Hybrid Peer-to-Peer Solution for MMORPGs

Abstract

This thesis provides an introduction to the MMORPG genre, and the challenges of engineering a networking system supporting these games, as well as the state of the art titles that exist on the market today. Further it describes the design and development of a peer-to-peer networking system to support MMORPG games, and basic testing of this system. It focuses on a broad theoretical approach to provide a solid background to understand the options available and choices made in the design of the system. The thesis presents a hybrid peer-to-peer concept that aims to reduce costs of operating an MMORPG, allowing smaller game developers to compete against major titles. It includes the main features that should be enabled in a distributed MMORPG architecture. The concept is designed to be flexible in terms of further development, allowing new features to be added with ease and providing game designers with multiple options. A proof-of-concept demo is implemented in Java, displaying the features through a simple interface, and tests showed that the concept has potential to challenge the client-server solutions that are dominating the market today.