How To Create an Explore System in Mys. 1.3.4

[cailynmae]

How to Create an Explore System


"In this tutorial we will go over how you can create an exploration system. It will start with a few basic questions and answers, and then will move onto the acutal coding and tutorial.


Questions and Answers

What sort of exploration system are we going to be making?
We'll be making a basic system where your users can explore different locations and have different chances of finding different pets and items.

What are the features of this exploration system?
Here's a list:

• Exploring different areas
• Chances of finding certain pets, items, amounts of currency, or nothing
• Allowing a user to explore a certain area only if they have a certain item
• Allowing a user to explore a certain area only if they have a premium membership
• Allowing a user to explore a certain area only if they are in a certain usergroup
• Allowing a user to explore an area a certain number of times each day
• And maybe more that I have forgotten about

Okay then! Tell me anything else I might need to know and then can you get on with the tutorial?
Well, I use this exploration system on my own site. Also, certain bits of code(pretty much the MySQL bits) I learned from Kyttias(Seriously helpful member who has earned her premium membership many times over), but the basic idea of what I needed to do I came up with myself. Anyway, I feel like I should share this script with the community, because all the other exploration systems I have seen on here either are basically just interactive stories, not informative enough, or outdated. This script is tried and tested for Mys. 1.3.4, but not for anything else. Let me know how it works for older things! Oh yeah. I can start the tutorial now.


Tutorial and Script

Step One - Creating the explore pages:

We need to create the explore pages before we can do anything. First, let's create the explore.php page. Put this inside:

<?php

class ExploreController extends AppController{

    public function __construct(){
        parent::__construct("member");	
    }
	
	public function index(){
		$mysidia = Registry::get("mysidia");
	}
}
?>

Now, go to the view folder and create the exploreview.php page. Put this in it:

 <?php
class ExploreView extends View{

    public function index(){
        $mysidia = Registry::get("mysidia");
        $document = $this->document;        
        $document->setTitle("Explore");    
        $document->add(new Comment("Choose a location that you wish to explore.", FALSE));

    }bl
    
}
?>

We'll come back to this page later.

Step Two - Modifying the database

We need to modify the database in order for this to work. You will need to add two columns to the adopts_users table. The first one will be named lastday. Its type will be VARCHAR(20), Collation utf8_unicode_ci, and Default 0. The second will be named exploretimes, with type INT(20). They should look something like this when you are creating them:

If you want to have premium members, add a column in adopts_users_status named premium, type VARCHAR(20), Collation utf8_unicode_ci, and Default 'No'.

Step Three - Creating the exploration areas

For each area a user can explore, create a page called explore[put area name here].php and explore[put area name here].php. For the purpose of this tutorial, we'll just make two areas: Area 1 and Area 2. We'll create explorearea1.php and explorearea2.php. In them we'll put:

<?php

class Explorearea1Controller extends AppController{

    public function __construct(){
        parent::__construct("member");	
    }
	
	public function index(){
		$mysidia = Registry::get("mysidia");
	}
}
?>

in explorearea1.php, and

<?php

class Explorearea2Controller extends AppController{

    public function __construct(){
        parent::__construct("member");	
    }
	
	public function index(){
		$mysidia = Registry::get("mysidia");
	}
}
?>

in explorearea2.php. Next, we'll create explorearea1view.php and explorearea2view.php. First we'll put

<?php

class Explorearea1View extends View{
	
	public function index(){
	    $mysidia = Registry::get("mysidia");
		$document = $this->document;
        	$document->setTitle("Exploring Area 1");  
		$today = date(d);
		if ($mysidia->user->lastday != $today) {
		$mysidia->db->update("users", array("exploretimes" => (0)), "username = '{$mysidia->user->username}'");        
		}

		$mysidia->db->update("users", array("lastday" => $today), "username = '{$mysidia->user->username}'");
		$mysidia->db->update("users", array("exploretimes" => ($mysidia->user->exploretimes + 1)), "username = '{$mysidia->user->username}'");  
		if ($mysidia->user->exploretimes <= 5) {  
			$random = rand(1,100);

			if($random > 1 && $random < 20){
				$species = "Common Species";
				$newadopt = new StockAdopt($species);
				$newadopt->append($mysidia->user->username);
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a $species! It's pretty common.", FALSE));
			}
			elseif($random >= 21 && $random <= 30){
				$amount = rand(5,20);
				$mysidia->user->changecash($amount); 
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found $amount cash!", FALSE)); 
			}
			elseif($random >= 31 && $random <= 40){
				$item = "Item";
				$qty = 1;
				$newitem = new StockItem($item);
				$newitem->append($qty, $mysidia->user->username);  
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a <b>$item</b>!", FALSE));
			}
			if($random >= 41 && $random <= 60){
				$species = "Another Common Species";
				$newadopt = new StockAdopt($species);
				$newadopt->append($mysidia->user->username);
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a $species! It's pretty common.", FALSE));
			}
			if($random >= 61 && $random <= 70){
				$species = "Uncommon Species";
				$newadopt = new StockAdopt($species);
				$newadopt->append($mysidia->user->username);
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a $species! It's uncommon.", FALSE));
			}
			if($random >= 71 && $random <= 75){
				$species = "Rare Species";
				$newadopt = new StockAdopt($species);
				$newadopt->append($mysidia->user->username);
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a $species! It's rare and hard to find.", FALSE));
			}
			if($random >= 76 && $random <= 80){
				$item = "Item";
				$qty = 1;
				$newitem = new StockItem($item);
				$newitem->append($qty, $mysidia->user->username);  
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a <b>$item</b>!", FALSE));
			}
			if($random >= 81 && $random <= 90){
				$item = "Rock";
				$qty = 1;
				$newitem = new StockItem($item);
				$newitem->append($qty, $mysidia->user->username);  
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a <b>$item</b>!", FALSE));
			}
			if($random >= 91 && $random <= 99){
				$document->add(new Comment("You didn't find anything. Better luck next time.", FALSE));
			}
			elseif($random == 100){
				$species = "Very Rare Species";
				$newadopt = new StockAdopt($species);
				$newadopt->append($mysidia->user->username);
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a$species! Wow, it's really rare.", FALSE));
			}
			else{
			$document->add(new Comment("Oops! Something went wrong.", FALSE));
			}
		}
		else{
		$document->add(new Comment("It seems you have explored too much today, why don't you take a rest?", FALSE));
		}   

	}

}
?>

in explorearea1.php. We'll put the same in explorearea2.php, but instead we'll replace class Explorearea1View extends View{ with class Explorearea2View extends View{, and $document->setTitle("Exploring Area 1"); with $document->setTitle("Exploring Area 2");.

Step Four - Choosing the chances and types of pets and items

You probably want to decide how often a pet or item or currency pops up. You also probably wish to decide which pets or items can be found. So, I'll show you the code for obtaining a pet:

			if($random >= 41 && $random <= 60){
				$species = "Another Common Species";
				$newadopt = new StockAdopt($species);
				$newadopt->append($mysidia->user->username);
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a $species! It's pretty common.", FALSE));
			}

This bit determines the rarity out of a hundred: if($random >= 41 && $random <= 60){. This means that if the random number picked is in between 41 and 60, it will give the user that pet. It also means it has a 1 in 5 chance of getting picked. You can change the two numbers to grow or shrink the range. $species determines which species will be found, and $document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a $species! It's pretty common.", FALSE)); can be modified to determine what the page says.

			if($random >= 81 && $random <= 90){
				$item = "Rock";
				$qty = 1;
				$newitem = new StockItem($item);
				$newitem->append($qty, $mysidia->user->username);  
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found a <b>$item</b>!", FALSE));
			}

This is the code for obtaining an item. Everything is as before, except you change $item to determine which item is given, and $qty to determine how much of that item is given.

			elseif($random >= 21 && $random <= 30){
				$amount = rand(5,20);
				$mysidia->user->changecash($amount); 
				$document->add(new Comment("Oh look! You found $amount cash!", FALSE)); 
			}

This is the code for giving a user some currency. Everything is as before, except you change $amount to determine the amount of currency that is given.

			if($random >= 91 && $random <= 99){
				$document->add(new Comment("You didn't find anything. Better luck next time.", FALSE));
			}

This is the code for finding nothing. Poor explorer.

Step Five - Restrictions

Here's how to input a restriction: Right after the $document->setTitle(""); line, put the first part of the restriction code. Then, right after the else{
$document->add(new Comment("It seems you have explored too much today, why don't you take a rest?", FALSE));
} lines, paste the second part of the restriction code.

Item Restriction: This will only let a user explore in that area if they have a specific item.
First Part:

$item = "[put item name here]";
		$hasitem = $mysidia->db->select("inventory", array("quantity"), "itemname ='{$item}' and owner='{$mysidia->user->username}'")->fetchColumn();
		if($hasitem){

Second Part:

}
		else{
        		$document->add(new Comment("[put text here]", FALSE));
		}

Premium Restriction: This will only let a user explore in a certain area if they have a premium membership. NOTE: This only works if you followed the second part of the database modifications I mentioned above.
First Part:

		if($mysidia->user->status->premium == "yes"){

Second Part:

		else{
			$document->add(new Comment("Whoops, looks like you aren't a premium member. Only premium members can explore here.", FALSE));
		}

More restrictions may come soon!


Sixth Part: Links and/or image maps

Now you need to go back to the exploreview.php file and add this right after the $document->add(new Comment("Choose a location that you wish to explore.", FALSE)); line:

$document->add(new Comment(""));

Inside the quotes add the code for your form of links to the different area pages. For example, Area 1, or area1.php, would need something that linked to yoursite.com/area1. Make sure to replace all " within the quotes with ', or you'll have some problems.

Now save everything and visit yoursite.com/explore and look around! You've coded an explore system!

Let me know if you have any issues with this. Let me know if this was helpful! Thank you and you're welcome!