Fundamentals Of Network Game Development

by Lecky-Thompson,Guy W.

Edition: 1st

ISBN13: 9781584505570

ISBN10: 1584505575

Format: Hardcover

Pub. Date: 2008-11-21

Publisher(s): Charles River Media

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Summary

Learn to create network games from start to finish with Fundamentals of Network Game Development. Covering all the essential elements of network game development, this book provides the techniques and strategies necessary to create a quality game. Organized into three core sections-design, design and development, and development-the book explores all the unique, underlying aspects that game designers and developers need to consider when building a game that uses a network to connect players both with the game and with each other. You'll examine the characteristics that set a network game apart from one that is played offline, the different types of games and networks, how the design and development processes differ depending on the type of game, how design elements affect development implementation and vice versa, how to prevent cheating and hacking, and how to test the final product. Throughout each chapter, real games are used as case studies to help guide you through the challenges of creating your own games. Fundamentals of Network Game Development provides you with the foundation you need to create professional-caliber network games. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Guy W. Lecky-Thompson is an experienced author in the field of video-game design and software development

Introduction	p. xiv
The Challenge of Game Networking	p. 1
Types of Networking	p. 2
Dial-Up and PPP Networking	p. 3
Local Area Networking	p. 6
The Internet and World Wide Web	p. 7
Wireless LAN	p. 9
Cellular Technology	p. 10
Network-Gaming Models	p. 11
The Client/Server Model	p. 13
Dynamic (Real-Time) Network Gaming	p. 15
Connectionless Network Gaming	p. 16
Data Exchange in Network Gaming	p. 18
Security	p. 18
Split-Information Model	p. 21
Balancing Data Exchange	p. 23
Key Decisions	p. 24
Types of Network Games	p. 27
Multi-User Dungeon Games	p. 29
First Principles	p. 30
Text-Based MUDs	p. 36
Possibilities Beyond Text	p. 38
Arcade Games	p. 42
Gaming Model	p. 43
Security	p. 44
Data Exchange	p. 45
Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)	p. 47
Web and "Through the Browser" Games	p. 49
Text-Based Through-the-Browser Games	p. 52
Flash-Based Web Games	p. 52
Alternate-Reality Web Games	p. 53
From Theory to Development	p. 53
References	p. 54
Putting Game Networking Technology to Work	p. 55
Components of Network Gaming	p. 57
Communication	p. 57
Interaction	p. 59
The Platform	p. 61
Personal Computer	p. 61
Console	p. 62
Handheld Device	p. 63
Multi-Platform	p. 64
Complete System Architecture	p. 64
The Front-End Interface	p. 65
The Middleware	p. 71
The Back-End	p. 74
The Network	p. 76
A Comparison of Network Game Types	p. 79
Categorizing Multi-Player Network Games	p. 80
Pseudo Single-Player Online Games	p. 81
One-on-One Games	p. 81
Team-Based Multi-Player Games	p. 82
Map-Based Multi-Player Games	p. 82
Real Time-Strategy Games	p. 83
Massively Multi-Player Online (MMO) Games	p. 84
Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)	p. 84
Comparing Network Game Types	p. 84
Turn-by-Turn Games Versus Real-Time Action Games	p. 85
Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) Games Versus Real Time-Action Games	p. 85
NPC Combat Games Versus Pure Multi-Player	p. 86
Player Combat Games Versus NPC Combat Games	p. 87
In-Browser Games Versus Standalone Client Games	p. 88
Design Principles	p. 89
From Single Player to Multi-Player	p. 90
Adding Network Support	p. 91
Adding Multi-Player Support to the Design	p. 96
Testing Through Design	p. 98
Choosing the Technology for Your Game	p. 98
References	p. 100
Creating Turn-by-Turn Network Games	p. 101
Turn by Turn Defined	p. 103
The Game System	p. 104
Player Customization	p. 106
Case Study: Project Rockstar	p. 112
The Premise	p. 113
Setup	p. 114
Playing the Game	p. 115
Solutions to Possible Problems	p. 120
Alternative Approaches	p. 123
The Fictional PlanetStar RPG	p. 125
The Game Environment	p. 126
Profile, Ship Design, and Customization	p. 127
Update Cycles	p. 128
Pre-Programmed Combat	p. 129
Revenue Model	p. 130
In-Game Currency	p. 131
Advertising Networks	p. 133
Direct Sponsorship	p. 136
Commercializing a Turn-by-Turn Game	p. 136
References	p. 137
Creating Arcade and Massively Multi-Player Online Games (Real-Time)	p. 139
Game Models Revisited	p. 140
MMORPGs	p. 141
Arcade Action Games	p. 142
Anatomy of a Game Model	p. 143
Client Software Structures	p. 144
Building Server Solutions	p. 146
End-to-End Networking Using IP	p. 148
Revenue Models	p. 153
The Direct Revenue Model	p. 154
The Indirect Revenue Model	p. 154
Merging Real-Time Gaming with the Internet	p. 155
References	p. 156
Improving Network Communications	p. 157
Network Communication Issues	p. 158
Packet Loss	p. 160
Network Latency	p. 162
Solutions to Network Latency Problems	p. 166
Networking Topography	p. 166
Design-Based Workarounds	p. 170
Minimizing Exposure to Latency	p. 174
The Principle of Minimum Data in Transit	p. 178
Basic Data Reduction	p. 180
Using Compression	p. 182
Using Game Environment Prediction	p. 184
Data Loss and Dropped Connections	p. 189
Combating Data Loss	p. 189
Combating Dropped Connections	p. 191
References	p. 194
Removing the Cheating Elements	p. 195
What Is Cheating?	p. 197
What Are the Risks?	p. 198
Genre-Specific Risks	p. 199
Global Risks	p. 199
What Are the Solutions?	p. 200
Detection Approaches	p. 201
Prevention Versus Detection	p. 204
Action Versus Inaction	p. 205
Hacks, Cracks, and Cheat Codes	p. 207
How Hacks and Cracks Happen	p. 208
Types of Cheats	p. 212
Bots and Automated Playing	p. 215
Communication Layer Cheats	p. 216
Data-in-Transit Cheats	p. 216
Lookahead and Update Dropping	p. 217
Intentional Disconnections	p. 218
Solutions to Communication Layer Cheats	p. 219
Logic Layer Solutions	p. 221
Code Obfuscation in the Logic Layer	p. 222
Identifying Bots	p. 226
References	p. 228
Testing Network Games	p. 229
Principles of Testing	p. 231
The Testing Process	p. 231
Components	p. 235
Types of Testing	p. 238
Strategy	p. 239
Testing the Network Layer	p. 241
Simulating Network Issues	p. 241
Load Testing	p. 244
Sustained-Load Testing	p. 248
Peak-Traffic Testing	p. 249
Testing the Logic Layer	p. 251
Simulating Player Interaction	p. 251
Stress-Testing the Middleware	p. 253
Stress-Testing the Database	p. 253
Testing Non-Interactive Games	p. 255
Testing the Client Software	p. 258
Re-Using Prediction Code in Testing	p. 260
Prediction Is Al in Practice	p. 261
An Overview of Testing Options	p. 263
Network Programming Primer	p. 265
An Introduction to Socket Programming	p. 266
Types of Sockets	p. 267
Protocol Layers	p. 269
Server-Side Sockets	p. 271
Client-Side Sockets	p. 272
Using Polling	p. 272
Server-Side Polling	p. 272
Client-Side Polling	p. 273
Sequential Processing Techniques	p. 274
Socket Polling Example	p. 274
Enhancements to Basic Round Robin	p. 275
Socket Programming	p. 276
Data Types	p. 277
Sockets and Ports	p. 278
Sending and Receiving Data	p. 283
Client Example	p. 287
Server Example	p. 290
Open-Source Code Libraries	p. 295
MUD Libraries	p. 296
Action Games	p. 297
Web Gaming	p. 299
Final Thoughts	p. 300
References	p. 301
Index	p. 303
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