Edy Zahid Blog The Thoughts of One Game Developer

Dream City Life Events: Remove Online Feature

For the next version of Dream City Life Events game, I decided to remove the online feature of the game which mean you no longer have to log-in to the game to play the game. This also means that online submit score has been removed from the game although there is still feature for local score.

The reason why I'm removing online feature is to make the game accessible to be played on other websites. Limiting this highly potential game to be played on a single website is simply not a good idea. Flash game should be played and hosted on as many websites as possible.

Nevertheless, my attempt to make the game has online feature was not a failure because the knowledge I gained implementing it has been applied to Adven Quest and Math Quest Facebook game. There is more radical changes along the way especially with more attention to User Interface design to make the game flow more streamlined and easier to navigate.

New Background for Dream City:Life Events Game

Thanks to Karen Wilkinson who provide some suggestion to improve Dream City:Life Events game. One of her interesting feedback is to integrate some sort of diary background to the game to give illusion that player is playing some sort of diary game. Hah, that's a good idea! Why didn't I thought about that before?

The idea is so good that I took my time working on implementing it once I receive the feedback. After working on it for several hours, the result is well within my expectation. Unfortunately I have to get rid of attire modification feature because there is no space to put it on the new background interface. I can put the feature on future version if there is some request on it.

Once again, thanks Karen for your feedback. You're simply rocks

Dream City:Life Events is Now a Truly Online Game

I've finally been able to make Dream City:Life Events a truly online game which mean you can register your ID through the game and play the game from any computer connected to the Internet using the ID.

This mean you can log in the game through PC A and later log out the game. Your game progress will be automatically saved on the game database server. Later you can log in the game through PC B and will be able to load your saved progress in the game by pulling saved data from game database server. Is it nice?

In the future, once Flash playing capability is stable in Android tablet or mobile phone, you can also play the game through the device instead of playing it through netbook, laptop or desktop computer.

All of this possible through server side programming of PHP and MySQL database. The game Flash engine will communicate to MySQL database at webhosting server through PHP. PHP will convert the binary MySQL records into XML data which game Flash engine will use it as input for save game data.

The only problem I ran so far is I could not be able to show score ranking data through Flash but the ranking actually can be shown on ordinary web page. I need some time to figure out on how to solve the problem because previously it works.

My next challenge is to code relationship based feature into the game. I've been telling about this stuff on this blog for as long as I can remember but I didn't do it yet. Hmm, it's time to do it.

Dream City: Life Events Successfully Been Ported to Flash

On 15 November 2010, I initiate a special project to port Dream City: Life Events game developed in C++ to Flash and after working on it for about a month, I've finally been able to complete most portion on it on 19 December 2010.

The Flash game isn't yet complete because some art assets used in the game is just some placeholders and I intend to polish it from time to time. The porting process has taught me a couple of lessons that I want to share:

1) I draw art assets for C++ game using open source vector program called Inkscape and  I'm very good at it as I spend hundreds of hours using it. The art assets are saved in open standard format called SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics. Imagine my horror to find out that Flash CS4 don't have the ability to import SVG file format which mean I have to redraw most of art assets  I've drawn before.

There is actually a solution which require me to import SVG file format to Illustrator, save it as AI format and then export it to Flash but that solution requires me to use Illustrator. Problem is I don't want to use Illustrator and I don't intend to use it so I guess I have to redraw it on Flash. Hmm, I consider this as a practice to sharpen my drawing skill.

I wish in the future Flash CS5 or CS6 has the ability to import SVG file format instead of Adobe thinking narrow minded not to support this open standard file format.

2) I don't change too much of game code because most of internal game code that runs the core engine don't change too much. It's the rendering code stuff that need to be changed. Since this game is small, all data is stored internally in C++ game but for the Flash game, all read only data is stored in XML file format to allow flexibility in game development. This way if I have to change some portion of data, I only change it on XML and don't have to recompile the SWF again.
My plan is to polish some arts in the game and start implementing relationship gameplay by introducing several non player characters in the game that can interact dynamically with player. This I believe is among interesting feature that I should implement so the game don't feel so void and shallow anymore.

Here is quick link to the game - Dream City: Life Events.  Sorry I don't create tutorial for the game yet. It should be ready in upcoming weeks.