Caution!

Both the server and this page are under hard development. While server provides at the moment most of features needed to use it, the page doesn't provide any tutorial for game developers. It will, but at the moment, the only way to find it out are javadoc and source-codes of JGServer/JGFramework and example game MegTris.

Overview

Almost all networked games have something in common. These can be user accounts stored in database, login manager, separate rooms, statistics, etc.

Usually game developers implement all these features for each game from scratch. With big games like Quake or Doom it can be accepted, but what if you are going to implement tetris or scrabble? You would probably give up, and implement very minimum of those features. What is more you have to know how to connect to internet, how to use sockets etc.

And what if you are admin, who want to set up servers for several games? Bunch of servers listening on different ports (security violation risk) and all they need to be maintained separately, what is worse the configurations for them are inconsistent.

JGServer (and JGFramework) is the solution to these problems. It simplifies a lot both developing networked games and setting up server.

Game development

From developer point of view writing networked game using JGServer/JGFramework tandem means:

• writing your client side application. that can be rich client or java applet. All socket mess is hided, and you have all mentioned features for free hence you can concentrate on your game logic.
• writing plugin for JGServer, what is really simple to do. All you have to do is implement one method which is: public String parseRequest(String id, Player pl, Document doc)

You must take care of siting/standing up from table, and parsing some pause/unpause requests (if your game needs it). The only reason it isn't placed in main server protocol is that not every game want to deal if it, and even if we place it you would need to implement some feedback methods.

However if your game needs tables and/or pausing - generic implementation of all those is in JGFramework package, hence just use it!

Protocol

draft for server (plain text)
draft for MegTris (plain text)

Example game

With JGServer/JGFramework we have bundled an example game written using them. It is MegaTris and is quite cool :) Go and download the package now!

Documentation

Unfortunatelly at the moment only javadoc.

Downloads

JGServer build (includes sources) jgserver.tar.gz
MegTris build (includes sources) megtris.tar.gz

Authors

Marcin Daczkowski - JGServer mail

Michał Blicharz - MegTris mail