Streaming maps from the server

[Guest]

Hi,

I wonder how the maps are technically transferred to the client from the server. Are they compressed or encrypted? Where/how are they stored temporarily? I didn't find another topic concerning this..

The reason for this question are actually security issues, i.e.: is it technically possible for a server admin to prevent the clients from using the maps on their own? is there a kind of "protection"? (I can't imagine that someone would find it necessary, just a theoretical thought... )

[erorr404]

I think... the server sends data to the clients on request, meaning the clients only recieve info about players/objects/etc when the client gets close to them. I doubt that all of the map data is given to the client on connect, or that a client typically has ALL of the map data at any point.

Edited December 15, 2006 by Guest

[BTH]

The object/checkpoint/players etc. is streamed from the server.

[orappa]

In Race, they only streamed the next 2 checkpoints to clients, to prevent someone from warping immediately to the finish line. I don't know what they do in DM. The maps are not downloaded though.

[Guest]

I noticed the pure network traffic.. at the very begin of a race the traffic gets a high peak, that means the map is transferred completely.. if you are alone on a server the download traffic is zero at any point.. of course it's possible that only the next checkpoint is transferred, it's nearly no traffic, but all the objects of a complete map would make noticeable traffic.. furthermore, at very large maps there is a delay at the start up to a few seconds and the transferred traffic at the start is very high (few hundred KB), so I'm quite sure that the map with all objects is transferred at the start (maybe without the checkpoints)..

anyway, my question is regarding the transfer format.. for example the *.map files are clear text, so it wouldn't be a problem to "capture" a map while it is transferred from the server.. is it compressed or encrypted somehow before the transfer?

[orappa]

If the map has objects that are visible from the start line, these will be streamed too. The spike in traffic is probably the loading of the other players on the map, which would explain why it doesn't spike when you're alone.

I don't think people would like you stealing their maps btw...

[Guest]

i said the traffic is zero when you alone on a server after the beginning of a map, the peak at the start is always there and objects are definitely not loaded during the game (zero traffic all the time, even in very large maps)..

but that is not the point, my question was very simple, so i assume you don't know the streaming format..

stealing? yay... sounds pretty funny to everyone who ever played an egoshooter online

however, that was indeed my point of interest (like i said in the very first post).. if there is no protection, everybody can get my maps from my server and.. uhm.. practice offline or whatever.. i was just wondering if there is a solid protection to prevent that...

[kevuwk]

the map files stay server side so cant be stolen unless they can get to the server's map folder

[Silentlink]

the map files stay server side so cant be stolen unless they can get to the server's map folder

Ai' That's good to know.