Real-time gaming system having scalable database

Abstract

A network-based game system includes a game-system-interface server configured to receive an instruction related to persistent game-state information from a game client application running on a remote computer device, a data base system comprising a master data base and a slave data base, wherein the master data base and the slave data base comprise substantially the same data-base structure configured to store persistent game-state information for a plurality of users, and a router configured to direct the instruction to one of the master data base or the slave data base to allow the persistent game-state information to be written to or retrieved from the one of the master data base or the slave data base in response to the instruction.

1 . A network-based game system, comprising:
 a game-system-interface (GSI) server configured to receive an instruction related to persistent game-state information from a game client application running on a remote computer device;   a data base system comprising a master data base and a slave data base, wherein the master data base and the slave data base comprise substantially the same data-base structure configured to store persistent game-state information for a plurality of users; and   a router configured to direct the instruction to one of the master data base or the slave data base to allow the persistent game-state information to be written to or retrieved from the one of the master data base or the slave data base in response to the instruction.   
     
     
         2 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the master data base and the slave data base are configured to synchronize changes in the persistent game-state information in one of the master data base and the slave data base to the other one of the master data base and the slave data base. 
     
     
         3 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the instruction comprises writing persistent game-state information to the data base system or retrieving the persistent game-state information from the data base system. 
     
     
         4 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the data base system comprises a plurality of storage devices in connection with the router and the master data base and the slave data base are stored on two different storage devices in the plurality of storage devices. 
     
     
         5 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the master data base and the slave data base share the same network address for communication with the router or the GSI server. 
     
     
         6 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the data base system comprises a plurality of pairs of master data bases and slave data bases in connection with the router, and wherein the router is configured to direct the instruction to one of the plurality of pairs of the master data base and the slave data base in accordance with a user identification associated with the instruction. 
     
     
         7 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the GSI server is configured to store a GSI program that comprises a GST controller that is configured extract the instruction from a message received from the game client application. 
     
     
         8 . The network-based game system of  claim 7 , wherein the GSI controller is configured to de-serialize the message received from the game client application. 
     
     
         9 . The network-based game system of  claim 7 , wherein the GSI program comprises a GSI model that is configured to initiate a database access object or a database object, wherein the database access object or the database object is configured to communicate with the router in response to the instruction. 
     
     
         10 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the data base system is configured to return a response message in response to the instruction. 
     
     
         11 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , further comprising a game server configured to store a game engine application, wherein the game engine application is configured to receive the instruction related to persistent game-state information from a game client application and send the instruction to the GSI server. 
     
     
         12 . The network-based game system of  claim 11 , wherein the game engine application or the GSI program is configured to send a message to authenticate user identification, game session identification, or game room identification associated with a game client application. 
     
     
         13 . The network-based game system of  claim 1 , wherein the persistent game-state information comprises one or more of a user's account information, user identification, a user's game scores, session identification, game room information, a user's game currency or game credits, an inventory for a user's asset, or a user's buddies list. 
     
     
         14 . A method of providing a game over a computer network, comprising:
 receiving an instruction related to persistent game-state information from a game client application running on a remote computer device;   retrieving the persistent game-state information from or writing the persistent game-state information to a master data base or a slave data base in response to the instruction, wherein the master data base and the slave data base store substantially the same data-base structure configured to store persistent game-state information for a plurality of users; and   synchronizing changes in the persistent game-state information in one of the master data base and the slave data base to the other one of the master data base and the slave data base.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the instruction comprises writing persistent game-state information to the data base system or retrieving the persistent game-state information from the data base system. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the master data base and the slave data base share the same network address for communication with the remote computer device. 
     
     
         17 . The network-based game system of  claim 14 , wherein the persistent game-state information comprises one or more of a user's account information, user identification, a user's game scores, session identification, game room information, a user's game currency or game credits, an inventory for a user's asset, or a user's buddies list. 
     
     
         18 . A method for providing uninterrupted gaming service during a data-base structure update in a network-based gaming system, comprising:
 receiving first persistent game-state information from a game client application running on a remote computer device;   authenticating at least one of user identification, game session identification, or game room identification in the request;   writing a first portion of the first persistent game-state information to a first data-base structure in a master data bases;   changing a second data-base structure in a slave data base;   writing a second portion of the first persistent game-state information to the second data-base structure after the step of changing a second data-base structure;   changing the first data-base structure such that the first data-base structure becomes substantially the same as the second data-base structure; and   synchronizing the first persistent game-state information stored in the first data structure and the first persistent game-state information stored in the second data structure.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising retrieving second persistent game-state information from the second data-base structure after the step of changing a second data-base structure. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising writing second persistent game-state information to the first data-base structure or retrieving second persistent game-state information from the first data-base structure after the step of changing the first data-base structure.