Adding Multiplayer: Server Logic
by Hexagon, 2 minutes read deno tetris guide deno-tetris-guide
Welcome to part five of our Detris series. In this article, we dive into multiplayer action, where we deal with multiple players, and real-time updates. Buckle up!
Adding Multiplayer: Server Logic
To implement the multiplayer modes, we mainly use the following files:
game/modes/coop.ts: Co-Op modegame/modes/battle.ts: Battle mode
The actual files are found at https://github.com/Hexagon/detris/tree/main/game/mode
Let's go through the differences compared to single player mode:
Player Management
In a single-player game, you're only concerned with one player's actions. In a multiplayer game, you need to handle multiple players, each with their own game state. Create a players array to keep track of connected players.
players: Player[];
Game State Sharing
In single-player mode, the game state (grid, Tetrominoes, Position, etc.)
is only for one player. In multiplayer, you'll have to manage and share the game
state among all players.
Key Differences in Class Methods
Constructor
In single-player mode, you initialize the game state directly in the constructor. For multiplayer, you'll initialize the game state for each player separately.
checkRequirements
In a single-player game, you only need to check if there's one player. For multiplayer, you'll need to check for the required number of players:
checkRequirements(): boolean {
return (this.players.length >= 2);
}
broadcast
In a single-player game, you only broadcast messages to one client. In multiplayer, you'll loop through all players:
broadcast(m: unknown) {
for (const player of this.players) {
player.sendMessage(JSON.stringify(m));
}
}
act Method
The act method in single-player mode is straightforward; it directly manipulates the game state. In multiplayer, you'll have to identify which player initiated the action:
public act(player: Player, key: string, state: boolean): void {
// Identify player and manipulate their specific game state
}
iterate Method
In single-player, the iterate method updates the game state. For multiplayer, you'll need to iterate over each player's game state:
iterate(): boolean {
for (const player of this.players) {
// Update each player's game state
}
return true;
}
Wrapping Up
The main difference in adding multiplayer is managing multiple game states and player interactions. You'll need to keep track of each player's state, update it individually, and then broadcast the changes to all connected players.
That's it for now! You're now equipped to take your Tetris game into the multiplayer arena. Stay tuned for more updates!