Creating an online multiplayer game like PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) is a massive undertaking that requires careful planning, a dedicated team, and substantial resources. However, it’s possible to build a game inspired by PUBG with smaller, more manageable features and progressively scale the game. Below, I will guide you through the key steps involved in creating an online multiplayer battle royale game similar to PUBG.
Steps to Make a Game Like PUBG
1. Pre-production: Planning and Conceptualization
Before diving into coding, make sure to properly plan the game and its core mechanics.
Define Core Features
- Battle Royale Gameplay:
- 100-player free-for-all matches.
- Players parachute into a large map.
- The play zone shrinks over time, forcing players to fight in smaller areas.
- Last player or team standing wins.
- Game Modes:
- *Solo, **Duo, or *Squad modes.
- Customize the game rules (e.g., limited-time modes).
- Weapons and Items:
- Various weapons (guns, melee items).
- Health items (medkits, armor).
- Loot drops (randomized item distribution).
- Graphics & Environment:
- Open-world, large maps.
- Realistic weather effects, day-night cycles.
- Vehicles for mobility.
- Online Multiplayer:
- Real-time multiplayer server connection.
- Matchmaking, player lobbies, and chat systems.
- User Interface (UI):
- Menus for settings, game start, inventory, and game status.
- Minimal UI elements during gameplay (health bar, minimap, ammo count).
2. Game Development Tools & Tech Stack
Here’s a breakdown of the tools, programming languages, and game engines you’ll likely need:
Game Engine:
- Unreal Engine: Unreal Engine is commonly used for AAA titles like PUBG. It’s great for creating high-quality, real-time 3D graphics and supports multiplayer out of the box.
- Language: C++ (for Unreal Engine).
- Multiplayer Framework: Unreal’s native multiplayer framework is robust, with tools for networking, replication, and handling player connections.
- Unity: Unity is another powerful game engine used by developers worldwide. It’s more lightweight compared to Unreal but still capable of creating high-quality games.
- Language: C# (for Unity).
- *Multiplayer Framework: Unity’s *Mirror or Photon for real-time multiplayer games.
Back-End Infrastructure for Multiplayer:
- Dedicated Servers: For a game like PUBG, you will need dedicated servers to handle large numbers of players in real time.
- You can use cloud services like *Amazon Web Services (AWS), **Google Cloud, or *Microsoft Azure for scalable game server management.
- Game Server Frameworks:
- Photon Engine (for Unity): Photon provides real-time multiplayer services and matchmaking, which is easier to implement than building custom servers from scratch.
- PlayFab: PlayFab is a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) solution that provides game services like matchmaking, leaderboards, and player data storage.
- AWS GameLift: For managing game servers, matchmaking, and scaling.
Networking & Matchmaking:
- You need to create a matchmaking system to pair players into games based on skill level or region.
- Use WebSockets or UDP for real-time communication between players and servers.
- NAT Punchthrough and Dedicated Servers: For peer-to-peer communication and managing player connections.
3. Development Phases
Phase 1: Prototype
The first step is creating a prototype to test the basic gameplay mechanics and multiplayer functionality.
- Basic Game Mechanics:
- Implement a small playable area (a basic map or arena).
- Test basic controls (movement, shooting, jumping, crouching).
- Implement basic combat mechanics (shooting, damage, health).
- Multiplayer Testing:
- Set up a server and client architecture.
- Allow multiple players to connect and test real-time gameplay (movement synchronization, combat, etc.).
- Basic User Interface:
- Design a simple UI for the game (health, ammo count, inventory).
- Menu screens for settings and start game options.
Phase 2: Game World & Assets
After the basic mechanics are in place, it’s time to create a more complex game world.
- Create a Map:
- World Design: Design a large, open-world map with diverse terrains (cities, forests, mountains, and rivers).
- *Terrain Generation: Use tools like *World Machine or Houdini for creating terrain. You can use procedural generation to create random, large maps.
- Buildings and Structures: Place structures and areas that players can loot or fight in (houses, buildings, bridges).
- Assets:
- *3D Models: You need models for characters, weapons, vehicles, and buildings. You can either create these yourself or purchase assets from stores like the *Unity Asset Store or Unreal Marketplace.
- Animations: Character and weapon animations (running, shooting, reloading, etc.).
- Implement Vehicles:
- Add drivable vehicles (cars, bikes, boats, etc.).
- Ensure smooth physics and handling for vehicles.
Phase 3: Core Game Features
This phase involves refining and adding all the core game features.
- Weapon Systems:
- Create a variety of guns, ammo types, and attachments.
- Implement a reloading system and different firing modes (semi-automatic, full auto).
- Add a loot system where weapons, ammo, and health items randomly spawn in the environment.
- Shrinking Play Zone:
- Implement a shrinking play area (the “circle”) that forces players to move towards a central location as the match progresses.
- The shrinking zone should deal damage to players who are outside the safe zone.
- Player Progression:
- Implement a basic player ranking system (experience points, levels).
- Add leaderboards and statistics tracking for players.
- Matchmaking & Server Management:
- Implement a matchmaking system to find players and create lobbies.
- Use cloud services (like AWS GameLift or PlayFab) to handle the creation and scaling of game servers.
- Implement a server browser or automatic matchmaking.
Phase 4: Polish and Test
- Optimization:
- Optimize performance for both mobile and desktop platforms (frame rate, server load).
- Compress assets, reduce draw calls, and optimize network bandwidth.
- Beta Testing:
- Conduct extensive playtesting to fix bugs, balance the game, and get feedback.
- Adjust weapons, maps, and gameplay mechanics based on user feedback.
- Multiplayer Stability:
- Test with large groups of players to ensure the servers can handle hundreds of players simultaneously.
- Handle latency issues and ensure smooth communication between players in real-time.
Phase 5: Deployment
- Deploy Game Servers:
- Use cloud hosting for your game servers (AWS, Google Cloud, etc.).
- Implement auto-scaling to handle fluctuating player numbers.
- Launch Game:
- Publish the game on platforms like *Steam, *Epic Games Store, or mobile app stores.
- Make sure your game has proper anti-cheat mechanisms (e.g., Easy Anti-Cheat or BattlEye).
4. Challenges You’ll Face
- Real-Time Networking: Handling smooth and responsive multiplayer gameplay is one of the biggest challenges. Issues like lag, player desync, and server performance will require a lot of testing and optimization.
- Scalability: A game like PUBG requires managing large numbers of concurrent players. You’ll need scalable servers to handle thousands of players online at once.
- Game Balance: Weapons, vehicles, and other gameplay elements must be well-balanced to ensure the game is fun and fair.
- Graphics & Physics: Realistic graphics and physics (for things like bullet trajectories and vehicle movement) are important for immersion but can be challenging to implement smoothly on all platforms.
5. Alternative Approach: Use Pre-built Game Engines and Assets
If you’re starting small or working alone, you can use pre-made game engines and assets to help you get started:
- Unity Asset Store: Look for battle royale kits, multiplayer kits, or template assets.
- Unreal Engine Marketplace: There are multiplayer shooter templates available that you can modify to suit your needs.
- *Game Engines with Templates: Use templates from **PlayCanvas, **Godot, or *Amazon Lumberyard.
Conclusion
Building an online game like PUBG is a challenging and long-term project that requires a team of developers, artists, and testers. A full battle royale game involves complex multiplayer features, game mechanics, and scalability considerations. However, if you take it step-by-step and start with a prototype, you can gradually build and scale your game to the size of a title like PUBG.
If you have any specific questions about certain aspects of development (e.g., multiplayer networking, matchmaking, server architecture), feel free to ask!