New multiplayer transport release

@aabramychev thanks for the quick reply. For my game low latency is crucial and I'd happily sacrifice bandwidth. I set SendDelay to 1ms because of this reason. As per documentation MinUpdateTimeout "defines minimum time in milliseconds between sending packets. [...] Default value = 10". Can you confirm this doesn't apply anymore? Can I rest assured MinUpdateTimeout won't add any delay?

Also, are there any other parameters I can tweak to reduce the client-server latency?

 

Hey,
I am trying to log statistics about the server networking. Specifically I want to log incoming and outgoing bandwidth.
I know you can get to the outgoing bandwidth via NetworkTransport.GetOutgoingFullBytesCount, how do I measure the incoming bandwidth on the server? Or are there other functions to get to network statistics of the running game?

ps. Any updates on the state of the standalone server dll?

 

@aabramychev thanks for the quick answer
I have one more question if you don't mind: In our game we get a "NoResources" error message in the transport layer from time to time. The manual is not very clear about which resources are missing. Maybe you could clarify which resources are missing and maybe have an idea how to avoid it? (We are using 5.6.2 atm)

 

Thanks I will try to bump ConnectionConfig.AcksType to 64 and see what happens

 

hello,

How to set client not ready with ClientScene ?
In your repository you have the function ClientScene.SetNotReady(); but it's not defined in all Unity version :s

 

When i set SSLCertFilePath and SSLPrivateKeyFilePath
i got: libwebsocket init failed
What i do wrong? Unity 5.6.1p1

 

@aabramychev

How often do you guys update the Server DLL? Currently using the DLL from January, and am wondering how support is for new versions of Unity such as 2017.1 and 2017.2.

 

Hi aabramychev how are you?

I have a Dudes/Questions
-Is the TransportLayer full UDP? or UPD combine with TCP?
-Is the TransportLayer a possible robust server for a mmorpg with autoritative server?
-TransportLayer suport listeners, some how this "TransportLayer.OnConnect += meOnConnectedToServer"? the documentation is little.

-This guy made this library using and pass version of UNET, he implements a server autoritative that runs 4000 instances perfectly sync and without lag, i can get better result using the new TransportLayer?
https://forum.unity.com/threads/ope...-networking-library-for-massive-games.273348/

Thanks a lot for your support in this thread
Cheers!

 

Thanks for your response, i am confuse with your first answer, please can you explainme a little bit?
i understand that is UDP and TCP both via web sockets.

sorry, my main idiom is spanish, because is hard for me understand these first response, and the google traductor not helpme xD

thanks again

 

#1:
Basically NetworkTransport is coded around UDP Sockets.

#2:
Not being nasty or anything, but in my views I don't think NetworkTransport would be good enough for a MMORPG game where the server is running as an authoritative server.
The most CCU I could get out of it was about 128 connections where it become a bit sluggish, maybe I was doing something wrong, I don't know.

#3:
The "OnConnect" type of Events / Callbacks you would have to implement yourself, its not that hard to do.

#4:
Its possible to do if you know what you are doing to handle thousands of connected users, its just a matter of how you segregate them.
You could split areas up into Zones and have Zone Cluster Servers, or you could have Instance Servers which can overlap your whole world.
Both have their own issues along with good and bad points and both require server to server communications as well.

My views on NetworkTransport...

​

TBH, I was originally going to use NetworkTransport for my game, but due to the server having to also use NetworkTransport it became an issue, especially when you needed to stress test stuff.

I then looked into Photon and wasn't that happy with the price plan so went back trying

NetworkTransport​

.

Maybe NetworkTransport has gotten better since I last tried it, but back then it was ok, but not for the amount of connections I really wanted it to handle.

I ended up trying to created my own Network Library using TCP Sockets which uses Threads for the Network Loop, Message Queues and Handlers, I have simulated it with 1K to 5K users easy, granted it was only sending basic messages (ping / pong type of messages) but it handled it fine.

Now at the end of the day, is my code better than using

NetworkTransport , probably not due to I have to do everything where as
NetworkTransport does most of the stuff behind the scenes.​

Now if my game was going to be a Multiplayer Game with a maximum of say 32 to 64 players then I might of used Unity's
NetworkTransport.​

Paul

 

@Paul-Kirby & @aabramychev thanks for your responses

I have another question, in this fragment of code :

Code (CSharp):

1. private void ReciveDataTCPChannel()
2.         {
3.             var tmpNetworkReader = new NetworkReader(receivedDataBuffer);
4.             var tmpSizePacket = tmpNetworkReader.ReadUInt16();//(reference)
5.             var tmpPacketID = tmpNetworkReader.ReadInt16();
6. }

(reference) : the first read function ReadUInt16() get always what value? is the packet size how i write there ? o that value contains? the example and documentation not expose this well. thanks

 

I want more simple:

this code is extracted from el example proyect tha you made for us (thanks!)

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. void OnData(int connectionId)
3. {
4.         NetworkReader reader = new NetworkReader(m_ReceivedDataBuffer);
5.         ushort sz = reader.ReadUInt16();//WHAT is that? size of packet?
6.         short msgType = reader.ReadInt16();
7.  
8.         switch (msgType)
9.         {
10.             case MessageTypes.CSObjectUpdate:
11.                 OnObjectUpdate(connectionId, reader);
12.                 break;
13.             default:
14.                 Debug.AssertFormat(false, "wrong msgType {0}", msgType);
15.                 break;
16.         }
17. }
18.  

 

yep, i check that you would doing, and because the dude appears

this is the serialize object:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. public class CSObjectUpdate : MessageBase
3. {
4.     public Vector3 forces;
5.  
6.     public override void Deserialize(NetworkReader reader)
7.     {
8.         forces = reader.ReadVector3();
9.     }
10.  
11.     public override void Serialize(NetworkWriter writer)
12.     {//HERE must be your ushort "sz = reader.ReadUInt16();" but is not here, all the packets that you build, are the same, not have write.Write(ushort) before the next line, but you always read the ushort sz = reader.ReadUInt16()
13.         writer.StartMessage(MessageTypes.CSObjectUpdate);//the packet ID
14.         writer.Write(forces);//The content of packet
15.         writer.FinishMessage();
16.     }
17. }
18.  

 

Hello here.

I have a very important question.
For the moment we have connection.maxSendDelay for setting a delay for sending message.
This delay is 100 ms by default and pack all messages for bandwidht optimization which is great.

BUT ( )

Is there a way to force the sending by code ? I have a position synchronization which have to be sent very very quickly and I want to force the networkBehaviour to send the commands / Rpc . Can I do this ?


In an ideal situation I only want command/rpc of this networkBehaviour to be sent, not all messages in my game.

 

Unsure if this will be a solution for you, but take a look at MessageBase.

 

Message base and writer / send works with the same system as networkBehaviour.

NetworkBehaviour use that, it's just an extension to keep track of what command on which gameObject it's called =/

 

Oh not sure then. I've switched over from UNET to Steamworks and they way it works is you send messages (which get buffered for up to 200ms or max packet size I believe). To force everything buffered to send sooner than the automatic send you can call a different method which unloads the buffer sends the packet immediately. Unsure if UNET has a similar feature.

 

Hello, Actually it's a server and client problem, not just client. In fact I become to have a very good position synchronization. But I unexpected that the packaging of messages will delay so much the algorithm and it's a very critical function in a game (the most important in some games ?).

For example the position sync was very bad when MaxDelay was at 100 ms. And became very good with 10 ms. But also I get 10 ms of delay on something that require maximum 100 ms or 150 ms of latency. I think we can't work on position sync algorithm if we take 10% of delay by design.

What I need is very simple : The packaging system in all case and maybe an extra unreliable channel which send message soon as possible (maybe at the end of frame ?)

In fact the most flexible things will be configurable channels with delay for each ( Hahahahahah it will be so nice no ? )

@aabramychev It's not urgent at all. I'm just a student who doesn't work on online game on my company for the moment.I just try to make an API for better using Unet, and was working on position sync. It's just... well if you can improve this part ok it will be nice, if no .. I will stay with my 10 ms delay and will cry in my room in France no problem .

 

It might be interesting for you guys.
Stress testing Unity’s LLAPI, what are the limits?

 

@aabramychev @larus

Can you release the source for HLAPI 2017.3 ?

the latest one available is for 2017.2 here:
https://bitbucket.org/Unity-Technologies/networking/branches/

 

Were Unity Server updates removed from the whole roadmap?

 

@aabramychev Hi there! Is there a separate LLAPI releases log somewhere? It's really hard to pick what changed in LLAPI from official Unity3D release logs.

 

Hi, How we can get stack of messages in this case - to understand, percent of usage some rpc functions witch fill that stack?

And what about reliable but overridet data, like player live?

if some one hit player - live become 90 hp, after another hit become 80hp, it must be reliable and ordered, but we want use only last message as reliable. If we lose 90 hp - unity will re send that, but we don’t actually need it, because recently we send 80 hp. And namy cases can use that: user live, press mapping, animator data, some positions witch changes unusually

 

Reliable state update qos - thats awesome, thanks!

About stack, when server get message "NoResources":

for me, big problem is: Understand, where we spend more resources than we can? In our game, we have tons of Rpc and TargetRpc methods, witch is full of send stack ??? How i can to know, who fill it, TargetRpc_SendPosistion or TargetRpc_SendSomeAnother or maybe some else rpc...? Will be nice, get all packets - witch in stack, and go trough all, and dig it( may be too many calls, or may be too fat data in some rpc)

expect code like this:

Code (CSharp):

1.     struct DataInfo{
2.         public int sendData;
3.         public int sendCount;
4.     }
5.  
6.     override void OnErrorNoResource(int channel){
7.  
8.         var pakets = NetworkTransport.GetAllOutgouingPacketsByChanel (channel);
9.         var map_func_data = new Dictionary<string,DataInfo> ();
10.  
11.         foreach (var p in pakets) {
12.             map_func_data[p.rpc_function_name].sendData += p.data_size;
13.             map_func_data [p.rpc_function_name].sendCount++;
14.         }
15.  
16.         foreach (var it in map_func_data)
17.             Debug.Log (it.Key + " dataSize " + it.Value.sendData + " callTimes: " + it.Value.sendCount);
18.     }

if you know Russian:

Привет, когда мы получаем эту ошибку, очень сложно понять, кто же заполнил весь стек данных, что не осталось места для отправки новых. И было бы супер, иметь возможность пройтись по всем пакетам которые ожидают отправки, и узнать - где у нас слишком часто идут вызовы, или возможно не очень часто - но данные слишком толстые к примеру.

 

Hi,

Since LLAPI will be deprecated soon, how will the new Transport Layer API compare to LLAPI.
Is it a similar lowlevel API that we can switch to?
Are there any scenarios that we can do with LLAPI but will no longer be able to handle with the upcoming API?

 

Upcoming LLAPI won't have reliable messages

 

So its basically a thin wrapper around UDP? Or what are features added on top of UDP?

 

So anyone wanting to use the new LLAPI will have to write a reliable layer for it. Pointless 1000s of people having to reinvent the wheel every time, Unity should include it as standard.

 

I would expect unity to provide a reliable algorithm on top of UDP.

LLAPI supposedly does that, but I have been struggling with silently dropped packages for months using reliable channels. For me it is not working.

 

How do you know that? In comments of the uNet post they said it would be very similar to the current one and conversion between them should be easy

 

Unity has said the base replacement won't have reliable messages, but they may include that as an add on package. The way they are currently phrasing it though I wouldn't count on reliable messages being there.