AWS Spatial Computing Blog
Partner Spotlight: Multiplayer Spatial Connection Engine for Non-Games Using a Scalable P2P Service with Topia
Topia’s Virtual Office, Powered by Topia’s Spatial Connection Engine
Introduction
This blog post explores the possibilities for spatial computing using peer-to-peer (P2P) webRTC and hybrid server-based approaches to state management. Thereby facilitating the transformation of any application into a game-like multiplayer social experience.
Multiplayer game servers and their limitations
Multiplayer game backends, such as HAQM GameLift, utilize server-authoritative state management, ideal for hardcore player-versus-player (PVP) games. Every user device synchronizes to a common game state maintained by the server. It’s responsible for handling every action, calculating object positions, and sending updates to each connected user every 16 milliseconds to achieve 60 frames per second (FPS). This is crucial for games like Fortnite or Call of Duty to prevent disputes when users’ devices disagree about what happened during a game; however, it’s expensive, challenging to manage (DevOps), and faces scalability issues, which limits multiplayer games to 20-100 concurrent players per session.
To confront these challenges, developers of multiplayer experiences may turn to client-authoritative setups, where users’ devices manage the game state independently. However, this approach has some drawbacks: client-authoritative state management is more challenging to secure, more complex to develop, and lacks off-the-shelf solutions since there is no server for solution providers to monetize.
Game Technology for Non-Gaming Use Cases
Multiplayer experiences extend beyond gaming, enabling people to connect, communicate, and collaborate within context-rich virtual environments in sectors like education, finance, travel/hospitality, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing. These industries require the security of server-authoritative state management combined with the simplicity and cost-efficiency of client-authoritative state management. They also might require additional capabilities critical for non-gaming use cases, such as:
- Easy deployment and maintenance without multiplayer game server DevOps
- Audio/video connections essential for real-time communication and collaboration
- Safe, secure, and private communication
- Seamless integration into existing workflows
- Matchmaking systems enabling stakeholders to find and connect with each other
As non-gaming industries embrace multiplayer technology, balancing secure, real-time interactivity with scalability becomes essential.
Topia’s Next-Generation Virtual Expo Hall Experience
WebRTC technology for real-time communication and interactive experiences
Topia’s Multiplayer Spatial Connection Engine addresses this need through out-of-the-box multiplayer capabilities for non-games. It features a hybrid mix of scalable client-authoritative and secure server-authoritative state management, spatial matchmaking, and P2P data transfer channels for encrypted audio, video, or other information across serverless peer connections. This state management mix enables low-cost, highly scalable, secure multiplayer experiences outside of hardcore gaming. Actions are added to a server-based table, but each client calculates object positions independently without receiving updates.
Topia’s patented Connection Manager establishes P2P encrypted WebRTC (P2P) data connections between client devices in a dynamic mesh. In Topia’s spatial construct, P2P data connections are based on avatars’ proximity within the game canvas, allowing audio and video streaming, as well as data exchange such as chat messages, game states, or secure documents directly between devices. Participants can establish multiple simultaneous connections, creating a mesh of encrypted tunnels that simulate group interactions. Without a central server controlling information flow, these connections are effectively free and infinitely scalable, supporting thousands of concurrent users without separating them into regions. Topia adds a dynamic, fluid P2P connectivity layer to any interactive or gamified experience.
Hybrid Modes for Maximum Flexibility, Powered by AWS
Topia isn’t limited to P2P connections. It relies on a patented mix of WebRTC and server-based Selective Forwarding Unity (SFU) spatial communication and streaming channels, seamlessly switching between modes depending on the use case. For example, a user broadcasting or screen sharing to all participants might do so via an SFU channel using HAQM IVS, while that user is simultaneously receiving streams from the users in their proximity via P2P channels. Topia also uses HAQM Elasticache and HAQM ECS’ auto-scaling capabilities to efficiently scale for participant growth at times of high traffic.
Interoperable Social Experiences
Topia is compatible with any game engine that supports WebRTC. For instance, people within a Unity frontend experience can connect to participants in non-Unity experiences using Unity’s native WebRTC protocol. Immersive single-player experiences, such as those built in AWS SimSpace Weaver, can be integrated with a multiplayer social layer. Cross-platform and cross-game engine multiplayer social experiences are easy to enable.
Topia’s Virtual Campus, Built for Connection
Topia’s Spatial Matchmaking and Game Engine
Topia’s game engine combines the benefits of both server and client authoritative state management to provide low latency interaction, server-determined state, and scalability to thousands of concurrent users within the same session.
Topia’s Connection Manager automatically connects participants whose avatars are in proximity, a spatial construct that acts as a built-in matchmaking system. When participants connect, they can pass game state between each other using P2P channels. In game engine mode, a host is chosen from the participants and the game state is shared across the P2P channels, effectively providing client-hosted but server-authoritative state management that is scalable at low cost.
As a result, a single Topia world can host an unlimited number of parallel multiplayer gaming sessions at no additional cost, while retaining the benefits of a server-authoritative system.
Additional Features and Benefits
- Topia’s spatial construct mirrors real-world interactions, allowing seamless movement in and out of face-to-face conversations.
- Topia’s multiplayer social connection engine can define custom constructs for peer-to-peer connections beyond Topia’s default proximity-based connections.
- Topia’s encrypted P2P channels and dedicated deployments support security and data sovereignty, crucial as more sensitive interfaces like neural interfaces gain traction.
Getting Started with Topia
Topia is available in the AWS marketplace as a preferred partner. In partnership with AWS, Topia offers a turnkey dedicated deployment option, allowing customers to use Topia’s entire application stack and WebRTC connection manager in a single-tenancy dedicated account. Topia currently supports over 2 million minutes of user connections each week across its dedicated deployments.