I was just wondering if anyone was attempting to create a racing game using LWJGL. I bought “The Need For Speed 2” this weekend and it made me want to try making a simple racing game. Thought I might use LWJGL.
Hey i don’t think theres going to be anything simple about a 3D racing game! 
Would be a very cool project though! 
Maybe people should think of creating a 3D engine first?
Something that allows to load 3D models, create environments, have a production path for the artists ready …
I would like to see a team (or a few teams) try to make the exact same racing game in Java with LWJGL, Java3D, and in C++. Write up the whole development process and benchmark it.
It would provide great insight into where the strengths of each technology lie. Everyone would learn a lot and we would have a racing game in the end…
No commercial guys could afford to spend the time on it… but maybe if the scope of the game is kept small a dedicated team of java-gaming.org guys could pull it off?
It’s what everyone wants to see before they decide which route to go… we are all just waiting for someone else to do it
That does sound like a good idea. Unfortunately I’m totally new to OpenGL and LWJGL so my efforts will be educational for me and probably not of any use to others.
By simple I meant something along these lines:
1> Image based terrain height map. (pixel color defines height 0-255 grey scale)
2> Image based terrain texture map. (pixel color defines which ground texture to use at the location 0-255 grey scale)
3> Image based terrain object map. (pixel color defines what type of 3D object should be placed on the landscape at the location)
4> Model loading routines for 3ds format.
5> Image based track height map. (pixel color defines height, above the terrain at the location, for the track)
6> Single simple car model with extreemly limited physics.
7> No AI oponents.
Seems to me that 1-4 could be implemented in a generic fashion for use in other projects. Perhaps this is part of the engine Herkules suggested be built.