Compensation for Delays and Losses of Packages in Dynamic Online Games

Abstract

A couple of decades ago, data rates on the network were measured in kilobytes per second, and even then, online game developers had some problems with the packet loss and transmission delays. Now the transfer rate is hundreds of times higher, and the problem of delay compensation is even more relevant.For many dynamic online games, a transmission delay of as little as 20 ms can be quite noticeable, negatively affecting the gameplay and emotions of the game, which can repel players.The problem is exacerbated by the fact that along with the need to compensate for the time of delivery of packets, on the client side there are other non-network factors that are beyond the control of developers, which make the total delay 5-10 ms longer. Because of this, the desire to get rid of network delays as much and as well as possible becomes a necessity, and developers are forced to look for optimal ways to solve this problem.The problem statement is as follows: to review the causes of delays in online games and possible solu- tions, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of certain approaches. The problem is considered at the 4 levels of the TCP / IP network model, as well as at the application level. The approaches are given for the most commonly used protocols for each layer, but basic ideas can be easily transferred to other implementations.The main causes of delays under consideration: propagation delay, router queue delay, transmission delay, and processing delays.This article shows the impact of network delays on the online games and the ways to compensate for them, along with the theory of data transmission protocols in the network and the ways to solve the problems that arise in the development of algorithms.Recommendations for solving the compensation problem can be taken into account when designing and launching online shooters, strategies, etc. Thanks to the given receptions it is possible to minimize the general delay on the transfer of packets in a network, thanks to which the game on the client looks as if the player plays in the Single Player mode.