"Break, Enter, Repeat" Devlog #2

Multiplayer has always been on our radar as a feature that could make the game even more engaging and replayable, so we decided to spend a week exploring how feasible it would be to integrate. Spoiler: it works (not perfectly but it works)! But let's break it down!

The challenges of multiplayer

Multiplayer games are incredibly tricky to pull off. They come with a unique set of challenges: synchronising the state and position of players, managing edge cases, deciding which player has authority over what, making sure the game feels seamless across all connections... And a bunch more.

To tackle this, we're testing Unity's own multiplayer solution, Netcode for GameObjects. So far, it's proven to be a solid foundation. There's still plenty of room to improve, but we're super excited by the progress we've made.

The prototype in action

The first step in our co-op experience is the planning lobby, where up to four players can join the game, choose their characters, and pick the tools they'll bring to the heist. The video below shows our progress so far, with all four players in sync. In the future, the planning lobby will also contain tools for... Well... Planning the heist itself! You'll be able to review the target's blueprints with your friends and communicate using text or voice chat to decide what's the best approach.

Once the team is ready, the heist begins. Each player spawns at their designated spawn point, and the synchronised movement of the characters can be seen in this other clip.

The real fun begins when the team infiltrates the building. In this clip, players interact with the environment: one character opens a door while another switches on the lights... And all actions get synced across the four player session.

While this prototype still has bugs and rough edges, this small experiment shows how multiplayer could transform the gameplay experience. Co-op adds a social layer to the game, encouraging communication and strategy. To that end, we've also prototyped a simple in-game chat feature to make coordinating heists with your friends easier.

What's next?

With this successful proof of concept under our belts, we're pausing multiplayer development for now to refocus on the game's core mechanics, single-player mode, and a new and exciting sandbox mode with a level editor. These additions will bring even more replayability to Break, Enter, Repeat, and we'll have more to share on them very soon!

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates, and if you're keen on sharing ideas or telling us what would make this game great, don't hesitate to follow us on Twitter (or X, or whatever) or join our Discord community. Meanwhile, go ahead and wishlist "Break, Enter, Repeat" on Steam if you haven’t already... Every bit of support helps!

More updates to come... Stay sneaky!