Web-based games

Flash will probably be your only option. I'm guessing by "graphics" you mean moving graphics and not just static backgrounds, so PHP and ASP are out of the question.

A Java applet would fit the bill. Flash is another solution. Unless you are using very simple graphics (boxes with text), AJAX won't be powerfull enough to help you (but it can still be of great interest for your website UI).

Regards,

By "graphics" I mean charts, tables, etc. simple things. Flash looks nice, but is it best choice if I need also database?

Have you ever heard about SmartFoxServer (www.smartfoxserver.com)? SmartFoxServer + ActionScript + database could be good choice. Only problem is that SmartFoxServer is not very cheap. Do you know any other multiplayer servers like this?

Quote:

Original post by hannikaine By "graphics" I mean charts, tables, etc. simple things. Flash looks nice, but is it best choice if I need also database?

Flash can indeed be used to comunicate with a database.

I've never seen anything like Smart Fox Server... but if you don't want to pay the money, you could easily develop your own server.

It's been a long time since I did Flash programming, but here's what I used to do before the advent of Actionscript 2.0 (dunno if things have changed).

I used Coldfusion or .NET interfaced with Flash to do data-driven applications. Then there's Flash Remoting, which I've never used but essentially interfaces with dynamic languages without all the fuss and muss required to do it by hand.
Flash Remoting by Macromedia/Adobe
Open Source Flash Remoting alternative (uses PHP)

That's Flash. I might get destroyed for saying this, but I've found Flash to be a better alternative to Java applets, merely due to the designs of each (I consider Java applets for graphical web-based applications like using a hammer to paint...chatrooms and stuff I understand, but not graphics apps...that's just me though). A 3D alternative is Director, also made by Macromedia, which is what's used to make all those 3D games you find on shockwave.com.

Hope that helps,
Aviosity

Java Applets can handle all you need, if you know Java well enough. :)

http://www.dofus.com/

This is done using flash. It's a really great MMORPG (I really like the design / UI ^^) so I think flash has everything you need (they may be using some other stuff in background to interface with a server database, or stuff like that, I don't really know, though)

Wouldn't be PHP and javascript well enough?

All the controls are already there, it's just simple pages. There are various PHP packages that can display charts. And connection to database is just there. Still, the main point here is to avoid having to do deal with some complicated connection problems between your client (in Java or in flash) and your web server. With a thin client, the problem disapears!

Most of the "management" web-games I've seen are made like that (I believe you are more on the "management" type because you need charts!). And there is a huge amount of documentation and tutorials on how to use javascript & Php & Mysql (could be javascript + ASP.Net + SqlServer, if you prefer!).<br><br>Go thin client!<br>

Ok. It is a management game. What I need to use is: buttons, textboxes, charts, etc. also database.

I think that it can be done by Java or flash. I am quite experienced in Java, but I prefer flash graphics. In databases I have been using Oracle and db4o, so sql is not a problem. Only problem is that I have too many options to choose from. I need good combination. Combination for graphics(charts etc) and game logic, gateway between client and server, database to store data. List of possibilities:

- http://www.amfphp.org/ (open-source Flash Remoting gateway)
- AJAX (ok it's Asynchronous javascript And XML)<br> - Flash<br> - Java<br> - PHP<br> - Some SqlServer<br> - something else... ???<br><br><br>Thanks for your answers. You really help me a lot.

With Flash nearly everyone has it and it's pretty. Java is ugly but powerful.
Tricky choice.
I would use Flash personally.