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Lance is a real-time multiplayer game server

Lance provides an extendible Node.JS based server, on which game logic runs, as well as a client-side library which synchronizes the client's game state with the server game state. In order to provide a smooth visual experience for each connected client, Lance implements efficient networking methods, position interpolation and extrapolation, user input coordination, shadow objects, physics and pseudo-physical movement, automatic handling of network spikes.

Lance aims to optimize the player's visual experience, while providing a simple development model which is highly configurable and easy to analyze and debug.

Features:

  • Focus on writing your game. Lance takes care of the netcode
  • Can support any type of game or genre
  • Optimized networking
    • TCP via websockets
    • Communication is packed and serialized into binary
    • Automatic handling of network spikes with step correction
  • Intelligent synchronization strategies for lag handling
    • Extrapolation (client side prediction) with step re-enactment, or:
    • Interpolation for optimal object motion
  • Tools for debugging and tracing

That's so neat! Where do I start?

To get a bird's eye view on what's Lance all about and how to use it to make a multiplayer game, we recommend reading the guide: Architecture of a Multiplayer Game

If you're more of the learning-by-doing type, you can start with the first tutorial, My First Game: Pong which contains step-by-step instructions on how to implement a networked version of this classic game.

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