Playserv.io

Define your data schema, save objects, and state sync happens automatically in real time.

What Playserv is

Playserv.io is a cloud platform for real-time game object management that can turn almost any game - from a solo RPG to an MMO - into a multiplayer experience with minimal engineering effort.

Instead of writing custom networking code for deltas, RPC fan-out, replication graphs, and edge-case reconciliation, you work with a simple model:

1. Define a schema
2. Save an entity
3. Subscribe with filters
4. Receive updates automatically

Why this matters

Traditional multiplayer approaches often force teams to build and maintain:

• state replication logic
• interest management
• authoritative storage
• event routing and ordering
• replay/debug tooling
• scaling strategies
• protocol glue across HTTP/WS/gRPC

Playserv.io aims to replace that with a “defined - and it works” workflow.

“If a solution like this already exists, I will be its first customer.”

• CTO of a studio with 50M+ downloads (interview quote)

The “Define - and it works” workflow

A conceptual example (pseudo-code)

// Define a schema once (conceptual)
schema.define("Ship", {
  ownerId: "string",
  position: { x: "float", y: "float", z: "float" },
  velocity: { x: "float", y: "float", z: "float" },
  cargo: [{ itemId: "string", qty: "int" }],
  status: { hp: "int", shields: "int", energy: "int" },
  visibility: { mode: "enum:public|team|private", teamId: "string?" },
});
 
// Update state (authoritative server or trusted service)
playserv.entities.save("Ship:123", {
  ownerId: "User:42",
  position: { x: 10.2, y: 0.0, z: -71.9 },
  status: { hp: 95, shields: 40, energy: 83 },
});
 
// Subscribe by interest rules (client or server)
playserv.subscribe(
  {
    type: "Ship",
    where: "distance(position, $me.position) < 150 && visibility.mode != 'private'",
    fields: ["position", "velocity", "status", "cargo"],
  },
  (update) => {
    // update is automatically filtered + versioned
    render(update);
  }
);

Entities: smart objects with state + logic

Entities in Playserv.io are not just blobs of JSON. They are designed to be:

• typed (schema)
• versioned (every change creates a new version)
• event-producing (changes emit events)
• inspectable (debug timelines, diffs, provenance)

Event architecture: every change becomes an event

Whenever an entity changes:

• a new version is created
• a change event is emitted
• subscriptions matching the visibility rules receive the update

{
  "entityId": "Ship:123",
  "version": 8841,
  "timestamp": "2026-01-13T10:22:31Z",
  "diff": {
    "position": { "x": 10.2, "y": 0.0, "z": -71.9 },
    "status": { "hp": 95, "shields": 40 }
  },
  "source": {
    "actor": "GameServer:eu-3",
    "reason": "combat_tick"
  }
}

Visibility filters: who sees what, and when

Visibility filters are the heart of scalable multiplayer.

Common patterns

• Geo / proximity: only show nearby entities
• Team / party: share updates inside a squad
• Shard / region: segment populations cleanly
• Game rules: fog-of-war, stealth, line-of-sight
• Privacy: private inventory vs public equipment

distance(entity.position, player.position) < 120
AND entity.visibility.mode != "private"

entity.visibility.mode == "team"
AND entity.visibility.teamId == player.teamId

entity.type == "NPC"
AND entity.ai.state != "hidden"
AND hasLineOfSight(player, entity)

Data model: schema, snapshots, diffs

A typical update flow has three complementary representations:

1. Snapshot - the current state
2. Diff - what changed since the previous version
3. Event - the metadata around the change

Unified API: one surface, multiple transports

You can integrate Playserv.io via:

What each transport is good for

Scaling: from small co-op to millions of players

Typical deployment modes

• Prototype mode: single region, minimal shards
• Live ops mode: multi-region with failover
• Massive mode: global scale with partitioned worlds

Built-in debugging: visibility, versions, provenance

Debugging multiplayer is usually painful. Playserv.io builds debugging into the model:

• entity timeline inspection
• version diff viewing
• event provenance (who/what changed it)
• subscription tracing (why a player did or did not receive an update)

Example: turning a single-player RPG into co-op

Incremental expansion path

1. Co-op (2-4 players)
2. Session-based multiplayer (10-50)
3. Shared world (hundreds)
4. MMO-like zones (thousands+)
5. Global persistence (millions)

Glossary

• Entity: A typed game object with schema, state, and versioned changes.
• Visibility Filter: Rules determining who can see which updates (geo, team, conditions).
• Event Stream: Append-only changes with versions for debugging, replay, and automation.
• Snapshot: Current materialized state of an entity.
• Subscription: A live query delivering updates as state changes.

FAQ

Next steps