How We Synchronized Editing for Rec Room's Multiplayer Scripting System

4 hours ago

Circuits is Rec Room's multiplayer-synchronized realtime scripting system for building interactive experiences.
Circuits V1 was built quickly but had limitations due to high memory and CPU usage from thousands of game objects.
Circuits V2 was a rewrite that reduced complexity by treating all Circuits as a single game object.
The 'In-Memory Database' approach caused synchronization issues with cross-object operations.
The solution was inspired by Redux, using a single global state and reducer functions for changes.
The 'action funnel' ensures serializable isolation, preventing race conditions by processing actions one-by-one.
Join-in-progress was solved by periodically sending snapshots of the latest save data.
Compression and splitting techniques were used to handle large actions and bandwidth concerns.
Logging and automation were simplified due to the single code path, aiding debugging and testing.
Social solutions were prioritized over complex technology for issues like master disconnects and rapid edits.
The system's simplicity led to a low defect rate and ease of maintenance, even for new team members.

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