JAVA 1.4 GAME PROGRAMMING (OP): . (Wordware Game and Graphics Library)

By Andrew Mulholland

Covering all of the key elements required for creating games in Java, this book includes detailed coverage of graphics, input, sound, networking, and databases. Java 1.4 topics include full screen... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1556229631
• ISBN13: 9781556229633
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning
• Length: 647 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Great book if you're the right audience

This book is very useful for programmers with a little experience even though it was written for complete beginners (skip this book if you feel confident programming 2D games in Java). I enjoy the author's writing style and organization. Keep in mind that it's written for Java 1.4 (now two versions old). It's new enough to be oriented around Swing, with use of BufferStrategy and active rendering through full-screen exclusive mode, all of which are important in game programming. This is NOT a book that will let you jump right in to programming. It builds a solid and exceedingly thorough foundation. As a computer science minor, I've had a few classes in Java, and I was a TA for an introductory class. Because of my experience, I skipped the first seven chapters. However, since my academic-leaning classes skirted over game and graphics issues, I'm finding much of the rest of the book meets my needs perfectly. Most of the information in this book can be found online for free (as other reviewers note), but I haven't found it with such thorough explanations. I highly recommend this book for people who've never programmed a game before and want to start in 2D.

Great Book on Java and Scrolling 2D games

This book is a very good introduction to Java and game programming with Java. The authors were students in the Computer Games Technology program at the University of Abertay in Scotland when they wrote the book, and their enthusiastic expostulation of game programming principles make this book an easy read. In addition to a good coverage of Java (about half the book) with a slant toward concepts that are crucial to game programming, they cover everything you need to know to write a Java-based game which can be run in a window, full-screen, or as an applet delivered over the web. This book is a useful addition to any game-programmer's reference library.

why use Java?

While Java is now at version 1.5, the coverage in this book of Java 1.4 is still germane. Replete with guidelines on how to design your game and the facilities offered in Java. Of these, multithreading is one of the most important. Any practical game is likely to need it, and not just for graphics. While the Java Media Framework lets you integrate audio and video easily into your program. Though it is primitive compared to programs dedicated to this task. The book's weakness is in avoiding discussing why you should use Java at all. Unless it is as a learning experience. In which case, the free nature of Java and its rich set of classes are nice. But for reflex games, Java tends to be too slow.

Not bad but lacks 3D information

I just picked up this book used at a very good price. Then read some of the reviews and was worried. Well for me being that my Java skills require a tutorial review I though the book was very good. Having read some Java books and not completely grasping it this books tutorial hit the spot. Of course the book is supposed to be about creating games not teaching the basics and it does look a bit light on game thoery then I would expect. However as a budding Java programmer this book hit the spot. Experienced Java developers may want to pass on this title.

Brilliant Primer for Java Games

I bought this book in the hope that it wasn't going to be another so called beginners book that ends up sitting on the bookshelf forever because the content is actually aimed at someone with core knowledge and therefore skips out all the basics.I wasn't dissapointed, the whole of the first half of the book is given over to getting you up to speed with core information and from there takes you by the hand and leads you through key game techniques which have helped me to create my own applet games to put into my web site.I would highly reccomend this book to anybody who needs to get a solid grounding in the basics of Java game programming. It may not be for those who already have some knowledge of Java but for those of us who are beginners it's an excellent source of information and reference.