Nothin’ done this week!  Go look at www.starcontroller.com instead

So I’ve been working on the prototype and realized that I’ve been focusing on the details too much, not something quick and simple.  In one the prototypes I’ve made, you fly a ship around and capture points, and in the other you can spawn ships from planets and direct them around the map.

Anyway, I dont think I really need to go too indepth with this prototype.  Its a fairly tried and true game style, it has been done plenty of times by now in a variety of games: TF2, Battlefield, Undertow,  etc.  I just wanted to at least attempt doing a prototype before committing myself to the real thing. I’m also thinking at the moment that C++ is probably the best choice for development.  I tried some multiplayer browser games and I’m not totally convinced that Flash handles net games all that well.

Before I spend several months programming a C++ version, I figured it’d be a good idea to make a prototype first!  So I’ve been working on a flash mockup in between NHL09 games(addicted, argh).

Then I got to thinking, what if the actual game was done in Flash too?  Why not?  Theres multiplayer flash games out there too.  Actionscript 3 seems capable of handling it so far.

Why Flash?   ZERO porting process and instantly playable in any browser.  If my goal is to get the max number of people playing it, those are some pretty huge benefits!  However, the gameplay experience may not be the best I suppose.  When I think of it, games like Maple Story (which my cousins inexplicably keep playing) and Combat Arms seem to be quite popular despite having an install process.

By doing this mockup I should be able to see if sticking with Flash would be a good idea.  And perhaps if it turns out well, I can try implementing multiplayer in it.

The lessons in SDL continue!  I am trying to figure out the best way to structure an online game.

Ideally want to follow the structure of Quake2/3, breaking the game into specific server/client modules and allowing for dedicated servers, server mods and custom content.

I am understanding C++ more, been reading a C++ for Dummies book from the library

Also been learning networking with SDL_Net and I can now send info packets  just like I was doing with XNA.  The game will definitely be built around UDP protocol, which is generally the norm for fast networked games I gather (although maybe not frame lockstepped games such as RTS or UQM).

This C++ port looks like it will take a while, it is not going to be a small task.  But I’ve already come this far!  And learning C++ is good

http://forums.indiegamer.com - Forum for Indie Game Development

I just finished Braid yesterday and now find myself checking out peoples interpretations on what the story is about..  Like this thread!    *SPOILERS* The Story of Braid, EVERYTHING spoiled

So thats it for this week!