Text based game

hldan1

Hi im curently designing a text based game like ny-mafia.com and bootleggers.us. i have never writen a script like this and dont no where to start. can anyone give me some help or give me a website

planetsim

<sarcasm>Id personally start at the beginning and make my way to the end. </sarcasm>

Ok firstly.

Do you know PHP?
Why do you want to make?
Do you have an Idea of what you want?

Ok if you cant answer all 3 with a good answer Id say rethink what you are doing and should you really do it. If you have never done such a script learn basic things.

hldan1

Do you know PHP? i Know Quite a bit

Why do you want to make it?Because i like games like this and have always wanted to make one.

Do you have an Idea of what you want?Yes, i want a text based game where you can travel to diffrent countries, commit crimes, get put in jail, buy and sell drugs, play casino games, have missions for users to do, have diffrent rankings and much more

planetsim

Originally posted by hldan1
Do you know PHP? i Know Quite a bit

Why do you want to make it?Because i like games like this and have always wanted to make one.

Do you have an Idea of what you want?Yes, i want a text based game where you can travel to diffrent countries, commit crimes, get put in jail, buy and sell drugs, play casino games, have missions for users to do, have diffrent rankings and much more

Ok then if you know quite a bit whats stopping you?

Text Based games are quite easy. However since there quite big I think thats what makes people think there Ultra hard.

Ok have you planned this thoroughly. Have you done

Database Design (Tables, fields and field types, Table Relationships etc)
Broken down aspects of the game into smaller bits

I could go on for ever with Planning but I hope you get the Idea.

hldan1

i know quite a bit of php but ive never made a game or something from scratch before

planetsim

Originally posted by hldan1
i know quite a bit of php but ive never made a game or something from scratch before

Did you learn PHP by making the famous Hello World Script if so you have made a script from scratch.

If you know quite a bit, starting a simple script shouldnt be too hard, what types of scripts have you created, or modified ? (If your having real trouble starting one Id suggest making some small scripts like a News Script or something like that)

Did you even read what I said about planning do that break it down into smaller bits and go from there. Planning anything is probably the most forgotten thing which is why so many things fail.

Im not going to give you a script, start you off and no one else will you have to make an attempt and look like you have something down solid which planning will help you do.

hldan1

I MODIFY MY PHP SHOPPING CART USING PHP AND THATS ABOU IT

planetsim

Ok caps off its considered shouting.

If thats all you've done Id seriously recommend you learn more PHP before taking this on, yes a text based game is easy however you should have experience in various programs using PHP e.g making simple scripts like News Scripts, Add | Edit | Delete etc, Users Login (User Management) all these basic types of practicing will help you build your game.

hldan1

do you know where i can learn this

planetsim

I didnt learn from tutorials so I cant say however http://php.net/manual/en should be a bookmark but http://phpbuilder.com will have some.

hldan1

can you recomned any good books that i could buy

planetsim

http://phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10281465

MaxD

A glorified MUD. I remember MUDs nostalgia sets in let me know how it turns out!

And by the way, your little gangster on the front page looks a little bit like Pip Boy from Fallout... I won't tell Interplay.

ArmyNation_Net

I Was In The Same Position As You, I Am 15 Yrs Old, And very Experienced In PHP.

I Wanted To Make a Game A LONG Time Ago.. It Took Alot Of Time, And Alot Of Effort, I Desided TO Buy 100's$ In PHP Books, ect. After About 3 Months, I Learned ALOT, Now I Am As Good If Not Better Than Most College Graduate PHP Writers.

My Game: ArmyNation.net

All I Suggest, Is That You Teach Yourself. Buiy SOme Books, Learn It, Test It, Be One Wiht The Script! 🙂

planetsim

I Wanted To Make a Game A LONG Time Ago.. It Took Alot Of Time, And Alot Of Effort, I Desided TO Buy 100's$ In PHP Books, ect. After About 3 Months, I Learned ALOT, Now I Am As Good If Not Better Than Most College Graduate PHP Writers.

Thats quite a bold thing to say have you met all the college graduates. I dont mean to offend you its just something I would never claim.

One book which ive recommended although Ive only skimmed through is "Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL" by Kevin Yank, its quite a good book its not a teach you everything type book but it works through a useful project. (http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpmysql1/)

MaxD

Now all that ArmyNation needs is about $100 in english literature and grammar books.

hldan1

im only 14 and cant afford all those books so could some one help me start this project then when i get to know the php used i can do it on my own.

planetsim

Ok is there a library in your school or area? Im sure they will have at least one thing on PHP on the shelf

Weedpacket

And not just on PHP; game design as well (resources are also available on the net for this, e.g., this old one). You're building a world here, and worlds have to have their own rules and logic, otherwise people won't be able to function in them. It sounds like you have quite a ways to go before you can start programming: you need to design the game first or you won't know what you'll need to write.

And please, fix your shift key. Learn a bit of punctuation. English has rules also - otherwise it wouldn't be able to function.

hldan1

thanks