Game Server with Scripting

Overview

GameServer is a sophisticated, game server designed for massively multiplayer online games. Built with a C++ core and extensible Python scripting, it provides solution for managing persistent game worlds with real-time player interactions, advanced networking, and comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

Key Features

🎮 Game Engine Capabilities

Chunk-based World Management: Procedurally generated terrain with biome support
Entity System: Full lifecycle management for players, NPCs, and game objects
Physics & Collision: Raycasting and collision detection for interactive environments
Loot & Inventory: Complete inventory system with item management and trading
Combat System: Damage calculation, health management, and combat events

🌐 Advanced Networking

Dual Protocol Support: JSON for simplicity + Binary protocol for performance
Network Quality Adaptation: Real-time monitoring and automatic optimization
Client-Side Prediction: Smooth gameplay with server reconciliation
Multi-Process Architecture: Master/worker model for horizontal scaling
SSL/TLS Support: Secure encrypted connections

⚡ Performance & Scalability

Multi-Process Design: Isolated worker processes for maximum CPU utilization
Async I/O: Non-blocking network operations using ASIO
Message Compression: On-the-fly data compression for bandwidth optimization
Connection Pooling: Efficient resource management for thousands of concurrent players
Distributed Database: Citus/PostgreSQL backend for horizontal scaling

🔧 Development & Operations

Comprehensive Logging: Multi-level, async logging with rotation and compression
Advanced Debugging: Performance profiling, memory leak detection, and metrics
Hot Reloading: Runtime configuration updates without server restart
Process Monitoring: Health checks and automatic worker restart
Python Scripting: Extensible game logic through Python integration

Architecture

Core Components

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Master Process │ │┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐│ ││ Worker #1 │ │ Worker #2 │ │ Worker #N ││ ││ ┌─────────┐ │ │ ┌─────────┐ │ │ ┌─────────┐ ││ ││ │GameLogic│ │ │ │GameLogic│ │ │ │GameLogic│ ││ ││ │ World │ │ │ │ World │ │ │ │ World │ ││ ││ │ Entities│ │ │ │ Entities│ │ │ │ Entities│ ││ ││ │ Network │ │ │ │ Network │ │ │ │ Network │ ││ ││ └─────────┘ │ │ └─────────┘ │ │ └─────────┘ ││ │└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Distributed Database (Citus) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Network Protocol Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Application Layer │ │ •Game Logic Messages •Chat •Inventory •Combat │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Binary Protocol Layer │ │ •Message Serialization •Compression •Encryption │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Transport Layer (TCP/SSL) │ │ • Reliable Delivery • Flow Control • Congestion │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Session Management Layer │ │ •Connection Pooling •Authentication •Rate Limit │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Technology Stack

Core Technologies

C++17/20: High-performance server core
Python 3.8+: Game logic scripting and extensibility
ASIO: Cross-platform asynchronous I/O
OpenSSL: Secure communication layer
GLM: Mathematics library for 3D operations
nlohmann/json: JSON serialization/deserialization

Database

PostgreSQL with Citus: Distributed database backend
Connection Pooling: Efficient database resource management
Sharding Support: Horizontal scaling of game data

Build System

CMake 3.16+: Cross-platform build configuration
vcpkg: C++ dependency management
Cross-platform: Linux and macOS support

Quick Start

Prerequisites

C++20 compatible compiler (GCC 10+, Clang 12+, MSVC 2019+)
Python 3.8 or higher
PostgreSQL 12+ (with Citus extension for distributed setup)
CMake 3.16+

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/usermicrodevices/gameserver.git
cd gameserver

# Install dependencies (Linux)
chmod +x install_dependencies_linux.sh
./install_dependencies_linux.sh

# Build the server
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make -j$(nproc)

# Configure the server
cp ../config/server_config.example.json config/server_config.json
# Edit server_config.json with your database and world settings

# Run the server
./gameserver

Configuration

Create config/server_config.json:

{
  "server": {
    "host": "0.0.0.0",
    "port": 8080,
    "process_count": 4,
    "io_threads": 2,
    "reuse_port": true
  },
  "database": {
    "backend": "postgresql",
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 5432,
    "name": "gameserver",
    "user": "gameserver",
    "password": "secure_password",
    "worker_nodes": ["node1:5432", "node2:5432"]
  },
  "world": {
    "seed": 12345,
    "view_distance": 8,
    "chunk_size": 32,
    "max_active_chunks": 1000,
    "terrain_scale": 1.0,
    "max_terrain_height": 256.0,
    "water_level": 64.0,
    "preload_world": true,
    "world_preload_radius": 500.0
  },
  "logging": {
    "level": "info",
    "file": "logs/gameserver.log",
    "max_size": 104857600,
    "max_files": 10,
    "compress": true
  }
}

Network Protocol

Dual Protocol Architecture

The GameServer supports two communication protocols running in parallel: Client ↔ Server Communication ├── JSON Protocol (Development) │ ├── Human-readable format │ ├── Easy debugging and testing │ ├── Slower, higher bandwidth │ └── Used for configuration, │ chat, admin commands │ ├── Binary Protocol (Production) ├── High-performance binary format ├── Minimal bandwidth usage ├── Fast serialization/deserialization └── Used for real-time gameplay, entity updates, world data

Protocol Features

Compression & Encryption:

LZ4 Compression for large payloads (terrain, chunk data)
Selective Compression based on message type and size
TLS/SSL Encryption for secure connections
Flag-based Control per-message compression/encryption

Reliability & Ordering:

Sequence Numbers for message tracking
Acknowledgment System for critical messages
Priority Queues (High/Normal/Low priority)
Ordered Delivery for state-dependent messages

Network Adaptation:

Automatic Quality Detection (latency, packet loss, bandwidth)
Dynamic Compression based on connection quality
MTU Optimization for different network conditions
Update Rate Adjustment for smooth gameplay

Message Categories

System Messages (1-99):

Heartbeat, protocol negotiation, authentication, error handling

World Messages (100-199):

Chunk data, terrain height, biome information, world updates

Entity Messages (200-299):

Entity spawn/update/despawn, batch updates, state synchronization

**Player Messages (

Gameserver

Install / Use

README