Developing Games in Java

I have read countless books on games and Java and all those pale in comparision to this book. It teaches one thing: how to make games in Java. It doesn't walk the reader through the API like some books; it doesn't simply port games from C++. It has a very logical flow starting with threading, going next to 2d graphics, sound, 3d objects, and even much information on AI, scripting and optimization. This is the ultimate book for those who want to know how to program 2D/3D Java games.

If you know java and are interested in game programming, buy this book. It is so great. It is instant game programming gratification. You don't have to suffer through a java tutorial so obviously the book assumes a fair amount of java experience. The code samples are flawless and fun. I am a web developer and spend most of my time writing server-side web app code, so this was such a refreshing and fun change of pace. When I got my first Sprite to dance across the screen it brought me back to the innocence and wonder of my first "Hello World!". I spend a few hours every night just reading through this book and doing the examples - and besides the fact that they are fun, they are well-designed and easy to understand. You learn how to design games from the ground up and get to build useful reuable components.Seriously, buy this book.

I've reviewed a few other Java game programming books and they're pretty much all stinkers. This one is head and shoulders and feet above the others. And it assumes you know at least some Java and don't have to be hand-held through a dozen chapters of the language basics before they think you're competent enough to get a peek at writing a lame card game or bouncing-ball applet like the other books do. I've only spent a day with this book and have not attempted to compile any code, so keep that in mind while reading the rest of this review. Speaking of code, this is not a code-listing book. It definitely has code in it and dissects it, but the ratio of text to code is very appropriate.Right off the bat in chapter 1 David starts with a chapter on Threads! Then he moves on to several chapters of 2D graphics and animation and builds a complete 2D scroller in chapter 5! You're probably liking what you're hearing so far if you've read any of the other java game programming books. The next several chapters spend some time on understanding and then programming 3D graphics (great chapters, BTW), then moves on to collision detection, AI and pathfinding, game scripting (using BeanShell - excellent choice), optimization, and more. Somewhere in there is a chapter on multiplayer networking. All chapters build on the previous ones. The examples all seem worthwhile and demonstrate the concepts and techniques. This is real meat & potatoes game programming, and as the author points out, just happens to be implemented in Java. It looks to me like this guy really knows Java well (I'm a professional Java/J2EE programmer) and points out everything you need to know about using it to implement the game programming concepts.A few minor nits and notes. The focus of the book is on full-screen applications, not applets or windowed games. You can apply what you've learned to those two, but they're not covered (which is a good thing, but be forewarned). The book is printed with a relatively large font, IMO, especially the code listings, so it's a bit heftier than it should be, but I don't feel like they're over-charging, so I'll live. Also, almost no time was spent talking about writing tools like map editors, assest editors, etc. I feel like those items are important enough to spend a bit more time on, but I can understand why they are only mentioned in brief. The only items other items I would have liked to see some brief coverage of were 2D isometric tile-based maps and 3D terrain.This is a great intermediate level book on writing games in Java. I'd love to see the author or other writers build on this book to cover more advanced topics like those mentioned above, but you can use the information in this book and other great game programming references (like the Game Programming Gems series, AI Game Programming Wisdom, Strategy Game Programming in DirectX 9.0 (EXCELLENT BOOK), Game Coding Complete, 3D Game Engine Design, Physics for Game Developers, an

I have practically every book on learning game programming with the java language and this is the first one that doesn't start out with half the book being a java tutorial. The authors are very knowledgeable on the subject and go over 2d and 3d programming, pathfinding, ai, ... This is the kind of book i want when i buy a book on game programming, not a java tutorial (there are enough tutorials already). I highly recommend this book and can't wait to start developing my own games.