Text based RPG

[Smush]

Hi there I've been doing alot of research on this but didn't quite grasp what was there in web pages so i've decided to put what my question is so it can be answered in a way that i can expect will answer my own question to the point:)

So here's my question...
I'm trying to make a browser based, probably text based rpg whereby visitors wishing to play will need to create an account and once created will be able to play it by leveling through clicking buttons to fight monsters and learn spells. No animations really just like the odd image now and again showing what the monster looks like that they're are fighting. Also as it is web based it wont require downloads and players can see how far up the leaderboard they are compared to others.

Any idea on what I should use/do to acheive all this?

I got the idea from this http://www.tiipsi.com/

[BeyondCloister]

PHP for the scripting / generation of web pages and MySQL for the backend database to hold the data.

[OneSadCookie]

PHP is horrible, try Ruby on Rails or some other real language instead.

[Skorche]

I had to use PHP for a school project last week. What a terrible language... It's way to easy to make an error that causes the program to crash in unexpected ways. (or worse, not at all) Debugging is largely impossible other than guess and check. To make matters worse, an uncaught error will simply cause the page to be blank, no useful error reporting for you!

[Smush]

lol @ Skorche :lol: and thanks to the others although...

Can I point out that ive never done "Proper coding" but have used those type of sites where the owner has made their own variation of a language making it a little easier to use such as http://www.byond.com and i am learning Flash 8 currently (has no relevance I know. Don't like it either)

Also in addition as to helping me in my quest for a web based game please tell me if this is correct....

would it be SQL as in MS Access type to store member accounts?

Would C++ be any use of a language here? as i have watched tutorial videos and it looks a friendly language

and PHP is a yes or no lol? what is it anyways out of curiosity?

[Skorche]

C++ isn't going to be that useful for making a web app. You could do it, but I don't know of any good libraries to help you out.

Python or Ruby are probably the best choices for web app development right now. Ruby has Ruby on Rails, which is all the latest buzz. I've used it and rather liked it. The Pythonists seemed to think that their libraries, Django and TurboGears are better than Rails. That might be rails envy though, who can say.

SQL is a language for working with databases, many databases support it including Access. MySQL is a SQL based database that is both fast and free.

[unknown]

PHP is just fine, and as much a "real" language as any of the others mentioned in this thread.

[OneSadCookie]

PHP has plenty of arbitrary syntax restrictions which just make working with it hard. I ran across this when I used it before:

someVariable = someFunctionReturningAStruct();
someVariable->someFieldOfThatStruct;

is fine, but

someFunctionReturningAStruct()->someFieldOfThatStruct;

is not. That's not a real language in my book :P

The embedded-in-html nature of it all also encourage you to write horrible code, which isn't a great thing.

[BeyondCloister]

PHP is horrible, try Ruby on Rails or some other real language instead.

I had to use PHP for a school project last week. What a terrible language... It's way to easy to make an error that causes the program to crash in unexpected ways. (or worse, not at all) Debugging is largely impossible other than guess and check. To make matters worse, an uncaught error will simply cause the page to be blank, no useful error reporting for you!

I've not had any issues with PHP. I've been using it for over the last year to develop a product and not found the language restricting in any way. It has allowed us to develop a framework that lets us build our system. It also allows us to perform unit testing.

If you turn on warning and error messages then you do see the errors.

[diordna]

You might want to check out http://www.rinkworks.com's adventure games. You could probably email the guy who runs it, he seems like a decent, responsive fellow.

[Joseph Duchesne]

<rant>
PHP has plenty of arbitrary syntax restrictions which just make working with it hard.
!snip!
The embedded-in-html nature of it all also encourage you to write horrible code, which isn't a great thing.

I would have to disagree. PHP I find is intuitive and far superior to most other languages that claim technical superiority. Sure, PHP may "suck" for being a combination of 'archaic' C (argol) syntax, and some crazy OOP, but it's a wonderful language to use if you're good at C like languages (like C++, Java, Javascript and other languages that most experianced programmers are fluent in). Also, horrible code makes the internet go 'round :P If you dis horrible code, you dis me ;)
</end rant>
Bother. As a moderator I feel compelled to delete this post as offtopic garbage. I suppose I had better say something on topic.

There is nothing to stop you from writing a text based RPG in HTML and JavaScript. A text RPG needs a good layout engine (HTML browsers will have to pass for this one), some code that can modify that text/layout (JavaScript was created for this although it's quirky at times), and if you want to save, you could use cookies. Snap in some AJAX and a few other buzzwords (like extreme coding, OOP, web 2.0, tags, cross site scripting) and you've got yourself a modern text RPG.

Edit: Whenever I start going on about AJAX and buzzwords, I'm being sarcastic

[unknown]

cross site scripting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_site_scripting)... hmmm.

[igame3d]

Maybe you can take the game offline and into an binary for mac and windows using the code from
Chatrev (http://bjoernke.com/chatrev/) and coding in Runtime Revolution.

I always thought thats what that program would be very good for.
Certainly there are creepy monsters in Chatrev hahah! :lol:

[PowerMacX]

I tried RoR for a recent project. I'm happy to report I'm back to PHP now... :p

Nonetheless, something to consider:
Month of PHP Bugs (http://www.php-security.org/)

[BeyondCloister]

Nonetheless, something to consider:
Month of PHP Bugs (http://www.php-security.org/)

This is a good thing as they should be fixed by the time your game is ready to go live if you went down the PHP route.

[Smush]

So PHP is good idea now lol :S ?
whatever language i should use is there sufficent tutorials maybe based loosley around what i am trying to put together? or should i just google the tutorials (bear in mind ive not coded much before this)

thanks again

[BeyondCloister]

So PHP is good idea now lol :S ?


Like everything in life, what one person loves another hates and vice versa.

The best thing to do is evaluate all the options suggested before commencing your project. If you do not have the luxury of time then pick one at random - just be prepared for someone always to say it is the end of the world because you did not choose their current favourite and so prepare to rot in Hell or an Indian call centre ;)

[Skorche]

The truth is that you can learn to program in any language. It's not like PHP won't work. After you learn many languages though, you're going to find that some do certain things better than others. What those things are is largely left up to opinion. (My opinion is that PHP isn't really good for anything, but other people's religious views may differ. ;) )

You could decide to use <fill in language here> and be perfectly happy.

[Smush]

python looks a nice package will it work for what i want?

[OneSadCookie]

Yes, Python is a good choice.

[PowerMacX]

The truth is that you can learn to program in any language. [...]

You could decide to use <fill in language here> and be perfectly happy.

In fact, you could even decide to use <blank> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitespace_(programming_language)), although I doubt you'll be perfectly happy with it... :sneaky:

[Smush]

sorry i have some more questions more to this thread...

1) My friend knows VB would that be okay to use?
2) with php because its in with html can i not use html alone?
3) when I use the SQL how is put together ive only ever really touched on it in MS Access
4) If I used PHP what would I use to put the code in Dreamweaver or??? (I have made my own website not all singing all dancing one in notepad but I feel it wont suit here for all the code it will have...
5) I looked up PHP and didn't know what version to get and why are there more than 1 files in each version (do i need them all???)
7)when i downloaded it there was no installer what I do with it Im not used to installing without installers lol

[PowerMacX]

sorry i have some more questions more to this thread...

1) My friend knows VB would that be okay to use?
2) with php because its in with html can i not use html alone?
3) when I use the SQL how is put together ive only ever really touched on it in MS Access
4) If I used PHP what would I use to put the code in Dreamweaver or??? (I have made my own website not all singing all dancing one in notepad but I feel it wont suit here for all the code it will have...
5) I looked up PHP and didn't know what version to get and why are there more than 1 files in each version (do i need them all???)
7)when i downloaded it there was no installer what I do with it Im not used to installing without installers lol

1) You could use the old asp+IIS
2) No
3) http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp
4) http://www.sitepoint.com/article/macromedia-dreamweaver-mx
5 & 7) http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html

[unknown]

I wouldnt recommend you use VB for anything, personally.
As for installing php, open Terminal.app and type "php --version" to see if anything shows up, if it does then you already have it.

[PowerMacX]

I don't think he is using a Mac due to him not being used to "installing without an installer", otherwise I wouldn't have suggested XAMP(Windows): Apache+PHP+MySql ;)

[Smush]

lol ok I have windows :blush: just that I found the forum on google and saw other threads that had people using windows plus the help on here is first class :) (I may get linux eventually saw it in use the other day looks pretty cool)

Anyways thanks, im going to try that windows version of php.