Hybrid peer-to-peer and client-server system for limited users multiplayer games

Abstract

Looking at the bulk of mobile technology, one can see the trend of increasing power, additional capabilities, and even more widespread use. One of the uses of such devices is those related to entertainment, be it movies, reading novels, or the area we are interested in, gaming. Gaming has always been a popular endevour, and now more than ever [1], as one can see by the number of players and servers catering to online games [2]. In this dissertation we shall be looking as such on multiplayer games, mainly those classified as of the First Person Shooter {FPS} type. We shall also be looking at bandwidth requirements, keeping in mind current network capabilities and that of mobile devices and/ or consoles, even when used as dedicated gaming units. The research presented shows how we designed a hybrid peer-to-peer and centralized server architecture for use in FPS games playable on a WLAN. Furthermore, we show how this library can be used in an actual game, and tested for feasibility and performance. Finally, we verify how, given such a scenario that the game session does not exceed 32 players or 180ms of latency, the designed solution performs as expected and within parameters, providing a stable design and usable AP I for further testing and development of limited number, multiplayer games. These results show the contributions of this project, which are extracting a design that enabled building a hybrid framework in a game, in building the hybrid framework for FPS games and achieving the minimum functions needed for a hybrid system for FPS games and providing a working, testable system. This culminates into the feasibility and results of how such a hybrid system (which, at the time of writing, was not seen for FPS mobile hybrid multiplayer FPS game) provides advantages compared to the client-server system, such as less dependency on a single server, reduced costs and better network response.