Multiplayer Networked Gaming Development Concepts - Techniques to Reduce Bandwidth Requirements
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There are many techniques for reducing the bandwidth requirements of distributed, interactive, real-time applications. Packet compression reduces the number of bits needed to represent particular information. Lossless and lossy compression techniques determine how accurate the reconstructed data is compared to the data before compression. A lossless technique preserves all information while a lossy technique leaves out less relevant information so that when data is reconstructed, the changes are unnoticeable. Obviously the proper compression technique varies depending on the particular MCG.
Packet Aggregation
Another technique for reducing bandwidth requirements is packet aggregation. Aggregation merges several packets and transmits content in one larger packet, resulting in lower overhead caused by packet headers. Depending on the size of original packets, packet headers, and the number of merged packets, bandwidth savings from packet aggregation can vary.
Interest Management
Another way to reduce bandwidth is to only distribute packets to nodes who are interested in them. This is called interest management and is comprised of a player’s aura. The aura is a subspace where interaction occurs, so when two players’ auras intersect, they need to be aware of each other’s actions.
In gaming, aura is further divided into focus and nimbus, which translate into a player’s perception and perceptivity. While player A may see player B, player B does not have to see player A. Because of this complexity, nodes transmit changes to a subscription manager that holds all nodes’ information interests. The subscription manager is also responsible for transmitting only relevant information to nodes. While this reduces bandwidth, it also increases processing time.
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