Working on defining the network packet formats

Home.md

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 
 # Elevator Pitch
 
-Tortuga is a 2D multiplayer JRPG featuring permadeath, with an emphasis on multiplayer cooperation, exploration and customization. The game runs on customizable public and private servers.
+Tortuga is a 2D multiplayer JRPG featuring permadeath, with an emphasis on
+multiplayer cooperation, exploration and customization. The game runs on
+customizable public and private servers.
 
 # Required Upkeep
 
@@ -14,4 +16,6 @@ Tortuga is a 2D multiplayer JRPG featuring permadeath, with an emphasis on multi
 
 # Contact
 
-You can contact me at kayneruse@gmail.com, or follow me at http://kr-studios.tumblr.com/
+You can contact me at kayneruse@gmail.com, or follow me @KRGameStudios.
+
+You can also follow development or donate at krgamestudios.com

networking-formats.md

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+This page is supposed to define the members of SerialPacketType, as of network
+version 20150304, last written on 11/3/2015.
+
+There are currently 6 packet formats used by the server and client. These 
+formats are:
+
+* ServerPacket
+* ClientPacket
+* RegionPacket
+* CharacterPacket
+* MonsterPacket
+* TextPacket
+
+Each of these packet formats inherit from SerialPacketBase, which is detailed
+below. Each packet comes with a pair of functions used to serialize and
+deserialize that specific format from the network buffer, regardless of what is
+actually contained within. In certain cases, some members of the packets don't
+need to be filled out for the programs to execute correctly; the purpose of
+this document is to define what members are required by what message type.
+
+There are also a number of internal-use only systems, such as the union
+MaxPacket, the FORMAT_* tags, etc. These will be referenced as needed.
+
+## SerialPacketType
+
+This is a large enumeration of integers containing all "message types" used by
+Tortuga's networking systems. The purpose of the packet as a whole is defined
+by the element selected; all programs designed to connect to Tortuga's network
+must use these values for the protocols.
+
+There are also a few internal-use only elements such as:
+
+* NONE
+* LAST
+* FORMAT_*
+* FORMAT_END_*
+
+### SerialPacketType::NONE
+
+NONE has zero as a default value, and is used to signal when something has gone
+wrong internally. It is not currently in use, but it is always the element with
+the lowest bound.
+
+### SerialPacketType::LAST
+
+LAST, as it's name implies, is designated as the last element of the
+enumeration's range. It's value will vary from version to version, but it's
+position relative to the other tags is guaranteed.
+
+### FORMAT_* and FORMAT_END_*
+
+This is a relatively new addition, and is used to divide the tags by their
+intended format; each tag name ends according to said format. FORMAT_* is the
+lower bound, while FORMAT_END_* is the upper bound. No two format bounds
+overlap. These are not internal-only, but they are not currently used outside
+of the networking system's internals.
+
+## SerialPacketBase
+
+This structure is the base class of all packet structures used by the programs.
+It has two members:
+
+* SerialPacketType type
+* IPaddress srcAddress
+
+type is defined as the first four bytes of any message. srcAddress is set by
+the networking system, to signal where the message came from. All other packets
+have these members as standard. For general use, this structure is typedef'd as
+"SerialPacket".
+
+### PACKET_STRING_SIZE
+
+For compatability, the constant integer PACKET_STRING_SIZE is defined as 100.
+This is used to define a buffer for all strings sent over the network.
+
+## ServerPacket
+
+This structure is used for identifying game servers. In addition to it's
+inherited members, it has:
+
+* name
+* playerCount
+* version
+
+name is a string, PACKET_STRING_SIZE characters long, and is the public name of
+the server. playerCount is simply the number of players on said server, and
+version is the network version being used by that server. If the network
+version of a server doesn't match a client, then the two programs will refuse
+to connect to each other.
+
+## ClientPacket
+
+This structure is used for identifying game clients. In addition to it's
+inherited members, it has:
+
+* clientIndex
+* accountIndex
+* username
+
+clientIndex and accountIndex are integers, defining the server's internal index
+for the player's client and account respectfully. username is a string holding
+the player's username. Please note that the username and character handles are
+two destinct things.
+
+## RegionPacket
+
+This structure is used for asking for and sending map data. In addition to it's
+inherited members, it has:
+
+* roomIndex
+* x
+* y
+* region data
+
+roomIndex, x and y are integers representing the location of the map data being
+sent. Region data varies by context, but in the network, it is the region's
+tile data followed by the solid (collision) data. In the programs proper, it is
+simply a pointer to a stored Region object; as it is simply easier to serialize
+these directly.
+
+In addition to these members, some constants are defined:
+
+* REGION_TILE_FOOTPRINT
+* REGION_SOLID_FOOTPRINT
+* REGION_METADATA_FOOTPRINT
+
+The first, REGION_TILE_FOOTPRINT, defines the amount of space needed in the
+network buffer to send all tile data in a single region. REGION_SOLID_FOOTPRINT
+represents how much space is needed for conveying the collision data in that
+same region; it should be noted that the collision data is represented
+internally as a bit field, therefore is considerablly smaller than the tiles.
+
+Finally, REGION_METADATA_FOOTPRINT simply represents how much space is needed
+to store the region's metadata. As RegionPacket is currently the largest format
+in use, PACKET_BUFFER_SIZE is defined as the sum of these three values, plus
+the size of SerialPacketType.
+
+## CharacterPacket
+
+This structure is used for identifying and manipulating the player characters
+over the game's network. In addition to it's inherited members, it has:
+
+* characterIndex
+* handle
+* avatar
+* accountIndex
+* roomIndex
+* origin
+* motion
+* bounds
+
+***WIP***