Overview

Chronos is an advanced networking engine which implements the U.S. Department of Defense's HLA RTI interface using DirectPlay. In addition to the normative IEEE 1516 Java and C++ language binding, Chronos provides a .NET programming interface compliant to the IEEE 1516 standard for distributed simulations. From developing multiplayer games and simulations in C++ to creating distributive interactive web applications using Flash and JavaScript, developers may program in any language that supports the .NET platform. Built as a FederationX network communication engine that uses our advanced metaprogrammable framework "MAGNETAR" (Metaprogrammable AGent NETwork ARchitecture), Chronos can be integrated with other FederationX engines such as Mirage and Realm to provide a total solution for your application.

HLA and RTI

The High Level Architecture (HLA) is a specification regarding communications between computers in a network simulation. This standard is required in all simulation software created for the U.S. Department of Defense. However it is a standard that has been slow to catch on in another large simulation field--the field of computer games. Magnetar Games plans to bridge this gap, lowering development costs through the use of standard networking engines. The Run Time Infrastructure (RTI) is the implementation of HLA. The RTI specification provides the functions and features that software may use to connect themselves in a simulation. Chronos will provide an RTI as part of its engine.

In HLA, a network is known as a "federation" and each computer participating is known as a "federate." This terminology has been adopted by Magnetar Games in which we name the entire system FederationX, and each server is known as a Federate.

Verification

Chronos has achieved level one verification and level two verification is in progress with the Defense and Modeling Simulation Office of the United States Department of Defense. You can see the status of Chronos at the DMSO RTI status board.

Chronos and Chess

We have created a proof-of-concept Chronos game application with WinBoard Chess. Our WinBoard Chronos Adapter enables existing WinBoard Chess clients to participate in a chess federation to play and observe chess games online.

Chronos and Flash

Chronos can also be used in web applications. Our ExForce prototype, a Real-Time Strategy game created using Macromedia's Flash, uses Chronos as the communication backbone to achieve peer-to-peer multi-player connectivity. See the ExForce map demo in the gallery of Flash Federation, our website that promotes Flash, X3D, and HLA as next-generation tools for developing games and simulations.

Matrix

Matrix is a Chronos utility designed to serve as a monitoring/debugging system for Chronos federations. The preliminary implementation is a Windows "SysTray" program that verifies the required .NET assemblies and website authorizations for Chronos web applications. More features will be implemented as we create more of the FederationX infrastructure.

Download

To obtain Chronos, please visit the downloads section.