DIstributed SImulation & Online gaming Workshop

Research Article

Living city: a collaborative browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Game

  • @INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/ICST.SIMUTOOLS2010.8730,
        author={Emilio  Ferrara and Giacomo  Fiumara and Francesco  Pagano},
        title={Living city: a collaborative browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Game},
        proceedings={DIstributed SImulation \& Online gaming Workshop},
        publisher={ACM},
        proceedings_a={DISIO},
        year={2010},
        month={5},
        keywords={Games and infotainment},
        doi={10.4108/ICST.SIMUTOOLS2010.8730}
    }
    
  • Emilio Ferrara
    Giacomo Fiumara
    Francesco Pagano
    Year: 2010
    Living city: a collaborative browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Game
    DISIO
    ICST
    DOI: 10.4108/ICST.SIMUTOOLS2010.8730
Emilio Ferrara1,*, Giacomo Fiumara2,*, Francesco Pagano3,*
  • 1: Dept. of Mathematics, University of Messina
  • 2: Dept. of Physics, University of Messina
  • 3: DSI, University of Milan
*Contact email: emilio.ferrara@unime.it, giacomo.fiumara@unime.it, francesco.pagano@unimi.it

Abstract

This work presents the design and implementation of our Browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Game, Living City, a simulation game fully developed at the University of Messina. Living City is a persistent and real-time digital world, running in the Web browser environment and accessible from users without any client-side installation.

Today Massively Multiplayer Online Games attract the attention of Computer Scientists both for their architectural peculiarity and the close interconnection with the social network phenomenon.

We will cover these two aspects paying particular attention to some aspects of the project: game balancing (e.g. algorithms behind time and money balancing); business logic (e.g., handling concurrency, cheating avoidance and availability) and, finally, social and psychological aspects involved in the collaboration of players, analyzing their activities and interconnections.