On the suitability of dead reckoning schemes for games

ABSTRACT

A major problem of network-based multiplayer games (and other distributed virtual environments) is caused by the network transmission delay. This delay leads to inconsistency and other problems. Dead reckoning is often used to reduce the effects of network induced delays and losses by applying prediction means. The quality of the prediction and, hence, the consistency of the distributed game, depends on the difference between the real and the predicted position of some objects. In this paper we discuss prediction methods for games and study their usefulness in regard to different game types (genre) like Sport, 3D-Action and racing games. Using implementations, the methods are evaluated experimentally.

REFERENCES

• 1: L. Gautier , C. Diot, Design and Evaluation of MiMaze, a Multi-Player Game on the Internet, Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia Computing and Systems, p.233, June 28-July 01, 1998 [doi>10.1109/MMCS.1998.693647]
• 2: Martin Mauve, Consistency in replicated continuous interactive media, Proceedings of the 2000 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work, p.181-190, December 2000, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States [doi>10.1145/358916.358989]
• 3: Lothar Pantel, Lars Wolf: "On the Impact of Delay on Real-Time Multiplayer Games", submitted for publication.
• 4: J. Todd Wasson, www.PerformanceSimulations.com.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.8 PERSONAL COMPUTING
      K.8.0 General
          Subjects: Games

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.4 Distributed Systems
          Subjects: Client/server
      C.2.5 Local and Wide-Area Networks
          Subjects: Internet (e.g., TCP/IP)
  C.4 PERFORMANCE OF SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Performance attributes

General Terms:
Algorithms, Documentation, Experimentation, Performance

Keywords:
networked computer games, prediction schemes