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DavidRM
Samu Games
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What is the best way for players to communicate with server
I would say basing your client-server communication on TCP/IP (sockets) is pretty much a given.
Ah, but it's not...
Especially not if the game is all (or mainly) server side, and you are even remotely interrested in clients that sit behind a firewall. Sockets won't bypass a firewall (in general).
In this case you need to move up a layer, and go for HTTP - it is not as fast but for a lot of applications it's a lot easier, at it has benefits (such as the firewall issue)...
I'll launch a new site in the comming weeks, which is a client/server game using HTTP, that should give an impression of what can be done with HTTP. (Java for the UI on the client, ASP for the prototype server - that might change to ISAPI, or MTS components)
/Niels
Firewalls are easily accounted for. SOCKS4 for TCP, SOCKS5 for UDP.
As for HTTP...why punish yourself unnecessarily??? ;-)
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DavidRM
Samu Games
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't both SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 require special measures with the client-side firewall, such as opening specific ports? Or possibly installation of client-side proxies?
Anyhow, I want people to be able to play my game from work (Yes I know, I'm a bad guy 
) and I generally don't think IT departments are too trilled about people installing various proxies on the inside of the firewall ...
/Niels
I've never implemented SOCKS5, but I use SOCKS4 in my game, Artifact. So long as the firewall they have supports the SOCKS4 protocol, they just have to supply the proxy server address and port # and away we go... =)
I also achieve a certain amount of "at work" players by having Artifact run in a "normal" window. It's resizeable, so they can make it fit behind their spreadsheet app with only a gold "A" icon showing in the taskbar... ;-)
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DavidRM
Samu Games
It's not exactly a specification...but here's how you use SOCKS4.
First, you point the socket to the proxy server IP and port # and initiate the connection.
Second, when the connection is established, you send the following information:
4 (8-bit value: 0x04)
1 (8-bit value: 0x01)
Port # (16-bit value)
IP address (32-bit form)
NULL (8-bit value: 0x00)
That's it.
The 4 specifies SOCKS4. I forget what the 1 does. The port and IP are obvious.
It's been a while since I researched and implemented this, so I feel a bit rusty. Hope this is helpfule.
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DavidRM
Samu Games
Hm! Never heard of companies opening for socks4 or 5 - do you have any numbers, or at least an idea as to how widespread this is?
I could imagine that it would be common if some large corperate systems already used it - you could kind of piggy bag your way through the firewall . But as far as I know, most companies are open for HTTP ONLY - and that sort of settles it for me.
There's no doubt that I'd prefer UDP for the performance gain, but it's no good if you miss your target audience ...
/Niels
At the last place I worked, which was about a 1000-employee technology company, the firewall proxy was "invisible." If you were on the inside, getting out required no extra effort. However, getting *in* was pretty tightly locked down.
I don't know how typical that is, though.
I added the proxy support primarily so that players with home networks and modem sharing could play. But I do have a number of worker-players... =)
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DavidRM
Samu Games
Author
Wow! Lots of responses! That's great! Thanks to everyone. I'm going to extend my question a bit farther. Does anyone know where I can get information on, or knows how to do socket programming in C++?
This topic is closed to new replies.
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