Google App Engine + Python

[SinbadEV]

So, I have this "idea" for a "web-based" "game" and since I am currently displaced from my home computer I was looking for some kind of way to make it easy on myself to program... right now I have downloaded and am installing the google app engine for python... the theory goes that I can have up to 5 million page views of my up to 500MB web-app for free... that is plenty of room for what I have planned until it get's the the awesomeness level needed to start charging money for access to my "game"...

Anyway... does anyone have any stern warnings againsts app engine, google in general, or python (other option is Java)...

Or in general is there anyone who feels like babbling at or about my post...

Or is there anyone out there who is really in to python programming and wants to tutor me?

[SwiftSpear]

I can offer help with Java but not with Python. However, I'm probably useless so don't make your decision based solely on help I can offer.

[SinbadEV]

Well, I can only do stuff locally until I get a friend with an cell with SMS to let me use it to authenticate my app engine account... but locally the demo app and sandbox are working... so in the mean time I spent a bunch of hours working on my design specs/fleshing out ideas phase... but the rub is that I have a working development environment to play around in...

[AF]

Your in the US aren't you and you don't have a mobile phone with texts?

Something like dream hosts should be better for you since you can run python stuff on it, and your not stuck at 500mb

[TradeMark]

I was looking for some kind of way to make it easy on myself to program

Have you tried game maker? theyre pretty advanced these days. It supports web-based games as well, just it needs to install plugin for it in the browser. Also network games should be possible.

[Pxtl]

Well, it depends what kind of thing you're doing. If you're doing something that fits within a static web-paradigm, then google app engine is appropriate. But that's not going to be an arcade game like you'd make with Game Maker.

Alternately, I've heard that Syntensity has done wonderful things with making free FPS development easy.

But really, for the modern, bleeding edge approach, the next big thing is the stuff Google is putting together to make web-apps have all the powers of desktop apps (including OpenGL and access to native compiled languages).

The web gives you cross-platform and installation for free. Need to learn to code? Focus on Javascript.

[SinbadEV]

What I'm building is effectively a turn based strategy board/card game.

Your in the US aren't you and you don't have a mobile phone with texts?

I don't a have a cell phone period.

[AF]

Then all hope is lost on you

[SinbadEV]

turns out I had a friend with a cell phone with SMS capability willing to let me use it to register my app. YAY... one less excuse, now I need to find a new one...

[AF]

Please please don't say that, even my grandmother doesn't sound that old fashioned!!!!

What if you were in work and one of your kids got pulled into hospital just after you left the house?

[Neddie]

Sometimes owning a phone just isn't an option, financially.

[TradeMark]

Sometimes owning a phone just isn't an option, financially.

Hmm... dont you americans have these cellphone contracts where you pay only for the use of it? and no extra payments, maybe 1$ a month extra... and buying a cheap nokia wont cost you more than 20$ XD

[AF]

Pay as you go phones cost nothing to own, you just fill them up with money as and when you need.

[Teutooni]

I don't a have a cell phone period.

Haha. I have 3 unused cell phones lying around, too bad shipping them overseas would cost more than their actual worth.

[Forboding Angel]

Pay as you go phones cost nothing to own, you just fill them up with money as and when you need.

Pay as you go phones are more or less a scam. For example if you put money on the phone and don't use it within 30 or 60 days you lose it, it's pretty BS.

[TradeMark]

Pay as you go phones are more or less a scam. For example if you put money on the phone and don't use it within 30 or 60 days you lose it, it's pretty BS.

in finland its 1 year until the money gets lost, IIRC

[Neddie]

Pay as you go phones are useful for one, and only one, purpose. Making calls from a disposable phone to make tracing you more difficult. Minute for minute the cost is not competitive, the network support is generally deplorable, and the features included in most of the cheap models are extremely limited.

Plus, once again, twenty dollars may not be an acceptable cost to make a handful of calls.

[FLOZi]

PAYG is obviously different in the US, as it is extremely cost-effective for me. I've never been on contract and don't wish to be.

[AF]

That's just a very very bad network operator.

Over in the UK you can get pay as you go sims that give you unlimited texts and internet for the month when you add more than £15

[SerjnDestroy]

Alternately, I've heard that Syntensity has done wonderful things with making free FPS development easy.

Thanks for the mention, don't forget that Syntensity also has a web-plugin and has uses Javascript for scripting, with extra python-plugin goodness for other utilities.

We've also been tempted at looking into AppEngine for hosting, but that would require quite a bit of re-wiring on the web backend, and the lead dev isn't up to it atm. But anyhow :)

Check out the latest game that's being made with it, to: MetalBlech. I can see it as being of quite a bit of interest here, but I didn't want to make a seperate post because the assets aren't re-usable (for the moment). Maybe in the future though, if someone convinces Chronos/GK, who knows