Master server beta version

For the very useful answers. The betaserver does not have the connectivity issue, neither does zumwalt. So thx a lot

 

When will the MasterServer be leaving Beta?

 

On the web site there's a link to the master server source code (Link to source). Is this the latest beta source code or is this really version 0.1.0 ?

Best regards,
Metron

 

Bump,
also curious if this is the latest master server beta code?

P.S.
Pre ordering 3.0 after i test unity3d networking.

 

The master server hasn't been updated for at least 8 months (Well, ever since i first started using unity and asked the same question you are asking now)

Using Unity networking is not advised, as mentioned in other topics. You can get the master server up and running, you can get clients connecting... but the moment you get to a reasonable volume of users (not many players per game, just lots of users that want to connect to one another) you invariably run into problems.

My advice to you is to use the free version for as long as possible, until you are absolutely sure that you have a stable solution, or plan to use a different networking API from the start.

 

0.1.0 is not the latest version. Larus has shared an improved and stable version stable with some of us but somehow it still hasnt been released officially.

 

So is there anyway to make our own master server for when we want to make a big online game perhaps?

 

Any details on when the new version of the MasterServer is going to be released, 0.1.0 isn't awesome.

 

Ditto.

 

This really needs some stability work. I'd like to see some serious updates to this by Unity 3.0, because that's when I'll really be working with Unity networking.

 

Okay, I think this is the right place to ask. I have just scanned quite a number of posts and need some clear cut answers please...

A link to a thread that offers those answers directly as opposed to piecing it together from 300 marginally related post would be very welcome indeed...

I have been working in Unity for a long time now, but never before tried using multiplayer. My first attempt at multiplayer is on an iPhone. Using the documentation available in the sample projects, I was able to build a Direct, UDP and MasterServer connection into the game... From what I gather, Direct connection is for LAN type games where everyone is on the same network, UDP is for... bluetooth connection? And MasterServer is the big daddy for global multiplayer...

Now, as I understand it, in order to use the master server, one client has to connect as a server and the rest then as clients and connect to that server, but they won't know the server exists because... how can they?

So in order for them to find each other, you have to run a master server on a host server and set that up to be the actual server and then everyone else connects as clients... but as I understand it, running such a server requires you to actually start the game but I can't very well be running an iPhone app on a virtual server now, can I? Which would require me to write a "default" master server that handles all connections I make via all games I create.

But if that is the case, then the purpose of the master server is what? It is not an actual copy of the game so it doesn't actually do anything so this means that one person has to create a server connection, that then connects to the master server and informs all other clients that this server is now available... Thus, it basically acts only as a redirect pointing new connections to the existing servers and then the clients connect directly to the game instance running as a server?

If this is the case and the purpose of the master server is merely to broadcast available connections, then I am lost because I thought that was what the facilitator was for... What is the facilitator then?

My next set of questions is regarding 3rd party networking. Stuff like Scoreloop and Openfeint and A+ etc... they do not allow for real-time multiplayer, do they? They only offer challenge initiation and win-loose notification afterwards, isn't it? I just downloaded openfeint today so I will be learning more about that in the coming days but I thought I'd ask this now as I read in a previous post that it has been stated before that people should NOT use Unitys' networking.

Does this mean that all the effort of including Unity's networking code is useless for making a real time racing game, for example? Is a third party networking solution really the only answer and if so, which of them offer real-time multiplayer that is sufficient for racing game type accurate networking?

Also, it sounds like Unity's networking code is entirely useless, but I can't believe that Unity could include something into Unity for so long and have it be useless. What exactly is it that makes people say:

...and what is the solution to this?

And now for the biggest question of them all:
If I want to make a multiplayer iPhone racing game, what connection type/ networking solution is the best road to travel?

As you can see, i have been reading up on various threads and picked up on a number of things but a lot of what i read un-clarifies what I thought I understood from other posts I read leaving me with tons of uncertainties.

I would really appreciate any help in understanding Unity networking options.

Thanks in advance

 

With regards to the master server:

It is used to do NAT traversal, introducing players to game servers.

With regards to networking issues on unity.

The answer is not to rely on Unity Networking, since you won't get support within a reasonable time-frame if you come across bugs.

 

so what would you deem reliable? DimeRocker seems to be the only viable option at this point in time...

 

I'm not sure about developing for iPhone, since I don't have unity for iPhone and have tested any networking libraries against it, but from my testing on normal Unity I would recommend developing your own using Lidgren.

Why?

1. The cheapest solution available. Free.
2. Open source.
3. Quick release cycle.
4. Responsive community. Especially the developer.
5. Portable, in case you get tired of unity.
6. You'll learn more from the experience.

I would say that if you are completely new to networking it's useful to play around with unity's built in networking. (Just by connecting directly to another local IP).

But it's not an good final solution because it's a proprietary thing that doesn't get much love from it's developers.

 

will check it out. Thanks for the info

 

So what, do you work for them???

 

What is the default unity master server's ip anyway

 

Seems like there is new Masterserver, Connector, Facilitator and some ProxyServer for Unity 3.0 but I can't find it.
Could someone please point me to it?

 

the master server is realy bad at staying online, i hope someone fixes that

 

Hi everyone,

I try to use the master server with Unity2.6. Do you have any documentation to how use the master server ? not how be connected to it, but how set it.
I don't understand how use the facilitator.

I find the last version of the master server in that thread : http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/63631-Connection-to-master-server-fails
Someone can give me any infomations if that run great ?

 

RobDM,
this is the trouble we are having. This is Unity 3 masterserver, and apparently you have to be a member of some secret society to have an access to any documentation on its inner workings. If you are looking for masterserver for Unity 2.6 - just go to:
http://unity3d.com/master-server/index.html

 

You can download the Unity 3 master server here. The link on the main website doesn't appear to have been updated yet.

 

How should I use new facilitator?
I am starting Masterserver on port 1887 and then Facilitator listening to 1888.
Then how do I start Conntester?
I am trying:
19-10-2010 12:39:38 Listen port set to 1886
19-10-2010 12:39:38 Max connection count set to 1000
19-10-2010 12:39:38 Faclitator address set to xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:1888 <- my external IP
19-10-2010 12:39:38 Binding to α*↕
19-10-2010 12:39:38 Failed. Could not start peer interface

We are trying to run Facilitator on our own IP.

 

Hello,

I did a small space combat game that what running well on Unity2.6 + my own MasterServer/Facilitator/ConnectionTester dedicater server... All was working really fine, Nat Punchthrough was ok too.


I did move to Unity 3 , and started to update the servers but ... the ConnectionTest requires now 4 public IP addresses ! , I don't
have 4 public addresses, and running out of time as I am registering the Kongregate Contest ....

I don'ta have much time to go back in what was working, I have to focus on the game code, but , how can I do to run a ConnectionTester !?
I built every thing , I moved it on my dedicated server , I see I am creating sessions , enumeration etc ... ok , but without the
ConnectionTester I am having problems with Nat punchthrough... and that is normal in fact.


What can I do to complete the game net code , can I use Unity Servers until the End of the Contest ?

if yes, what shall I put here :


MasterServer.ipAddress = ???? ;
MasterServer.port = ??? ;
Network.natFacilitatorIP = ????;
Network.natFacilitatorPort = ????;
Network.connectionTesterIP = ????;
Network.connectionTesterIP =????;
Network.connectionTesterPort = ????;


Thanks for your feedback !

 

Hello mrwhite69

Did you solve your problem?

We are evaluating the installation of our own servers.