Hello everyone!
I am creating a real-time game over UDP protocol. My server is written in Java, using Kryonet lib, and client is working on Android. I need an advice from experienced game-programmers, cause this is not that simple as I thought.
This game has to be a real-time game, which means that I need to move my character on opponent’s phone immediately. To do that, I need to implement a system, which will send UDP packets with my position and current state (walking, jumping - just for loading graphics), but I need to handle lags, smoothness etc.
My first idea was:
Client:
We have a sequence number which will increase with every packet ‘packed’.
In a gameloop we take current coordinates (X,Y), our state (for ex. running_right) and a current ‘ClientSequenceNumber’ and pack these values into one object.
Next, we add this object to a list of ‘32 previous packets’ and SEND THE LIST TO THE SERVER.
Here comes the problem number one. If we lose 1 list, 3 lists, 30 lists, we’re good, cause we will have previous positions in the next incoming list, BUT
if we lose more than 32 lists, we’re stuck cause for example:
Let’s say that we’ve lost 40 lists…
On the client we have a list with sequence numbers: 100 - 132.
On the server we have ‘current server’s sequence number’ == 60.
Okay, of course we can just process 100-132, but it will move the character from for ex. x = 30 to x = 90, which is unacceptable.
So we need to implement some ‘confirmation system’ or something, which will resend packets.
I thought about a solution, but I don’t know if it’s good:
When we create a list of 32 packets, we can store it in a ‘history’ on the client
When server uses that list, it sends an info to client ‘you can delete that list, it’s done’.
But we have to resend these old lists all the time, to keep things smooth, which is probably wrong, cause we’re resending not only normal lists, but also history lists LOL.
Here comes one big trouble and I totally don’t know how to think about it.
I read some gafferongames websites, but it still does not give an answer.
If there is someone that could help, handled these problems in the past, I would be grateful for help and understanding.
I just need a confirmation, if my idea is good, or totally wrong and I should implement 1v1 UDP in totally another way.