I am looking to network my simple test MMO type game in some complicated ways (A* pathfinding, inventories, etc. on an authoritative server). The current networking for Unity seems a bit weak to me...
Does it make sense to wait for Unity 3.0 to do this, or should I simply build the capabilities to do the more complex networking in the current version of Unity (do-able but a bunch of work)? Also, any one have a rough estimate of how many weeks till Unity 3.0?
Perhaps it would be better if I restated my question:
If I was looking to make a MMO prototype (not to build one but just as a learning experience) which of the folowing would make the most sense?
1) Use current Unity for server.
2) Wait for Unity 3.0 for server.
3) Dump unity or the server and use some program like SmartFox.
This is actually a valid question - he's not asking what will be included with Unity, but if to wait for it to start learning, or go with something else.
Don't wait. While nobody other than Unity could tell you what will be in it other than what has been announced, if what you care about is a learning experience then why would you wait? The central concepts of networking, multiplayer logic, and so many other things you'll have to discover are valid on both. Yes, you hopefully will get some bugs fixed, but I'm pretty sure you'll have your hands full enough with the learning curve to worry about those.
As for what to use between Unity's Master Server or SmartFox Server, your learning process should start by taking a look at both options and picking the one that looks like it best fits your plans.
Also, a final note: don't describe it as a MMO if you're building a multiplayer test. At least I tend to ignore questions tagged MMO, as it seems everybody and their cat are aiming to do one with Unity while having no programming experience, and if people need to come to Answers for questions about their MMO, it likely either isn't as Massive or they just don't have the people to pull it off. You're a lot more likely to get networking help if you tag (and look for answers tagged) as networking or multiplayer than MMO.
The Unity guys haven't announced anything about networking updates in Unity 3.0, nor an official release date, so it's not a question that can really be answered.
Our 3.0 announcement does not mention any major new networking features. While we are always committed to fixing bugs, I don't think networking is a good reason to postpone your work till 3.0. If you pre-order 3.0 Pro now, you will get access to current 2.x builds right away, so you will also not have any additional cost by starting to work with 2.6 for now, and then switching when 3.0 is released.
After seeing several people post this, I must say it seems that are enough people interested in rolling their own MMO server. It is worth noting that this is possible and quite fun actually after about a week of studying the API either .Net sockets for C# or Winsock if you want to use C++.
Unity networking is great and simple to use. I’ve used it before and have had great success with it, but there’s nothing wrong with making your own custom solution. In fact, that’s part of the fun, and may often have potential for scalability.
Like I said to Ivictorino who had a similar question, I’d be willing to share my custom server code via e-mail if you’re interested in rolling your own persistent world server. I have C++ and C# versions based on a plethora of example/book/tutorials that have all been combined. It’s not going to be plug and play but it should be intuitive and will be a great head start.