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“GameLift is purpose-built for game servers and has been validated by well-known development teams. Knowing that others were utilizing it gave us the confidence to build. It also streamlined our server deployment and management,” shared Lucas Grant, Co-Founder and Technical Director of Mythos Creations.
A Journey Begins
The concept for “Legends of Eldoria,” envisioned as a vibrant fantasy adventure blending action role-playing game (RPG) and survival mechanics, was ignited in 2016. The following year, Mythos submitted their idea to the Montreal Indie Game Awards for local studios and emerged victorious. With the prize money and recognition, they transitioned “Legends of Eldoria” into full production. Prior to the alpha build release in March 2019, Mythos adopted a backend framework incorporating Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and Amazon GameLift.
“We opted to establish the backend early on rather than waiting for gameplay to develop before adding multiplayer elements. Previously, we relied on a managed backend provider but sought to create more of it ourselves using existing services; however, autoscaling was essential since we lacked dedicated DevOps,” Jouan explained. “GameLift’s adaptable fleet management system enables us to seamlessly redirect player traffic between game versions, facilitating the launch of test builds and updates without disrupting user experience. This functionality allows us to prepare, respond to, and adjust in various situations.”
Building Strong Connections
In addition to backend enhancements, Mythos embraced Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to develop and operate “Legends of Eldoria.” The team collaborated closely with Epic to ensure a successful launch across all platforms. As they neared completion, Epic awarded them a MegaGrant, which provides financial support to creators utilizing Unreal Engine. Shortly thereafter, Mythos partnered with Atlas Publishing for the official release of “Legends of Eldoria.”
“The MegaGrant was a significant boost to our achievements, and that recognition indeed reinforced our belief in the project and propelled us forward. It also provided an extra layer of visibility,” said Grant. “Furthermore, knowing that Epic relies on AWS for ‘Fortnite’ confirmed our choice to use AWS. It met our research and development needs, and given that AWS SDK already supported Unreal Engine, the integration process with GameLift was remarkably straightforward.”
Data-Driven Approaches
Throughout the initial development and continuous updates of “Legends of Eldoria,” the Mythos team monitored metrics via Amazon GameLift’s integration with Amazon CloudWatch. This solution offers insights that inform server optimization and enhance the overall player experience. For instance, by analyzing initial placement metrics and their alignment with player-selected regions, the team can ascertain if they are operating the optimal number of servers in each area, establishing a baseline for pre-warming server fleets.
“When we launched the game, we pre-warmed all our servers due to uncertainty. As we became more familiar with GameLift, our trust in it grew, allowing us to maintain our baseline. We’ve implemented 19 updates in three years, and by the fifth update, we were able to predict necessary capacity for our release,” Grant elaborated.
For fleet composition within Amazon EC2, Mythos utilizes both on-demand and Spot Instances, ensuring optimal game performance while minimizing costs when feasible. “We don’t always utilize the same fleets, but we’ve had great success with c4.large and c5.large Spot Instances; their high availability ensures minimal interruptions,” Grant noted.
When AWS introduces new Amazon EC2 instances, Mythos can adjust its fleet within an hour using Amazon GameLift, testing performance without compromising player experience. “The recently launched AWS Graviton instances are the next advancement we’re looking forward to,” added Grant.
An Expanding Community
“Legends of Eldoria” is now available for PC and consoles globally, with Mythos frequently enriching the game with new content, mechanics, and enhancements. The studio values player feedback in shaping these updates and promotes community engagement through the “Eldorian Heroes” program, rewarding players for positive contributions. Consequently, the game has garnered a robust rating on Steam, along with accolades from various industry events.
As they approach a decade in game development, Mythos is just beginning to explore the rich narrative universe surrounding “Legends of Eldoria.” Grant concluded, “We can deliver updates swiftly and efficiently because we prioritize decisiveness and innovation. We also draw inspiration from the paths taken by other developers, which ultimately led us to AWS and Amazon GameLift.”
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