally build it with the listen server, and if you wanted to set up dedicated servers later if you get some playerbase and it takes off, totally possible, would just take a bit of porting.
thank you so so much and one last thing …do you know any good tutorial about how to code my game to fit a multiplayer option? (i think it’s called replication right? )
Absolutely! So one of the simplest looks at how the replication system works (while being entertaining) is this set of 4 tutorials by community member Bry! The series unfortunately never got completed, but these 4 episodes are some of the most effective I’ve seen at explaining replication and it’s nodes in a clear way.
On the other hand, I do recommend reading through the documentation of each piece as you learn. You may also need a tutorial about how to manipulate listen servers, how to join/leave and everything in between, but these links will get you started.
Disclaimer: Some community links do take you to external locations outside of Epic Games’ domain, and Epic is not liable for anything you may do outside of the community.
what do you think of google cloud as a dedicated server? they say i can try it for free but i don’t see many people talking about is there’s something wrong about?
I have little experience with Googles cloud situation as of now, so I can’t offer much of an opinion. They offer more free services than AWS it seems, but their limits are almost as strict. That and if you’ve never deployed to a cloud service before, you’re gonna need tutorials/resources and I’m not sure if there’s many outside of our official documentation here. I’d probably focus entirely on the gameplay and connectivity before making these decisions because your price point with any of these services will be based on how much you use them and how much data goes back and forth, which could get exponential for an indie very quickly.