Multiplayer Game Programming: Architecting Networked Games,

Chapter 4. Object Serialization

To transmit objects between networked instances of a multiplayer game, the game must format the data for those objects such that it can be sent by a transport layer protocol. This chapter discusses the need for and uses of a robust serialization system. It explores ways to handle the issues of self-referential data, compression, and easily maintainable code, while working within the runtime performance requirements of a real-time simulation.

The Need for Serialization

Serialization refers to the act of converting an object from its random access format in memory into a linear series of bits. These bits can be stored on disk or sent across a network and later restored to their original format. Assume that in the ...