a_bertrand

as we explained many many times now, you should slice your image to make all the images part, and then produce a static HTML out of it which does what you want. Once this is done put this HTML and the images in your code such that the PHP actually generates the HTML and that it will produce the right form. have template now what? Beginning to make themes etc... Use google and you will find all kind of tutorials for this (slicing).

Problem is that those art will be spotted as "clipart" miles away from the users... and therefore will not be seen as professional. But this is my opinion.

Picking neab to create a text game is kinda stupid as all the work on neab was to create a 2D RPG game ;) You could of course drop all or nearly... but what would be the benefit of using such engine then? You should indeed think BEFORE what kind of game you really want to make, possibly not just a "yet another XYZ" game, but at least something which have some add-ons, and then check if an engine exists for the game kind you are aiming at, and finally check the quality of this engine. Honestly I'm one of the "I do it myself" instead of buying or using some engines. Why? Because first I code for the fun to code, and not to have a game in 1/2 hour, second because I fear that using some engines I could get blocked sooner than later by the engine itself.

Sure the user will not spot this kind of difference, but at the end, when your soft grows, if the code is really too bad you will have an hard time to keep adding stuff to it. That's also a good reason why from time to time, if you continue to develop the same soft, it is good practice to start from scratch and rewrite all. Yet I know I don't have personally the time nor willingness to re-write my games, but it would certainly end up in a cleaner solution.

Sure the code doesn't count for the players, yet without a good code you will hardly get good features ;)

Ok danny you got your point... now please stop...

Well first of all welcome to the board and please show us some of your work ;) For the pages, you must slice out your PSD / Firework template and create a static HTML out of it. Once you have that running you can check what the current template use as PHP code in it and put the code into your HTML.

I agree with you Rasheed, the base engine or technology used doesn't make a game good or bad. You could start with the best engine out there and deliver some junky game or start with some little script and offer a great game. Problem is that not everybody is good in programming and don't even know what SQL injection is or XSS, so if you start with some code which doesn't prevent such things at the beginning you risk poor results. On top of that, most "game developers" tend to have little to no "new ideas" or even not be able to mix ideas of existing games to produce yet something fun. If you check the majority of "Top Sites" you will see they don't offer much new ideas... same for the games... just a simple "I install the engine and hope I make money". On the other side, if you start from scratch (so not using ANY engine) you will be able to think "out of the box" and think really what you want to do. That's why I always repeat to think about the goals and not about what the engine can do.

Also, if you check sites like: http://www.unhcr.org/microsoft/ http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/photosynth/ http://www.silverlight.net/showcase/ You see silverlight is not just something I use in my garage and that it's used for a wide variety of things.

Paypal send you via a back call the transaction, the status, and the payment done. So you get everything. And this is not with 15-30 min delay. BTW I know what I'm talking about as I integrated myself my game with paypal.

Flash would be more supported indeed, but the language behind is really not much better than Javascript and for the coding the tools are not up to par with what Visual Studio offers. So no flash for me is not a good choice. Also, I'm certainly not the only developer in Silverlight you may check this game for example: http://warstory.bigpoint.com/en And as said HTML5 is not the way to develop this kind of games. Plus who want to distribute their sources for free? As Javascript MUST be distributed... No thanks! And don't talk about obfuscation as that's not protecting much. BTW, that's an official MS post: http://team.silverlight.net/announcement/the-future-of-silverlight/

medz: no way I could code what I did in HTHL 5. Simply put Javascript is way not enough for what I'm doing (like introspections and reflection) as well as other things. Also support of HTML 5 is kinda... risky: IE 9 will not run on XP and is not yet here Firefox 4 is also not here Yet to make things worse, IE, FF and Chrome DO NOT share the same "standards". So even if you get a pretty quick HTML rendering via DirectX it's by no mean as powerful as what you can do with Silverlight. Also development time in Javascript is much longer that the same kind of results in Silverlight. So honestly for this game HTML 5 is not an option, not at all actually. George: which template text? The home page or the in game look?

The payment via paypal is immediate if your scripts are setup correctly. No need to wait a couple of days really.

Nickson asked for a memory and CPU usage by the 2. To do so I made 2 CONSOLE application (one PHP and one C#) Both runs on the same machine on linux. PHP Source: <?php $arr=array(); for($j=0;$j < 10000;$j++) { for($i=0;$i < 10000;$i++) $arr[$i]=$i*2; } ?>   C# Source: static void Main(string[] args) { int[] arr = new int[10000]; for (int j = 0; j < 10000; j++) { for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length; i++) arr[i] = i * 2; } }   As you see it's the same code. Memory usage for C#: 88820 kB Memory usage for PHP: 187872 kB CPU usage for C#: 0m0.237s CPU usage for PHP: 0m13.007s Now the memory usage is... biased as PHP MUST load all the libraries in memory even if not used where C# loads what it needs beside the main VM. On the CPU side... well it's without comments...

Sources forom Kirby: <?php include "globals.php"; $array = array($_POST['hidden']); $rand_keys = array_rand(array_flip($array), 1); echo $rand_keys; $get1 = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM `inventory` WHERE inv_userid=1 ORDER BY inv_itemid DESC LIMIT 9999"); ?> <form method='POST' > <?php while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($get1)) { ?> <input type='hidden' name='hidden' value='<?php echo $row['inv_itemid'];?>' /><?php } ?></form>   basically what he want is being able to pick 1 item out of the inventory. This is how I would do it: include "globals.php"; // Retreive how many items the user have and then get a row number randomly $r=mysql_query("select floor(count(*)*rand()) from inventory where inv_userid=1"); $row=mysql_fetch_row($r); $nb=$row[0]; $r=mysql_query("select * from inventory where inv_userid=1 limit $nb,1"); $row=mysql_fetch_assoc($r); // ... you must then continue

bluegman991: Flash is a pure browser client soft, where C# let you develop server, client and more. So sure we could compare Silverlight and Flash but is it what you want? And yes the goal of this thread was indeed to push some of you to try C# ;) Nickson: true, the IDE does have his impact (even if I used Zend Studio for the PHP part). True, the total lines of number (between what I wrote and what not) in C# is higher, at least in this example. And yes C# is backed by Microsoft (even if it is an ECMA standard) where PHP is more driven by the community. I must admit you are right. However I still have a strong preference toward C# for some more complex application.

So things to see: - Both applications have the exact same functionalities. - Both seems to work as fast. - Yet, on the C# all the "html" has been created via drag drop (more or less beside some attributes to change by hand but yet always with code completion). - In C# I wrote exactly only 43 lines of code... which is in my mind more readable than the PHP equivalent. - In C# I didn't wrote any JS nor HTML inside the code... where in PHP I had to.

- Tracker beam is already there implemented... - AI factions are also already implemented... yet not with a "respect" ration but just a war status against other factions. Beside that all good ideas, please keep them coming. What I would really need is some sort of have activities which would keep the player busy without the need to create 1000 missions.

Here is the PHP version. Took me 20 min to do (with the same functionalities). http://base.nowhere-else.org/temp/webcalc/calc.php calc.php: <html> <head><title>PHP Web Calc</title></head></html> <body> <?php if(!isset($_POST["value1"])) $_POST["value1"]="0"; if(!isset($_POST["value2"])) $_POST["value2"]="0"; if("".($_POST["value1"]+0) != $_POST["value1"]) $message="<font color=#FF0000>Value 1 must be a number</font><script>document.forms[0].value1.focus();</script>"; else if("".($_POST["value2"]+0) != $_POST["value2"]) $message="<font color=#FF0000>Value 2 must be a number</font><script>document.forms[0].value2.focus();</script>"; else if(isset($_POST["oper"])) switch($_POST["oper"]) { case "+": $message=($_POST["value1"]+0)+($_POST["value2"]+0); break; case "-": $message=($_POST["value1"]+0)-($_POST["value2"]+0); break; case "*": $message=($_POST["value1"]+0)*($_POST["value2"]+0); break; case "/": if(($_POST["value2"]+0) == 0) { $message="<font color=#FF0000>Division by 0 is impossible...</font><script>document.forms[0].value2.focus();</script>"; } else $message=($_POST["value1"]+0)/($_POST["value2"]+0); break; default: break; } else $message="Enter 2 numbers and press 1 operation button."; echo "<form action=calc.php method=post>"; echo "<table border=0>"; echo "<tr><td>Value 1</td><td><input type=text name=value1 value=\"".$_POST["value1"]."\"></td>"; echo "<td>Value 2</td><td><input type=text name=value2 value=\"".$_POST["value2"]."\"></td></tr>"; echo "<tr><td align=center colspan=4><input type=submit name=oper value=+>"; echo "<input type=submit name=oper value=->"; echo "<input type=submit name=oper value=*>"; echo "<input type=submit name=oper value=/></td></tr>"; echo "<tr><td colspan=4 align=right>$message</td></tr>"; echo "</table>"; echo "</form>"; ?> </body>

10 min to write it: http://base.nowhere-else.org/temp/webcalc/Default.aspx Default.aspx (the non compiled part): <%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeBehind="Default.aspx.cs" Inherits="WebCalculator._Default" %> <html> <head runat="server"> <title>WebCalculator</title> </head> <body> <form id="form1" runat="server"> <table border=0> <tr><td>Value 1:</td> <td><asp:TextBox ID="value1" runat="server" Text="0" /></td> <td>Value 2:</td> <td><asp:TextBox ID="value2" runat="server" Text="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan=4 align=center> <asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" Text="+" onclick="Oper_Click" /> <asp:Button ID="Button2" runat="server" Text="-" onclick="Oper_Click" /> <asp:Button ID="Button3" runat="server" Text="*" onclick="Oper_Click" /> <asp:Button ID="Button4" runat="server" Text="/" onclick="Oper_Click" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan=4 align=right><asp:Label ID="result" runat="server" Text="Enter 2 numbers and press 1 operation button." /></td></tr> </table> </form> </body> </html>   Default.aspx.cs (the compiled part): using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Web; using System.Web.UI; using System.Web.UI.WebControls; using System.Drawing; namespace WebCalculator { public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page { protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { } protected void Oper_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { Button btn = (Button)sender; string operation = btn.Text; double v1 = 0; double v2 = 0; if (!double.TryParse(value1.Text, out v1)) { value1.Focus(); result.Text = "Value 1 must be a number!"; result.ForeColor = Color.Red; return; } if (!double.TryParse(value2.Text, out v2)) { value2.Focus(); result.Text = "Value 2 must be a number!"; result.ForeColor = Color.Red; return; } result.ForeColor = Color.Black; switch (operation) { case "+": result.Text = "" + (v1 + v2); break; case "-": result.Text = "" + (v1 - v2); break; case "*": result.Text = "" + (v1 * v2); break; case "/": if (v2 == 0) { value2.Focus(); result.Text = "Division by 0 is impossible..."; result.ForeColor = Color.Red; return; } result.Text = "" + (v1 / v2); break; } } } }

Want to post your ideas for the game http://www.nebularider.com ? The please do so here! But: - Do not expect we will implement ALL - Do not expect others will love your ideas - Expect discussions ;) - Expect we will work to make NebulaRider yet better every day!

Nickson: - I choose to pick what both languages offer natively (that means without adding yet more packages to it). I must admit I have not much experience in the Zend framework nor in the other but for what I saw none are even 10% as good as the .NET one. - C# without aspx CAN server webpages, but you must then handle the requests by yourself (I did some soft like that as well ;) ) - PHP is easy to install on linux... but depending on your linux package it is way not much harder. For example ubuntu offers all the MONO packages ready where you just have to choose them... Not hard. - Drag / drop is normally easier than trying to figure out what to write... specially when you start. So no I don't think PHP is that much easier to learn. - .NET is not expensive... as it can all run on free software (monodevelop works perfectly on windows too). PHP can be expensive too if you start with the Zend servers and all ;) Yet PHP is not something which must be trashed at any costs. It offers still some easy to edit / modify where C# must be compiled. Even if compiling ensures you don't have syntax errors BEFORE trying the code. PHP offers also a lot of pre-made software free to use like wikimedia, forums, and all what you would need. This post wasn't there to say PHP is dead, simply to show in what C# is superior and that it offers INDEED something different and interesting to learn. Spudinski: - C# is multi plateform, and can run virtually on all plateform as PHP. BTW it runs on iPhone and Android too ;) - C# and PHP are 2 programming languages so yes you can compare then as well as compare their framework - PHP CANNOT run background tasks. Running something with SYSTEM with an & to push it in background is not a solution as you can't control it anymore. Starting another process like a demon on linux and then have sockets link from PHP to communicate with it is not running something in background. Crons are also not background tasks. So if you have other tricks please explain them as I really don't see. - PHP is simpler to learn? No, I really doubt it. You know maybe more PHP than C# then obviously you tend for PHP otherwise I shown to new apprentices (at work) PHP and C# and let them try to learn one or the other. I can tell you that they picked much more rapidly on C#. - Am I bashing PHP? Yes partially... and for the purpose to show you guys that there is other technologies than the one you all seems to use. For those which doesn't know, I'm a Zend certified PHP engineer, and I have developed a full MMORPG in PHP / JS (http://www.nowhere-else.org) so I do know VERY WELL PHP. And do not trash it. I still use it for some stuff. Simply for a lot of things C# is faster to develop with and give way better results in a shorter time. Sure you can get for most things the same results in PHP, but it would cost you a lot more efforts then why? Just because C# is evil? That's exactly what I want to demonstrate here, it's not and it offer some goodies.

Some of you may think C# / ASP.NET is yet just another way to develop web pages or do not even know that C# allows to develop web pages. With this little post I want to show some of the main differences between PHP and C# web development. PHP Logic: PHP generates directly the HTML / JS / CSS used to compose the page and produce the end HTML page directly from the code or if you are smart enough using things like templates engines. You must know HTML at least to be able to develop PHP web sites. C# Logic: You compose your page out of "web components" which are aware of their state and can fire events like "button click". Once a event is fired, your C# logic (no HTML / JS here) will change the state of the page components or add new one on the fly. Components are then invoked by the framework to render themselves. You don't have to know anything to HTML to be able to code. A PHP register form: You generate the HTML for the form, then somebody press the submit which call the same or another PHP file, the new file check the form data and either call again the first page (with hopefully some sort of errors) if it doesn't work, or save the data and goes on. In most cases the form data are lost if there is an error as it's annoying to put back the submitted data to the form and developers are lazy. A C# register form: Beside there is a pre-made register / login form, you could use the standard textbox, labels C# offers you. Then an ASPx button will be used to submit the form. On the event of the button click you check if all is fine, if not you simply show some text in a label, and all the form fields will keep their data without any work on your side. If all is fine, you save the data in the DB and redirect to a new page. PHP templates By default PHP doesn't make any separation between the look and the logic. So either you use additional packages or write yourself some sort of template engine. If not then you will have an hard time to change the look (beside changing CSS files). C# templates The logic code is separated from the presentation code. The presentation code is nearly a pure HTML code with some additional tags for the controls. The logic on the other side is a pure cs file (C# file) and is compiled to produce a .dll file. PHP software distribution When you give away a soft written in PHP you normally give out your sources as nothing is compiled. To avoid that you must use some special software to encrypt your code, and those soft are not free nor really safe. C# software distribution As the logic is normally compiled you can safely distribute your software. Yet of course there is some softs to de-compile C# code, in case you want to be safe also against that, you can also use some obfuscation software (not really expensive). PHP performances PHP is an interpreted language. Sure you can use some accelerators but still it remains a slow interpreted language. For most web pages it is fine, but as soon as you want to produce images on the fly or yet do some more complex operations PHP will start to use a lot of CPU and time. C# performances Performances varies between Linux and Windows machines. On Linux the performances are still like 10x the one of a PHP equivalent, but not yet really fast. On windows C# is nearly as fast as pure C++ code. Background tasks on PHP Basically impossible to handle... As soon as the web page is shown your program dies. Background tasks on C# You can have as many background threads and even keep things in memory. Threads will continue to run in background even after a page is loaded. You can cache things in memory for example from a database or you can even communicate between different web sessions for example to create a chat (all that is not directly possible in PHP). PHP Ajax PHP doesn't have any native support for AJAX. Either you code it yourself or try to find some library which help you. C# Ajax C# does have a full AJAX support. Which means you can have events which call back the server without reloading the page, you can have timers to pool data at regular interval and much more. You can even design AJAX aware components but any web components can be updated without any page reload. PHP minimal tools A web server with PHP support and some text editor. C# minimal tools A web server with ASPx support (apache with mod_mono or IIS), some text editor, and a C# compiler. However you can download and use MonoDevelop (free and open source) or use Visual Studio (much better but beside a free Express Edition it costs). Debugging a PHP application Quick answer: a nightmare. You need to put echo every 2 lines or if you are really skilled you can try some PHP debugger (which honestly I always failed to use correctly). Debugging a C# application Easy: inside Visual Studio (as well as MonoDevelop) you have a full debugger at your fingers. You can put breakpoints, let your soft run, and see how it goes with the variable and you may even change the value of a variable on the fly or move the "running step" where you want. When would I use PHP I would use PHP if I want a minimal Linux installation and yet do not develop too complex websites. Or if I need to be hosted on some host providers which doesn't offer any alternative for ASPx When would I use C# I would use C# for all web development which involve more than some simple dynamic web page. Visual Studio makes me gain a lot of time and the framework is really powerful.

Well it's a slow process, as the game is a lot more complex in code as it may look like by just testing it, but yes it's progressing, and yes it is not just another vaporware ;)

Sure and also market the game, and admin it and maybe also clean your dishes? Seriously either you find those mods for free already or you need to learn how to code as asking people to work for you for free is not really something which work and if you find somebody you are quiet sure it's somebody with no experience or nearly so not good for you. Life is not free, so don't expect free stuff from the others... On the other side you could propose some form of collaboration if you have something to offer that's it.