Network Requirements for Spellcaster

Understanding Spellcaster's Network Needs

Because Spellcaster is a web-based game, it requires functioning internet and network connections to run properly for learners. While the team is constantly working on optimizations and ways to make the product require fewer network resources, it will always require some form of network resource from your internet provider or internet connections.

This can sometimes lead to slow loading or the game failing to load for some learners when multiple students are logging in simultaneously. This most commonly happens when multiple learners are trying to log in for the first time to use Spellcaster, as they may experience a network bottleneck while trying to load all the assets before having anything cached or stored on the local device's browser.

Bandwidth Requirements

Initial Load: Spellcaster loads approximately 40 megabytes of data on initial load, which is reduced after those assets are stored in cache.

Ongoing Session: Over a typical session, students require around 50 kilobytes per second of bandwidth at peak per connection, though this is often much lower during normal operations (please note these are estimates and subject to change).

Best Practices for Large-Scale Rollout

To ensure a smooth experience for all learners, we recommend the following best practices:

• Stagger sign-ins: Do not try to get a large volume of learners signed in for the first time all in one go. Instead, stagger loading times or sign-ins by a few minutes each.
• Test before class: Before having students start, test Spellcaster on your own device or a student device prior to class to prevent disruption during the session and get a feel for the loading experience.
• Leverage caching: Once learners have loaded in once, most of the assets will be stored in the cache on their device, meaning it will load quicker next time and remove bottlenecks moving forward.

Connection Issues and Bottlenecks

When a learner signs into Spellcaster for the first time, most of the assets required to play will be downloaded at once. This can cause a large jump in network activity. If a lot of learners do this at the same time, it can cause slow loading or connection timeouts.

After a learner has signed in for the first time, most of the required content will already be cached (stored locally) on their computer, and the network activity will be lower. Once learners have signed in once, they should be able to sign in without performance or connectivity issues.

Ensure Spellcaster is Whitelisted

It's also important to check that Spellcaster is whitelisted on your school network. If you're experiencing persistent connection issues, verify with your IT team that all required Spellcaster domains are allowed through your firewall.

For detailed whitelisting instructions, please refer to our Whitelisting Spellcaster Domains documentation.

Need Additional Support?

This is not an issue on your end - it's something we're working constantly to optimize. You can also contact us for any support as needed.

Contact us at: rupert@spellcaster.education

Last updated on 20/10/2025