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[.net] Database for game...

Started by vermilion_wizard Feb 17, 2007 at 9:23 PM 7 replies 1.9k views

Original Post

Feb 17, 2007 at 9:23 PM

I'm playing around with a design for an RPG. So I need a database to enter in classes, items, magic, etc, which I can connect to with OleDb or ODBC (preferably OleDb) from my C# application. Can anyone suggest a free database editing program which will allow me to create/edit tables and add/edit/delete records? It'd be nice to have one where I can define a SQL statement on a field in a table to give a pulldown box of choices when editing the data (like you can do in Access). Right now I'm OO.org's Base program to connect to an .mdb file, but it seems to be riddled with bugs. I don't have Access on this computer, and I don't want to fork over a few hundred dollars to buy it to work on a project which is basically experimental at this stage and may never be anything more. I'm not finding much in google, but I must be searching for the wrong things..

TheTroll

Feb 17, 2007 at 9:35 PM

Just wondering why you want to use a database? You can do the same stuff with data files (either ones you create or xml files). In my opinion you really don't need a database unless it is a multiplayer game with quiet a few uses.

theTroll

vermilion_wizard

Feb 17, 2007 at 10:51 PM

I just find it to be the easiest, quickest way to create and manage a large amount of data. Using data files, I have to roll my own parser and editor, which is time spent writing code that I don't really want to focus on in the near future. I did that sort of thing with XML files a while ago, and found it to be significantly slower to load the data on program startup than using an Access database. Plus, there will be several relationships between tables, and it would be nice to be able to write SQL queries against it.

manuelb

Feb 17, 2007 at 11:34 PM

Quote:
Original post by kanato
I just find it to be the easiest, quickest way to create and manage a large amount of data. Using data files, I have to roll my own parser and editor, which is time spent writing code that I don't really want to focus on in the near future. I did that sort of thing with XML files a while ago, and found it to be significantly slower to load the data on program startup than using an Access database. Plus, there will be several relationships between tables, and it would be nice to be able to write SQL queries against it.

try sqlite its 100%free (no gpl), its simple it's easy do deploy and its very nice for games.

mutex

Feb 17, 2007 at 11:58 PM

Quote:
Original post by manuelb
try sqlite its 100%free (no gpl), its simple it's easy do deploy and its very nice for games.

There's also SQL Server Compact Edition, which is a small (~1.5 MB) freely redistributable miniature SQL engine that also comes with .NET assemblies.

As for a free database editing app, I don't know any. Visual Studio can open databases for simple table editing (don't know what edition you need); try View\Server Explorer and adding a data connection.

capn_midnight

Feb 17, 2007 at 11:58 PM

I'm going to suggest SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, because ADO.NET is much better than plain ODBC.

I had a lot of fun using HSQLDB, but it's java-only. Maybe a port would be cool, hmm...

vermilion_wizard

Feb 18, 2007 at 12:50 AM

Quote:
Original post by mutex
Quote:
Original post by manuelb
try sqlite its 100%free (no gpl), its simple it's easy do deploy and its very nice for games.
There's also SQL Server Compact Edition, which is a small (~1.5 MB) freely redistributable miniature SQL engine that also comes with .NET assemblies.

SQLite and SQL Server Compact both look interesting.. I'll look at those closer.

Quote:
Original post by mutex
As for a free database editing app, I don't know any. Visual Studio can open databases for simple table editing (don't know what edition you need); try View\Server Explorer and adding a data connection.

hmm I forgot all about that. I suppose too, if worse comes to worse, I could write a quick VB app using all the data-driven controls and such, since my needs are pretty small and specific.

vermilion_wizard

Feb 18, 2007 at 12:54 AM

Quote:
Original post by capn_midnight
I'm going to suggest SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, because ADO.NET is much better than plain ODBC.

I had a lot of fun using HSQLDB, but it's java-only. Maybe a port would be cool, hmm...

I always get all these abbreviations mixed up. Is ADO.NET the same thing as using the System.Data.OleDb classes? If not, then what exactly is ADO.NET? Ah, I should google, but it's late and I'm sleepy.

I used to do a lot of database programming with ASP back in the olden days, when all we had was Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset") and stuff. Things have advanced more than I have kept up, I think.

FYI, I saw not long ago, a port of HSQLDB, but it looked like it was done in .NET 1.0: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/marktutt/SharpHSQL12032005015159AM/SharpHSQL.aspx
At least, the date in the article is 2002.

capn_midnight

Feb 19, 2007 at 7:28 AM

Quote:
Original post by kanato
Quote:
Original post by capn_midnight
I'm going to suggest SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, because ADO.NET is much better than plain ODBC.

I had a lot of fun using HSQLDB, but it's java-only. Maybe a port would be cool, hmm...

I always get all these abbreviations mixed up. Is ADO.NET the same thing as using the System.Data.OleDb classes? If not, then what exactly is ADO.NET? Ah, I should google, but it's late and I'm sleepy.

While ADO.NET is the connection system of .NET, whose programmatic interface is exposed through the System.Data namespaces, you won't get the full set of features unless you are using SQL Server.

Quote:

FYI, I saw not long ago, a port of HSQLDB, but it looked like it was done in .NET 1.0: fixed link
At least, the date in the article is 2002.

Oh mang, then 90% of the work is already done! Totally rock lobster.

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