I went on irc chat at gamedev.net and asked “which is better flash or java”. Everyone except 1 person said Flash. I then asked “Whats wrong with java?” and then someone had this to say:
“What isn’t right with java?”’
I said “nothing” to see what he would say and i he agreed with my statement. Another person mentioned Runescape when i told them i wanted to create a mmorpg. Is there something i’m missing or does everyone think java is dead?
Sincerely,
Space Xscape
Java in the browser isn’t working out against Flash, though things like PulpCore give me a lot of hope in these areas. The Java experience is essentially ruined by a lack of focus on making browser integration seamless (like Flash).
However, the majority here are using Java for out of browser (i.e. application style) game development - where Java out performs at runtime and/or productivity Flash and other more traditional technologies. If you’re attempting to make a game like Runescape I suggest you read around as to why this is essentially a waste of time and effort.
Of course, you’ve posted on a Java forum so the chances are all you’ll get here is us saying Java is great! 
Kev
Flash just got lucky that’s all, unless they were total geniuses and planned their success. Flash games were all about scripting, like JavaScript. And the power of a script is that it tends to be easier for a beginner, quite like when creating forms in Access and Excel.
I’ve never sat down and thought that flash would be better to use!
Yeah and on GameDev, at least half the people there are C monkeys. Myths are constantly perpetuated by them, even though they have never tried Java. And the most vocal opponents are the ones who haven’t tried it. The best you can do is give it a try yourself and form your own opinion.
Well I think that half of the myths get supported when people try simple things like raster graphics and find it to be terribly slow - all because Sun said “this is how to do it”. Sun have given out lots of bad advice speedwise, so when people try it out they find it is not fast and assume the rest of Java is just as slow.
If anything thinks Java is slow then shove http://www.jphotobrushpro.com/ in their face and tell them to run the webstart!!!
well i have to say that you’re comparison is not entirely right. Real Flash games are programmed mostly the same way as JAVA games, except actionscript lacks some things like abstract classes and method and constructor overloading. Actionscript really has come a long way lately with the new actionscript 3.0. That have said, JAVA is way better than Flash when it comes to performance and power of the language and application based like kevin said.
Oh yes, don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that there is not programming going on. But when you get started using a scripting language is much more beginner friendly. In a few lines you get interaction from a Flash Applet; not doing anything special but to a beginner they’ve just created “my first flash applet”.
Why is that?
RPG’s are one of the most complicated type of game to create. If you want to make games start off with learning simpler games rather than starting out with the 11th chapel!
There are few individuals who have completed an RPG game that isn’t more than a short demo.
I was told performance wise flash was flaster then java.
Flash uses interpreted scripts, Java is precompiled bytecode which JIT compiles into machine code. Flash can’t be faster
Hmmm, it’s funny how that statement affects the perception of Java more than it does with flash!
?
i.e. Java is kept away from due to its so-called speed issues, Flash is preferred over Java for its ease of use!!!
Not so much its ease of use in programming, but ease of putting it in the browser for everyone to access.
Yes, Flash is faster than Java since it uses DirectX / Direct3D for graphics while Java uses software rendering by default. Of course Java does have openGL in the form of JOGL/LWJGL and also Java2D’s openGL pipeline but OGL just doesn’t work on many people’s computers :(.
In terms of processing (non-graphics) things Java is faster since it is dynamically compiled to native code at runtime by the hotspot VM while Flash is interpretted
BUT, Java is about to get a face-lift because the Java2D team at Sun are working on a proper Direct3D pipeline for Java2D, which hopefully will not have the stability issues of OGL. Also, our hero CaptainJester is endeavoring to build a D3D binding in LWJGL.
see http://weblogs.java.net/blog/chet/archive/2007/05/consumer_jre_le.html (read the part under the Windows Graphics heading)
http://www.java-gaming.org/forums/index.php?topic=16985.msg133298#msg133298 (LWJGL & direct3d)
Keith
That says an awful lot more about Gamedev.net than it does about Java.
But that’s not news. Want to see what gd.net thinks of java?
Go look in the forums. Where is the Java topic?
Is it with all the other programming languages (directx, scripting, etc) or programming disciplines (AI, multiplayer, etc) under “The Technical Side” ?
No. It’s under “Special Interest”.
And this is on a site where the forums ARE the website (there’s quite a lot tacked on the side these days, but GD.net has always been a forums site with extra bits. Not the other way around)
Overall, would converting my game from Flash to Java be a good idea?
Hmm, well if you manage to make a game in any language and understand programming enough you should have no problem implementing it in another. Having said that if you want to create a runescape type game then remember that whole “RPG’s are one of the most difficult types of games to create” line!!!
There is a general route to take, which I think you should follow!
I’m more worried that if i convert my flash game Space Xscape link into java, it will run slower and less visitors will be able to play it since flash can install the player if the visitor doesn’t alread have it or has an older version unlike java which requires a manual install.