Multiplayer Capable?

Networking & Multiplayer
#1

Hi, I just signed up. These forums look great, hopefully I’m stickin around.

I’d like to start game programming and I’ve been exploring my options. I’ve got some C++, Java, PHP, MySQL, and Flash experience.

I’m not going to straight out say I want to help create an MMOG, but I want it to be an option. I want to know Java is capable.

The goal would be a 2.5D (not 3D, ‘fake’ 3D using 2D - Quake, Duke Nukem, Diablo, Sacred) MMOG applet. Until I’m ready I can learn, make demos, and perhaps not dab into applets/databases yet.

I know Java is capable of MMOGs, but what about applet MMOGs?

There’s RuneScape, which is a 3D MMORPG applet programming in pure Java, and a Java server-side on Linux. I don’t really like the game but it seems to me they’re the only ones to have accomplished a MMOG applet. It’s also programmed well so there’s virtually no hacks.

However that game is 3D, and I’m interested in 2.5D. It’s an applet, so I don’t want some huge download, or a loading screen too excessive. Of course there would be no problem if I made the users download say 400MB worth of graphics in order to play - but IMO that defeats the purpose. Would using 2D graphics for the entire game be worse than 3D? They could be lower quality, like 2000 game graphics. There could be loading screens for dungeons, cities, and inbetween large areas.

Anyway do you think a Java applet would be able to run that smooth with that kind of imagery thrown at it? It shouldn’t be unbearable for those without high speed broadband. Hell, it should run smooth on broadband. Would it?

Thanks :slight_smile:

Edit: The game files are stored on the players computer in the background as they are downloaded. Are they purely temporary or can they be made permanent? If they stay there, then after the player say finishes the game they would have all the graphics stored on their computer and wouldn’t have to redownload them in the future. So they only have a loading screen the first time exploring that area. No? God that would be sweet… Like streaming video, but a game ^^

#2

Since no one else is replying, let me step up the plate, even though I’m a newbie by all means.

If java can do it, so can an applet. However, you may run into some security and signing and whatnot issues. I believe that to read/write files, you may need to sign your applet jarfile, and users will have to grant permission. Using 3rd party libraries is not straightforward, either.

If running inside the internet browser is not as important as downloading the latest version from the internet, you may want to look into java netstart.

All that being said, the only limit is your imagination. But it sounds as though you’re trying to run before you can crawl, let alone walk …

#3

Naw, you got the wrong idea. I just wanted to know if it was capable before I learn Java.

Rather than spend a year learning and finding out it was the wrong choice.

Thanks. I actually got all my answers in a different thread.

#4

Java is capable of a lot. There are more than enough Java game projects around.

The question is, is an Applet what you want. Applets may basically only open communications to their own server. Really massive multiplayer games would need some more network code to share players among servers and hardware. You could easily develop a small Java standalone application that can download all required data from the web but is not limited by browser security, or you use Java Webstart.

Besides this I see no problems with Java. Java can make problems with operating system or hardware close applications like accessing the serial port or using windows specific stuff (Registry for example). But there are usually libraries or workarounds for this. Generally, you dont have that problems with games.

-JAW