Topology-aware clustering to achieve latency comparable to one-frame in multiplayer online games

Abstract

The market for multiplayer online games is rapidly growing in concert with the growth in broadband Internet connection services. Since such games share a virtual space among many players, it is important to match players to a group so that they share low-latency connections with each other. This is because the latency between them affects the perceived quality of their experience. In this paper, we propose a topology-aware matching algorithm using players' geographical locations. We focus on synchronous multiplayer games that require a latency comparable to a delay of one frame. This paper describes the algorithm and its evaluation by simulations.