iGalcon + enet = Multi-Player fun fun fun
So .. not being in python-land I really didn’t feel like reinventing the networking-wheel this time. So I grabbed enet for this project and it rocks. I had no notable trouble (beyond normal laziness when it comes to reading documentation) getting it up and running. And after I got it going nicely in my linux environment, it worked out-of-the-box for compiling to the iphone 🙂 Thanks to lack of endian issues, I didn’t have any trouble there either! Here’s the screenie:
On my TODO list is:
- Add Settings (Sound effects on/off, favorite colors for MP game, user / password login for MP game)
- Add Server List (must figure out how to do HTTP requests from C with minimal strain)
- A bit more testing and some odds-n-ends
I hope to have it all done soonish!
On a development-side note, I implemented some automated testing of the network code. This saves me from having to run over a dozen use-cases any time I mess with the client-server code. So it’s saved me a bit of time, and given me that great “feels like it will work” feeling.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:24 am
Now that I’ve gone out and indulged my consumerism by buying one of these iPhone thingers, I must say that Galcon really works well on it. The multitouch is neat and pretty functional. Go you.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:39 am
Holy crap thank you! Multiplayer was the only thing missing to make iPhone Galcon the most awesome game in this universe! Made quite a few people buy either the iphone version or the pc version from just showing them a single game on my phone 😛
For networking, there’s also the new BLIP by Jens Alfke. Looks very promising but haven’t used it much yet. Linky: http://projects.mooseyard.com/projects/show/1 . I’ll have to check out enet as well 🙂 (I like networking…)
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:18 am
“Multiplayer was the only thing missing to make iPhone Galcon the most awesome game in this universe! ” I second that.
So psyched to give the multiplayer a whirl, but I’m dreading the lag issues that may arise when networking. I haven’t seen an iPhone game yet that had smooth, realtime multiplayer gameplay.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:20 am
And then in the next update we can expect a Story Mode, right?? 🙂
August 5th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
And a tiny request for the next update – a different sound effect for the planet being taken over? It currently sounds like you made the noise with your mouth, and it’s my pet peeve 🙂
But in all seriousness, Galcon is by far the best game on my iPhone. I bought a couple of those “big name” games – Monkey Ball, Crash Bandicoot etc, and they’ve got nothing on Galcon.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
Personally, I play without the sound effects as they can get annoying quick… The music is nice though.. add that if you can.
I hope this isn’t too late in the development cycle. I posted some thoughts on multiplayer setup in your previous blog that you may find useful.
Also, another suggestion for multiplayer (and single player) – allow for symmetrical maps. This way, lucky planet placement doesn’t factor into the win.
September 5th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
ah, nice trial to hide that you are using KDE 😉