Understanding Photon Cloud
Photon is a real-time multiplayer game development framework that is fast, lean and flexible. Photon consists of a server and several client SDKs for major platforms.
Photon Cloud is a fully managed service of Photon Servers. Exit Games is running servers in several regions, ready to use anytime. No install and no hosting operations for you.
Global Low Latency
Exit Games is running several regional clusters of the Photon Cloud to offer low latency gaming around the globe. Make use of our servers in the USA, Europe and Asia to minimize lag for your players.
Almost any Platform: Web, Mobile, PC
Photon connects your community - no matter which platform they are using. All client SDKs can interact with each other, no matter if iOS, Android, Web or standalone. If needed, you can still group them.
Gaming Features
The Photon Cloud uses a room-based approach to gaming: A limited number of players get together and update each other with in-game data like positions, etc. All of that is client-driven.
The client APIs offer simple but powerful options for matchmaking and data exchange for real-time gameplay. Some core mechanics are explained below.
Connecting
Connecting your client to the Photon Cloud can literally be done in minutes. Register, fetch your AppId and connect.
Code example:
Creating Rooms
In Photon, all rooms are created by clients and existing until the last player left. Custom values can be attached to a room as properties. You could set the map, level or the round duration. Selected properties can be shown in the lobby and used for matchmaking.
Code example
Matchmaking
Photon uses names to identify rooms. Unless a room is full or closed, clients can join by name or ask Photon to find a perfect match:
- Listing: The lobby lists visible rooms to let players pick and join manually.
- Private: Hide rooms and players can only join if they know the room name.
- Random: Matches players randomly. Optionally fills rooms or distributes players evenly.
- Parameterized: Customize random matching by defining expected properties.
Code example:
Operations used are Connect, Disconnect, CreateRoom, JoinRandom, JoinRoom, Leave
Sending Events
Whatever happens on one client can be sent as event to update everyone in the room. Update stats, positions or your current turn. Photon will send it as fast as possible via (optionally) reliable UDP, TCP or Websockets.
- Send messages/events: Send any type of data to other players.
- Player/Room properties: Photon can update these and syncs then even to players who join no matter when they've been set.
Operations used are RaiseEvent, SetProperties, GetProperties
What About Custom or Authorative Server Logic?
Currently, the Photon Cloud does not allow any custom server logic. If you need this or authorative server control you should check out our Photon Server product. Nearly all the client code you write for the Photon Cloud can be used with Photon Server too!
Even without authorative server logic Photon allows for a broad range of game types:
- First Person Shooters
- Racing Games
- Minecraft type of games
- Casual real-time games
Read on in our Getting Started section to get a better grasp of Photon's features and usage.