Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!amdcad!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!munnari!murtoa.cs.mu.oz.au!wcc!latcs1!ditmela!smart
From: smart@ditmela.oz (Robert Smart)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Interactive game playing over an internet network
Message-ID: <4051@ditmela.oz>
Date: 3 Feb 89 03:18:01 GMT
Reply-To: smart@ditmela.UUCP (Robert Smart)
Organization: CSIRO, Division of Information Technology, Australia
Lines: 29

I am amazed that there don't seem to be protocols and programs for 
supporting game playing over an internet network. The sort of thing I 
envisage would allow a client program to connect to a game control 
server. They could then start a game, or join an existing game. The 
protocol would include the ability to send move information to the 
control server, receive state-of-game information from the control
server, send text information to opponents, opponents and partners, 
just partners [this last not allowed in some games, e.g. Bridge!].
Given the appropriate control server it should then be easy to modify 
programs like the Sun gammontool and chesstool to provide nice human 
interfaces to various games.

I really feel that something like this would be extremely worthwhile 
in demonstating the sort of things that you can do with networks. I 
try to convince people that interactive computer networking doesn't 
have to mean that you use the network to log into an interactive 
account on a remote machine. In fact logging in over a network tends 
to be both a horrible security problem and a very inefficient use of 
network resources. But when you try to describe other ways that a 
network could be used interactively, there aren't a lot of examples: 
remote disk and file access and the talk/phone system (which isn't 
used a lot). I am sure a system such as I propose would inspire people 
with interests in worthwhile activities like remote education,
learning through serious role playing and computer conferencing.

Anybody else interested? Any existing work? Should we write an RFC?

Bob Smart, CSIRO Division of Information Technology, Australia
           smart@ditmelb.oz.au (or smart%ditmelb.oz.au@uunet.uu.net)