Network multiplayer theory

What is networked multiplayer and why do we use it? Very simply, networked multiplayer is when multiple computers are sharing information with each other over a network so that they may all have a common game state. Everybody who is part of the multiplayer network can see each other and what is happening in the game world at (roughly) the same time. The uses of networked multiplayer are numerous; however, the two main uses are that we are able to create a game experience that people can interact with and enjoy from different parts of the world outside of a local network, and we are able to have many more people partake in the same game experience than would be possible on one machine.

However, this multiplayer network requires a series of rules to dictate how this information is shared and whose information within the network is authoritative. This set of rules is known as a protocol or pattern. In the next section, we will be covering two of the main networking...