Game Servers

Server Architecture Patterns

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    SERVER ARCHITECTURES                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  DEDICATED SERVER:                                           │
│  • Server runs game simulation                              │
│  • Clients send inputs, receive state                       │
│  • Best security and consistency                            │
│  • Higher infrastructure cost                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  LISTEN SERVER:                                              │
│  • One player hosts the game                                │
│  • Free infrastructure                                      │
│  • Host has advantage (no latency)                          │
│  • Session ends if host leaves                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  RELAY SERVER:                                               │
│  • Routes packets between peers                             │
│  • No game logic on server                                  │
│  • Good for P2P with NAT traversal                         │
│  • Less secure than dedicated                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Scalable Architecture

SCALABLE GAME BACKEND:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     GLOBAL LOAD BALANCER                     │
│                            ↓                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                      GATEWAY SERVERS                         │
│            Authentication, Routing, Rate Limiting           │
│                            ↓                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐        │
│  │ MATCHMAKING │  │   LOBBY     │  │   SOCIAL    │        │
│  │   SERVICE   │  │   SERVICE   │  │   SERVICE   │        │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘        │
│                            ↓                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              GAME SERVER ORCHESTRATOR                        │
│         (Spawns/despawns based on demand)                   │
│                            ↓                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │ GAME SERVERS (Regional, Auto-scaled)                 │   │
│  │ [US-East] [US-West] [EU-West] [Asia] [Oceania]      │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                            ↓                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    DATABASE CLUSTER                          │
│  [Player Profiles] [Leaderboards] [Match History] [Items]  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Matchmaking System

MATCHMAKING FLOW:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. QUEUE: Player enters matchmaking queue                  │
│     → Store: skill rating, region, preferences             │
│                                                              │
│  2. SEARCH: Find compatible players                         │
│     → Same region (or expand after timeout)                │
│     → Similar skill (±100 MMR, expand over time)           │
│     → Compatible party sizes                               │
│                                                              │
│  3. MATCH: Form teams when criteria met                     │
│     → Balance teams by total MMR                           │
│     → Check for premade groups                             │
│                                                              │
│  4. PROVISION: Request game server                          │
│     → Orchestrator spawns or assigns server                │
│     → Wait for server ready                                │
│                                                              │
│  5. CONNECT: Send connection info to all players            │
│     → IP:Port or relay token                               │
│     → Timeout if player doesn't connect                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Player Data Management

// ✅ Production-Ready: Player Session
public class PlayerSession
{
    public string PlayerId { get; }
    public string SessionToken { get; }
    public DateTime CreatedAt { get; }
    public DateTime LastActivity { get; private set; }

    private readonly IDatabase _db;
    private readonly ICache _cache;

    public async Task<PlayerProfile> GetProfile()
    {
        // Try cache

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