GUI in a text base game (2D game with text-based controls)

General Discussions
#1

Hello,

So for a school project we need to create a text-based game. We didn;t have any lessons in GUI yet, but we would like to have a really simple one.
Basically, the player can type in a command word like “go north”, “open backpack”, etc… and then something happens. A bit like The World of Zuul but bigger.

This is the concept of our GUI:

Is there an easy way to get something like this done?
While waiting on answers, i’ll be looking into GUI courses on the internet :wink:

Thanks in advance!

#2

Then it’s not really a text-based game. Text-based games are meant to say everything with text, like your health, your enemy’s health, what you see, etc… What you’re designing is a normal game with text-based controls.

#3

Exactly, and that’s basically what we wanted to do.
You can score some extra point if you’ve either got:"
• AI
• Graphical user interface
• Usage of a database.
• Sound effects.
• Multiplayer mode.
• 3D game

We thought creating a Graphical User Interface and adding some sounds would give the “text based game” more dimension and will give us more points. About the other points… I’ve no idea how to achieve something like that

#4

So it’s not a text based game then. Your title and introduction are misnomers.
I usually think of a text based game as one you play in a terminal, and many take it farther, taking it as that there is no visual feedback at all (like ASCII graphics or something), just lines of text as if you were playing D&D with someone through instant messages.

#5

If you’re going to be using GUI, I think you should have a look at the java.awt class.
java doc: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/awt/package-summary.html
tutorials: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/awt/

#6

At least use Swing, or better yet start off right and use JavaFX. AWT is completely, utterly, obsolete and has been for many years.

#7

ah, but isn’t awt used for Java2D still?

#8

Depends on how you define AWT. I’m talking about the widgets and such that haven’t changed since the 90s.

#9

In this case, use Swing (or better, use JavaFX, since Swing will propably become deprecated pretty soon). It’s pretty easy to learn.

#10

I’ll have a look at JavaFX!
Thanks for the support so far!