Dedicated server Dedicated servers simulate game worlds without supporting direct input or output, except that required for their administration. Players must connect to the server with separate client programs in order to see and interact with the game. However, listen servers have the advantage of being essentially free and not requiring any special infrastructure or forward planning to set up, which makes them common at
LAN parties where latency and bandwidth issues are not a concern. They are also common in
console games.
Host migration In a listen server arrangement, "host migration" is a useful feature. Without host migration, if the player that is currently hosting disconnects for any reason (quitting, crashing, lost network connection, etc.), the current server stops functioning and gameplay ends. A host migration feature allows one of the other players to become designated as the new host, so that the game can continue.
Peer-to-peer In the client/server model outlined elsewhere in this article, clients receive processed data from the server and display it without much thought. In the alternative "peer-to-peer" model there is no server: each "peer" instead receives the raw input streams of each other player and determines the results itself. Peer-to-peer is generally considered obsolete for action games, but it is still common in the
real-time strategy genre due to its suitability for games with large numbers of tokens and small numbers of players. Instead of constantly transmitting the positions of 1000 troops, the game can make a one-off transmission of the fact that 1000 troops are selected and that the player in command of them just issued a move order. However, peer-to-peer has many disadvantages: • It is very difficult to keep all peers synchronized. Minute differences between peers can escalate over time to game-breaking paradoxes. • It is very difficult to support new peers joining part-way through a game. • Each peer must communicate with all other peers, limiting the number of connected players. • Each peer must wait for every other peer's message before simulating the next "network frame", resulting in all players experiencing the same
latency as the player with the worst connection.
Listen-peer Multiple listen servers collectively peer amongst themselves for listen-peer setting. This type of setting avoids the disadvantages of peer-to-peer communications among all clients and is a better alternative to dedicated servers for increased number of clients. == Tickrate ==