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Decoding Network Gaming Evolution:

Explore the history & architecture of network gaming, from MUD to MMORPG. Discover strategies, challenges, & solutions in multiplayer games development.

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Decoding Network Gaming Evolution:

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  1. Network Gaming

  2. History of Network Gaming • MUD • Multi-user Dungeons • Modem Games • Match Makings • Real-time strategy • FPS • MMORPG • MMOG • Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games

  3. MUD • A large scale game with fantasy-type • Create your own character • Strength/Intelligence/Endurance/Wisdom • Most of the MUDs are text-based • MUD commands • Players play them simultaneously • Persistent worlds • The amount of time invested • Never ending • Competition • Skill & Attributes • Experience points • Ownership • Acquire better items • Society

  4. Modem Games Phone Player 1 Player 2 Modem Modem • BBS Games • Turn based • Strategy • Modem-to-modem Games

  5. Match Makings • Puzzle/Table Games on the Net • 休閒遊戲 • RTS • Real-time strategy games • IPX • TCP/IP • FPS • First-personal-view shooting games • AI • Game Lobby • Match making • Ranking • Chatting • A special case • Xbox Live

  6. MMORPGs • Graphical MUD • With much more functionality • Persistent • Real-time Online (即時在線) • Pay-for-play • New Game Style • RPG • Adventure • Action • Society • Messaging • Avatar

  7. Network Gaming Architecture Peer-to-peer Client server

  8. Peer-to-peer Client 2 Client 4 Host Client 1 Client 3 Client Broadcasts Messages to Each Other Simple Pattern Easy to Code But Need More Bandwidth for Each Client Limited Players Fault Tolerance High Security Risk

  9. Client Server Client 2 Client 1 Server Client 3 • One Server Serves Every Clients • More Complex in Coding • Many Players • The Server Needs More Bandwidth • This means “Expensive” • Improved security • No fault tolerance • Dedicated Server

  10. Internet Consideration • Limit Network Bandwidth • Unstable Network Environment • Update Frame Rate • For match making : 5-8 fps • Position updates • Inventory updates • Kill or killed • … • For MMOG : 1-2 fps • Position updates • Inventory updates • Kill or killed • Friend list updates • Chatting • Messaging • …

  11. Poor Networking Problems • Limited bandwidth • Data packet size is important • Solutions • Data compression • Lower update frame rate • Low update frame rate • Synchronization is the key • Solutions • Extrapolation • Prediction • Chasing • Network LOD • Network Visibility

  12. Data Packet Data Compression Encode / Decode CPU time vs data size Socket TCP/IP & UDP

  13. Network Data Compression Must be Lossless Compression ? Zip ? Bit, Byte, Short or Long ? Fixed-point or Floating-point Run-length Compression Use Index/ID Instead of Data 1 Boolean = 4 bytes

  14. Position Extrapolation i-1 i i+1 real path i+1 i+2 Use Position(i-1) & Position(i) to Get the Next Possible Position (i+1) No Velocity Data is Needed

  15. Position Prediction i-1 i i+1 real path i+1 i+2 Use Current Facing Direction to Predict Next Position Update : (position, facing direction)

  16. Position Chasing i-1 i real path i+1 Always being Late One Step to the Master Not Good for Moving Fast Objects

  17. Network Visibility Server Will Not Update the Position of the Clients that are Out of a Specific Range of One Client Only When the Outside Clients Move into the Range of the Client That Means the Client Can Not “See” the Clients Outside its Range on the Net

  18. Network Level-of-details invisible 1fps Me 3fps 5fps Besides the Network Visibility, Apply the Network LOD to the Client Between Clients For Each Client, the Server Should Adaptively Adjust the Update Frame Rate for the Other Clients to the Target Client According to Their Physical Distance

  19. TCP/IP or UDP • Some Game Data Can Be Lost • Position for the object in each frame • UDP is fast but not reliable • Some must be Not • Kill or not kill, killed or nor killed • TCP/IP • Hybrid Data Transmission Ways • Data-can-not-lost going through TCP • Data-can-lost going through UDP • Or implement your reliable UDP solution

  20. Network Security • Anti-hacking • System administration issues • Very important in MMORPG • Cheat prevention • Technical example: • A “fake” client instead of the game client to send cheating data packets. • Game-playing example: • Using the game bugs to get the improper fortune • Be-killed -> Dead -> Get free money -> Be-killed ->…

  21. Develop Tools & Solutions • Match-makings • DirectPlay in DirectX SDK • Socket programming • Middleware • ie., Quazal NetZ • Internet Causal Games • Web programming • SQL programming • MMORPG • Socket programming • Middleware • Terezona from Zona • Eterna from Quazal • Butterfly.net

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