Introduction

Distributed computing and

distributed object In distributed computing, distributed objects are objects (in the sense of object-oriented programming) that are distributed across different address spaces, either in different processes on the same computer, or even in multiple computers conn ...

systems are designed to allow software modules or objects to work together where the objects can be located on different computers connected by a network. Interactive computer simulations and

computer games A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...

can use object-oriented programming languages such as C++ to maintain a database of entities, player characters, monsters, tanks or just about anything that can exist in a simulated world.

How ReplicaNet works

Using an object description language or by programmatically registering filter classes each machine knows how to create and update each

C++ class C class may refer to: Ships * C-class destroyer (disambiguation), multiple destroyers * C-class submarine (disambiguation), multiple submarines * C-class corvette (disambiguation), ships of the Victorian Royal Navy * C-class cruiser, Royal Navy ...

object. Each object is then treated as a potential network shareable object on the machine that allocates it. This machine has control over the C++ classes and can change variables or call member functions as normal. Once the object is ready to be shared to other machines the object is published on to the ReplicaNet network session. The underlying ReplicaNet software detects changes in the object and automatically updates the replicated classes on the machines connected to the network session. Any changes made to the member variables of the C++ classes can be extrapolated by ReplicaNet using several pre-defined filters to reduce the amount of network traffic when transmitting changes in the object.
This approach of describing objects that can then be processed by other computers is similar to other systems such as CORBA, Java remote method invocation and Distributed Component Object Model.
In 2011 Game Developer magazine announced ReplicaNet 7.0 as one of the Networking finalists for th
Front Line Awards
which honors the best networking middleware in the video game industry.

Products using ReplicaNet include

* Marathon 2: Durandalbr>Virtual Interactive Combat Environment
* Urban Chaos: Riot Responsebr>
*

Universal Combat ''Universal Combat'' (sometimes abbreviated to UC) is the second video game series by the developer 3000AD and is the successor of the '' Battlecruiser'' series of games. Gameplay ''Universal Combat'' offers the player a very large game world to ...

br>
*

Sector 13 Mani Majra, also spelled as Manimajra and now renamed as Sector 13, is a Big historical town in Panchkula, India The notifications regarding renaming of this town were issued by the Punjab Governor and Chief Administrator of Chandigarh, VP Sin ...

* Airburst Extreme XBLAReplicaNet

Book references to ReplicaNet

Game Programming in C++ Start to Finish by Erik Yuzwa http://gameprogrammingstarttofinish.wazooinc.com/ Massively Multiplayer Game Development 2 - Page 220 - Charles River Media.

References

{{Reflist Middleware Freeware