How to Make a Simple Game Site using PHP – Step 2
Let’s start off with my frustration motivation. Today, I spent over 4 hours trying to install different arcade scripts (the biggest problem i have is that my server does not have the most current PHP version). I gave up and decided to get back to my simple game site using PHP.Today, I will be installing the necessary files on MathGames.us. I could go into the whole seo behind math games, but i won’t right now.
If you read step 1, you know that i recommended for you to start collecting games and images. And uniformly naming them.
I did not do that, so i will be quickly downloading 5 games, from my most popular math games site HoodaMath.com, as well as 5 images from there.
Feel free to take some as well at http://hoodamath.com/gamesforyoursite/
I downloaded 5 swfs and images and renamed the files to match my style. For example i renamed pixies2.swf to Pixies_2.jpg and i renamed mathfind.jpg to Math_Find.jpg
Now i will upload the flash folder and the images folder to my server. Each folder filled with their respective files.
Now I will create and upload a simple database file called database.php
the code will look like this:
<?php $game = array(
“Pixies_2″,
“Dublox”,
“Briker_2″,
“Math_Find”,
“Line_Bounder”
);
?>
At this point you should have in your public_html: a flash folder, images folder, and database.php file
Now I will demonstrate how to make your first game page. I will use Math Find as my example. I will create a file called Math_Find.php and put it in the public_html folder, with the following code inside.
<?php
$title = str_replace(“_”,” “,str_replace(“.php”,”",str_replace(“/”,”",$_SERVER["PHP_SELF"])));
echo “<html><body><table><tr><td width=’810′>”;
echo “<object classid=’clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000′ codebase=’http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0′ width=’800′ height=’600′ /> <param name=’movie’ value=’flash/”; echo str_replace(” “,”_”, $title);
echo “.swf’ /> <param name=’quality’ value=’high’ /> <embed src=’flash/”; echo str_replace(” “,”_”, $title);
echo “.swf’ quality=’high’ pluginspage=’http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash’ type=’application/x-shockwave-flash’ width=’800′ height=’600′></embed>”;
echo “</td></tr></table></body></html>”;
?>
If you copy the Math_Find.php file and name each copy after each game you uploaded you will have several working pages of your games.
I hope this tutorial got you on your way. WARNING: don’t make too many games pages, because in tutorial 3, I’m going to demonstrate how to add a header, footer, etc. As well as making it easy to make changes to all of your files at once. By changing code in one center file.
Please COMMENT, so I know that anyone is reading these tutorials.
Thanks for these awesome posts Mike! It was great to see you in SF. I’m going to use your advice to build my own arcade. Learning stages now. Next step is to find my own niche just like you did with hoodamath.