David Ehlers

Multi-User Flash Servers

• Unity 2 Server
  
  • Unity 2 MDK is a highly object-oriented, extensible multiuser development framework for Adobe’s Flash platform. Unity 2 MDK includes: Unity 2 Multiuser Server - A stalwart, second generation server written in Java. UClient for Flash - A sophisticated Flash client development library.
  • Key Unity 2 MDK features:
    • Build sophisticated multiuser applications entirely in Flash. No Java or server code required.
    • Automatically share data between users, or execute code on other users.
    • Group users in multiple rooms.
    • Extensible database connectivity.
    • Highly customizable Java server.
    • Web-based admin tool
• SmartFox Server
  • SmartFoxServer is a multi-platform socket server designed to integrate with Adobe Flash, enabling developers to rapidly develop multiuser applications and games.
    The server was created with multiplayer games in mind and provides powerful tools for creating a wide range of sophisticated turn-based and real-time games. There’s really no limit to the number of applications that can be created with it.
    • Based on a high performing and scalable architecture that can handle thousands of clients even on a single CPU server machine.
    • Comes with a set of APIs that support Actionscript 1.0, 2.0 and the latest Actionscript 3.0 They extend the Flash core objects with new functionalites that allow developers to quickly and easily create multiplayer applications.
    • Fully extensible on the server side using various programming languages such as Actionscript, Javascript, Python and Java.
      Custom server side extensions can implement complex application and game logic, advanced user and room management, new server behaviors, etc…
      Additionally extensions can easily connect to almost any RDBMS through the built in databaseManager service and integrate with any other Java framework (Hibernate, Spring, etc…)
    • High performance database engine and a powerful embedded webserver that can be used for both static and dynamic pages. Additionally the http-server easily integrate file uploads from your flash multiplayer clients. This feature makes SmartFoxServer a standalone solution to deploy your multiuser applications without the need of other server side softwares.
    • SmartFoxServer comes with powerful add-ons that further extend its capabilities:
      • BlueBox: allows players behind restricted networks (firewalls, proxies) to fully enjoy multi-player games and applications without sacrificing the connection speed. The API transparently choose the best connection system behind the scenes
      • RedBox: a free and open-source add-on that integrates full audio/video streaming capabilities to the SmartFoxServer framework, simplifying the development of complex A/V applications by orders of magnitude
• Electro Server 4
  • ElectroServer 4 has an extensive feature set that lets developers create advanced multiplayer applications easily. Continuing its excellence with standard features such as persistent rooms, zone support, and event handlers — found in past ElectroServer generations — ES4 leaps beyond this to give developers even more control! Written using the industry-standard, high-quality MINA framework – ES4 has evolved into a complete platform for interactive online applications.
  • An updated feature set makes ElectroServer 4 the most robust socket-server available to support a wide variety of multimedia applications. Streaming Audio/Video capabilities enable ES4 to support A/V conferencing and recording. Clients also benefit from the ability to stream live or archived events to thousands of users simultaneously. Load-tested to 200,000 concurrent players, ElectroServer 4 demonstrates unprecedented scalability compared to other Flash media servers. Because it is highly extensible, all of ES4’s powerful server capabilities can be extended using either Java or server-side ActionScript.
  • Extreme Scalability
    • ElectroServer 4 exhibits record-breaking scalability with its novel dual-mode operation. Using ElectroServer 4 Enterprise, the system distributes its user workload to multiple servers. While operating in distributed mode, ES4 Enterprise has been load-tested to support an astonishing 200,000 concurrent players without slowdown or deterioration. Players connect to one of many gateway servers which, in turn, connect to the registry. Players can see and interact with others connected to any gateway included in the “network.”
    • ElectroServer 4’s extreme scalability guarantees real-time, instantaneous massive multiplayer online gaming interaction without a slowdown or lag in user experiences.  Operating in distributed or standalone modes gives developers options and helps aligns their solutions for future server expansion. If needed. In standalone mode, ElectroServer 4 Professional uses a single server implementation and start-up process proven to support 30,000 concurrent users at incredible throughput rates. ElectroServer 4 Enterprise is required for distributed mode; this version also supports standalone mode for maximum developer flexibility.
  • Enhanced Stability
    • A stable server means that a game will be up-and-running for players when it matters. As the most stable socket-server available, ElectroServer 4 executes graceful error handling and useful logging for continuous game play during debugging.
    • If a server encounters a problem, error handling logs the error, but maintains server stability to avoid a system crash or slowdown. Developers can then troubleshoot the error using the Web administrator to view the message and quickly repair any issues. ES4’s useful logging tool records enough information regarding an error message, allowing developers to locate problems faster than a typical trial-and-error debugging process.
  • Extensible Framework
    • ElectroServer 4 is equipped with extensions, or hooks, that boost server capabilities and enhance development flexibility using Java or server-side ActionScript. Available extensions include plug-ins, managed object factories, and event handlers
    • Plugins – Broaden servers by creating server or room custom logic. A server-side plugin can be assigned where it is most appropriate for each specific game — at either the server level or room level. Plugins communicate with each other and the server on which they reside.
    • Managed object factories – Manage objects instantly and make them available for plugins and event handlers to utilize, as needed. These extensions are ideal for managing heavy resources such as connection pools or other heavy objects.
    • Event handers – Event handlers can be created to respond to various events using ActionScript or Java. A Login Event Handler uses a custom code that enables a developer to validate a user against a central database, or some other source and track login/logout activity, send private or public messages, and more. This ensures that a proper username/password is being used. Other event handlers provide access to events ranging from a user joining a room to public messages, and more.
  • Rich AS2 & AS3 Client API
    • ES4 is equipped with the ActionScript 2 and ActionScript 3 client-side APIs, or the ElectroServer API. Any developer familiar with JavaScript can easily utilize the ActionScript programming language. The ElectroServer API acts as a liaison between the game developer and ElectroServer – formatting and initializing all transactions that occur between the client and the socket-server. This frees up development time, and permits a developer to execute logins, send messages, and publish or stream video.
  • Rapid Message Aggregator™
    • ElectroServer 4 is the only socket-server that aggregates messages. This unique function involves code written specifically to alleviate performance problems that Flash clients may encounter when attempting to handle a high message packet rate. The Message Aggregator feature collects several messages from various users and holds them. It then sends them out to clients in a larger packet. By clustering messages and sending them out in larger, infrequent batches, the Message Aggregator limits message processing rates to protect Flash from becoming overwhelmed with the task of delivering and sending messages simultaneously. When programming real-time games, clients often receive 5, 10, or more than 20 inbound messages per second. Depending on the client used, this high message rate could degrade performance. Extensions executing custom game logic can “aggregate,” or immediately send, outbound messages to clients using a simple API call. Developers can create size limits on message “chunks,” and how often they are sent to clients. The developer can also simply disable the message aggregator when needed
  • Secure Messaging