Understanding multiplayer game network modes
Network mode refers to a game application’s relationship to a multiplayer game session. A game instance can adopt any of the following game modes:
- Listen server (host): In this mode, one player’s machine serves as both the game server and the local player’s game environment. The game running on the server is hosting a network multiplayer session, which accepts connections from remote clients. This mode is often used for casual cooperative and competitive multiplayer games.
- Dedicated server: In this mode, the game is running as a server hosting a network multiplayer session. It accepts connections from remote clients but has no local players. The dedicated server mode is often used for large-scale multiplayer games.
A headless dedicated server is a server packaged without any graphic and audio, input, or other player-oriented features, so that the server runs more efficiently and uses less memory.
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