Status: Accepted
Date: 2026-05-23
Context#
V4 contains slow tactical coordination, high-speed twitch combat, and RTS-scale unit simulation. A single replication strategy would either overfit one cell or weaken the others.
Decision#
Dedicated client-server is the default networking architecture. RTS simulation uses deterministic lockstep for command streams and replayable state. Twitch PvP layers rollback-emulated prediction on top of authoritative server state for input responsiveness.
Consequences#
- Shared online services cannot inject nondeterministic decisions into RTS gameplay resolution.
- Replay and anti-cheat systems must record the netcode strategy used by each match.
- Network automation must include dedicated-server, lockstep, and prediction regression suites.