Going Multiplayer - by Paolo Abela (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Design, implement, release, and maintain a multiplayer experience! Find out what challenges, risks, and upsides you need to be aware of from day one!

Through real-world examples inspired by games such as League of Legends, Ariokan, and Morimens, the book covers the differences between developing multiplayer and single-player games, diving into the details of how the communication between different devices works, how to structure a multiplayer project depending on what you're developing, how to prepare it for a global launch from a technical and monetization perspective, as well as how to protect the game. It also explains how to develop common features shared by several multiplayer titles.

Maintaining an engine-agnostic approach as much as possible, the book uses both Unity and Epic Games products and services as a reference. The book takes the collectible card game Ariokan as a reference to explain some dynamics and challenges of multiplayer games that revolve around user-generated content.

You Will Learn

- What pieces you need to build to have a globally accessible multiplayer experience and how they work

- How communication and synchronization work in a multiplayer game and how to design around that

- - How User Generated Content-centric games work and the challenges related to them

Who This Book Is For

Game developers and system/economy designers working on a multiplayer project (game or experience), be it live-service or not. Networking/coding experience will help but is not essential, as the fundamental relevant concepts are covered in the book.

From the Back Cover

Design, implement, release, and maintain a multiplayer experience! Find out what challenges, risks, and upsides you need to be aware of from day one!

Through real-world examples inspired by games such as League of Legends, Ariokan, and Morimens, the book covers the differences between developing multiplayer and single-player games, diving into the details of how the communication between different devices works, how to structure a multiplayer project depending on what you're developing, how to prepare it for a global launch from a technical and monetization perspective, as well as how to protect the game. It also explains how to develop common features shared by several multiplayer titles.

Maintaining an engine-agnostic approach as much as possible, the book uses both Unity and Epic Games products and services as a reference. The book takes the collectible card game Ariokan as a reference to explain some dynamics and challenges of multiplayer games that revolve around user-generated content.

You Will Learn

- What pieces you need to build to have a globally accessible multiplayer experience and how they work

- How communication and synchronization work in a multiplayer game and how to design around that

- The different types of monetization strategies that you can implement to generate revenue from your game

- How User Generated Content-centric games work and the challenges related to them

About the Author

Paolo Abela is an Italian studio founder, game developer, and consultant specialized in multiplayer games. Since 2013, he has run multiple studios and worked hands-on on multiplayer games at scale such as "Ariokan," "Overknights," and "Eggscape". He also helps Indie and AA teams make and ship multiplayer games and likes to spread knowledge through conference talks and LinkedIn posts for those who come after.