State classes: State directory

Game File Reference

Overview

• dbmodel.sql - database model
• gameinfos.inc.php - meta-information
• gameoptions.json - game options & user preferences
• img/ - game art
• Game Metadata Manager - tags and metadata media
• material.inc.php - static data
• misc/ - studio-only storage
• modules/ - additional game code
• States/ - State classes
• states.inc.php - state machine
• stats.json - statistics
• X.action.php - player actions
• X.css - interface stylesheet
• Game.php - main logic
• X.js - interface logic
• X.view.php - dynamic game layout
• X_X.tpl - static game layout

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Useful Components

Official

• Deck: a PHP component to manage cards (deck, hands, picking cards, moving cards, shuffle deck, ...).
• PlayerCounter and TableCounter: PHP components to manage counters.
• Draggable: a JS component to manage drag'n'drop actions.
• Counter: a JS component to manage a counter that can increase/decrease (ex: player's score).
• ExpandableSection: a JS component to manage a rectangular block of HTML than can be displayed/hidden.
• Scrollmap: a JS component to manage a scrollable game area (useful when the game area can be infinite. Examples: Saboteur or Takenoko games).
• Stock: a JS component to manage and display a set of game elements displayed at a position.
• Zone: a JS component to manage a zone of the board where several game elements can come and leave, but should be well displayed together (See for example: token's places at Can't Stop).
• bga-animations : a JS component for animations.
• bga-cards : a JS component for cards.
• bga-dice : a JS component for dice.
• bga-autofit : a JS component to make text fit on a fixed size div.
• bga-score-sheet : a JS component to help you display an animated score sheet at the end of the game.

Unofficial

• BGA Code Sharing - Shared resources, projects on git hub, common code, other links
• BGA Studio Cookbook - Tips and instructions on using API's, libraries and frameworks
• Common board game elements image resources

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Game Development Process

• First steps with BGA Studio
• Create a game in BGA Studio: Complete Walkthrough
• Tutorial reversi
• Tutorial hearts
• BGA Studio Guidelines
• BGA game Lifecycle
• Pre-release checklist
• Post-release phase
• Player Resources - add player help/rules to your game page

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Guides for Common Topics

• Translations - make your game translatable
• Game Replay
• Mobile Users
• 3D
• Compatibility

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Miscellaneous Resources

• Studio FAQ
• Tools and tips of BGA Studio - Tips and instructions on setting up development environment
• Studio logs - Instructions for log access
• Practical debugging - Tips focused on debugging
• Troubleshooting - Most common "I am really stuck" situations
• Studio Bugs - Reports against Studio itself (not BGA!)

State classes allow to create a PHP class for each game state. It allows to split the code in multiple files, without using Traits. The advantage is that the IDE understands the structure and can provide auto-completion and error highlights, that are lost in Traits.

Structure

The State class in modules/php/States/PlayerTurn.php will have this structure:

namespace Bga\Games\<MyGameName>\States;

use Bga\GameFramework\StateType;
use Bga\GameFramework\States\GameState;
use Bga\GameFramework\States\PossibleAction;
use Bga\Games\<MyGameName>\Game;

class PlayerTurn extends GameState
{
    function __construct(
        protected Game $game,
    ) {
        parent::__construct($game,
            id: 2,
            type: StateType::ACTIVE_PLAYER,

            // optional
            description: clienttranslate('${actplayer} must play a card or pass'),
            descriptionMyTurn: clienttranslate('${you} must play a card or pass'),
            transitions: [],
            updateGameProgression: false,
            initialPrivate: null,
        );
    }

    public function getArgs(): array
    {
        // the data sent to the front when entering the state
        return [];
    } 

    function onEnteringState(int $activePlayerId) {
        // the code to run when entering the state
    }   

    #[PossibleAction]
    public function actPlayCard(int $card_id, int $activePlayerId, array $args): string
    {
        // the code to run when the player triggers actPlayCard with bgaPerformAction
    }

    function zombie(int $playerId): string {
        // the code to run when the player is a Zombie
    }
}

The state must extends Bga\GameFramework\States\GameState and follow the same __construct function as the example. Only $game, id and type are mandatory, other parameters are optional. In non GAME states, the zombie function is also mandatory.

Differences with states declared in states.inc.php

The function getArgs replaces the function that was declared as "args" => "argXXX" on states.inc.php. Same for the function onEnteringState that was "action" => "stXXX" on states.inc.php. The zombie function doesn't have the state as first parameter anymore, because it's not needed in this context.

The possible actions for this states don't need to be declared as an array, they will be found with the tag #[PossibleAction] over each possible action.