What This Book Covers

The aim of this book is to first introduce you to the Java programming language and then build upon that knowledge by looking at the key elements required to make games, such as graphics, input, sound, and networking. This book discusses the following three topics:

• Introduction to the Java language—The book provides a complete guide to getting started using Java 2 Standard Edition 1.4 and looks at all of the major elements that make up the language. No previous knowledge of Java or programming in general is required, as we start from the very beginning. A simple text-based game of tic-tac-toe demonstrates these concepts.

• Game programming in Java—We look at the major areas associated with game programming in Java. In this tome you will find all of the important technical information for creating games in Java, including the newest features of Java 1.4, such as full-screen exclusive mode. The development of a game framework merges all your knowledge into a powerful, reusable base for making your own games in Java.

• Programming network games in Java—We discuss programming networked games in Java, covering topics such as client-server and database connectivity (for high-score lists and storing data on an online server) in Java. This book also covers the "new to J2SE 1.4" networking package NIO (New I/O). Key elements are building a solid network frame and a sample network game ("game" used loosely here :)).