This is actually an old snippet, but hey it was completely commented in German before and with a slight outdated syntax. So here it is: My updated Multiplayer Chat script which I posted in the forums a few times.

It should have commented everything you need to understand the script and give you a little insight into Multiplayer Programming with 3DGS.

If you have any questions about this script. Don’t hesitate to ask!

I always like to start with definitions of the objects we need later in the script, so lets do this now:

   1: font ChatFont = “Arial#12″;

   2:  

   3: string STR_Received = “#100″;

   4: string STR_Sent = “#100″;

   5: string STR_Input = “#100″;

   6:  

   7: string STR_ChatLine01 = “#100″;

   8: string STR_ChatLine02 = “#100″;

   9: string STR_ChatLine03 = “#100″;

  10: string STR_ChatLine04 = “#100″;

  11: string STR_ChatLine05 = “#100″;

  12:  

  13: text TXT_ChatWindow // The “Chatwindow”

  14: {

  15:     strings = 5;

  16:     string = STR_ChatLine01,STR_ChatLine02,STR_ChatLine03,STR_ChatLine04,STR_ChatLine05;

  17:     pos_x = 10;

  18:     pos_y = 10;

  19:     font = ChatFont;

  20: }

  21:  

  22: text TXT_ChatInput // The input line to type new messages

  23: {

  24:     string = STR_Input;

  25:     pos_x = 10;

  26:     pos_y = 100;

  27:     font = ChatFont;

  28: }

  29:  

  30: function chat_init() // Call this function in your MAIN FUNCTION

  31: {

  32:     TXT_ChatWindow.visible = on;

  33:     TXT_ChatInput.visible = on;

  34: }

Now, what do we have got here? Basically all you need for a simple chat. We have defined a font we will use, and as I like Arial quite much, I chose that one. Though it’s not relevant for the script to work properly, so just change it to anything you like.

Next up we have several strings all with a “#100” placeholder, basically, this fills the strings with 100 whitespaces, which is important as there is a bug in 3DGS which sets the max length of a string after the first assignment. So if we’d receive a message like “Hi!”, one of those strings would be further on limited to 3 chars, which is *not* very convenient for a chat.

Also we have the two text objects that will make it able to actually SEE the strings on screen. The first one is for the representation of the chat lines (the received messages) and the second one for the representation of the input line, which will serve us to write.

Also I have included the function that you will need to call to initialize your chat, in the most common case that would be your MAIN function.

Let’s take a look on the very first function with a purpose:

   1: /*

   2: As you can only send strings to the server as client,

   3: we must send any chat message to the serve first

   4: */

   5: function SendMsgToServer()

   6: {

   7:     // Prepare string

   8:     str_cpy(STR_Sent, player_name); // First, we’ll add the player name

   9:     str_cat(STR_Sent, “: “); // then a :

  10:     str_cat(STR_Sent, STR_Input); // and finally the message

  11:     

  12:     // Send string

  13:     send_string(STR_Sent); // Now we send the string to the server

  14:     

  15:     wait(1); // Wait 1 frame for the message to be sent — VERY IMPORTANT

  16:     

  17:     // Empty the strings to avoid duplication

  18:     str_cpy(STR_Sent, “”);

  19:     str_cpy(STR_Input, “”);

  20: }

Easy I think, as everything is basically well explained in the comments. This function handles the sending of the chat-line from the client to the server when we send a message. Something as a sidenote as some people don’t understand where the player_name comes from: The string/variable player_name is a predefined value from the Acknex engine, it’s either defined by changing it directly using the “-pl” command line, or with an automatically given name at the start of the engine.

I’d like to add this very important fact at this point: It is VERY important to wait one frame where I indicated it as “VERY IMPORTANT” because if we don’t, the engine cannot send the string before we change it to empty again, or otherwise, if we want to receive it, the string is not filled before we try to read it. This is a very common mistake and produces most of the errors when writing multiplayer games in 3DGS.

Next up, a simple function to handle the input by the client:

   1: function InputText()

   2: {

   3:     if(inkey_active){ return; } // If already active, RETURN!

   4:     

   5:     inkey(STR_Input); // Input focus on STR_Input

   6:     

   7:     if(result == 13) // If input is ended by ENTER

   8:     {

   9:         SendMsgToServer(); // Send message

  10:     }

  11: }

  12:  

  13: on_enter = InputText; // Bind Input function to enter key 

Should be self-explanatory which is why I won’t go any further on this.

Now we have a two-functions part, which might seem a bit ridiculous to you, as both functions seem to be very similar, but there is a small difference BEFORE emptying the received string. Just read the commentaries and you’ll understand it.

   1: function ReceiveMessage() // Function when the client receives messages from the server

   2: {

   3:     wait(1); // wait one frame — IMPORTANT

   4:     

   5:     /*

   6:      To avoid that a server that has been started as “-sv -cl”

   7:      gets the message twice, use ifndef server;

   8:     */

   9:     ifndef server;

  10:         if(str_len(STR_Received) > 0) // If we received a valid chat message

  11:         {

  12:             // Reorder Chat

  13:             str_cpy(STR_ChatLine01, STR_ChatLine02); // 2 > 1

  14:             str_cpy(STR_ChatLine02, STR_ChatLine03); // 3 > 2

  15:             str_cpy(STR_ChatLine03, STR_ChatLine04); // 4 > 3

  16:             str_cpy(STR_ChatLine04, STR_ChatLine05); // 5 > 4

  17:             str_cpy(STR_ChatLine05, STR_Received); // New message > 5

  18:             

  19:             wait(1); // Wait one frame — IMPORTANT, as always

  20:             

  21:             str_cpy(STR_Received,“”); // Empty the received string

  22:         }

  23:     endif; // Close the ifndef

  24:     

  25:     ifdef server;

  26:         wait(1); // To avoid an empty function. 

  27:     endif;

  28: }

  29:  

  30: on_client = ReceiveMessage; // Bind ReceiveMessage function on the Client-Receive-Data event

  31:  

  32: function ReceiveMessage_Server() // The same function as above, but for the server and slightly changed

  33: {

  34:     wait(1); // wait 1 frame — IMPORTANT

  35:     

  36:     if(str_len(STR_Sent)>0) // If we got a valid chat message

  37:     {

  38:         // Copy

  39:         str_cpy(STR_Received,STR_Sent);

  40:         

  41:         // Order

  42:         str_cpy(STR_ChatLine01, STR_ChatLine02); // 2 > 1

  43:         str_cpy(STR_ChatLine02, STR_ChatLine03); // 3 > 2

  44:         str_cpy(STR_ChatLine03, STR_ChatLine04); // 4 > 3

  45:         str_cpy(STR_ChatLine04, STR_ChatLine05); // 5 > 4

  46:         str_cpy(STR_ChatLine05, STR_Received); // New message > 5

  47:         

  48:         // IMPORTANT — DON’T empty the message yet

  49:         // Send it to all clients first!

  50:         send_string(STR_Received);

  51:         

  52:         wait(1); // Wait 1 frame for the message to be sent — IMPORTANT

  53:         

  54:         // Empty

  55:         str_cpy(STR_Received,“”);

  56:         str_cpy(STR_Sent,“”);

  57:     }

  58: }

  59:  

  60: on_server = ReceiveMessage_Server; // Bind ReceiveMessage_Server to the Server-Receive-Event

And guess what - That’s it. That’s ALL you need for a simple chat.

In case you are too lazy to type all of this off - which would make it way easier for you to learn - and just wanna mess around with it, here’s the complete download of this script:

Anyway, they try to make a new Stargate game in 3DGS, which isn’t that uncommon actually, as there were several Stargate Projects already. But none ever really finished.

From what I can tell, it looks “okay”, though as I hold Dan Silverman in a very high opinion and have no reason to not believe what he say’s, the level on the main screenshots (more specifically the ones for P9L-958) is simply and plain a level from a contest entry by Lennart Hillen back in 2007. What’s most surprising, they didn’t even bother to modify it, they just took the level as it is. Ironically, right after Dan and some other users made them aware that we are not as stupid as our nicknames suggest, the page with the screenshots suddenly disappeared.

Now that we established that they like to use already made stuff from other people which they can use for free, let’ go one step further and let’s all have a look onto all the Copyrighted stuff they use there and not even paying a dime of licensing. Apparently it’s all used under a “Fair Use”-Clause, which then again is totally brainwashed because this game obviously isn’t for any Educational Purposes (let alone, why would a school want to make a Stargate game? To teach children about the effects of SciFi Addiction?) and also they can’t really argue that it’s a parody on the original Stargate because it’s well obvious that this is some fan game, made by (to stay polite) a handful of students who want to make a Stargate game.

And pretty much everything in this game is just a direct rip-off from Stargate, even if it’s argued that it’s not. To put it simple, they are standing in front of a red box and they deny the fact that the box is red, even if to everyone else it’s obvious that the box they are standing in front of is red! Just look at it, you can tell like a million things that are ripped off just by looking at a screenshot for a second. Heck, even the logo of the team screams “STARGATE” from 10 km distance…. In the snow! Against the wind on a stormy day (Can you say that? “A stormy day”?).

Well, next thing is, that the “Community Manager” (wow, they MUST have a 5000 people community…. or what would they need a Community Manager for?) claims to have some personal contacts to the Senior Community Manager of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment.

Besides, I know personally the senior community manager of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainement

Me sure you know Manager personally CME of do.

Well, for not embarrassing themselves too much, they could follow this very simple idea by fastlane:

It’s not a stargate, it’s a “worldportal”; it’s not carter, oneil and teal’c… it’s smith, jones, and razmuse’n! Hell, you could even KEEP the names if you attempt to make the game into a parody of the series (you can use the “200″ episode as a guide for how you could go about it). Teal’c would only be allowed to say “Indeed”… Carter can only speak in meaningless technobabble… O’neil, well, O’neil doesn’t say much. If youc can pull the parady angle off, you can use all the copyrights and make your game (though commercialization is still out of the question)

Peace!

So Spike made a little video as an Interlude between.. ummm yeah whatever.

Video after the clickedy click.

go to the topic

Really!

No, seriously, just kidding. I have been very busy with work and probably will be a lot more busy the next time. But then again, I actually didn’t forget to write here. I just didn’t get a chance to.

Anyway! Let’s stay on-topic. I may have forgotten to add Error014’s Blog to my Blogroll after I myself have complained in his blog that he forgot me. Well, rather saying - or implying, remembering, … - than complaining…

you forgot about mine :D

that’s the word-on-word (do you even say that this way?) quote.

Now after today’s day - or shall I rather say, after the few hours of today’s day, as it obviously is still very early - I have actually asked Error014 if he would like to do some Guest authoring here (which remembers me, that I have to enable the show-the-author-of-blog-posts-feature-thingyfoo-whatever) in which he more or less agreed; I have seen the referrer he came from to visit my blog, most probably because he wasn’t able to remember the easy address! But it’s so easy!

At least I think so - After all, I have come up with the address and…… Or maybe he was just too lazy for typing it. ANYWAY(!!!), after I read his post about him forgetting to add me, I’m doing the same something similar now, and of course I added him to my Blogroll aswell. Clicky clicky…

Well now, who is this Error014 guy anyway? Do we give a shit about him?

I’d say yes! If you are related to 3D Game Studio in some way, you probably know about Error014 (sorry pal, I’ll just write your name as error now, its painful to maintain the correct spelling) as some Godlike person! And when I say Godlike, I actually mean it as in “guru of experimental games“. Awesome person with an awesome mind to come up with lots of exciting gameplay ideas no one else came up before.

As he did some analysis of my blog, in return I see myself forced to do the same about his blog. I’m sorry!

What is his Blog about? Well, following the name, it’s about “Trying to create fun”, that’s what the tagline says. The name says “Experimental Blog” which can mean a lot of things like:

• A new kind of blog different from other blogs
• A Blog about experiments
• A Blog from Mr. or Mrs. Experimental
• A Blog Experimental Ltd.
• A combination of Expert and Sentimental, thus forming the name Experimental
• In this case it could mean that it’s a sentimental expert writing the blog
• or that he’s an expert about Sentimental things
• That the blog is from an expert who IS sentimental
• whatever
• What the blog states:
  This blog is about the recent events in the development of videogames. In the past, we’ve made “Experimental Games” and these are freely avaible for download! We encourage you to do so and to help us with feedback, so let us know how you like it and comment. You find the games by following the “List of games” link a bit further down. Nowadays, we are hard at work on a bigger “Secret Mystery Project” - we are regulary doing updates on it, so read these and comment!

So, take your pick in what YOU think what the blog is about, cause that’s what’s important, what you think!

From what he writes, I cant really deduce the meaning of the blogs name. It’s like a blog, a blog! Who would have thought. But what I can deduce for sure is that he likes writing, probably even more than I do. He can also write very well and bring up arguments better then I can. Hell that’s the reason why I asked him to be my guest author.

Damn.

It’s out.

You write good, that’s why I want you!!!!!111oneone

I wish I could write more, really. But I am a work right now, and thus I am in constant fear of having the Boss behind me and watching me typing some blog entry and on the other side, I’m not really someone who can create long texts. I’m just not that good.

So, I’m looking forward!

I really do!

.

.

.

Promise!

Yeah… why easy, if you can do it complicated? Right?

Anyway, in case anyone is interested:
http://www.softsteel.co.uk/tutorials/cSharp/lesson16.html

   1: public class EventIssuer

   2: {

   3:     public delegate void EventDelegate(object from, EventArgs args);

   4:     public event EventDelegate myEvent;

   5:     

   6:     protected virtual void onMyEvent(EventArgs args)

   7:     {

   8:         if (myEvent != null)

   9:             myEvent(this, args);

  10:     }

  11: }

Just because I live in Spain and my IP is Spanish, I DONT WANT HAT ANY SERVICES AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THAT I WANT THE GORRAM MAILS NOR THE SERVICE ITSELF IN SPANISH.

When I set my language in the service to ENGLISH, I want it in ENGLISH and not ANY other gorramit language!

I’m getting sick of it! I hate Spanish - even though I speak it perfectly, I just hate the sound of it - I don’t want any fucking mails in Spanish!! OKAY? WHEN I SET MY LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH - STICK TO IT!
DON’T MAKE DECISIONS FOR ME!

[Via Spreeblick]

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

More or less that’s how you could define the time around 1997 when I first got my hands to play StarFox 64 or Lylat Wars on a friends Nintendo 64.

I do very well remember how he showed me that game and I just instantly fell in love with it.

The Nintendo 64… A good console. The first, and yet only console I have and had.

I remember it like yesterday, when I came to his house. A big house with plenty of empty rooms, a big blue gate and a quite small courtyard in comparison to the big house. I was visiting an old friend of whom I don’t even remember his name by now. We went upstairs to his room and there it was. A game that I have heard lots before but did never get to see myself: StarFox 64.

It was already in the N64, shining and kind of looking to me, telling me to play it. I could almost hear it when it said “Play with me!!”.

This was it, the moment I have been waiting for so long (well, as a child even one week seems very long for you!). He started the N64. The Nintendo logo, and then finally the game. We didn’t understand a single English word at that time, but hell! Who cares anyway? Eventually we found the right button to start the training and I still don’t know how we made it, but in the end we finally understood all the controls. We spent all day long playing this that we almost forgot time.

Since then, I have never played that game again.

Never ever. But every now and then I would dig out some old magazines and look just on the pictures and later watch YouTube videos. It’s so awesome.

And now finally, I bought it on eBay.

Just a few days until it arrives.

My N64 is already set-up.

Yay.

Now playing: Mr Special and Laurie Webb - Aren’t You Clever