SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTED MULTI-USER REAL-TIME SIMULATIONS OVER AN ELECTRONIC NETWORK

摘要

An object oriented method and system is provided for facilitating the creation of distributed real-time simulations. At least one remote server (102) running a World Server application (144) hosts one or more worlds. Each world contains any number of nodes (104, 106, 108). A connected client (108) running a client software application (120) receives current values of node variables, can change variable values, can create nodes and can destroy nodes for the world. All such changes are persistently recorded by the server (102) in the World Database (150). A client (108) subscribes to an active set of a world's nodes. The server (102) sends the client (108) updates in real-time for any values of variables in the client's active set changed by other clients connected to the same world. The Object System (130) handles general chores of replicating worlds across clients and ensuring that node behavior initiated on one client is replicated on other clients that have that node in their active sets. The Object System (130) is responsible for synchronizing nodes that are running on different clients so that each node appears to all participants to have a single identity and state Object System compatible components provide world/domain specific behavior. A remote World Server (150) handles lower-level activities of persistently storing and distributing world data. Node behavior is executed on clients only. Ports (114, 116, 118) are used to channel input and output to and from nodes in the world. Ports are non-shared and handle computer-oriented processes and elements, while nodes are shared and deal with processes and elements that are related to the world.