Networking and Online Games Understanding and

This book provides a comprehensive guide to the development and service provision needs of online, networked games Illustrates high-level examples of existing multiplayer on-line games (such as Quake 3, Wolfenstein Enemy Territory, Xbox ‘Live') Discusses future directions brought by emerging technologies such as UMTS and GPRS wireless, IP service quality, NAPT/NAT, etc. Explains how different technologies such as cable, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and wireless affect consumer experience in online games

Dr. Grenville Armitage is Director, Centre for Advance Internet Architectures, and Associate Professor, Telecommunications Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology.  He has been involved in data networking since the late 1980s, and since 1999 has concentrated his research on online multiplayer games.  Grenville has been involved with the program committees of NetGames 2002, 2003 and 2004, and the First Australian workshop on Network Support for interactive Multimedia and Games. Dr. Mark Claypool is Associate Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (USA).  His research and teaching efforts focus on interactive multimedia over IP networks, and have steadily grown to encompass multi-player network games.  In 2003, Dr. Claypool headed a proposal to the WPI institution for a new undergraduate major titled “Interactive Media and Game Development”.  This major was formally approved and Mark is now the director.  He has been on numerous program committees related to multimedia networking. Dr. Tristan Henderson is Research Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College (USA).  He has been studying online games for the past five years.  He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the centre for Mobile Computing at Dartmouth College.  Tristan is a member of the steering committee for the NetGames workshop, and has been involved with the program committees for ACE SIGCHI 2004 and NSIM 2004.  He has worked on gaming projects for games companies, ISPs and management consultants in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK.

Author Biographies.

Acknowledgements.

1 Introduction.

2 Early Online and Multiplayer Games.

2.1 Defining Networked and Multiplayer Games.

2.2 Early Multiplayer Games.

2.3 Multiplayer Network Games.

3 Recent Online and Multiplayer Games.

3.1 Communication Architectures.

3.2 The Evolution of Online Games.

3.3 Summary of Growth of Online Games.

3.4 The Evolution of Online Game Platforms.

3.5 Context of Computer Games.

4 Basic Internet Architecture.

4.1 IP Networks as seen from the Edge.

4.2 Connectivity and Routing.

4.3 Address Management.

5 Network Latency, Jitter and Loss.

5.1 The Relevance of Latency, Jitter and Loss.

5.2 Sources of Latency, Jitter and Loss in the Network.

5.3 Network Control of Lag, Jitter and Loss.

5.4 Measuring Network Conditions.

6 Latency Compensation Techniques.

6.1 The Need for Latency Compensation.

6.2 Prediction.

6.3 Time Manipulation.

6.4 Visual Tricks.

6.5 Latency Compensation and Cheating.

7 Playability versus Network Conditions and Cheats.

7.1 Measuring Player Tolerance for Network Disruptions.

7.2 Communication Models, Cheats and Cheat-Mitigation.

8 Broadband Access Networks.

8.1 What Broadband Access Networks are and why they Matter.

8.2 Access Network Protocols and Standards.

8.3 Cable Networks.

8.4 ADSL Networks.

8.5 Wireless LANs.

8.6 Cellular Networks.

8.7 Bluetooth Networks.

8.8 Conclusion.

9 Where Do Players Come from and When?

9.1 Measuring Your Own Game Traffic.

9.2 Hourly and Daily Game-play Trends.

9.3 Server-discovery (Probe Traffic) Trends.

9.4 Mapping Traffic to Player Locations.

10 Online Game Traffic Patterns.

10.1 Measuring Game Traffic with Timestamping Errors.

10.2 Sub-second Characteristics.

10.3 Sub-second Packet-size Distributions.

10.4 Sub-Second Inter-Packet Arrival Times.

10.5 Estimating the Consequences.

10.6 Simulating Game Traffic.

11 Future Directions.

11.1 Untethered.

11.2 Quality of Service.

11.3 New Architectures.

11.4 Cheaters Beware.

11.5 Augmented Reality.

11.6 Massively Multiplayer.

11.7 Pickup and Putdown.

11.8 Server Browsers.

12 Setting Up Online FPS Game Servers.

12.1 Considerations for an Online Game Server.

12.2 Wolfenstein Enemy Territory.

12.3 Half-Life 2.

12.4 Configuring FreeBSD’s Linux-compatibility Mode.

13 Conclusion.

13.1 Networking Fundamentals.

13.2 Game Technologies and Development.

13.3 A Note Regarding Online Sources.

Index.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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Networking and Online Games Understanding and Engineering Multiplayer Internet Games

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials