where can i get better at java?

General Discussions
#1

what do you guys think of a text based game?
i like making them…(actualy my (good)computer broke so now im stuck with this peace of shit and text based games are about the only thing i can make :-\ )
but… do you guys know a place where i can learn java easy?
(i know java isn’t to easy to learn but still the easiest to learn place.)

what i want to have learned :

  1. making 2d games like pac-man and such
  2. making some good text based games (like i always do :-\ )

ps: (i know this should actually be on the noob thing but yheaa…)

#2

I solve CodingBat problems.

http://codingbat.com/

#3

Making games won’t teach you much about Java besides the basics. If you actually want to learn Java, create some programs that requires other parts of the language. If you really are just starting out, I would say go make some basic programs. Make a simple command line chat program, make an advanced calculator with Swing. Make programs that you would find useful. Back in 10th grade, I was in honors statistics and we had a homework assignment that required the use of an equation. Now, me being the lazy person I am, I created a basic program in Java that would allow me to plug in some variables, and the computer would solve the equation for me. My hour long homework assignment suddenly only took 10 minutes!

#4

I dunno… I use a fairly large amount of Java’s powers making games with it.

Cas :slight_smile:

#5

That was more directed at the beginning developers who are creating simple clones of PacMan or the such. Personally, I’ve learned a lot about Java from game development, but most of my early knowledge came from messing around with non-game programs.

But to each their own! Maybe you will learn more about Java from game development :slight_smile:

#6

Let’s not forget exactly what games I’ve made when we talk about PacMan :point: There can be a lot to it!

Cas :slight_smile:

#7

I’m reading the Oracle Press book: “Java, A Beginner’s Guide” Sixth Edition, by Herbert Schildt. I’m finding it very well written, and there are quizzes at the end of each chapter and lots of example code. The book covers new features in Java 8 as well as intros to both Swing and JavaFX. You might find it a bit pricey. My copy is from the local library.

The Java Tutorials http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/ are an underrated resource for learning the language, are actually quite good. And they are free. Some expensive texts seem to duplicate a lot of the lessons taught here.

There are good texts available online, either through a library (if they subscribe to Safari), as well as some free books. I remember thinking the Eckels was pretty helpful:

There’s a lot to coding even a simple 2D game: with much to learn about graphics, keyboard/mouse control, animation (often not taught in beginning courses), as well as core Java OOP.

Hey, I just noticed a 3rd Edition of Bloch’s “Effective Java” is out! (That is a tough nut to crack. Save it for later.)

#8

Code in Java.

You can read every book in the library on java, watch every online video, read every article, decompile any code , it won’t make a shit bit of difference if you don’t code.

Code. Code. Code.

Make programs, make your own list classes, make your own math classes, make a small framework that you can build on and improve every time you open the the source.

#9

I second that. Unless you find a problem to solve, then come up with your own solution, you won’t learn. Don’t be afraid of failure, don’t be afraid to try. Any failure is experience, any success is just the summation of experience from past failures.

#10

Here are a few tutorial sites that might be helpful.

The beginner Java course here is free.

Mind blowing amount of tutorials! :o For certain languages (such as Java) they have an IDE built in so you can type code directly into the webpage and run it to see what it does. Pretty ingenious.
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/tutorialslibrary.htm

And for tutorial videos, TheNewBoston youtube channel is really good and entertaining too.