Java for Video Games

Duke TIP Summer Studies, Summer 2008
Instructor: Alex Kuhl
Teaching Assistant: Travis Parker

Rules, Expectations, and Evaluation Techniques

Schedule

Helpful Java Introductories:

• My Quick Java Intro
• Eck's Introduction to Java

Class Notes, Tutorials, Etc.

Notes

• Day 1 Notes - Introductions, Rules, Eclipse, Web pages

Chapters

• Chapter 1 - Computers and Java Overview
• Chapter 2 - Objects, Data Types, and Variables
• Chapter 3 - Implementing Classes
• Chapter 4 - Numeric Data Types
• Chapter 6 - Decisions: if statements, boolean logic
• Chapter 7 - Iteration: for and while loops
• Chapter 8 - Data Containers: arrays and ArrayList
• Chapter 16 - Reading and Writing Files

Tutorials

• Projects in Eclipse
• How to import a jar file
• Exporting Jars and putting Applets on the web
• Using our game engine (FANG)
• Template class for starting a FANG game
• Making custom sprites with GIMP
• Basic help file for a game, goes in your resources folder. Use setHelp( "resources/help.html"); inside of startGame.
• Trackers
• Alarms
• Sound in a game
• How to continue your work at home

Assignments

Projects

• Wackadot
• Pong
• Practice with the FANG engine
• Monty Hall Problem [starter project]
• Dot Patterns [starter project]
• Lights Out!
• Breakout (or BrickBreaker to the uninformed)
• Asteroids, example
• Lab: Game of Life [good test]

Exercises

• 2.1, 2.2, 2.9, 3.1, 3.4, 3.7, 4.3, 6.1, 6.4, 6.8
• Power Generator start code

Examples

• Note: Use these as references for the concepts, not copying their gameplay code. These are provided as-is, Royale especially has known bugs
• Scrolling background with different views per player: Royale
• Multiple levels: World of Minigames

Other links:

• Student pages from Term 1
• Student pages from Term 2
• Download FANG
• FANG Engine Website