=ADD=
=reftype=
14
=number=
97-31
=url=
ftp://ftp.risc.uni-linz.ac.at/pub/techreports/1997/97-31.ps.gz
=note=
Master Thesis
=year=
1997
=author=
Kulczycki; Peter W.
=title=
An Application Framework for the Distributed Simulation of Virtual Worlds by Spatial Decomposition
=month=
10
=keywords=
Distributed Simulation, Distributed System, Multi-User Game, Spatial Decomposition, Virtual World
=abstract=
This thesis describes the design and the implementation of a distributed
simulation of real worlds on a network of computers. The distributed simulation
enables multiple users in distant locations to interact and to share experiences
within the same virtual world. A key problem solved is the consistency of the
different virtual world views under the constraint of limited network
communication. Examples of applicability range from traffic and factory
simulation systems to multi-user games and molecular dynamic simulations.

The virtual world we have modeled is a two-dimensional imitation of the real
world. It is subdivided into an arbitrary number of regions, so-called cells,
each under supervision of an independently and distantly running process. The
virtual world is ``populated'' by virtual objects. Some of them are under
control of human operators, others behave like autonomous agents, fulfilling
some kind of task. In order to reduce communication between objects, several
strategies based on the spatial property of the virtual world have been designed
and implemented.

We have designed, implemented, and tested an object-oriented application
framework, depicting the distributed simulation sketched above, plus a full
functioning example based on this framework. Computers running different
operating systems, e.g.\ Unix and Windows NT, may interoperate within one single
simulation session.
=location=
2
=owner=
2
=source=
3