title: UDP real-time games in Flash/Flex available Open source RTMFP implementation
body: <p>Are there any examples of using the Flash 10 beta <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Time_Media_Flow_Protocol" rel="noreferrer">RTMFP UDP</a> based protocol to build real-time Flash games. The RTMFP examples so far seem to focus on P2P networking between flash clients does anyone know of any examples of traditional client/server UDP based communication over RTMFP.</p>
  
  <p>Does anyone know the ability of RTMFP to do <a href="http://www.jenkinssoftware.com/raknet/manual/natpunchthrough.html" rel="noreferrer">NAT firewall punch-through</a> to allow clients to "host" real-time games. Imagine being able to over the web through flash client perform XBox live-like matchmaking and allow a client to host a Flash based realtime "Call of duty"-like game server through a web browser.</p>
  
  <p>It sounds like Adobe's beta <a href="http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/stratus/#getstarted" rel="noreferrer">Stratus project</a> provides a "rendevous" service for P2P real-time communication. I believe that is implementing NAT navigation to work around firewalls by coordinating a P2P "rendevous" with a central server.</p>
  
  <p>Also Adobe Labs has another product called <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/services/collaboration/" rel="noreferrer">Live Cycle Collaboration Service</a>:</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/collabmethods/2008/12/try_rtmfp_and_clienttoclient_d.html" rel="noreferrer">Try RTMFP and ClientToClient:</a></p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>There are a couple of very interesting
    problems in using RTMFP. First of all,
    being UDP-based means that a lot of
    firewalls just don't allow it. It's
    pretty common to attempt the
    connection and fail. Cocomo works
    around this by attempting a couple of
    connections at the same time, with a
    couple of protocols. Whichever
    succeeds wins the prize of being your
    session's connection.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>LCCS sounds like a "fuller" solution for offering P2P gaming, as well as standard client/server UDP or TCP based gaming. It attempts P2P UDP if that fails it can fall back to client/dedicated server TCP or UDP communication. It seems like this would be something that a game service provider would want to be able to manage themselves (the "cloud" LCCS and Stratus services don't give enough control on the "server-side" for game servers), is there any work on an open source equivalent to these "rendevous" NAT punchthrough and TCP fallback services?</p>
  
  <p>Anyone know of any open source projects that support RTMFP (or any other Flash 10 beta UDP protocol)? Are there any real-time game example of using RTMFP?</p>