KR20040016364A - multiplayer online game system using distributed servers and management method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An online multiplayer game system using a distributed server method and an operating method thereof are provided to increase a number of concurrent users to play a game together within a same game space as many as possible and to easily expand the system if necessary. CONSTITUTION: The system includes a plurality of game server(210_1-210_n). Each game server is connected to a database server(250), an NPC(Non-Player Character) server(260), a monster server(270), a map server(280), and an item server(290) by using a common data bus. The database server manages the character and the history information of each user. The NPC server manages an NPC appeared during the game. The monster server manages a monster appeared during the game. The map server manages an image and a sound of a map, which is a background screen of the game. The item server manages an item obtained through a game advancing process of each user.

Description

Multiplayer online game system using distributed server method and its operation method

The present invention relates to an online game system using a computer communication network and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to a multiplayer online game system using a distributed server method and an operating method thereof so as to easily expand the system.

Today, a quantum leap in the field of computer-related telecommunications not only dramatically improves work efficiency, but also changes our daily way of life. Due to the rapid spread of high speed networks, network networks with data connection speeds of several Mbytes / sec have been installed throughout the home. The number of users is growing rapidly.

1 schematically shows a configuration of the MMORPG system according to the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 1, the MMORPG system 100 according to the related art includes a plurality of game servers 110_1, 110_2,... 110_n and respective servers 110_1, 110_2,... Which provide MMORPGs to connected users, respectively. , 110_n) and a plurality of game databases 120_1, 120_2, .., 120_n. The MMORPG system 100 includes a plurality of game servers to support a plurality of users playing at the same time. In other words, the number of users that can be played simultaneously through one game server is limited within a certain range according to the capacity of the game server.In order to allow users beyond this range to play simultaneously, the number of game servers can be increased to allow users to play multiple games. By splitting up the server, it supports a large number of users. These game servers are used by user group or region.

In the MMORPG system, each game server 110_1, 110_2, .., 110_n provides various functions related to MMORPG to the user. In other words, the user can select the desired character to play the game, manage the map necessary to proceed the game, non-player character (NPC), monsters, items that can be obtained or used during the game, etc. Perform the function. The game database 120_1, 120_2, .., 120_n linked with each game server 110_1, 110_2, .., 110_n stores various kinds of information therefor. That is, character information, map information, NPC information, monster information, item information, etc. for each game user are all stored in the game database 120_1, 120_2, .., 120_n.

The game user may access the MMORPG system 100 through a computer communication network 130 such as the Internet using his terminals 140_1, 140_2,..., 140_n. One connected game server 110_1, 110_2, .., 110_n in the MMORPG system 100 is allocated to the connected user, and the user connects to the corresponding game server to play the MMORPG.

In the conventional MMORPG system, the number of users that can be played at the same time may increase as the number of game servers increases, but users connected to different game servers may not be regarded as true users. In other words, the game proceeds at the same time in time, but users connected to different game servers do not interact with each other in the game. Thus, the true number of concurrent users is limited to the number of concurrent users of each game server in the MMORPG system.

In addition, in the MMORPG system according to the prior art, if the system is to be added to increase the number of concurrent users, the system should be added in units of game servers and game databases. In other words, each time you increase the system, servers and databases that contain the same contents, such as games, maps, NPCs, and monsters, overlap and grow. This is very disadvantageous in terms of efficient use of resources.

The present invention has been conceived based on the background described above, and an object thereof is to provide a game system and a method of operating the same, which can increase the number of simultaneous users who can play together in the same game world as desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game system and a method of operating the same, which can be easily extended as needed.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of an MMORPG system according to the prior art.

2 is a schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of an MMORPG system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating a connection process of a user according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a database server for storing and managing information commonly used for a plurality of game servers and a plurality of game servers having only functions necessary for game progression, and NPC (non-player character) The game system is configured in a distributed server manner by connecting information management servers such as servers, monster servers, and map servers.

That is, the multiplayer online game system according to the present invention is connected to a plurality of game servers and the plurality of game servers through a common data bus, and stores and manages information commonly used in the plurality of game servers. Information management server, one or more gateways or login servers respectively connected to the plurality of game servers.

The information management server may include at least one of a database server, a non-player character (NPC) server, a monster server, a map server, and an item server, and the gateway (login server) is a user connection state of the game server. Is always monitored, when a new user from the outside accesses the gateway (login server), assigns one of the game servers to the new user, disconnects the connection between the new user and the gateway (login server), Associate the new user with the assigned game server. At this time, it is preferable that the game server periodically broadcasts its user connection state.

Here, the game server may include one or more roaming servers accessible to the user through the gateway or the login server, and one or more local servers connected to the roaming server and responsible for a predetermined area where a game is played. At this time, the gateway or the login server is connected to the roaming server and the information management server is connected to the local server.

On the other hand, the operating method of the multiplayer online game system according to the present invention is connected to a plurality of game servers, the plurality of game servers through a common data bus, and stores information commonly used for the plurality of game servers A method of operating a multiplayer online game system, comprising: an information management server for managing and managing a server; and at least one gateway (login server) connected to the plurality of game servers, wherein the gateway (login server) is a user of the game server. Monitoring a connection state, when a new user from outside connects to the gateway (login server), the gateway (login server) assigns one of the game servers to the new user, the new user and the gateway ( Disconnecting the login server) System, includes the step of connecting the new user and the assigned the game server.

Here, in the monitoring step, the game server periodically broadcasts its user connection state, so that the gateway (login server) monitors the user connection state of the game server.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the MMORPG system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the MMORPG system according to the present invention includes a plurality of game servers 210_1, 210_2,... And 210_n that provide MMORPGs to connected users, respectively. However, unlike the game servers 110_1, 110_2, .., 110_n according to the related art as shown in FIG. 1, each game server 210_1, 210_2, .., 210_n extracts only functions necessary for game progression. Have. Each game server 210_1, 210_2, .., 210_n has data common to the database server 250, the NPC server 260, the monster server 270, the map server 280, and the item server 290. It is connected by bus. That is, the database server 250, the NPC server 260, the monster server 270, the map server 280, the item server 290, and the like are common to the plurality of game servers 210_1, 210_2, .., 210_n. Provide the function.

Here, the database server 250 manages characters and history information for each user, and the NPC server 260 manages non-player characters appearing during the game, and the monster server 270. Manages the monsters that appear during the game, the map server 280 manages the image, sound, etc. of the map that is the background of the game, and the item server 290 is the item that each user obtains through the game progress Manage.

However, each of these functional servers need not be implemented only in the same manner as described above. For example, a database server may be implemented to store and manage map information in addition to individual user information, and an NPC and a monster may be managed through a single server.

In the MMORPG system of the present invention, all users connected to the MMORPG system share all environments (characters, maps, NPCs, monsters, etc.) except the game servers 210_1, 210_2, .., 210_n, You can have an unlimited number of users playing simultaneously on.

In addition, if you want to expand the system as needed, it is possible to easily expand the system at a low cost since only the corresponding server to be expanded need to be increased. In other words, if you want to add a game server to increase the number of concurrent users, you only need to add a game server to the existing system, and even if you add a monster or NPC, you can connect multiple servers. It is very economical because you can share the contents of the server at the same time.

Meanwhile, the game user may access the MMORPG system 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention through a computer communication network 230 such as the Internet using his terminals 240_1, 240_2,..., 240_n. The user's terminals 240_1, 240_2,..., 240_n will mainly be personal computers, but any terminal can be connected to the MMORPG system 200 through a computer communication network such as an Internet-only terminal or a wireless Internet terminal. In addition, the type of computer communication network is not limited to a specific one.

Meanwhile, the distributed server method of the present invention is different from the method used in a system integration (SI) system in which data is processed mainly in a transaction unit. In other words, in the SI system, the data transmission between the distributed servers is performed in one shot, but in the case of the game system, the connection between the distributed servers must be secured at all times, and the flow of data is constantly different in that a large amount of data is transmitted. .

The MMORPG system may be configured to have an access gateway or login server to determine which of the multiple game servers 210_1, 210_2,..., 210_n will connect to. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 3.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 3, the login server (gateways) 310_1, 310_2 for the user to access the game servers 210_1 to 210_5 in the MMORPG system 300 is MMORPG system 300 ) Is provided. The users accessing the MMORPG system 300 are assigned game servers 210_1 to 210_5 to which they access through login servers (gateways) 310_1 and 310_2.

That is, the login servers 310_1 and 310_2 continuously monitor the state of each game server 210_1 to 210_5 (1). There may be a variety of ways to monitor, for example, each game server (210_1 ~ 210_5) may be able to broadcast their information to share information.

Next, when the user accesses from the outside through the login server (gateway) 310_2 (2), the login server (gateway) 310_2 is a user by referring to the state of the game server (210_1 ~ 210_5) being monitored (1) Allocates a game server to connect to. For example, a game server with the least traffic may be selected and assigned. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user is assigned to be connected to the game server 210_5.

Once the game server is assigned, the login server (gateway) 310_2 disconnects the connection between the user and the login server (gateway) 310_2 (3) and connects the user back to the assigned game server 210_5 (4). . The user can now play through the connected game server 210_5.

On the other hand, since the login server (gateway) to determine which game server of the plurality of game servers to connect the user to be logged in, it can also serve as a load balance server to control the load of each game server. Alternatively, a load balancer server may be provided separately from the login server (gateway) in the same layer as the login server (gateway). In this case, the login server (gateway) may select a load balance server to select a game server to which the user is connected. It can also communicate with.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3 has been described a case where all game servers exist in the same layer as an example, it is also possible to have the game server is composed of two or more layers as needed. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the game server may be configured in two stages: a roaming server to which a user is directly connected and a zone server connected to the roaming server. In this case, one roaming server accommodates hundreds or thousands of users, and the actual game is played on the local server. The local server will be in charge of a specific area within the game.

In this case, since the roaming server itself does not provide a game, the actual game is played in a local server, so any server connected to the server may play the game in the same space.

On the other hand, you can increase the number of roaming servers to increase the number of users, and increase the number of local servers to increase the game area.In this way, the number of servers can be increased indefinitely. You will be able to enjoy the game within the same game world.

In addition, although the above-described embodiments have been described mainly for large multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) systems, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the distributed server concept of the present invention may be played by multiple users. Any online game system can be applied.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and should be interpreted by the following claims. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications or changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, in the game system according to the present invention, the number of users simultaneously playing in the same world can be increased without limit, thereby making the game more interesting, and the system can be easily and economically expanded.

Claims (10)

Multiple game servers, An information management server connected to the plurality of game servers through a common data bus and storing and managing information commonly used in the plurality of game servers; A multiplayer online game system comprising one or more gateways each connected with the plurality of game servers. Multiple game servers, An information management server connected to the plurality of game servers through a common data bus and storing and managing information commonly used in the plurality of game servers; And one or more login servers, each connected to the plurality of game servers. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The information management server, A multiplayer online game system comprising at least one of a database server, a non-player character server, a monster server, a map server, and an item server. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The game server, One or more roaming servers accessible by a user through the gateway or the login server; One or more local servers connected to the roaming server and responsible for a predetermined area where a game is played; The gateway or the login server is connected to the roaming server, And the information management server is connected to the local server. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The gateway or the login server is always monitoring the user connection state of the game server, When a new user from the outside accesses the gateway or the login server, assign one of the game servers to the new user, disconnect the connection between the new user and the gateway or the login server, and assign the new user and the login server. A multiplayer online game system connecting the game server. The method of claim 5, wherein The game server is a multiplayer online game system for periodically broadcasting its user connection status. A plurality of game servers, connected to the plurality of game servers through a common data bus, an information management server for storing and managing information commonly used in the plurality of game servers, respectively connected to the plurality of game servers A method of operating a multiplayer online game system comprising one or more gateways, Monitoring, by the gateway, a user connection state of the game server; Assigning one of the game servers to the new user by a gateway when a new user accesses the gateway from the outside; Disconnecting the connection between the new user and the gateway, Connecting the new user to the assigned game server. The method of claim 7, wherein And in the monitoring step, the game server periodically broadcasts its user connection state so that the gateway monitors the user connection state of the game server. A plurality of game servers, connected to the plurality of game servers through a common data bus, an information management server for storing and managing information commonly used in the plurality of game servers, respectively connected to the plurality of game servers A method of operating a multiplayer online game system comprising one or more login servers, Monitoring, by the login server, a user connection state of the game server; When the new user accesses the login server from the outside, the login server assigning one of the game servers to the new user; Disconnecting the connection between the new user and the login server; Connecting the new user to the assigned game server. The method of claim 9, And in the monitoring step, the game server periodically broadcasts its user connection state so that the login server monitors the user connection state of the game server.