Multiplayer Netcode Patterns
Purpose
Define ownership, authority, replication, prediction, rollback or reconciliation strategy for multiplayer systems.
Use When
- the project has multiplayer or networked state sync
- lag and authority issues are emerging
- a feature could break under latency
Inputs
- game rules
- authority model
- platform/network constraints
- security assumptions
Process
- define trusted authority and client responsibilities
- choose replication and prediction strategy by system
- document disconnect, reconnect, and failure handling
- profile bandwidth and state churn
- plan cheat resistance, QA coverage, and telemetry
Outputs
- netcode model
- ownership matrix
- latency/failure handling rules
- test and telemetry targets
Quality Bar
- makes ownership, state flow, and failure behavior explicit
- improves maintainability without over-abstracting
- supports testing, debugging, and safe iteration
Common Failure Modes
- coupling systems through hidden globals or timing assumptions
- writing logic that is hard to test or debug
- optimizing the wrong layer before measuring
Related Agents
- network-programmer
- security-reviewer
- qa-lead
Related Commands
- multiplayer-review
- tech-design
- verify
Notes
- Keep this skill aligned with the relevant rules layer and current project documentation.
- If engine-specific constraints materially change the workflow, hand off to the matching engine skill or engine-specific reviewer.

