Networked multiplayer link cable support

Hello,

I am interested in the networked multiplayer link cable support feature (net link, net play?). What is the implementation status of the feature? I might be interested in contributing to help implement it!

Thanks!

[atsen-dev]

Hello, I'm also very interested on this feature request.
Any developer is able to explain how it work ?
Maybe a developer(me ?) can make a Merge Request with this feature.

I did a little investigation, and found the mention of "mNP" (for a future netplay feature) on the FAQ's glossary, which led me to this issue from 2016-17 that might be relevant if I start working on this in the future.

[endrift]

This is a core enough feature that you won't be able to get very far if you don't discuss implementation with me extensively. I already have some plans for how to go about it, and they're pretty involved.

[SamMessick]

If there is any room for collaboration, please let me know. The Gameboy Wireless Adapter opens multiplayer potential that many other Nintendo devices don't have. I'd be interested in discussing the implementation for this link feature so that it can accommodate Wireless Adapter features, either through direct message or in this issue. If you can point me to some documentation of your multiplayer approach and the current state of this implementation, I can start working on this feature with you @endrift.

[ehw]

I'm interested in this as well. Nintendo's implementation for their GBA online service is interesting, where each client runs a local instance via a 'thin client' (for like of a better word) of the other client's instance in the background, with only the relevant client able to view and hear their window. This way only button inputs are transferred between clients and the host, each of them going into each other's locally hosted thin client on each other's computer. This way you can also ensure that communication timings between the GBAs are always in sync since they're all running at the same time on every machine.

Although in the Switch's case it helped that each host is connecting via the same hardware and software configuration, so I wonder how difficult it would be once you introduce software options and computer configurations in the mix.

[endrift]

That's always been the plan, I'm just really behind. This issue well-postdates the initial prototypes, which never got merged.

[dude98]

it's been a while since we've heard anything about the netplay stuff, anything big happen with it yet or has it still been on a backburner for the more important stuff? i ask since with how close you guys are with the dolphin emulator devs, you might be able to use parts of it and the integrated gba stuff you guys made to make something. it was using a similar concept to nintendo's NSO multiplayer of "hidden gbas that just send inputs back and forth" after all, it just had the GCN emulator between them.

even just a small update saying "it's been on hold with other stuff needing to be worked on more" is enough for me, i wish i could code and help with it but i honestly wouldn't be able to figure out 99 percent of the code in what's already been written i bet.

[endrift]

We can't really use code from Dolphin, for a handful of reasons. The network play on our end is still in the planning phase. It's definitely not abandoned, though.

[JustEnd00]

Hello. I'm really interested in this features. I always wanted to play multiplayer online on GBA emulator, especially pokemon. I'm not sure if this will help, but there's actually emulator on Android that can do online multiplayer and that emulator uses mGBA as it's core. The emulator name was Multigba S. It can connect people faraway and trigger the multiplayer mode for mostly GBA games. But it's quite laggy most of the time, and it can sometimes disconnected said "communication error". The emulator seems abandoned by the creator as it doesn't updated since 2019, but still working. I wonder if the standalone mGBA can actually do online multiplayer.

[endrift]

The way that one works is by taking video of the different players running all on the same system and streams the video across the network. This has pretty serious implications for latency and video quality, so we want to do it better. Some of the underlying bits are in progress right now already, but it'll take some time to get ready.

[henrysachs]

@endrift it would be cool if you could give an update on your plans to implement this. So whats the state of the current plans?