Kalpaware

1. Kalpaware presents

2. http://www.kalpaware.com

3. Demo

4. SimNetwork • Genre: Real Time Strategy • Similar to SimCity • Player is a network designer of a large telecommunications firm • Game goal: Connect all customers and keep them happy.

5. SimNetwork • Educational purpose: teach the fundamental techniques and strategies involved in the design and maintenance of digital communication networks • Winning rule: player connects all customers and holds acceptable overall customer satisfaction rate in assigned time • Losing rule: balance falls below certain amount or overall customer satisfaction falls below certain percentage

6. Game Play • 3 Levels – Easy, Medium, Hard • Customers appear at random • Different types of routers, cables, customers • Routers and cables are used to connect customers directly or indirectly • Based on the speed of the cable and type of router, different network flow is achieved – which in turn, affects customers’ satisfaction

7. Game Play • Based on the quality of service provided, a satisfaction rate out of 100% is calculated for each customer • Each customer has set of peers it wants to connect to • Player is charged monthly maintenance fees for equipment and collects monthly payments from customers

8. Game Scene Design • Mix of 2D sprites and 3D models • Toolbars and widgets • 2D sprites – tied to mouse input • Interactive timer and message fields • Widgets for customer negotiation and status of each entity in the game w/keyboard input • Accessible in-game help • Status Bars • Connection lines to show the flow of traffic

9. Game Scene Design • Bounding boxes for selected entities and their peers • 3D scene mouse picking • Zoom in/out & camera movements • Keyboard assisted movement of the scene

10. Game Scene Design • Lightning scheme – 4 side light sources, 1 main spot light • Collision detection system (placement of the entities)

11. Game Logic • Data structures: 2 types of graphs • Links graph: undirected graphs, one instance • Peers graph: directed graphs, one instance peer customer • Algorithm • Traffic simulation algorithm • Fuzziness engine

12. Simulation algorithm • Inputs: links + peers graphs • Output: traffic flow • Problem: Multi commodity circulation with intermediate node capacity • NP-Complete • Although size of network is manageable with respect to # of routers, cables, and customers, Brute force algorithm faced with 2^(Total capacity) choices

13. Simulation algorithmOverview of circulation problem D = 10 Mbps r1 r2 c2 p1 5/10 5/10 5/10 c1 D = -5 Mbps r3 c3 p2 1/1 1/11 D = -5 Mbps

14. Simulation algorithmAlternatives • Greedy algorithm • No greedy algorithm known • In general, greedy algorithm faced with exponential local decisions • Linear programming • Total linear conditions: N x M x 16 • Not guaranteed to perform well in real-time (worst case yields polynomial complexity)

15. Simulation AlgorithmDesign choice • Design choice • Dynamic programming approach: remember partial solution and simulate when really necessary • Reduce problem to Max-Flow problem • Simulate traffic for each customer independently (# customers passes) • Combine result in one pass • Recap flow on the network • Complexity • Traffic simulation: O(# customer^3) • Combine: O(# customer) • Recap flow: O(# customer + # routers + # cables) • Not optimum, but works!

16. Fuzziness Engine • Generates random events • Create new customer • Randomize access patterns • Create disasters • Customer requirements (bandwidth and fees) are based on fuzzy trapezoidal possibility distribution

17. Models • Designed in Ac3D • Models for Customers, Cables and Routers. • Customers – Models inspired from Real Life and SimCity.

18. Models • Types - Residential - Commercial/Industrial - Educational • Initial models : Almost fit to be alien space stations, Mini Castles …

29. Textures • Jason’s Sci-Fi • Photographs • Free textures from the Internet • Tried creating textures using TextureMaker – Reichert Software Engineering.

30. Audio Effects • Background music • Home made sounds: • menu selection, • tool selection, • demolish, • traffic sounds, • object placement, • Customer pop-up • Royalty Free sounds (downloaded from www.partnersinrhyme.com)

31. It’s all about FUN • Create the right mood with music • Make customers jump when they appear • Added negotiate concept to personalize interactions with customers • Make learning about networks easy and fun • Added menu system before game start • 3 levels of difficulty • Pause button (F10)

32. Various Motivations • Audio: The Video on Foley Artists! • Finite State Machines • A Game is about Winning! • Feedback to improve Game! • WooHoo!

33. Future Development • Game allows researchers to plug in their own algorithms for evaluating performance • With modification, game could be used to teach algorithms on graphs and design of virtually any flow network