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Client Networking (network-client)

This document describes how the network-client package connects to a network-server instance and the concrete APIs used from client-side code.

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Overview

A client connects to a single server instance. The package uses one TCP/WebSocket control channel and can also negotiate a single WebRTC data channel for unreliable traffic. Client responsibilities in a game are typically:
  • Initiate a TCP connection and send control commands such as join, play, and input.
  • Optionally negotiate a WebRTC data channel for receiving server snapshots or sending low-latency updates.

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Example

It works the same with UDP: 
// Wait for connection to be established
async function waitForConnection() {
  if (network.tcp?.isConnected()) return;

  return new Promise((resolve) => {
    const check = () => {
      if (network.tcp.isConnected()) {
        resolve();
      } else {
        setTimeout(check, 50);
      }
    };

    check();
  });
}

await waitForConnection();

// Send a JSON-encoded packet
network.tcp.sendData(new TextEncoder().encode(JSON.stringify({ hello: "world" })));

// Receive raw server packets
const latestPackets = getReceivedPackets();

// Decode packets if encoded as JSON
const decodedPackets = latestPackets.map((packet) => {
  return JSON.parse(new TextDecoder().decode(packet));
});

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Notes