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New Client and Protocol

BAR is working towards a Steam release to provide a modern and stable player experience. One of the requirements for the release is a new client that will replace Chobby and a new protocol, Tachyon, which will work together to enable multiple improvements.

Overview

Important

This overview assumes some familiarity with the current infrastructure setup as described on the Runtime Infrastructure page.

PlayerPlayer's PCGame ServerAll game servers are provisioned and maintained via Ansible playbook. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/ansible-spads-setupTeiserverThe main "Server" of the game. https://server4.beyondallreason.info/ It faciliates: - Communication between players and hosts - Accounts management - Rating - Moderation Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/teiserver/BAR Live ServicesBAR Live Services https://bar-rts.com/ hosts replay, list of active matches etc - Frontend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-live-services - Backend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-dbLegendSpring LauncherResponsible for downloading and updating engine and all of the assets before launching the game. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/spring-launcherNew ClientNew Client build on Electron framework. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-lobbyRecoil Engine (dedicated)A special version of Recoil Engine that doesn't run any simulation, but synchronizes and forwards all game commands between players. All the communication between Game and SPADS/teiserver happens via Autohost interface.SPADSManages individual lobby rooms Repo: https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADSGame AssetsRecoil AutohostSpins ups new engine instances and translates communication between engine and teiserver. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/recoil-autohostRecoil Enginepr-downloaderCLI application that downloads updates in efficient format understood by the engine. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/pr-downloaderGame AssetsEngine, Maps, Game filesNew ComponentsComponents that are added as part of the workDeprecated ComponentsComponents that are being deprecated and will be removed after this project is finishedChobbyThe lobby player sees when opening the game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/BYAR-ChobbyBAR GameThe actual core Beyond All Reason game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason startsstartsstarts Autohost ProtocolreadsreadsstartsAutohost ProtocolstartsstartsCLI invokestartsCLI invokewritesreadsbridge protocolSpringLobby protocolSpringLobby protocolEngine ProtocolSpringLobby protocoluploads replaysTachyon protocolTachyon protocol??? (to be designed)uploads replaysAll game servers are provisioned and maintained via Ansible playbook. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/ansible-spads-setup The main "Server" of the game. https://server4.beyondallreason.info/ It faciliates: - Communication between players and hosts - Accounts management - Rating - Moderation Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/teiserver/ BAR Live Services https://bar-rts.com/ hosts replay, list of active matches etc - Frontend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-live-services - Backend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-db Responsible for downloading and updating engine and all of the assets before launching the game. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/spring-launcher New Client build on Electron framework. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-lobby A special version of Recoil Engine that doesn't run any simulation, but synchronizes and forwards all game commands between players. All the communication between Game and SPADS/teiserver happens via Autohost interface. Manages individual lobby rooms Repo: https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS Spins ups new engine instances and translates communication between engine and teiserver. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/recoil-autohost CLI application that downloads updates in efficient format understood by the engine. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/pr-downloader Engine, Maps, Game files Components that are added as part of the work Components that are being deprecated and will be removed after this project is finished The lobby player sees when opening the game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/BYAR-Chobby The actual core Beyond All Reason game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason
PlayerPlayer's PCGame ServerAll game servers are provisioned and maintained via Ansible playbook. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/ansible-spads-setupTeiserverThe main "Server" of the game. https://server4.beyondallreason.info/ It faciliates: - Communication between players and hosts - Accounts management - Rating - Moderation Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/teiserver/BAR Live ServicesBAR Live Services https://bar-rts.com/ hosts replay, list of active matches etc - Frontend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-live-services - Backend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-dbLegendSpring LauncherResponsible for downloading and updating engine and all of the assets before launching the game. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/spring-launcherNew ClientNew Client build on Electron framework. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-lobbyRecoil Engine (dedicated)A special version of Recoil Engine that doesn't run any simulation, but synchronizes and forwards all game commands between players. All the communication between Game and SPADS/teiserver happens via Autohost interface.SPADSManages individual lobby rooms Repo: https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADSGame AssetsRecoil AutohostSpins ups new engine instances and translates communication between engine and teiserver. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/recoil-autohostRecoil Enginepr-downloaderCLI application that downloads updates in efficient format understood by the engine. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/pr-downloaderGame AssetsEngine, Maps, Game filesNew ComponentsComponents that are added as part of the workDeprecated ComponentsComponents that are being deprecated and will be removed after this project is finishedChobbyThe lobby player sees when opening the game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/BYAR-ChobbyBAR GameThe actual core Beyond All Reason game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason startsstartsstarts Autohost ProtocolreadsreadsstartsAutohost ProtocolstartsstartsCLI invokestartsCLI invokewritesreadsbridge protocolSpringLobby protocolSpringLobby protocolEngine ProtocolSpringLobby protocoluploads replaysTachyon protocolTachyon protocol??? (to be designed)uploads replaysAll game servers are provisioned and maintained via Ansible playbook. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/ansible-spads-setup The main "Server" of the game. https://server4.beyondallreason.info/ It faciliates: - Communication between players and hosts - Accounts management - Rating - Moderation Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/teiserver/ BAR Live Services https://bar-rts.com/ hosts replay, list of active matches etc - Frontend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-live-services - Backend: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-db Responsible for downloading and updating engine and all of the assets before launching the game. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/spring-launcher New Client build on Electron framework. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-lobby A special version of Recoil Engine that doesn't run any simulation, but synchronizes and forwards all game commands between players. All the communication between Game and SPADS/teiserver happens via Autohost interface. Manages individual lobby rooms Repo: https://github.com/Yaribz/SPADS Spins ups new engine instances and translates communication between engine and teiserver. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/recoil-autohost CLI application that downloads updates in efficient format understood by the engine. Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/pr-downloader Engine, Maps, Game files Components that are added as part of the work Components that are being deprecated and will be removed after this project is finished The lobby player sees when opening the game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/BYAR-Chobby The actual core Beyond All Reason game Repo: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason

We can start with the protocol. All communication that currently uses the SpringLobby Protocol will switch to the new Tachyon Protocol. The SpringLobby Protocol was very successful in the past in the Spring RTS ecosystem, but it imposes many limitations on things that we would like to achieve in the future.

On the client side, we are deprecating the in-engine lobby, Chobby, and spring-launcher with a single Electron-based application: New Client, also known as BAR Lobby. Because the New Client is based on web technologies, it should be much easier to develop, and more people are familiar with this technology (similar argument for the work of adapting RmlUi for in-game UI). Moreover, being a more native application, the New Client has access to full Operating System APIs, network APIs, and so on, which allows us to deprecate the launcher.

We are also deprecating the SpringLobby Protocol usage for game servers. In the Tachyon Protocol, the game server component has different responsibilities than in SpringLobby: the battle room management is no longer shared between Teiserver and SPADS, which leads to bugs, but will be fully owned by Teiserver. That means that we won't be able to use SPADS, but we opted to develop a new Recoil Autohost component.

Development

There is ongoing parallel work on all four components of the project: protocol, new client, Teiserver, and Recoil Autohost. The protocol is a central piece that requires the most coordination between project participants. Most development conversations are happening on Discord in dedicated channels, primarily #tachyon-protocol and #new-client.

New Client

The roadmap with milestones is available at: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-lobby/wiki/Roadmap. This roadmap dictates the priorities for the development of all the other components.

Technologies: TypeScript, Electron, Vue
Repository: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/bar-lobby

Teiserver

Most of the work involves implementing the Tachyon protocol endpoints. Relevant GitHub issues are tagged with the tachyon tag.

Technologies: Elixir
Repository: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/teiserver

Protocol

The protocol changes are driven primarily by the work in other components: if the new client needs some feature and there isn't an endpoint that provides that information, somebody volunteers to design it, and then it goes through a review process to agree on the schema, for example: Party specification Pull Request.

Technologies: JSON Schema
Repository: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/tachyon

Recoil Autohost

Like the new client, this is an entirely new component that already has some very basic functionality implemented. However, there are still quite a few missing features that need to be addressed to make it production quality. Known missing work items are broken down into GitHub issues.

Technologies: TypeScript, Node.js
Repository: https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/recoil-autohost