Persistent Networking and Multiplayer Solution for Unity Games

Unity Engine
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1

Hello
I am making a MMO game using Unity
Posted a video link which shows a prototype of game playing.

https://vimeo.com/870670438

All networking feature is designed using Netcode for GameObjects.
I am gonna use several DGS for game play server. (16 DGS for example)
The estimated maximum CCU is 64 per DGS.

Most of important features are implemented.
Database for user management is implemented by AWS DynamoDB.
Nethereum is introduced for deposit/withdraw features.
One important thing is that the networking model of this game will work or not. Of course, I have tested practically with 8 human players and it worked well. The problem is it will work with 64 players for several months or not.

Many posts said that NGO is not designed for MMO and persistent, long-running game servers.
Some of them said that 300-500 CCU is possible when server update rate is 10ms. (I hope this CCU but I think I can’t)
Now I am completely confused and not confident for my networking model.
That is because I don’t have any practical experience with unity networking model.
So, I want to implement now the robust and consistent networking model as much as I can and clarify what is true.

Ladies and gentlemen.
That is the reason why I posted the video.
If you have any experience with Unity NGO, please help me and post your opinion.

#1. What is the most powerful, consistent and long running networking and multiplayer solution for unity game? What is the maximum CCU and running duration of that solution? 256 CCU (at least 64) is possible when I reduce the update tick rate?
#2. Should I use unity services like Cloud Game Server Hosting Service (aka Multiplay) | Unity or Cloud code? What is the pros and cons of them?
Can’t I really make 64 CCU and long running server without them? What about 256 CCU?
#3. DGS cannot really run more than 1 hour? Or should I do some benchmarking to clarify the performance of DGS. (with 256 CCU for several months)
#4. If I continuously use DGS for my game server (DGS build of Unity more explicitly), what is the recommended hosting service? (for example, AWS VPS? or Hostinger?)

Hope your sincere advice based on your great experience.

2

Unity’s Netcode, specifically MLAPI (Multiplayer and Networking Layer API), is designed to handle small-scale, real-time multiplayer games. It primarily focuses on how to synchronize game states between clients, including player positions, actions, animations, etc. However, in massively multiplayer online games (MMO), Netcode may face some challenges. For instance, MMO games typically require more complex scene management, interest management, and field of view management. These tasks involve how to synchronize only the game states around the players based on their positions and actions, rather than the entire game world. This can significantly reduce the demand for network bandwidth, improving game performance and response speed. However, this is not a primary feature of Unity Netcode.

3

Adding field of view management, scene instance management, and modifying the logic of variable synchronization and RPC (Remote Procedure Call) sending to only relevant clients to Unity’s Netcode could indeed make it more suitable for MMO games. Field of view management would involve only sending updates about game objects within a certain radius or field of view of each player. This would reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent and processed, improving performance. Scene instance management would involve creating separate instances of game scenes for different groups of players. This is often used in MMOs to handle dungeons or other areas where only a specific group of players should be present. Modifying the logic of variable synchronization and RPC sending would involve changing the system so that updates and calls are only sent to clients that need them, rather than to all connected clients. This would further reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent and processed. These modifications would require a deep understanding of Unity’s Netcode and potentially significant development effort, but they could make it more suitable for use in MMO games.