Grapple (network layer)

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Grapple is a high level network layer. It's designed to remove the hard work from making applications multiuser and to allow the addition of multiplayer features to a game for as little as a dozen lines of code. However while also remaining fully featured, so if you want more from your networking, you can have it.[1]

Development started in 2006 by Michael Simms from Linux Game Publishing LTD and is released under the GNU LGPL.

Grapple supports simple development of networked applications using both TCP/IP and UDP/IP. Grapple keeps track of connections to a server, relays messages from client to client, all without the need to understand any complicated network code.

[edit] Features

The features grapple supports at this time is:

  • Simple client-server networking
  • Keeps all clients aware of all other clients
  • Network messenging by either a push or a pull model, or a mixture of both
  • Unlimited connections to multiple servers.
  • Multiple methods of querying users
  • Data transfer via TCP, UDP, or reliable UDP
  • Passworded servers
  • User Groups for client bandwidth saving
  • Server security - server can disconnect any client
  • Network load reacting data transmission and retransmission
  • Background pinging to monitor network states
  • A fully functional lobby system
  • Server failover
  • NAT traversal using STUN

[edit] External Links

Grapple website
Linux Game Publishing's website


[edit] References

  1. ^ Linux Game Publishing