Gaming Network Bandwidth Allocation via Status Data Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
In client-server gaming networks, multiple gaming machines competing for bandwidth can lead to issues where one machine's software update or file download hinders another machine's ability to implement a game, causing bandwidth management challenges.
Innovation Solution
Each gaming machine sends status data about its bandwidth usage to others, allowing each to determine available bandwidth for non-game activities and prioritize it to ensure sufficient bandwidth for game implementation by modifying bandwidth allocation based on the status of other machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple gaming machines share a common communications link with the remote base station, then centralized gaming management and game updates are simplified, but bandwidth competition occurs preventing machines from implementing games
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having gaming machines send status data indicating their current activities (game implementation, file download, software update) before bandwidth allocation decisions are made. This allows the remote base station to anticipate bandwidth requirements and allocate bandwidth proactively, preventing bandwidth conflicts before they occur while maintaining centralized management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where gaming machines continuously send status data to the remote base station about their current activities and bandwidth usage. The base station uses this feedback information to dynamically adjust bandwidth allocation, ensuring that game implementation activities receive sufficient bandwidth while still allowing update activities to occur, thus resolving the contradiction between centralized management and reliable game implementation.
2Productivity
If a gaming machine performs file download for software update, then the gaming machine is updated, but other gaming machines are prevented from implementing games due to bandwidth consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making bandwidth allocation flexible and adaptive rather than static. The remote base station continuously monitors status data from all gaming machines and dynamically adjusts bandwidth allocation based on current needs. When a machine is implementing a game, it receives higher bandwidth priority; when updating, it receives appropriate bandwidth for updates. This dynamic allocation allows both software updates and game implementations to occur reliably without permanent conflicts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by adjusting bandwidth allocation levels based on activity type. Different bandwidth parameters are assigned to different activities: game implementation receives bandwidth parameters optimized for real-time performance, while software updates receive bandwidth parameters optimized for data transfer efficiency. This parameter changes approach allows the system to optimize for the current priority activity while maintaining capability for other activities, resolving the contradiction between update capability and game implementation reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system is disclosed which comprises a plurality of gaming machines, and a communications network arranged to facilitate communications between respective gaming machines, the communications network having an associated bandwidth for communications to and from the communications network. Each gaming machine is arranged to send status data indicative of whether the gaming machine is performing an activity requiring bandwidth usage to the other gaming machines, and each gaming machine is arranged to determine the amount of bandwidth available to the gaming machine for non-game implementation related activity using the status data received from the other gaming machines. A corresponding method is also disclosed.