Highlights

• Serializer v2: Combines the previous serializers to a single implementation. Up to 5x faster than the previous implementations, and does not generate almost any garbage. Only retains the Tagged serialization format which is more debuggable.

• The concept of ModelJournals is added, which better manages PlayerModel checksums and snapshotting. It significantly reduces the number of checksum checks performed on the server by skipping any unnecessary checks. CPU usage is reduced by 50% or more, and generated garbage is reduced by 90% or more.

• New client compatibility feature. It uses LogicVersion to determine if a client is allowed to connect to the current deployment and either block or redirect it if not. You can easily manage current compatibility and redirect settings from the LiveOps Dashboard of your deployments.

  

Breaking Changes & Migration

• Serializer v2 breaks backward compatibility in the client-server protocol and required force-updating all clients. The old Compact format has been deprecated and removed in favor of the Tagged format.
  • S_erializer v2 is a mandatory update. Going forward, all serialization must be use the Tagged format._
  • Serializer v2 introduces some new requirements:
    • Projects must set Api Compatibility Level to .NET 4.x for all platforms (found in Unity menu Project Settings / Player / Other)
    • Serializable class members can no longer be readonly (use properties with { get; private set; } instead)
• PlayerDetails.vue page in the LiveOps Dashboard has been broken down to multiple sub-components for easier long term maintainability.
  • No actions needed, but it is a good idea to review the Extending the LiveOps Dashboard page before customizing the dashboard further.
• Tick and Action execution is split into two parts — the generic execution logic and model-specific execution details. The generic logic is handled by ModelJournal, but each model requires an ModelJournalAdapter to glue the abstract operations into concrete ones.
  • We strongly recommend migrating over to using the ModelJournal for both PlayerModel and any other applicable custom Models.

Change Log

Added

• SDK: Serializer v2: generates C# code which is compiled using Roslyn compiler (compiled .dll is included in IL2CPP builds)
• SDK: Added ClientHelloMessage.Timestamp to identify connections uniquely & to identify delayed connections
• SDK: Send SocialAuthenticateForceReconnect message to client when should reconnect due to attaching social account to a pre-existing player state
• SDK: Added ConnectionState.Connected.LatestReceivedMessageTimestamp to allow for custom healthchecks
• SDK: Add ClientCompatibilitySettings which can be used to accept/refuse clients based on their LogicVersion
• SDK: Support redirecting clients to another server based on LogicVersion (useful for testing production builds or handling app review before deploying new server)
• SDK: Warn if trying to send a message in a non-connected state
• SDK: Retry Config downloads on error for a configurable amount. After that, report ConnectionState.TransientError.ConfigFetchFailed
• Dashboard: Show raw database-persisted PlayerModel (in base64) at bottom of player details view
• Dashboard: Allow changing ClientCompatibilitySettings

Changed

• SDK: Upgrade to Akka v1.4.4 (includes some memory allocation optimizations)
• SDK: Upgrade to MySqlConnection 0.63.0
• SDK: Deprecate & remove support for compact serialization format in favor of tagged format
• SDK: Switch to using .NET Server GC
• SDK: Include private PlayerModel members when serializing state to dashboard
• SDK: Detect and warn if executing an action (or tick) from within another action (or tick)
• SDK: Logging of byte[] now uses base64 (3x more compact), ends with '.' or '...' to mark the end of data and whether bytes were dropped
• SDK: PrettyPrinting is significantly more compact for Exceptions
• SDK: Replaced KeepAlive messages with lower-level ping-pong messages. This improves Healthiness assesment when no messages are sent.
• SDK: Store all authentication methods in PlayerModel
• SDK: Support unlinking of social auth profiles from player
• SDK: Add flushEnqueuedMessages flag to MetaplayConnection::Close to control whether to flush or to drop enqueued before closing.
• SDK: Added ModelJournal for a clean and efficient tick/action execution on a timeline.
• SDK: Check member serialization flags when deserializing: enables adding Transient attribute after persisting a value in database
• SDK: Disable server-side IAP retry when resuming PlayerActor to avoid race conditions: client retries should suffice
• SDK: ConnectionStates.WireFormatError is now a Terminal error.
• Reference Project: Upgrade to Unity 2019.3.6f1
• Reference Project: Better in-game error reporting especially for checksum errors
• Reference Project: OnPlayerChecksumMismatch handling moved from MetaplayClient to StateManager
• Reference Project: Responsive layout to in-game debug menu
• Reference Project: Send PlayerModel Desyncs reports to server for logging
• Reference Project: Changed all IGameConfigData class members to properties with private setter to avoid accidental modification
• Reference Project: Use ModelJournal for executing tick and actions.

Fixed

• SDK: Fixed handling of social authenticate conflict resolve when choosing to keep current player profile (i.e., re-attach social auth)
• SDK: Fixed too aggressive timestamp checking in social authentication
• Added and changed source code files to contain a consistent licensing header
• Dashboard: Fixed graphs on overview page