Okay, let's start with a very basic foundation for a real-time multiplayer setup using PHP WebSockets (via the Ratchet library) and JavaScript on the client-side. This initial setup will demonstrate broadcasting messages between connected clients, which is a core requirement for many multiplayer games. **1. Project Setup and Dependencies** First, we need `composer.json` to manage the Ratchet dependency. { "name": "codephp/multiplayer-game-base", "description": "A basic PHP WebSocket server for a multiplayer game.", "type": "project", "require": { "php": "^8.1", "cboden/ratchet": "^0.4.4" }, "autoload": { "psr-4": { "App\\": "src/" } }, "authors": [ { "name": "CodePHP", "email": "codephp@example.com" } ], "minimum-stability": "stable" } clients = new SplObjectStorage(); $this->gameState = ['players' => 0, 'message' => 'Waiting for players...']; echo "GameServer started...\n"; } /** * Called when a new client connects. * Stores the connection and sends the initial game state. * * @param ConnectionInterface $conn The new connection object. */ public function onOpen(ConnectionInterface $conn): void { $this->clients->attach($conn); $this->gameState['players'] = $this->clients->count(); echo "New connection! ({$conn->resourceId}). Total players: {$this->gameState['players']}\n"; // Send initial state to the new client $conn->send(json_encode(['type' => 'gameState', 'data' => $this->gameState])); // Notify all other clients about the new player count $this->broadcast(json_encode(['type' => 'playerCount', 'data' => $this->gameState['players']]), $conn); } /** * Called when a message is received from a client. * Processes the message and potentially broadcasts updates. * * @param ConnectionInterface $from The connection sending the message. * @param string $msg The message received. */ public function onMessage(ConnectionInterface $from, $msg): void { $numRecv = $this->clients->count() - 1; echo sprintf( 'Connection %d sending message "%s" to %d other connection%s' . "\n", $from->resourceId, $msg, $numRecv, $numRecv === 1 ? '' : 's' ); // Basic example: Treat any message as a generic chat message for now // In a real game, you'd parse $msg (e.g., JSON) and update gameState accordingly $messageData = [ 'type' => 'message', 'from' => $from->resourceId, 'text' => htmlspecialchars($msg) // Sanitize user input ]; $this->broadcast(json_encode($messageData), $from); // Broadcast to others } /** * Called when a client disconnects. * Removes the connection and notifies remaining clients. * * @param ConnectionInterface $conn The disconnected connection object. */ public function onClose(ConnectionInterface $conn): void { $this->clients->detach($conn); $this->gameState['players'] = $this->clients->count(); echo "Connection {$conn->resourceId} has disconnected. Total players: {$this->gameState['players']}\n"; // Notify remaining clients about the updated player count $this->broadcast(json_encode(['type' => 'playerCount', 'data' => $this->gameState['players']])); } /** * Called when an error occurs. * Logs the error and closes the problematic connection. * * @param ConnectionInterface $conn The connection where the error occurred. * @param \Exception $e The exception object. */ public function onError(ConnectionInterface $conn, \Exception $e): void { echo "An error has occurred: {$e->getMessage()}\n"; $conn->close(); } /** * Helper method to broadcast a message to all clients, optionally excluding one. * * @param string $data The message data to send. * @param ConnectionInterface|null $exclude The connection to exclude from broadcasting. */ protected function broadcast(string $data, ?ConnectionInterface $exclude = null): void { foreach ($this->clients as $client) { if ($exclude !== $client) { $client->send($data); } } } } run(); Basic Multiplayer Game

Basic Multiplayer Game

Connection Status: Connecting... | Players Online: ?

Game State

Chat