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Production-quality NetCode moved to 2021 Q2 :(

Discussion in 'NetCode for ECS' started by Kamyker, May 18, 2020.

  1. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    Just noticed that https://blogs.unity3d.com/2019/06/13/navigating-unitys-multiplayer-netcode-transition/ was updated 3-2 weeks ago without any announcement.

    Old (2019):
    • Fall (Q3) this year: Preview DOTS-Netcode will be available sometime this fall providing a server-authoritative stack, including entity serialization, delta compression, forward prediction, and interpolation. Given the Preview state, developers should still expect breaking changes to the API surface until the stack achieves verified state.
    • Spring/Summer (Q2) next year: Production-quality DOTS-Netcode – we’re targeting a production-quality release next spring/summer with the DOTS-Netcode and UTP sufficiently stable and full-featured. By this time, developers should have a fairly stable API surface, tech stack, and better documentation.
    New:
    • Q2 2021: Production-quality DOTS-Netcode – we’re targeting a production-quality release in early 2021 for DOTS-Netcode and UTP to be sufficiently stable and full featured. By this time, developers should have a fairly stable API surface, tech stack, and better documentation.
    I expected this to happen but not this bad. Updating that post so late without any announcement is very unprofessional.
     
    Kamyker, May 18, 2020
    #1
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  2. Vincenzo

    Vincenzo

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    The direction of the netcode package is not anything anybody can use anyway unless you are making a max 80 player FPS title and can work with the limited systems in place by unity.

    Which is... nobody but the FPS sample that is full with workarounds.
     
    Vincenzo, May 18, 2020
    #2

  3. brunocoimbra

    brunocoimbra

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    This was not "moved to 2021 Q2", just re-phrased, as "Spring/Summer (Q2) next year" is the same as "2021 Q2" but much cleaner.
     
    brunocoimbra, May 18, 2020
    #3

  4. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    It was moved as it was written in 2019 summer, this year was 2019 and next = 2020.

    Image also changed:

    Old:

    New:
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2020
    Kamyker, May 18, 2020
    #4
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  5. MrPaparoz

    MrPaparoz

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    Well, when you think about that you'll be using v2019 in most of 2020, it's not a surprise, is it?
     
    MrPaparoz, May 18, 2020
    #5

  6. Vanamerax

    Vanamerax

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    I happened to be looking into what networking stack to use yesterday, but found that the solution offered by Unity are simply not going to cut it. UNET is deprecated and was is in a sad and buggy state anyways (I have tried using it in the past) and the DOTS netcode sample didn't appear to be usable outside of the demo with little to no documentation. I guess that is understandable for a package that is still in active development.

    Although unfortunate due to the pricing, I will probably have to stick to Photon for a while..
     
    Vanamerax, May 18, 2020
    #6

  7. elZach

    elZach

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    Have you had a look at mirror? If you've already worked with UNET but dread it's kinks, it might be right up your alley. https://github.com/vis2k/Mirror
     
    elZach, May 19, 2020
    #7
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  8. timjohansson

    timjohansson

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    We are still working hard on netcode and it is still a priority. Our definition of production ready is that we have actually been able to make games with it, so we are working with multiple productions to validate.
    These productions is what drives most of the development for out netcode. Right now we are for example working on improving the the workflows for creating ghosts and generating code so it works better for a production team. This is something we added based on direct feedback from two of the productions we are working with.
     
    timjohansson, May 20, 2020
    #8
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  9. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    Well what's the status of these "two of the productions"?
     
    Kamyker, Mar 17, 2021
    #9

  10. CMarastoni

    CMarastoni

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    We can't give you specific details about the status of any of these productions. What I can tell you (for sure) is that they are all progressing toward their respective goals and that they are tremendously helpful for understanding and validating the package at different scale.
    NetCode has indeed (in my opinion) made good steps forward in the last year thanks to their feedbacks. And while it is not done and there are still works to do to make it "Production Ready", I think it is a more robust package now.
     
    CMarastoni, Mar 23, 2021
    #10
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  11. Orimay

    Orimay

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    Is it gonna be "Production Ready" before ECS is?
     
    Orimay, Mar 23, 2021
    #11

  12. CMarastoni

    CMarastoni

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    DOTS is a whole ecosystem of packages that use more or less heavily the ECS layer.
    So, it is hard for me to think that we can declare NetCode as "Production Ready"/proven if ECS isn't (since is based on it).
    On the contrary, ECS may be ready before NetCode is.
    But that being said, there are different level of "readiness" and "robustness", depending on the specific needs.
     
    CMarastoni, Mar 25, 2021
    #12

  13. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    Graph says: "What is your game going to be released:". From my understanding this means that preview package is/will be ready before the date and released after.

    I know that ECS is a complex technology but trying to predict when netcode part of it will be ready (without known when ECS will be ready) is impossible.

    I guess covid is a big reason why it's delayed. At least it's good to see MLAPI investment going on once Unity realized potential in multiplayer games.
     
    Kamyker, Mar 25, 2021
    #13

  14. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    Any updates? I guess Q2 2022...
     
    Kamyker, Jul 16, 2021
    #14

  15. CMarastoni

    CMarastoni

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    Speaking about NetCode, what I can say right now is that we are aiming to be feature complete in Q3/Q4 2021.
    Then, we will focus on hardening, improving robustness, tooling and usability, at least for the client/server authoritative model. That is what you can expect for Q1/Q2 2022 pretty much.
     
    CMarastoni, Jul 17, 2021
    #15
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  16. optimise

    optimise

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    @CMarastoni I would like to know what features aim to be complete in Q3/Q4 2021?
     
    optimise, Jul 17, 2021
    #16
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  17. Orimay

    Orimay

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    Does this mean ECS gonna get pushed to a new version soon as well?
     
    Orimay, Jul 17, 2021
    #17

  18. LuckyWonton

    LuckyWonton

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    Out of curiosity, when working with code from the 0.6p7 package for learning purposes, how relevant is that experience going to be to later versions of NetCode? Is working with 0.6 a waste of time?
     
    LuckyWonton, Jul 25, 2021
    #18
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  19. Tarmack

    Tarmack

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    Any News ? been following since 2019 the "project" of Unity Netcode, we are Q3/Q4 2021, still no news
     
    Tarmack, Oct 19, 2021
    #19

  20. ChrisPie

    ChrisPie

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    Don't expect any news this year, I feel. We'll probably hear something close to 2022.1 release.
     
    ChrisPie, Oct 20, 2021
    #20

  21. Kmsxkuse

    Kmsxkuse

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    I like your optimism. At this rate, I'll bet we wont be hearing anything from the main Entities team until 2023.1.
     
    Kmsxkuse, Oct 20, 2021
    #21

  22. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    Kamyker, Oct 23, 2021
    #22
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  23. Kamyker

    Kamyker

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    Kamyker, Jul 13, 2022
    #23