Game servers communicate with Multiplay Hosting through signals. These signals allow the hosting platform to manage servers effectively and respond to events in the server lifecycle.

Types of signals

Game servers can send and receive the following types of signals:

Ready signal

The ready signal indicates that a game server has completed its initialization process and is prepared to accept player connections. Game servers should send this signal after:

• Loading all required assets

• Connecting to external services

• Completing any startup health checks

The allocations system only considers servers that have sent a ready signal when fulfilling allocation requests.

Unready signal

The unready signal indicates that a game server is no longer prepared to accept new player connections. Game servers should send this signal when:

• The server is preparing to shut down

• The server is experiencing issues that prevent it from accepting players

• The current game session is ending and the server needs maintenance

Deallocate signal

The deallocate signal tells Multiplay Hosting that the server is ready to be deallocated and made available for a new allocation. This signal is typically sent after a game session ends and all players have disconnected.

Implementing signals

You can implement server signals through the Game Server SDK. The exact implementation depends on whether you're using the:

• Multiplay Hosting SDK for Unity

• Multiplay Hosting SDK for Unreal Engine

Signal handling

Multiplay Hosting processes signals in near real-time to update server status and allocation availability. When a signal is received:

1. The hosting platform validates the signal

2. The server's status is updated accordingly

3. The change is reflected in the availability buffer and scaling calculations

Proper signal implementation ensures that your game servers integrate seamlessly with Multiplay Hosting's scaling and allocation systems.