Are WebSockets suitable for real-time multiplayer games?

Question

I\'m interested in building a small real-time multiplayer game, using HTML5/JavaScript for the client and probably Java for the server software.

I looked into WebSoc

Answer 1

WebSockets are the best solution for realtime multiplayer games running in a web browser. As pointed out in the comments there is an initial handshake where the HTTP connection is upgraded but once the connection is established WebSockets offer the lowest latency connection mechanism for bi-directional communication between a server and a client.

I'd recommend you watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t28OPQlZK4&feature=youtu.be

Have a look at:

• http://browserquest.mozilla.org/ code available here: https://github.com/mozilla/BrowserQuest
• https://chrome.com/supersyncsports/

The only raw TCP solution would be to use a plugin which supports some kind of TCPClient object. I'd recommend you try out WebSockets.

You can find a number of options here. Just search for WebSockets within the page.

Also take a look at WebRTC. Depending on the purpose of your game and whether you need your server to manage game state, you could use this technology for peer-to-peer communication. You may still need a solution to handle putting players into groups - in that case WebSockets is the fastest/best solution.