vbProArcade Beta 2

vbProArcade Beta 2

1/5/03: Beta 2 released
9/12/02: Beta 1.03 zip updated to include safe mode fix
9/3/02: Beta 1.03 released -- small bug fixes, see below
9/1/02: Beta 1 of vbProArcade has been posted. Please see below for installation instructions.


Background Information

vbProArcade is a fully-customizable Flash arcade add-on for vBulletin, complete with game-by-game scoreboards, forum integration, a "champions" system, statistics, and more.

This is an extensive hack that is still in BETA form, and I don't recommend installing it if you are not willing to work through potential issues and future updates/upgrades! I am working on making the installation instructions as easy as possible, but it will probably be some time before it is perfect.

Watch this post for updates as they happen, and check out screenshots from the list below. If you would like to see the hack in action, you may visit my Shadows of Namek forums. You will need to register to play, but you can view the scoreboards and the arcade itself as a guest.


Credits

This hack materialized thanks to work and help from a number of people and forums. Here they are:

• Original vbTetris Hack by Erwin Loh
• Original vbTetris Leaderboard Hack by John Warwick (john.eovie)
• One of my users, Simon Steel, for work on Flash coding/recoding
• The users of one of my forums, Shadows of Namek, for their extensive testing of the system
• And The Kryptonian for pre-release and release candidate installation testing.

Games

So far, there are FIVE GAMES that work correctly with this hack. They are:

Breakout
Pacman
Snake
Space Invaders
Tetris

All five .SWF files are included in the release archive.

There is now a Flash Games Development Thread for the purpose of modifying existing games to work with vbProArcade, or for creating new games to be compatible with vbProArcade. If you have a game that you wish to see modified but don't know how, post the .FLA source in that thread and hopefully somebody can assist you.


Installation Instructions

Download the file attached to this post, unzip it and familiarize yourself with the contents BEFORE doing anything.

There are TWO separate files worth reading, the Documentation and the Installation Instructions. I recommend that you read both BEFORE doing anything else.

Once you have done this, the instructions to be followed are contained in vbproarcade-install.txt. Follow them as precisely as possible. If you encounter an error somewhere, it is likely that you missed a step or made a small error. Please double-check your work BEFORE posting about problems here.

And it cannot be said enough: read that file before you do anything, and if you are unsure of something, please post your question(s) before attempting to install the hack.


Problems and Fixes/Workarounds (as of 1/5)

• None

Known Bugs/Limitations

Here is the list of stuff that I know does not work. I will be working towards correcting these bugs BEFORE adding new features for the next release.

• Netscape will allow you to play the games but not record scores
• If a user uses the "Back" button to go to the game screen, and does not refresh before playing, the score will result in a Security Violation. This is by design.

Screen Shots for Beta 2

Here is the list of posts from this thread that contain screen shots for the new version. Check them out!

• Main Arcade Screen: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...106#post292106
• Game Screen: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...107#post292107
• Game Over Screen: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...109#post292109
• Scoreboard: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...110#post292110
• Top Score Board: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...111#post292111
• Admin Modify Game: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...112#post292112
• Who's Online Display: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...113#post292113
• User Detail Screen: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...811#post337811
• Admin Score Editor: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...736#post338736
• Champ System in Postbit: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...745#post338745
• Modify Games in Admin CP (contracted): https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...858#post389858
• Modify Games in Admin CP (expanded): https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...859#post389859

Upcoming Features

This is the stuff that is in progress for future release:

• Complete Admin Panel Scoreboard Editor
• Additional integration with vB
• Even better Who's Online screen

Some have emailed or PM'd me asking if I would accept donations for my work on this hack, and yes, I certainly will, and any and all support is greatly appreciated. With over 2,000 lines of original PHP code, in addition to HTML and Flash work, I have spent a great deal of time developing and debugging the source for this, and it is a great feeling to have people like it so much that they want to give something back.

All donations received go directly back into supporting my websites and my design activities. You may click here to donate via Paypal. Note that donations are by no means required, and not donating does not mean you won't get support for the hack.

Last but not least, thanks for checking this out!

[GaleForce]

So, can anyone answer my question?

Is it possible to upgrade from Beta 1 to Beta 2 without having to go through uninstalling Beta 1 first?

[futureal]

GaleForce: Sadly, not really.

The templates you could probably just replace with never versions, rather than removing the old ones.

The SQL tables should be removed and then re-installed.

The actual code changes will mostly be in the same places, but not necessarily. That's why I've recommended uninstalling the original Beta 1 before installing Beta 2.

[GaleForce]

I don't have the instructions to Beta 1 installation, could you attach those so that I can download them and use them to uninstall beta 1? Thanks.

[futureal]

You'll find them here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...610#post352610

[GaleForce]

Thanks!

[eoc_Jason]

I have a slight suggestion for scoring options... Rather than record every score, how about just like the top 10 or 25, like on a real arcade machine....

[GaleForce]

Because what if you want to know who came in 674th place?!?!?!

[futureal]

This is what is done for Beta 2.1 so far:

- Fixed SQL Error in User Detail Screen
- Fixed Game Ordering in User Detail Screen
- Fixed $bburl in User Detail Screen
- Fixed Mini-Scoreboard Display to show "Nobody" when a game is new
- Added Additional $_GET security (check for GET variables)
- Optimized Mini-Scoreboard Display, now 1 query per game
- Added Additional Statistics to Arcade Page (total users, games, time)
- Added Browser Compatibility Disclaimer

Before I release this sucker, can anybody think of anything else (major) that needs to be addressed?

I don't plan on adding any new features to the Arcade until there is a close-to-100% stable version that I can actually call a true release. I am more focused on fixing bugs and compatibility problems right now.

[GaleForce]

A data mismatch has been discovered between the game and the arcade, normally as the result of a cheating attempt. This attempt has been logged, and the score invalidated. If you feel that you are receiving this message in error, please contact the system administrator.

I keep getting that error whenever I try to play. Other than that, the new arcade (Version 2) is very good. Would you mind modifying the 2.1 instructions a bit so that us 2.0 users could just upgrade instead of reinstalling it? Or you could just offer it as an upgrade, like install 2.0 first, and then install this "patch"

Also, how can I reduce the font size used for the $vpachamptext variable?
-- Nm, figured that one out, just need help with the others now.

[PixelFx]

futureal
My mind is blank, I just came onto install beta 2, but if your close or need someone to test beta 2.1 I can wait. if you want to PM me. Most of the ideas I have would be for addon's aka stock hack and point jackpot system updated for beta 2.1

give me tell if you need help,

I checked out your demo site, it looks great, did you change the admin cp at all? otherwise from an outside look I can't wait to install it