Peer-to-peer Game State Replication: A practical application of the Same platform

Abstract

Multiplayer mobile games using the local network is a tempting platform,however, several technical hurdles remain in order to create thistechnology. The Same framework by Kjetil Orbekk appliestechniques from distributed systems in the pursuit of creating aplatform for sharing objects among Android devices on a local networkThroughout this thesis, a multiplayer game design was devised andimplemented using Same's transmission protocol, and the master selectionmechanism for improved connection stability. The multiplayer gameprovides a working model for analyzing Same's features and limitationsfor practical application.The game's network architecture uses a flexible client-servermethodology. The acting master device maintains the server role. If themaster device fails, a new master device is selected, which resumes thesimulation from the last known game state. Snapshots and delta statesare managed in a replication model in order to reduce lag and improvereliability.This thesis focuses on ways to adapt the Same framework to gamingplatforms, including its strengths and limitations. The major strengthin Same is that its updates are consistently distributed to allconnected clients. This could also pose as one of its major weaknessesfor games that do not have to propagate state this strictly. Severalelements of the Same platform are further analyzed, whereby additionalresearch and development could transform Same into a strong distributedlocal networking platform.