A scalable peer-to-peer-overlay for real-time massively multiplayer online games

We propose a design for massively multiplayer games with focus on fast-paced action. To reflect the high demands on responsiveness and scalability, we use a fully distributed peer-to-peer network with a dynamic connection scheme. While the capacity of current client/server systems limits the number of players in a game, our system supports a huge number of users by exploiting local interests in the virtual world. By using a publish/subscribe system for message dissemination user interests can be handled efficiently. A Geocast algorithm allows information distribution to arbitrary regions of the virtual world. Simulations show that our design scales well by limiting the number of connections per user even in crowded regions. Moreover, different movement strategies are evaluated for their impact on network load and connection dynamics.