This is not a basic tutorial about internet servers or databases. We will talk about the Director MultiUser Server and its database.
Our new challenge is: how to save a game/world?
The player opens some doors, pick some objects and is in some place of the world when he decides to stop and would like to save the situation to come back tomorrow. How?
MUS IS NOT HTTP
Director has (included in the box) a server (MUS: Multi User Server) and a database (a micro-database).
In the folder: Macromedia\Director\Shockwave Multiuser Server You will find the MultiuserServer .exe
It's essential to have a fixed IP address to use the server
It's possible that you have programmed some web applications using CGI to access a HTTP server (IIS, Apache etc.).
The CGI model is stateless. This means that we send some data to the server starting the programm that will create a NEW web page on-the-fly with some data to be received by the player. The connection player-server is closed after this "roundtrip".
Director server works differently. A movie first creates a conection with the server, send some data to the server and waits the answer. That will be received in the same web page!!!!, inside the movie. The connection remains until the player makes a disconnection or leaves the web page. It's a stateful connection.
SERVER ADMINISTRATION
The Director MUS is a simple server but has some administrative resources. There are many server commands and database commands that you can find in the Director Help. The most important we will see in this tutorial.
There are a file: Multiuser.cfg where you can define some parameters like:
It's possible to create users adding lines in the Multiuser.cfg. This will be our first task: to create an administrative user. Add this line in the file:
XtraCommand = "CreateUser admin pass 100"
We are creating the user: admin with the passworld pass and the user level: 100, the hightest.
In the next lesson we will learn how to use this special user.
When you start the server the Multiuser.cfg is executed.
It's possible to confirm your IP address selecting Status |Server in the main Menu.
PREVIOUS LESSON NEXT LESSON T. CONTENTS HOMEPAGE
