

Show HN: MMORPG in 55KB of Javascript - simple1
http://aberoth.com/index.php?jsClient=1

======
VonGuard
Hey, this is really terrific! Extremely impressive, especially the fact it's
so small (code size). This expresses a real retro sensibility that most
"retro" style games miss: pixel art shouldn't take up megabytes of space.

I think you should do something with this. You've actually got something you
could spread far and wide, in this. It's shocking how few Web-based MMO
experiences there are like this. This is the point where I say "quit your day
job." Unless this is your day job.

To whit: such a small MMO could become a nice little business for you. People
will pay for cosmetic stuff, and they love to idle in virtual worlds...

~~~
simple1
Wow, thanks for the encouragement! I am indeed making a business out of this,
and so far I sell memberships, character customizations, vault upgrades, and
name changes. The income has not reached "quit my day job" yet, but I am still
actively developing and marketing the game, and I'm hopeful for the future!
Any ideas on how I could "spread this far and wide"?

~~~
VonGuard
I think you've got a few options. Route 1 is to spread it by hand, post it on
4chan /v/ or on Neogaf and ask for advice there, as you did here.

Second option is to buy actual ads on those same sites, Facebook, Twitter.

But the best option, though the hardest, is for you to begin making the game
show off your personality a bit more. Make it more unique. Think Kingdom of
Loathing or Candy Box: both have totally unique writing and worlds, and aren't
just the standard orcs and goblins. What are you into, personally? What's some
private joke you have with yourself you can spread across this game like a
layer of butter?

Finally, giving people more ownership of the game world will encourage them to
invite friends. Perhaps an "invite 5 friends, get your own house in the game"
type thing. Growing it via social networks is half of that, but the other half
is allowing players to have something in the world they'd want to show to
someone else.

Good luck! You're already doing a great job. Watch player growth religiously.
It's your guide to where advertising works.

------
babuskov
It seems that this started in 2010:

[http://www.aberoth.com/whats_new.php](http://www.aberoth.com/whats_new.php)

Comments from other people trying out the game are hilarious:

    
    
        - I was alive once... it was awful
        - This is way better than GTA
        - How do I give you my money
        - Which way's the strip club

~~~
simple1
I first released the game in 2010. There was originally only one small area to
run around in, and it was running off my DSL line, so it could only support
5-10 players. Also, the client was only available as a Java applet. Websockets
made it possible to create a Javascript client. There is also a mobile version
available which includes controls for touch.

------
Kiro
Where can I read more about the technologies used? I'm especially interested
in how you are using WebSockets to achieve such smooth real-time. I was always
under the impression that WebSockets was unsuitable for multiplayer games like
this.

~~~
tinco
TCP is pretty well suited for MMORPG's, World of Warcraft uses TCP too.

UDP is needed for games that need more consistent accurate response times,
like FPS and racing games.

Hopefully when WebRTC datachannels get browser support we'll finally see those
too :)

~~~
gcb1
there are fps games with more people in the same area as mmos...

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cfontes
For me it's only showing this message.

"Session has ended"

~~~
simple1
I'm not sure what the causes this. I always get this error when trying to run
Aberoth from Apple stores (and I have tried 3 different stores). I can't debug
or fix the problem because I have not seen it anywhere else. The Java version
might work.

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elohesra
Um, when I try to access the site, I get this:

[http://gyazo.com/8b0d0be033b42c789cbfde821fc7a7e1](http://gyazo.com/8b0d0be033b42c789cbfde821fc7a7e1)

For posterity's sake, I'll explain the image: it's Norton blocking the site,
citing an _extremely_ vague 'drive-by download' threat:

[http://safeweb.norton.com/report/show?url=http:%2F%2Faberoth...](http://safeweb.norton.com/report/show?url=http:%2F%2Faberoth.com%2Findex.php%3FjsClient=1&product=NIS&version=20.4.0.40&layout=OEM&lang=0901&source=toolbar)

The site owner may want to get in touch with Symantec to figure out what's
going on.

~~~
simple1
Thanks for pointing this out! I went ahead and registered and disputed the
'threat', so hopefully this warning will go away once they have manually
reviewed the site.

------
sabalaba
Would like to see:

    
    
        - Mining
        - Auction House
        - Scripting language
        - Player driven economy like crafting
    

You will eventually need some kind of gold sink to balance out the
inflationary nature of in game currencies.

------
Kiro
Great job. How do you prevent cheating? Are you validating every action on the
server?

~~~
simple1
Basically, the only thing sent to the server are mouse clicks and keystrokes,
which should make cheating difficult. In the past, people have used macros or
programming to flood the server with mouse / key input, which caused
performance issues. I now rate limit input, so if too much is sent too quickly
it is just thrown away.

------
filipedeschamps
Amazing!

I'd love to see a port of Out of this World to Javascript.

~~~
gisenberg
[http://www.megidish.net/awjs/](http://www.megidish.net/awjs/)

~~~
camus2
IMPRESSIVE ! did you do that ?

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tibbon
A link to the non-minified source?

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fekberg
Out of curiosity, How much larger would this likely become if you converted
this to something 3D using WebGL?

~~~
newobj
Why do you assume it would become larger?

~~~
chad_oliver
He didn't. Negative numbers have been around for millenia.

------
CmonDev
How much of those 55KB is the server?

------
friendly
The title is somewhat misleading; looking at the javascript it appears that
the client is just rendering rectangles in the end. Everything is server side.
This is a really novel approach and the author has done a fantastic job!

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Empathenosis
This is amazing.

I shared this with my stepdad and his friend, and we started talking about
retro-gaming and how things were in the 80's-90's with gaming.

I hope to see this hit Steam :)

~~~
shmerl
Why do you need Steam for a Web game??

~~~
Empathenosis
Well... An easy to download a client, keep a shortcut on the desktop. The user
can track the amount of time invested... Achievements. (People
love..achievements)... Extending the audience to a wider level. There are
plenty other, however the dev said s/he is trying to push for it. So, I wish
them luck. :)

~~~
Cthulhu_
Well, shortcuts can be made to web apps too. But yeah, Steam offers a bunch of
other things to games like this; the ones you mentioned, but also a way to pay
for the game, a community, and (probably most importantly), exposure. App
store for games.

~~~
shmerl
Riddled with DRM though, so I'd avoid it.

~~~
gcb1
steam is like paypal for gamers. which would be good if integration was
easy... but no, you are forced to depend on their fullfledged client with all
the DRM and abusive tactics.

------
kelner
Is this open source by chance? I'd love to see an un-obfuscated version and
the server side code (I'm assuming there has to be at least some?)

------
listic
I have died and I keep getting "session has ended" when I try to log in. Is
this expected?

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nmeofthestate
Hmm. None of the keys work for me. Chrome Windows Version 31.0.1650.57 m

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michaelchum
Amazing, reminds me of Runescape, the old days

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shmerl
Very impressive. Reminds Browser Quest a bit.

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pratik661
Wow this is amazing!

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arcameron
There was no key :o

~~~
saraid216
It's outside the door.

~~~
pantalaimon
It's a trap!

I entered the door someone before me unlocked, but when I went back, running
from thieves on low health, I found the door closed - they had me cornered and
killed me.

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lukasm
awesome! kickstarter maybe?

~~~
simple1
I've considered a Kickstarter, but I'm not sure exactly what I would use the
money for. Perhaps some professional artwork or music. I am trying to get
Aberoth Greenlit on Steam, however. You can see it at:
[http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=930412...](http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93041252)

~~~
moron4hire
You could use it to just live on. That's kind of the point of the patronage
system. You need time to work, and you need food and housing during that time.

