Web services for the management of persistent online game factions

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ULB2004-2005
Web services for the management of persistent
online game factions
Author François DeliègeAdvisor Professor
Esteban ZimányiCo-Advisor Jehan Snyers
d'Attenhoven
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Introduction

• Goal Integration of an emerging technology
  into a new application field
• Technology Web services
• Application field Role playing games

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Contents

• Star Wars Combine
• Web services
• Specifications
• Solution design
• Results
• Conclusions

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Star Wars Combine

• MMORPG
• Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game
• Role Playing Game
• Thousands of players
• Virtual world
• Persistence

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Star Wars Combine

• Game concepts
• Star Wars Universe
• Factions
• Characters

http//www.swcombine.com
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Star Wars Combine

• Architecture evolution
• Direct connection

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Star Wars Combine

• Direct Trust relationship

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Star Wars Combine

• Indirect trust relationship

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Contents

• Star Wars Combine
• Web services
• Specifications
• Solution design
• Results
• Conclusions

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Web services

• Definition
• A web service is a software application
  identified by a URI, whose interfaces and
  bindings are capable of being defined, described
  and discovered as XML artifacts.
• Why web services?
• Interoperability
• Open Standards
• HTTP

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Web services

• Web services in the business world
• Google
• Amazon.com
• Web services in games

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Web services

• How does it work ?
• Finding a web service
• Getting a web service description
• Using a web service

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Web services

• Technologies
• XML
• SOAP
• WSDL
• UDDI
• WSFL
• ...

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Contents

• Star Wars Combine
• Web services
• Specifications
• Solution design
• Results
• Conclusions

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Specifications

• Objectives
• Create
• Integrate
• Prove usability
• Gain community acceptance
• Features
• Direct trust relationship
• Single Sign On
• Issues
• Client limitations
• Cheating

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Contents

• Star Wars Combine
• Web services
• Specifications
• Solution design
• Results
• Conclusions

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Solution design

• Introduction of the client concept

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Solution design

• Web services component integration

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Solution design

• Authentication
• Password protection
• Single Sign On

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Solution design

• Authorization process
• Administrator permission
• Client authentication
• Client and user authentication
• User permission
• Packages concept

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Solution design

• Tools
• Automatic documentation generation
• Web services interface
• Graphical interface
• Statistics
• Rules and packages management

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Contents

• Star Wars Combine
• Web services
• Specifications
• Solution design
• Results
• Conclusions

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Results

• 62,000 uses since the 23th of June

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Results

• 12 clients registered
• Galactic Empire
• Galactic Market
• 50 web services created
• Galactic Map
• Inventories
• Character profile
• Galactic News
• Star Wars Combine messaging
• User feedback

Ive got quite fond of Web Services. Ive been
able to greatly enhance the available features on
my factions website, as well as create
completely new ones. With the current
development, who knows what Ill be able to do
next. Togan Jano CenterPoint Space Station
Developer A promising feature ! Expansion into
asset authentication may be implemented.
Niels Galactic Market Developer I like web
services a lot. It was really easy to work with
all of the functions. Web services are a
powerful tool. That simple link created by WS
makes the entire community seem more like one
object, rather than several. Selatos PHP GTK
client Developer I would like to, on behalf of
the Galactic Market, its users and staff, thank
Jolly for the work he has done on the new Star
Wars Combine Web Services project. His additions
to our arsenal against scammers and thieves has
been invaluable. For that, we are very thankfull.
Thanks again, Jolly, keep up the excellent
work! Niels Assistant Sim Master Star Wars
Combine Web services quick development
generated various questions but it seems they
eventually earned their place into the Star Wars
Combine concept. Veynom Sim Master Star Wars
Combine
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Results

• Platform independence
• C
• Java
• C
• PHP, PHP-GTK

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Contents

• Star Wars Combine
• Web services
• Specifications
• Solution design
• Results
• Conclusions

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Conclusions

• Where do we stand today ?
• Web services are stable
• Web services are useful
• Community acceptance
• Where to go from there ?
• More web services
• Web services management and specification team
• Indirect trust relationship
• Becoming a reference

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Thank you

• Questions