"Distributed" Servers...
by Roelf "TheRoDent" Diedericks · in Torque Game Engine · 09/01/2003 (7:10 am) · 7 replies
Having already read some of the Joshua Ritter's ideas about a distributed MMO game using Torque, I've been considering another alternative. On a less "distributed" scale...
I haven't dug too deeply into Torque's networking layer, aside from the overviews, and some hacks into the code for Legends, but my idea is this:
Connect two instances of dedicated TGE servers together, and have players connect to either of the server simulations, and have the server state from one "master" ghosted across to the other.
Does anyone consider this an impossible task? There are of course, a myriad applications of something such as this.
1. A Torque-TV type system, where spectators can connect to a "mirror" server to receive a realtime view of what's happening on the master. This is similar in concept to HL-TV etc...
2. A tad more "fair" play between say East, and West coast teams in a team-based competitive gametype, such as Legends CTF.
Any ideas, comments? Am I insane? :)
I haven't dug too deeply into Torque's networking layer, aside from the overviews, and some hacks into the code for Legends, but my idea is this:
Connect two instances of dedicated TGE servers together, and have players connect to either of the server simulations, and have the server state from one "master" ghosted across to the other.
Does anyone consider this an impossible task? There are of course, a myriad applications of something such as this.
1. A Torque-TV type system, where spectators can connect to a "mirror" server to receive a realtime view of what's happening on the master. This is similar in concept to HL-TV etc...
2. A tad more "fair" play between say East, and West coast teams in a team-based competitive gametype, such as Legends CTF.
Any ideas, comments? Am I insane? :)
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#2
All I need is a point in the right direction...
09/27/2003 (11:28 am)
How would you go about something like that... ghosting the servers or linking them to run a joint mission or map ?All I need is a point in the right direction...
#3
09/27/2003 (3:21 pm)
You could do one-way ghosting, but a peered situation would be ugly.
#4
Each slave would validate/consolodate the moves and other data from the clients connected to it and feed it up to the master which could then take everything as gospel, advance the simulation then ghost it back down to the slaves, which then ghost it to the client.
If the slaves talk to the master on their own private LAN segement their shouldn't be any noticable network lag introduced.
09/28/2003 (7:39 am)
One of the ideas I'd toyed around with was the notion of having one simulation master, with slave servers that the user connected to.Each slave would validate/consolodate the moves and other data from the clients connected to it and feed it up to the master which could then take everything as gospel, advance the simulation then ghost it back down to the slaves, which then ghost it to the client.
If the slaves talk to the master on their own private LAN segement their shouldn't be any noticable network lag introduced.
#5
But, hey - I'd love to see it happen, so if you think you can pull it off, go for it. :)
09/28/2003 (9:04 am)
I'd disagree on your last assumption... even a private fast LAN segment is going to introduce lag, particularly from the serialization/deserialization that has to occur, and the network stack...But, hey - I'd love to see it happen, so if you think you can pull it off, go for it. :)
#6
The zones intercommunicate at the region level and the regions at the world level... so it's absolutely possible for zones to intercommunicate. I am using the distribution model to facilitate RPG gameplay calculations on the Region and Simulation calculation at the Zone ... this allows interesting things to happen in RPG-land ... for instance, completing a quest in one zone spawns a mob in another zone, etc...
Now, if the goal is to combat lag ... I would have to say: "Lag is where you find it."
-J
09/28/2003 (10:27 am)
I have a World <- The Internet -> Region <- localhost/LAN -> Multiple Zones solution that works well for the (Action)RPG we are writing... Zones are spawned by Regions on demand or in preconfigured blocks.The zones intercommunicate at the region level and the regions at the world level... so it's absolutely possible for zones to intercommunicate. I am using the distribution model to facilitate RPG gameplay calculations on the Region and Simulation calculation at the Zone ... this allows interesting things to happen in RPG-land ... for instance, completing a quest in one zone spawns a mob in another zone, etc...
Now, if the goal is to combat lag ... I would have to say: "Lag is where you find it."
-J
#7
We're just looking for a way to link and sync :-)
09/28/2003 (7:20 pm)
We are trying to decrease lag... we have players in Europe... and players in US... we thought instead of just having server in US to also place a server in Europe to reduce players from there trying to login and play on a US only server.We're just looking for a way to link and sync :-)
Associate Paul Dana