Nested Server Farms. HLA for games?

[walker 0]

Hi all

At some time this month the US Army will be using HLA and a constructive simulation (think of it as a giant Chain of/High Command server) to nest multiple instances of multiple VBS MP servers together and create a huge multi battalion battle with platoons from across the US.

It was something I mooted back in the old OFP/VBS1 days.

They will also be throwing in high spec aircraft simulations.

SOOO...

HLA is to IMHO an Open System, and I dare say the military would be happy for Games companies and COTS market especially open systems like BIS's ArmA series to throw it open to the development capabilities of the "Million Monkey Effect â„¢"

It would seriously reduce development and research costs and provide a mass of more skilled personnel as well as opening up the system to a much more lucrative market.

For BIS it would create a whole new departure and allow it to enter the very lucrative MMPOG market.

The idea of persistent multi server battles across multiple islands bekons imagine the possibilities.

For the flight buffs alone it would be amazing, and for all the armchair generals and community squads it would create a totally new paradigm.

Generals would able to recruit communities, resources of specific island types could be fought over, heck there would even be media positions for journalists, and a great tool for them to practice being war journalists before getting them selves killed in the real world.

Heck there would even be some academic possibilities.

Anyway I open up the thread to howls of derision or perhaps the occasional cheer and for your thoughts, and maybe even a comment from some one at BIS.

Kind Regards walker

Edited July 15, 2011 by walker

[maddogx 13]

The way you describe the possibilities makes it sound pretty awesome. If all that is indeed doable, I would love to see it happen.

[walker 0]

Hi all

So you can understand.

Z8jI4G5lfNE&NR

Kind Regards walker

[dmarkwick 261]

And at last the realm of the flight sim opens up in ArmA? I'm in :)

[bradp191 10]

Could that be done with one game, or would it have to be several modules like the army system? Would you dumb it down a little to make it more gamey and fun, or would you make it strictly a simulation?

I think its a great idea.

[walker 0]

Hi all

You could as I mooted in OFP days enable all servers to simply act as sub clients. Essentially all clients and AI on sub servers; a standard ArmA server as they exist now, are passed as soldiers under command of the sub server, and are local to the sun server which is a client of the next level of server. These higher level servers treat each other sub server as a client to it, and on up.

So Platoon/community servers are, linked to battalion servers, are linked to, brigade servers are linked to division servers, are linked to Army/side server, are linked to the integration server.

Personally I think brigade would be big enough; with division being the integration server. Heck battalion servers with brigade as integration server would be thousands of players.

So the major task would be to specify this integration server and how and when it sends data to each sub client. Most of the client forms already exist in ArmA with the Chain of/High command system and we are all familiar with squad command and the various normal entities such as soldiers, aircraft, tanks and their crews etc.

The better way to do would be integrate a version of HLA into ArmA II, it is already in VBS so it is technically feasible and BIS already know how to do it.

If BIS were to do this, it would enable BIS to steal a massive march on all BIS's competitors, and as I pointed out VBS would benefit from both the development input and the research and beta testing the community would perform on future iterations of HLA. It would also give BIS a key seat at the table in the future of HLA.

In the long term other benefits would also accrue to BIS in following this strategy.

Kind Regards walker

Edited July 15, 2011 by walker