---
## What is ROLL'D?
ROLL'D is a multiplayer marble game that runs entirely in the browser via Unity WebGL. Players control a physics-based ball in a shared 3D arena, competing for distance, speed, and style. The game features real-time synchronisation at 60 Hz, in-game chat, and persistent leaderboards.
No install. No account. Just open the page and roll.
---
## Features
- **Real-time multiplayer** - up to 20 players per room, 60 Hz state sync via Colyseus WebSockets
- **Physics-based gameplay** - Unity Rigidbody, jump charge, gel pads (speed boosts), ball-to-ball bumps
- **Room lobby** - browse open rooms, create your own, choose your colour and name
- **In-game chat** - accessible in-game (T key) and on the dedicated website chat page
- **Live leaderboards** - distance, max speed, jumps, bumps, playtime, updated every 30 seconds
- **Spectator camera** - orbiting camera while in lobby or after disconnecting
- **WebGL-native** - no plugins, no downloads, runs in Chrome/Firefox/Edge
---
## Architecture
```
rolld/
├── game/ # Unity 6 project (WebGL build)
│ └── Assets/Scripts/
│ ├── Network/ # Colyseus SDK integration, schema, lobby UI
│ ├── Stats/ # StatsTracker - periodic HTTP upload
│ └── UI/ # IMGUI in-game HUD, chat, keybinds
│
├── rolld_backend/game/ # Colyseus 0.17 game server (Node.js)
│ └── src/
│ ├── rooms/ # ArenaRoom - game state machine
│ ├── schema/ # Colyseus schema (Player + GameState)
│ ├── stats/ # StatsManager - JSON persistence
│ └── chat/ # ChatManager - in-memory history
│
└── frontend/ # React + Vite + Tailwind SPA
└── src/
├── pages/ # Home, Stats leaderboard, Chat
└── components/ # NavBar, GameCanvas (Unity embed)
```
### Network flow
```
Browser
└── Unity WebGL (GameCanvas iframe)
└── Colyseus SDK (WebSocket wss://)
└── ArenaRoom (Node.js)
└── Broadcast state @60 Hz
Browser
└── React SPA
└── REST API (HTTPS)
├── GET /stats/leaderboard/:key
├── GET /chat/history?since=
└── POST /stats/update (from Unity every 30s)
```
---
## Tech stack
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Game engine | Unity 6 LTS, C# |
| Multiplayer | Colyseus 0.17 (Node.js + WebSocket) |
| Frontend | React 19, Vite 5, Tailwind CSS 3 |
| Deployment | Docker, Coolify, nginx |
| Self-hosted | Proxmox LXC, Gitea, Traefik reverse proxy |
---
## Running locally
### Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+
- Unity 6000.x (for game builds only)
### Game server
```bash
cd rolld_backend/game
npm install
npm run dev
```
Server starts on `ws://localhost:2567`.
### Frontend
```bash
cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev
```
Open `http://localhost:5173`. The frontend points to the production game server by default - edit `src/pages/StatsPage.jsx` and `src/components/GameCanvas.jsx` to switch to localhost.
### Unity (optional)
Open `game/` in Unity 6. The server URL is hardcoded in `Assets/Scripts/Network/NetworkManager.cs`. Switch to `wss://game.rolld.kerboul.me` for prod or `ws://localhost:2567` for local testing.
---
## Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| WASD / Arrow keys | Move |
| Space (hold) | Charge jump |
| Space (release) | Jump |
| T | Open chat |
| Escape | Close chat |
| Tab | Show keybindings |
| Backtick (`) | Debug network info |
---
## Live deployment
