Hello, Game servers which run games that run in a 3D environment (on the client) generally have one version of the environment that all connected clients see maintained in memory.
As Alfred has already mentioned, at server level, this is the game level (or "map") but in its utmost binary format. In order for the server to run the simulation (i.e. the game level, environment, the players, the weapons, collision detection, physics... everything that requires "think time") it must keep a constant track on what happens and where. So, yes, the server maintains a pure 3D version - if you want to think that way - of the level in memory (read up on BSP trees if you want to know how levels are generally stored in memory, http://www.symbolcraft.com/graphics/bsp/ is a fun toy - requires Java). As well as this, it also maintains huge lists ("look-up tables") that correspond to things like players (models, bones, hotspots, linkage, physical dimensions, properties, and so on), weapons, socket connections, physics data, and loads of other stuff. The one thing the server doesn't need are things like textures (it generally just needs to know about them, so it can tell game clients things), effects (that's what a graphics renderer is for), and all those other things that make games look pretty. To answer the original question, it is very important for the server to maintain how the world is "rendered", but that's rendered in theory, not actually drawn with a video renderer. If the server didn't do this, the server wouldn't have anything to serve! (This is an extremely generalised summary about how 3D game logic works, your mileage may vary :) -- Bart King http://www.bart666.com -- +44 781 219 5654 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Syers Sent: 29 December 2006 18:46 To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [hlds_linux] [Question to Valve] High system load with CS Source server -- [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ] How much of a 3d version? does it do textures and all of the "eye candy" that are just pure overhead? does it render hdr?? _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlds_linux
