====== Java and Game Programming ======

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==== We will use... ====

    * Java Standard Edition (J2SE) Standard Development Kit (SDK) (or JDK).
    * JDK version >= 6.
    * Eclipse or other IDE such as IntellJ or NetBeans (or sometimes just a plain text editor and the command line).

==== Packages ====

    * Java manages its namespace using packages.
    * A package is a group of related classes.
    * Some common packages that we may use:
          * java.lang.* (DEFAULT)
          * java.awt.*
          * javax.swing.*
          * java.io.*
          * java.net.*
    * import makes a package name available in a shorter form.
      * Example: "import java.awt.*;" makes everything in class java.awt accessible as its short name.
        * Afterward, for example, you can use the short name "Graphics" instead of "java.awt.Graphics".

==== Methods ====

    * Don't want to write an overly long main() method
    * Methods are functions: they do a certain well-defined task and should be as small as possible

==== Information Protection (Methods and Variables) ====

    * public - Can be accessed anywhere, including other classes, packages
    * private - Can only be accessed from methods within the same class
    * protected - Can be accessed in all methods of classes in the same package.

==== More Java Fundamentals ====

    * Static methods are methods that belong to a class itself, rather than class instances (objects).

    * You can define your own constants by using "static final".
      * Example: public static final int MAX_LEVELS = 10;
      * But using a public Enum would be preferred if you have a group of related constants that you want to use in a game.

==== Random Numbers ====

    * A part of almost every game
    * Can use the //Random// class or Math.random()
    * import java.util.Random;
    * Creating and using a random number generator:

<code>
               Random generator = new Random();
               
               // To get a random integer where the range of your random number
               // is between 0 to N-1:
               int throw = generator.nextInt(N);
               
               // To start at 1:
               int throw = generator.nextInt(N - 1) + 1;
               
               // Setting the random seed (an integer used to set the starting point
               // for generating a series of random numbers):
               Random generator = new Random (SEED);
               // or use generator.setSeed(SEED);
               
               // In order to generate truly random numbers, the seed should be an
               // unpredictable value (e.g., entropy created by random key presses
               // or mouse movements).
</code>

==== Java and Game Programming ====

    * Java in "real games"
          * Tom Clancy's Politika, Star Wars Galaxies (the game logic), Puzzle Pirates, Galactic Village, Runescape, freeware/shareware games, __MINECRAFT__
    * [[http://www.java-gaming.org|java-gaming.org]]
    * Java game engines or game development libraries exist (partial list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_engines)
      * Most significant may be [[http://www.lwjgl.org|LWJGL]] due to Minecraft
      * We will introduce the Java-based, multi-platform game development framework, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibGDX|LibGDX]], in this class as an alternative to using pure Java.
        * Uses LWJGL and other libraries
        * Recent Gamasutra blog entry on LibGDX and game development: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/YanickBourbeau/20150902/252624/Linux_game_development_in_2015.php

==== Small, old Java game example: jSpout ====

    * http://rockhopper.monmouth.edu/~jchung/download/jspout.jar
      * Download and run with //$ java -jar jspout.jar//.

==== Newer Java game example: Flywrench4k ====

    * 2013 winner of Java4K competition
    * http://www.x2d.org/java/4k/flywrench4k/
      * Windows: Run "Configure Java" to add security exception for http://www.x2d.org.
        * Can't run in school Windows labs at all.
          * Java applets are dead.

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