Internet Wargaming with Distributed Processing Using the Client-Server Model

摘要

The development of a multi-player wargame, accessible on the Internet, is presented. This paper discusses how the client-server model of the World Wide Web (WWW) can be used to implement the five functions of an interactive game. These five functions are registration, interaction, synchronization, adjudication, and graphic display. The techniques used to implement these functions include client-side scripting, server-side computation using the Common Gateway Interface (CGI), and graphical user interface design using the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). The strengths, weaknesses and applicability of the client-server techniques are examined within the context of the game functions. Critical to this analysis is the current state of the software available for implementing the chosen client-server methods. Browser software and the available computer language programming environments are examined for portability, utility and end-user acceptability. Based on this analysis, the Air Force Employment Exercise (AFEX) was 'ported' to the Internet. The engineering solution is chronicled here. The WWW changed dramatically over the course of this project and several recommendations for future work are presented to capitalize on these changes.