Selective Protocol Engine for Game Message Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication systems for distributed game environments face challenges in reliably transmitting ordered messages while also handling ephemeral data over unreliable channels, such as the Internet, where packet loss and reordering can occur.
Innovation Solution
A communication protocol that uses a protocol engine with a packet-based communication system, employing a triple of channel identifier, ordering index, and ephemerality index to ensure reliable delivery of messages while allowing for selective discarding of out-of-order or delayed ephemeral messages, utilizing a reliable datagram service layered on UDP for coordinated transmission and retransmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reliable in-order delivery is implemented using TCP, then message reliability and order are improved, but network overhead and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments messages into different types (important vs. ephemeral) and applies different delivery strategies to each segment type. Important messages use reliable in-order delivery while ephemeral messages use best-effort delivery, resolving the contradiction by selectively applying reliability mechanisms only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels of delivery service to different messages based on their importance. Rather than uniform reliable delivery for all messages, the system provides high reliability for critical messages and lower reliability for ephemeral messages, optimizing the balance between reliability and latency.
2Reliability
If all messages are transmitted with guaranteed delivery, then reliability is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements selective discarding of ephemeral messages when newer versions are received or when delivery guarantees are not critical. This allows the system to save network bandwidth by not retransmitting or guaranteeing delivery of messages that can be safely discarded, while maintaining reliability for important messages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies full delivery guarantees only to the extent necessary for important messages, rather than to all messages. This partial application of reliability mechanisms reduces unnecessary network bandwidth consumption while maintaining adequate reliability for critical communications.
3Reliability
If message ordering is enforced for all communication, then message integrity is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the message stream into ordered important messages and unordered ephemeral messages. This segmentation allows the system to enforce ordering only where needed, reducing the processing complexity associated with universal message ordering while maintaining integrity for critical communications.
4Reliability
If retransmission is performed for lost packets, then delivery reliability is improved, but network congestion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies retransmission mechanisms selectively based on message importance. Critical messages that require reliable delivery undergo retransmission upon loss, while ephemeral messages are discarded without retransmission. This local quality approach maintains delivery reliability for important messages while preventing unnecessary retransmissions from congesting the network.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for communicating in a distributed game system includes, at a server system, maintaining information associated with a plurality of entities in an environment; and maintaining communication sessions between the server system and a plurality of client systems for exchanging information associated with the entities between the server system and the plurality of client systems. Each such communication session uses a communication protocol that supports both reliable transmission of ordered messages, and transmission and selective discarding of ephemeral messages.