I am currently planning, and try find information for putting together a 3d game engine. It is a bit silly of me to maybe post here before I have read on the subject, but I want to get some tips so I know where to look for info. Multiplayer is important for my engine. It could also be interessting to try make a modul to let the AI & Or Physics be on a computer of its own (I know, difficult, but I want to look into the matters first). I could choose to either use DirectPlay, Sockets, or a 3rd party api stuff. I don't like limitations, heard somewhere that directplay had a limit of only 64 players at sime time,true? One thing is limitation on bandwidth and stuff, but don't want that kinda limitations in software. But I understand DirectPlay is easy to start with, and that is my choise so far. I also wonder how to design the engine around the networking stuff. Should I divide the engine in a client/server game? Where the game runns on a server at all time, and to play you would do it from a client?. I am also planning to let the engine run at a spesific speed (like 60 times a second), and let the renderer render as fast as possible. Think this would be good for multiplayer, but how about sync and how fast/slow should the game go? Book suggestions? Api suggestions? anything ....

Well, since this is the Networking forum, I'd say that most people will only be able to help you get Network books. As far as API books, you can either try the Graphics Programming forum, or perhaps have a mod move this post to For Beginners, where most of these questions can be answered...

One nice idea might be have a look at simple games which are multiplayer.Also check out the networking tuts here at gamedev.

Btw,have you coded any servers yet,which can handle multiple clients?(Can help you further,if you havent)

Books
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TCP/IP in 21 Days (nice intro to TCP/IP)
MultiPlayer Game Programming
Programming Multiplayer Games

Also Check this link,contains quite a bit of books:
http://www.gamedev.net/columns/books/books.asp?CategoryID=14

Need more links on socket programming?

[Edited by - FireNet on July 25, 2004 2:16:32 AM]