Ulrik’s Big Photon Fusion Guide: How Shared Knowledge Elevates Multiplayer Development
At Photon, we’ve always believed in the power of community. Every feature we build and every tool we refine is aimed at enabling developers to create extraordinary multiplayer experiences. But beyond providing solutions, our goal is to foster a collaborative ecosystem where developers inspire and assist one another.
A perfect example of this came to us during Photon Day in Barcelona, where we met Ulrik Damm, a developer on Dinolords. During our conversation, Ulrik shared his team’s journey with Photon Fusion and how they tackled its learning curve by building their own internal guide. Later, he reached out to us with the guide, generously offering to share their work with us and the broader Fusion community.
-> The Big Photon Fusion Guide <-
Ulrik’s guide is an incredible resource, born from real-world problem-solving and filled with practical insights. It exemplifies the power of collaboration and showcases how shared knowledge can drive innovation. Let’s dive into his story and the lessons we can all take away.
From Personal Notes to Team Resource
When Ulrik first started working with Photon Fusion, he was new to multiplayer game programming. “The guide started as my own personal notes,” he explained. “I was learning Fusion, and it was my first real dive into multiplayer game programming, so there were a lot of new concepts to learn.”
Like many developers, Ulrik struggled to find resources that balanced theory with practical application. “Most of the things I read were either too vague, explaining high-level concepts without being concrete on how to implement them, or too specific, focusing on small parts of the system,” he said.
To bridge this gap, Ulrik began documenting his findings in a way that made sense to him. Over time, his notes transformed into a robust internal guide that helped his team navigate Fusion’s complexities.
A Guide Built on Real-World Challenges
Ulrik’s guide has become an invaluable resource for his team, particularly when debugging Fusion’s sometimes obscure error messages. “At some point, I started documenting common errors that I encountered,” he shared. “It’s been a big help whenever I see an error and realize I already wrote down what caused it last time.”
One memorable example involved spawning into a level only for everything to crash. The culprit? Overloading Fusion with 1,200 networked trees. “It took me a long time to figure out that there was a limit on the number of NetworkObjects being sent at once,” Ulrik explained. “Enabling Area of Interest solved that problem.”
Breaking Down Fusion’s Core Concepts
Understanding Fusion’s architecture and deterministic simulation model is crucial for success, and Ulrik’s guide excels at explaining these concepts. “The whole mental model is important to get right,” he said. “At some point, I finally understood the point of the simulation running, and networked variables being part of that simulation, and everything started to make much more sense.”
His guide provides clarity on key topics such as:
- Networked Input: How to synchronize player actions across clients within Fusion’s host-authoritative framework.
- RPCs: Why it’s tempting to overuse them and when to rely on alternative solutions like networked state or input.
- The Render Method: The importance of outputting simulation results here to prevent stuttering and inconsistencies.
Debugging: A Systematic Approach
Debugging can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of development, but Ulrik has developed strategies to simplify the process.
“My general approach is to make sure the code is saved in source control, and then start removing as much code as I can that is unrelated to the error to try to isolate it,” he said. “Sometimes I even create a new, empty project, and start pasting things over until I encounter the problem.”
This methodical approach helps narrow down issues quickly and effectively. It’s also why documenting errors has become a cornerstone of his process. “It’s all about triangulating down to the exact line that makes the problem happen and then figuring out a way around it,” Ulrik explained.
Why Sharing Matters
Ulrik’s motivation for sharing his guide reflects a deep commitment to community. “While the guide was originally written just for internal use, it ended up being general enough that I thought it could be useful to other people learning Fusion for the first time,” he said.
His hope is that the guide will provide developers with the context and tools they need to succeed. “Hopefully, this guide will be a place new developers can be sent to when they’re struggling,” he added.
At Photon, we couldn’t agree more. Guides like Ulrik’s are invaluable, not just for their technical insights but for the collaborative spirit they represent.
Empowering Developers, Together
Ulrik’s story embodies the heart of what we aim to achieve at Photon: creating a space where developers can learn from and support one another. His team’s willingness to document their journey and share their findings is a shining example of how the Fusion community continues to grow stronger.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Dinolords and other projects like it, it’s that the path to mastery is smoother when we walk it together. Ulrik’s words sum it up best:
“It’s a long and slow process, that’s why I make sure to write the errors down so I can look up a solution next time. If it can benefit others, all the better.”
Join the Conversation
We’re inspired by developers like Ulrik who take the time to share their knowledge and elevate the entire community. If you’re working on a project with Fusion, consider documenting your own journey. Your insights could help someone else get unstuck or take their game to the next level.
Have a story to share? Reach out to us! Together, we can continue building an ecosystem where every developer has the tools and support they need to create incredible multiplayer experiences.
Ready to build your own successful multiplayer game? With Fusion and Quantum by Photon, it’s never been easier to integrate cutting-edge multiplayer features into your project. We offer the industry’s most advanced tools, comprehensive support, and everything you need to get started – from downloadable samples to detailed documentation.
Take the first step today – download Fusion or download Quantum and start building. If you’re looking for in-depth assistance, join our Gaming Circle, where you can connect directly with our developers and get expert guidance throughout your journey.
Your multiplayer success story starts here!
