OpenPlay 2.2r2 review

OpenPlay is a cross-platform network abstraction layer

License: APSL (Apple Public Source License) File size: 0K Developer: OpenPlay Team

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OpenPlay is a cross-platform network abstraction layer. OpenPlay is designed to simplify the task of creating programs which communicate across multiple computers and has been used in dozens of commercial products. Includes NetSprocket API compatability.

Getting Started With OpenPlay

There are currently a few sample applications available to help you understand the workings of OpenPlay/NetSprocket:

OPExample1 is the best place to start. This example is a complete mini-game for multiple players and demonstrates how to host and join games, as well as sending, receiving data and how to handle various chores related to networking with OpenPlay. This example has both a Protocol and NetSprocket networking example, and can server as a decent learning tool for the APIs as well as a good starting point for your own game. The networking code (nsp_network or op_network) was designed to be fairly easy to bring to another app, so although it is not 100% application independent it should be easy enough to figure out how to make it work in yours.

OpenPlayTest is a small application that allows you to explore the basic features of OpenPlay, including setting up a client/server connection via the cross-platform GUI, enumerating through a list of available hosts, sending packets and streams between processes, and so forth. The code can be a bit daunting to newcomers, however.

OPMiniDemo is a stripped down "bare metal" example of the lowest elements of OpenPlay, using a crude text-based menu to drive a fixed single-connection client/server topology. Its severely limited functionality helps reveal the core workings of an OpenPlay application, however. MiniPlay is meant to be learning tool, not a foundation on which to build your application.

OPEnumTest is a simple app focusing on OpenPlay's enumeration routines -functions for creating a list of games currently on the network and joining based on that.

NSpTestApp is a small application that allows you to explore and test the NetSprocket component of OpenPlay. You can do pretty much anything in the API here via lists of commands, so it's a good way to orient yourself with the workings of NSp. In the Documentation folder, you'll find a step by step list of commands to run to ensure NetSprocket is working properly.

What's New in This Release:
fixed missing functions in export files