Adaptive topology protocol for network game support

This paper deals with applications where interactivity is combined with content broadcast. An example of such an application is a multiplayer computer game where the state of the shared world and the quality of service (QoS) for the end-to-end delay between any two players must be maintained at all times. We present a switch-tree protocol, called an adaptive topology protocol (AIP), to provide the desired QoS level. The ATP builds and maintains an end-host broadcast network under several constraints, namely: maximum delay between hosts, number of connections each host can have, and quick adaptation to the dynamic network. Simulation results show improved scalability of the network and high adaptability to the changing environment. A sample application was used to analyze and demonstrate the feasibility of ATP in real-time applications.