Flesh out Ebiten blog post with more content and links

Author: ValorZard

content/en/blog/making-a-game-with-pion.md

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ date: 2025-09-09
 authors: ["Srayan Jana"]
 ---
 
+(The following was adapted from a talk I gave at [DWeb Weekend 2025](https://dwebseminar.org/weekend/) at the Internet Archive in San Francisco on August 17, 2025)
+
 # Simplifying WebRTC Datachannels for Games
 
 First of all, to get some stuff out of the way, instead of using the "super complicated" WebRTC datachannels, why don't we use something simpler?
@@ -20,18 +22,22 @@ First of all, to get some stuff out of the way, instead of using the "super comp
 ## The Case for Web Transport
 
 - Replacement for Websockets, uses QUIC instead of TCP.
-- Has been in development for a long time, and I want to get started now.
+- However, it has been in development for a long time, and I want to get started on making games now.
 - Current issues:
   - [Caniuse WebTransport](https://caniuse.com/webtransport)
   - Official demos on [GitHub](https://github.com/w3c/webtransport) do not work on Firefox on Windows.
   - [GitHub Issue](https://github.com/w3c/webtransport/issues/675)
   - [Firefox Bugzilla](https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1969090)
-- **Potential**: Will probably solve most problems once finished.
+- **Potential**: Will probably solve most problems once finished and would be the best choice for making a multiplayer game on the web.
 
 ## Datachannels: A Hidden Gem of WebRTC
 
 - **Feature**: Lets us send unreliable packets over the web using SCTP.
 - Advantage: We don’t need WebTransport; we can use this today.
+- They were created in part for exactly this use case 
+  - [See the reasoning for unreliable datachannels in the official specification itself](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc8831#name-use-cases-for-unreliable-da)
+  - [Not to mention that one of the original implementers of WebRTC wanted to enable this usecase](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13264952)
+![Comment from original WebRTC team member](/img/comment_from_webrtc_team.png)
 
 ## Benefits and Drawbacks of WebRTC
 
@@ -56,7 +62,9 @@ First of all, to get some stuff out of the way, instead of using the "super comp
 - [webrtc-rs](https://github.com/webrtc-rs/webrtc) - Rust (using Tokio Runtime).
 - [str0m](https://github.com/algesten/str0m) - Rust (sans-io).
 - [sipsorcery](https://github.com/sipsorcery-org/sipsorcery) - C#
-- [GameNetworkingSockets](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/GameNetworkingSockets) - Uses ICE and STUN/TURN for Peer to Peer.
+- [GameNetworkingSockets](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/GameNetworkingSockets) 
+  - Uses ICE and STUN/TURN for Peer to Peer.
+  - Created by Valve and made for Steam, which means if you've ever played a game like Counter Strike or Deadlock, you've already seen this library in action!
 
 ### Existing Game Networking Libraries Using WebRTC
 
@@ -67,7 +75,7 @@ First of all, to get some stuff out of the way, instead of using the "super comp
 - [Matchbox](https://github.com/johanhelsing/matchbox) - WebRTC datachannel library for Rust, compiles to both native and WASM.
 - [PeerJS](https://github.com/peers/peerjs) - Great for browser-only apps/games, not specifically for game networking.
 - [Netplayjs](https://github.com/rameshvarun/netplayjs) - Untested but seems to work well.
-- [Godot's WebRTC Native](https://github.com/godotengine/webrtc-native) - Official Godot bindings to libdatachannel for Godot’s multiplayer API.
+- [Godot Engine's WebRTC Native](https://github.com/godotengine/webrtc-native) - Official Godot bindings to libdatachannel for Godot’s multiplayer API.
 
 ## Real-World Uses
 
@@ -76,7 +84,11 @@ First of all, to get some stuff out of the way, instead of using the "super comp
   - [Xash3D Launcher](https://github.com/ololoken/xash3d-launcher)
   - [Counter Strike 1.6 on the web](https://turch.in/cs/index.html)
   - ![Counter Strike](/img/counter_strike_on_the_web.png)
-
+- **Hypersomnia** - Open source 2D shooter made with C++ and libdatachannel
+  - Has cross platform capabilities between both 
+    - The [native Steam port](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2660970/Hypersomnia/) 
+    - And in the browser (On [CrazyGames](https://www.crazygames.com/game/hypersomnia) and [the official website](https://hypersomnia.io/))
+  - [Github Link](https://github.com/TeamHypersomnia/Hypersomnia)
 ## Why Go for Development?
 
 - Efficient: It just gets the job done.
@@ -86,25 +98,40 @@ First of all, to get some stuff out of the way, instead of using the "super comp
 ## Why Not Rust?
 
 - Preference: I like Rust, but Go has a more active scene/easier help for WebRTC.
-- Compilation: Big ecosystem, besides C, C++, and C#, that can compile to game consoles (Rust cannot yet).
 - Speed of development: It's faster to code in Go compared to Rust.
 
 ## Why Ebitengine for Game Development?
-
+- [Website Link](https://ebitengine.org/)
 - **Versatile**: 2D game engine that works across various platforms.
-- **Potential Crossplay**: Nintendo Switch, PC, and browser.
-
-## Showcase
-
-- **Pion PR**: [Example WebRTC Applications](https://github.com/pion/example-webrtc-applications/pull/351)
-- If time permits: Show a version that works with the web at [ValorZard](https://github.com/ValorZard/gopher-combat)
-
-## Games That Use WebRTC
+  - The creator, [Hajime Hoshi](https://hajimehoshi.com/), has ported the engine (and the Go language!) to [the Nintendo Switch](https://ebitengine.org/en/blog/native_compiling_for_nintendo_switch.html) and other game consoles
+- **Battle Tested**: Has been used for actual games like 
+  - [From Madness with Love](https://playism.com/en/game/frommadness-withlove/)
+    - [Steam Link](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2101130/From_Madness_with_Love/)
+  - Coral & The Abyss
+    - [Steam Link](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3123920/Coral__The_Abyss/)
+    - [Nintendo eShop Link](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/coral-and-the-abyss-switch/)
+  - Rakuen
+    - [Steam Link](https://store.steampowered.com/app/559210/Rakuen/)
+    - [Nintendo eShop Link](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/rakuen-deluxe-edition-switch/)
+  - And more on the [Ebitengine Showcase Page](https://ebitengine.org/en/showcase.html)
+- **Potential Crossplay**: You could make a cross platform multiplayer game in pure Go that works between the Nintendo Switch, PC, and the browser!
+
+## Official Pion Example
+- We now have an official example using Ebitengine in the Pion [example-webrtc-applications](https://github.com/pion/example-webrtc-applications) repository
+- This includes an bundled in signaling server so you can host your own lobby, and connect with another player.
+- [**Github Link to Game**](https://github.com/pion/example-webrtc-applications/tree/master/ebiten-game)
+- **PR where it was merged in**: [Example WebRTC Applications](https://github.com/pion/example-webrtc-applications/pull/351)
+- **Limitations**
+  - Right now, this can only support two players on the same computer
+    - Could probably work between two different computers, but we would need to figure out how to setup CORS properly for the signaling server
+    - The machinery is there to support more than two players in a lobby, but as of writing this article it is [currently hardcoded](https://github.com/pion/example-webrtc-applications/blob/5c7005933879d34fa19b4d0c744bb884a247f5dc/ebiten-game/game/main.go#L154) to just two
+![Picture of game](/img/game_on_web_and_desktop.png)
+
+## Other Games That Use WebRTC
 
 - [Tough Love Arena](https://toughlovearena.com/)
 - [Counterpick Labs](https://www.counterpicklabs.com/)
 - [2D Soccer](https://2dsoccer.com/)
-- [Hypersomnia](https://github.com/TeamHypersomnia/Hypersomnia)
 
 ## Possibilities with WebRTC