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Josh Creek
3aa0f5b9c2
Queued matchmaking had never been considered anywhere in the planning docs - not as planned work, and not even on the explicitly-deferred list. It is a launch requirement, so record the design before code. Add docs/MATCHMAKING.md covering the model change (community-server -> per-match allocation), the decision to use Steam for identity and a project-owned backend for queue/rating/allocation, what the existing server already provides (--max-matches=1 is the allocation primitive, ServerConfig, the roster, MatchState), the casual/ranked ruleset split, and the open questions - rating algorithm, team-to-individual rating, and the server cost that allocated matches reintroduce. Ranked is hard-blocked on Phase 7 Steam auth tickets: slot reclaim is keyed by display name today, and a rating on a spoofable identity is worse than no rating. Add Phase 8 to multiplayer-next.md, and correct README/CLAUDE.md/ TECH_STACK.md, which asserted no backend exists or is planned - true before this was scoped, wrong now.
72 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
# Multiplayer — next work
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Short, current checklist for online multiplayer. Historical design decisions,
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implementation evidence, and completed work stay in
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[`multiplayer-todo.md`](multiplayer-todo.md).
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## Release blockers
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- [ ] **Phase 4 playtest:** a human playtest at roughly 100 ms RTT. Confirm
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that ship and ball interaction feel local and contact corrections feel like
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bumps rather than glitches.
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- [ ] **Phase 5 session:** complete a real 3v3 match with a mid-match
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disconnect and late joiner.
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- [ ] **Phase 6 external check:** run the exported Docker server and clients
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from separate machines over the internet, then play a full match. Keep this
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controlled-only until Steam identity is complete.
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## Phase 7 — Steam, identity, discovery
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- [ ] Obtain the pinned GodotSteam client/server builds and Steamworks SDK
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access described in [`STEAM.md`](STEAM.md).
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- [ ] Run `make verify-steam-templates` with the custom executables and fix
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any custom-template failures.
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- [ ] Validate a two-account Steam SDR host/join using the existing explicit
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`NetworkManager` Steam transport. ENet direct-IP must keep passing its smoke
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test.
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- [ ] Build the Steam server browser: internet, LAN, favourites, and history.
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- [ ] Add Steam auth tickets, verified Steam identity in the roster, and a
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persistent ban list. This fixes the slot-reclaim security issue below.
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## Phase 8 — casual and ranked matchmaking (1.0 launch blocker)
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Design and reasoning: [`docs/MATCHMAKING.md`](docs/MATCHMAKING.md). This is a
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different server model from the community-server one that exists today —
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players queue, a matchmaker groups them, and a server is allocated per match.
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Phase 7's Steam auth tickets are a hard prerequisite: a rating attached to a
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spoofable identity is worse than no rating.
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- [ ] Decide the rating algorithm (Glicko-2 recommended over Elo for a small
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launch population) and how a team result distributes across individuals.
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- [ ] Choose the backend language and hosting, and cost out allocated servers
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per match at expected population.
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- [ ] Stand up the backend: Steam auth ticket validation via the Steamworks
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Web API, queue, rating store, server allocator.
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- [ ] Add an assigned-roster server mode so only matched SteamIDs may claim a
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slot, replacing the first-come model.
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- [ ] Add server-authoritative match result reporting to the backend over a
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channel a client cannot forge.
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- [ ] Client queue UI: playlist select, estimated wait, accept/decline,
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connect-on-assignment, post-match rating delta.
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- [ ] Casual and ranked playlist rulesets (backfill, bots, abandon penalties,
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arena restriction — see the comparison table in the design doc).
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## Known issues to resolve before public hosting
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- [ ] Slot reclaim is currently keyed by display name, so someone can take a
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disconnected player's reserved slot. Do not expose public servers before
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verified Steam identity lands.
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- [ ] Investigate occasional input loss during a long server stall; the
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existing sequence resync recovers it, but transport delivery is variable.
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- [ ] Fix the remaining `_broadcast_snapshot` packet-send stderr race.
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## Decide after the latency playtest
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- [ ] Decide whether client-only, contact-cohort shadow physics is worthwhile
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for the remaining prediction weakness.
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## Explicitly deferred
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120 Hz simulation, latency-gap measurement, audio hooks, and split-screen are
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not part of the current multiplayer release path.
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