[F8] how to create a multiplayer online game

[zazuna]

please tell me or give me a link how to create an online rpg, if i create a game in flash, i can make a pretty good games in flash but i don't know how can people play it on the server, actually i want to know, how can i create a multyplayer game in flash (like online pool on yahoo or something like that)
I hope, you understood my question

thanks best wishes

[renderhjs]

I assume you are a noob (sorry for beeing that direct),- so I highly suggest you to first create anything else besides a MMRPG. And once you gain knowledge you will understand that there are way more easy and fun genres other then the stupid hyped MMRP, GTA & 3dFPS ones.

[ImprisonedPride]

Search: Key Word(s): rpg ; Forum: Games and child forums

Showing results 1 to 25 of 336

[tidenburg]

Decent MMORPG's are not possible in flash, if this is your end goal, move to javascript and other languages and leave flash forever like I chose to.

[mr_malee]

you need $2000 bucks to make one.

everybody who's anybody knows that.

no seriously you need $3000 bucks

[everfornever]

Another rpg thread eh.........

Now I feel like a newb for posting my playing around rpg thread....

hmm.

I got a big check in the mail, I have some goof off time. (and thats exactly what it is)

Listen to everyone here, dont make an rpg, please god. First off it will take you way to long, you wont finish it, and it will suck even if you do, and no one will play it.

honesty hurts

[Djugan]

These threads make me feel like I'm wasting my time with my game, but seriously, take it from someone who's made and is making an RPG...Don't do it.

And I'm talking about a single, player, off-line RPG...

[trogdor458]

why does everyone get even more annoyed when its rpg/fps or other specific genres?
what if they popped up saying, "i would like to make a game like plasma pong". do you think the board members would be a bit less aggresive?

both types of games (rpg and plasma pong) would most likely be difficult to achieve in flash, but people assume the background of a person if they ask specificly about rpg's, fps's, or other games of the like

and that would mean they're being stereotyped wouldnt it?

[VENGEANCE MX]

With plasma pong, the question is likely to be more specific ("how do I make plasma effects?"), as opposed to MMORPGs, where people will tend to say "I just got a Flash trial. How do I make RuneScape?"

Forgive me if that didn't make any sense, I have no idea what plasma pong is.

[trogdor458]

it was a new game thats been released...somewhere, and people seemed to like and wish that flash had that kind of graphical power
i myself, did not play it

http://board.flashkit.com/board/showthread.php?t=722181

and what you say is true, most games are not as broadly-ranged as an rpg, however difficult they may be to make

[mr_malee]

why does everyone get even more annoyed when its rpg/fps or other specific genres?
what if they popped up saying, "i would like to make a game like plasma pong". do you think the board members would be a bit less aggresive?

both types of games (rpg and plasma pong) would most likely be difficult to achieve in flash, but people assume the background of a person if they ask specificly about rpg's, fps's, or other games of the like

and that would mean they're being stereotyped wouldnt it?

no, it would be exactly the same. Its how the first post is questioned. If someone posted.

"Hi, how do i make plasma pong?"

your gonna get the same result. Why should anyone help?

you have to show initiative and a genuine interest in the game. All these threads i see lately all seem to look like someone trying to make a buck, maybe a friend has told them, "man you can make easy money with flash" so they go out, check out newgrounds and say to themselves "hey no one's done a good rpg here, i'll make one and get heaps of money", two seconds later you get a post like this on FK. That really pees me off.

is there an actual RPG thread where the first post actually contains thoughts or ideas on how to accomplish the task. I don't think so. Maybe if people actually show an interest other people will too.

[renderhjs]

flaming or not we need measurements against all this. I suggest an Information in the sticky where we can link or refer to if another thread like mr Malee described pops up.
Within that sticky we can give them all the information (sockets, xml, asp,...) with links and so on but most importantly note that it´s nothing one should start with if he just started with flash.
That way we dont essentially have to be rude but still can guide the specific individuals in the right direction.

[Squize]

Well the Read Me sticky does cover a lot of stuff, and was written to avoid all this flaming.

I must admit the Gemini in me makes me split. Sometimes I'm of the attitude "Sod it, they've just torrented Flash, expect to make WoW with 3 clicks and it's just a waste of time and energy even entertaining some people".
Plus their is some mild gratification in writing a funny flame.

The more grown up part of me wants to either ignore what I deem to be a pointless thread, or just re-direct them to the Read Me guide. I think anyone who has a proper read of that will have a good starting point to progress.

In an ideal world when a post like this, or for example the skate boarder one, comes up just one person will dive in there, and say something along the lines of:
"You want to make an rpg, you'll need to know:
* Collision detection
* External loading ( xml / images etc. )
* Player Movement
* Array and text handling
* All the other millions of things you need to know before even worrying about socket servers and the like.
Oh, and look and the Read Me sticky".

If everyone did that, the board would be a lot more flame free.

Also I do think the genre does really annoy people, and make them less likely to help. I've seen people ask similar questions about something involving moving sprites around, and people throw code and help at them ( When the posters have about the same skill level as someone wanting to do an rpg ).

I think people are more confident about helping with ( For example ) a tank game, than an rpg, that combined with the perceived lack of ability of anyone asking how to make an rpg ( As opposed to a missle command clone ) just leads to flaming.

( Personally speaking, the posts that get my back up a million times more than any other, are the ones that start "I'm doing a game for a client...". Really ? Well perhaps you shouldn't have accepted the job when you don't have a clue what you're doing and just expect others to help out whilst you pick up the cheque at the end of the project. And breath... )

Guys keep in mind that these are just phases the board goes through, highs and lows and all that.

Squize.

[oicu812]

Wow, after all those replies none of you gave any effort to help him on his way to creating an online rpg. Just the usual cocky replies like noob this and noob that. Thats why I hardly post on this messageboard some peoples ego's get the best of them. In regards to the poster of this thread, you will need to do alot of reading but I hope my advice will help guide you. First off, you do not need $2000 or $3000, all you need is a brain, the willpower to read and understand various computer related subjects like programming languages and databases.

This does not only apply to creating mmorpgs but anything online with a flash gui, such as a flash chat room, a flash message board, etc. To create such things you would need to create and store all your graphics into flash, actionscript to communicate with flash, actionscript to communicate with external files, asp or php to communicate with xml files and mysql database. Its a process of linking everything together. I went the php route, instead of asp, but its really just a matter of preference. Just to give you an idea of what handles what I have them listed below. These are just examples not a full rundown.

-------
mysql
- stores accounts
-------
php
- sends and retrieves data from mysql
- connects flash with mysql
- example1: CreateNewPlayer.php
- example2: LoginToServer.php
- example3: VerifyLogin.php
-------
xml
- stores external game data which can be edited without recompiling flash
- example1: town_map.xml
- example2: items.xml
- example3: quests.xml

You need to read book on mysql, php, xml, php&mysql databases. read, read, then read some more.

Im in process of typing up a graphical pdf for creating a step by step mmorpg in flash but its still in development.

You can always email: jchaught [at] gmail [dot] com

But please do the required reading above first, saves me tons of explaining. I may or may not answer your email if you email me questions that are already answered on this forum, or in books like books listed above. If questions are about the pdf Im creating, your email addresses will be saved and email when book is ready for release.. yup it will be a free ebook on making an mmorpg in flash step by step...with pictures.

Keep the faith, there are some of us who want to share.

[FaeKitty]

If you want real-time responses, you should also look at using a socket server of some sort. There are a couple premade socket servers that Flash game writers use for their real-time multi-player games.

SmartFoxServer
http://www.smartfoxserver.com/

ElectroServer 3
http://www.electro-server.com/

[oicu812]

@FaeKitty - I know of both socket servers you have listed, but Im a do it myself kind of person so Ive coded my own from scratch to tailor fit my game. SS's arent that hard to code and you learn more by doing so then to use other's work.. some which are demos and have to pay for.. with all the free information out there why pay for something when you could code it your self for free? Of the two listed, If I had to choose I would go smartfoxserver.

A good book, if you are a person that goes the book route, that discusses xml sockets, linking java socket servers to flash, linking asp or php to flash and mysql, flash enviroment is called XML in Flash.

[Pazil]

oicu812, you seem like a total expert on this topic, wiht multiplayer, and...well, my interests turned to flash, because I hoped to make an amazing flash multiplayer game, and now that I've had a bit of practice with basic games (non-network-multiplayer), I want to start learning the server stuff.

a) Could you please just help me go through all the basics, in flash, and PHP. My knowledge in PHP is minimal, up to the point where I can create an e-mailing form, though I do know how to open text files, use the info, and then add to them...not far...Could you maybe...well, send me a private message, then I'll give you my e-mail, so we can talk easier,

b) Once I learn the basics, could you help me with creating the server and stuff, and helping me with my first, multiplayer game, which I'm not planning to be big at all, just a little learning project.

If you don't have time, then I understand, since it sounds really complicated the stuff you talked about...

First off, you do not need $2000 or $3000, all you need is a brain, the willpower to read and understand various computer related subjects like programming languages and databases.

This does not only apply to creating mmorpgs but anything online with a flash gui, such as a flash chat room, a flash message board, etc. To create such things you would need to create and store all your graphics into flash, actionscript to communicate with flash, actionscript to communicate with external files, asp or php to communicate with xml files and mysql database. Its a process of linking everything together.

Oh yeah, my thought on that, I think that everyone should go the PHP way, since it's pretty much ASP, plus it's free.

I know of both socket servers you have listed, but Im a do it myself kind of person so Ive coded my own from scratch to tailor fit my game.

Isn't that complicated?

[691175002]

There are many things that oicu has ommited or skipped over. First, creating a socket server is one of those things that seems simple, but in actuality is incredibly difficult to do properly. Creating a robust socket server requires advanced knowledge of almost every programming concept, including multiplexed IO, thread pools, threads in general etc.

Anytime you have what amounts to uncontrollable random input that you have to synchronize and do something with (and half of it could be forged packets from some script kiddy), you can bet your ass you are in for a "fun" time.

Not only that, but when you have messages that are coming from a million different versions of the current world, you will have some messy contradictions and logic problems.
Without incredible foresight and planning, you could easily end up with an obscure bug that crashes your server a couple of times a day once you have 50 or so real people playing it.

Yes, a mmorpg will require a custom coded server, no, its not nearly as easy as you think it is.


One thing that has always puzzled me is why people come to a forum when they want to make a mmorpg.
There is a reason why there are books written on this stuff. Some topics cant be covered in three paragraphs of text.

If you really want to make a mmorpg, be willing to figure it out for yourself. There are very few people who have actually done it, and I don't know any who have on this forum (although some could).
Really, the 2000-3000$ estimate isn't all that far fetched. It's usefulness is debatable, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have half that in books, and I don't regret it.

And finally, "Good luck making a mmorpg with Php"
(I was going to mention the choice of language myself, but this post is long enough)

[Archbob]

I can make a completely text based RPG in PHP. Its actually not that hard to understand the different mysql queries, it just takes eons to do.

[webgeek]

I know of both socket servers you have listed, but Im a do it myself kind of person so Ive coded my own from scratch to tailor fit my game. SS's arent that hard to code and you learn more by doing so then to use other's work.. some which are demos and have to pay for.. with all the free information out there why pay for something when you could code it your self for free?

I like anyone who codes something to learn how it works. That's both helpful and a good trait to have. With that said though, I feel that the intent to write their own socket server is why so few Flash mplayer games ever get completed.

Writing a server that echos back responses to a group of people is simple. Getting it to be stable, scalable, performant and have a pile of useful features is far from it. This is why the number of actual servers out there in real-world use is so small.

If I had to choose I would go smartfoxserver.

I'd love if you could fill me in on why SF is your preference. Preferably offline via PM, IM, email, etc. to avoid this thread going even farther off-topic

Once I learn the basics, could you help me with creating the server and stuff, and helping me with my first, multiplayer game, which I'm not planning to be big at all, just a little learning project.

There are multiple people on this forum with real-world mplayer game development experience. If you ask a specific question (always in a new topic!) then you should have no trouble getting helpful responses.

Oh yeah, my thought on that, I think that everyone should go the PHP way, since it's pretty much ASP, plus it's free.

ASP and ASP.NET are free too? So is Java (and several orders of magnitude more powerful then PHP). I don't know where this "php or nuttin'" attitude comes from to be honest.

Yes, a mmorpg will require a custom coded server, no, its not nearly as easy as you think it is.

While I agree with a great deal you said, I specifically disagree with this. Generic servers are capable of making MMOs if they are flexible enough. This is the business model of several companies these days. For instance, Google "Big World" to see what I mean. If I have my way, the next version of ElectroServer will come with an MMO toolkit to enable people to build their own without too much guts-level coding.

Really, the 2000-3000$ estimate isn't all that far fetched. It's usefulness is debatable, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have half that in books, and I don't regret it.

Add a handful of zeros if you are looking to make the next WoW. Even a simple MMO is going to cost a great deal if you have to pay for any development. Figure a full-time skilled programmer cost starts at about 90k a year when you factor in the cost of benefits (and this is assuming you don't live in an over-priced location like the coasts). That's 90k for 2000 hours of development. How many hours do you think it took to build WoW?