This is an implementation of a "Steam-like" entertainment platform written entirely in Java. The Game Room provides the user with access to several multiplayer games through an online interface, where they can challenge their friends and play strategy games such as Tic Tac Toe.
The Game Room is a project I worked on for my Computer Networks class. The objectives of this project were to become familiar with the Java programming language, get exposed to a client-server architecture, learn the basics of GUI design with Swing and gain experience with database design using mySQL.
│---- src
│ │---- client.java
│ │---- gameRoom.java
│ │---- server.java
| |---- sqlDB.java
│
|---- script.sql
src contains the 4 main files required for running Game Room. Run the sql script script.sql to create the tables necessary for the application in a database of your choice. Just make sure to update sqlDB.java with the correct database parameters (i.e. username, password) and edit DB_URL to reflect the correct name of your database.
The server part of the application is multithreaded. It runs on localhost and actively listens to connections on the port supplied by the command line. It consists of an acceptClients() method which loops in the background waiting for a client to connect. When one does, it forks a thread to accept the client in a thread of its own and instantiates a new socket for that client that listens on the same port. Note that the thread handling is asynchronously managed by use of an ExecutorService.
In each client handler, communication between client and server is done in the form of concatenated strings. The server identifies each command using an initial field we call opcode, inspired by the one used in assembly instructions.
Here are a few opcodes and their associated functions.
| Opcode | Function |
|---|---|
| 0 | Login |
| 1 | Sign-Up |
| 2 | Change Password |
| 3 | Get Messages For A Given User |
| 4 | Send A Chat Msg |
| 5 | Get All Registered Users |
| 6 | Logout |
| 7 | Get All Global Chat |
| 8 | Get All Possible Friends |
| 9 | Add A Friend |
Once the opcode has been parsed, the server executes the command by using SQL queries provided by sqlDB.java. For example, to get a list of all registered users (opcode 5), the server makes use of the sqlDB.getUsersDB() method provided by the sqlDB class. Note that there are 8 mySQL tables that are used to store the information of the Game Room application.
- Login, Signup
- Change Password
- Play Tic Tac Toe
- Global Real-Time Chat
- Private Real-Time Chat
- Add, Remove Friends
- Accept, Decline Game Request
- View Hiscore and Ranking
- View Playing History
Command line arguments need to be specified before running the code. In Eclipse, this can be done by editing the Arguments tab in the Run Configuation window pane (Run > Run Configurations > Arguments).
- Server Configuration: just add the port number, for example 6066. Note that by default, it runs on localhost.
- Client Configuration: client requires server address and port number. Since server is localhost by default, add the following to the arguments tab: localhost 6066.
- gameRoom GUI Configuration: same as client.
Also, don't forget to edit sqlDB parameters as mentioned previously!
Coming soon...