L10: How Counterstrike Works (Time in Distributed Systems)

How does the game Counterstrike (and its newest incarnation CS:GO) simulate a single coherent game world, given that all the players are using computers which are far apart from each other? The time it takes information to travel between computers is long enough that it could make the game no fun to play -- but it does not, due to trickery the game plays. This game provides a great example to help you understand how time works in distributed systems, and some of the techniques that can be used to mitigate the impact of network delays.

Web pages mentioned in this video:

* What Every Programmer Needs to Know About Game Networking: http://goo.gl/o7mc5f

* Source Multiplayer Networking: http://goo.gl/u9J9Ya

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