Is there any way to...

Is there any way to make an Offline game into an Online Game, for instance like what the did with Street fighter. But instead of a lobby game, more into an MMO where Everyone connect into one area, or world. Im thinkin to do so with a 2D scroll game for the PC its one play yet they have 2 extra slots for people to play. Would i have to Re write anything ?

I'm been Wanting to make games for a while since i was 13 but i never attempted to just came up with MANY ideas of games. I Started a bit to late now im 18 but Never to late to do anything.

guess you would have to rewrite most of it, but it depends how you have coded the game. have you separating "task" in functions or classes or just running in one big loop (and the big loop isn't the best way to start from )

When talking about networking games, there is also a lot of logic to think about like:
- what work does the server have to do
- what kind of work can the client part do
- and what data should be send between them.

you will also have to choose what programming language(s) you will use, and then start reading about how networking communication is done.

and that is only the start

as many said before, networking games is not the easiest thing to make

So Being that ill have to Rewrite most of it does this mean i can add and put wat ever else i want into the game... ? For instance the game has a pause menu, no Inventory, no chat interface, NPCs or Equips. So i could put all of these in if i wanted to ?

What programming method can i use to do so ?

I am a noob the Closest thing to Making games that i did was M.U.G.E.N. and RPG Maker so i would like all the tips i can get.

And how would someone break into a Setup inorder to re-write it

Fujin's answer was based on the assumption that you wrote the code for the original game. If it's a game that isn't yours, you aren't changing a thing. You can't convert it, you can't modify it, nothing.

So.. theres no way At all that i can do anything with it? so how was games like Counter Strike made. Thats a Mod..... or Even Modding itself.

Even games from N64, Super Nes, Genesis, even CPS1 and CPS2 are able to be played online through a client known as Kailera. If seen modifications in these games, and even something i would have never Expected.

What about Private Servers, these games weren't Changed by the people who made them. Lineage 2, Ragnarok, World or Warcraft, all have private Servers, and all are Emulated, so how would i go about making an Emulation. Games like these of course have mods. Lineage 2 has Race mods, Weapon Mods, even Area and monster mods, Some Private Server Changed lineage 2 into a completly different game.

Are you just Speaking cause im New to Programming or in General, I beleive this can be done, if not throught the setup maybe the games files itself, or make an Emulation of the game if anything and implement what you want from there.

Counter strike is an official mod to Half Life, made by the same company.



what i can see is that Kailera enable emulators to use internet.
Cant say if it would enable offline games to use internet too, although i doubt it.



making mods is not the same thing as converting offline games to online game.

about private servers, as you said it is server which means there exist a client already. offline game is not a client.



nope, as Oler1s said, you cant to any thing if you don't have the source code, and editing games files that is made by others is illegal too.

I'm afraid you'll have to rewrite the most part of it.

There is a nice example, try this
hxxp://clonekeen.sourceforge.net/

These freaks made an emulator for "Commander Keen" game (I hope you know this game,) for Windows and they added 2 player mode into the game, and then they made a version for Gp2X!!

If you want to do this, you'll have to learn a lot of programming materials.

Server/Client Architecture, how to use Graphic Engines and other game libraries, Game algorithms and whole lotta things.

The first thing you might wanna try is to extract graphic/sound files from the game. If your game runs under emulators(like Genesis), analyze the source code, understand how the emulator works and extract pictures/sounds files from the roms. If it is a regular APP, you can disassemble it and search for file handling functions, with the assist of FileMon.

Well... Good luck! I hope to see your online game one day.

There's a mod for GTA that makes it playable online. A bit buggy, but it works.
Doing mods like that requires some serious hardcore programming

Thank you. I forgot about that one. GTA3 right? yeah so if they can do it, SO CAN I. I do what I put my mind to, even though theres one BIG obstacle in my Way (Programming) it can be done in due time.

about the GTA online mod, more can be read at http://www.mtavc.com/, just amazing




well, never thought about reverse engineering a single player game, to hook networking communication into it when i read your question, but seems i have learned something new then

with the above link and this interview there is some advice about it.

just one question, how long time is "in due time"

why you ask about " in due time" you interested in trying out this game which will remain Unknown till i actually am able to do anything about it.

its hard do say if it one of those game i would like to try, as i don't know which kind/genre the game is

when mention the "in due time" it sounds like that you have a deadline, and time isn't what i would start thinking about with this kind of project

what i meant was, the time when i learn every thing need and develooped a skill with programing