Starwave Corporation

Patrick B Lambright

David Maxwell Gedye

A scalable game apparatus and method for implementing a multi-player computer game includes a plurality of networked computers over which computer processes are distributed. In various embodiments, each computer includes a baron process which coordinates the spawning of a sector manager process on the computer and communicates with a primary server process on one of the networked computers. The primary server process determines on the basis of computer loading which computer in the network should be used to spawn a new sector manager. Each sector manager implements a logical area into which game players can enter and perform game-related activities. Each baron process provides computer loading information to the primary server process. The inventive method and apparatus allows a large number of players to be efficiently accommodated while improving the reliability of the game.

Scalable game server architecture

A sector windowing system, method and medium for reducing the number of transmission to various users in a multi-user computer game are disclosed. In various embodiments, the disclosed system, method, and medium determines what characters should receive notification of activities of other characters based on the proximity of the characters in the game, the load on a server's system and current backlog in the server's queue for each receiving user. The disclosed method and system allows a large number of users to be aware of their surroundings while reducing the number of transmission required for slow and unaffected characters.

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Patrick B Lambright