Create a space to submit and to launch Java webstartable games

General Discussions
#1

Hi!

I saw for the first time a website that allows to submit Java games quite easily by filling a form some days ago:
http://www.randomthoughts.net/links/index.html

It would be fine to have a section allowing the users to find easily Java webstartable games even though some websites provide such a service for the following reasons:

  • www.happypenguin.org has no moderator; when you post a Java game, many fanatics criticize not the game itself but the fact that you chose to use Java instead of C/C++/C#/Python/Lua/Lisp. EgonOlsen, some other members of Javagaming and me can confirm this. I have been insulted too… :frowning:
  • when you submit games on many websites, they have very personal criteria to accept them. Some of them accept only flash games and shockwave games
  • it is sometimes hard for a “normal” user to find the link to a game by looking at it in the “game showcase” section
  • many game websites that provide Java games don’t accept submission at all
  • even existent game websites allowing to submit Java games don’t allow to add a video to show his game
  • it is possible to put a video, some screenshots and a link to his game in the “game showcase” section but it is not centralized, it would be better to have a search engine for games with some criteria, with a system that auto-detect your version of Java if any and compare it with the version required for the game

I precise “webstartable” because I think many users don’t want to take more than a few seconds to understand how to launch a game. If you need to download a zip, unzip it somewhere, modify one file in you’re under Unix Solaris / Linux to launch the JAR… a seven-year-old child may give up.

However, I’m satisfied by randomthoughts.net. :wink:

#2

Does anybody know if it would be possible to make Java games available through WildTangent Orb?

http://www.google.com/search?q=wildtangent+orb
http://www.wildgames.com/
http://www.wildtangent.com/
http://www.wildtangent.com/index.html?pageID=wildcoins

#3

I have checked it. Only professional developers can put games on this website and these games seems not to use Java at all. It is possible to install a sort of “console” (I don’t know the best translation in English, I’m French, sorry) that works only under Windows Vista :frowning:

Why are you interested in this website in particular? Would you like to sell your game?

#4

Rather than an external website, could we maintain a list of Java games within these forums? As you say, the “Games Showcase” section is about discussing and debugging games, and doesn’t really work as a library of existing games.

For example, could we have a sticky thread in “Games Showcase” called “Games List” in which is each forum user may post one (at most) message that summarizes all of the Java games they have created? The summary for each game should be limited to: Name, Link, Description (one-sentence), Date last updated, and Status (work-in-progress, alpha, beta, released, abandoned, etc.). (Screenshots would be nice, but should be kept small.) A user would of course need to be able to modify his or her own entry in the thread, and a moderator would need to ensure that the thread stays on topic.

What do people think? Does this make sense technically, and would people contribute to the thread if it existed?

Simon

#5

I just happened to read an article which mentioned it. I’m not for or against that particular website.

It would be better to have a wiki which everybody can edit. The problem with forum-based lists is that either the list is in random order or somebody will have lots of work in updating the first post in the thread. The best option would be a fully featured website with categories, search, ratings, screenshots etc.

#6

http://www.randomthoughts.net allows is a fully featured website with categories, search, ratings, comments and screenshots. I have added at least 30 games on this. I encourage you to contribute. I precise that it is not my website but I find it really fine. I agree with you about the difficulty of maintaining such a game list.

#7

Hi!

As I think that Java games are not known enough under Linux, I think that I will add some of them on all the websites (at least 20) speaking about TUER if it is possible. I did it for Bloodridge as it is an excellent game. I will begin by adding the games that are already on http://www.randomthoughts.net. If you’re interested, let me know.

Creating a user-friendly space to submit Java games here is still important on my view as I think the creators of the website I have quoted above underestimate a little bit the other games, watch the notes…

#8

Yikes. I did this about 4 years ago, and it was popular, so then I ended up registering a domain, and making a full automatic-webstart-system with free hosting for everyone’s games. Plus hosting and webstarting for libraries, and automatic profiles for everyone, download stats for each game, etc. There was even a section for hosting source code, IIRC.

And then I got too busy to maintain it, and the domain expired last year. I didn’t do anything about it because several different people here had said they were working on their own bigger, better, versions - and they clearly had more time to look after it than I did :).

FWIW, having done this once before and made a lot of decisions, both good and bad, and had some great successes and some great failures, if there were enough interest I’d be happy to do it again. Leaner and meaner this time, and preferably as more of a group / open-source project.

#9

Thank you for your interest and your precise answer. I don’t imagine to do this kind of things alone. If some people here are interested too, we might start something small.

#10

Yes, and I seemed to be one of the few people uploading games to it. ;D

It would be great to have a (developer-based) website with a comprehensive library of Java games, etc., etc., but while people talk about it a lot, any time someone creates such a thing it always seems to fall into disrepair pretty quickly, or for some reason only a small number of people add their games to it.

That’s why I was wondering whether making a crude, simple games list within these forums (e.g., a sticky thread) might not be more effective in practice. At least until a proper website becomes established.

Simon

#11

Did you add your games on http://www.randomthoughts.net? I use this website until we get a better one.

#12

It’s on my to-do list. (I need to have a proper look at what sort of games they’re linking to. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the worst games on the site. :wink: )
Simon

#13

Good morning

As I’m fed up with Random Thoughts because we have to pay to be allowed to rate any game (only premium members can rate a game), I think I will have to find another solution, maybe reuse one of my old website to put at least a small list of Java games at first. Can someone host this kind of project without ad?

I suggest to add a section called “Java game tome” on the website I use for TUER. I’ve no other solution now. What do you think about it?

#14

I can PHP and MySQL, so I’d be up for helping to make this site.

#15

I am willing to lend a hand too. ;D

I agree with Demonpants - PHP and MySQL are probably good options. Easy to develop and deploy.

In order to make it last, we should definitely work together?

#16

I think that’s a good call. It also minimizes the work we need to do.

#17

Ok for PHP and MySQL. As a first step, when I am less tired, I will write the submission system.

#18

We should probably use SVN or so to work together? I can set it up and send login information for anyone interested to participate!?

#19

Good idea for SVN.

I have a problem with my host, MySQL doesn’t work anymore :frowning:

#20

Yeah, SVN sounds great. Let me know when you’ve got details for it.

So if gouessej is working on the submission system, I suppose I could work on a rating system and a hit tracker. That way we can have “most popular games” “highest rated games” etc.