[vos-d] Flux Worlds Server Announcement

Fri Mar 30 22:49:29 EDT 2007

Some good point Ken, and I think some should find their way into the NWWG
requirements.

I would add that the protocol should support the efficient implementation of
a heartbeat.
This sounds pretty specific but I think the abitily of a system to know that
the server
and clients are responding and how long it is taking them to respond is
important.
Single byte or word UDP payloads wrapped in a v small packet should suffice
for this.

I use a use case based on eve-online: think of a player who has invested
hundreds of millions of
isk (in-game currency) on a battleship and 1.5 years training/playing to get
there.
In a battle with NPC pirates the server lags badly. Madly typing at the
keyboard produces no response and
he cannot get his active armor or weapons online. Meanwhile the server the
NPC pirates
are destroying the ship with no status update at the client. The player gets
s couple of updates:
one showing his ship 3/4 destroyed - he tries warping out but the server
does not respond in time.
His next update is pieces of ex- battleship.
Now in this scenario, if the heartbeat system is not in place then there no
indication the ship was lost
through player incompetence or because of a server side issue. Sure, the
vendor may have stats on server load
that would back a petition from the player for his ship back, but I think a
heartbeat system would be valuable in this case.

cheers,

chris

On 31/03/07, Ken Taylor <taylork at alum.mit.edu> wrote:
>
> "Remember, the Metaverse needs open protocols. Without them... everything
> else is Just a World."
>
> I agree with this, and I'm glad that more and more people are realizing
> it.
> However, though it's necessary, it's not sufficient to create the
> "metaverse." Some other requirements I would use to evaluate any
> "metaverse"
> system:
>
> - Not only can anyone run a server, but they can easily interlink and
> users
> can freely traverse the spaces between different servers, with the
> potential
> for seamlessly connecting virtual spaces (eg, with portals).
> - The protocol is "future-proof" and can keep up with developments in
> technology and new ideas for interaction while maintaining backwards
> compatibility and a reasonable experience for those with hardware or
> bandwidth that can't support the latest-and-greatest
> - The protocol should support use creation and ownership of content,
> including a flexible scripting system, and the ability to transfer
> user-created content between servers. It should support collaborative
> editing and interaction with content.
> - The protocol is highly extensible through 3rd-party plugins and not
> "locked-in" to whatever the committee decided at standardization time was,
> for example, the best parameterized-avatar system/voice-chat
> system/streaming-video protocol/physics system/what-have-you. However, at
> the same time, there should be a robust "baseline" spec that allows all
> users to have a decent experience even with no plugins added.
>
> I definitely see VOS as having the potential to meet all these
> requirements
> and beyond. I can't really tell from the press release how far they are
> planning to go with flux worlds. My guess is it's going to be
> yet-another-shared-space-server, this time based on X3D and easily
> integrated with web pages.
>
> So it'll probably be really neat, but not the metaverse yet ;)
>
> -Ken
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Parisi" <tparisi at mediamachines.com>
> To: "'x3d-public list'" <x3d-public at web3d.org>; "'www-vrml'"
> <www-vrml at web3d.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 2:08 PM
> Subject: [www-vrml] Flux Worlds Server Announcement
>
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > We've been up to something over here - thought I would tell you about it
> > before you heard it on the street.
> >
> > Media Machines has been developing a multi-user server based on a new
> > protocol that we intend to put out into the open. We have dubbed it
> Simple
> > Wide Area Multi-User Protocol, or SWMP (pronounced "swamp"). The intent
> is
> > to work with Web3D and potentially other organizations to standardize
> SWMP.
> > We will also supply a basic open source implementation. Our overriding
> > goal-- one that we are pursuing with total passion and vigor-- is to
> create
> > an open infrastructure for the Metaverse.
> >
> > We have wrapped SWMP into a server product called Flux Worlds. Flux
> Worlds
> > is currently in alpha test. While the product is still several weeks
> away
> > from beta test, we announced it yesterday with the goal of attracting
> early
> > signups for the beta. We are also integrating a prototype of the new X3D
> > networking nodes being developing by the Networking Working Group, right
> > into Flux Player. The results look promising.
> >
> > Anyway, here is the announcement. We would love to have you be part of
> the
> > beta when it's ready!
> >
> > http://www.mediamachines.com/press/pressrelease-03292007.php
> >
> > Remember, the Metaverse needs open protocols. Without them... everything
> > else is Just a World.
> >
> > Yours virtually,
> > Tony
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Tony
> Parisi                                                  415-902-8002
> > President/CEO
> tparisi at mediamachines.com
> > Media Machines, Inc.
> www.mediamachines.com
> >
> > Add 3D content to your web page with the Flux Player.
> > Go to www.mediamachines.com to upload and share your 3D content.
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> vos-d mailing list
> vos-d at interreality.org
> http://www.interreality.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/vos-d
>

-- 
http://www.planet-earth.org
http://ping.com.au
--
It be a great secret: there be more truth at the centre.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.interreality.org/pipermail/vos-d/attachments/20070331/d62ac10f/attachment-0001.htm 