Request for instructions on modifying the social games pack

Question

The package was uploaded and works well, however :

- Even after going through the game .js codes a few time I fail to understand most of it ; how do I represent it visually ? Isn't there a design mode in visual studio  ? (I searched the web but I coudln't find it...)

- It was my understanding that visual studio "takes away the need to focus on code" and allow with the social games pack a quick start to develop social games ; how do I for example add a simple quiz question (a Javascript pop-up I guess) that would be sent to the winner of the tic-tac-toe game, allowing him to bet his "point" for the question, if sucessful that would give him two points.

So basically I'm asking how to ask the question to the winner, verify the answer with the included dictionary (I think I'd need to add "recognized" words to it in VS) and send back two points instead of one.

I think if I would understand how to do this then I could extrapolate the technique and make other modifications as I see fit ; thanks in advance for the help !

Answer 1

Hi,

I am not familiar with Social Game pack. But currently Visual Studio doesn’t offer a visual designer for JavaScript applications (except for Windows 8 Metro style JavaScript applications). Thus, please run the application to see the result.

As for how to create a quiz question or other tasks related to build the game, I would like to know whether you have any issue with Windows Azure or not. From my experience, what you need is pure JavaScript programming. For example, to create a popup, you can use jQuery UI’s Dialog component: http://jqueryui.com/demos/dialog/. If you’re new to JavaScript, you can get started from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ie/. While the documents primarily target IE, they will work for other modern browsers as well.

In addition, for the questions that about JavaScript development, you can also post them on http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-us/iewebdevelopment/threads.

Best Regards,

Ming Xu.

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Answer 2

What does visual studio offer as an alternative ?

It's kind of an issue because when you visit the web page they use the "ease of producing a social game" I guess thats how I should have formulated the question :

We are pointed at the social games pack to insure our experience on developping a social game is "visual studio" and straight forward, yet when I ask for the "next step" its hard to understand where to go ! Then why was I told that I needed to buy visual studio professional so I could run the social games pack so it would be easy and "take away the need to focus on pure code". I am indeed not expecting a miracle or an all easy solution, I know how to program basically I am just looking for assistance with this...

I'm sure someone around here has looked into the games pack, if you want it would probably not take you long to check it, but this is far from simple javascript... OR does microsoft as an alternative to this, right ?

What about the rest of the games pack, its HTML5... MVC?, isn't there a "frontpage" type editor ? 

Answer 3

Hi,

I'm not sure what your expectation is. Essentially, Visual Studio offers a very advanced IDE that helps us to setup project, architect, write code, debug, deploy, and so on. As for the social game toolkit, it offers some samples applications that we can use without a single line of code. We can also extend those samples, so we don't need to write the core game logic manually.

If we want to write a complete different game, then we still need to write the code. The toolkit also offers a framework that simplifies the working with Windows Azure storage, as pointed out on https://github.com/WindowsAzure-Toolkits/wa-toolkit-games/wiki/architecture.
 
If you're looking for a designer, then we can create a lot of a project that gives us a designer. For example, ASP.NET Web Forms, Silverlight, WPF, or if we are using Windows 8, Metro. But even then, designer can only help us to construct a UI, not the game logic.

Best Regards,

Ming Xu.

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Answer 4

It was my understanding that the toolkit was built using ASP.NET MVC ; when I start a brand new "Azure project" I can access a designer and modify at least the UI... but what I don't see it where to go to get help on understanding any of the logic inside the kit...

The designer is turned off on the toolkit, there is no access to .net "site_master"... where is it ?

And how am I supposed to understand and write the code... Just to understand what I mean you will have to check the toolkit yourself I think... its full of JS controllers and scripts which are all separate and very counter-intuitive.

I understand basic javascript programming but this is totally different ; I would not even know where to begin !

Please take 5 minutes to install the games pack its very easy, and you will see what I mean ! Here is a short clip :

TicTacToeGame.prototype.isTie = function () {
    if (this.hasWinner())
        return false;


    for (var x = 0; x < 3; x++)
        for (var y = 0; y < 3; y++)
            if (this.board[x][y] == TTTColor.Empty)
                return false;


    return true;
};


TicTacToeGame.prototype.hasWinner = function () {
    return this.getWinner() != TTTColor.Empty;
};


TicTacToeGame.prototype.getWinner = function () {
    var winner;


    for (var row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
        winner = inRow(this, row, 0, 0, 1);
        if (winner != TTTColor.Empty)
            return winner;
        winner = inRow(this, 0, row, 1, 0);
        if (winner != TTTColor.Empty)
            return winner;
    }


    winner = inRow(this, 0, 0, 1, 1);
    if (winner != TTTColor.Empty)
        return winner;


    winner = inRow(this, 2, 0, -1, 1);


    return winner;


    function inRow(game, x, y, dx, dy) {
        var color = game.getColor(x, y);


        for (var k = 1; k < 3; k++)
            if (game.getColor(x + dx * k, y + dy * k) !== color)
                return TTTColor.Empty;


        return color;

There is simply no way for me to even begin to understand the game logic, and even if I wanted to write my own "game logic" I'd have to understand how it relates to other .js scripts in the assembly, there is a board script, a controller script a viewmodel script, a game service script, a server interface, a user service.

And even then I have no idea how the userservice talks to any of those and how it connects to the ACS namespace, how it calls the .cs repositories !

Beleive me I searched the web for endless hours, trying to get just an idea on how it's "intuitive" to create a social game on azure.

Why use all this complex assembly, why not make the tic tac toe in MVC instead ? Do I absolutely need this complex assembly to just make a HTML wrapper and login system for my game ? I'm glad that such an assembly is available don't get my wrong, the deployment script and all is wonderful... but :

namespace Microsoft.Samples.SocialGames.Web.Services
{
    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Json;
    using System.Linq;
    using System.Net.Http;
    using System.Web.Mvc;
    using Microsoft.Samples.SocialGames.Entities;
    using Microsoft.Samples.SocialGames.Repositories;
    using Microsoft.Samples.SocialGames.Web.Extensions;

This is the list of dependancies I think for the gameservice.cs ; you see what I mean ? if I modify the simplest game logic I have to understand all those systems like the bottom of my pocket ?

Heck I developped social games in frontpage back in 2000 (with ease and an intgrated designer)... I can't beleive there isn't a more intuitive way to make a game now with all this new technology. I have made a game very easily in FLEX - AIR actionscript, published it without any effort using facebook Heroku... but then I was sold to windows azure, because honestly it looks well made and far superior to Heroku.

To be honest I have been on this tic-tac-toe for 3 months... and I haven't even begun to have a clue on what to do, even with the technical support incident I opened, noone seems to even know how I should proceed.

Noone even knows how I could bring my ready AIR application in the cloud ! And I tried to do this too... some say appfabric, others say use amethyst, others say use tofino, others say use fluorine FX ; others tell me you don't even need any of this if you understand AJAX-JSON... but when I ask for further help all I get is pointers to other companies or basic tutorials I already know by heart... I don't mean to sound frustrated out here but do you think I would have brought 3000$+ of software from microsoft to have to turn around and learn very complex javascript programming which works just fine without any microsoft tools ?!

Heroku integrated my AIR application on facebook literally in the snap of a finger inside a database ready PHP website under an hour of work, facebook runing perfectly with the SDK integrated in the AIR application. I would already be on the market by now...

3 months of work later on Azure, and I have not ONE prospect of a solution, I mean I don't even know where to look to reproduce my success. Thats not even mentioning the social games pack... 

I guess I just have no clue...

Answer 5

What about microsoft expression ? Appfabric ?

I need help here !

Answer 6

Hi Denis,

Is the social games pack part of the Windows Azure offering? Where did you got the social games pack? Can you provide the Link to the resource? If it is a microsoft product I will help to find out the support channel.

best regards,

-Emma

Answer 7

Well if it's not supported by microsoft its a big colored button right on the www.windowsazure.com webpage... I give you an example I want to start programming a game on azure ; I go to your webpage and its said even for free I can develop (with webdev express, which is not true because you need NuGET); even better someone made a package with a deployment script to make sure you can "start" game developping very easily (which is not true you have to learn javascript anyways, not even a designer to help setup the structure).

I end up here 4 weeks later having had all the trouble in the world just to get it working and now I get told I'm supposed to go and learn javascript programming... this is extemely misleading in any way you look at it.

Thanks for the clarifications...

By the way I found another solution so there is no urgency or complaint... it just was so extreemly frustrating of an experience !

Answer 8

Hi Denis,

It's good to know your problem is solved. I checked www.windowsazure.com following your hint and found the mentioned social games pack pointing to this https://github.com/WindowsAzure-Toolkits/wa-toolkit-games .  The coresponding support channel is https://github.com/contact . In case you need support on this product in the future, submit the question on that web site shall help you.

-Emma