CloudArcade https://cloudarcade.net Build your own HTML5 Game Portal Sat, 10 May 2025 04:36:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://cloudarcade.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cropped-512-32x32.png CloudArcade https://cloudarcade.net 32 32 CloudArcade Connect: Add Games to Your WordPress Site https://cloudarcade.net/news/cloudarcade-connect-add-games-to-your-wordpress-site/ https://cloudarcade.net/news/cloudarcade-connect-add-games-to-your-wordpress-site/#respond Fri, 09 May 2025 16:42:26 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=626 CloudArcade Connect is a free plugin that brings games from CloudArcade CMS directly into your WordPress website. Once connected, games automatically sync between the platforms, saving you from managing content in two places.

What You Get With This Plugin

  • Automatic Game Syncing: Games added, edited, or deleted in CloudArcade will update on WordPress during scheduled syncs
  • Cross-Server Support: Works even when WordPress and CloudArcade are on completely different hosting providers
  • Game Categories: All categories transfer with proper organization
  • Multiple Display Options: Show games using shortcodes, widgets, or dedicated pages
  • No Technical Skills Required: Everything happens through simple admin interfaces
  • Theme Adaptation: Almost perfectly fit across theme designs and colors
  • Plug And Play: Sync games, put widgets, then done like the previews!
  • Mobile Friendly: Not only Desktop, but also work on iOS and Android devices

Why Add Games to Your WordPress Site?

Already have a WordPress site? Adding games can transform your visitor experience:

  • Food & Recipe Blogs: Add cooking, restaurant, and food-themed games to keep visitors engaged longer
  • Educational Sites: Include learning games that reinforce the topics you teach
  • News & Magazine Sites: Offer puzzle games to give readers a mental break between articles
  • Sports Websites: Add sports-themed games related to the teams or sports you cover
  • Kids & Parenting Blogs: Provide appropriate children’s games alongside your parenting content
  • Tech Websites: Showcase coding games or tech-themed puzzles to appeal to your audience

Games can dramatically increase:

  • Time on site: Visitors stay 3-5x longer when engaged with interactive content
  • Return visits: Games give people a reason to come back regularly
  • Monetization opportunities: More engaged visitors see more ads or offers
  • Community building: Games create shared experiences for your audience

The best part? You don’t need to create the games yourself. You can import free thousands of games across different categories with CloudArcade CMS that you can instantly bring to your WordPress site. Or you want to upload or use your own HTML5 game instead? Yes, of course CloudArcade CMS can do that.

Easy Setup Process

  1. Install Two Plugins: CloudArcade Connect on WordPress and WordPress Connect on CloudArcade
  2. Connect Them: Copy the integration key between platforms
  3. Approve: Confirm the connection on both sides
  4. Sync: Run your first full sync to bring all games to WordPress
  5. Configure: Set up how games display and how often they update

Understanding How Sync Works

When you make changes in CloudArcade, they don’t appear instantly on WordPress:

  • The plugin checks for changes on a schedule you set (every few hours)
  • You can manually trigger a sync anytime for immediate updates
  • This scheduled approach prevents server overload
  • It’s normal for changes to take some time to appear – this isn’t a bug!

Important Things to Know

  • WordPress and CloudArcade can be on completely different servers
  • One CloudArcade site connects to one WordPress site (Can be upgraded)
  • Games flow from CloudArcade to WordPress (not the reverse)
  • You need admin access to both platforms
  • All sync happens through secure internet connections
  • The games can only be managed from CloudArcade CMS

Where to download the “CloudArcade Connect” WordPress Plugin?

You need to install WordPress Connect plugin in your CloudArcade site, the WP plugin download link is provided here at the plugin page, then you can upload the plugin to your WordPress site.

CloudArcade Connect turns your WordPress site into a game portal without duplicating work. Manage games once in CloudArcade and let the plugin handle the rest automatically.

Live Preview (WordPress Demo Site)

WordPress themes used on preview above:

  • Dashwall
  • Blogmate
  • Colordive
  • GamerNews
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Managing Crew & Staff Access in CloudArcade https://cloudarcade.net/uncategorized/managing-crew-staff-access-in-cloudarcade/ https://cloudarcade.net/uncategorized/managing-crew-staff-access-in-cloudarcade/#respond Fri, 31 Jan 2025 15:36:37 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=614 Control user access and permissions with the new “CREW” role feature. Administrators can delegate specific tasks, manage plugin access, and maintain security through precise permission settings.
Set up and manage crew, admin, and regular user roles through the “Users” plugin – ensure you’re running the latest version for full functionality.

Key Features

  • Assign the “CREW” role to users
  • Customize individual crew member permissions
  • Control access to specific functions, features, and plugins
  • Set partial permissions within features (e.g., create but not delete)

Use Case Scenarios

Content Team:

  • Manage blog posts and pages
  • Create predefined game collections
  • Add games via upload, remote URL, or distributor fetching

Site Managers:

  • Handle content organization
  • Maintain game categories
  • Update site pages

Plugin Operators:

  • Operate specific plugins
  • Manage plugin-related content
  • Configure plugin settings

Example Use Cases

A crew member can be granted permission to:

  • Access only the “Add Game” page with “Fetch Games” capability
  • Manage categories with creation rights but without deletion authority
  • Use specific plugins while maintaining restricted access to others
  • Handle targeted content management tasks without full administrative access

This system introduced in CloudArcade 2.0.0 streamlines workflow delegation while maintaining robust security through precise access control.

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Premium Membership (Subscription) Features https://cloudarcade.net/plugins/premium-membership-subscription-features/ https://cloudarcade.net/plugins/premium-membership-subscription-features/#respond Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:15:00 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=610 CloudArcade v2.0.0 introduces premium membership capabilities, allowing you to designate games as either premium or free. Premium games are exclusively available to subscribed users.

Getting Started

To enable premium features, install the free “Subscription Lite” plugin. This plugin lets you:

  • Manage user subscriptions manually
  • Set game access levels (premium/free)
  • Control membership status for individual users

Current Capabilities

  • Premium settings work with self-hosted/uploaded games
  • Subscription restrictions apply to games using CloudArcade API
  • Games from “Free Game Bundle” are compatible for testing

Technical Notes

While you can technically modify theme code to restrict fetched or remote games, official premium support is limited to self-hosted content.

Future Development: Subscription Pro

A paid “Subscription Pro” version is in development, which will include:

  • Automated payment processing
  • Instant subscription activation
  • Payment gateway integration

Note: Due to payment integration complexity, release timing is undefined. “Subscription Lite” will remain free permanently.

Use Cases

Premium membership enables you to:

  • Restrict specific games to paying members
  • Maintain free games for general audience
  • Implement manual payment verification
  • Create tiered access to your game library

The introduction of premium features demonstrates CloudArcade’s expanding capabilities in content monetization and access control.

Non-subscriber user who trying to play premium games will show this notice:

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JSON Importer Guide https://cloudarcade.net/tutorial/json-importer-guide/ https://cloudarcade.net/tutorial/json-importer-guide/#respond Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:44:59 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=602 The JSON Importer is an useful tool that allows you to bulk import games from external sources into CloudArcade. This guide explains how to use it effectively and avoid common pitfalls.

Overview

The JSON Importer enables you to:

  • Import multiple games simultaneously using JSON data
  • Preview games before importing them
  • Migrate games from other CMS platforms to CloudArcade
  • Maintain game metadata consistency during import

JSON Structure Requirements

Your JSON data must be an array of game objects. Each game object requires these fields:

[
    {
        "title": "Game name 1",
        "description": "Game description",
        "instructions": "How to play instructions",
        "url": "https://example.com/game-path/",
        "width": 720,
        "height": 1080,
        "thumb_1": "https://cdn.redfoc.com/portfolio/checkers.jpg",
        "thumb_2": "https://cdn.redfoc.com/portfolio/checkers.jpg",
        "category": "Category1,Category2",
        "is_mobile": true,
        "source": "json-importer"
    },
    {
        "title": "Game name 2",
        "description": "Game description",
        "instructions": "How to play instructions",
        "url": "https://example.com/game-path/",
        "width": 720,
        "height": 1080,
        "thumb_1": "https://cdn.redfoc.com/portfolio/checkers.jpg",
        "thumb_2": "https://cdn.redfoc.com/portfolio/checkers.jpg",
        "category": "Category1,Category2",
        "is_mobile": true,
        "source": "json-importer"
    },
    {
        "title": "Game name 3",
        "description": "Game description",
        "instructions": "How to play instructions",
        "url": "https://example.com/game-path/",
        "width": 720,
        "height": 1080,
        "thumb_1": "https://cdn.redfoc.com/portfolio/checkers.jpg",
        "thumb_2": "https://cdn.redfoc.com/portfolio/checkers.jpg",
        "category": "Category1,Category2",
        "is_mobile": true,
        "source": "json-importer"
    }
]

Optional Fields

  • slug: URL-friendly version of title (auto-generated if omitted)

Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Import Failures
    • Verify JSON syntax is valid
    • Check all required fields are present
    • Ensure URLs are properly formatted and accessible
  2. Image Problems
    • Confirm thumbnail URLs are direct image links
    • Verify image formats are supported (jpg, png, webp)
    • Check image dimensions match requirements

JSON Compatibility and Conversion

Not all JSON data structures from other platforms will be directly compatible with CloudArcade. You’ll need to ensure your JSON matches CloudArcade’s required structure before importing.

Options for converting incompatible JSON:

  1. External Tools
    • Use online JSON transformation tools like jq
    • CSV to JSON converters if your data is in spreadsheet format
    • JSON editors with search/replace functionality
  2. Custom Code Solutions
    • Write a PHP script to transform your JSON
    • Use Python with libraries like pandas for data transformation
    • Create a JavaScript converter using Node.js

Example PHP converter:

function convertToCloudArcadeFormat($originalJson) {
    $data = json_decode($originalJson, true);
    $converted = [];
    
    foreach ($data as $item) {
        $converted[] = [
            'title' => $item['game_name'] ?? '', // Original key: game_name
            'description' => $item['game_desc'] ?? '', // Original key: game_desc
            'instructions' => $item['how_to_play'] ?? '', // Original key: how_to_play
            'url' => $item['game_url'] ?? '',
            'width' => $item['dimensions']['width'] ?? 720,
            'height' => $item['dimensions']['height'] ?? 1080,
            'thumb_1' => $item['images'][0] ?? '',
            'thumb_2' => $item['images'][1] ?? '',
            'category' => implode(',', $item['tags'] ?? []),
            'is_mobile' => '1',
            'source' => 'converted-data'
        ];
    }
    
    return json_encode($converted, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);
}

Migration Tips

When migrating from another platform:

Use the Preview feature before final import

Export your game data in JSON format

Map existing fields to CloudArcade’s structure

Transform the data to match required format

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Flash Emulator Plugin https://cloudarcade.net/plugins/flash-emulator-plugin/ https://cloudarcade.net/plugins/flash-emulator-plugin/#respond Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:44:13 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=586 The Flash Emulator plugin for CloudArcade lets you run Flash games directly in modern browsers without needing Flash Player installed. Using Ruffle, a modern Flash emulator, this plugin seamlessly integrates Flash games into your CloudArcade gaming portal.

Features

  • Run Flash (SWF) games in modern browsers
  • No Flash Player required
  • Easy SWF file management
  • Uses Ruffle Flash emulator

Requirements

  • CloudArcade v1.9.5 or higher
  • Modern web browser with JavaScript enabled
  • SWF files (Flash games)

How It Works

The Flash Emulator plugin utilizes Ruffle, a Flash emulator written in Rust, to run Flash games in modern browsers. When a user plays a Flash game, the plugin:

  1. Loads the appropriate SWF file
  2. Initializes Ruffle to run the game
  3. Displays the game in a responsive container
  4. Handles all necessary game interactions

Managing Flash Games

The plugin provides a dedicated admin interface for managing your Flash games:

  • SWF File Manager: Upload, rename, and delete SWF files
  • Game List: View and manage all Flash games in your portal
  • Configuration: Simple settings for optimal performance

Installation

  1. Install the Flash Emulator plugin from the Plugin repository
  2. Start adding Flash games!

Adding Flash Games

  1. Upload the SWF file through the plugin’s “SWF Files” tab
  2. Rename the swf file to match with target game-slug
  3. Add a new game in CloudArcade through “Remote Add” option
  4. Select “Flash” as the Game Type
  5. Set slug name same as swf file name.
  6. Enter game details (title, description, etc.)
  7. Save and publish!

Compatibility Notes

While Ruffle supports most Flash games, some complex games might not work perfectly. It’s recommended to:

  • Test each game before publishing
  • Check game compatibility in different browsers

The Flash Emulator plugin represents just one way to use CloudArcade’s custom game types feature. Developers can use this plugin as a reference for creating their own custom game type plugins.

Where to download SWF games ?

https://locker.phinugamma.org/swf

https://archive.org/download/armorgames

https://archive.org/download/banned-from-equestria-daily-1.5

Note: We don’t have distribution rights for these SWF games. Some games may be copyrighted. These are just example Flash games – we recommend obtaining proper rights before using any SWF games.

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Custom Game Types https://cloudarcade.net/uncategorized/custom-game-types/ https://cloudarcade.net/uncategorized/custom-game-types/#respond Sat, 30 Nov 2024 14:45:36 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=583 CloudArcade was initially designed for native HTML5 games. However, with the introduction of custom game types (since CloudArcade v1.9.5), site owners can now expand their gaming content to include various types of games and emulators. This powerful feature opens up new possibilities for creating diverse gaming portals.

What Are Custom Game Types?

Custom game types allow CloudArcade to handle different types of games beyond traditional HTML5 games. Each game type can have its own template and handling method, making it possible to support various gaming technologies through a unified system.

Key Features

  • Template-Based System: Each game type uses its own template for displaying games, ensuring optimal presentation for different technologies
  • Plugin Support: Developers can create plugins that add new game types
  • Seamless Integration: Custom games integrate naturally with existing features like categories, tags, and user systems
  • Unified Management: All games, regardless of type, can be managed through the same admin interface

Important Notes About Compatibility

While custom game types offer great flexibility, there are some important requirements to keep in mind:

  • Content must be compatible with modern web browsers
  • Games/content must be able to run in an iframe
  • Content must be web-based (HTML, JavaScript, etc.)

This means you can create custom game types for:

  • Browser-based emulators
  • HTML-based video players
  • Interactive web applications
  • Any web content that can run in an iframe

Some examples of what you can build:

  • Flash game player (like our Flash Emulator plugin)
  • HTML5 video player
  • Custom game frameworks
  • Browser-based console emulators
  • Interactive HTML applications

Remember: The content you create must be able to run in a web browser and be compatible with iframe embedding. This ensures your games will work properly within the CloudArcade system.

Practical Applications

Here are some ways custom game types can be utilized:

  1. Flash Game Support
    • Run Flash games using modern emulators like Ruffle
    • Preserve classic Flash games in your portal
    • No Flash Player required
  2. Retro Game Emulation
    • Add console game emulators
    • Support various ROM formats
    • Create dedicated retro gaming sections
  3. Custom HTML Games
    • Include games with special requirements
    • Support unique game engines
    • Add games with custom configurations

Technical Capabilities

Custom game types in CloudArcade are designed to be flexible and extensible. Developers can:

  • Define new game types
  • Create custom display templates
  • Handle specific file types
  • Implement special requirements
  • Add custom configurations

Future Potential

This feature opens up numerous possibilities for CloudArcade portals:

  • Support for emerging game technologies
  • Integration with new emulation systems
  • Custom game development frameworks
  • Specialized gaming experiences

Getting Started

To utilize custom game types, site owners need to:

  1. Install appropriate plugins for desired game types
  2. Configure the templates and settings
  3. Add games using the new game types

Example Plugin: Flash Emulator

CloudArcade’s Flash Emulator plugin serves as both a practical tool and a reference implementation for custom game types. This official plugin demonstrates how to:

  • Implement a custom game type (“flash”)
  • Integrate third-party technology (Ruffle JS)
  • Handle special file types (SWF files)
  • Create custom game templates

Developers interested in creating their own custom game types can use the Flash Emulator plugin as a reference. The plugin’s structure and implementation provide a solid foundation for understanding how to:

  • Register new game types
  • Create file management systems
  • Implement custom templates
  • Handle game-specific requirements

Conclusion

Custom game types represent a significant advancement in CloudArcade’s capabilities, allowing site owners to create more diverse and comprehensive gaming portals. Whether preserving classic Flash games or implementing new gaming technologies, this feature provides the flexibility needed for modern game portals.

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Video Hover Play Plugin https://cloudarcade.net/tutorial/video-hover-play-plugin/ https://cloudarcade.net/tutorial/video-hover-play-plugin/#respond Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:18:11 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=565 Do you want to play a game video preview when hovering over a game thumbnail, similar to Poki.com or CrazyGames.com? You can achieve this functionality with the Video Hover Play plugin.

This plugin works without any theme modifications and is compatible with all themes, including custom ones. However, you’ll need to configure the thumbnail selector element based on the structure of the theme you’re using to ensure it works properly.

The default thumbnail selector is "a > .list-game > .list-thumbnail". This selector works for the “Default” and “Dark Grid” themes.

For the “Arcade One” and “Arcade Two” themes, use "a > .game-item > .list-game > .list-thumbnail".

For the “Arcade Three” theme, use "a.game-card__link > .game-card__thumbnail".

Since each theme has its own unique structure, this difference in configuration is unavoidable. If you’re using a custom theme with a different structure, you’ll need to adjust the thumbnail selector accordingly.

How to determine the thumbnail selector?

You can determine the correct thumbnail selector by inspecting the HTML structure of the game list. The structure should start from the <a> tag containing the game page URL and end at the parent of the <img> tag for the game thumbnail.

In the example above (Default theme), the thumbnail structure is "a > .list-game > .list-thumbnail".

Videos

You need to manually provide or upload the videos for the previews. You can manage video uploads, renaming, and deletions in the plugin’s “Videos” tab.

The video format must be MP4, and the maximum file size is limited to 2MB to prevent large file uploads.

Game preview videos should be small and optimized. It’s recommended to use short clips between 10-30 seconds, with a resolution that is proportionate to the thumbnail size. For example, if your thumbnail size is 300px, a video resolution between 250px and 400px would be ideal.

Debugging

If you’ve configured everything correctly but the video preview still isn’t working, you can enable debug mode.

Simply check “Enable” in the debug settings and click “Save.” Then, visit your homepage, open the browser’s Console, and hover over a thumbnail to view the log and troubleshoot the issue.

If you need sample videos to test the plugin on your site, you can download below.

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Arcade Three Theme https://cloudarcade.net/themes/arcade-three-theme/ https://cloudarcade.net/themes/arcade-three-theme/#respond Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:56:27 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=554 If you’re a fan of the “Default” theme, you’ll love the “Arcade Three” theme even more. Arcade Three is like an upgraded version of the Default theme.

Arcade Three is a Web gaming / Game portal theme for CloudArcade CMS, not WordPress or any other CMS.

To be able to use this theme, make sure you already have CloudArcade CMS installed.

It retains the grid layout, white background, and simplicity of the Default theme, but with improved aesthetics, structure, layout, and cleaner code.

Arcade Three is built from the ground up, not by modifying an existing theme, ensuring no bloated code and maintaining efficient, up-to-date standards for CloudArcade CMS.

If you’re planning to create a new theme, Arcade Three is an excellent starting point.

Price: $20

50% discount until 31/12/2024

Features:

“Arcade Three” includes common features found in other premium themes, such as a mobile-friendly game player, icons, and a top players section.

A unique feature of Arcade Three is the addition of category thumbnails:

Arcade Three using both category icons and category thumbnails

Requirements:

  • CloudArcade v1.9.0 or later
  • Active CloudArcade purchase code
  • Theme purchase code
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Query Cache Plugin https://cloudarcade.net/plugins/query-cache-plugin/ https://cloudarcade.net/plugins/query-cache-plugin/#respond Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:19:02 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=521 What is the Query Cache Plugin and What Does it Do?

The Query Cache Plugin was introduced in CloudArcade v1.8.7. This plugin enables caching of SQL database outputs, which speeds up your site’s loading time by utilizing database caching.

Traditionally, when the CMS loads games under specific conditions, MySQL iterates through games in the database table and returns the results. This process is time-consuming as it searches for games that meet specific criteria.

With Query Cache, the plugin stores the last MySQL database output. When the CMS needs to retrieve the game list again, it fetches this output directly from the cache instead of performing a new database iteration. This significantly speeds up page loading times.

Although the default MySQL database iteration in CloudArcade is already fast, this plugin enhances the speed even further.

Not all database query operations are cached; only specific ones such as retrieving lists of new games, popular games, most liked games, games in a specific category or tag, and fetching single games by ID and slug are supported.

Operations like generating random games, listing similar games, and search results are not cached.

The cached data remains valid for only two hours.

This plugin is essential for high-traffic sites as it reduces server load and increases speed, thereby having a positive impact on your gaming site.

Plugin usage:

You must choose “Caching System”, you can choose Memcached or Redis. which one is recommended? Memcached is known to be faster than Redis, but if you can’t use Memcached, you can use Redis.

Then click “Activate”

Is there is an error after clicking activate, the caching system will not activated.

Neither Memcached nor Redis comes pre-built as a PHP extension. You will need to install either Memcached or Redis on your server, then enable the respective extension in your php.ini file, among other technical configurations.

If you are using a hosting provider, inquire about how to activate Memcached or Redis on your plan.

Once everything is configured correctly, you should be able to activate the Caching System.

After activation, do not forget to turn on the Debug mode (click the “Activate debug” button) to ensure everything is functioning as expected.

To confirm that the content is being cached, reload the page twice. If you see a red mark with the text “Cached: Redis,” it indicates that the content data is being fetched from the Redis cache and not from the MySQL database.

After that, don’t forget to “Deactivate debug”.

There is a basic testing tool you can use:

With this basic page speed test, you can compare the speed before and after activating Caching System.

NOTE:

The caching doesn’t work in Admin and plugin page area, the game list from admin panel is always from mysql database.

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Free HTML5 Games (Game Bundle) https://cloudarcade.net/uncategorized/free-html5-games-game-bundle/ https://cloudarcade.net/uncategorized/free-html5-games-game-bundle/#respond Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:17:38 +0000 https://cloudarcade.net/?p=502 “Game Bundle” is a collection of free HTML5 games provided by CloudArcade, developed by Gimcraft.

Currently, there are 5 HTML5 games available to add to your CloudArcade site. These free HTML5 games are fully imported to your server, meaning the game files are stored on your server. There are no ads, and all games are already integrated with the CloudArcade API, enabling players to submit scores and view leaderboards.

All of the games are minified.

These games are not pre-installed with the CloudArcade CMS. To access them, you need to install the “Free Game Bundle” plugin. To install this plugin, navigate to “Plugins > Manage Plugins” in your CloudArcade dashboard. Then click on “Load plugin repository” in the right sidebar and add the “Free Game Bundle” plugin.

Plugin page:

To add a game, simply click the “+” button.

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