The document discusses Project Darkstar, an open source online game server architecture. It describes how the Perpetual Entertainment Platform was integrated with Project Darkstar to provide additional services like account management and customer service. A technology demo showed how the Platform could exist within the Project Darkstar server and communicate to external clients and services. The integration was found to be simple and provides benefits like extending a game's presence and reducing development costs.

1. Outside the Box
Perpetual Platform Integration within Project Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007

2. What services make an online game server?
Client
Interface
Process
Management
Data
Distribution
Persistence
Austin Game Conference - 2007

3. What services make an online game server?
Project Darkstar
Client
Interface
Process
Management
Data
Distribution
Persistence
Austin Game Conference - 2007

4. What services make an online game server?
Project Darkstar
Client
Interface
Process
Management
Data
Distribution
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Environment
NPC
Collision
Inventory
Chat
Combat
Quest Persistence
Pathing

5. What services make an online game server?
Project Darkstar
Process
Management
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Player
Management NPC
Collision
Inventory
Chat
Content
Groups Guilds
Quest
Search
Pathing
Spawner
Combat
Environment
Client
Interface
Data
Distribution
Persistence

6. What services make an online game server?
Core Game Services
Project Darkstar
Process
Management
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Player
Management NPC
Collision
Inventory
Chat
Content
Groups Guilds
Quest
Search
Pathing
Spawner
Combat
Environment
Client
Interface
Data
Distribution
Persistence

7. What services make an online game server?
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007

8. What services make an online game server?
Account
Registration
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007

9. What services make an online game server?
Account
Registration
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar
Billing &
Subscriptions
Austin Game Conference - 2007

10. What services make an online game server?
Account
Registration
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar
Billing &
Subscriptions
Patching
Austin Game Conference - 2007

11. What services make an online game server?
Account
Registration
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar
Billing &
Subscriptions
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Petitioning
System
CSR Support
Tools
Patching

12. What services make an online game server?
Account
Registration
Billing &
Subscriptions
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Deployment
Tools
Petitioning
System
Knowledge
Base
International
Billing
CSR Support
Tools
Wait Queue Patching
Auction
Word Filter
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar

13. There is a lot more to making an online
game than just making the game.
Account
Registration
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Character
Management
Deployment
Tools
Petitioning
System
Knowledge
Base
Message
Boards
International
Billing
CSR Support
Tools
Patching
Chat/Event
Logging
Wait Queue
Billing &
Subscriptions
Word Filter
Game
Launcher
Email
Social
Contacts
Game Data
Publishing
Auction
Namespace
Integration
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar

14. There is a lot more to making an online
game than just making the game.
Perpetual Entertainment Platform
Account
Registration
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Character
Management
Deployment
Tools
Petitioning
System
Knowledge
Base
Message
Boards
International
Billing
CSR Support
Tools
Patching
Chat/Event
Logging
Wait Queue
Billing &
Subscriptions
Word Filter
Game
Launcher
Email
Social
Contacts
Game Data
Publishing
Auction
Namespace
Integration
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar

15. There is a lot more to making an online
game than just making the game.
Perpetual Entertainment Platform
Core Game Services
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007

16. Research
•Research Goals
•Explore Project Darkstar plugin architecture
•Test various Platform services imbedded inside a
Project Darkstar Server
•Create a useable demo
•Extend demo app outside of the server
Austin Game Conference - 2007

17. Research
•Project Darkstar Plugin Architecture
•Requires support for two phased commits:
prepare, commit/rollback.
•Services exist outside of the regular services
framework.
•Two major components: Service & Manager
Austin Game Conference - 2007

18. Research
•Project Darkstar Plugin Architecture
•Major Components:
•Service - application-based service that works
within a transactional context.
•Manager - user-facing interface to the service.
Austin Game Conference - 2007

19. Tech Demo
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Core Game
Services
Austin Game Conference - 2007
•Platform exists
within Project
Darkstar Server
•Exposed to Core
Game as a Project
Darkstar
Component
•Utilizes Project
Darkstar
Transactional
Framework
•Communicates
outside of the
Server using it’s
own framework.

20. Tech Demo
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
Core Game
Services

21. Tech Demo
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
Core Game
Services
Web Front-end

22. Tech Demo
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
Core Game
Services
Web Front-end
Account Management

23. Tech Demo
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
Core Game
Services
Web Front-end
Account Management
Customer Service

24. Tech Demo
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
Core Game
Services
Web Front-end
Account Management
Customer Service
Web Chat

25. Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Project
Darkstar
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Browsers
Tech Demo
2D Game
Client
Web Front-end
Account Management
Customer Service
Web Chat
2D Game
Client
2D Game
Client
Core Game
Services

26. Improvements
•Future Improvements:
•Utility classes for transitioning work between
transactional and non-transactional contexts.
•More Platform services - currently only
supports: authentication, character, entitlement,
shard, social contacts, and chat services.
Austin Game Conference - 2007

27. Other Extensions
•Online Game Data Explorer
•Live Web access to DataManager
•Browse all named objects
•Drill down into ManagedReferences
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28. Project Darkstar
•Stable, scalable, and easy to use
•Plugin Architecture opens up the door for
third party extensions
•Open source
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Core Game
Services
Project
Darkstar

29. Perpetual Entertainment Platform
•Simple to integrate into Darkstar.
•Extend your game presence out of the box:
web and mobile devices
•Scaleable and Secure
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Core Game
Services
Project
Darkstar

30. Your Game
•Shorter Development Time
•Lower Cost
•Actually spend your time writing a game
•Write and Share your own extensions
Perpetual
Entertainment
Platform
Austin Game Conference - 2007
Core Game
Services
Project
Darkstar

31. Contact and Info
Jack Strohm
Senior Software Engineer
jstrohm@perpetual.com
Perpetual Entertainment Platform Services
http://www.perpetual.com/platform
Austin Game Conference - 2007