Must-have features in game apps for a seamless multiplayer experience
Gaming apps with multiplayer modes allow players to connect and compete or cooperate with others in real-time. When done right, online multiplayer can take a good game and make it great. But nothing ruins the fun faster than spotty connections, gameplay lag, or poor sportsmanship from other players.
What are the features that game app developers are swearing by to ensure a truly seamless multiplayer experience? Let’s take a look at some must-haves!
Matchmaking
“Good fences make good neighbors.”
Playing online means getting matched up with strangers. And just like in real life, compatibility matters! Smart matchmaking algorithms pair players of similar skill levels for a fair and fun competition. This keeps newbies from getting crushed and veterans engaged.
Other attributes that aid matchmaking:
- Language
- Reputation/behavior scores
- Location/latency
- Platform (mobile, console, desktop)
Top-tier games invest heavily in putting players of comparable abilities together.
Halo Infinite developers 343 Industries explain their approach:
We match players based on their estimated skill rating rather than things like their kills, deaths, assists, wins, losses, or XP progression. This means that as your skill level changes, you’ll get matched with players closer to your current —rather than lifetime — skill level.
Meanwhile, Riot Games’ popular League of Legends outlines the copious amounts of data analyzed to rate competency:
How often you die, how many kills you score, your ability to secure objectives, your ability to avoid death, your ability to kill enemy champions, damage dealt, damage taken, crowd control score, vision score, roams, utility score.
If you want happy gamers, follow the leaders and implement skill-based matchmaking. Board game developers keep this in mind too.
| Feature | Description |
| Skill-based | Matches players of comparable ability |
| Reputation-based | Keep out unsportsmanlike players |
| Latency-based | Minimize lag by connecting nearby players |
Anti-cheat detection
Few things feel worse than losing fairly. But losing because the opposing team cheated? Infuriating!
Cheaters ruin multiplayer gaming by:
- Gaining unfair advantages through hacks
- Exploiting bugs and loopholes
- Manipulating rankings through collusion
Top-notch anti-cheat software must detect cheating and dish out consequences. Players caught compromising competitive integrity should get booted from matches and banned from the community. Card game developers particularly can draw a leaf from this.
Effective anti-cheat features include:
- Client-side scanners: Scan game files and memory for injected code
- Server-side monitoring: Analyze player statistics and behaviors for anomalies
- Voice chat monitoring: Catch colluders communicating in-game
- ReCAPTCHA: Require human verification to thwart bots
For example, Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) offers robust scanning capabilities:
VAC bans are permanent, non-negotiable, and cannot be removed by Steam Support. They are applied to all accounts sharing a phone number or payment method associated with the cheating account. This prevents new accounts from being created to bypass an existing VAC ban.
Meanwhile Easy Anti-Cheat provides software to many popular multiplayer games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege.
Zero tolerance for cheating makes for a genuine and rewarding competition.
Communication tools
Playing together means talking together. Clear communication tools promote teamwork and sportsmanship in online multiplayer environments (and even within a game development company, for that matter).
- Chat functions – Text or voice-based real-time chatter allows quick conversations between teammates. Emotes and ping systems are also helpful for fast non-verbal cues.
- Profile display – Player profiles highlight achievements, rankings, personalities behind the avatars. Makes bonds easier to form.
- Reporting – Players should have easy ways to report rude, toxic, or cheats. Catch the bad apples!
- Muting/blocking – For those annoying spammers, give everyone power to ignore.
With the right social tools, player interactions spark friendship rather than friction.
Here are a few examples of games with standout communication features integrated with online multiplayer:
- Fortnite’s ping system for non-verbal coordination
- VRChat’s avatar customization and emotes that ooze personality
- League of Legends’ player honor system that rewards good sportsmanship
Server support
Fast, reliable connections are non-negotiable. Without smooth data transfers between players, gameplay turns laggy and buggy.
Dedicated servers prevent congestion even during peak traffic periods. They also reduce opportunities for host advantage (when the match host has faster speeds).
For the best performance, companies like EA lease server space from cloud providers like AWS instead of managing hardware internally. Leveraging the cloud’s global infrastructure keeps online multiplayer humming 24/7.
A few examples of top-tier dedicated server support:
Riot Direct – Riot Games spent years developing a proprietary network to route League of Legends traffic for optimized connectivity.
Activision Hybrid Cloud – Call of Duty aggregates on-premises data centers with public cloud servers based on load and regions.
Epic Online Services – The makers of Fortnite offer a flexible cross-platform services suite with voice chat, lobbies, and leaderboards.
Progression systems
Leveling up. Unlocking achievements. Collecting loot. Progression systems satisfy our inner completionists with regular dopamine hits.
Online battles get repetitive fast without meaningful metagame progression. Integrated progression systems keep players engaged over the long haul.
- Ranked ladders – Advance spot on leaderboards by winning matches
- Quests/challenges – Complete specific tasks for experience and customization rewards
- Item/loot drops – Receive rare cosmetic skins or power-ups after matches
Progression extends the adventure beyond individual matches. And the race to rank up keeps online competition fierce!
Some stellar examples:
- Rocket league – Unlock customizable car designs and upgrades for winning tournaments and completing challenges.
- Overwatch – Players can earn exclusive character skins and animations by leveling up the seasonal battle pass.
- Call of duty – Beyond standard weapon attachments and perks, work up to aesthetic gear like charms and stickers which show off mastery.
With every battle, players improve their skills and status. As we like to say, progress not perfection!
Parting words
Online multiplayer gaming lives and dies based on the user experience. Laggy matches, rampant cheating, toxic chatter and other hassles break the illusion of fun.
Integrating robust matchmaking tools, anti-cheat detection, communication channels, reliable servers and progression systems creates a smooth, seamless environment for cooperative and competitive play.
By offering gamers structures that mirror real-life norms around fairness, growth and relationships, game developers enable magical moments between perfect strangers.
And really, isn’t that connection why we play online multiplayer games in the first place? To feel a part of a community and to forge new friendships. So next time you hop into virtual worlds through your gaming device, appreciate the tech that makes playing nice possible!
