Multiplayer game development: connected, real-time games designed in Corsica
Multiplayer game development means building a game where several people share one session, each on their own screen, with every action showing up in real time for everyone. In Bastia we make party games on phones and online games. Shared big-screen experiences too, like our role-playing game Tantale.
Connected games and real time, how they work
In a multiplayer game, everyone has to see the same game at the same moment. That is the multiplayer server's job. This program, hosted online, receives each player's actions, applies the rules and sends the new state of play back to everybody. We call it real time when that round trip is quick enough to feel instant.
There are two broad families. Living-room games put the players in one room, each using a phone as a controller or private screen, while a TV or a projector shows the shared scene. Online games connect people wherever they are. For a single session, or in a persistent world that carries on between visits.
Either way, there is usually nothing to install. The game opens in the phone's browser, from a link or a QR code.
Tantale, a party game on phones for 3 to 6 players
Tantale is our connected role-playing game, made to be played at home. The game master pilots the ship from a console. Each player holds their phone like an on-board terminal, while the TV shows the maps and surveillance cameras, with events as they happen. Technically, it runs on Node.js and a PWA, with real-time synchronisation.
This project put us up against the real difficulties of a connected game. Getting screens with different roles to live together. Keeping secret information on the phone apart from what is shared on the TV. Or letting a player get their place back when their phone has gone to sleep at the worst moment.
Our Hameau Vivant simulation belongs to the other family, persistent online worlds. It is drawn in 3D with Three.js, and its villagers are driven by a large language model (LLM), an AI that generates their reactions according to the situation.
Multiplayer games, from the living room to the office
- 01
Party games and digital board games
A social or detective game. Each phone keeps its owner's cards secret, and the TV acts as the shared board.
- 02
Event entertainment
At a trade show, during a conference or at a village festival, the audience plays from their phones and follows the results on a big screen.
- 03
Away days and team building
An investigation or a challenge to crack in teams. Nobody gets anywhere without talking and sharing out the roles.
- 04
Live quiz in a room
Questions on the screen, answers by phone, scores live. A training session or a meeting gets noticeably livelier.
- 05
Location-based experience
A trail or puzzle for groups in a museum, a leisure venue or an escape room, with screens spread around the space.
- 06
Online community game
Matches between players far apart, or a persistent world with accounts and progression, plus moderation tools.
What can go wrong in a real-time game
- 01
Latency
This is the delay between a player's action and its appearance on other screens. The game design (the rules, the pace) has to live with it. A turn-based game puts up with far more delay than an action game.
- 02
Reconnection
A phone that locks, a signal that fades. The server keeps the state of the game, and the player picks up exactly where they were.
- 03
Cheating
Rules are checked by the server, never only on the player's phone. No impossible move gets accepted.
- 04
Scaling
How many games at once, how many players in each? We size the hosting, then test it before opening to the public.
- 05
Player interaction
A chat or free-text usernames need moderation. If minors may be playing, particular precautions are needed.
- 06
On-site network
A venue's wifi can clog up in the middle of an event. We check conditions on site and plan a fallback.
The stages of multiplayer game development
You keep the same contact from the first conversation through to ongoing support, and each stage ends with your approval.
- 01
Understand
How many players, how long a session lasts, where people play, on which screens, for which audience and on what budget. We pin down the experience you are after.
- 02
Design
We write the rules and the role of each screen. Then a playable prototype, tested in groups in real conditions, before agreeing the next step with you.
- 03
Build
We develop the server and the interface for each role. Testing happens on lots of different phones, with simulated network drops and games running side by side.
- 04
Launch and support
Going live, server monitoring, fixes, new content. You receive the game with its documentation, and the code according to the rights set out in the contract.
What determines the cost of a multiplayer game
The detailed quote comes after a first conversation. Here is what matters most.
- 01
Number of roles and screens
A single interface, or, as in Tantale, a console and phones plus a TV, each showing something different.
- 02
Pace of play
A turn-based game is easier to make reliable than an action game where every fraction of a second counts.
- 03
Persistence
One-off sessions, or a permanent world with its accounts, its saves, its progression.
- 04
Amount of content
Scenarios, maps, questions, events. They have to be written, then balanced.
- 05
Expected traffic
The number of simultaneous games sets the hosting and the testing effort.
- 06
Running the game
Monitoring, moderation, updates, support after launch.
Technologies and methods
- Node.js
- TypeScript
- Real time (SSE)
- PWA
- Multi-screen
- Three.js
Frequently asked questions
Do players need to install an app?
No. The game opens in the phone's browser from a link or a QR code. Anyone who wants to can add it to their home screen thanks to the PWA, without an app store.
How many players can take part in one game?
It depends on the game more than on the technology. Tantale is built for 3 to 6 players because its story calls for it. An event activity can bring in far more. We size the server to your needs, and test it before launch.
What happens if a player loses their connection?
Nothing serious. The game is kept on the server, the player reopens the link and gets their place back, without holding up the others.
Can people play remotely rather than in the same room?
Yes, if it is planned from the design stage. A game built for the living room counts on people talking to each other face to face. At a distance, players need other ways to coordinate.
Can you create a connected game for an event in Corsica?
Yes. Being in Bastia, we can scout the venue ahead of time, test the network on site and hold a rehearsal before the big day. On the day itself, there are far fewer surprises.