Parlor Design -*- mode: outline -*-

* Notes

* Overview

The Parlor package intends to provide a framework that supports the
implementation of simple networked games. These may be turn based, puzzle,
party, or other types of games that involve one or more players acting out
a fairly uncomplicated game mechanic.

It builds upon the Cocktail package also provided by the <?> platform. The
Cocktail package is used to provide a basic network environment where
clients can share information with the server and with one another. It
allows the Parlor services to largely concentrate on requirements specific
to implementing simple online games.

The services provided are divided into the following components:

** Game configuration and creation

Games are likely to have a variety of configuration options that need be
negotiated before the game starts and then communicated to the game
management code. Additionally, players must be brought together via some
sort of matchmaking mechanism that is apporpriate for the particular game.
This component aims to provide the following services:

- A simple invitation mechanism: one player invites another to play a
  game.

- A table-based matchmaking mechanism: one player creates a table with a
  game configured in a specific way and other players "sit down" at that
  table to join the game.

- A room-based, party game creation mechanism: one player configures the
  game and creates a room in which the game is taking place. Other players
  enter that room and either enter the game immediately or participate
  when the next "round" begins.

- An extensible game configuration mechanism: an object model and user
  interface for setting game configuration parameters and communicating
  them to the game manager.

** Game state management

Once the game has begun, a means is needed to share the public game state
with the players of the game and to communicate private game state if and
when necessary. This component uses the Cocktail distributed object
services to share information among the players and provide channels of
communication between the game manager and the players.

** Game flow management

Many games share a common order of events or flow. Turn based games, for
example, tend to progress by each player taking the action appropriate for
their turn after which the turn proceeds to the next player. This
component aims to extract, as much as possible, the commonalities among
game flows and implement them in extensible manager classes that reduce
game implementation to the authoring only of code specific to the game in
question.

** Rating calculation and tracking

Rating calculation and tracking are popular components of most online
games. The Parlor services will incorporate hooks for calculating ratings
adjustments for players when a game's outcome has been decided and will
provide a framework for storing those ratings persistently.

** Player availability management

A plague of online gameplay is that any of the players may disconnect from
the game server at any time, or simply stop responding. The Parlor
services aim to provide common facilities for handling disappeared or
unresponsive players in whatever way is most appropriate for each
particular game.