Online Game Anatomy Server Components &Services

Server Categories  Passive  Patching  Authentication  Game Data Storage  Stats / Inventory  Event Generator  News / Tournaments / Auctions   Real-Time  Lobby  Chat  Game

Patching Server Types  FTP  Simple / Free  Resume / Progress  Auth through self extracted app  No auto update  No delta management  Custom  Complex / Expensive (offset)  Self Patching  Auto update  Can check a suite of products  Delta management  Lower bandwidth

Patching Download  File Verify  Hacks  Custom File Change Avoid  Partial Patches (install failure)  Others?  Compression  Standard  RLE, LZH  Delta Compressions  RTP, Marimba  Download Resume  Progress Indicator  Multiple packages  Packaging  Self-extracting  Separate utility (RTP)  Flat file (Zip)  Custom Client (no-see- ems)  Auto Update  Patching Dynamic Files  Databases  Add / Remove entries  Table Mods

Patching Installation  Location Discovery  Registry (and if moved?)  Directory Search (renamed, multiple same names)  File Search (multi-install can list to user, SLOW)  Modifying Start Menu  Modifying Registry  Patching Files in use  Missing files for delta extraction

Authentication Servers & Services  Account  Create / Modify / Delete / Restore  Admin Status (band, player admin, renaming)  Selling  Billing  Content Level  Reoccurrence  Personas  Create / Modify / Delete / Restore  Viewing

Lobby Servers  Rooms  Game Room Categories  Game Rooms  Game Settings  Game Launching  Server Selection  Load Balancing  Latency Discovery  Server Connection  Community Rooms  Auctions  Tournaments  Club Rooms  Separate Chat Servers

Chat Servers  Chat Types  Room (Room Server or duped?)  In-Game  Buddy  Special Group  Sys Broadcast  Logging  Where  Security  Moderator Access  Context  Time  Locating Incident  How Long  Complaint Timing  Track Record  Filtering  Filter Location  Sending Client  Receiving Client  A server  CPU Hit  Heuristics  Level of Detail  Bad Hit  Auto warn  Auto admin notice  Voice  Server  Cost of bandwidth  Peered  Bandwidth intense  Unmonitorable

Game Server  Dedicated vs. Client Hosted vs. In Client  Types of Dedicated  Simple Forwarding Server (a.k.a. Rebroadcasting)  State Server  AI  Environment  Arbitration  Grid Server  Receive info on entire grid  Connected to adjacent grids  Grid size flux with load

Servers & Services  Send / Receive  Proprietary DB  SMTP  Storage  SPAM  Filter / Monitor  Size  Attachments  TTL  Deleted accounts  System messages (store once, reference many)

Inventory & Stat Servers  Trading  System  Player  Group Sharing  Auto distribute  Acquire / Discard via Environment  Item ownership  TTL  Item stats  Wear and repair  Up/down grades  Player Stats  Scores  Rank  Skills  Other personal stuff  Auctions  Spawning  Trading

Tournaments and News Servers  Invitationals  Stat based  Acceptance  Generated Events  Community News  Awards  Top Ten Compilations  Other less real-time events

Summary  Multitude of Component Servers and the services provided by each  Patching  Login (Account Management)  Lobby  Chat  Game Servers (Forwarder, State, Grid)  Database Servers  How these servers interrelate was not covered