DungeonsOfKharadum/WEBRTC_SETUP.md

WebRTC Multiplayer Setup

The game now supports WebRTC multiplayer for WebAssembly (browser) builds!

How It Works

The NetworkManager automatically detects the platform:

• Native builds (Windows, Linux, Mac): Uses ENet (traditional UDP networking)
• Web builds: Uses WebRTC (peer-to-peer browser networking)

Important Note About WebRTC

WebRTC requires a signaling mechanism to establish connections between peers. This is different from ENet which uses direct IP:port connections.

Current Implementation Status

✅ Done:

• Auto-detection of web platform
• WebRTCMultiplayerPeer creation for host and client
• Basic connection setup
• STUN server configured (stun:ruinborn.thefirstboss.com:3578) for NAT traversal

⚠️ Requires Additional Setup:

• Signaling server to exchange connection info between peers
• Session Description Protocol (SDP) offer/answer exchange
• ICE candidate exchange

Quick Setup Options

Option 1: Use a Public Signaling Server (Easiest)

Use a service like:

• peerjs-server
• Matchbox (Godot-specific)
• Roll your own simple WebSocket server

Option 2: Manual Connection (For Testing)

For local testing, you can manually exchange connection strings:

1. Host creates a game
2. Host copies their connection info
3. Joiner pastes host's connection info
4. Joiner generates their own connection info
5. Host pastes joiner's connection info

Option 3: Implement Signaling Server (Recommended for Production)

Create a simple WebSocket signaling server that:

1. Maintains a list of active lobbies
2. Relays SDP offers/answers between peers
3. Relays ICE candidates between peers

Example: Using Matchbox (Recommended)

Matchbox is a simple signaling server specifically for Godot WebRTC:

# Install matchbox server
cargo install matchbox_server

# Run the server
matchbox_server

Then update the code to connect to your matchbox server when in web mode.

Testing WebRTC Locally

1. Export for HTML5:

   • Project -> Export -> Add -> HTML5 (WebAssembly)
   • Export the project

2. Run a local web server:

   # Python 3
   python -m http.server 8000
   
   # Or use any web server
   

3. Open in browsers:

   • Host: http://localhost:8000
   • Client: http://localhost:8000 (in another browser tab/window)

4. Connect:

   • One browser hosts
   • Other browser joins
   • (Requires signaling server to be running)

Alternative: WebSocket Multiplayer

If WebRTC setup is too complex, you can use WebSocketMultiplayerPeer instead:

# In network_manager.gd, replace WebRTCMultiplayerPeer with:
var peer = WebSocketMultiplayerPeer.new()

# For host:
peer.create_server(port)

# For client:
peer.create_client("ws://your-server:port")

WebSocket is simpler but requires a dedicated server (can't be P2P like WebRTC).

Production Deployment

For production, you'll need:

1. A signaling server (for WebRTC) or game server (for WebSocket)
2. HTTPS hosting (required for WebRTC in browsers)
3. Proper CORS configuration
4. STUN/TURN servers for NAT traversal (optional but recommended)

Current Status

The game will:

• ✅ Detect web platform automatically
• ✅ Create WebRTC peers
• ⚠️ Require signaling server setup to actually connect

To complete the setup, implement one of the options above based on your needs.

Quick Recommendation

For Testing: Use Matchbox (Option 3) For Production: Implement a proper signaling server with lobby/matchmaking

Resources

• Godot WebRTC Documentation
• Matchbox Server
• WebRTC for Godot Tutorial