Server software for multiplayer turn-based RPG like Pokemon

I’m creating a 1 vs. 1 online multiplayer turn-based RPG, similar to Pokemon, for Android. I can pretty easily get everything going how I need it to on Unity. The problem is that I need everything run from the server to prevent any cheating on the client end, and for security reasons.

I’ll explain my logic, and tell me what’s wrong and what’s right:

  1. Client only holds resource data (graphics, audio, menus, etc.)
  2. Client connects to server asking to be matched with someone of similar level to battle with
  3. Server finds someone to match with
  4. Server creates a ‘room’ for the two players to fight in
  5. Server accesses databases for all player info (equipment, statistics, etc.)
  6. Server totally handles all calculations, processing, results, databases
    a) Client is merely sending selection to server and visually displaying what happens
    b) Client is just receiving the results of the battle turns and displaying them

I think I have the logic down. I know how to handle databases, and anything I don’t know about them, my brother will know. It’s the execution that gets me. I’m not really sure at all how to actually handle the server’s battle processing. Do I use Unity? Do I need to write my own custom software? What do I do for that ‘middle man’?

I checked out SmartFoxServer, and it seemed to be what I’m looking for. I’d rather not pay that much for something this simple, but I will if I really have to.

I know how to do all the code logic for all the processing, it’s just knowing where to actually put that code. Any help would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

I’ve only dealt with multiplayer aspects of games in Unity a bit, but I’ve found that Player.IO is mostly straightforward to work with. → http://playerio.com/

They offer a free plan for small scale, which is great for first starting off with development and getting a feel for how things will work. On top of that, they have a free SDK for Unity you can download and lots of documentation to guide the way.
If things are going well and the game starts to take off, they offer larger plans that scale well but require some $$$.

As for the overall setup and logic you’ve listed, it seems like a sound plan to me. Hope this helps at least a bit and good luck!