U.S. patent application number 11/250681 was filed with the patent office on 2007-04-19 for multi-player game architecture.
Invention is credited to Derek Liu, John Loethrer.
Application Number | 20070087829 11/250681 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37948806 |
Filed Date | 2007-04-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070087829 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu; Derek ; et al. |
April 19, 2007 |
Multi-player game architecture
Abstract
A network-based game system includes a computer network
configured to communicate with game client applications running on
a plurality of computer devices, wherein at least two of the game
client applications are engaged in the same game room, a first
server connected to the computer network, configured to store a
game engine application capable of communicating with the plurality
of game client applications, a computer storage device connected to
the computer network, configured to store a protocol for message
encryption and message decryption, and a second server connected to
the computer network, configured to store a game-system-interface
(GSI) program that can receive a plurality of first encrypted
messages from the plurality of game client applications and decrypt
the first encrypted messages using the protocol stored on the
computer storage device.
Inventors: |
Liu; Derek; (Milpitas,
CA) ; Loethrer; John; (Scotts Valley, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Derek Liu;C/O Xin Wen
3449 Rambow Drive
Palo Alto
CA
94306
US
|
Family ID: |
37948806 |
Appl. No.: |
11/250681 |
Filed: |
October 14, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/402 20130101;
A63F 13/31 20140902; G07F 17/32 20130101; A63F 13/12 20130101; A63F
13/335 20140902; G07F 17/3276 20130101; A63F 13/71 20140902; A63F
2300/407 20130101; A63F 2300/532 20130101; A63F 2300/401
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/042 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A network-based game system, comprising: a computer network
configured to communicate with game client applications running on
a plurality of computer devices, wherein at least two of the game
client applications are engaged in the same game room; a first
server connected to the computer network, configured to store a
game engine application capable of communicating with the plurality
of game client applications; a computer storage device connected to
the computer network, configured to store a protocol for message
encryption and message decryption; and a second server connected to
the computer network, configured to store a game-system-interface
(GSI) program that can receive a plurality of first encrypted
messages from the plurality of game client applications and decrypt
the first encrypted messages using the protocol stored on the
computer storage device.
2. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first
server is configured to store a game engine application capable of
communicating with the plurality of game client applications in a
persistent network connection.
3. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the computer
storage device is configured to store a plurality of protocols for
message encryption and message decryption and the
game-system-interface (GSI) program can decrypt the first encrypted
messages using one or more of the plurality of the protocols.
4. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the game
engine application is configured to broadcast to the plurality of
client applications in the same game room.
5. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the game
engine application is configured to receive requests from the game
client application and instantaneously respond to the requests.
6. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first
encrypted messages comprise game status information comprising one
or more of game statistics and game configurations associated with
at least one of the game client applications.
7. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein at least one
of the first encrypted messages includes a serialized message that
can be serialized by the protocol.
8. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first
encrypted messages include one or more of user identification,
session identification, and game room information associated with
the game client applications.
9. The network-based game system of claim 1, further comprising a
data storage device connected to the computer network, configured
to receive information associated with the first encrypted messages
from the GSI program and store the information associated with the
first encrypted messages.
10. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the GSI
program is configured to receive requests from the game client
applications in the first encrypted messages and to respond to the
requests by sending second encrypted messages to the game client
applications.
11. The network-based game system of claim 10, wherein the second
encrypted messages are encrypted using one or more of the plurality
of protocols stored on the computer storage device.
12. The network-based game system of claim 10, wherein the first
encrypted messages include authentication information and the
second encrypted messages include verification information.
13. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the GSI
program comprises a GSI controller configured to decrypt the first
encrypted messages and encrypt response messages using one or more
of the protocols stored on the computer storage device.
14. The network-based game system of claim 13, wherein the GSI
program comprises a GSI model that stores game application logic
and is configured to develop the response messages in accordance
with the application logic.
15. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the game
client applications are executed by a plug-in to a web browser
installed on the computer device.
16. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the GSI
program is configured to communicate with the game client
applications in a non-persistent network connection.
17. A network-based game system, comprising: a computer network
configured to communicate with game client applications running on
a plurality of computer devices, wherein at least two of the game
client applications are engaged in the same game room; a first
server connected to the computer network, configured to store a
game engine application that can a) respond to the game client
applications instantaneously after receiving requests from the game
client applications, and b) send requests to the game client
applications and instantaneously receive responses from the game
client applications; a computer storage device connected to the
computer network, configured to store a plurality of protocols for
message encryption and message decryption; and a second server
connected to the computer network, configured to store a
game-system-interface (GSI) program that can receive a plurality of
first encrypted messages from the plurality of game client
applications and decrypt the first encrypted messages using one or
more of the plurality of the protocols.
18. The network-based game system of claim 17, wherein the game
engine application is configured to broadcast to the plurality of
client applications in the same game room.
19. The network-based game system of claim 17, wherein the first
encrypted messages comprise game status information comprising one
or more of game statistics and game configurations associated with
at least one of the game client applications.
20. A network-based game system, comprising: a computer network
configured to communicate with game client applications running on
a plurality of computer devices, wherein at least two of the game
client applications are engaged in the same game room; a first
server connected to the computer network, configured to store a
game engine application that can a) respond to the game client
applications instantaneously after receiving requests from the game
client applications, and b) send requests to the game client
applications and instantaneously receive responses from the game
client applications; a computer storage device connected to the
computer network, configured to store a plurality of protocols for
message encryption and message decryption; and a second server
connected to the computer network, configured to store a
game-system-interface (GSI) controller and a GSI model, wherein the
GSI controller can receive a plurality of first encrypted messages
from the plurality of game client applications, decrypt the first
encrypted messages, and encrypt second encrypted messages to be
sent to the game client applications using one or more of the
protocols stored on the computer storage device and the GSI model
can store game application logic and develop response messages to
be encrypted in the second encrypted messages in accordance with
the application logic.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to commonly assigned U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/188,148, titled "Persistent and efficient
game architecture" by Liu et al, filed Jul. 22, 2005 and U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/212,216, titled "Multi-protocol game
engine" by Liu et al, filed Aug. 25,2005, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This application relates to a game system, more
specifically, a network-based game system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Interactive online digital entertainment has advanced on
many fronts in recent years, especially with respect to video
gaming. For example, users can login to websites to find an
opponent and then a game of chess or a card game in the virtual
world. As a player may be competing against another player, the
communication is bi-directional. However, not all video games can
be played online. For a game of chess where time to make a move
does not have an immediate and consequential effect on the outcome,
players have time to contemplate the next move, counter move, game
strategy and so on and the game does not need to provide real-time
feedback. However, in a majority of real-time video games, time
needed to make a decision and act upon that decision is relatively
short so that players involved feel a sense of realism and
engagement. In such a real-time game, action must occur in close
proximity to real life events. Real-time action is required for the
action games, simulation games such as flight simulators and sport
games. In most cases persistent communications, scoring, player
attributes, etc. cannot be offered together with real-time realism
and engagement.
[0004] Another difficulty to the network-based game systems is
scalability. While some existing network-based systems can handle
tens of thousands of game players, it is a serious challenge to
provide game applications in real time to millions of players
reliably and simultaneously. Another challenge is to provide a
large number of game rooms each hosting a number of game players. A
further desired feature for network-based game systems is to
effectively provide a wide selection of games to the players while
maintaining the same performance in real-time responses to a large
number of players or offering many games to game players within a
unified social context and user identity.
SUMMARY
[0005] Implementations of the system may include one or more of the
following. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a
network-based game system, comprising:
[0006] a computer network configured to communicate with game
client applications running on a plurality of computer devices,
wherein at least two of the game client applications are engaged in
the same game room;
[0007] a first server connected to the computer network, configured
to store a game engine application capable of communicating with
the plurality of game client applications;
[0008] a computer storage device connected to the computer network,
configured to store a protocol for message encryption and message
decryption; and
[0009] a second server connected to the computer network,
configured to store a game-system- interface (GSI) program that can
receive a plurality of first encrypted messages from the plurality
of game client applications and decrypt the first encrypted
messages using the protocol stored on the computer storage
device.
[0010] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a
network-based game system, comprising:
[0011] a computer network configured to communicate with game
client applications running on a plurality of computer devices,
wherein at least two of the game client applications are engaged in
the same game room;
[0012] a first server connected to the computer network, configured
to store a game engine application that can [0013] a) respond to
the game client applications instantaneously after receiving
requests from the game client applications, and [0014] b) send
requests to the game client applications and instantaneously
receive responses from the game client applications;
[0015] a computer storage device connected to the computer network,
configured to store a plurality of protocols for message encryption
and message decryption; and
[0016] a second server connected to the computer network,
configured to store a game-system- interface (GSI) program that can
receive a plurality of first encrypted messages from the plurality
of game client applications and decrypt the first encrypted
messages using one or more of the plurality of the protocols.
[0017] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a
network-based game system, comprising:
[0018] a computer network configured to communicate with game
client applications running on a plurality of computer devices,
wherein at least two of the game client applications are engaged in
the same game room;
[0019] a first server connected to the computer network, configured
to store a game engine application that can [0020] a) respond to
the game client applications instantaneously after receiving
requests from the game client applications, and [0021] b) send
requests to the game client applications and instantaneously
receive responses from the game client applications;
[0022] a computer storage device connected to the computer network,
configured to store a plurality of protocols for message encryption
and message decryption; and
[0023] a second server connected to the computer network,
configured to store a game-system- interface (GSI) controller and a
GSI model,
[0024] wherein the GSI controller can receive a plurality of first
encrypted messages from the plurality of game client applications,
decrypt the first encrypted messages, and encrypt second encrypted
messages to be sent to the game client applications using one or
more of the protocols stored on the computer storage device and the
GSI model can store game application logic and develop response
messages to be encrypted in the second encrypted messages in
accordance with the application logic.
[0025] Implementations of the system may include one or more of the
following. The first server can be configured to store a game
engine application capable of communicating with the plurality of
game client applications in a persistent network connection. The
computer storage device can be configured to store a plurality of
protocols for message encryption and message decryption and the
game-system-interface (GSI) program can decrypt the first encrypted
messages using one or more of the plurality of the protocols. The
game engine application can be configured to broadcast to the
plurality of client applications in the same game room. The game
engine application can be configured to receive requests from the
game client application and instantaneously respond to the
requests. The first encrypted messages can include game status
information comprising one or more of game statistics and game
configurations associated with at least one of the game client
applications. At least one of the first encrypted messages can
include a serialized message that can be serialized by the
protocol. The first encrypted messages can include one or more of
user identification, session identification, and game room
information associated with the game client applications. The
network-based game system can further include a data storage device
connected to the computer network configured to receive information
associated with the first encrypted messages from the GSI program
and store the information associated with the first encrypted
messages. The GSI program can be configured to receive requests
from the game client applications in the first encrypted messages
and to respond to the requests by sending second encrypted messages
to the game client applications. The second encrypted messages can
be encrypted using one or more of the plurality of protocols stored
on the computer storage device. The first encrypted messages can
include authentication information and the second encrypted
messages include verification information. The GSI program can
include a GSI controller configured to decrypt the first encrypted
messages and encrypt response messages using one or more of the
protocols stored on the computer storage device. The GSI program
can include a GSI model that stores game application logic and is
configured to develop the response messages in accordance with the
application logic. The game client applications can be executed by
a plug-in to a web browser installed on the computer device. The
GSI program can be configured to communicate with the game client
applications in a non-persistent network connection.
[0026] Embodiments may include one or more of the following
advantages. An advantage of the present invention is that the
disclosed network-based gaming system can provide game applications
simultaneously to many remote game players. A plurality of game
players can play the same game in the same game room from different
locations convenient to them. Many game players can play the same
game applications while competing against each other or play
separate game applications. The persistent communication paths
allow game applications to be played with instantaneous responses
without network latency at multiple remote locations.
[0027] Another advantage of the invention is that the disclosed
system can provide many game applications to remote game players
over a computer network using different serialization encryption
protocols such as PHP, XML, AMF, XML-RPC, etc. The game players can
access game applications based on any of the protocols from a
single network-based service. The selection of the game
applications is significantly increased. Different game
applications used by different game players can use different
encryption protocols to play the same game or even play in the same
game room.
[0028] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the
disclosed system can provide game applications to remote game
players with persistent network connections while efficiently
tracking and updating the game status of each of the players in an
efficient manner. The disclosed system includes a persistent
communication path that provides instantaneous message exchanges
for the game applications in real time. The disclosed system
includes a separate communication path that can respond to the
requests game applications without consuming significant network
resources and store game status information in storage devices.
[0029] Still another advantage of the invention is that the
disclosed game system is efficient. The disclosed game system
includes a communication path to the game client that does not need
to be persistent through a game session. A call from the game
client is answered and the communication session is closed and
network connection freed up.
[0030] Because of its efficient communication architecture, the
disclosed system can be scaled up easily without consuming
significant network bandwidth as in the prior art systems. It can
host millions of game players in millions of game sessions over a
computer network, which is one or more orders of magnitudes higher
than conventional network-based game systems.
[0031] Another advantage of the present invention is that it allows
scalability to the hosting of a large number of game players in the
same game room or in different game rooms. The communications to
the game client application are divided into a persistent
communication and an efficient but non-persistent communication
path. The amount of information communicated in real time is
minimized. A flexible layer by game-system-interface (GSI) program
handles the non-persistent communications, which allows the
network-based game system to handle a large number and variety of
game client applications.
[0032] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the
accompanying drawing and in the description below. Other features,
objects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from
the description and drawings, and from the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a system diagram of the network-based game system
in accordance with the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 2 shows a game client application that can be running
on a computer device shown in FIG. 1.
[0035] FIG. 3 shows a game engine application that can be stored on
a game server shown in FIG. 1.
[0036] FIG. 4A shows a Game System Interface application that is
stored on a server in the network-based game system shown in FIG. 1
in accordance to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 4B shows a Game System Interface application that is
stored on a web server of FIG. 1 in accordance to another
embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows a system diagram of a persistent and efficient
game architecture compatible with the network-based game system of
FIG. 1.
[0039] FIG. 6 shows a system diagram of a game architecture
compatible with the network-based game system of FIG. 1. The game
architecture is capable of communicating in serialized messages
under a plurality of communication protocols.
[0040] FIG. 7 shows a table that lists a plurality of game engines
that can communicate under different serialization protocols.
[0041] FIG. 8 shows a flow chart for the communication between the
Game System Interface application and a game client application or
a game engine in a network-based game system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in
conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood
that they are not intended to limit the invention to these
embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover
alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included
within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description
of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth
in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
invention. However, it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in
the art that the present invention may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well known methods,
procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in
detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present
invention.
[0043] Shown in FIG. 1, a network-based game system 100 can provide
game applications over a communication network 105 to be played on
many computer devices 106 and 107. The communication network 105
can include various wired, wireless, satellite communication
arrangements including but not limited to a wide area network such
as the Internet, a local area network, a cellular phone network
under various communication protocols such as 2G, 2.5G and 3G,
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS), EDGE, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),
Wideband CDMA, TD-SCDMA, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS), etc., and Wi-Fi wireless communication standards such as
IEEE 802.11, Wi-Max, and IEEE 806.16, and others. The computer
devices 106 and 107 can include personal computers, portable
digital assistance (PDA) devices, cell phones, digital image
capture devices, and dedicated game devices such as Microsoft XBOX,
the SONY PlayStation OR PS2, and/or the Nintendo 64, GameCube, or
GameBoy.
[0044] The network-based game system 100 can include a load
balancer 115, one or more web servers 121-124, one or more session
servers 130, a server 140, one or more servers 141-143, a database
150, and a storage area network 151. The network-based game system
100 can be operated by a game service provider such as Gaia
Interactive Inc., based in California, USA. The network-based game
system 100 can provide a website such as www.gaiaonline.com on the
Internet to host a game community and provide various game services
such as games, discussion groups, and mails etc. A player can sign
up at the website to own his or her own account. The player can
also personalize his or her own profiles. As described below, the
network-based system 100 can store game statistics and other game
properties associated with a player in a networked storage device,
available and updatable to the game player.
[0045] A game player can access the web site of the game service
provider using computer devices 106 and 107 with a web browser
application executed on the computer devices 106 or 107. The web
browser applications are available from several manufacturers
including Internet Explorer.TM. from Microsoft, Netscape.TM. from
AOL, and Firebox.TM. from Mozilla and so on. Various Internet
browsing applications are available to cellular phones, PDAs, game
consoles, which are also compatible with the disclosed system and
methods.
[0046] A game client application 200 can reside on the computer
device 106 or 107 as shown in FIG. 2. The game client application
200 can be executed by a plug-in to the web browser application.
The game client application 200 can include game logic for one or
more games and enable animation display for the games. The
web-browser plug-in can enable the web browser to audio or video
messages and properly display vector graphics images independent of
the manufacturer or the version of the web browser. The web-browser
plug-in can allow animations to be properly scaled to as web
browser window is resized. The game client application 200 can use
the web browser's communication API (Application Programming
Interface) to communicate with various servers and devices (115,
121-124, 140-143 etc.) in the network-based game system 100.
[0047] Specifically, without limitation, the computer devices 106
and 107 can be installed with Flash plug-in produced by Macromedia
Inc. Flash is a bandwidth friendly and browser independent
vector-graphic animation technology. Animation is choreographed
using one or more sequential timelines in which actions and
interactions are defined. The Flash plug-in is attached to the web
browsers running on the computer devices 106 and 107 to allow the
web browser play SWF (Small Web Format) movie clips referenced in a
webpage. Macromedia's Flash MX and Freehand applications and other
Flash files can also be viewed through a Web browser plug-in (or
the Flash player) or multimedia applications that access the player
directly. Flash files can include sound. Flash can use the FLA
files for source files and SWF files for the Flash movies. Flash
files are space-efficient and suitable for interactions, comparing
to other movie files (AVI, MPG, etc.) files.
[0048] The game client application 200 can be written in one or
more SWF movie clips to be loaded in the web browser. Each game
client application 200 can correspond to one or more games. The SWF
movie clips include game logic as well as animations, images, and
other effects. The SWF movie clips can communicate with servers in
the network-based game system 100 using the library of functions
provided by Macromedia's Flash plug-in. A library of APIs can be
developed for the SWF movie clips that can be re-used in multiple
games.
[0049] FIG. 3 shows a game engine application 300 stored on a game
server 141, 142, or 143. The game engine application 300 is
responsible for providing real-time responses to the game client
application 200 during a game session. In the present application,
the term "real-time communication" refers to the types of
communications facilitated by a persistent network connection. The
persistent network connection allows instantaneous and reliable
communications between two components over the network without
network latency.
[0050] The game server 141, 142, or 143 on which the game engine
application 300 is stored can keep an open socket connection with
the computer device 106 or 107. The game engine application 300 and
the game client application 200 can send and receive TCP/IP
messages to and from each other by writing and reading data to and
from the socket. Messages can be sent and received from either the
game server 141 (or 142 and 143) or the computer device 106 or 107
at any time. The persistent network connection allows instantaneous
two-way communications and guarantees the games updated in real
time without network latency at all time during a game session. A
loss of connection in the persistent communication can be
interpreted as that the game client application 200 has left the
game.
[0051] The game engine application 300 is compatible with different
server software implementations such as Sushi Multiuser Server
available at "www.wok2.de", ElectroServer 3available at
"www.electrotank.com", and Terazona Network Engine available at
"www.zona.net". The network-based game system 100 can include many
the game engine applications 300 developed using different server
software. Different server software may require serialized messages
encrypted under different serialization protocols. The
communication protocols with these game engine applications 300 are
provided by the GSI program 400.
[0052] The message serialization and de-serialization are used as
examples of the encryption and decryption methods in the disclosed
system and methods. The examples are meant to depict the
flexibility and capability of the invention system. The present
invention is compatible with other encryption and decryption
techniques, and associated protocols.
[0053] The network-based game system 100 includes a Game System
Interface (GSI) program 400 that can be stored on a server 140 as
shown in FIG. 4A, on the web server 121, 122, or 123 as shown in
FIG. 4B, or on other servers such as the game servers 141-143
connected to the computer network. This server that the GSI program
400 resides on can be a single computer or a load-balanced cluster
of servers. Each request to the GSI program 400 is an autonomous
transaction and therefore does not require a persistent connection
between the GSI program 400 and the other party (e.g. the game
client application 200 or the game engine application 300).
[0054] The GSI program 400 provides information to clients such as
the game client application 200 in response to requests but does
initiate communications. The GSI program 400 can respond to the
requests from the game client applications 200 running on the
computer devices 106 and 107. Similarly, the GSI program 400 can
also provide game information in response to the requests from the
game engine application 300.
[0055] FIG. 5 shows a system diagram of a persistent and efficient
game architecture 500 in the network-based game system 100. The
persistent and efficient game architecture 500 include the game
client application 200, the game engine application 300, and the
GSI program 400, which provide a persistent communication path and
an efficient but non-persistent communication path for the game
client application 200. The GSI program 400 is connected to the
database 150 and a Storage Area Network 151 for saving updated data
in the current game and retrieving data from the current and past
games. The games are run on the game client applications 200 and
communicate with the game engine applications 300 through the
protocols defined by the game client application 400.
[0056] An advantageous feature of the disclosed network-based game
system is that it includes a persistent communication path and a
non-persistent communication path for the remote game client
application. The persistent communication path is used for
exchanging short and instantaneous messages that a game needs to be
updated in real time, but does not need to be stored permanently on
data storage. The real-time two-way communications between the game
client application 200 and the game engine application 300 are fast
and without network latency. There is no cycle time spent on
accessing and storing the exchange information on a data storage
device. The persistency of the network connection between the game
client application 200 and the game engine application 300
typically last through a game session.
[0057] The non-persistent communication path is efficient, which
allows the amount of information communicated in real time to be
minimized. As a result, the network-based system is scalable to a
large number of game players. The non-persistent communication path
is used to communicate information that is of "long-term" use to
the games or the game players and does not require instantaneous
and resource-intensive communications. The information may include
the attributes and statistics of the game player such as his or her
game scores, the equipment he or she purchased to be used in the
games, the "money"he or she owns from the past and the current
games, and so on. The information not only is needed for the
current game, but also needs to be stored and retrieved for future
games. Thus the information exchanged between the game client
application 200 and the GSI program 400 often involves the access
or retrieving data from the database 150 and a data storage device
such as SAN 151, and writing and saving data to the database 150
and a data storage device. The interactions between the game client
application 200 and the GSI program 400 are usually single requests
that can be answered. The connection is then closed. In other
words, no persistent network connection is required for these
communications throughout a game session.
[0058] The persistent and efficient game architecture 500 shown in
FIG. 5 differs from certain prior art systems that integrate the
different types of communications into the same application layer.
The same application layer handles real-time persistent
communications and communications that do not need to be real time
(which is in contrast to the separate game engine application 300
and the GSI 400 provided in the persistent and efficient game
architecture 500). This type of prior art systems requires
persistent network connections for both types of server
communications throughout the game sessions. Each of the server
instances is to be managed by a much larger and more
resource-intensive application layer than the presently disclosed
system. The burden to the application layer grows rapidly as the
number of game clients or the number of games grows, which often
increases the chance for failure, slows the responses, or degrades
reliability. Furthermore, the present disclosed system is much more
scalable compared to this type of prior art systems.
[0059] Each game engine application 300 can support one or many
game client applications 200. The GSI program 400 can support many
game client applications 200 and many game engine applications 300.
The game logic can be stored inside the game client application
200, for example, in the form of compiled flash SWF files that are
loaded on the web browsers on the computer devices 106 and 107.
[0060] The game client application 200 can be loaded via web
browser running on the computer devices 106 and 107. The game
client application 200 can include many game logics to allow a
player to play many games. Alternatively, the game play logic can
also be remotely stored on a server (such as 121-124 or 140-143) in
the network-based game system 100. For example, the game logic can
be included in the game engine application 300 or the GSI program
400 that can typically accommodate more complex game logic than
game client applications. The remotely stored game logic can be
activated remotely in real-time with secure processing on the
servers (such as 121-124 or 140-143) or downloaded to the game
players' computer devices 106 and 107 before a session starts.
[0061] To start a game, a game player can access a game service
website such as www.gaiaonline.com operated by Gaia Interactive
Inc., based in California, USA. The game player can initiate a game
session by clicking a game client application 200 on a web page
presented by a web browser application running on a computer device
106 or 107. In the present invention, a game session refers to an
active connection between the client game application 200 and other
programs such as game engine application 300 and GSI program 400
stored in the network-based game system 100. The game client
application 200 can also be in the form of stream media (e.g. Flash
SWF) so a game can keep loading as game-play starts.
[0062] In one embodiment, a game can be started and a game session
can be initiated directly from the game client application 200 to
the game engine application 300 after authenticating with GSI 400,
without the need to access a webpage.
[0063] Many game client applications can be loaded on a computer
device 106 or 107. Each game client application 200 can include
game logic for one or more games. In one embodiment, the game
client application 200 can be a Flash plug-in provided by
Macromedia. The Flash plug-in can be downloaded, installed, and
attached to a web browser. The Flash plug-in allows the web browser
to play SWF movie clips in the web-browser it finds referenced in a
webpage. Each SWF movie clip can include a unique game. The SWF
movie clips contain the game logic as well as animations, images,
and other effects. The SWF movie clip can communicate with servers
in the network-based game system 100 using the library of functions
provided by Macromedia's Flash plug-in and libraries of APIs
developed for the network-based game system 100. Each game engine
application 300 can support one or many game client applications
200 and thus many game logics.
[0064] During a game session, each game client application 200 can
be supported by a game engine application 300 with a persistent
connection in the network-based game system 100, that is, the game
client application 200 and the game engine application 300 can send
requests to each other and receive instantaneous responses at any
time during a game session. A stop in the two-way communications
between the game client application 200 and the game engine
application 300 is typically interpreted by the game engine
application 300 as the leaving of the game session by the game
client application 200.
[0065] The network-based game system 100 can include many game
engine applications 300 stored on the game servers 141-143. Each of
the game engine applications 300 can be based on different game
platforms that may be developed by the game service provider such
as Gaia Interactive, Inc., or sourced from a third party game
developer. The game player can thus access a wide range of
network-based games at many game engine applications 300 that run
on game platforms. Different game client applications 200 can be
installed on the computer devices to run specific games supported
by the corresponding game engine applications 300.
[0066] During a game session, the game client application 200 can
pull information related to the specific game or game session from
the game engine application 300. The game engine application 300
can respond to the requests instantaneously. The game engine
application 300 can also update the game client application 200
with animations and short-term game information that do not need to
be permanently stored. The short-term information, for example, can
include the position of a soccer-ball on a field as it is being
kicked around, the path a player's avatar is moving along on the
field or the current pose an avatar is in, and the instant message
chat communication between players in a game room, including
text-based chats and emoticons. A game room allows a plurality of
remote game players to play the same game with each other. The game
players can play team based competitive games such as soccer, ice
hockey, or football, or they can play individual based games such
as fishing, car race, etc.
[0067] In another embodiment, the network-based game system 100 can
host many game players playing the same game client applications in
a common game session. The game players can, for example, compete
with each other in a ball game or fishing game in the game session.
The game players playing can also be depicted as playing in the
same game room. In the multi-player game sessions, the game engine
application 300 can broadcast updates to many game client
applications 200 running on many computer devices 106, 107 that are
in the same game room.
[0068] The game engine application 300 can establish the players in
the same game room as peers. The game engine application 300 can
conduct peer-to-peer communications in real time by broadcasting a
player's actions or events over that player's game client
application to other peers' game client applications in the same
game room. Each game client application 200 in the game room can
construct a message and request the game engine application 300 to
forward to the message another peer or all the peers in the same
game room.
[0069] The GSI program 400 can respond to the requests from the
game client application 200 running on the computer devices 106 and
107. The GSI program 400 typically answers questions but does not
initiate requests by the game client applications 200. When a
player enters the game website or when the player starts a game
session, the game client application 200 requests an authorization
from the GSI program 400. The GSI program 400 creates a new session
ID for the user at login. The GSI program 400 verifies the user ID
and session ID and returns validation message to authenticate the
game session. The responses by the GSI program 400 in general do
not need to be persistent. For example, they do not have to
communicate through SOCKET connections. This flexibility allows a
GSL program 400 to answer more calls and enables the network-based
game system 100 to handle a large number of game client
applications and game players simultaneously.
[0070] The game client application 200 asks the GSI program 400
which game room to join for a given game. The GSI program 400
checks information received from the game engine applications 300
to see whether or not a game room has been created for that game.
If the game room exists, the game client application 200 enters it.
If the game room does not exist, the game client application 200
requests the game engine applications 300 to create one. The game
engine application 300 creates the game room and passes the
information to the GSI program 400 for verification. The GSI
program 400 validates and returns a verification message including
a new game room ID to the game engine application 300 that in turn
returns the verification information to the game client application
200. The game client application enters the new game room. In this
sequence of the communications, the GSI program 400 does not
initiate the request. It only validates the information in requests
it receives.
[0071] After the game engine applications 300 creates the game
room, it writes information about the game room back into the GSI
program 400 and waits for the GSI program 400 to validate that the
game room is OK. After receiving the validation from the GSI
program 400, the game engine application 300 allows the game client
application to enter the new game room.
[0072] The game client application 200 then requests the load of
the game. For example, a SWF file is loaded by the plug-in at the
request of the web browser. The SWF is executed by a Flash Plugin.
Instructions inside the SWF tell it to connect to the GSI program
400. Instructions inside the SWF also instruct it to display the
game environment and run the game interactions.
[0073] The GSI program 400 returns the variables necessary for
loading the game and information for saving game results to the
game client application 200. During the game session, the game
client application 200 can request the saving of the game results.
The GSI program 400 validates the data to be saved and returns
whether or not the saving is succeeded. The GSI program 400 also
gathers information about all the players in the same game room and
broadcast the information to the game room. In general, the GSI
program 400 can respond to hundreds of different types of calls by
the game client applications 200. The GSI program 400 can typically
communicate with game client application 200 in the range of
0.001-0.1 milliseconds depending on network latency and the
processing time. The priority for the performance of the GSI
program 400 is that it can respond to all the requests, but not
necessarily in real time.
[0074] The GSI program 400 controls the load balance and the
distribution of players in the game rooms across multiple game
servers 141-143 on which the game engine applications 300 reside.
The GSI program 400 verifies that game rooms for a given game are
not duplicated by accident. During the game sessions, the game
client applications 200 updates the GSI program 400 with game
status information such as game statistics and game configurations.
Game statistics for example can include game scores of a game
player, the asset and money that a player has accumulated, number
of games played etc. Game configuration can include game equipment,
game location, favorite games, etc.
[0075] Tokens and validation keys can also be passed from the game
engine application 300 to the game client applications 200 to make
sure different actions are occurring in the correct order and are
not being spoofed by the client game application 200. The game
client application 200 may be required to return the tokens and
keys combined with other variables to ensure that the game's
integrity has not been compromised.
[0076] The GSI program 400 sends the game status information to
database 150 and storage area network to store the game status
information into the user account such that the user can keep his
or her record even after the specific game session is ended.
[0077] An advantage of the present invention is that it allows
scalability up to a large number of game players in the same game
room or in different game rooms. The communications to the game
client applications are divided into persistent real-time
communications and efficient but non-persistent communications. The
amount of information communicated in real time is minimized. A
flexible layer by game-system- interface (GSI) program handles the
non-persistent communications, which allows the network-based game
system to handle an ever-increasing number and variety of game
client applications.
[0078] The GSI program 400 can also respond to requests from the
game engine application 300 as shown in FIG. 5. The GSI program 400
provides information to the game engine application 300 as
requested but the GSI program 400 does not initiate messages to the
game engine application 300. The game engine application 300
informs the GSI program 400 of all players and game rooms created.
The game engine application 300 also sends user ID, session ID,
game room ID to the GSI program 400 for validation. The GSI program
400 responds to the game engine application 300 to validate of the
game rooms, the game sessions and the user ID. The game engine
application 300 can communicate with the GSI application 400 over
its own local host loop-back IP address (since the GSI program 400
can be installed and run on the same computer as the game engine
application 300), eliminating network latency between the game
engine application 300 and the GSI program 400.
[0079] FIG. 6 shows a system diagram of a game architecture capable
of communicating in serialized messages under a plurality of
communication protocols. A plurality of game client applications
611-613 can be running on a multiple of computer devices 106 and
107 to support multiple game players to play in the same or
different game rooms. Each computer devices 106 and 107 can host
multiple of game client applications 611-613. The game client
applications 611-613 can communicate with one or more game engine
applications 621-623 in communication paths that are persistent
through game sessions. The responses are real time without network
latency, but the information communicated is specific to each game
session and are not required to be stored after a game session is
ended. The game engine applications 621-623 can communicate in
different languages defined by serialization communication
protocols such as PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), XML, AMF, XML-RPC
(Remote Procedure Call), etc.
[0080] The game client applications 611-613 can also communicate
with a Game System Interface (GSI) program 630 in an efficient
communication path. The GSI program 630 is intended to provide a
logical structure for connecting the game client applications
611-613 to application logic on one or more servers in the
network-based game system 100. The GSI program 630 can respond to
requests from the game client applications 611-613 and the game
engine applications 621-623. Each request/response cycle is a
separate session that is not required to be persistent through the
game session. Moreover, the requests to and responses by the GSI
program 630 can be asynchronous communications. The GSI program 630
includes two application layers: a GSI controller 640 and a GSI
model 650. The GSI controller 640 can access a game protocol
library 660 that can be stored in a storage device connected in the
network. An exemplified table 700 in the game protocol library 660
is shown in FIG. 7. The table 700 lists a plurality of Game IDs
such as "Fishing", "Soccer", "Halloween", "Treasure Hunt",
"Survival", etc. One or more game IDs are supported by a game
engine (GEl, GE2, GE3...). The game engines GE1, GE2, GE3... are
coded to communicate under different serialization protocols such
as PHP, XML, AMF, XML-RPC, and PHP that can be transported using a
variety of Internet protocols, including HTTP, SMTP, and MIME. The
communication protocols are independent from the operating systems
on the computer devices 106 and 107 or on the servers in the
network based game system 100. The communication protocols can be
independent of the game logic, the game rooms, and the game engine
applications. Different game client applications 611-613 can even
use many different communication protocols to enter the same game
room at the same time. The GSI program 630 provides multiple
message serialization protocols, allowing multiple client types to
communicate with the game engine applications 621-623, the data
base 670 and storage device 671 through the GSI model 650.
[0081] The GSI program 630 publishes a list of communication
protocols to provide a standardized method of message delivery. For
instance, a communication protocol can abstract different
representations of different types of data into a serialized
encapsulation, which allows a common representation of data for
different languages used on different computer devices.
Importantly, this enables communication with unknown client
applications residing on a computer whose programming language is
unknown to the GSI program.
[0082] The communication protocols can include encryption rules and
decryption rules for serializing or de-serializing messages as
shown in FIG. 7. The game client applications 611-613 and the game
engine applications 621-623 are built with libraries that handle
the translations under different protocols. For example, the game
client applications 611-613 and the game engine applications
621-623 can decode serialized packet into its own internal language
to understand data contained in a serialized encapsulation.
Similarly, request messages to the GSI program 630 can be encrypted
using these natively stored protocols before sent to the GSI
program 630. The game client applications 611-613 and the game
engine applications 621-623 use the communication protocols to
invoke requests to the GSI program 630 and interpret reply messages
from GSI program 630.
[0083] The GSI program 630 provides a single entry point for
requests from all game client applications 611-613. This
architecture allows the game client applications 611-613 bundle
multiple asynchronous requests in the same HTTP requests (i.e.
boxcar method). Furthermore, requests in different communications
protocols can be bundled in the same HTTP message. The GSI program
can subsequently respond to the bundled HTTP requests in one
bundled HTTP response. The boxcar method allows efficient
information transfer at low communication barrier. In contrast, a
game architecture comprising multiple entry points for the game
client applications cannot allow the bundling of different requests
if the requests are intended to be received by different entry
points.
[0084] The GSI program 630 separates message serialization from
application logic. The message serialization and de-serialization
is handled by the GSI controller 640 whereas the application logic
is processed by the GSI model 650. The GSI program 630 is built
using a hybridized MVC (Model View Controller) architecture
including two application layers the GSI controller 640 and one or
more GSI models 650. The GSI controller 640 is a single gateway
responsible for controlling the requests and routing the requests
to specific GSI models 650 and then returning the responses back to
the game client application 611-613. Each GSI model contains the
application logic for each particular method call. The GSI models
650 accept parameters and return responses. The GSI models
interpret de-serialize messages sent by the game client
applications 613-613 or the game engine applications 621-623 and
serialize the responses from the model using the same protocol as
the initial request. Views de-serialize messages sent by the client
application and then serialize the response from the model using
the same protocol as the initial request. In sum, the GSI
controller 640 controls what application logic is called. The GSI
models 650 house that application logic. The view formats the
information provided by the GSI model 650.
[0085] The architecture comprising the GSI program 621-623 include
one or more advantages. The GSI program 621-623 allows a
lightweight client to server-side application logic. The GSI
program 621-623 allows the connection of two different servers that
do not use the same programming language such as Java, Flash
ActionScript, and PHP. The serialization protocol makes it possible
to represent data-structures that are different from one server to
the next. For the data in a received message to be used by a
server, the message must be de-serialized and translated into its
own language so that the data can be manipulated. The serialization
protocol provides a read-only representations of the data. Once the
data is de-serialized, it is manipulated by the native language
methods until the data needs to be returned. It is then
re-serialized and sent off. The client applications can communicate
with the servers in the network-based system 100 in different
message serialization protocols. Furthermore, the application logic
accessible to GSI models 650 can be broken down into a series of
discreet requests for specific information and each method
invocation answers a specific question.
[0086] FIG. 8 shows an exemplified flow chart for the communication
between Game System Interface application and a game client
application or a game engine. A game client application 200,
611-613 submits a request to a URL or other communication layer,
which is received by the web server 121-124. In step 810, the web
server 121-124 instantiates a GSI controller 640 to handle the
request. In step 820, the GSI controller 640 evaluates the request
and determines which communication protocol is to be used. The
communication protocol may be indicated in a header in the request
message or stored at a storage location defined by an URL. The GSI
controller 640 then instantiates a view object from the game
protocol library 660. The view object can include decryption and
encryption rules for the protocol. The GSI controller 640 asks the
view object to de-serialize the request. The view object
de-serializes the request in step 830 and returns the request in a
standardized format to the GSI controller 640. The GSI controller
640 evaluates the request in step 850. The GSI controller 640
instantiates a GSI model 650 to handle different sections of the
request. The GSI model 650 accepts the parameters passed in by the
GSI controller 640 and returns a response in step 860. The GSI
controller 640 captures the result of these operations and passes
them to the view object. The view object serializes the response in
step 870. The GSI controller 640 returns the serialized response to
the game client application 200, 611-613. A GSI program 621-623
closes the request. The message from the game client application
200, 611-613 often includes game status information that need to be
stored in the player's account to allow the information to be
available after the game session ends. The game status information
can include game scores of a game player, the asset and money that
a player has accumulated, game equipment, and game location. A DAO
(Data Access Object) is instantiated in step 880. A database query
(e.g. SQL query) is instantiated to update the database 150, 670 in
step 890. The game status information in the request is written in
the storage device 671 in step 895. The request/response
communication cycles between the game engine applications 300,
621-623 and the GSI program 400, 650 can be conducted in a similar
fashion as described above.
[0087] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have
been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the
foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the
invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described
herein, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications,
and substitutions without departing from the scope of the
invention. The following claims are intended to encompass many such
modifications.
* * * * *
References