Server meshing is a crucial component of Star Citizen’s MMO, allowing multiple servers to control different areas based on population for a seamless experience. Testing is underway for the replication layer and static server meshing, with the ultimate goal of dynamic server meshing and the ability for players to select their shard temporarily.
Server meshing is a crucial component of Star Citizen’s MMO puzzle. It allows multiple servers to dynamically control different areas based on population, enabling a seamless sharing experience. The replication layer, which ensures proper communication between players and servers, is the next step in testing before static server meshing is implemented. While dynamic server meshing is the ultimate goal, static server meshing will be completed sooner and will divide the game into different areas controlled by separate servers. This division can be adjusted, and even a single server can control an entire region.
At CitizenCon 2953, Star Citizen showcased a small-scale example of server meshing in action. Previously, there were concerns about whether server meshing would work as intended, but it now seems highly likely. While the scaling capabilities of server meshing are yet to be determined, there may be some upper limits, even with dynamic server meshing.
Benoir Bose, Technical Director at CIG, provided more information about server meshing, stating that it is now in the testing phase and is more in the realm of development than research. Ships can transition between servers, but all game systems and features need to be tested to ensure smooth server transitions. The plan is to gradually introduce server meshing to the game and avoid the issues experienced with the previous introduction of persistent entity streaming.
The next steps involve testing the replication layer, which includes crash recovery and stress testing. Once successful, the focus will shift to static server meshing, connecting pyro and Stanton on separate servers but within the same shard. Multiple servers will eventually cover each star system, and the final step will be dynamic server meshing. Developers aim to allow players to select their shard temporarily until seamless shard transitioning becomes possible. The short-term goal is to have one server per star system, with approximately 150 players per server for the upcoming pyro release. Testing for server meshing may occur in experimental modes or the preview build before being fully integrated into the live servers.