Hi guys. Im really new to programming in general, and am learning Java first...

Newbie & Debugging Questions
#1

I’m putting together a small game, but as im really new, and can’t spend loads of time on the computer, im looking for some general tips.
Anything from what to aviod, to what to do.

The game will be a top-down robot game, and i have it so that if the robot is going up, down, left or right, the image is rotated to match the direction.

Like i said, any generic tips for a complete noob?

[edit]
Also, whenever i add the groundwork for collision dectection (just the rectangle so that the collision CAN be detected…) the game stops working.
It paints the screen once, and then doesnt update it (just my guess).

#2

Sounds like for what you’re trying to do, simple Java2D will do the trick. Otherwise for something more powerful look at libGDX. If you want to roll your own engine from scratch, LWJGL is a good choice. Rolling your own will require knowledge of openGL and some pretty advanced programming techniques and high school trig skills. For collision detection, there are plenty of articles in these forums, you will also need to develop those google-fu skills!

Wish you the best of luck ;D

#3

I’d suggest Slick2D, it takes care of the gameloop so you can focus on your game right away and is overall very easy to pick up. And here’s a bunch of great Tutorials.

#4

Dont start, games requires a lot hours of work…
Wits a few 100 hours, you probably have just the basics, with still nothing to play.

#5

Inone sword with RobinB, you should try another tool if that’s the case. For example Construct or Game Maker.

#6

Ill be getting my own computer soon, so I’ll be able to use it more often.

I’m willing to put in the time. its just that right now i have to share the family computer.

#7

Meh, it’s not that bad. I can’t work that much either because of high school.

Anyways, libGDX is the way to go, if you need a library, but you should probably start with Java2D. And, also, don’t do all your operations in the paintComponent() method, make your own game loop: http://www.java-gaming.org/topics/gameloop-experiment/26901/view.html.