Revolutionizing Multiplayer Experiences with Photon in Unity.

As more and more people want to play online games with others, game creators are always on the lookout for better ways to make networked games. Right now, one of the best and most scalable options out there is Photon, a top-notch service for real-time multiplayer networking. In this article, we'll take a look at how you can use Photon with Unity to turn your multiplayer game ideas into reality.

What is Photon?

Photon is a cloud-based service for multiplayer games, making it easier to develop real-time games with dependable backend support. It provides all the matchmaking and network communications features you need to develop connected games, sharing real-time data asynchronously between clients easily and efficiently. Developers like using Photon for developing multiplayer mobile, desktop, as well as VR/AR games. It is one of the best choices to build multiplayer experiences that can scale with your user base.

Why Use Photon for Multiplayer Games?

1. Simple Setup: Photon's tools work well with Unity, so getting started is fast and easy.
2. Big or Small: Photon's cloud system can manage lots of players, so it's perfect for both small games and big online games.
3. Works Everywhere: Photon works on many platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, and web games. This makes it really suitable for making games which are playable on different devices.
4. Smooth Play: The photon keeps everything synchronized such that moving, shooting, and even interacting are carried on smoothly on all devices in relation to each other.

Key Features of Photon in Unity

1. Matchmaking and Room Creation: Photon takes care of game rooms. Players can join random or specific rooms. You can set the maximum number of players per room.

1. Real-time Synchronization: Photon helps to synchronize objects and actions in different devices so that each player sees the same game state at any time during a game.
2. Cross-Platform Play: With Photon, players can interact with each other regardless of their platform, whether it's PC, mobile, or even virtual reality devices.
3. A lobby and chat system is present in Photon which enables a user to have interaction even before they go into the game room.
4. Being Able to Choose Between Different Backends: Use the Photon backend of your preference. Store user profiles, design your own matching logic, or even create various stages of the game's state machine

Example Code: How Photon Works in Unity

We shall start with a simple example, so you realize how fast it is to build a game using Photon in Unity. It demonstrates how to connect players and make their movements match on different devices.

using Photon.Pun;

using UnityEngine;

public class PhotonManager: MonoBehaviourPunCallbacks

{

    void Start()

    {

        PhotonNetwork.ConnectUsingSettings(); // Connect to Photon cloud

    }

    public override void OnConnectedToMaster()

    {

        Debug.Log("Connected to Photon!");

        PhotonNetwork.JoinRandomRoom(); // Tries to join a random room

    }

    public override void OnJoinRandomFailed(short returnCode, string message)

    {

        Debug.Log("No room available, creating a new room...");

        PhotonNetwork.CreateRoom(null, new Photon.Realtime.RoomOptions { MaxPlayers = 4 });

    }

    public override void OnJoinedRoom()

    {

        Debug.Log("Joined a room!");

        PhotonNetwork.Instantiate("PlayerPrefab", Vector3.zero, Quaternion.identity);

    }

}

PlayerMovement.cs

using Photon.Pun;

using UnityEngine;

public class PlayerMovement: MonoBehaviourPun, IPunObservable

{

    public float move speed = 5f;

    private Vector3 networkedPosition;

    private Quaternion networkedRotation;

    void Update()

    {

        if (photonView.IsMine)

        {

            float horizontal = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");

            float vertical = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");

            Vector3 movement = new Vector3(horizontal, 0, vertical) * moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime;

            transform.Translate(movement, Space.World);

        }

        else

        {

            transform.position = Vector3.Lerp(transform.position, networkedPosition, Time.deltaTime * 5f);

            transform.rotation = Quaternion.Slerp(transform.rotation, networkedRotation, Time.deltaTime * 5f);

        }

    }

    public void OnPhotonSerializeView(PhotonStream stream, PhotonMessageInfo info)

    {

        if (stream.IsWriting)

        {

            stream.SendNext(transform.position);

            stream.SendNext(transform.rotation);

        }

        else

        {

            networkedPosition = (Vector3)stream.ReceiveNext();

            networkedRotation = (Quaternion)stream.ReceiveNext();

        }

    }

}

Getting Started with Photon in Unity

1. Starting with Photon in Unity
2. Photon Setup: First, make an account on the Photon Engine website. After signing up, you'll receive an App ID, which you'll need to add to your Unity project.
3. Add Photon SDK: Get the Photon PUN 2 package from the Unity Asset Store and add it to your Unity project.
4. Photon Server Settings: Open Unity then go to Window > Photon Unity Networking > Photon Server Settings and input your App ID there.
5. Making Game Logic: Once Photon is ready, you can begin creating your multiplayer game. The example code can guide you on joining rooms, syncing players, and controlling movement.

Conclusion

Using Photon in your Unity project makes it simple to create multiplayer games, so you can concentrate on the fun parts like gameplay and user experience. Photon's strong cloud system and real-time updates help you make multiplayer games that run smoothly on different platforms.