1. Challenges in Network Game Development
Gilbert Hsieh
GATE Lab, Gamania
November 2010

2. Gilbert Hsieh
BS, Department of Information Management, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan
MS, Department of Computer Science, USC, Los Angles, CA, US
Focus on 3D Graphics Rendering in USC
3 years experience in “normal” software industry in Silicon Valley
7 years experience in game industry (PS2/XBOX/PC online)
Software Engineer/Project Manager/Game Producer
Director of GATE Lab in Gamania

3. Gamania

4. Love to play
Game + Mania = Gamania

5. Explore the Unlimited Possibility of Fun
Gamania Vision
Explore the Unlimited Possibility of Fun

6. Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Our Background
Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Date of Establishment
June 1995
Paid In
USD Million
Listed In
May 2002
Group Headcount
1,300 (2010 Q1)
CEO
Albert Liu
Business Scope
Online games, animations, publishing and merchandise
1 TWD = USD

7. Gamania Headquarter (Taipei)
Global Network
Japan ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment (Japan) Co., Ltd.
(Founded in 2001)
China ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment (China) Co., Ltd.
(Founded in 2002)
Taiwan ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
(Founded in 1995)
USA ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment (US) Co., Ltd.
(Founded in 2009)
Hong Kong ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment (HK) Co., Ltd.
(Founded in 2000)
Europe ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment (EU) Co., Ltd.
(2010, Estimated)
Korea ─ Gamania Digital Entertainment (Korea) Co., Ltd.
Gamania Headquarter (Taipei)
USA
Amsterdam
* HQ: Taiwan
Honk Kong
Japan
Korea
China

8. Coordinate policies and resources for game development
R&D Professional: Gamania Game Studios
SEEDO Games Co., Ltd., TW
Feature Title: Bright Shadow
Fantasy Fish Digital Games Co., Ltd., TW
Feature Title : Xian Mo Dao
PLAYCOO Corporation, TW
Coordinate policies and resources for game development
Feature Title : Lucent Heart
RedGate Games Co., Ltd., TW/CN
Feature Title : HERO : 108 Online
FIREDOG Studio Co., Ltd., HK
Feature Title : Tiara Concerto

9. Technical Overview

10. AI UI 3D Physics Database Networking Audio Graphics Image Processing
3D Graphics/Animation
Networking
Database
Distributing System AI
Physics
Image Processing
Audio Processing
Database
Networking

11. AI UI 3D Database Networking Distribution System Parallel Computing
Image Processing
Audio
Physics UI 3D
Graphics AI
Database
Networking
Image Processing
Audio
Physics UI 3D
Graphics
Distribution System
Parallel Computing
Cloud Computing AI
Database
Networking
Image Processing
Audio
Physics UI 3D
Graphics AI
Database
Networking
Image Processing
Audio
Physics UI 3D
Graphics
3D Graphics/Animation
Networking
Database
Distributing System AI
Physics
Image Processing
Audio Processing AI
Database
Networking
Image Processing
Audio
Physics UI 3D
Graphics AI
Database
Networking
Image Processing
Audio
Physics UI 3D
Graphics

12. Integration
Data
Performance

13. System Characteristic

14. Buy items from other players
Attack monsters
Buy items from other players
Chat with NPCs
Move …
All happened within a certain area
Geographic Location is the key!

15. All behaviors relate to Geographic Location
Computing depends on Geographic Location
The data need to be considered together is upon their geographic location

16. Area 1
Area 2
Most game objects only interactive with other game objects in the same area.

17. Area 1
Area 2
Process 2
Process 1

18. Technical Challenges

19. -Data Persistence
-Fault Tolerance
-Security
-Testing

20. Data Persistence

21. A Game World Game Server Game Server Game Server RDB Game Server
We would like to update database as often as possible.
We wish to scaling the database easily
Game Server
Game Server

22. Relational Database
Relational database is slow

23. New Data Old Data New Data Database Game Server R R
It may still have relationship between new data and old data
Game Server

24. NoSQL!

25. Distributed memory cache?

26. PA System
Since related object should be processed in the same node, consistency is not the most important condition

27. Fault Tolerance

28. Database
Game Server
Player

29. Database
Game Server
Gateway
Player

30. Database Game Server Gateway Player
How to migrate the data from the original one to the new one in a very short time is a challenge
Gateway
Player

31. Between Server

32. Area 1 Area 2 Replicated Process Replicated Process Process 2

33. Replicated Process
Process 1
Process 2
Area 1
Area 2

34. Security

35. Game Bot

36. Retrieve encryption/decryption functions from assembly and use it directly

37. Testing

39. UI of Windows applications and Web applications are built by controls and widgets.
Controls and widgets are easier to be identified by program.

40. All graphics!!

41. We found a new hope… not Obama

42. SIKULI
Use image identification to record and replay the interactive between user and interface

47. 2009 © Gamania Digital Entertainment Co.,Ltd. All Rights Reserved.