Java Game Edition

General Discussions
#21

XNA is like a licensed version of Slick2d. The idea behind XNA is that games written with it can be run on Windows PC’s, XBOX and Windows phones. You pay 99$/year for it and you get to place on the windows market place. That is if it passes the tests. Making games for Windows Phone is a bit trickier since you definitely need to know about Silverlight, XAML and Metro ( Metro is like a broad theme that you have to adhere to ).

All in all XNA is a great useful library and iirc the only library you can use to make games for Windows Phone and to access the marketplace. And now that they recently got sockets it’s even better.

The illusion of “it just works”, with anything really, comes with a lot of restrictions. Is that good or bad, who knows.

#22

oh ok, so you are saying that you would like a mandated/enforced set of libraries similar to the current standard java libraries so that you only need to program against those libraries? I am not sure how that will be any better than separate project specific libraries? The only benefit would be as what as been mentioned, the ability to write a program against these “standard game libraries” and the game should then work on any platform that implements the standard libraries.

Who would get to say what goes in these standard game libraries? Perhaps you should create / implement a prototype solution?

#23

So…Why don’t you do that?
If you want to decrease the amount of time it takes to set up a project and get into the GAMES stuff, why not take the time to build your own tools?
There are plenty of libraries out there you could build on top of once, and reuse over and over again…

You can’t just expect to be spoon fed every tool in creation for nothing at all.

#24

Absolutely.
Well, Libgdx would really be the right thing here. Lately they actually included this eclipse project maker. So that all combined with Eclipse, creating a basic game template with Pong or anything.
Technically anyone could do that, but the huge increase of Libgdx users already show how appealing it is…

We talked about not actually liking to program before and I know most of you people like coding and whatnot, but Cas may understand: We like making games… even the fact that we have to program at all is annoying… but there is no other way.

#25

It doesn’t exist, oracle are unlikely to create it. It could be a market if you wanted to create a product but otherwise, assuming you want to write a game then quit whining and write your game.

#26

libgdx is missing a 3d scenegraph, but has 2d stuff covered, lots of people around this forum seem to be using it.

Endolf

#27

This just proves to me how tolerant the people of JGO actually are :confused: I shall learn from and follow that good example.

I can meet the OP halfway as any effort to setup anything “click click go” is usually only half-finished (I can remember some LWJGL wizard for Netbeans for example). It would be nice if at least once something like that was taken all the way and kept being supported, but that requires the people who nag about it needing to exist to take up the reigns and actually do it. In other words: it ain’t gonna happen.

#28

I don’t get the point of what the OP wants to tell.
And what has this all to do with garbage collection?
Me wonders.

#29

I think his point was that xna is a tool set that is easily available, is preconfigured, and means you can just get on with the job of writing the game.

There isn’t anything like that for Java, you have to pick the libraries you wish to use, download and install them separately, manage distribution etc. You can’t just open an IDE, write Java, and have an application fall out that can easily be shared. It’s an ease of use of the toolset rather than something to make writing games easier I think.

It sounds like he would like a version of eclipse that has a project template with jogl/jinput/ardor/jMonkeyEngine already there and waiting to go.

I think jMonkey might be the closest in that respect (it’s been a while since I even looked).

Endolf

#30

As I stated earlier they do have their own configuration with Netbeans. It has a few new features to make it more à la Unity. They even say that it’s easy to make games with it, even if you’re not entirely able to program. It surely looks like a nice toolset, and should work out-of-the-box.

#31

Why to reinvent the wheel? There are plenty of Java game engines around. Just pick one and use it as the default, with some option for plugging in others if needed or desired.

#32

Because I am not the creator nor maintainer of any game engine at all. And since most of the work is already done, only in different places, it seems that would be just a matter of putting everything together.

#33

Someone with a brain. I was kind of losing hope.

#34

If you’re using java, or ANY programming language for that matter, and you don’t know how/can’t be bothered to make use of other peoples code then why bother in the first place?

JMonkeyEngine, LibGDX those are the kind of “collections” of libs you’re looking for. Even GTGE still works perfectly http://www.goldenstudios.or.id/products/GTGE/index.php.

#35

It’s the ONLY thing available.

Another way of saying that it’s unconfigurable and highly restrictive.

Not any more or less as fast than its java counterparts. You still need to handle all your game logic, rendering, collisions. databases etc etc.

Java is a programming language, XNA is a collection of libraries. That’s like saying you can’t just whip out an IDE, write C#, and have an application fall out that can easily be shared. In fact, Java comes out ahead in a scenario like this.

I don’t understand. What makes XNA more easier to use than other gaming libraries? To get it “set up” you need to import the required things in VS anyway, like you would do with any other library.

It sounds to me like he’s not enjoying programming and would benefit from more straightforward approaches such as Game Maker or hire a programmer and he himself only do the Game Design/Art.

#36

Based on longinos’s past posts, this thread, and his general condescending attitude, I’m glad this idiot is gone.

#37

WTF has happened to this place?

It used to be that someone who wanted help writing games in Java could turn up, ask some questions, get some help, make some friends and get on with writing games.

I’m embarrassed by this community some times. Get over yourselves.

The OP just wanted to get on and write games, wanted to download 1 package that had all the bits in he needed to get started on writing the game logic.

(Yes, I’ve seen some of their other posts, but this one is a valid question)

But with XNA you get to the point of writing all that stuff quicker, I don’t use it, that’s my choice, I prefer Java as a language, I believe that Java is a more productive language. The OP is obviously interested in alternatives too, but doesn’t have the experience we have with the range of libraries there are for games in Java. I think the OP was just after some ready assembled bundles of java game libs as a starting point.

[quote]Java is a programming language, XNA is a collection of libraries.
I don’t understand. What makes XNA more easier to use than other gaming libraries? To get it “set up” you need to import the required things in VS anyway, like you would do with any other library.
[/quote]
The advantage of XNA is exactly the fact that is a collection of libraries and documentation, that’s all the OP was after, a collection of Java game libraries.

[quote]It sounds to me like he’s not enjoying programming and would benefit from more straightforward approaches such as Game Maker or hire a programmer and he himself only do the Game Design/Art.
[/quote]
I got the impression the OP enjoyed the programming, just wanted to get to the coding part of writing games instead of spending lots of time finding and evaluating the alternative java games libs.

Endolf

#38

@endolf

Trolls be trolls. It is so blatantly obvious this guy is was trying to troll by trash talking java on a java programming website. If you look up, people mention the libraries/single-download-do-all-work-utility he wanted in previous posts. This site normally is very good to newbies such as myself when we ask VALID questions that have something to do with java and coding games.

This guy had many chances and blew them all so he is gone. Thank God. I think his topics should be removed because they have nothing to do with anything other then trolling

#39

Yup, saw those, hence the comment about this thread being a valid question. I agree that the others should be deleted or locked, but this one is a valid question and should have been treated as such.

Endolf

#40

I didn’t think that first instance referred to there was trolling, just an opening for discussion.

I am irked by community attitude here sometimes. Endolf’s response was accurate and well thought out; other posts in this thread really just seemed to be either deliberately missing the point to try and wind longino up or just plain trolling.

New resolution everybody: how about we be nice for a change.

Cas :slight_smile: