TickLens

01 Multiplayer field diagnostics

Find the room that’s growing wild.

TickLens reveals the fanout hidden behind a calm CPU graph. Add a tiny probe, run your game, and open one private HTML field note.

Install TickLens

Zero dependencies · payloads never captured · IDs redacted by default

A field-guide fern whose branching veins connect a central game server stem to abstract multiplayer rooms.
Fig. 01 Outbound fanout behaves like branching growth.
Tick durationSpot slow simulation
Room sizeSee topology pressure
Bytes + messagesEstimate outbound cost
FanoutCatch accidental N² work

Specimen A / seeded test

Five rooms. Five hundred clients. One invasive loop.

The sample models a common failure: every player update is broadcast to every other player in one room. Run it, then read the same ranking an exported trace gives you.

No samples pressed yet.

Method / three cuts

From tick to field note.

  1. 1

    Wrap each room tick

    TickLens times the work and records the current room size.

  2. 2

    Observe the outbound path

    Use the Socket.IO or WebSocket adapter, or count sends directly.

  3. 3

    Open one local report

    The standalone HTML ranks rooms by fanout and keeps raw payloads out.

Installation / Node 18+

Drop it beside your game loop.

Terminal
npm install multiplayer-update-lens
server.ts
import { createProbe, writeReport } from "multiplayer-update-lens";

const lens = createProbe();

await lens.tick(room.id, {
  roomSize: room.players.length
}, () => room.step());

await writeReport(lens, "trace.html");

Read the complete Socket.IO and WebSocket API on GitHub

A deliberately narrow lens

Measure the shape, not the contents.

TickLens estimates packet size and counts recipients. It never stores state payloads, player messages, or socket frames. Room IDs become session-scoped labels unless you explicitly opt out.

Optional / local team workflow

Keep the field notes. Compare the seasons.

The open probe and every report stay free. Field Kit adds browser-local trace retention and side-by-side comparison for small teams.

Field Kit

$29 one-time

  • Save up to 30 traces on this device
  • Compare the two newest room rankings
  • Use the same license on another device
Buy Field Kit

Secure checkout. Sociobot / Dodo is the merchant of record. Refunds are handled there.

Free edition · reports are fully enabled

Local trace library

Unlock Field Kit to retain and compare exported reports in this browser.

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