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INTERNET GAME
Posted: Fri May 06, 2005 7:12 pm
by Parody
I'm currently coding an internet game called 'Homies'. But I am bumping into problems every 5 minutes and would like someone to help, this would be an equal partnership. If you would like to help, my e-mail address is:
thehoodedexecutioner@hotmail.com
This is also my MSN address.
Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 5:30 am
by Corvin Gröning
Can you post some more information about your internet game, please?
Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 8:26 am
by John Cartwright
Moved to Volunteer Work.
Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 4:16 pm
by method_man
what kind of game is it?
pm me with information or if you have aol instant messenger my screen name is mjxxx99
thanks,
matt
Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 3:51 pm
by Parody
The game is now called "Homies For Life" because the domain name "homies.com" has already been taken. I use MSN messenger, my address is:
Thehoodedexecutioner@hotmail.com
If you would like more infomation or would like to help please add me as i do not check this forum for replies very often.
Thanks, Parody
Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 4:45 pm
by Roja
Parody wrote:
If you would like more infomation or would like to help please add me as i do not check this forum for replies very often.
Sorry, but you're limiting yourself. I code internet games (4 of them, actively), and would be happy to provide pointers now and then.
However, I generally do so on these forums, and since you asked for help here, and since this is the most likely place to find help, this is your best resource.
Not to mention, I'd rather do a public post where you AND other people can benefit from the advice, than via instant messages.
Finally, not everyone uses MSN-IM. I use all IM systems *except* MSN-IM, as I see no reason to encourage, endorse, and extend a predatory monopolist.
Putting requirements on people you ask for help is like begging for a specific flavor of liquor on the streets of NYC.
...
Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 5:18 pm
by Calimero
Just to jump a quick one in the subject:
You all code internet games.
I also want to code internet games.
What tehnology / coding language you use, how long a project like that lasts ...
Any start-up info to get me going in the direction that is right
Thanks Ahead !
Re: ...
Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 9:13 pm
by Roja
Calimero wrote:
What tehnology / coding language you use
My toolbox:
PHP (4, not 5, very few webhosts run 5 so far)
MySQL (I test on both 3 and 4. Webhosts use one or the other pretty evenly)
Apache (I don't have an IIS machine at home to test on)
Then I use a variety of php backend libraries like adodb (database abstraction), smarty (templating), sha256 (thanks feyd!), and phpmailer (better than php's mail).
(I'm combining that collection of backends and auth functions into a toolkit project called "JOMPT", to make it easier to write apps like these).
Calimero wrote:
how long a project like that lasts ...
Thats harder. I've only coded for a short time on Wordog, about 6 weeks on The Dragon Saga, and over 3 years now on The Kabal Invasion.
A project lasts as long as you want it to.. Even tonight, I continue work on TKI.. I still find interesting challenges in it, new ideas, and a nice platform for testing new technologies.
...
Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 1:02 am
by Calimero
1) So... what are those games about - and how complex they are - from the perspective of the player.
2) Also when you play games ( in windows ) you have all the nice graphics, user interfaces etc...
3) Do you create something like that in your games - and how ( not the code, just the idea )
4) My PHP scripts have 30 seconds to perform their job, do you use something like web-pages or something else.
Sorry for this many questions, but I would like to know - and who knows maybe something nice comes out to users screens
Thanks Ahead !
...
Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 1:03 am
by Calimero
Re: ...
Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 6:32 am
by Roja
Calimero wrote:1) So... what are those games about - and how complex they are - from the perspective of the player.
Wordog - Web-based conquer/strategy game in the style of the popular boardgame "Risk". Medium complexity.
The Kabal Invasion - Space theme, expand and conquer game. Inspired by the 80's door games Ultimate Universe and Tradewars. Very complex.
The Dragon Saga - Text RPG insipred by the 80's door game "Legend of the Red Dragon". Easy to get started in, complex to learn all of.
Calimero wrote:
2) Also when you play games ( in windows ) you have all the nice graphics, user interfaces etc...
3) Do you create something like that in your games - and how ( not the code, just the idea )
Nope. We use few graphics, and the interfaces are done with text for the most part. With web-based games, you need to keep each page as light as possible, so that modem players can play.
Calimero wrote:
4) My PHP scripts have 30 seconds to perform their job, do you use something like web-pages or something else.
Yup, we have to fit in that execution time as well. Thats why many of our complicated actions have to be split up across multiple pages.
Posted: Thu May 12, 2005 1:41 pm
by Parody
Ok, I will post info about "Homies For Life" here.
The game is basically a GTA San Andreas internet game, coded in PHP.
So far, the register script is 'working', I think.
The main actions you will hopefully be able to do in the game are:
Crimes
GTAs
OCs (big crime involving 4 players)
Kill other players.
Buy a house (makes it harder for you to be killed, depending on how good your house is)
Casino
Underground Racing
Own businesses (such as shops and bars)
Do 'odd' jobs (such as working in a shop)
I am open to other ideas.
I am mainly looking for someone to help in the theory part of coding, someone who knows the language well and that knows the capabilities and different functions.
ALL help will be appreciated
Thanks
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 7:54 am
by Maugrim_The_Reaper
You may need to be more specific, not to mention detailed. The devil is in the details. They'll either bury you or elevate your game above others.
Similar to Roja, I actively develop several PHP games (all open source). I've found that the biggest block to developing games for most budding game developers is that they simply do not go and learn about the tools they will need. At a minimum for a typical php game using modern practice, you'll need to be familiar with a DBMS (e.g. MySQL) and SQL language, a template engine like Flexy (PEAR) or Smarty, PHP sessions, etc. etc.
For example, take logins. Logging in has got to be the most basic process for any PHP app . It's a simple concept, but in practice it can get complex. The classic concern is security. When any player logs in with their password, how is that password transmitted to the remote server? Plain text? Hashed? Hashed with random string? etc. How will the resulting session be handled? Are your users protected from session fixation and impersonation?
For myself, I use a standard backend (all the nitty gritty stuff that works behind the scenes, like templating/database functions/mailing/etc. So basically 70%+ of the code in my game projects is identical (huge time saver). Roja has JOMPT, I have a similar alternative Q-SITE. Both do the same thing - let us reuse the backend apps between projects, and without having to integrate them all into the new game once again (it saves a huge block of time/effort).
I would suggest getting a feel for another already established php game - likely they will have covered all these truly annoying bits

and you can learn from actual working code that's been written, debugged and is used on a daily basis.
I would suggest two different games to get a feel for the variety out there: Roja's The Kabal Invasion (see link above) and Quantum Star SE 3 pre-alpha(
http://sf.net/projects/quantumstar).
Both are free to download and use within the terms of their license.
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 8:08 am
by Maugrim_The_Reaper
1) So... what are those games about - and how complex they are - from the perspective of the player.
1)
Quantum Star SE - a space strategy, not half as complex as The Kabal Invasion, we're mid-way though a rewrite to bring the game up to par in v3. It will be complex, at present we're in pre-alpha on v3.
2)
Shadows Rising RPG - a free-for-all rpg, not yet playable. It's been ongoing since August 2004 with 70% of the time spent on building up a standard backend. Backend work is a time sink

.
3) The Talisman War - a recently started RTS type game. It's loosely based on a scenario I started writing about in 1993, and which created an free-to-write Roleplay running from 1999 to 2002 with ~4900 posts.
2) Also when you play games ( in windows ) you have all the nice graphics, user interfaces etc...
Roja's right, if you can't play using a mere 56k Modem, then it's a limited endeavor. I myself am without broadband, so there's always a huge focus on minimising lag between request and response.
3) Do you create something like that in your games - and how ( not the code, just the idea )
You can use some Javascript to add an ease of use factor to the interface, usually it's text-only.
4) My PHP scripts have 30 seconds to perform their job, do you use something like web-pages or something else.
30 secs is standard for php execution limits. If it takes more than a few seconds anyway, it will slow down with higher player numbers and usage. Again - grab a downloaded PHP game, a PHP manual, and start working out how it ticks. Most of these projects aren't going to mind giving a few pointers for the source code.
Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 2:31 pm
by Parody
Ok, so, look at some already written games coding, learn how it works and then start writing my own. Ok, but I came here looking for someone to help me do the actual coding.
Sorry if that sounded a bit rude
