A Peer-to-Peer Networking Framework for Scalable Massively Multiplayer Online Game Development in Unity

Sammanfattning: This thesis investigates designing and implementing a peer-to-peer (P2P) networking frameworkfor Unity, a popular game engine, intending to offer a scalable and efficient solution forconstructing networked multiplayer games. The research covers an analysis of a P2P networkarchitecture, transport layer protocols, challenges in NAT traversal, and peer list management.A framework is proposed, incorporating NAT traversal, remote procedural calls (RPC), synchronization variables (SyncVar), interest management (IM), and a lobby system. The framework’sperformance is evaluated through integration, network, and game performance tests. Resultsdemonstrate the framework’s capacity to accommodate up to 50 players, with a theoreticalmaximum of 200 players, but further optimization techniques could increase this limit. IMsolutions are suggested to improve scalability, rendering the framework a more viable optionfor MMOGs. Additionally, this thesis seeks to contribute to comprehending P2P networkingframework design and implementation for Unity while emphasizing potential directions forfuture research and how they should be optimized