I'm nearing the end of developing a game that allows players to build their own levels. In the interest of making levels easily accessible, I'd like to enable players to upload, search, and download levels directly within the game. For this, I will need a host for the online service on which the levels will be stored.
This is the strategy I currently have in mind:
The server application will be developed locally. For testing, I will set up a Linux VM on my PC where the server application can be tested, using the host (or another VM) as the client. After testing, I will use a cloud service to host the server application where it is accessible to the public.
These will be the basic functions of the server to begin with:
- Account management (register, verify, authenticate, recover password, etc.).
- Submit a level. Includes author (user name), timestamp of submission, level name, and the level file itself.
- Search for level by author, date, time, and name.
- Download a level.
Here's are the concerns that I'm most unsure about:
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Development. I prefer C++ and SDL_net based on my familiarity with these as a game developer, but is it worth considering other options for the server application? I don't have any experience with web development technology (HTML5, PHP, MySQL, etc.) so I'm not sure if it would be more effective to learn something new, or do it the way I already know.
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Security. I know websites normally use HTTPS and SSL certificates for secure communication, but would this be necessary for my service, or could I get away with just using public-key cryptography? What's would be the worst case scenario for an attack on my service?
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Hosting. At a glance I found a Linux-based cloud service where a 3-year contract costs €268, which includes one CPU core, 50GB storage, 50TB data transfer, and a static IP address. The levels are typically only 100KB each after compression, so this sounds like plenty more than I need, but I've never developed a cloud-based service before. Is there anything else I should know? Better options to consider?
- Legal. GDPR is currently a hot topic, but how would it apply to my service and what would I need to do? Most information about GDPR refers to organisations, but says nothing about individuals and hobbyists. Are there other potential legal issues besides GDPR that I need to be aware of?
