Game Backend Development

Up your game developer skills by learning game backend development with Microsoft Azure and PlayFab.

Robust backend infrastructure support is essential for all modern games. Implementing game backend features became easier with the emergence of GBaaS (Game Backend-as-a-Service) providers and the advance of the cloud. Multiplayer gaming, leaderboards, game analytics, and virtual economies are all backed by cloud services.

As a game developer, understanding core game backend features and implementation techniques is an important addition to your game developer skill set. Understanding game backend development will not only give you a competitive advantage, it will also eventually allow you to create better games.

This book will help you get started. It teaches all the core concepts, using downloadable source code, so that you can experiment right away following a learning-by-doing approach.

After reading this book, you will have a solid grasp of key game backend services and know how to implement them.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

* Understand core concepts around game backend development
* Use the PlayFab API to implement backend features
* Build game backend infrastructure using Microsoft Azure cloud (architecture and implementation)
* Contrast the traditional Azure cloud- and PlayFab (GBaaS)-based implementations of game backend capabilities
* Reuse source code to enable backend capability in your own games
* Discover different ways for authenticating players
* Implement a multiplayer game in Unity with the help of mirror networking
* Create a matchmaker to bring together players for an online game session
* Establish leaderboards to reinforce player competition
* Build a virtual economy and monetize your game
* Set up game analytics and gain insight into players’ behavior
* Let players communicate with each other by taking advantage of cognitive services
* Learn how to implement server-side custom game backend logic

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

Game developers who may be skilled in game development, but who possess little to no skills in GBaaS and cloud computing. This book is also for professionals working in the cloud solutions space who want to learn about the specific challenges of the gaming domain.

BALINT BORS is a cloud solutions architect based in Munich, Germany. He has over 15 years of experience developing software and building IT infrastructures for many companies and industries. Balint also consults with and advises technical teams on applying cloud technologies. He is a Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert.

1. Introducing and Contrasting Backend Development

Goal: In this chapter introduce the background of this book, how I came to the idea to write it, what is the goal, who is this book for, and the technology stack I am going to discuss. Also, give a bit of insight into the gaming ecosystem, which other providers and technologies are there, how those compare to the actually described ones. I want to discuss the key components and features that address the fundamental pain points and requirements of our target audience.

1.1. Initial Thoughts

1.2. Game Backend and Frontend

1.3. Game Engines

1.4. Unity

1.5. BaaS (Backend-as-a-Service) vs. Public Cloud

1.6. Popular BaaS providers, comparison

1.7. Top5 Cloud providers, comparison

1.8. Indie vs. AAA games and their requirements

2. Concepts of Backend Development

Goal: In this chapter, I am going to describe the general concepts related to game backend development. The description is independent of the technology used and helps the reader understand what are the features we can have if we extend our game frontend with backend capabilities.

2.1. Overview

2.2. Leaderboard

2.3. Matchmaking

2.4. Player Authentication

2.5. Chat

2.6. Analytics

2.7. Server Hosting

2.8. Selling Items

2.9. Artificial Intelligence

3. Setting up a Simple Local Multiplayer Game.

Goal: This part will cover the prerequisites for the next chapters. I will show how to use Unity Assets, Mirror Networking library, and other tools and techniques to implement a simple local multiplayer game. The reader can also download the source code from GitHub directly. We will build upon this game in the next chapters, where we implement the features from the previous chapter.

3.1. Prerequisites

3.2. Sample Game

3.3. Multiple Unity Instances

3.4. Mirror Networking

3.5. Local Multiplayer Game

3.6. Advanced Networking

4. Up and Running on PlayFab

Goal: This is one of the core chapters. Here I describe how to implement backend features to games. This also includes source code, so the reader can use them in their game right away. It also includes explanations, best practices, tips and tricks and pitfalls developers should know. It is all very specific and practical. I use the PlayFab BaaS (Backend-as-a-Service) and API to implement these features.

4.1. Overview

4.2. Setting up PlayFab

4.3. Leaderboard

4.4. Matchmaking

4.5. Player Authentication

4.6. Chat

4.7. Analytics

4.8. Server Hosting

4.9. Selling Items

4.10. Artificial Intelligence

5. Build Your Own Custom Game Backend in Azure

Goal: This is another way to reach the same goals as in the earlier chapter, but now by using Azure. (Hint: game developers can implement backend features by turning to a BaaS provider like PlayFab. Then they don’t need to build cloud infrastructure components like virtual machines or databases by themselves). In this chapter the developer choose the hard way, and build his own Microsoft Azure cloud based game backend. The same features as above are built here, again with source code and explanations.

5.1. Overview

5.2. Setting up Microsoft Azure

5.3. Leaderboard

5.4. Matchmaking

5.5. Player Authentication

5.6. Chat

5.7. Analytics

5.8. Server Hosting

5.9. Selling Items

5.10. Artificial Intelligence

6. Next Steps in Game Development Learning

Goal: I want to draw a conclusion on my experience building game backend with both a BaaS (PlayFab) and a cloud (Azure) service provider. I want to help game developers make the right decision based on their situation. Some of the key aspects are budget, skills, time, team size, target market and region. I consider adding here a section with further readings providing references to sources I found useful.

6.1. Final Thoughts

6.2. References