RollbackPseudoCode.txt

Readme: In the following pseudo code, [] indicates a subroutine.
Sometimes I choose to write the subroutine inline under the [] in order to maintain context. 
One important fact about the way rollbacks are handled here is that we are storing state for every frame. 
In any real implementation you only need to store one game state at a time. Storing a game 
state for every frame allows us to only rollback to the first frame where the predicted inputs don't match the true ones.


==Constants==
MAX_ROLLBACK_FRAMES     := Any Positive Integer         # Specifies the maximum number of frames that can be resimulated
FRAME_ADVANTAGE_LIMIT   := Any Positive Integer         # Specifies the number of frames the local client can progress ahead of the remote client before time synchronizing. 
INITAL_FRAME            := Any Integer                  # Specifies the initial frame the game starts in. Cannot rollback before this frame.

[Initialize Variables]
    local_frame   := INITAL_FRAME                       # Tracks the latest updates frame. 
    remote_frame  := INITAL_FRAME                       # Tracks the latest frame received from the remote client
    sync_frame    := INITAL_FRAME                       # Tracks the last frame where we synchronized the game state with the remote client. Never rollback before this frame.
    remote_frame_advantage := 0                         # Latest frame advantage received from the remote client.

[Store Game State]
    Stores the game state for the current frame 
    
[Restore Game State]
    Restores the game state to the frame set in sync_frame

[Update Input]
    Predict the remote player's input if not available yet.
    Setup the local player and remote player's input for use in [Update Game] 
                
[Rollback Condition]
    local_frame > sync_frame AND remote_frame > sync_frame      # No need to rollback if we don't have a frame after the previous sync frame to synchronize to.

[Time Synced]
    Let local_frame_advantage = local_frame - remote_frame                                   # How far the client is ahead of the last reported frame by the remote client
    Let frame_advantage_difference = local_frame_advantage - remote_frame_advantage          # How different is the frame advantage reported by the remote client and this one.
    local_frame_advantage < MAX_ROLLBACK_FRAMES AND frame_advantage_difference <= FRAME_ADVANTAGE_LIMIT     # Only allow the local client to get so far ahead of remote.

Start Program:
    [Initialize Variables]

    loop:

    [Update Network]
        Let remote_frame = latest frame received from the remote client
        Let remote_frame_advantage = (local_frame - remote_frame) sent from the remote client

    [Update Synchronization]
        [Determine the sync_frame]
            Let final_frame = remote_frame                                          # We will only check inputs until the remote_frame, since we don't have inputs after.
            if remote_frame > local_frame then final_frame = local_frame           # Incase the remote client is ahead of local, don't check past the local frame.
            select frames from (sync_frame + 1) through final_frame and find the first frame where predicted and remote inputs don't match
                if found then
                    sync_frame = found frame - 1        # The found frame is the first frame where inputs don't match, so assume the previous frame is synchronized.
                else
                    sync_frame = final_frame            # All remote inputs matched the predicted inputs since the last synchronized frame.

        if [Rollback Condition] then
            [Execute Rollbacks]
                [Restore Game State]
                select inputs from (sync_frame + 1) through local_frame     # Use all the inputs since the last sync frame until the current frame to simulate
                    [Rollback Update]
                        [Update Input]
                        [Update Game]
                        [Store Game State]
                                            
    if [Time Synced] then
        [Normal Update]
            Increment local_frame
            [Get Local Player Input]
                Read the joystick/pad/keyboard for the local player and store it, associating it with local_frame
            [Send input to remote client]
                Send the input and the local_frame to the remote client so it arrives asap.
                
            [Update Input]
            [Update Game]
            [Store Game State]
    goto loop

End Program

if you dont have the same initial frame. frame advantage estimates would be all screwed up. it should be assumed that the clients start at the same frame. im pretty sure one client wont even progress and get stuck if you dont
.

if you dont have the same initial frame. frame advantage estimates would be all screwed up. it should be assumed that the clients start at the same frame. im pretty sure one client wont even progress and get stuck if you dont
.

That depends on the implementation though of how big the frame advantage is. But the most important thing to remember is they have to calculate what their initial frame is . Myself as a client on frame 0 can not assume that the remote client is also on frame 0.