[MUD-Dev] DGN/TECH: Implementing server side spatial partitiong was:(exploiting/hacking in MMOGs - sources of info?)

[Alistair Milne]

On Wednesday, September 29, 2004, 3:38:19 AM, William Leader wrote:

> As far as how to implement the partitioning algorithm, I do have
> and Idea about that I imagine that most server currently spew out
> a constant stream of data about players, mob, objects, ground
> spawns, etc. I bet these are usually broadcast packets (but that
> will have to change). Instead you take the current servers, and
> pipe all that data to a Line-Of-Sight (LOS) proxy server.

> The LOS server has the 3d map loaded in memory (no textures, just
> planes).  For each packet that comes in, it does a line of sight
> check between the player's location and the location of the object
> in the packet. If the client can't see it, it changes the packet
> to tell the client the object has disappeared. Worst cast the
> client still knows the last known position, but that's not
> unrealistic. This setup allows all the partitioning 3d calculation
> work, can be unloaded onto a separate processor. The client gets
> only what they need. They know what was behind door number 1 last
> time they looked, but there is no what to know what is there now,
> or was there before is still there.

The problem with this LOS calculation is that when an player moves
so that an object appears around a corner, for the first few frames
it will be invisible until the LOS server catches-up with where the
player is located and starts sending the new object with the update
packets.  This "pop-in" is exactly why servers send too much
information, so that the client can fill-in the gaps and keep the
graphical experience consistent.

.al

---
When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty, I think
only how to solve the problem.  But when I have finished, if the
solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.
    R. Buckminster Fuller (1895 - 1983)
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