In Part 1 of this blog post, we talked about the dedicated server-related features of Chaos Agents that we are planning so that our game has a great shot of being a “perpetual multiplayer game” that can’t be “killed off”.
We also talked about the motivations behind the Popularium team’s decision to dedicate a significant amount of time and resources in building these features, and the technical and financing challenges we have faced in the journey.
We are, however, now at a place with the development of Chaos Agents where we can say, with a reasonable degree of confidence, that the core architecture that we have built will progressively enable the four key dedicated server-related features that we want to enable for all players.
We will need to be smart about parallelizing the development and launch of these features along with features for the core game, but we are confident enough in the development of the core technology to make this announcement to our current and incoming players.
Recap: Chaos Agents’ Dedicated Server Related Features
Before we jump into discussing the phases in which these features will come online, along with the scope of technology that will be developed to support the features, let’s refresh on the 4 key features related to dedicated servers that Chaos Agents wants to enable for its players:
Feature 1: Players will be able to run a dedicated server to host Chaos Agents matches. Players will be able to download a copy of “Chaos Agents Software”, which comprises a) the Chaos Agents PC Client (same as the Steam client) that can be installed on a computer and used connect to a server, and b) the Chaos Agents dedicated server software, which enables players to host a dedicated server that other clients can connect to.
Feature 2: The player-run dedicated server can register with the Chaos Agents Network to become a “registered dedicated server”. This will allow the dedicated server to receive all the same content updates as the Popularium-run Chaos Agents servers. Matches run on the player-run dedicated server will count towards the official statistics maintained by Popularium, including for seasonal content.
Feature 3: The player-run dedicated servers will have the capability to: manage all content that the player has purchased from Popularium and other players—including globally-unique Chaos Agents, cosmetics, and other player-specific items. They will also be able to verify the license (issued by Popularium) that confirms the player’s ownership of their specific Agents, cosmetics, and other items, including from other Chaos Agents dedicated servers and clients.
Feature 4 (Future): In the future if Popularium has to stop supporting the official Chaos Agents network, then: Players will be able to keep playing Chaos Agents by running their own dedicated servers. Other players will be able to join the player-run dedicated servers with their Chaos Agents clients.
Technical Components of the Chaos Agents Game
To better understand the dedicated server-related features outlined above, a basic understanding of the architecture and components that make up Chaos Agents is helpful.
Chaos Agents is made up of 3 primary pieces of software:
1. The Chaos Server Application (MSA): The MSA runs on a server farm managed by Popularium and handles most of the heavy computations for the game using the proprietary Chaos Cloud Engine. The MSA and Chaos Cloud Engine running it have been developed using a completely open-source technology stack that allows Chaos Servers to be easily deployed and managed without requiring any heavyweight, proprietary software (such as Unity or Unreal). It also manages computations on the server-side, which allows players to use devices (laptops, phones etc.) with average specifications to seamlessly run Chaos Agents. Finally, this architecture also enables seamless cross-play among PC, mobile, console and potentially other devices.
2. The Chaos Client Application (MCA): Each player runs a copy of the MCA on their device, which connects with an instance of the MSA running on a cloud server to connect to and render matches for the user. The MCA is simply a rendering client that renders the data being sent by the MSA. For the Chaos Agents PC client, the MCA is written using the Unity engine. Future versions of the MCA on other devices can easily use other engines. Each player typically downloads and installs the MCA on their device.
3. The Chaos Vault Application (Vault): A parallel application to the MCA manages the player’s Chaos Vault, which contains their in-game items and trades for these items. Running the Chaos Vault as a separate application from the MCA allows the player to access and manage their Vault without having to boot up the main Chaos Agents client.
Phases and Timeline for Launch of Dedicated Server-related Features
The features outlined above will come online in phases as detailed below. Since the development of the dedicated server-related features will be in parallel with those of the core game, we have to balance bringing these features online with those of the actual game.
The 4 Dedicated Server related features above will come online over 4 Phases:
The timelines for the phases may vary based on actual development velocity, however, we expect the actual phases should unfold as follows:
Phase 1: Chaos Vault Separation and Download: Close to the Early Access launch period, we expect players will receive access to their Chaos Vaults, which will contain items and licenses for their unique Chaos Agents and other items owned by the Player. This will happen in parallel with the restructuring of the Chaos Agents database in a modular fashion such that each player’s Agents, items, and other game data is contained within its own “Vault”, that can only be accessed by the player and by the Chaos Agents network. Not only will this make the network more efficient by letting it focus on running matches, it’s also the first step towards enabling dedicated servers. The Chaos Vault will allow a client or dedicated server to recognize licenses for the unique Chaos Agents and other items owned by the player.
The player will be able to access their Chaos Vault in two ways:
1. Chaos Vault App on Local Machine: Players can run the Chaos Vault App on their local computers (along with the Chaos Agents Client) and access their Chaos Vaults offline.
2. Chaos Vault App on Remote Server: The player can access their Chaos Vault on a remote server that they have full control over (including being able to download a local copy of their Vault). This means that the player will be able to download a copy of their Chaos Vault and be able to access it offline via their Chaos Agents client, as well as make the data available to dedicated servers and other services of their choice (for eg. third party Chaos Agents stats or leaderboards services that the player wants their Agents and other achievements featured on.)
Timeline: Between the Alpha launch (target: Oct 2024) and Early Access (target: April 2025), and more likely closer to the launch of Early Access.
Phase 2: Basic Dedicated Server Support: During the Early Access period and before full retail launch, Popularium expects to launch a “test pilot” of dedicated server support with the “Chaos Agents Dedicated Server Pack”.
This will let a registered Chaos Agents player with access to a server that meets the minimum requirements—either a physical or virtual server—to run their own instance of the Chaos Agents Server (MSA) - dedicated server version. Clients will be able to connect to these dedicated servers to find and join (initially unofficial) matches.
The dedicated servers will be able to recognize Vault licenses from Vaults connected to Chaos Agents clients. This means that players will be able to play with their own unique Agents and other cosmetics and items on dedicated servers hosted by other players.
Timeline: About 6-8 months after the retail release, based on the speed of feature rollout.
Phase 3: Registered Dedicated Server -> Chaos Network Bridge: Soon after the pilot launch for the basic dedicated servers, we expect to launch support for dedicated servers to become official servers registered with the Chaos Network. The team anticipates launching the “Registered Dedicated Server” in a “test pilot” format, which will eventually allow these servers to come online as part of the official mainline Chaos Agents Network.
A registered dedicated server will be able to host official Chaos Agents matches, including matches that count towards seasonal progress. This also means that stats accumulated on a dedicated server will count towards official statistics for the official Chaos Agents network. Registered dedicated servers will be able to report official trade and transaction requests to the official Chaos Network. Registered dedicated servers should expect to get the latest content updates from the Chaos network, which means that all season content such as mission packs and campaign maps will also be available to players playing on a dedicated server.
Timeline: About 3-6 months after Phase 2, so around 9-12 months after the retail release for Chaos Agents.
Phase 4: Standalone Dedicated Server Network (if and when needed): While the Popularium team intends to run the official Chaos Network for many years, it is only fair to players that there is a plan in place to enable them to keep playing Chaos Agents even if Popularium has to stop officially supporting the Chaos network at some point in the future. In the case that Popularium has to stop supporting the official Chaos network, players will be able to continue running Chaos Agents matches and tournaments on registered dedicated servers.
Registered dedicated servers will be able to continue managing official stats and leaderboards for Chaos Agents, as well as host tournaments and Championships. Registered dedicated servers will be able to facilitate and track official trades and other transactions that will also be available to other registered dedicated servers.
New dedicated servers can be brought online by players, which can connect to existing dedicated servers with all updates to be brought online, ensuring ongoing support for the onboarding of new dedicated servers. While non-registered dedicated servers will continue to function, they may not have the final set of updates for content, trade, and license verification that registered dedicated servers will. Popularium will announce a cutoff date for dedicated server registration if it ever becomes necessary to cease support for the Chaos network.
Timeline: We don’t have a timeline as we want to support the official Chaos Network for many, many years. However, we will prepare for these sunset features if the day comes when Popularium has to stop official support for the Chaos network. This will ensure that players can continue enjoying Chaos Agents with their own unique Agents and most of the features that the official Chaos network offers them.
What’s Next
We currently plan to transition Chaos Agents from Alpha to Early Access around Q2 2025, and the retail release is planned for around the end of 2025 or later. We expect to stay in Early Access until it’s clear that the game is ready for a full retail launch. The release timeline of the dedicated server features will accordingly vary.
After the official Alpha launch of Chaos Agents and the launch of the Alpha on Steam, we will share another update on progress around the dedicated server features and their expected timelines.
Until then, let’s chat on Discord and Reddit about your questions and suggestions about the dedicated server features.