PHP Game

HSDToast

I'm planning on building a web-based game using PHP and MySQL as the backend support. What I haven't figured out yet, is what language to use for the User-Interface.

I'd like to take mouse input, won't need keyboard or joystick input, and would like the page - or certain aspects of the page - to change dynamically based on that input.

Any suggestions?

Ask for more info if I was too vague in what exactly I'm looking for.

Mordecai

Use the PHP to output HTML based on the input.

Whatever you do, under any circumstances, do not use flash! Evil...

tha_mink

Whatever you do, under any circumstances, do not use flash! Evil...

What? Evil? No way. (annoying? maybe, but evil?)

I would use flash and you can use it dynamically using the ming library... opaque.net/ming

Seriously, what OTHER way can you have a live game in a brower, without dealing with JAVA (which is what I would use) but if you don't know JAVA then flash is the way to go.

Mordecai

I stand by evil... 🙂

planetsim

IT can depend on what kinda game. Text or Graphical.

If text is the way you wont need Any Flash itd just be a waste of time.

If you are wanting it to be quite graphical maybe then flash is the way to go unless you wanna under go learning Java.

trexx

There is an amazing example of what you can do with (d)HTML only...

http://goodoldadventures.com/index.html

the good old space quest adventure games brought back to life as an online adventure... cool

HSDToast

It's going to be extremely graphical in nature. That's one of the reasons I'm worried about going with Flash, because the movie file could get big quickly.

I'd like to stay away from straight HTML as well because I can't think of a way to make it secure against cheaters that way.

I don't know much about DHTML about that's an avenue I've considered, I appreciate the link and will definately be reading that.

matt_4013

dhtml is a buzzword. It's just a combination of html, javascript and css. Personally, if it was going to be very graphical, I'd go for Java. I think it would be the easiest and most effective way of going about it.

trexx

but wouldn't you agree, it takes much less effort to say "DHTML" than "javascript-CSS-and-HTML"? 😃

anyway... flash mx provides an interface to java, and you can also exchange data with server-side components by XML. the flash mx script language is quite powerful. you could even do some 3d games with it... in a somehow limited way, of course g

flash mx also provides quite a good graphical development environment. you've got all what you need to draw sprites, backgrounds etc.