| Session Name: | Networking Scripted Weapons and Abilities in 'Overwatch' |
| Speaker(s): | Dan Reed |
| Company Name(s): | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Track / Format: | Programming |
| Overview: |
'Overwatch' uses a proprietary visual scripting language called Statescript to execute the high-level state machines used throughout the game, including the logic driving hero weapons and abilities. This talk describes the features of the language and why they were chosen, and it explores how prediction and replication of script behavior is automated so that common networking problems are handled for the scripter. This approach to synchronizing fast-paced gameplay over variable-quality networks comes with both benefits and challenges. A variety of networking topics are discussed in this talk, including responsiveness, security, bandwidth usage, seamlessness, and ease of implementation. Statescript addresses each of these concerns, providing designers with a flexible, iterative workflow in which new heroes can quickly be taken from prototype to shippable with little to no new code. |
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