AKLM
quasi news
edit: just saw bobcats post. this is the same article
RTIME Awarded Patent for Its Networking Engine That Enables Realtime
Multiuser Applications and Multiplayer Gaming Over the Internet
Business Wire - January 26, 1999 08:19
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan, 26, 1999-- Patent Comprises 54 Individual Claims Covering Client/Server and
Client/Server-Server/Client Based Messaging Systems, Realtime Data
Filtering and Global Timebase
RTIME, Inc. today announced that it has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its RTIME Interactive
Networking Engine(tm), a client/server networking solution that enables realtime interactive applications over the Internet.
RTIME's invention is directed at enabling multiuser, interactive applications that overcome the performance and scalability
limitations of large-scale networks -- primarily the Internet. The company's main focus is to enable multiplayer gaming over the
Internet, with customers that include Panasonic (NYSE:MC) and Acclaim Entertainment (Nasdaq:AKLM).
RTIME's patent (U.S. No. 5,841,980) is comprised of 54 individual claims that cover several facets of distributed, interactive
communication systems. Some of these include realtime data filtering, whereby only relevant data is distributed to each interested
party. Relevance can be based on object location, type, priority, or data rate. Additionally, RTIME has received protection for its
unique global timebase that keeps disparate users synchronized within milliseconds to overcome high and varying network latency.
The patent covers both single-server systems, which are predominant in small-scale applications supporting 8-32 concurrent
users, as well as multi-server systems that support hundreds or thousands of concurrent users.
"The technical constraints imposed by the Internet have limited the acceptance of realtime, multiuser applications, and RTIME's
focus on resolving these issues will assist in ushering in this new wave of interactivity," said John Latta, president of 4th Wave, Inc.,
an Alexandria, Virginia consulting firm specializing in the convergence of new media and business. "This patent acknowledges the
uniqueness of RTIME's invention, and provides the company with a valuable corporate asset."
"We are very pleased with the recognition this patent brings to our invention, and view it as strategic both to RTIME and our
business partners," said Chip Overstreet, president & CEO of RTIME, Inc. headquartered in Seattle. "Going forward, we'll
continue to focus on enabling content providers to rapidly deliver high quality, multiplayer games to the ultimate customer -- the
gamers."
U.S. Patent No. 5,841,980
RTIME's technology platform provides support for a variety of applications that require realtime interaction between multiple,
distributed participants. Such applications include multiplayer gaming, simulations, education, training, medical and concurrent
engineering. The company's technology resolves the critical issues of high and variable latency, limited bandwidth, and high packet
loss, using proprietary methods that include three primary facets:
-- A fully distributed system architecture that retains national
participation in each application environment by allocating
resources among responsible servers at remote locations;
-- Multiple "zones of interest" within an application environment so
that only relevant data applicable to each participant within a
given application environment is transmitted across the network
backbone. These zones of interest can be based on position, type,
priority, and data rate of an object; and
-- Seamless multi-server management provides interaction across
application environment regional boundaries without sacrificing
continuity among participants or increasing the number of
postcards that are transmitted.
RTIME Interactive Networking Engine
The RTIME Interactive Networking Engine(tm) is a client/server software platform that enables the rapid development of
high-performance, multiuser applications and multiplayer games. Some of its core features include:
-- Distributed Timebase Manager -- on the Internet, latency varies
widely both on different networks and over the course of time
during a game play session. RTIME's Distributed Timebase Manager
keeps a global time synchronization that dynamically adjusts for
each player as his or her latency goes up and down, and makes
realtime decisions about data distribution and object placement
to account for variable latency.
-- Realtime Filter Manager -- players moving within 3D worlds
require rapid updates of other players and objects in their
virtual space, but only information that is relevant to their
zones of interest. RTIME's Realtime Filter Manager uses
affinity-based data distribution to determine the appropriate
information to send to each player in realtime. Affinities can be
prioritized based on object type, location, priority and data
rate, and can be automatically adjusted at runtime on each client
for optimized playability via bandwidth management.
-- Intelligent Update Manager -- RTIME has implemented a series of
protocol-level functions to ensure that the smallest amount of
data is sent over the wire, and that updates occur only when
necessary. The reduction in bandwidth usage helps to increase the
quality of game play and/or the number of potential players and
spectators, while reducing delivery costs on the Internet. RTIME
supports TCP, and has developed a reliable layer around UDP for
faster performance and guaranteed delivery of critical
information.
-- Server-to-Server Communications -- massively multiplayer "worlds"
require much larger user populations to interact in the same
shared space. To achieve this, servers must be inter-connected
and able to share information that is relevant for each connected
gamer. RTIME has developed a server-to-server architecture that
is independent of the game development effort, allowing
additional servers to be plugged in with no additional
programming.
The end result of this combined feature set for game developers is the ability to easily support a variety of multiplayer game genres,
including fast-action "twitch," realtime strategy, simulations, sports titles and persistent worlds.
Platforms and Availability
The RTIME Interactive Networking Engine(tm) V3.0 is available immediately. Developers interested in learning more about
RTIME and its products can join the RTIME Developers Group at the company's Web site, rtimeinc.com. Upon
joining, developers can download documentation for V3.0 and a White Paper describing the architecture and design philosophy of
the product. In addition, developers gain access to the source code for RTIME Rocks!, a first-person, 3D "asteroids" game that
supports up to 100 concurrent players and spectators. The source code comes with a 50-page "how to" tutorial that walks
developers through every facet of multiplayer game design and development, and includes example code from RTIME Rocks!
The RTIME Client runs on Windows 95/98, Windows NT, SGI Irix and SUN Solaris. The RTIME Server runs on SGI Irix,
SUN Solaris, and Windows NT. A development-only version is available for Windows 95/98.
About RTIME, Inc.
RTIME, Inc. is a leading provider of commercial networking software that supports realtime, multiuser applications and
multiplayer gaming over the Internet. RTIME's networking software came out of its founders' experience developing the
networking engine for SIMNET, a $250 million U.S. government project designed to train soldiers in cyberspace. Founded in
1993, RTIME is a venture capital-backed, privately held company headquartered in Seattle. The company's intellectual property
is protected by U.S. Patent No. 5,841,980. Additional information can be found on the company's Web site at
rtimeinc.com.
RTIME Interactive Networking Engine(tm) is a trademark of RTIME, Inc. All other product or company names may be
trademarks of their respective companies.
CONTACT: Price Public Relations
Julia Price/Tamsen Reinheimer, 650/829-5800
jprice@pricepr.com
treinheimer@pricepr.com
or
RTIME, Inc.
Chip Overstreet, 206/281-7990 ext. 102
chip@rtimeinc.com
rtimeinc.com
or
4th Wave, Inc.
John Latta, 703/360-4800
jnl@fourthwave.com
fourthwave.com
|
