Abstract: A network system includes a first server that can receive a first message from a client application running on one of the plurality of computer devices in a non-persistent network connection. The first message includes client status information about the client application. The first server can produce a data base query in response to the first message. A data base can store the client status information about the client application in the first message. The first server can produce a second message in response to results of the data base query. The first server can send the second message to the client application in the non-persistent network connection. A second server can receive a third message from the client application in a persistent network connection and respond to the client application in real time without requiring a data query at a data base.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes a load balancer configured to receive a first request and a second request from a game client application running on a computer device. The first request comprises game logic information and the second request includes persistent game-state information. The network-based game system also includes a plurality of game servers in connection with the load balancer, wherein each of the game servers stores a game engine application configured to produce a first response to the first request and a game-system-interface (GSI) server in connection with the plurality of game servers wherein the GSI stores a GSI program configured to produce a second response to the second request.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes a game-system-interface server configured to receive an instruction related to persistent game-state information from a game client application running on a remote computer device, a data base system comprising a master data base and a slave data base, wherein the master data base and the slave data base comprise substantially the same data-base structure configured to store persistent game-state information for a plurality of users, and a router configured to direct the instruction to one of the master data base or the slave data base to allow the persistent game-state information to be written to or retrieved from the one of the master data base or the slave data base in response to the instruction.