Thread: 2D Game Programming

Originally Posted by bgroenks96

I would recommend getting a fully functioning Java2D (built in AWT/Swing APIs) game going before jumping into LWJGL or even JME.

I agree with this.

Originally Posted by bgroenks96

Game programming is very difficult and really shouldn't be a goto thing for beginners in any language. You should make sure you master Java syntax and GUI construction before attempting it.

I know what you mean, but I do also think that programming a game can be a fantastic motivator to help beginners learn. The trick is to be realistic- start by programming a game that's played via the command line, don't start by trying to make the next minecraft.

Originally Posted by Chillers

Ok thanks!
So I believe now I should ask school mates if they want something to do their homework which would be good practice with user interface?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this. But you should start out by learning basic Swing (how to show a gui, how to use layouts, etc), then move on to Java2D (doing basic custom painting), then start using event listeners and Swing Timers to do simple animations.

Originally Posted by Chillers

Ok thanks!
I meant that like I would have something which an actual person could use so sorry for the confusion.
Also I know the Java Syntax (Like the things what aren't libraries).

I would not worry about other people for the time being- focus on making a game that entertains you. Keep it simple. Get one simple game under your belt, then try a more complicated game.

Originally Posted by bgroenks96

I agree. All I meant was that there is no use in even trying to create a Java2D game if you barely are able to create a JFrame. There will be much less frustration in writing the engine if you good knowledge and at least some experience working with AWT/Swing (custom painting in particular).

Yeah, I can agree with that. Too many people approach programming thinking that they'll be making the next minecraft or angry birds within a week, just to be discouraged and quit when that turns out to be unreasonable. And that's really unfortunate, because if those people just took a more patient approach, they'd find that programming just for programming is fun by itself.

Originally Posted by Chillers

Yeah I do like programing!
I have been doing it for 2 months now in Java and Java is my first language so it was a bit hard to get the syntax.
I know how to make a JFrame, but some game devloper said that he learned best when he learned the syntax then modded games.
So I am going to mod the game Minecraft into a kingdom hearts type deal if you know what I mean.

To be fair, I don't actually know how hard that is, so maybe I should just butt out. But I would think that's a very "top-down" approach, working on something that's complicated to understand the basics. I would instead take a "bottom-up" approach, working my way up from the very basics to the more complicated stuff. I understand the pros and cons of each, but I guess you should do whichever fits into your brain the best.

Originally Posted by Chillers

Anyways thanks, if you could, where did you learn Java?

I learned it back in high school, when my favorite math teacher told me to take the new programming course he was offering. Then I went to college for computer science. But in between all of my "real" schooling, I mostly played around by making little games and programs that I thought were interesting.

Originally Posted by Alex555

I think you should write your own game engine. That way you will have full control of what you are doing, and you can make as many methods as you want and make it as simple as you want =)

BTW, Make something else, TF2 demake was already taken by Notch =)

Again, I strongly disagree with this advice. The OP expressed that he can barely get images to display, so I really don't think he should take on the huge challenge of creating an entire game library. Every new programmer writes terrible code at the beginning (how many times have you looked at code you wrote a year ago and thought "what was I thinking?"... I still do that). And that's fine, but that means your best case scenario is to end up with a poorly written library. The most likely scenario is that you'll end up frustrated and quit.

Telling somebody who doesn't know how to display images to learn by making a game library is like telling somebody who doesn't know how to drive to learn by building a car.

OP, I think you statement that games don't require any advanced knowledge is a bit misleading. Even simple games like pong will involve some advanced topics such as animation, threading (or, better yet, Swing Timers), basic collision detection and physics, a game flow (title screen, game, end screen), pausing, etc... And a game engine has to support all of that, but in a generic way that would work with any game.

In short, start small. Write pong. Don't try doing a remake of a more advanced game until you can do the simple stuff. On that note, why does everybody want to make a remake? Why not come up with your own new idea?