OpenPBBG

OpenPBBG is an open source browser game framework built with PHP and MySQL.

The engine is modular: gameplay and admin features are delivered as installable modules, and presentation is handled by switchable themes.

Features

• Modular architecture (modules can be installed, disabled, and managed)
• Built-in web installer
• Admin panel module included by default
• Theme support for both game and admin interfaces
• Hook system for extending behavior without editing core flow

TODO List:

• Update themes to use Bootstrap 5
• Update Theme Editor with new BS5 themes and add the import/export pages
• Update login to use cookies rather then sessions, sessions still to be used for backwards compatability
• Update installer
  • Check for needed PHP version & modules
  • New UI
• Plugin Management
  • Link to OpenPBBG.com
  • Add plugin dependencies
• Better error handling
  • New UI
  • Add the abiility to set $config["debug"] to a user ID so that the error will only appear for that user, this would allow you to debug an error in a live enviroment without making the error public

Requirements

OpenPBBG currently checks for and expects:

• PHP 7.4+
• MySQL (via PDO)
• PHP extensions:
  • pdo
  • pdo_mysql
  • mbstring
  • json
  • openssl
  • zip

Quick Start (XAMPP / Windows)

1. Place this project in your web root (example: xampp/htdocs/OpenPBBG).
2. Create a new empty MySQL database.
3. Ensure these paths are writable by PHP:
   • config.php
   • modules/installed/
   • modules/installing/
   • modules/disabled/
4. Open your browser and go to:
   • http://localhost/OpenPBBG/
5. If not installed yet, you will be redirected to the installer automatically.
6. Complete the installer tabs:
   • Requirements
   • Database
   • Admin User
   • Install

When installation succeeds, install/install.lock is created to prevent re-installation.

Configuration

Main configuration is stored in config.php.

Default structure:

$config = [
		"debug" => false,
		"db" => [
				"driver" => "mysql",
				"port" => "3306",
				"host" => "localhost",
				"database" => "openPBBG",
				"user" => "root",
				"pass" => ""
		]
];

Notes:

• debug can be false/true, and core error handling also supports a user-scoped debug mode.
• Database credentials are read during boot from config.php.

Project Structure

Top-level layout (simplified):

class/               Core classes (DB, page, module, hooks, user, etc.)
install/             Web installer (requirements checks, schema/data import)
logs/errors/         Error logs
modules/
	installed/         Active modules
	disabled/          Disabled modules
	installing/        Temporary install area
themes/
	default/           Default game theme
	admin/             Default admin theme
config.php           Runtime configuration
index.php            Entry point
init.php             Bootstrap/autoload/session/auth routing

Modules

Each module lives under modules/installed// and typically includes:

• module.json (metadata, menu config, dependency data)
• .inc.php (frontend/game behavior)
• .admin.php (admin actions, where applicable)
• .tpl.php (template output)
• Optional assets (.css, .js) and hooks/

Core and management modules shipped in this repository include:

• core
• admin
• pluginManager
• themeManager
• user/auth/profile/stats/news/shoutbox and more

Themes

Themes are in themes// with theme metadata in theme.json.

• themes/default/ is the default game theme
• themes/admin/ is the default admin panel theme

Development Notes

• The app bootstraps from init.php and auto-loads classes from:
  • class/
  • modules/installed//.php
• Requests are routed by page module name via the page system.
• Session auth supports cookie token restoration for persistent logins.

Troubleshooting

• Installer says installation is complete:
  • Remove install/install.lock only if you intentionally need to reinstall.
• Cannot write config/modules directories:
  • Fix filesystem permissions so PHP can write required paths.
• Database connection fails:
  • Verify host, port, database name, username, password, and that database is empty for first install.
• Blank/error pages:
  • Check logs/errors/major.txt and logs/errors/minor.txt.

Security Recommendations

• Use HTTPS in production.
• Use strong database credentials.
• Restrict web access to the install/ directory after installation.
• Keep PHP and dependencies patched.

License

This project is distributed under the license in the LICENSE file.