I am going to teach you how i do MMO stuff using FTP...this can be done using a real Server or an FTP server...but there are a few minor changes to how it works...
Ok first you will need and FTP server, free will more than suffice as you wont actually have big downloads. I used bravenet before but i think they dont do free FTP anymore...
Ok, the FTP server is gonna act as your Virtual DNS server...How does it work, well, first you can start by understanding that a Dynamic IP changes every so often, so you will need a program that will check you IP and compare it to the old IP every so often, 23 seconds is good. But these commands are not built into DBpro so i recomend a DLL that i once found...can't remember where i got it...and basically the program would be...
REM Understand i am not at a DBPro Comp at the moment so my code will be adjusted later
USER$="USER"
PASSWORD$="PASSWORD"
DOMAIN$="DOMAIN"
Connect to FTP USER$,PASSWORD$,DOAMAIN$
do
IP$=OLDIP$
IP$=GETIP
IF IP$=OLDIP$ then IPGOOD=1
Else
IPGOOD=0
IF IPGOOD=0 Then GOSUB UPDATE
wait 23000
loop
UPDATE:
DELETE FILE "IPSTRING.IP"
OPEN FILE FOR WRITING "IPSTRING.IP",1
DELETE FTP FILE "IPSTRING.IP"
WRITE STRING TO FILE IP$,1
PUT FTP FILE "IPSTRING.IP"
RETURN
OK, this will update the server IP or if its not a server it can be run on the client to update whoever the host of a particular game, these are more oriented around a server though...
Ok, now that we have this dont you can see that we are ready to actually hook a client into the FTP...use the same code except make it GET FTP FILE...this will download thi IP adress of the server when they logon. Now if they are givin the correct IP it will be able to find the server. But if you want it to run as just a PSUEDO DNS then just make the clients check for the IP on the FTP then they will be able to check to make sure that game exists...remember you should probly include the game info so you dont connect to that computer if the particular game has been changed or the IP is changed to another computer running the same game...now you ask what about a list of inactive games...this would be the servers job, you would run a small program to check for the game info from a cable line...but you could also use it on a client to run hidden so that it would refresh the games auto matically.
Using these types of structure you could have Virtual Server that were just FTP, or make it appear that the server is Static. I recomend the Server version of the VIRTUAL DNS but a PSUEDO DNS server would work for a Network Game such as a Diablo clone, where it would list the game names, or location of the Open Chat Channels...
I know this wasn't a great idea but it will give you ideas for your own, i actually made this so complex in my program its hard to tell its not a real Server, when i used the PSUEDO DNS Server, now i use the VIRTUAL DNS server and am still expierimenting on it...
Visual Programming Studio ORANGE
Replacement IDE for Dark Basic Professional...
(Will Be Availeable When This is Removed)
