FAQ
Can I use AWS Lambda to generate access tokens?
Yes, you can use AWS Lambda to generate access tokens with your access key. We have an example on how to do this with NodeJS. Please see our Token Server Example for more information.
Can I use Azure Function to generate access tokens?
Yes, you can use Azure Function to generate access tokens with your access key. We have an example on how to do this with NodeJS. Please see our Token Server Example for more information.
Can I use Google Cloud Functions to generate access tokens?
Yes, you can use Google Cloud Functions to generate access tokens with your access key. We have an example on how to do this with NodeJS. Please see our Token Server Example for more information.
Can ODIN record a room's audio for later playback?
Yes, ODIN can record a room's audio and store it in a file. This file can be played back later. You can also use recording features to transcribe the audio for content moderation or automatic session notes. We provide a NodeJS SDK and a Bot SDK that allows you to implement these features in no time. And as everything is running on your side there are no issues with data protection, too.
We have an example on how to record and transcribe ODIN audio streams in real time. Read this guide to learn more.
Does ODIN also provide text message chat?
Yes, ODIN provides a text message chat. You can use it to send text messages to other users in the same room. All our SDKs provide a simple interface to send and receive text and other form of data. ODIN is very flexible here and let's you send any kind of data you want. You can even send binary data like images or videos.
Look out for the SendMessage and OnMessageReceived methods in our SDKs.
Does this affect the performance of my game?
No. ODIN is highly optimized and we made sure, that you can allocate all the resources you need to your game.
How long does it take to integrate ODIN?
The actual integration time will vary based on the feature set you want to utilize, but we’ve had some initial feedback from our early bird partners, who had the first implementation running in less than one hour.
I cannot connect to ODIN. What can I do?
ODIN uses latest QUIC/HTTP3 technology and some administrators of cooperate office networks block ports required by this technology. Please check with your IT department if they can open the required ports. Please provide them this link to our firewall settings.
Is ODIN as good as Discord?
ODIN is a voice chat SDK that you can integrate into your game or app. It is not a standalone application like Discord. However, in terms of voice quality and latency many of our customers report that ODIN is much better than Discord. You can also use ODIN to build your own Discord-like application.
What license is your SDK under?
Our SDKs for Unity, Unreal, Swift and the Web (and others) are licensed under the MIT license, you are free to use them and you can even modify them to your needs. However, all our SDKs include our Core SDK which is not open source and thus cannot be modified, in fact our license agreement prohibits you from reverse engineering our Core SDK.
What plans do you offer?
For developing and testing purposes, ODIN is free to use for up to 25 concurrent users. For production usage or extended testing, a subscription is required. Depending on the use case, we offer different pricing models. If you want to leverage the 4Players Cloud infrastructure for your game, you can use our cloud-based solution. If you want to run your own ODIN server, you can use our on-premise solution. Pricing differs between these two solutions.
All pricing models are based on peak users. A concurrent user is a user that is connected to ODIN at the same time. If a user disconnects, he is no longer counted as a concurrent user.
Depending on where you are located, VAT may be added to the prices.
Cloud-based
Our cloud-based solution is based on a monthly subscription model. The base fee is 19,90 EUR per month. This includes up to 100 concurrent users. Additional users are charged with 0,29 EUR per user and month. You can set a limit to make sure you don't exceed your budget, however in this case, users might be able to connect if the peak user limit is reached. You can use as many rooms as you like, there is no limit.
You have a game with 1000 concurrent users. You want to use ODIN for voice chat. You want to make sure that you don't exceed a monthly budget of 500 EUR. You set the peak user limit to 1000. You will be charged 19,90 EUR for the base fee and 290 EUR for the additional users. In total, you will be charged 309,90 EUR for the month.
On-premise
Our on-premise solution is based on the number of server instances you want to run. The base fee is 350 EUR per month and includes one instance. Every instance is capable of handling up to 1000 concurrent users. If you need more users, you have two options:
- You can add additional instances for 350 EUR per month each (horizontally scaling)
- You can upgrade your instance to a higher tier (vertically scaling)
Horizontal Scaling
If you need more than 1000 concurrent users, you can add additional instances. If your application does not require more than 1000 concurrent users in one room that is the best option. You can start as many instances as you like with your license, we keep track of everything and charge you accordingly. We charge the average number of peak instances per day.
You have a match-based 5on5 game and expect 5000 concurrent users (i.e. 500 matches simultaneously). You want to use ODIN for voice chat. That means, every room will have a maximum of 10 concurrent users, therefore it's easy to scale horizontally and would require 5 instances. You will be charged 1750 EUR per month.
However, if you have an event that peaks your user numbers to 10000 concurrent users you could just launch 5 additional instances when the event starts and stop them once the event is over - let's say the event lasts for 3 days, that would mean, that you have 27 days with 5 instances and 3 days with 10 instances. In total, you will be charged 275 + 310 * (350 EUR / 30) = 2007 EUR.
This shows, that it makes sense to implement some sort of auto scaling on your side if you have volatile user numbers. We don't provide a solution but there are numerous solutions available like Kubernetes.
If you don't want to have that hassle, you can just switch to our cloud-hosting solution that is capable of handling all that scaling for you.
Vertical Scaling
If you need more than 1000 concurrent users in one room, you can upgrade your instance to a higher tier. We offer blocks of 1000 concurrent users. The base fee is 350 EUR per month and includes one block. Every block is capable of handling up to 1000 concurrent users and costs additional 350 EUR per month. We don't have a limit on how many blocks you can add, but at some point it will bottleneck on the hardware (either CPU, RAM or network). As this is highly dependent on the use case, we can't provide a general recommendation but consider a load test to find out - we will be there to help you with that.
You have a metaverse application and want to bring 5000 concurrent users into one room. That is possible as ODIN provides a technology of spatial clipping. What that means is, that you regularly send the position of users in 3D space to ODIN and ODIN will only send the audio of users that are in a certain range to the user.
As you have 5000 concurrent users in one room, you need 5 blocks. You will be charged 1750 EUR per month. Let's say, you want to open another instance of your metaverse, in this case you can combine horizontal and vertical scaling and you just add another instance with 5 blocks. You will be charged 3500 EUR per month.
Which development platforms are supported and how can I use this?
ODIN is shipped as a set of pre-compiled binaries as well as C-style header files and documentation, which makes it easy to use in any development project on any platform. We also provide packages with ready-to-use examples for Unity and Unreal Engine.
Which target platforms and architectures are supported?
We ship native dynamic libraries and/or frameworks for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS. Additionally, full native support for current and next-gen gaming consoles is implemented and can be deployed as part of your game.
Please reach out to us if you are planning to release for PlayStation4 and PlayStation 5 as there might be some preparations required on our side.
Why should I choose ODIN and not the competition?
We provide an affordable and feature-rich solution for any platform you’ll ever need. Our dedicated development team has years of experience developing communication software for gamers, and we’ll help you tailor exactly the immersive in-game experience that your players want.
ODIN has been built from scratch by industry leading voice engineers with your privacy and security in mind. In addition, ODIN provides the following key features:
- Ultra-low latency and extremely low resource usage
- Best-in-class voice quality with noise suppression
- Built-in data protection and fully GDPR compliant
- Support for thousands of concurrent users chatting at the same time with native 3D spatial audio support
- Deep Unity and Unreal Engine integration
- Zero maintenance and operations for clients but support for self-hosting if they want to (for sensitive areas)
This table should give you an overview how ODIN compares to other solutions.