Accuracy in dead-reckoning based distributed multi-player games

Distributed multi-player games use dead reckoning vectors to intimate other (at a distance) participating players about the movement of any entity by a controlling player. The dead reckoning vector contains the current position of the entity and the velocity components. When a participating player receives a vector, traditionally it puts the entity at the current position specified by the vector and starts projecting the path of the entity from that point using the local clock of the receiver. In this paper we show that this traditional method of usage of dead reckoning vector brings in inaccuracy in the receivers’ rendering of the entity. This inaccuracy can be substantial even with low network delay between the senderreceiver pairs and increases with network delay. We propose the use of globally synchronized clocks among the participating players and a time-stamp augmented dead reckoning vector that enables the receiver to render the entity accurately. We modified the popular ga...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: NETGAMES
• Authors: Sudhir Aggarwal, Hemant Banavar, Amit Khandelwal, Sarit Mukherjee, Sampath Rangarajan
• Keywords: Current Position, Dead Reckoning Vectors, NETGAMES 2004, Network Delay