Terrain Sectioning for Multi-User Video Game Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional development interfaces for video game terrain design are limited in allowing effective collaboration among multiple users, often requiring a single large file for terrain data, which hinders simultaneous editing and increases costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
The terrain is sectioned into multiple sections with associated data collections for height, vegetation, texture, and layer data, allowing multiple users to check out and edit different portions simultaneously, with a user-friendly interface providing access and locking status indications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If terrain data is stored in a single large file, then data integrity is maintained, but multiple users cannot collaborate simultaneously and conflict occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The terrain data file is divided into multiple smaller section files organized in a hierarchical directory structure. Each section file represents a specific geographic region of the terrain, allowing multiple users to work on different sections simultaneously without file conflicts, while the parent directory maintains overall data integrity through coordinated check-in/check-out operations.
2Device complexity
If a single large file is used for terrain data, then storage simplicity is maintained, but file access and editing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The terrain data is segmented into multiple smaller files organized in a hierarchical structure with parent directories and section files. This segmentation reduces individual file access times while maintaining organized storage through the parent-child relationship system that tracks which sections belong to which parent terrain.
3Productivity
If multiple users edit terrain data simultaneously in a single file, then collaboration is enabled, but file conflicts and data corruption occur
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the terrain data into separate section files, the system enables multiple users to check out and edit different sections simultaneously without conflicts. The hierarchical structure with parent directories maintains data consistency by tracking which sections are modified and coordinating the check-in process to ensure overall terrain integrity.
4Productivity
If terrain data is divided into multiple files, then multi-user collaboration is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terrain data is segmented into multiple section files organized in a hierarchical directory structure with parent-child relationships. While this creates multiple files, the systematic organization with clear parent-child links and standardized check-in/check-out procedures actually simplifies file management compared to handling a single large file with complex locking mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for sectional terrain editing are described herein. In some examples, terrain associated with at least part of a virtual area of a video game may be sectioned into a plurality of terrain sections. Each of the terrain sections may have one or more associated data collections that store terrain data related to the sections with which they are associated. This may enable multiple different users to simultaneously edit different portions of terrain with the expectation and confidence that their edits will be successfully saved and will not conflict with edits made by other users. In some examples, each terrain section may have multiple different associated data collections, for example associated with different types of terrain editing operations. This may provide further efficiency by allowing multiple different users to check out and acquire locks on different terrain data for the same terrain section at the same time.