Hey everyone! I'm planning to create a minisite that functions as a game, similar to a board game, but I don't want to reveal too much just yet. I have some webspace and a domain ready to go, but it's been about 10 years since I last worked with web development, and I know things have changed quite a bit. My skills mainly lie in HTML/CSS and PHP, though I'm a bit rusty on both. I also have basic SQL/database knowledge and want to incorporate a database into my project. A while back, I took a course on PHP 8 that introduced concepts like Laravel or Symfony, but I haven't used them since. I'm looking for advice on where to start – perhaps some good compact courses on Udemy? I don't want a full-on web dev course since I have some background knowledge. This project is a bit of a test to see if I want to return to web development, as I used to enjoy it before shifting to photography. I'd love to hear your thoughts! 🙂
5 Answers
Honestly, relying on AI can sometimes lead to misinformation in coding. You should definitely have a good understanding first. If you want to make a web-based game, using a JS engine like Pixi or Phaser could be a great start. React is also viable if you have some familiarity with HTML/CSS.
As a game developer, I switched from PHP to the MERN stack (Mongo, Express, React, NodeJS), and it’s been great! It might be worth your time to jump into this stack. It's affordable to host on platforms like Azure, and you can learn a lot quickly. MongoDB works well for games since it stores data in JSON format, which feels natural to work with.
I’ve been playing a lot of 2048 lately, and it got me thinking about what type of game I might want to create. Have you thought about something similar for your minisite? It could be a hit!
For an interactive minisite, you might want to focus on JavaScript and consider a reactive framework like React. PHP is great for backend tasks, like saving game progress, but you’ll need robust frontend skills for an engaging user experience. If you’re looking to enhance your skills, there are plenty of compact JavaScript courses that can bring you up to speed!
I just tried using Cursor for a project, which turned out really well! It's a tool worth checking out if you're looking for easier development pathways. You might find it helps in navigating your game project too!
Good point! I think a balance of frontend and backend will be crucial for something like this. What do you think about using SQL for save states?