Re: Using distributed objects for games

[Ivan Vučica]

So... is there something that would prevent use of distributed objects
messaging with unreliable transmission protocols such as UDP? :)

On 14/07/2011, Ivan Vučica <ivucica@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm thinking about how one would go about using distributed objects in
> an action game, and I'd love your input before spending what seems to
> possibly be a lot of time to make this work, and then being
> disappointed with the issues that arise.
>
> Has someone successfully used distributed objects in situations that
> do not require successful transmission? I'm looking at Apple's
> documentation, and it appears to me that most of what I need to do is
> instantiate a SOCK_DGRAM-typed NSSocketPort and use that as a
> transmission medium, and then use asynchronous messages. However,
> there appear to be timeout and other checks involved.
>
> Is it possible to use distributed objects messaging over UDP? If I use
> it combined with asynchronous messages, can I count on various checks
> not intervening? Or would I be better off using plain, old BSD sockets
> directly?
>
> It seems to me a possibly interesting approach in context of an action
> game: clients could simply issue messages such as -setPosition:,
> -setDirection: and -fireBullet: to the server, and the server could
> track this information and then broadcast processed information to
> other client via similar -setPosition:, -setDirection: and other
> messages, instead of doing the same thing the "old fashioned" way of
> encoding these directives manually.
>
> Using TCP is probably a bad idea since high-frequency messages such as
> positioning and movement is usually treated as droppable in FPSes and
> other action games, and is usually recoverable in the very next
> received packet. I'd use a second communications channel based on TCP
> solely for high-reliability messages such as firing a bullet, or
> sending a chat message.
>
> What are your thoughts? Is this approach sound and reasonable?
>
> --
> Ivan Vučica - ivan@vucica.net
>


-- 
Ivan Vučica - ivan@vucica.net