network noob

BlitzPlus Forums/BlitzPlus Programming/network noob

El Neil

(Posted 2007) [#1]

hello,

does anyone know of a good 3rd party online game library or framework which is compatible with bb? im looking to make some turn-based online games in b+ or b3d but i am having so much trouble learning the network side of it.

i only need the basic functionality such as starting/joining a game, chatting and keeping track of timeouts/disconnections. speed isnt really an issue as the games are turn-based.

ive tried using directplay and some of the tcp commands
but i cant even get them to recognise another computer, let alone chat/play games!

please help!

neil

b32	(Posted 2007) [#2]

When using the CreateNetGame command, with the dialog, you need to supply an IP adres for both the server and the client computer. The dialog says 'or leave blank' for your own ip, but in order to establish a connection via the internet, you need to enter it anyway.
Another library I know is BlitzPlay. The pro license isn't available anymore, but the free version works also quite okay.
I have blitz3d, but I think - because they don't use 3d commands - the examples work blitzplus, too.

	;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------	
	;								DirectPlay example
	;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------	
	;run this example twice, once as a server and once as a client.
	
	Graphics 800, 600, 0, 3
	SetBuffer BackBuffer()

	;start network game
	Select StartNetGame()
	Case 0
				End
	Case 1
				Print "Joined!"
	Case 2
				Print "Server!"
	End Select
	
	;create player
	player = CreateNetPlayer("Bram")
	
	x = Rand(400) + 200
	y = Rand(300) + 150

	;main loop	
	While Not KeyHit(1)
	
		Cls
		
		;cursor keys to move around		
		If KeyDown(203) Then x = x - 10
		If KeyDown(205) Then x = x + 10
		If KeyDown(200) Then y = y - 10
		If KeyDown(208) Then y = y + 10
		
		;send message
		io = MilliSecs() / 50
		If io > ioi Then 
			SendNetMsg 1, y + x * 800, player, 0, 1
			ioi = io
		End If
		
		;incoming messages
		If RecvNetMsg() Then
			msgType	  = NetMsgType()
			msgFrom   = NetMsgFrom()
			msgData   = NetMsgData$()
			a# = msgData   / 800
			b# = msgData Mod 800
		End If
			
		;draw player
		Color 255, 255, 0
		Oval x, y, 20, 20, True
		;draw player
		Color 255, 0, 0
		Oval a, b, 20, 20, True
		
		Flip
	
	Wend
	
End

In this topic, there is an adapted version of the BlitzPlay example, and a few other libs are mentioned that might be helpful:
http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=67819

El Neil

(Posted 2007) [#3]

that is great, thank you b32. i had been entering only the ips that it asked for, which might have been the problem.

is directplay affected by routers? surely you dont have to do port forwarding on every PC that has a router?

thanks again,

neil

b32	(Posted 2007) [#4]

Heh .. I have no idea. I don't even know what forwarding is, so .. erm .. :D .. I just ran the samples with some friends, online, and they seemed to work well. At least, after I discovered I had to fill in my own IP as well, that is. So I hope somebody else can help you, and if not, try the 'general discussion'. I believe it is visited more frequently.

El Neil

(Posted 2007) [#5]

ok thanks. read up a bit about port forwarding and it looks like you have to set each router to forward stuff to computers behind it, otherwise the packets get blocked. i dunno.

thanks anyway

neil