One of the most fundamental but most difficult tasks in live service games is seamlessly grouping together players and putting them into well-performing matches on the right hardware at the right time to guarantee the best player performance and experience.
RallyHere, a leading gaming Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, offers GameFlow—an innovative suite of tools designed to optimize multiplayer gaming through advanced session management, matchmaking, and server orchestration. Built to work effortlessly across major gaming platforms, GameFlow empowers developers to focus on crafting engaging gameplay rather than managing complex backend infrastructure.
GameFlow Components
GameFlow consists of three key components that work together to seamlessly group players together and then, as needed, place players into well-crafted matches on the optimal hardware to provide the best player performance while also optimizing for the cost of operation. These components are:
- Session Management
- Match-Making and Queue Management
- Fleet Commander (Instance-Server Allocation and Orchestration)
Session Management
GameFlow’s session management system is designed to bring players together in versatile, cross-platform sessions. It supports a wide range of session types, from parties and custom matches to social spaces, enabling developers to create tailored experiences that enhance player engagement.
- Match-making available but not required: RallyHere’s Session management system does not require match-making to get players into a match. The session management system directly hooks into orchestration APIs and can request an instance or can join a session that is not full. This can be useful for certain use cases such as custom matches, server browsers, open worlds, tutorials and many other scenarios.
- Cross-Platform Party Support: GameFlow allows players to form parties and join sessions across different platforms, breaking down barriers between gaming communities. It also ensures compliance with platform-specific rules from major providers like Xbox and PlayStation, simplifying the certification process for cross-play.
- Versatile Hosting Options: GameFlow supports multiple hosting configurations, including local, peer-to-peer, and dedicated servers. Additionally, it supports player-hosted servers, which can be discovered through our session browser, providing flexibility and choice for both developers and players.
- Session Browser Support: RallyHere supports session browsers where players can search for a session and join them. These sessions can also be hidden from players and used for things like social spaces where match making is not required but a player can load into the first available session of that type.
- Comprehensive Audit Capabilities: Developers can access detailed audits of session flows, enabling faster issue resolution and improved game stability. This feature is crucial for debugging and ensuring smooth player experiences by providing insights into how sessions are created, maintained, and closed.
- Unlimited Session Capability: With no limits on the number of sessions, developers can implement seamless world transitions, enhancing the fluidity and scale of multiplayer experiences.
- Enhanced Player Engagement: By enabling diverse and customized session experiences, GameFlow helps maintain player interest and encourages long-term participation.
- Streamlined Development: The system’s robust session management capabilities allow developers to focus on creating content rather than managing the logistics of multiplayer sessions.
Matchmaking and Queue Management
Matchmaking is at the heart of any multiplayer game, and GameFlow offers a highly configurable system that leverages over 15 years of expertise in cross-platform multiplayer gaming.
- On-the-Fly Configuration: GameFlow’s matchmaking system is designed for flexibility. Developers can create new match-making queues and modify over 50 matchmaking parameters per queue without deploying new game builds. This feature allows for real-time adaptation to player feedback and the introduction of limited-time events, such as themed game modes. For example, during a Halloween event, developers can quickly set up special matchmaking rules to enhance the festive atmosphere.
- Advanced Features: Skill and Playstyle-Based Matching: GameFlow considers various factors beyond traditional metrics like Matchmaking Rating (MMR). It can match players based on skill, playstyle, and other customized criteria, ensuring that each match is competitive and enjoyable. Dynamic Backfilling: This feature ensures uninterrupted gameplay by filling vacant slots during ongoing matches. By dynamically adjusting team compositions as players join and leave, GameFlow maintains a seamless experience without forcing players to wait for full lobbies. Real-Time Monitoring: The Match API provides real-time data feeds and post-match statistics, enabling developers to monitor performance and make data-driven adjustments to improve player experience.Customizable Match-Making Functions: Every game is different, and every team has its own special needs for match-making. The system enables your team to create its own match-making functions easily, or you can choose from an ever-growing library of built-in match-making functions to ensure your game meets your needs. Site Combining: To combat a region's low player population, site combining rules can be configured to place players in the next best configured region. This configuration can also be done on a queue-by-queue basis. Cross-Play Rules: Control how players get match-made based on rules such as match-making by input type.
- Improved Player Experience: By considering a wide range of factors in matchmaking, GameFlow enhances the quality of matches and keeps players engaged.
- Developer Flexibility: The ability to adjust matchmaking parameters on the fly allows developers to quickly respond to community feedback and optimize gameplay.
Fleet Commander (Instance-Server Allocation & Orchestration)
Fleet Commander is GameFlow’s powerful server orchestration component that optimizes server deployment by balancing cloud and bare-metal resources.
- Hidden Sophistication: To the game developer, using Fleet Commander is as easy as making a single request for an instance with the region and match profile information. The system’s powerful allocation API then uses its configured parameters to handle the rest. RallyHere’s highly experienced team helps you optimize your parameters to meet your game’s needs and performance requirements to reach the best cost-to-performance ratio possible.
- Hybrid Scaling: Fleet Commander supports diverse server requirements by seamlessly transitioning between cloud and bare-metal hosting options. This flexibility ensures that games can scale efficiently, regardless of player demand or geographical distribution.
- Performance Insights: GameFlow collects detailed performance metrics for each player in every match, providing valuable insights into infrastructure health and player experiences. These metrics can be used to identify and resolve issues in real time and inform long-term optimizations.
Strategic Hosting Advantage:
- Cost Efficiency and Performance: By balancing server resources across multiple providers, Fleet Commander ensures optimal performance at the best possible cost. This approach mitigates risks associated with server overloads and reduces operational expenses.
- Integrated Game Operations: RallyHere acts as an extension of the game studio’s team, constantly working with developers to optimize the game’s performance and ensure cost-efficient, high-quality player experiences.
Integration with RallyHere’s Backend Suite
GameFlow integrates seamlessly with RallyHere’s comprehensive BaaS offering, which manages various aspects of a cross-platform multiplayer game:
- Player Progression and Rewards: RallyHere provides robust systems for tracking player progress and rewarding achievements, keeping players motivated and engaged.
- Player State and Inventory Management: The platform maintains accurate player state and inventory across platforms, supporting complex live-service economies and monetization strategies.
- Data Collection and Analysis: With extensive data collection capabilities, RallyHere enables developers to perform deep analysis and optimize gameplay based on detailed match results and player interactions.
Together, these features allow game studios to focus on delivering engaging player experiences without the burden of managing backend infrastructure.
Why Game Studios Choose RallyHere
RallyHere’s solutions are built from the ground up to support all major gaming platforms, offering proven capabilities for cross-platform play, progression, and commerce. Our deep integration with Unreal Engine 5 further streamlines development, while our dedicated support team provides 24x7 assistance, acting as an extension of your studio’s operations.
GameFlow sets RallyHere apart from competitors by offering unparalleled session management, matchmaking, and server orchestration capabilities, packaged in a way that allows the game developer to focus on making their game as great as possible, without worrying about all the sophisticated underlying infrastructure behind it. These capabilities have been hardened over 15+ years of operating live-service games across many of the most popular gaming genres, and RallyHere’s world-class highly-experienced game operations team is there to help make sure your game runs smoothly. Together, they make RallyHere the ideal choice for developers looking to create seamless multiplayer experiences.
Conclusion
GameFlow from RallyHere is the market-leading solution for developers seeking to deliver optimized, cross-platform multiplayer experiences. Its robust features and seamless integration with RallyHere’s backend suite make it an indispensable tool for modern game development.
Ready to elevate your game development process? Contact us for a demo or consultation to see how GameFlow can enhance your game’s performance and player engagement.
