Hello everyone, this— is our 30 days of work: Multiplayer Networking, World Saves, and Steam Integration.


Yes, you heard right—multiplayer! World voxel terrain, saves, and real-time modifications are now synchronized to each player on demand.
This is made possible by our highly efficient serialization solution. Our network transmission and world storage can be compressed surprisingly fast into very small sizes.

Multiplayer Networking

Special thanks to: Android-KitKat for Steam API Integration, Steam P2P Networking, and Multiplexed Networking~

Our multiplayer network offers 3 connection methods:

Connect via IP Address (IPv4, IPv6, Domain Name, Status Server)

Direct connection via IP address (KCP Protocol). This works for medium/large dedicated servers and doesn't rely on Steam or other tools.
The tradeoff is that you need a public IP or port forwarding tools (like Sakura Frp or similar), so it might be less convenient.


Direct Connection

Details
We've merged the server address from 2 input fields (Host and Port) into a single (URI).
This means users only need to copy-paste once, and IPv6 is fully supported.

KCP/IP Address Examples (Default Port 7777):
# IPv4
kcp://127.0.0.1
kcp://192.168.1.32:7777

# IPv6
kcp://::1
kcp://[2001:4860:4801:24::27]:7777

# Domain
kcp://localhost
kcp://rpg.aethereffect.com
Previously, two fields were used because IPv6 addresses use colons (:), causing conflicts with the port colon.
In URI format, IPv6 addresses are enclosed in [] brackets, resolving this conflict.





Connect via Steam P2P (Friends or any Steam User)

You can directly invite Steam users or friends to join your (public) world – super convenient.
Note: Requires both parties to have the Steam client running and online. The host must first enter the world and set it to Public or Friends Only.



Invite Steam Friends or Join a Friend's World

Details
You can "Right-click a Steam friend's avatar > Invite to game".
Note: They must own the game. Upon accepting, they'll join your world directly.



Alternatively, right-click a friend's avatar > "Join Game", or click "Join Game" on their Steam profile.






Invite Any Steam User

Details
If the user isn't your Steam friend, you can "Copy Steam Connection URI" and ask them to "Connect directly" or "Add Server".

Example copied URI:
steam://76561198399043473


Or "Copy Steam Lobby Join URL". The recipient can use this "link" to launch the Steam client and have the running "Aether Effect" join the world directly.
Example copied URL:
steam://joinlobby/3748870/109775244794769786/76561198399043473