The new version is compatible with Unity iPhone 1.7, Unity 2 and Unity 3 (beta) and includes several internal improvements and some additional features.

Most importantly: any callback and state-change of the library is now done in the game-thread, within Service() (or more precisely in DispatchIncomingCommands()). This prevents common threading issues which could happen before. Now, you only have to make sure you use PhotonPeer from a single Thread to avoid issues.

Another important change is that you can now use either IPs or urls on any platform, to define the server-address. If an IP is spotted, there is of course no DNS lookup on connect.

With PhotonPeer.DisconnectTimeout, you can define the client-side timeout as millisecond value. This is an additional model to the definition of retries.

The DebugReturn callback now has a debug level parameter to give you more logging options and we introduced the enum StatusCode, which is used as PeerStatusCallback() parameter.

Check out the release_history.txt file for a complete list of changes.

Get the new version here.

It’s FREE and launching later year. You’ll get:

• Easy-to-integrate multiplayer
• Voice chat technology
• Casual and Hardcore versions

For Casual Games: Give people a reason to laugh and play. All you need is a high score and you can transform your game from single to multiplayer in just a few hours.

For Hardcore Games: Build the hardest of core multiplayer games with some advanced tech we’ve created in partnership with Exit Games. You’ll get a socket-based cross platform server, support for up to 16 player server authoritative games, a lobby & matchmaking.

Apply for the private beta now: http://openfeint.com/developers.

This one is especially interesting for everyone using Unity3d as it’s client side is Unity-only. Of course you can learn a bit from it for any Photon-supported client type and server development.

More info and discussion:

Forum post: Tutorial: “NetSync Objects” for Unity

Download:

http://www.exitgames.com/Download/Photon “Netsync-Demo-for-Photon-v2-0-5.zip”

The MMO Demo v2.0.5 implements proposals that emerged in forum discussions with our growing community. If you haven’t yet, join the dialog with Exit Games and help us shape Photon. Some of the changes: You now have access to actor interest-areas and items. Vectors are serialized to float arrays for sending and Items now use ICoordinates in the constructor, which removes the need to use Vectors there.

The Photon Server SDK v2.0.5 now includes a 64bit build for WinXP and Win2003 servers. Photon Control now indicates when it’s busy (waiting for service start) and of course we updated the binaries of the MMO application (up to date with the MMO Demo source).

The Flash SDK v5.5.1 includes a crucial fix for the server timestamp, which did not show a valid value when the server’s time had an overflow.  Now it shows the approximated timestamp in all cases.

Download and start your network engine today!

Matt: The use of middleware let us leverage someone else’s expertise. It got us up and running faster, and leaves us more time to focus on making a great gameplay experiences.

Matt:  First, Photon’s proven Unity support. We’re using Unity for ‘the Mummy Online, so this was a must-have. Second Photon’s use of C#  allows us to use the game scripting language on  both the server and client. Third, the support of reliable UDP also a must-have for any MMO. And lastly, Photon’s pricing made sense.

Matt: We evaluated other products, but found Photon’s feature to be the best fit for our needs. The combination of: UDP, binary sockets, C# to write the server code, plus a great Unity SDK, was hard to beat.

Thanks Matt!

Matt Mahon is Technical Director of Schell Games which is developing “The Mummy” MMO for Bigpoint.

This video gives you a short introduction to the MMO Demo for the Photon socket-server. It shows how to merge the Unity Island Demo into our package, compile and start the windows client to create some simulated players before you finally visit the tropical island inside Unity. See how you move the simulated players around and how to modify the view distance.

You do need to have the Photon socket-server installed locally, of course. How to do this, our How to Install Photon video will show you – in even less time.

After fixing all known issues, Photon v2 is finally declared stable!

As usual for releases after an extensive time with RCs, this has only a handful of changes: Creating operations became one step easier (no PopulateParameters anymore) and more verbose in case of errors (all get listed now, instead just the first one). There is more documentation (photon-getting-started.pdf, photon-configuration.pdf and in Lite code) and even PhotonControl got a few updates.

In the near future, we will lower the entry barriers and extend the current package.

Get Photon v2 now.

(Click on the video to watch in HD directly on YouTube)

Here is another tutorial video. It shows how easy it is to get the Photon socket-server SDK for Unity 3D running. Just download it from our website, unzip the files, edit the Unity Scene file (to change the server to your local IP) and it runs. And all it takes is just about 2 minutes. You do need to have the Photon Server installed locally, of course. How to do this, our How to Install Photon video will show you – in even less time.

Downloading, installing and starting Photon is a matter of just a few minutes as you can see in this clip.
You will see, first steps are incredibly easy and will take only about two minutes to run your own socket-server!

Many more videos are to follow – in the meantime, don’t hesitate to let us know what you think.

(Portland, USA) – June, 2010 –– Exit Games, the leading provider of multi-platform online game engines and services, today announced that its network engine, Photon, has been selected by the global leader in browser-based gaming, Bigpoint (http://bigpoint.com). Photon was chosen to power the online features in a game based on Universal’s hit film franchise ‘The Mummy’.

‘The Mummy’ MMOG is being developed by Schell Games, a studio led by game design visionary Jesse Schell, with Unity technology. Exit Games Photon perfectly complements Unity-based online game development due to its .NET/C# development framework and the Photon Unity Client SDK. When it comes to the development of large scale MMOGs or real-time games, Photon is the only professional middleware on the market providing UDP protocol support, binary sockets and an interest management framework.

Photon’s features are unparalleled in the market and with its latest MMOG interest management, binary sockets and UDP support, it is the ideal engine for MMO projects – especially in combination with Unity.

“Bigpoint is quickly becoming one of the leading publishers of licensed games, enjoyed by over 130 million users around the world. For this game, Photon’s technology will help us handle tens of thousands of concurrent users on only a small number of servers. This will not only save us lots of money, but it will also help us to ramp up a hit game with a robust network layer in a minimum amount of time, “ says Dr. Jan Wergin, CTO of Bigpoint.

“Before starting the development of ‘The Mummy Online’, Schell Games thoroughly investigated the market for a professional network middleware. We were impressed with Photon’s feature set and Unity support. We did our homework and we’re confident that Exit Games’ Photon is absolutely the right choice for this exciting project,” says Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games.

“We are extremely proud that Exit Games Photon was chosen for such a fantastic and large scale MMOG production,” said Chris Wegmann, CTO, Exit Games. “That is a great example of what Photon is made for. We can hardly wait for the game launch to see Photon’s high-performance architecture being proved once more. Schell Games and Bigpoint really went through a tough due diligence process and at the end Photon was the winner. I think that tells the story.”

The teaser website for The Mummy Online is available at http://www.themummy.bigpoint.com/.

Exit Games Photon reference projects such as the golf simulation “World Golf Tour” (www.wgt.com) and the Facebook application “Paradise Paintball” by Cmune (www.cmune.com) are available to be played online. Recent clients wins are GuppyWorks (www.guppyworks.com) and Zero Fractal Studio (www.zerofractal.com).

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About Exit Games

Exit Games is a leading provider of products and services for the development of online games. Exit Games online game engines, Neutron® and Photon, allow developers the easy integration of online gaming features to their applications on browsers, personal computers, MACs or mobile devices including the iPad, iPhone and Android. Exit Games products are used by leading entertainment industry customers such as Bigpoint, Walt Disney, Square Enix, Taito, Konami, World Golf Tour and E! Entertainment to create online, social and community-based games and applications. Communication industry partners and customers include Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS, Vodafone, Qualcomm, Intel, Sony Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks. Exit Games was founded in 2003 with venture capital funding and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with an office in Portland, Oregon, USA. For more information, please visit the company website: www.exitgames.com.

About Bigpoint
Bigpoint is an online-game publisher, content provider for large media concerns and browser-based game developer. The company’s game portfolio has achieved the same high level of quality usually associated with CDs or consoles. More than 450 employees from over 35 different nations work together in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany at the headquarters of the world’s largest browser-game portal. The company also has locations in Berlin, San Francisco and Malta. The games are available in over 35 languages and provide more than 130 million gamers from Europe to America and beyond with free, first-class entertainment, without the hassle of having to download or install any additional software.

For further information about Bigpoint and its games, please visit http://www.bigpoint.net.

Contact:
Bigpoint GmbH
Janine Griffel
Head of PR
Tel.: +49-(0)40 881413-163
Fax: +49-(0)40 881413-7163
E-mail: j.griffel@bigpoint.net

About Schell Games
Schell Games is a full-service game design and development company specializing in creating innovative interactive experiences.  Founded in 2002 by one of the world’s top game designers and renowned author, Jesse Schell, and made up of highly talented artists, programmers, producers, and game designers, Schell Games has offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Austin, Texas.

We focus on creating memorable experiences through online games, interactive theme park attractions, console and handheld games, internet-enabled toys, and virtual worlds.

Schell Games – We find the Fun.

Want us to find the Fun for you?

Contact us at info@schellgames.com or visit us at www.schellgames.com