Template:Custom network layer

Ashes of Creation performance with 5,000 simulated players (pre-alpha).

Ashes of Creation features a custom network back-end with proprietary Unreal Engine networking code to enable mass combat in the open world: such as PvP, Node sieges, Castle sieges, Dungeons and World bosses.

Player density is a very important aspect of our custom network layer. Zach and his team have been doing an incredible job of creating a unique network layer that we utilize in Ashes of Creation to facilitate, not just the player density goals, but also the open-world and seamless travel across that world. There's a number of different strategies that we employ when architecting the network layer. Some of those things have to do with the significance of replicated data that the player is receiving as the density gets higher. We mitigate calls and reduce the significance distance- the net relevancy distance. We keep things specifically that need to be known for the player directionality, which direction they're facing. Those are the most pertinent data that we transfer- that we transmit to the player character. So there's a lot of different strategies. It's a relatively complex system but our goal is to satisfy hundreds of players available within a given area; and certain events, especially castle sieges, caravans are one of those types of events, and our architecture facilitates that. – Steven Sharif

• The networking solution dynamically distributes processes and scales up necessary server instances to accommodate player density across the world.

• The upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 was primarily a change to the front-end side of the game. The custom back-end networking code remains largely unaffected.

Livestream, December 17, 2019 (51:20).

Livestream, October 31, 2023 (1:37:17).

Livestream, May 3, 2017 (26:50).

Livestream, December 23, 2021 (47:51).