Highly scalable cluster engine for hosting simulations of objects interacting within a space

A system for hosting a simulation of a plurality of simulated objects interacting within a simulated space, the system comprising non-transient media containing software configured for operation on a cluster computing engine, the cluster computing engine including a plurality of computing nodes organized into an intercommunicating cluster, the cluster computing engine being in network communication with a plurality of user access devices, the software being configured to:

• assign the simulated objects to the nodes, so that each of the nodes is responsible for parameter storage and computations in support of the simulated objects that are assigned to it;
• organize the simulated space into an octree of cubes, each of the cubes being contained within a corresponding padding sphere;
• and
• identify all objects that interact with a target object assigned to a host node by causing the nodes to carry out steps including:
• communicating by the host node to the other “remote” nodes of a position of the target object and an interaction criterion of the target object;
• each of the nodes identifying which padding spheres in their octree are candidate spheres, the candidate spheres being those padding spheres that meet the interaction criterion;
• each of the nodes considering candidate objects, the candidate objects being all simulated objects that are located in the cubes that correspond with the candidate spheres;
• each of the nodes determining which of the candidate objects meet the interaction criterion;
• communicating by the remote nodes to the host node of positions and other details regarding all objects that meet the interaction criterion;
• and
• the host node simulating interactions between the target object and the objects that meet the interaction criterion.