unigame-server

README

unigame-server

This repo contains the source for a game playing backend that can serve a wide variety of possible games. The server is set up to be deployed on DigitalOcean App Platform but could be run in other ways.

The server supports

• simple authorization checks using auth0. In order to connect, a JWT containing a valid auth0 access token must be presented. To obtain this token, users must go through an auth0 login.
• communication via websocket once the authorization check has passed
• an indefinite number of ongoing games, each game being identified by a game token. Players must agree on the game token by means outside the server (the server has no "social" functions). The game token is separate from the authorization mechanism (anyone who passes the general authentication and knows the game token can join the game)
• maintenance of a "number of players" per game; the game starts once that many players have joined
• maintenance of a list of players for each game
• multicasting a simple text chat amongst the players, which commences even before the game is started
• multicasting of "game states" amongst the players. The game states are not interpreted by the server, allowing almost any multiplayer game to be supported.
• a keepalive mechanism to detect lost players
• until all players have joined, a garbage collection mechanism that will delete incomplete games

Games capable of being played by unigame-server are supported by a Swift (iOS and Mac) app framework called unigame. This toolkit is essentially a skeletal game which has support for initiating games, chat, detecting when games are complete, and providing for an orderly succession of turns. The main game-playing view is stubbed out, to be completed for individual games.

The server is operational and currently being used by a beta app called anyCards. The unigame (client) project is work in progress. Eventually, anyCards will be redone to use unigame.