How do I start Java Game Programming

Newbie & Debugging Questions
#1

To All

???What do I need to do to start Java Game Programming. Don’t have much time to traul the discusion forums.

Apart from j2sdk1.4.2_04, what other SDK’s and software do I need and how do configure them when they are installed, ie PATHs and CLASSPATHS. Can someone give me instructions on how to set up the j3dgamesdk. I have tried it and getting errors.

Do I need a special graphics card with Acceleration for the j3dgamesdk to work, if so which one and the cheapest.

Regards and Thanks

David Thomson
Java Developer (Now getting into Games Development)

#2

Wow, double posting and lazy!

#3

At least he’s in here now!

David - your only real solution is to have a good read through some of the forums here and then set yourself a simple project about which you can ask specific questions (after having tried to find out how to do it yourself!)

I suggest, seriously, to attempt to write a game that involves simply moving a sprite around using the cursor keys. There are then lots of things you can add to this most basic of tests: a background, a menu screen at the start, some enemies, some bullets perhaps. But try that basic “move the thing around the screen” project first.

Cas :slight_smile:

#4

[quote]But try that basic “move the thing around the screen” project first.
[/quote]
A.k.a. “Hallucinogenesis” :stuck_out_tongue:

Sorry, couldn’t resist ;).

#5

HG really is an experiment in very simple gameplay. I plan to write a bunch more such games.

Cas :slight_smile:

#6

To Java Games Forum

My apologies for my impatience I didn’t mean to offend, but I am just getting a bit keen to get started in Java games programming. I am picking up Developing Games in Java in the bookstore tonight, and will get to grips with the basics first.

I am somewhat confused about what technology to use that would initially be good for a beginner.

I was only just asking about the technology, as I am confused about Java3D , LWJGL , 3dgamessdk etc,.

Maybe the book will give me a good place to start.

Regards and Thanks for your PATIENCE

;D

David Thomson

#7

No worries.

Get that sprite up and moving!

Cas :slight_smile:

#8

Now that I’ve lurked the forums for awhile, I’m a little more informed as a clubie. Allow me to offer up what I’m thinking so far:

I bought “Developing Games in Java” by David Brackeen, as well. It seemed like the friendliest looking java games book in the store. Now that I’ve looked around a bit, I’ve learned that his methods are most likely outdated. The book still holds promise, mind you. It’s definately a good book for teaching the basics of game design. Just be aware that:

-AWT and other Java2D stuff doesn’t seem to be the preffered method for 2D games. I’ve been looking into OpenGL, since that seems the way of the future.

-He uses multi-threading, but it seems that single-threading is preffered for games.

-His 3D stuff will teach a lot about 3D, but once again, it seems like it’s better to use OpenGL rather than Java3D. And actually, it looks like he uses Java2D to make his 3D stuff. So you can definately learn a lot about 3D engine stuff here.

That’s just my collected wisdom so far. Seems like the major point is just that openGL is the way to go.

As to what binding to use, the war continues. I think Java3D is pretty much out, but there might be some support there still. I tried JOGL, but couldn’t really get a handle on it. Since then, I’ve started playing with LWJGL, and found it to be quite excellent.

LWJGL is simple to install, and explained well enough on their website. Basically, you just have to copy a couple of files to the right directorties, and tada, you have access to the LWJGL tools. Do a forum search for “LWJGL Tutorials” and you should come up with the OpenGL tutorials from a site named NeHe, converted to LWJGL by one of the guys around here.

Good luck, my fellow game design explorer.

#9

I skimmed the book and looked round his site a few times. My impression was that he’s no expert on this stuff, and probably I’d have advised him not to write a book just yet - to wait a few years till he had become more knowledgeable about this field. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone I was teaching simply because of the number of bad habits it seems to encourage (like multithreading a game, etc). There didn’t seem to be anything in there that was original enough to significantly distinguish the book above all the others out there, and all the university courses that you can access free on the web.

…just first impressions. YMMV.

This is a major topic :slight_smile: (I like the choice of words - “the war continues”).

I have similar feelings about the API’s but for very different reasons. Again, this is just opinion, but I’ll add it here because I want to make one point in particular: Java3D is not yet a good idea (Sun recently resurrected it, but let’s give them another 6-12 months before making a judgement on whether they’ve made something useful for games dev; they’ve emphasized that’s not their aim).

BUT Xith3D, the same API but a different implementation (because no-one had Sun’s source code for Java3D) is going strong. It is also a bit easier to use than J3D and a bit faster IME (there are good reasons for this, and it’s nothing to do with bad coding by Sun).

I too would recommend LWJGL because, compared to JOGL, it’s effectively about 2 years more mature. When you look at the kinds of bugs, and the kinds of missing features, and the amount of thought that’s gone into the design, it’s going to take about that long (IMHO) for JOGL to reach the same level of quality as LWJGL.

I say this as a person who always prefers official or Sun-sponsored techs, and so I tried with JOGL for some time. Really, I tried. But it just kept smacking me in the teeth for my efforts. LWJGL certainly has it’s own bad habits and is far from perfect, but my experience so far has been that it’s considerably nicer to you than JOGL. Then again, I haven’t tried JOGL in the last 6 months, and a lot could have changed in that time.

#10

[quote]I say this as a person who always prefers official or Sun-sponsored techs, and so I tried with JOGL for some time. Really, I tried. But it just kept smacking me in the teeth for my efforts.
[/quote]
Ha, that sounds all too familiar - you jump though hoop after hoop for Jogl and it repays you with a kick in the teeth. >:(

#11

It’s open source - why is it STILL like that? I don’t think it will take as long to mature as blah thinks… simply because LWJGL already exists to reference… and of course Sun is going for official bindings now with the original LWJGL person on the expert group… no doubt they will try to take what they can from JOGL if not simply evolve it into the official bindings. Though committees move slow so maybe blah isn’t that far off.

#12

[quote]I skimmed the book and looked round his site a few times. My impression was that he’s no expert on this stuff, and probably I’d have advised him not to write a book just yet - to wait a few years till he had become more knowledgeable about this field. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone I was teaching simply because of the number of bad habits it seems to encourage (like multithreading a game, etc).
[/quote]
The two games (applets, yuck!) on his site (www.brackeen.com) date from '97-'98. Neither are much fun. There is a full-screen tile scrolling demo on his book page that looks useful, if quite spartan. And what’s with the “256 Color VGA Programming in C” link on his front page? ::slight_smile:

Maybe it’s the old adage, those that can, do, and those that can’t…write game programming books!

20thCB