Tribes 2 Networking Code Interview

It is well documented about how much I loved the original Tribes , and indeed about how anxiously I await Tribes 2. It looks to be every bit a worthy successor to the original classic. The lucky lads over at Tribes 2 Players got to have a sit down with Mark Frohnmayer, Lead Programmer on the TRIBES 2 Dev Team. They speak about network code, one of the original tribes strongest features, and the making and breaking of a game like Tribes 2.

The Tribes 2 network code has been rewritten from the ground up, Mark goes into some of the changes, "Most of the improvements deal with server-side performance issues - threw in some lookup tables here, a hash there, and maybe a linked list or two for good measure". He continues with some excellent news of them resolving one of Tribes 1's biggest problem, "Bandwidth-wise, probably the biggest change is the cut in client to server bandwidth. TRIBES 1 performed well in most cases, but could get into a nasty condition where (with high packet loss) the client could start to flood the connection, causing the game to become pretty unplayable. TRIBES 2's performance should be much better in those circumstances."

Mark ends with, "Actually there are a number of games out now that have really great net code. Still I think our focus on multiplayer and experience in the genre will give us somewhat of an advantage", the article is essential reading for all you fans of team based games.