Welcome to Notblox! This project showcases a simple multiplayer game engine built with Three.js and TypeScript, featuring an Entity Component System (ECS) for efficient network synchronization and utilizing Rapier.js for physics.
- Demo link: NotBlox.online
- Hosted on a European server. Note: There is no client-side prediction, so the game may feel laggy if you're far from the server.
- Car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eSYb6jKOV0
- Football https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZlNKU_buCQ
- W : Forward
- S : Backward
- A : Left
- D : Right
- Space : Jump
- Mouse Left click : Rotate screen
- E : Interact
- Multiplayer
- Only TypeScript
- 3D Physics (Rapier.js)
- Vanilla Three.js
- Server Authoritative
- ECS (Entity Component System) with Network Sync (NetworkComponent)
Delta Compression(needs rework)- Interpolation
- Fast to load (small assets)
- Run on low end devices : My Three.JS Performance Guide
- Shared code between server and client (useful for component replication)
- Trimesh Collider
- Cars
Browser games are fun, but most of them are Unity WebGL exports that take a long time to load. I wanted to create a simple multiplayer game engine using Three.js and my own ECS. This project has in mind to be a simple and fast game engine that can be used to create simple multiplayer games with the modularity of ECS.
I'm thinking about creating a GTA-like game with this engine. It would be a simple game with a city, cars, and players. The game would be server-authoritative, and the server would be able to spawn cars, NPCs, and other entities. The game would be a simple sandbox game where players can interact with each other and the environment. Inspiration : https://github.com/swift502/Sketchbook
git clone [email protected]:iErcann/Notblox.git
cd Notblox cd back
npm install
npm run dev cd front
npm install
npm run devGo on your browser to http://localhost:4000/play/test
The backend can be configured through environment variables in ./back/.env:
NODE_ENV=development
GAME_TICKRATE=20 # Game tickrate in Hz (20Hz = 50ms)
GAME_SCRIPT=defaultScript.js # Script to run
# Commented in dev mode :
# FRONTEND_URL=https://www.notblox.online # Only accept connections from this URLNODE_ENV=production
GAME_TICKRATE=20 # Game tickrate in Hz (20Hz = 50ms)
GAME_SCRIPT=defaultScript.js # Script to run
# To prevent hijacking
FRONTEND_URL=https://www.notblox.online
# To get WSS, set your path:
SSL_KEY_FILE=/etc/letsencrypt/live/npm-3/privkey.pem
SSL_CERT_FILE=/etc/letsencrypt/live/npm-3/cert.pemThe GAME_SCRIPT system allows for modular gameplay modes similar to Garry's Mod's LUA scripts:
- Scripts are loaded dynamically at runtime
- Multiple servers can run different game modes
- No rebuild required when modifying game logic, just change the
GAME_SCRIPTvariable in the.envfile and restart - Located in
back/src/scripts/
The GAME_TICKRATE setting controls how frequently the server updates game state:
| Tickrate | Use Case | Description | Server CPU Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 ticks/s | Vehicle/Physics-heavy | Smooth physics interactions, highest precision vehicle control | High |
| 40 ticks/s | Mixed Gameplay | Good physics interactions, balanced vehicle control | Medium |
| 20 ticks/s | Standard Gameplay | Good balance of responsiveness and performance | Low |
Performance Considerations:
- Higher tickrates = smoother gameplay but increased:
- Server CPU usage
- Network bandwidth
- Client-server messages
- Choose based on your game's requirements and server capacity
- View Stress Test (20 ticks/s)
To configure the front end, set the NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL environment variable in your .env.local file:
# Development
NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL=ws://localhost
# Production (SSL Required)
# NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL=wss://back.notblox.onlineMaps are GLB/GLTF files. The back-end approximates a Trimesh Collider based on the map, which is rendered on the client.
To change the map, update the URL in back/src/scripts/defaultScript.js:
new MapWorld('https://notbloxo.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/Notblox-Assets/world/TestWorld.glb') // Change this URL to your mapYou can host your assets for free using GitHub and Githack. Here's how:
- Create a repository on GitHub, e.g., Notblox-Assets.
- Use Githack to serve your assets via CDN: Setup Githack.
Then, update the URL in defaultScript.js:
new MapWorld(
'https://rawcdn.githack.com/iErcann/Notblox-Assets/d66f6da91bb7f025c90aa9f6eb24b99e997efa38/BasicWorld.glb'
) // Change this URL to your mapFor local testing, place the map .glb under the front/public/assets folder and use:
new MapWorld('http://localhost:4001/BasicWorld.glb')Make sure to run the front-end with npm run dev to serve the local file.
Export with Compression
Choose GLB/GLTF export.
- Activate compression.
Is it better design to store event effects within an Entity itself, or within a system?
If you are using event queues anyway, you can also do them properly. With one global EventManager system which receives all events. Systems can subscribe to events they are interested in and then the EventManager will put those events into their event queues.
Componentcan also be aNetworkComponent. This means it can be sent over the network to be replicated by the clients.
// Shared component between client & back
export class ColorComponent extends NetworkComponent {
constructor(entityId: number, public color: string);
deserialize(data: SerializedColorComponent);
serialize(): SerializedColorComponent;
}The back-end need to pass some events; This is achieved with the event components (example: EventColorComponent) that are only used once per ECS loop and then removed from the EventQueue entity.
// Creating a color change event on the back
EventSystem.addEvent(new ColorEvent(yourEntity.id, '#FFFFFF'))It can be received by any system, here ColorEventSystem :
The ColorComponent is updated:
export class ColorEventSystem {
update(entities: Entity[]) {
const eventColors = EventSystem.getEvents(ColorEvent)
for (const eventColor of eventColors) {
const entity = EntityManager.getEntityById(entities, eventColor.entityId)
if (!entity) return
const colorComponent = entity.getComponent(ColorComponent)
if (!colorComponent) return
if (colorComponent && eventColor) {
colorComponent.color = eventColor.color
colorComponent.updated = true
}
}
}
}The component is replicated by the client with the SyncComponentsSystem.ts, then it uses the front-end version of SyncColorSystem to actually change the color of the mesh, you could incorporate more checks here depending on other components
export class SyncColorSystem {
update(entities: Entity[]) {
for (const entity of entities) {
const colorComponent = entity.getComponent(ColorComponent)
const meshComponent = entity.getComponent(MeshComponent)
if (colorComponent && meshComponent && colorComponent.updated) {
meshComponent.mesh.material = new THREE.MeshPhongMaterial({
color: colorComponent.color,
})
}
}
}
}Discord https://discord.gg/aEBXPtFwgU 👀
San Andreas Map : https://skfb.ly/oJSPS
Kenney Assets https://www.kenney.nl/
There have been some modifications of Notblox running online to promote cryptocurrencies, it is not made by me
The point of notblox was to show a demo of a multiplayer 3d game with three.js, fully open-source
The only version I run is notblox.online, all the other modifications are made by third-parties
