Notes from a realtime game room_

Example article — written to demonstrate the blog. Edit or replace before publishing.

Realtime games expose the difference between a connection and a player. A browser can reconnect, refresh or fall asleep without the person intending to leave.

Make moves explicit

Treat a move as an intention that the server validates. The interface can be optimistic, but the rules need an authoritative home.

type Move = {
  roomId: string;
  playerId: string;
  expectedRevision: number;
  action: "pass" | "place";
};

Design for interruption

1. Give each room a versioned state.
2. Validate actions against that state.
3. Send a fresh snapshot when someone reconnects.

A little attention to recovery makes a casual game feel much more dependable.