Thanks so much! That is lovely to hear :D - It has been so much joy to work on and having only a 12 second deployment time makes it even more fun to get new features out the door.
Please do join the Discord + Reddit thread, I would very much like to get more Supabase Realtime back into the game if the price was more viable too. I am somewhat of a Supabase fan-boy so being able to say 100% of the backend is powered by SB would be a dream for the game.
> get more Supabase Realtime back into the game if the price was more viable too
feel free to reach out to me on twitter (same username) to discuss this if you want. we are starting to think of realtime in the context of gaming so if you have feedback it would help us shape the pricing
Thanks!! Some more info on the implementation, I also have some posts on Linkedin showing the journey and sadly the need to pivot away from Supabase' Realtime for most of the gameplay
Initially Supabase was running EVERYTHING over their Realtime and Presence features, however things started to scale quite badly when it comes to the cost. Their pricing model on Realtime just isn't sustainable with a realtime game like this, sadly, so I had to pivot over to using Photon for the realtime messaging however still use Supabase for everything else.
- Database
- RLS
- Functions
- Auth
I then have a custom hook set up with Photon -> Supabase to ensure when players are trying to connect to the Photon Engine the Photon Engine checks back to ensure they are authenticated users.
I would have loved to have had everything running through Supabase like it was initially as it would have been a great use-case for them, but sadly with as little as 1,000 players per month it would have meant charging users at least $1.5 a month just to run with only about 2 hours of gameplay day each.
More info:
The issue: message-based billing. Real-time games are incredibly chatty:
- 8 players sending position updates at 10Hz = ~80 messages/second
- Add shooting, health, abilities = ~200-400 messages/second
- 1 hour of gameplay = ~1.4 million messages
Supabase free tier: 2M messages/month. We'd hit the limit in 90 minutes. On Pro tier ($25/mo base + $0.01 per 1000 messages):
- 100 concurrent players, 2hr sessions = ~150M messages/month
- Cost: ~$1,500/month
Photon charges by CCU (concurrent users), not messages:
- 100 CCU = $95/month flat, unlimited messages
- 16x cheaper for game workloads
What stayed on Supabase:
- Auth (perfect for this)
- Persistent data (player stats, leaderboards)
- ~1000 reads/day (well within free tier)
What moved to Photon:
- Position/movement updates
- Combat events
- Real-time state sync
I've been building DELVE - a multiplayer space survival game that runs entirely in your browser. Just made it public and would love for you to check it out!
What is it?
Think cooperative wave survival meets persistent MMO universe. You can play solo or team up with friends to fight endless zombie waves, OR explore a galaxy of 10+ star systems with PVP combat, autopilot navigation, and persistent progression.
Two Game Modes:
- Wave Mode (Co-op PvE)
- Team up with up to 8 players
- Fight endless waves of increasingly difficult enemies
- Level up, collect gems, unlock abilities
- Quick-start feature to skip early waves
- Global leaderboards
MMO Mode (Persistent Universe)
- Explore 10+ interconnected star systems
- Dock at space stations (your progress saves!)
- Autopilot navigation between systems
- PVP combat in low-security zones
- Target other players, engage in tactical ship battles
- Real-time shield/health systems
Core Features:
- 4 Unique Ships - Each with special abilities (shield boost, rapid fire, repair drone, energy burst)
- Real-time Multiplayer - Powered by Photon Cloud, buttery smooth netcode
- Zero Install - Runs in your browser, works on mobile too
- Progression System - Unlock ships, collect fragments, climb leaderboards
- Spectacular VFX - Particle effects, warp-in animations, ability visuals
Ship Progression Roadmap
Right now you can fly 4 starter ships (Shuttles - Tier 1)
Currently Playable:
- Vanguard Mk I - Tank/Frontline (Shield Boost ability)
- Striker Mk I - DPS/Assault (Rapid Fire ability)
- Engineer Mk I - Support/Deployer (Repair Drone ability)
- Arcanist Mk I - Techno-mage (Energy Burst ability)
Coming Soon:
Tier 2 - Frigates (4 ships) Light warships with improved stats and enhanced abilities like Fortress Protocol and Blitz Attack
Tier 2 - Interceptors (4 ships) Lightning-fast fighters including the Raptor (Afterburner), Viper (Precision Strike), Phoenix (Evasive Maneuvers), and Wraith (Phase Dash)
Tier 3 - Cruisers (4 ships) Balanced warships like the Valiant (Broadside), Crimson (Assault Mode), Horizon (Shield Matrix), and Phantom (Cloak)
Tier 4 - Destroyers (4 ships) Heavy hitters including Atlas (Siege Mode), Reaper (Death Strike - 500% damage!), Sentinel (Fortress Shield), and Eclipse (Void Cannon)
Tier 5 - Battle Cruisers (4 ships) Legendary vessels like Leviathan, Warlord (Berserker Mode), Bastion (Fleet Command), and Void Walker (Phase Shift)
Tier 6 - Battleships (4 ships) End-game behemoths including Colossus (Orbital Strike), Annihilator (Planet Cracker), and more
Tier 7 - Titans (Coming later) Massive capital ships that will dominate the battlefield
The goal: Create deep progression where every ship feels distinct and powerful, not just stat upgrades. The Tier 1 starter ships will always be viable - higher tiers offer different playstyles, not just power creep.
Completely Free
No paywalls, no ads (yet?), just pure space combat fun. Still in beta so expect some jank, but the core gameplay is solid.
Why I Built This:
I wanted to capture that feeling of early browser MMOs but with modern tech. The whole thing runs on Vue 3 + Phaser 3 + Supabase, and I'm building it in public. Everything's open source (link in comments if mods allow).
Looking For:
Feedback on gameplay feel
Bug reports (I'm sure there are plenty!)
Ideas for new features
Players to test multiplayer with
Try it out and let me know what you think! I'm actively developing and adding new features weekly. If you find bugs or have suggestions, drop them in the comments - I'm super responsive.
P.S. - Works best on desktop/laptop, but mobile is playable too (kinda).
Hey all,
So I have never actually posted on HN however I have been a reader for many years. My time, however, has come to ask a question and potentially some advice or support.
I'm a bit of a project addict, although I have always been in employment my whole career I am constantly coming up with ideas and trying my hardest to push them out there into real business models. It's a passion and a hobby of mine, my current employer is fully aware of my "side hustles" and most managers I have worked with in my career have always been welcoming as these side projects tend to really stretch our knowledge. I am sure I am not alone.
Now, the problem I currently face is about one of my projects under the guise of The Night Project (https://www.thenightproject.com)
Like all projects, I tend to stumble at the point of financials (funding) or resources (people) - And sadly this project I am about to share with you is no exception.
Crypto Dip is something I started earlier in the year and have been working on and off to get to a nice live and steady state to really push. It has been welcomed in all of the channels I have shared it, however, there is some farce competition. Sadly, I am starting to fall behind and the competitors who clearly have thousands of users already are starting to implement the same features I have endeavoured to push.
Crypto Dip, does not exactly bring anything unique, a lot of platforms offer the same. But the focus was always on education and simplicity. Bringing new people into the crypto world.
Anyway, I waffle (as always) - Please check out the website (WIP) and also the WhitePaper:
What I really need for CryptoDip to really be something is help, actual physical engineering help from people who want to have a slice of the cake. And I mean an even share in the project and it's Token holdings to help me push this over the finishing line.
What I am looking for from the community is the following:
- Should I sunset this and focus on personal life and other matters I have at hand.
- Should I look to diversify the project and take on some other engineers, sadly I can not pay, but I can offer token share and project equity share.
- Should I sunset the project and cut my losses, I've put a few thousand into this project thus far not to mention the engineering time.
This project came up mid way through working on a game and sadly I think if I didn't do this project I would have the Game live, which to me is a much more exciting thing to be working on.
If anyone is interested please reach out to me, Discord is probably the best place (https://discord.gg/aQrPxfF2)
I am looking for any experience or budding Python Engineers with some micro service experience who would really like to help take this to the next level. If I am unable to find the help then I think the time will have come to sunset the project and archive the codebase.
I've submitted to add my SciFi Space MMO Game (https://play.delve-online.com) - Run mission, fly with friends, kill rats, pvp etc etc :D
Thanks and have fun :D