Configure persistent session
Persistent sessions were a feature of Armada, the deprecated server manager offered as part of AccelByte Gaming Services (AGS). Armada has been replaced by AccelByte Multiplayer Servers (AMS). This feature is only supported in Armada and AMS. The content of this article will be updated once persistent sessions are released for custom DS.
Overview
AccelByte Gaming Services (AGS) Session features the ability to create persistent sessions. Persistent sessions ensure that sessions remain active during events such as player absences, dedicated server crashes, or session timeouts, among others.
For example, in survival games, servers frequently operate continuously to accommodate the constant flow of players entering and exiting. However, extended periods of dedicated server operation often result in performance degradation. While dedicated servers perform optimally with continuous operation, maintaining consistent performance is essential. Game developers require a solution that ensures uninterrupted 24/7 session availability for players while maximizing dedicated server performance.
How it works
The persistent session configuration cannot be modified dynamically. It adheres strictly to the persistent configuration set during initialization when the template is configured.
Here's a flowchart showing how persistent sessions work in AGS.
Here are some considerations regarding persistent permissions:
- The Session service keeps player history in the session for 24 hours (default) before removing the player from the list. With the growing list of players that will increase data size overtime, it could affect the query performance. To prevent that, AccelByte recommends to limit the number of active players in a session.
- Manage server lifecycle to lower the likelihood of DS from having performance degradation or hanging.
Configure a persistent session in the Admin Portal
It's essential to delete the persistent session when it's not actively in use. Extended periods of inactivity can lead to significant resource consumption, as the session may repeatedly spawn dedicated servers over several days or even months.
On the Admin Portal sidebar, go to Multiplayer > Matchmaking > Session Configuration.
Under the Session Template tab, click + Add Session Template. A pop-up menu will appear for adding the new session template.
Within the Add Session Template creation, populate the Session Type field and select DS - AMS or DS - Armada (Deprecated) from the options.
Toggle the Set as Persistent to enable this template for persistent sessions.
Click the Add button to finalize the creation of the session template.