Do I need Flash Media Server to make this project?

Question

Im starting to learn about how RTMFP works in Flash, and I want to know what do I need to make this happen.

I got this game, flash game, and I'd like to use RTMFP so other players can play versus/coop with each other.

Think of a RTS (Starcraft), I build units, some other guy do the same, and units fights with each other.

If I understand correctly, Cirrus is enough to make this happen, but I also heard some guys saying that FMS (Flash Media Server) is required for this, wich is, if Im correct, quite expensive at least for my low budget.

So, let say, I got N players, and they can connect with each other like in a regular RTS online game, is Cirrus enough for this?, or do I need to pay for FMS?

I'd also want to record some data after the match is over, so I can give some points/gold/etc to each player.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

You don't really need either. You can build your own server and user Sockets to transmit the data.

Answer 2

You do not need to buy FMS. The PushButton Engine has a networking component built in that supposedly handles low-latency real-time multiplayer games: PushButtonEngine Features. And PlayerIO looks like another free option. There are also plenty of paid multiplayer game frameworks for flash/as3. Here are a couple, but there are more:

• SmartFox
• Alternativa

Also, if you feel like buying a book and whipping up your own solution: Flash 10 Multiplayer Game Essentials

And to answer your question, you probably could use Cirrus for the in-game communication (transmitting locations, actions, etc...). But if you want to store hi scores, or gold, or whatever, then you'll need a game server to store this info, because Cirrus is peer-to-peer only. One of the above mentioned solutions would be a much more efficient solution than rolling your own multiplayer engine in Cirrus.

Answer 3

In addition to eterps suggestions, you might take a look at Union Platform. It provides a cross-platform server that you can install on your own, allows for modules to be added in a variety of languages, and has a front end framework for AS3 called Reactor that brings a huge pile of functionality you are probably looking for.

I'm looking for a use for Union right now because I like it so much.

That said, if you're familiar with FMS, you can get relatively inexpensive shared hosting for FMS from Influxis if you can get it configured how you'd like.

Answer 4

You can use Cirrus and RTMFP to handle all of the in-game communication between players. Cirrus handles getting the players connected, but after that all of the communication is sent directly between the players over a scalable P2P protocol. No need for FMS or any other server for this, and Flash handles all of the P2P details so it's pretty straightforward actually.

As far as saving data after a game session goes, for that you'll want a server of some kind. Doesn't have to be an FMS server, though. You can use a hosted LAMP server for super cheap, or even just use your own computer with a dynamic IP address if your player-base isn't too huge. If you go the LAMP route, look into AMFPHP to get Flash and PHP/MySQL talking.