We've built a "small" game server where players connect, enter their name, and fly around as tiny little spaceships.
This project grew out of an experimental game server. It's now going to be actively developed and improved.
This project is built with Node.js, Socket.io, and Express.
To run, just type
npm install
and then
node main.js. (alternatively, run start_server.bat.)
Go into a browser, and type localhost:3000 to view the result.
On the server side...
keep track of players (including their location, their state, etc.)
keep track of objects
advance the game
update each client when as they send in new data
On the client side...
keep track of the keys the player presses
draw on the screen
nag the server for updates
resolve dependencies and clean up code
smoother transition between logging in and playing
figure out how not to hog resources
figure out how to make it efficient — even if Javascript is not
more features for the clients, such as:
global chat
various planets for players to stop over
save server state, so that players can come back to where they left off
more efficient updating, for less lag