Hi ! My name is Ayrton, I’m french developper from Bordeaux.
I made games since I have 6 years old, and after lot of try of making game, this year I will wanted to make an online game.
Today I want to show at all person who said me, “It’s impossible to make online game alone, blablablabla….)” It’s possible and I show you how.
My first challenge It’s find an easy concept to develop, I will take a look on other success projects. After this, I have choose an online Arena game like Brawl Star but 1 vs 1 and with another camera view.
MVP Concept
To my job, I always use this concept, the Minimum Viable Product, to determine a plan to complete the game, and I etablish a list of functionality essential for the gameplay, but just the minimum.
Tools
Engine
I have use Unity for made the game with C# language, for simple reason;
Fast, easy to learn, Documented, Cross-Plateform, Gameplay requirement satisfied (3D, Online, Controller Support, Mobile etc…).
3D Tool
Blender is a free and open source 3D modeling tool. I’m not an 3D artist, and he have lot’s of tutorial for beginner.
At start, It’s very hard to do your first item (a table for me :) ) And after lot’s of hour to try, I have made my first character.
UI Design
XD + Photoshop
Why Adobe XD? I think it’s more simple for made rapid graphics interfaces than Photoshop. Easy for use and easy export.
Let’s talk about talents.
I have lot’s of talents (no !) but I cant draw, painting, or make music. I’m not an artist, I’m a worker, give me task and I do it.
So when I start to need graphics and sound design, my look take direction to Aurore and Domi, my wife and a friend. Aurore it’s a great artist, she made paint, and Domi has a talent on sound design and it’s a great composer. I demand to they, to make 3 characters and 3 musics . I have proposed to payed they, but they refused and 3 weeks after, all are shipped. Very great person. Love you.
At same time, I have started to code the netcode, I have use an Unity Package who help me to integrate online system inside our game. It’s called Mirror .
1 month later, the netcode works.
Network Infrastructure
At my job, I’m french developper full stack, so, I know how a server work, and how to manage it and monitoring it for the production. But, habitualy it’s web service like API, not Game server engine.
Docker save me. I have use Docker for his capability to duplicate instances. 1 Docker instance = 1 party for 2 player in our game . So if I have 10 users want to play simultanously. I will mount 5 instances, 1 instances take ~1cpu and ~250mb memory when a game is playing. So the duplication it’s essential inside our deployment plan.
I have use Digital Ocean and Scaleway to test our server in development mode on 3 countrys. And it’s look great.
I have made 2 scripts for easy launch new servers and attach they IP automaticly in my APi system who attribute to server an unique ID and know who it’s started or no.
I have use Grafana and Prometheus to monitoring and set alert when problem appear.
Integration
It’s the most difficult thing I think, because when you test your game with Cube and Ball you don’t need some animations and game design.
But when I started to integrate character, the difficult for me was to animate it and take it live.
I have started by 4 animations / characters, Idle, Walk, Attack, Dead.
All of character has nearly the same animations, It’s more easy for the script controllers.
And
I have started to integrate environnement and design of arenas too. It take me about 3 month to achieve all of this ! Very difficult …
And like it’s not hard enough, I was do the trick for Online System, so other player can see, other animations. Hell.
From / To
Write blogs posts
Write blogs posts, help me to achieve my work, It’s a good thing for stay motivated and share my experience. See the progress it’s a great thing for considerate the work accomplish;
you can see all the blog posts here:
Simerca Studio
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### Editeur de jeux vidéos
simercastudio.com
Lot’s of test’s after.
After I have tested the game with friend, family, discord members, I start to publish It to App Store and Play Store.
Because in my job I have already post project to App Store and Play Store, I know the requirement to do this.
And after 2 try, It will be posted .
Fantasy Arena it’s available on iOS and Android on production in less than 1 year.
More informations
Simerca Studio
--------------
### Editeur de jeux vidéos
simercastudio.com
Top comments (5)
I’ve been playing Brawl Stars for a while now, and I’m curious—what do you all enjoy most about the game? Is it the variety of characters, the constant updates, or maybe something else? Personally, I love how each Brawler feels unique and has its own abilities. The strategy behind choosing the right Brawler for each situation is also pretty fun. And of course, the team-based gameplay makes it even better. I’d love to hear what stands out for you in the game!
What I enjoy the most is definitely the fast-paced action. Every match feels exciting and quick, but there’s still so much depth. The mix of fast movement, special attacks, and team coordination makes each game unpredictable, which keeps me coming back for more. I also love the ability to upgrade Brawlers and experiment with different builds. Whether I’m playing casually or aiming for a higher rank, there’s always something new to try. The rewards system is fun too—it’s satisfying to unlock new skins and Brawlers.
For me, what stands out most is definitely the teamwork aspect. In modes like Showdown or Brawl Ball, you need to communicate and cooperate with your team to really succeed. It’s not just about having powerful Brawlers; it’s about working together. I also appreciate how they’ve been adding new Brawlers and game modes consistently, so it never feels stagnant. The challenge of learning new strategies and improving my skills is super motivating too. The variety of events is a great touch as well, keeping things fresh. I also love the possibility to explore game as far as i can and also download some new apks getnullsbrawl.com in which i can get unlimited skins and gems, as it is also precious thing to me
Wow, Ayrton, that's an incredible journey! It’s inspiring to see how you turned your dream into reality despite the challenges. From designing characters in Blender to setting up Docker instances for scalability, your dedication is evident. Fantasy Arena sounds like an amazing achievement, and it's great to hear how support from friends and family played a key role.
Speaking of online arena games, have you checked out alternatives like Null's Brawl? It’s an exciting way to explore similar gameplay styles on iOS. You can find more about it on Null's Brawl for iOS.
Keep sharing your experiences; it motivates so many of us in the game dev community!
This is super inspiring! Developing an online game solo in less than a year is no small feat. The way you tackled netcode, server infrastructure, and animations step by step is really impressive.
I remember when I first tried setting up my own multiplayer prototype, I was overwhelmed by the networking part. Ended up experimenting with different frameworks, kind of like how I discovered Nulls Brawl APK while looking for alternative game experiences. Seeing your journey gives me the motivation to push through those challenges. Congrats on launching Fantasy Arena!