Solo build, personal / 2026

SAO-X · Skill Art Online

A playable multiplayer action RPG, built from combat to persistence. GAS abilities, player trading, inventory and PvP share a dedicated backend, while an Awakening Diagnosis assigns a race based on how you play.

SAO-X gameplay, a staff-wielding character beneath floating rocks and stone arches — A continuous walk through the town hub, from village road to plaza and arch colonnade. Open the full video for the wider gameplay showcase.

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The problem

Action-RPG combat at MMO scale is unforgiving: abilities, trading, PvP, and persistence all have to stay authoritative and in sync with many players sharing one world.

The approach

Built on Unreal's Gameplay Ability System with a C++ core, then a dedicated backend on Docker (Postgres, Redis, NATS) and JWT auth with handoff tokens for clean server transfers. Player behavior is tracked into an “Awakening Diagnosis” that assigns one of 6 races.

The result

A playable build: inventory, trading, PvP zones, and the ability system working end to end at 100 concurrent players per instance, now expanding toward a bigger world.

Built with

Unreal Engine 5.8
C++
GAS
Dedicated Server
Docker
PostgreSQL
Redis
NATS
JWT Auth