Vector-field consistency for ad-hoc gaming

Abstract

Developing distributed multiplayer games for ad-hoc networks is challenging. Consistency of the replicated shared state is hard to ensure at a low cost. Current consistency models and middleware systems lack the required adaptability and efficiency when applied to ad-hoc gaming. Hence, developing such robust applications is still a daunting task. We propose i) Vector-Field Consistency (VFC), a new consistency model, and ii) the Mobihoc middleware to ease the programming effort of these games, while ensuring the consistency of replicated objects. VFC unifies i) several forms of consistency enforcement and a multi-dimensional criteria (time, sequence and value) to limit replica divergence, with ii) techniques based on locality-awareness (w.r.t. players position). Mobihoc adopts VFC and provides game programmers the abstractions to manage game state easily and efficiently. A Mobihoc prototype and a demonstrating game were developed and evaluated. The results obtained are very encouraging. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2007.