I'm thinking of testing out LAMP and seeing whether it suits my webcoding-fu and also to learn how to efficiently use Apache, MySQL and PHP (probably version 5, why go with any earlier?). But I don't know what I should try and make.
Any ideas or constructive thoughts?
Write a browser-based MMORPG 
Failing that, you can write some simpler game. I personally love Blacknova and I used to play LOTGD. Whenever I try to learn something new I always try to write some game, it has been like that with Basic, Pascal, C/C++ and Java. PL/SQL is the only language I've used more than just writing a few hello-worlds that I've not (yet) used to write a game.
As HoHo said, games.
Another not-so-fun project could be a forum or a CMS 
Is CMS, 'Content Management System', like a wiki? What could be the content?
Forums need a purpose to get people to participate.
Write a browser-based MMORPG
Well that would be interesting but the only things that I could think of are like Race-Wars Kingdoms (I think that it's called) and Arenascape.
A simpler thing to get started are multiplayer turn-based games. Take chess, for example.
A simpler thing to get started are multiplayer turn-based games. Take chess, for example.
Would people mind playing over long periods like that (having turns that last 5 ~ 10 minutes long or longer)?
I'd kind of thought that something like chess on the web would be done using Java applets (like Jagex did).
Yeah, sure, that's also a possibility. I was thinking about the really lasting games that'd take weeks (with probably one move per day). The chess thread that was here on a.cc would be a perfect application for something like that.
Yeah, sure, that's also a possibility. I was thinking about the really lasting games that'd take weeks (with probably one move per day). The chess thread that was here on a.cc would be a perfect application for something like that.
I guess that that could be a good idea, having multiple sessions and sign-ins. And other people can look at what the game is happening (plus a history of movements).
Anything else? 
[edit]
PHP should be able to easily generate the boards and chess pieces?... What was used in the thread?
I'd kind of thought that something like chess on the web would be done using Java applets (like Jagex did).
Yes, it could but then you wouldn't learn anything about LAMP now would you 
PHP should be able to easily generate the boards and chess pieces?... What was used in the thread?
Yep, images where generated via a PHP script, check my sig
[edit]
Starting board:
r n b q k b n r p p p p p p p p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P P P P P P P P R N B Q K B N R
You feed this to the link i have in my sig and the board is drawed
[edit2]
The code that shows the board, probably far from perfect but i never was a PHP guru and needed something that just worked, it may help you though
| 1 | <?php |
| 2 | error_reporting(E_STRICT); |
| 3 | // |
| 4 | // ---- MAIN PROGRAM START ---- |
| 5 | // create image |
| 6 | $y_off = 20; |
| 7 | $x_off = 20; |
| 8 | |
| 9 | if(isset($_GET["cset"])){ |
| 10 | $cset = $_GET["cset"]; |
| 11 | } |
| 12 | else { |
| 13 | exit(); |
| 14 | } |
| 15 | |
| 16 | if(file_exists("moves/".$cset) == FALSE)exit(); |
| 17 | |
| 18 | $set = file("moves/".$cset); |
| 19 | $chess = array(); |
| 20 | $white = 0; |
| 21 | $black = 0; |
| 22 | for($x=0; $x<4; $x++){ |
| 23 | $y = strrpos($set[$x], "*"); |
| 24 | if($y){ |
| 25 | $black = 1; |
| 26 | break; |
| 27 | } |
| 28 | } |
| 29 | for($x=4; $x<sizeof($set); $x++){ |
| 30 | $y = strrpos($set[$x], "*"); |
| 31 | if($y){ |
| 32 | $white = 1; |
| 33 | break; |
| 34 | } |
| 35 | } |
| 36 | |
| 37 | for($x=0; $x<sizeof($set); $x++){ |
| 38 | $set[$x] = str_replace("*", "", $set[$x]); |
| 39 | $set[$x] = str_replace("\n","", $set[$x]); |
| 40 | $set[$x] = str_replace("\r","", $set[$x]); |
| 41 | //$chess[] = array("P","P"); |
| 42 | $chess[] = split(" ",$set[$x]); |
| 43 | } |
| 44 | |
| 45 | $map["R"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/_T.GIF"); |
| 46 | $map["N"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/_N.GIF"); |
| 47 | $map["B"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/_B.GIF"); |
| 48 | $map["Q"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/_Q.GIF"); |
| 49 | $map["K"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/_K.GIF"); |
| 50 | $map["P"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/_P.GIF"); |
| 51 | |
| 52 | $map["r"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/T.GIF"); |
| 53 | $map["n"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/N.GIF"); |
| 54 | $map["b"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/B.GIF"); |
| 55 | $map["q"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/Q.GIF"); |
| 56 | $map["k"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/K.GIF"); |
| 57 | $map["p"] = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/P.GIF"); |
| 58 | |
| 59 | if($white)$white_t = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/white.GIF"); |
| 60 | if($black)$black_t = imagecreatefromgif("pieces/black.GIF"); |
| 61 | |
| 62 | |
| 63 | $brd_n = "board_.GIF"; |
| 64 | |
| 65 | if(($white==0) && ($black==0))$brd_n = "board.GIF"; |
| 66 | $image = imagecreatefromgif($brd_n); |
| 67 | |
| 68 | // allocate all required colors |
| 69 | $colorBackgr = imageColorAllocate($image, 255, 0, 255); |
| 70 | |
| 71 | $x = 0; |
| 72 | $y = 0; |
| 73 | foreach ($chess as $line){ |
| 74 | foreach ($line as $ps){ |
| 75 | if($ps != "."){ |
| 76 | imagecopy ($image, $map[$ps], $x_off + $x*45, $y_off + $y*45, 0, 0,45,45);} |
| 77 | $x+=1; |
| 78 | } |
| 79 | $y+=1; |
| 80 | $x = 0; |
| 81 | } |
| 82 | |
| 83 | if($white){ |
| 84 | imagecopy ($image, $white_t, 0, 400, 0, 0,400,30); |
| 85 | } |
| 86 | if($black){ |
| 87 | imagecopy ($image, $black_t, 0, 400, 0, 0,400,30); |
| 88 | } |
| 89 | // Date in the past, so that the image is not cached by the browser |
| 90 | //Header("Expires: Mon, 26 Jul 1997 05:00:00 GMT"); |
| 91 | header("Content-type: image/gif"); |
| 92 | |
| 93 | // now send the picture to the client (this outputs all image data directly) |
| 94 | imageGIF($image); |
| 95 | |
| 96 | imagedestroy($image); |
| 97 | if($white)imagedestroy($white_t); |
| 98 | if($black)imagedestroy($black_t); |
| 99 | foreach ($map as $x) |
| 100 | imagedestroy($x); |
| 101 | ?> |
By the way, since you are just learning PHP, you'll want to adopt the best practices. You should do all of your development in strict mode, by calling this before anything else in your files:error_reporting(E_STRICT);
Is CMS, 'Content Management System', like a wiki? What could be the content?
A cms is like what runs this site. Think of all the different parts: the depot, the forums, the picture of the day, the news, the member control panel, private message system, etc...
Make a simple cms: a front page with news and an image of the day that the user can update by adding new news items or images.
I have a suggestion, take a look at any popular PHP software, memorize exactly how they do anything and everything, and make sure never to do any of that, EVER.
I'm wanting to incorporate php in some different aspects of my wip website (sortable tables, a news poster mechanism, simple game?, etc.). It's all new to me, so it's all fun really.
Here's an idea, if you are able to do cron jobs, have an AI entity move through a php world, where the periodic job just causes the next AI action to happen. From time to time, you can check to see what your entity is doing. It's like, "The Sims" php style.
Here's an idea I give away for free:
1. Create a game where you chase something in a maze. On the walls you see commercial companies' front web pages. If with clickable links, the better.
2. Make the game thrilling and addictive. Sell walls to these companies as advertising space.
3. Profit.
4. Remember me.
1. Create a game where you chase something in a maze. On the walls you see commercial companies' front web pages. If with clickable links, the better.
2. Make the game thrilling and addictive. Sell walls to these companies as advertising space.
3. Profit.
4. Remember me.
That makes about as much sense as selling a pixel for a dollar, and selling a million of them ala the 'million dollar web page'. It has to work..... 
1. Create a game where you chase something in a maze. On the walls you see commercial companies' front web pages. If with clickable links, the better.
2. Make the game thrilling and addictive. Sell walls to these companies as advertising space.
3. Profit.
4. Remember me.
That reminds me of an online Dark Reign 2 or Syndicate game that I thought of-thought of making (as in, just dreamed about), where there are billboards in high and noticable places and companies could pay to have a simple GIF playing on the billboards in the game.
I'd try and make a social networking site Hear me out before you reply in a rage of fury . It will be good programming experience for the newcomer to PHP (it would help a lot if you are already well-versed in another language though). You'll get experience in creating proper DB schemas (think foreign keys, stored procedures, etc.). You'll also get experience in using JOINS and other fun-filled SQL related activities On the data model side you will get to do input-validation before saving to the DB. Incorporate AJAX along with the site for super-experience
Another great idea that was mentioned was to create a CMS.
I'd suggest that you try to use the MVC model for any website.
I'd suggest that you try to use the MVC model for any website.
Yes! I try to do that in my applications programming too.
My vague idea was in the first place that the user, while playing, actually visited the real pages of companies, but on these pages some animated character would move around.
I have no idea of how that would work. Is it possible to have some kind of layers in a browser, where one web page is shown on one layer and all links work? And on another layer some graphics would show, on top of the web pages. These graphics could have their own links, which could affect the bottom layer. This would probably need a special browser. And a PHP thing on a server.