MMORPG programming = impossible?

Thanks, could I get some links maybe?

I''ve found MMO programming to be pretty easy. Once you get the network code figured out it''s just like coding a non MMO version of your game.

You can get my Winsock class in the DevZone under the tutorials section. It''s TCP/IP only but it will get you going. It''s fully buffered so you don''t have to worry about partial packets or multiple messages per packet.

It started off as the source from the tutorial from Gamedev but that tutorial has some bugs in it. My version is cleaned up and vastly improved.

You can also download the client and server for Gang Wars which uses DirectPlay. You can get a good idea how to create an efficient messaging system with that source even if you use Winsock.

Using a database like mySQL is really nice but you can get away with just using files.

Ben


IcarusIndie.com [ The Rabbit Hole | The Labyrinth | DevZone | Gang Wars | The Wall | Hosting | Dot Com | GameShot ]

On the simplest level, basic MMORPG network coding is no different from coding a 2-user chat client. So it''s not that hard to get working. The only real problem is that the simple designs don''t necessarily scale all that well, so you may have to make some changes in the unlikely event that you do manage to get hundreds of players simultaneously.

[ MSVC Fixes | STL | SDL | Game AI | Sockets | C++ Faq Lite | Boost | Asking Questions | Organising code files ]

But what about the graphical things? Like the models, the players, ect. ?

What about them? It''s no harder to render a 3D mesh to the screen just because it happens to be controlled by a human in Arizona instead of a computer AI script.

[ MSVC Fixes | STL | SDL | Game AI | Sockets | C++ Faq Lite | Boost | Asking Questions | Organising code files | My stuff ]

For things like player positions you may want to spend some time investigating things like Dead Reckoning. Altough, this is more for after you have the basic network layer in place.


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Andrew

I would say that a MMORPG would even be easier to code than some offline games since your game CAN be fun without much scripting and/or strong AI.

I''d think updating the player database from a client to a server, then showing the position would be hard to do....

No different from updating the player ''database'' based on a keypress. Think about it.

[ MSVC Fixes | STL | SDL | Game AI | Sockets | C++ Faq Lite | Boost | Asking Questions | Organising code files | My stuff ]