PART III

Making A Simple Dedicated Server And Client Multiplayer Game that you can run and test on a single machine...

STEP 1 - Make the game as if your were making a single player game... not really a game of any kind, this project is going to be a simple first person walkaround, so there's no complex logic that'll require scripting... all of the game will be able to be implemented with 3DRAD objects... 

All we'll need is a terrain and a user controlled walker...  you'll also need to add the skybox, a gravity object, and a sunlight object... (or, you can use the premade Starter Project and First Person Character resources to get your project off to a quick start...

When you have the First Person Character walking around the terrain properly, save it as MPGameTest1.3dr... 


STEP 2  THE SERVER - Next, we'll make some changes that'll transform our simple game into a 3DRAD multiplayer Server...  First, we'll need  to add a Script object (Don't Be Scared! ) to get the server part running and connected to the internet... copy and paste the following simple script into it...

//This script enables multiplayer mode for
//a project designed to run on the server.

bool NetworkActive = false;
void Main()
{
   if (iInitializing())
   {
      //Activate the server network system.
      if (iNetServerStart("DedicatedServerTest1","Server",25857,987654321,100000))
      {
         NetworkActive = true;
      }
   }
   if (iDeinitializing())
   {
      //De-activate the client network system.
      if (NetworkActive)
      {
         iNetStop();
         NetworkActive = false;
      }
   }
}
Save your project now as DedicatedServerTest1.3dr... 


STEP 3 - Next we need to set up the 3DRAD Net Aware objects in the Server so that they will "sych" with the objects on the Client (which we still need to make)...

This is really simple, but can be a lil confusing... There are 2 key concepts that we need to understand... NETWORK IDs  and  PLAYER NUMBERs...

NETWORK IDs are numbers assigned only to the 3DRAD net aware objects to make them unique, so the system can sync each one on the Server with the object that has the same NETWORK ID on the client...

The Character object is a network aware object that needs to have these values set... near the bottom  of the property dialog box, find the Network IDs For Controls settings boxes and set 3,4 for left/right  and 1,2 for fwd/back and 5 for run mode... You've now used NETWORK IDs 1 thru 5...

The next net aware object that'll need a NETWORK ID is the Andro Skinmesh... open the dialog box and set the NETWORK ID to the next available number (6)...

Save your project... (Note... from this point on, if you run the project,  you won't be able to move your character since it is now set to be controlled from the client... which we'll be making now)...


STEP 4  THE CLIENT - Next we'll make some changes in the Server To Transform it into the Client... To Avoid overwriting the Server we just put together, immediately save the project as DedicatedClient.3dr

Now we need to remove the Character object and replace it with an EventOnInput object... remember, this is the Client we are working on now, and the Client side is only for getting user input to the Server...  so we only need an EventOnInput  object FOR EACH KEY CONTROL WE SET NETWORK IDs FOR when we were working on the SERVER...

The first EventOnInput will be set for PLAYER#1, and For NETWORKID 1, and will be for the FWD CONTROL input (the UP KEY)...

YOU'LL NEED ONE EOI FOR EACH CONTROL THERE IS A NETWORK ID FOR...  so, add one for each and set the NETWORKID as required, the KEY hit as required, and the PLAYER# TO 1...


STEP 5 - Finally, add  a SCRIPT object then copy and paste the client script below... This is to get the Client Networking Started...

//This script enables multiplayer mode for
//a project designed to run on a client PC.

bool NetworkActive = false;
void Main()
{
   if (iInitializing())
   {

      iCommandContinue ("cmd.exe /c start /min .\\3drad_res\\compiledproject\\DedicatedServerTest1\\DedicatedServerTest1.exe");
      //Activate the client network system.
      if (iNetClientStart("","Client",987654321,100000,"Connect",-1,0))
      {
         NetworkActive = true;
      }
   }
   if (iDeinitializing())
   {
      //De-activate the client network system.
      if (NetworkActive)
      {
         iNetStop();
         NetworkActive = false;
      }
   }
}


An important thing to note here is that this script will also automatically start the Server each time the client is run...  (more on this in a sec)...


STEP 6 - Save the Server and Compile It In The Windowed Mode and Make Sure the Name Is The Same As The Name In The Client Script... After you Compile It, change the name of the folder to delete numbers at the end, and again, make sure the path in the Client script is the same so the Client  iCommand will find it...


OK... That's It... You can Go Back To the Editor and Run The Client From there... it'll magically start the server and put you in the search dialog...  You should see the Server Running in the task bar below...

Note: you can leave the Server running if you wanna make small changes to the Client, but you'll have to comment the iCommand line in the script so that it doesn't open up a new server each time you run the client...

Now that you see the basics of how this works, you can go and add more players and add more features (you'll need to modify both Server and Client)...

Good Luck...

--Mike

i'm abandoning the dedicated server framework in favor of a more 3DRAD friendly (similar to the NetBall Arena Multiplayer Demo) structure...

although the concept works... in practice the workflow becomes a lil too involved, and i find that, in effect, you wind up having to make two games...  while working the community project i came to the conclusion that making the game once is a lot easier than making the game twice as the dedicated server framework necessitates...

the benefits of the dedicated server are not enough to justify it over the more streamlined workflow of the traditional method of having the server app also be under player control...   

i'll have something up in a few days...


--Mike