!!! How about making a TEAM, and Create games together???? !!!!

[McChicken Nuggets]

Hi

Well im slightly disappointed by the whole situation. When I was testing the game using works adsl connection things were a lot faster and smoother than my 56k dial up (no shocks there!)

Anyway, here a link to the multi-user ‘real-time’ car game (real-time is in inverted commas as its not really that realtime, open two browsers and you’ll see what I mean)

However please remember this is only an hour and a half’s playing, and more than anything an excuse to play with the FLEM event engine. ( I think I spend more time making the drag and drop FLEM button used in the login page. Yeah you may wonder why a normal button wouldn’t do, its just proved extremely useful for window style interfaces…) Im pretty sure the car thing could be made much smoother, but like I say this is just a quick experiment

I would suggest that a less real time game is made, maybe the rpg, but it is such a lot of work to do a normal rpg let alone a multiplayer one. Maybe something smaller would be easier?

Heres the link

thanks
matthew

[McChicken Nuggets]

oh one other quick point, please let the file load first, ive not put a preloader in

[phreax]

Hey McChicken,
yeah there seems to be some problems there but it does show alot of potential! Do you have any other plans/ideas for a game? Since you know the limits of this better than most of us, I think you might be a better judge on what a realistic goal would be!

[jeroen84]

There's a tutorial for a Multiplayer car game in a book on my shelf... Flash Games Studio...

[McChicken Nuggets]

Jeroen84 – yeps your right, I ive got a copy of that book on my desk at work, but to be honest I never really followed their tutorial. It seems awfully complicated for maing a simple car game. I don’t know why I keep buying these books, I never really seem to end up using them. Maybe its because they look nice on my desk?

Phreax :

Ill quickly explain the problems… (its all flash 5 code)

// Ive taken out some bits to make things clearer
constructor function here…

// Add FLEM  
ball.prototype.__proto__ = Object.FLEM.prototype;

ball.prototype.rotLeft = function () {
	this.rotation -= 10;
}
ball.prototype.rotRight = function () {
	this.rotation += 10;
}

ball.prototype.onEnterFrame = function () {
		if (this.rotateUp) {
			this.speed = 5;
		} else {
			this.speed = 0;
		}
		if (this.rotateLeft) {
			this.rotLeft();
		}  else if (this.rotateRight) {
			this.rotRight();
		}	

	this.setMotion();
}
// When a key is pressed, if the kep pressed is == UP or LEFT or RIGHT
// Send a KeyIsDown message
ball.prototype.onKeyDown = function () {
	if (this.name == _root.myId) {
		if (Key.isDown(Key.UP) && this.upFlag == false) {
			this.upFlag = true;
			this.rotateUp = true
			this.sendKeyIsDown ("Up");
		}
		if (Key.isDown(Key.LEFT) && this.leftFlag == false) {
			this.leftFlag = true;
			this.rotateLeft = true;
			this.sendKeyIsDown ("Left");
		}
		if (Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT) && this.rightFlag == false) {
			this.rightFlag = true;
			this.rotateRight = true;
			this.sendKeyIsDown ("Right");
		}
	}
}
// When A key is released send a key is released message 
ball.prototype.onKeyUp = function () {
	if (this.name == _root.myId) {
		if (!Key.isDown(Key.UP) && this.upFlag == true) {
			this.upFlag = false;
			this.rotateUp = false;
			this.sendKeyIsUp ("Up");		
		}
		if (!Key.isDown(Key.LEFT) && this.leftFlag == true) {
			this.leftFlag = false;
			this.rotateLeft = false;
			this.sendKeyIsUp ("Left");		
		}
		if (!Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT) && this.rightFlag == true) {
			this.rightFlag = false;
			this.rotateRight = false;
			this.sendKeyIsUp ("Right");		
		}	
	}
}
ball.prototype.setMotion = function () {
	// Code to move the instance
}
ball.prototype.setRotation = function () {
	// Code to set rotation of instance
}
ball.prototype.setPosition = function () {
// Code to position the instance
}
// Sends a key is down message, with the details of the key pressed, sends current 
// X and Y positions along with the current rotation when key is pressed
ball.prototype.sendKeyIsDown = function (key) {
	var x = new XML ('<keyIsDown key="' add key add '" xPos="' add this.mc._x add'" yPos="' add this.mc._y add '" rotation="' add this.rotation add '">');
	_root.mySession.myRoom.sendAction(x);

}
// Sends a key is up message, with the details of the key pressed, sends current 
// X and Y positions along with the current rotation when key is released
ball.prototype.sendKeyIsUp = function (key) {
	var x = new XML ( '<KeyIsUp key="' add key add '" xPos="' add this.mc._x add'" yPos="' add this.mc._y add '" rotation="' add this.rotation add '">');
	_root.mySession.myRoom.sendAction(x);
};
// Sends car coords
ball.prototype.sendCoords = function (sender) { 
	var x = new XML ('<Coords xPos="' add this.mc._x add'" yPos="' add this.mc._y add '" rotation="' add this.rotation add '"></Coords>');
	_root.mySession.myRoom.sendAction(x, sender);	
}
// Functions to handle xml messages
onKeyIsDown = function (xml, sender) {
	var key = xml.attributes["key"];	
	for ( var i = 0; i < cars.length; i++ ) {
		if (cars[i].name == sender) {
			cars[i]["rotate" add key] = true;
		}
	}
	//onCoords(xml, sender)
}
onKeyIsUp = function (xml, sender) {
	var key = xml.attributes["key"];	
	for ( var i = 0; i < cars.length; i++ ) {
		if (cars[i].name == sender) {
			cars[i]["rotate" add key] = false;
		}
	}
	onCoords(xml, sender)	
}
onCoords = function (xml, sender) {
	var xPos = xml.attributes["xPos"];
	var yPos = xml.attributes["yPos"];
	var temprotation_string = xml.attributes["rotation"];
	var tempRotation = new Number (tempRotation_string);
	for ( var i = 0; i < cars.length; i++ ) {
		if (cars[i].name == sender) {
			cars[i].xStart = xPos;
			cars[i].yStart = yPos;
			cars[i].rotation = temprotation;
			cars[i].rotationRads = (Math.PI/180)*temprotation;
			cars[i].setRotation();			
			cars[i].setPosition();
		}
	}	
}

// Code that handles an xml message
// This is wrapped in a function
		// If the xml received is from a user other than yourself
		// Check the xml node name and call the on[nodeName]() function…

		if (sender != myID) {
			var nn = xml.nodeName
			_root["on" add nn](xml, sender);
		}
	};

That’s slightly more code than I think is strictly necessary to understand what’s going on. But I think if on the recite of xml xpos, ypos and rotation details the car was not to imdeatiately jump to those positions, but a smoother interpolation of the positions was used I could have the game running much smoother.

However what I think we should bare in mind is is running on a fast unix box, with a commercial strength multi-user server, a nice big pipe and it is far from great.

It was only a test to see how fast things would be…

So anyone else got any ideas?

[jeroen84]

Hehe.

What's your problem with that code? Rather confused..

[McChicken Nuggets]

There is no real problem with the code, all I was trying to do was show how simple it is, and how much it could be improved. The code just explains why things look jumpy

[phreax]

Yeah ok...I get it Hmm...I suppose this could be fixed but I can see the problem! If you get more players you need a really light function to get it working otherwise the game will run waay too slow, and the sync way off!
Maybe a turnbased one is a better start!

[jeroen84]

::raises hand:: rpg anyone?

[phreax]

As McNugget said rpg is gonna take alot of work and it seems everybody is making one anyways! Did you mean Multiuser? Man, that's a lot of work...ok, I'm in

[McChicken Nuggets]

Why not do something more realistic?

I would suggest if you really want to make a multi-user game, and I strongly thing you should. Why not get your self a copy of colin moocks unity server and learn the intricacies of that first.

I develop for the fortress multiuser server, this is an extremely powerful application, however it is not that cheap.

I will happily offer any help, I can, I would recommend fortress, and there is a free trial version, but this only supports 5 users.

Either way its upto you. But I would not get too ambitious start small, something simple.

matthew

[phreax]

For the development I guess the Fortress will be perfect, and if it seems like a success, then we can consider if the game is worth the costs! What I like about these projects is the whole learning-experience, and since I really want to get in on the MU thing I am willing to put alot of time into it! But Nugget do you have an idea?

[nurden]

Chat based multiuser RPG in flash....that would rock!

[jeroen84]

Yes, I know Fortress. And indead, it's only disadvantage is that it cost money if you want to have like 20 users at the same time. It's a very strong software package.

We could also use the free ircNexus or moockComm..

[McChicken Nuggets]

Phreax: at the moment nope, no ideas my heads just kind of fried from work, im not really a fountain of inspiration right now, ill let you know if I think of anything.

Jeroen84: do you mean you know of fortress, or you have used and know how to develop for it?
You wouldn’t want to use moockComm when he has released unity. I forgot about nexus, I had some fun with the original nexus, definitely consider giving that a try. But my preferred choice is fortress, maybe colin moock would be happy for us to being a tutorial on multiuser games using his server, maybe I should email him

[jeroen84]

Oh, sorry if you misunderstood. I ment that I know Fortress by it's name, I have been a few times on their site a few months ago.

But preferably I wouldn't want to use Fortress.(Except if you all want it, then I get outvoted.) Because when I buy a server with Shell Access someday, I don't want to spend a lot of money extra, on top of the already expensive costs of such a host.

[McChicken Nuggets]

We either way I don’t mind which you choose to use. If you choose to user fortress I will be able to offer some help, as this is what I develop in, otherwise I cant do much (well I can offer some programming help) Not that I can commit much time anyway. Just too much on at work, but ill help with what free time I can offer

[jeroen84]

Yes... and indead I am doubting myself. That's because I thought that if I ever would make a multiplayer thing for a client, I would probably be best with using Fortress.

So I don't care much.

[ZGOteddy]

sounds sweet. i would want to be in this project but i wouldnt know where to start....

[jeroen84]

phreax, you're still with us? What shall we do?