Hypergrid: Architecture and Protocol for Virtual World Interoperability

Massive multiuser online (MMO) environments that simulate large virtual spaces for many users have prompted the desire to create an even larger, highly scalable environment in a federated manner. In a federation of virtual environments, users should be able to visit different environments belonging to different authorities while preserving their identity; they should also be able to join a global, federated social network. The Hypergrid is an architecture and protocol for securely decentralizing multiuser virtual environments. It establishes an open federation of multiuser applications that can exchange user agents and assets and can generally interoperate on several basic services.