I am building a web app which will have 3D objects and much of sound manipulation in real time.
Should I do it with webGL or it would be better with actionscript (in a flex project) ?
I am intersted in good performance (many sounds will be played recurrently and in specific times).
An other factor is that I already know Javascript and webGL but not Actionscript, mxml etc.
Listening to your valuable opinion.
WebGL is not capable of playing sound - however other parts of HTML5 are.
I would highly recommend the HTML 5 audio api, it will allow you to position a listener and sounds, so played sounds will emanate from different directions (e.g. behind you or beside you).
If you wish to loop your sounds, it's as easy as setting a variable on the source node (the thing that plays the sound).
Related
Newbie here. I am working with phaser, specifically with the isometric plugin.
I would like to know if it is possible to create games in phaser similar to agar.io, in terms of handling real-time multiple connections, generating a enormous map with about 300 players in it and all this without having too much impact in game performance. I seriously don't know how to handle the multiplayer part (probably sockets, node.js) for it to work really well. And as for generating a really big map I am quite blank too.
Is it possible, in phaser, to create a isometric-type game that handles multiples real time multiplayer and HUGE maps that are generated when the user gets to the edges of the visible "map"? How?
If not, what should I opt for (game engine in js and other applications) in order to achieve what I want?
You're not asking the right question, but you're close!
Your first guess is correct. You wouldn't handle multiplayer with Phaser, you'd use web sockets, or nodejs, or some other backend. So Phaser does not really limit you in what you can create with regards to multiplayer, since none of the networking code has anything to do with Phaser.
The idea of handling a huge map also just depends on how you optimize your graphics, regardless of what platform or framework you're using. For example, if you have huge or infinite maps, you can always just only show what's on screen, or around the edges of the screen, and use object pooling to show the rest of the map as the players move.
For multiplayer in Nodejs, check out Socket.io. It's really easy to use. I've set up a barebones example using it here. And in case you might find it helpful, here's an open source game I made for Ludum Dare in Phaser, with networking (this one is only p2p, so it's only made to handled 2 players connected to each other, but like I said, that's only a limitation of the multiplayer framework I used, in this case peerjs.com, and has nothing to do with Phaser itself, which can take care of all your rendering and game logic needs.)
Hopefully this helped answer some of your questions!
Phaser (at least in its 2.0 version) is not a good candidate for implementation of real time game networking as explained here.
If you're looking for a Javascript Multiplayer game engine you should check out Lance, which was written specifically for this purpose. You can then choose a renderer of your choice (Pixi.js, for example, if you're aiming to implement something like Agar.io. It's the same Renderer Phaser uses)
Regarding PhasedEvolution's comment above - Firebase is a nice tool if you're doing turn based games. It's not up to par for real-time game development as it doesn't allow low level access for any game-critical features that mitigate latency like client-size prediction, bending, interpolation and extrapolation.
Proper disclosure: I'm one of the co-creators of Lance :)
So, I have thought about designing a WebGL Graphics Engine, which will facilitate designing 3D Interactive Graphics for web. Now, my question is :
WebGL is Javascript API, so in order to design an engine for WebGL graphics, do I need to have a JavaScript compiler or anything ? What I want is a system which will let users see what they are creating (for example, like blender workspace, if you draw up a scene you can see and make changes simultaneously)
You would have to create some kind of engine, or framework that you'll build your system onto.
Creating only framework/engine would take at least 2-3 months, and if you plan creating something really big and advanced, that supports various effects rather than simple rendering primitives, than that might come down to 5-6 months. After that you could start creating your web application. So 6-7 months time for that? That shouldn't be a problem.
I don't know how advanced you are, how many people are you working with, but that seems very plausible and doable. But is worth of it? In a year, many different things will change, maybe new openGL ES version for webGL, changing api, supported browsers (IE recently joined the game),... it's really questionable.
You wouldn't need any kind of JS compiler or anything like it, just knowledge of advanced JS and many different techniques used in 3d, and since you plan building system that is far beyond just-graphic-stuff, then it adds even more to overall complexity and time consumption.
So, to answer your question: yes, it's very doable in a year, but will it pay off?
Similar things already exist in some form:
http://errolschwartz.com/projects/threescene/
http://badassjs.com/post/12885773103/threenodes-js-a-visual-webgl-scene-editor
CopperLicht engine has its own real-time editor
there are more lab-playground-like editors
I'm building a little sequencer like this one, but want to use HTML/JavaScript exclusively (i.e: no Flash).
As you play around with the applet in the link above, you'll notice the potential for several sounds to play simultaneously and/or in rapid succession. I'm using an array of audio objects simulating different 'slots' or channels to achieve the desired polyphony and, as a concept, this seems to work. I'm not experiencing any clipping or cutouts in my audio.
However, this process becomes prohibitively resource-intensive very quickly, regardless of source filetype/compression. It's not uncommon for the web browser itself to crash as the number of sounds playing increases.
So, I"m wondering: What, if any, is the best way to facilitate a fairly heavy audio load without choking the browser? Or, is trying to make HTML/JS work for this purpose a fool's errand?
Any insight would be much-appreciated. Here is a version without sound.
I cant say myself, but here's some examples making use of the new web audio api.
http://chromium.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/samples/audio/index.html
The drum machine is pretty taxing on my system, though. In any case, I figure you'd be interested in the link.
I'm wondering if any new HTML5 functions or existing JS library would allow me to access information about the sound that's currently playing in an Audio object. For example, I'd like to be able to access an array of ranges the a song is currently playing at (that is, low values appear for deep bass sounds and higher values appear for shriller sounds). I'm not a sound engineer, so I'm not quite sure what the correct terminology is.
A comparable library would be the C++ BASS library (http://www.un4seen.com/), although I certainly don't need the same breadth of functionality.
I did a little more digging around and found this: chromium.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/samples/audio/visualizer-gl.html
It's pretty much what I'm looking for, but I can't figure out how it works. Thoughts?
The chromium visualizer uses the Web Audio API.
Firefox offers the Audio Data API.
These are the two options available at the moment, and they're not compatible with each other. Eventually an agreement will be reached.
If you intend to do something cross-browser, you're condemned to using Flash for now, there is a pretty good library called SoundManager2 that gives you the necessary data. Check out their visualization demos.
I'm looking for a good plugin for:
a) rapid rendering of
b) lines, shapes, and imagery on top of a
c) rectangular canvas area who's size can be declared at load time.
It needs to run at 20-30fps without putting a heavy load in the browser. It also needs to be able to interface with JavaScript and the DOM.
Creating my own Flash plugin is the first choice, but I'd like to aim for a free, open-source and/or non-proprietary solution first. HTML5 canvas is out of the question - it renders way too slowly.
Anyone happen to know of anything that does these features? (I'd even be okay with a pre-made Flash plugin that meets the requirements mentioned above)
Your request is still vague. What do the lines and shapes need to do? Sit there looking pretty?
If your lines, shapes, and imagery are going to be fewer than say 5,000 objects total, I'd recommend using SVG and perhaps the Raphael library to go with it. Every SVG object is a DOM object from the get-go, which will save you some associated headaches with trying to use Flash or Canvas.
If you really need a lot more performance or plan on having 50,000 objects on screen, Canvas may be for you.
"Creating my own Flash plugin is the
first choice"
I'm unclear what you mean by "plugin" here - I assume you just mean "flash file" (an SWF?).
I think #WTP is making a good point. You say "rapid rendering" but of what? how complex is it? Flash has very good speeds when it comes to vector graphics, and much faster rendering of optimized bitmap data (the technique of choice is blitting here). It all comes down to optimizations / complexity of graphics. No matter the plugin / tech solution, you will always be able to cripple a machine with inefficient design.
To answer your question, Flash will definitely meet your needs.
I would also venture that Canvas/JS would as well, but apparently you've tried that already? I've seen quite complex scenes running quite rapidly, so that surprises me.
I'll note, also, the upcoming Molehill APIs for Flash. This provides low-level access to the GPU - and will create the potential for breathtaking 2d/3d performance in the browser. But its still in alpha, so... don't hold your breath ;)
I know of only four major players in the "Vector graphics capable" department -- HTML Canvas, Flash, Silverlight, and Java applets. Aside from canvas, all them are proprietary in some way or another. The good news is that all of them have the ability to compile for free in some way or another and they are generally faster than canvas by my understanding. Now, I happen to know Flash so that might color my opinion, but I am fairly certain that it is your best option. It has decent performance and a solid install base. It also runs on Linux and does not raise major security issues.
Look up the Flash Builder (Flex) sdk. There is command line compilation for it.