Are browser based online games possible?

Question

I'm not talking about BB-type text based but rich rpgs with spriting, etc.

With the current advancements in javascript for rich browser interfaces, would it be possible to create semi-massive multiplayer online games running on our browsers within the near future?

We could say that if we really want games we must stick with c++, but I'm just asking for possibilities here and answers from open-minded persons.

---

update regarding comments relating to flash

i've noticed that alot of people here opt for flash, well no doubt, flash was initially there to provide animation capability for browsers and it became a launching ground for browser based games

so maybe its also possible to use javascript and flash altogether to provide a better experience for gamers (like loggin-on to the game is done thru JS, etc and all other animations are run via flash perhaps?)

since javascript is of course smaller in size than flash objects, and microsoft announced that it soon will adapt jquery to its' browser core, maybe in the future we'd see some javascript frameworks built-in inside browsers while flash i guess will still remain as a plug-in..

bottom-line is both of these utilities would be indispensable in the browser's future so any other opinions?

Answer 1

Well yes it is possible, i've seen completely awesome javascript implementations of for example Sonic and Mario. I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to do something like Final Fantasy II etc. even massively online. You'd need a helluva server (park) to host such a thing tho.

Answer 2

So, animation in JavaScript generally sucks. Spriting and the upcoming canvas tag will alleviate this problem somewhat, but generally speaking a language more suited for things like gaming, such as Flash/ActionScript, is usually used for web gaming. The limit here is not necessarily the language, but the performance of the browser's JavaScript interpreter.

Answer 3

There are plenty of Flash games that are massivly multiplayer. I know you mentioned JavaScript, but Flash is always going to be a client based game developers first choice, I doubt anyone would bother with a JS based one.

Answer 4

oh i've seen some javascript based games while studying the currently famous javascript frameworks.. yeah we could say that the animations really suck but hey, google chrome's coming up with ways to speed things up.. i think the only problem we have for javascript is the engine that Internet Exploder is using currently but as more and more people despise IE i think pretty soon we'd be able to see some progress on this..

Answer 5

There are some with Flash already, but they are kinda, well, questionable. Flash is still pretty slow for that type of thing. Also there are several in Java. Such as the Runescape series.

But one of the best platforms out there now is InstantAction . Native real-time 2D and 3D game engine with full hardware acceleration as a browser plugin.

Answer 6

There are some great 2d games already done in JavaScript, but with Google's Chrome (and others) making JavaScript performance scream, I think much richer games can now be created more along the order of what you describe.

Answer 7

TraceMonkey, the new Javascript engine being developed at Mozilla is getting very fast scores on micro-benchmarks. Brendan Eich said here they're approaching non-optimized C speeds on some benchmarks. So, I’d say that yes, w/i the next few years you'll be able to build MMRPG using only javascript (not that it'd be the best choice, mind you. I feel Silverlight will soon be one of the best options for browser based games.) NOTE: the question originally stated "using only javascript?"

Answer 8

The Flash Platform is of course the platform of choice. I'm sure JavaScript can do some funky stuff (which makes my jaw drop from time to time) and will increase adding new features to it's arsenal, but the Flash Player just blows JavaScript out of the water as it currently stands. Not to mention as a platform to develop for (e.g. Flex Builder IDE). Some of the things you'll get choosing Flash Player:

• The best 2D game engine out there with a (compiled) rock solid embedded scripting language.
• Sprite manipulation (e.g. rotation, alpha, scale etc.)
• Bitmap manipulation
• Video (h264!)
• Flash Remoting (super fast client server communication)
• A massive community with a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips
• Possibility to port your game to a console through the Flash Player SDK
• Native 3D effects (Flash Player 10).
• A filter/effects language to create special effects (Flash Player 10).

Answer 9

JavaScript is not a good choice here, but nor is Flash the only game town - Untiy3D is awesome, and Java is powerful enough to run the popular RuneScape. Sherwood also proves that Shockwave is a good MMO client.

Answer 10

Check out this site: http://www.worldofsolitaire.com/

It's a collection of solitaire games written in javascript. It is a pretty impressive demonstration of what is possible using just javascript.

Answer 11

Javascript Canvas support has been progressing in modern browsers, however, IE of course does not support any of these new features. And while there have been some simple games created (Mazes, small Doom clones), I do not believe any "production" game has been created using this method.

Answer 12

I think that QuakeLive (Quake 3 running INSIDE your browser, using a plugin) might answer your question.

Answer 13

Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms( http://hommkingdoms.uk.ubi.com/ ) is a "production class" commercial, massive online game, being produced solely JavaScript(AJAX) based. It is indeed possible to have great productions with JavaScript. Many people opt for Flash or Shockwave because they are much easier to program, reducing the development cost. I dislike Shockwave because it doesn't have Linux version(don't know about other platforms).

Answer 14

Another seemingly viable option would be Google's O3D browser plugin. They have a demo page which uses Javascript to drive the 3D engine, so it really is the browser doing all of the major work of telling the 3D engine what to draw. I personally haven't used it yet, but from what I see, it very well could be the future as far as online gaming simply for the fact that it is a full 3D engine, unlike Flash and others.

Answer 15

If you want high performance games in the browser then you should talk a look at the Roozz plugin. It is an alternative to Flash, but 10 times faster and it allow you to use any programming language and any game engine you like.

www.3djam.com

Answer 16

There are plenty of Flash games that are massivly multiplayer.

Answer 17

Google is working on two big projects that will greatly affect game development in browsers.

First and most directly is O3D (Link in Poldon's post above because I can't post two links since I'm new) which has started as a browser plugin. Secondly is Google's Native Client project, which also has started out as browser plugin, is a general runtime environment meaning you can port source code to run securely inside the browser. Whie this has been done before, ActiveX was not an sort of open standard nor was it very secure (at least in the beginging) and was seen more of a way to enhance a website. Native Client is being built from the ground up with security in mind and with an open standard so that it can be used by different browser vendors.

Both of these technologies are aimed at becoming open standards and will have Google's muscle behind them so they both have a good chance of becoming good platforms to code from and ubiquitous.

Answer 18

Silverlight might offer better development and platform support than adobe flash: Visual Studio and C# instead of actionscript. Most flash games look quite limited to me anyways.

I believe javascript will become the standard for rich internet applications and flash/silverlight/activex are going to be (even more) obsolete.

Answer 19

Doing what you describe with JavaScript on Canvas is feasible but not yet as easy as with Flash.

There are already libraries that help you with sprites, sound, networking, etc:

• http://gamejs.org (disclaimer: i'm a committer)
• http://lamberta.posterous.com/

In my opinion it will very soon (1 year, 2 years?) be more elegant and efficient to do games for the web in JavaScript then any other language - and it's already the cheapest way and you are able to run on iPhone/iPad.

Answer 20

As of Jan 2010, there has been a pure JAVA APPLET based MMORPG game engine available. And a fully commerical game based on it is now on the market. I played it before. The game itself isn't that great compared to dedicated client-based game but the concept works. i.e. a browser based interactive mmorpg game that requires no client software installation. You can play it at home or in the office.