Multiplayer games, especially at large scale, have unique considerations for their design. While traditional monolithic game server design has served the industry well, it’s possible that a microservices-based approach could work better and be more scaleable, within certain constraints.

Red Hat has a Gaming Community of Practice (COP), and we (the gaming COP) are going to attempt to design a multiplayer game that uses just such an approach.

There is an interesting thesis paper by Mauno Vähä that explores microservices design as it applies to multiplayer online RPGs. We will use it as a reference for this project.

Game Overview

Concept: Battle Royale-esque “last person standing” space ship battles

Genre: Battle Royale, 2D top-down looter shooter

Elevator Pitch: In space, if you’re not first, you’re last. But being first comes with consequences. Vanquish your opponents and pick up components from the wreckage. Make good choices, because each component you strap on makes you heavier and pulls you deeper into the gravity well - where everyone else with more guns and more gear already is.

Gameplay and Art References

• Combat similar to Star Control: Origins
• Technology and battle tactics inspired by Firefly’s Reavers
• Minimal art style to start inspired by Radius Raid
• Art style also inspired by Warships

Key Game Design Features

• Infinite scale universe grows as more players join the game
• “Real time” (not turn-based)
• Long term persistent state
• Click and command rather than twin-stick
• 2D Top Down
• Permadeath - if your ship is destroyed, you start over
• Roguelike - Sectors are procedurally generated
• Actor removal drops “loot” which can be used to modify ship
• Ships get heavier as more mods are added which pulls them towards the center of the game universe

Architectural Design

2022 update - based on team conversation here is the updated draft components architecture:

Original design components list is below:

• account service
  • ties an “identity” to a player (game stuff)
• website
• logger service (existing EFK in OpenShift?)
  • at minimum, each service needs to conform to logging standards
  • containerized = stdout/stderr
• chat service
  • text to start
  • voip later?
• leaderboard service
• need some kind of game server
  • ring vs sector on ring?
  • how many players in a sector / ring?
• data service (data grid?)
• “ai service” for fake players / NPC