First FPS in a browser
Miscellaneous Forums/General Discussion/First FPS in a browser Seems like a nice experiment, but I think I'd rather play it outside of my browser.
Unless they've written it in flash or shockwave (or java) then I think it's still going to be an issue.
Who needs cross-platform compatibility when everyone can play a game in a browser.
Unless they've written it in flash or shockwave (or java) then I think it's still going to be an issue.
Hardly the first give that Doom and Quake have both been Javaed and dumped in a browser.
Seems like a suitably pointless thing to do though. Basically it appears to be a 'willy waving' example.
Seems like a suitably pointless thing to do though. Basically it appears to be a 'willy waving' example.
And it probably only runs in IE on Vista :-)
May i ask why this should be the first FPS in a browser?
There have been done a lot of FPS before, primary with SW3D. The only difference now is that Garage Games is pumping a lot of money into such projects in order to make their online service Instant Action attractive.
There have been done a lot of FPS before, primary with SW3D. The only difference now is that Garage Games is pumping a lot of money into such projects in order to make their online service Instant Action attractive.
There have been experiments with a fps in a browser.
Here's one made in Shockwave:
http://www2.rasterwerks.com/game/phosphor/beta1.asp
Here's one made in Shockwave:
http://www2.rasterwerks.com/game/phosphor/beta1.asp
Certainly nice looking though...
Not only experiments, there has been done a lot of such client work by different developers, did also some on my own for several clients. Obviously almost all of these games had way smaller budgets.
The last bigger one i found nice was Sherwood Dungeon.
-> http://www.maidmarian.com/Sherwood.htm
The last bigger one i found nice was Sherwood Dungeon.
-> http://www.maidmarian.com/Sherwood.htm
Well I guess to meant first COMMERCIAL game... hobbyist things are great but usually free and either just plain bad or those Doom/Quake conversions that are popping everywhere.
To me it sort of makes sense that soon (insert suitable amount of years) physical games are history and even steam looks old fashioned. Where do you need your own HD anyway, wouldn't it be better to have everything on net on properly back-upped servers... That information would then be available to you wherever you are on the planet. Yes, connection/internet speeds would have to be 10-100 times faster than they are now but we will there soon enough.
To me it sort of makes sense that soon (insert suitable amount of years) physical games are history and even steam looks old fashioned. Where do you need your own HD anyway, wouldn't it be better to have everything on net on properly back-upped servers... That information would then be available to you wherever you are on the planet. Yes, connection/internet speeds would have to be 10-100 times faster than they are now but we will there soon enough.
As i've said there has been done a lot of client work in these fields but mostly these projects were/are restricted by either the clients budgets or technology as for instance the amazing v1 of Director's SW3D has never been updated in ten years. But they will announce Dir11 in the near future. Anyway that's were Unity came in for a lot of people.
I'm not this convinced by the concept of Instant Action up to now as they want to focus on multiplayer only content for building up their community and in my opinion this isn't interesting enough and too restrictive. We had a lot of blabla about this on the unity forum but time will tell and they might alter their specs and goals too a bit so it fits more peoples needs.
I'm not this convinced by the concept of Instant Action up to now as they want to focus on multiplayer only content for building up their community and in my opinion this isn't interesting enough and too restrictive. We had a lot of blabla about this on the unity forum but time will tell and they might alter their specs and goals too a bit so it fits more peoples needs.
I can't see why you'd want to play a game in a web browser. Windows runs slow enough with eveything switched off, the last thing you want sapping all your PCs power is a piece of crap like IE running the game.
Anyway, what benefit would there be? You still have to download the content to play it, it runs faster standalone, and you can still play across the net in almost all FPSs with no problems.
Seems pointless to me.
I far prefer to have a nice copy of the game I've bought on CD, install it once and then have it run at best possible speed (so far as this dire OS allows)..
Anyway, what benefit would there be? You still have to download the content to play it, it runs faster standalone, and you can still play across the net in almost all FPSs with no problems.
Seems pointless to me.
I far prefer to have a nice copy of the game I've bought on CD, install it once and then have it run at best possible speed (so far as this dire OS allows)..
Easy access and wide spread.
It can almost instantly start depending on what you do and how you stream. You're already familiar to your browser and it's crossplatform out of the box. The easiest way to reach a lot of people.
The performance concerns only show up in a maybe 5%-15% region and if you go fullscreen things can speed up significantly due to mostly reduced resolution. Browsers eat some performance but as written before who cares about these frames as you design the game taking this into account and for quite some concepts you don't rely on this at all.
It can almost instantly start depending on what you do and how you stream. You're already familiar to your browser and it's crossplatform out of the box. The easiest way to reach a lot of people.
The performance concerns only show up in a maybe 5%-15% region and if you go fullscreen things can speed up significantly due to mostly reduced resolution. Browsers eat some performance but as written before who cares about these frames as you design the game taking this into account and for quite some concepts you don't rely on this at all.
wouldn't it be better to have everything on net on properly back-upped servers...
No, I would prefer a physical copy of the software that doesn't require online activation to use so that if my ISP gets cut off due to roadworks tearing large chunks out of the infrastructure (rare, but has happened), or the company that makes the game goes bust, or I don't want to be online anymore (not very likely, but you never know), or my modem explodes, I can still play it.
It's true. Depending on your internet being constantly on is a pain. YOU can't fix it. Al least if your computer goes down, you could have it up and running again whenever you can be bothered fixing it.
I don't like this increasing dependance about being online. I purchased a movie fro a download site, and it wants to connect to the internet first before it lets me watch it. I can't copy it to another computer either unless i copy the licence or some crap like that...
I don't like this increasing dependance about being online. I purchased a movie fro a download site, and it wants to connect to the internet first before it lets me watch it. I can't copy it to another computer either unless i copy the licence or some crap like that...
who cares about these frames as you design the game taking this into account
Yeah, but FPS creators never do - they push as much stuff in as possible and in a FPS framerate is one of the most important things.
I think your guess of 5% to 15% performance loss is a little off. IE is bloated, slow, full of bugs and loopholes, and to have to rely upon it to run a game is ludicrous. It can't even display webpages safely or reliably. Ask it to run Doom4 and you might as well be playing via email.
It can almost instantly start depending on what you do and how you stream
How can it possibly be quicker than a game loaded on my HD, unless you are suggesting that it can stream the data down my phoneline faster than the PC can haul it from the disc?
and it's crossplatform out of the box
Really? The amount of webpages that don't work because a PC or Mac or whatever because it doesn't have the right codec installed or doesn't have Flash12.2.4 or some such rubbish or Java isn't on or you have the wrong BIOS version or it's Tuesday and not Thursday etc... is beyond belief.
The best part about using the browser is the social networking aspects of the games. You can move whole parties of people from game to game since they all load right out of the browser.
It's a plugin developed by Garage Games that is basically an API to plug in any 3D engine to allow it to run inside a browser. They are using Torque it seems to showcase this ability. So it would be running native DirectX or OpenGL. Not some custom graphics api built for web (ala flash or shockwave). Hence, they've claimed there is 'no slow down' or more accurately: it's the equivalent of having a full on 3D directX game running full screen and a browser window open in the background (which doesn't hurt frames on my computer anyway).
My guess is it will function almost exactly like Steam does today, but instead of a custom desktop app that runs in the background you'd be using your browser.
My guess is it will function almost exactly like Steam does today, but instead of a custom desktop app that runs in the background you'd be using your browser.
@Vorderman
As i've said before offer a fullscreenmode and you'll be happy. Depending on which browser you're using things can be better or worse but overall it isn't such a big issue as you make it sound like here and it works fine for all sides. I'm doing such work since over eleven years and well it works.
But i understand that you personally don't like it.
You click on the link, the game preloads and after a certain part has been loaded it can start, whilst loading for instance level2 or level 3 in the background. This is faster than if you would have to doawnload the full game first, install it and start it then. How fast this is compared to if you leave your house, run to your local store, handover the money, return home, insert the disc, install the game i don't know. You better judge this on your own.
Again i have more the feeling that you generally like to rant about it instead of having some practical knowledge of these things. Maybe i'm wrong but at least what you've written doesn't match with the experience i made in these fields. Online games are doing very fine for clients and their users since years, mostly in the casual sector.
The difference here is that they throw in more money as they want to address multiplayer games between the casual and the full price segment.
GarageGames visited a few forums in order to get developers on their boat for creating content for them. I'm not exactly sure but i think i once also posted the information here. What they offer is a sandbox and so you can use different types of technologies.
Yeah, but FPS creators never do - they push as much stuff in as possible and in a FPS framerate is one of the most important things.
I think your guess of 5% to 15% performance loss is a little off. IE is bloated, slow, full of bugs and loopholes, and to have to rely upon it to run a game is ludicrous. It can't even display webpages safely or reliably. Ask it to run Doom4 and you might as well be playing via email.
I think your guess of 5% to 15% performance loss is a little off. IE is bloated, slow, full of bugs and loopholes, and to have to rely upon it to run a game is ludicrous. It can't even display webpages safely or reliably. Ask it to run Doom4 and you might as well be playing via email.
As i've said before offer a fullscreenmode and you'll be happy. Depending on which browser you're using things can be better or worse but overall it isn't such a big issue as you make it sound like here and it works fine for all sides. I'm doing such work since over eleven years and well it works.
But i understand that you personally don't like it.
How can it possibly be quicker than a game loaded on my HD, unless you are suggesting that it can stream the data down my phoneline faster than the PC can haul it from the disc?
You click on the link, the game preloads and after a certain part has been loaded it can start, whilst loading for instance level2 or level 3 in the background. This is faster than if you would have to doawnload the full game first, install it and start it then. How fast this is compared to if you leave your house, run to your local store, handover the money, return home, insert the disc, install the game i don't know. You better judge this on your own.
Really? The amount of webpages that don't work because a PC or Mac or whatever because it doesn't have the right codec installed or doesn't have Flash12.2.4 or some such rubbish or Java isn't on or you have the wrong BIOS version or it's Tuesday and not Thursday etc... is beyond belief.
Again i have more the feeling that you generally like to rant about it instead of having some practical knowledge of these things. Maybe i'm wrong but at least what you've written doesn't match with the experience i made in these fields. Online games are doing very fine for clients and their users since years, mostly in the casual sector.
The difference here is that they throw in more money as they want to address multiplayer games between the casual and the full price segment.
GarageGames visited a few forums in order to get developers on their boat for creating content for them. I'm not exactly sure but i think i once also posted the information here. What they offer is a sandbox and so you can use different types of technologies.
Nothing special really, only reason it made the news is that GG push their products really hard and have good industry relations. Garage Games were recently bought out by a web development driven company and this is the product of their combined tech.
To be more precisely they were searching for a partner with the $ muscles for beeing able to develop the web technology and finance others for getting content developed for Instant Action to get things rolling.
The fact that they made a top notch title in Tribes had nothing to do with it ...
To me it sort of makes sense that soon (insert suitable amount of years) physical games are history and even steam looks old fashioned. Where do you need your own HD anyway, wouldn't it be better to have everything on net on properly back-upped servers... That information would then be available to you wherever you are on the planet. Yes, connection/internet speeds would have to be 10-100 times faster than they are now but we will there soon enough.
No thanks, I'm not going to let some corporation own my data.
1. This is by far not the first one. Most just forget the Java webdownload games (which are physically the same as these or unity -> a plugin that downloads the whole stuff, you can not play 100mb concurrently loaded games without downloading).
The webbrowser plugin for Torque have been available for quite some time but I assume nobody wants to waste the bandwidth caused by the repetitive redownloads ...
Such a system is great for casuals / small games ... but not fully featured ...
Download yes (-> steam etc) but not in a cached environment like a browser.
What I would like to know is what tech was used ... from the look it should be TGEA ... but from my experience with TGEA it can't be unless they plan to have 80% not beeing able to play it thanks to cool core bugs ...
Torque 2 would be the logical assumption as it will have a 1 game different distribution types from what mentioned ... but it is in such an early state that it potentially should be impossible ... on the other side, all Torque tech programmers vanished from their projects (TGB and TGEA at least) so who knows.
The webbrowser plugin for Torque have been available for quite some time but I assume nobody wants to waste the bandwidth caused by the repetitive redownloads ...
Such a system is great for casuals / small games ... but not fully featured ...
Download yes (-> steam etc) but not in a cached environment like a browser.
What I would like to know is what tech was used ... from the look it should be TGEA ... but from my experience with TGEA it can't be unless they plan to have 80% not beeing able to play it thanks to cool core bugs ...
Torque 2 would be the logical assumption as it will have a 1 game different distribution types from what mentioned ... but it is in such an early state that it potentially should be impossible ... on the other side, all Torque tech programmers vanished from their projects (TGB and TGEA at least) so who knows.
The plugin is independent of Torque ... you could use Blitz with it.
my customers have been doing this for years.
Well... as I said earlier, first COMMERCIAL FPS would have more suitable title here... sure, lot's of casual games through the browser, but full blown commercial FPS? Show me one, right now.
I can of course be wrong and there are million commercial browser'ed FPS games out there already... it's just that if nobody KNOWS about them they might not exist at all in practical purposes.
I can of course be wrong and there are million commercial browser'ed FPS games out there already... it's just that if nobody KNOWS about them they might not exist at all in practical purposes.
I guess your term commercial is a bit misplaced here as i think if a client pays me money for making a game for advertising a product, an event or for his gaming section this already is commercial.
As i've written above the difference here is the amount of money they are willing to invest for games running on their platform and that they target above the casual audience.
They are more stepping in Wild Tangent's footsteps here.
Interview from the last year:
-> http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182495.html
As i've written above the difference here is the amount of money they are willing to invest for games running on their platform and that they target above the casual audience.
They are more stepping in Wild Tangent's footsteps here.
Interview from the last year:
-> http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182495.html
I think it's more an example of engineering ingenuity, rather than practical application.
Hopefully this move will help push telephone companies to develop and upgrade their archaic systems, the same way video games did for consoles.
I don't like this increasing dependance about being online.
I don't really care either way. Been online for 12 years or so, it's not like the Internet is suddenly going to go away. I mean sure it sucks for countries with shitty Internet connections (like New Zealand, the UK and the US) but for the rest of us its not such a big deal.Hopefully this move will help push telephone companies to develop and upgrade their archaic systems, the same way video games did for consoles.
I don't understand why people go ga-ga over being able to play games in a browser. Big deal.
It's been possible for years, I've never really been interested because I am more of a solitary gamer and don't care for multiplayer games, so having my games run in a browser is a waste of time.
On the other hand I'd probably find it usefull for publishing my games, I realise that a lot of people like MP games and I'd like to support them and build a community around my games.
I'd be more inclined to use indiepaths solution, I've never really cared for anything Garage Games has done software wise, but appreciate their promotion of indie games.
On the other hand I'd probably find it usefull for publishing my games, I realise that a lot of people like MP games and I'd like to support them and build a community around my games.
I'd be more inclined to use indiepaths solution, I've never really cared for anything Garage Games has done software wise, but appreciate their promotion of indie games.
@ Indiepath
Now we just need to see a Mac port of your tool ... (you havent' done that yet have you?)
Now we just need to see a Mac port of your tool ... (you havent' done that yet have you?)