Companion web site available.

Although the number of commercial Java games is still small compared to those written in C or C++, the market is expanding rapidly. Recent updates to Java make it faster and easier to create powerful gaming applications-particularly Java 3D-is fueling an explosive growth in Java games. Java games like Puzzle Pirates, Chrome, Star Wars Galaxies, Runescape, Alien Flux, Kingdom of Wars, Law and Order II, Roboforge, Tom Clancy's Politika, and scores of others have earned awards and become bestsellers.Java developers new to graphics and game programming, as well as game developers new to Java 3D, will find Killer Game Programming in Java invaluable. This new book is a practical introduction to the latest Java graphics and game programming technologies and techniques. It is the first book to thoroughly cover Java's 3D capabilities for all types of graphics and game development projects.Killer Game Programming in Java is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know to program cool, testosterone-drenched Java games. It will give you reusable techniques to create everything from fast, full-screen action games to multiplayer 3D games. In addition to the most thorough coverage of Java 3D available, Killer Game Programming in Java also clearly details the older, better-known 2D APIs, 3D sprites, animated 3D sprites, first-person shooter programming, sound, fractals, and networked games. Killer Game Programming in Java is a must-have for anyone who wants to create adrenaline-fueled games in Java.

Advanced Java Game Programming teaches you how to create desktop and Internet computer games using the latest Java programming language techniques. Whereas other Java game programming books focus on introductory Java material, this book covers game programming for experienced Java developers. David Wallace Croft, founder of the Game Developers Java Users Group (GameJUG), has assembled an open-source reusable game library—a Swing animation engine that allows developers to use these techniques and put out new games very rapidly. The open-source game library also includes a reusable game deployment framework and a multiplayer networking library with HTTP firewall tunneling capability for applets. All of the code is open source, including the example games. The animation has been scrupulously tested and optimized in the Swing environment, and Croft clearly explains how the code works in great detail. The graphics and audio libraries used in the examples are public domain and may also be used royalty-free for creating new games.

Intended for programmers producing games for the Internet, this manual details the development of four full Internet games. Assuming some working knowledge of Java, the text focuses on the advanced features of game development and includes a CD-Rom that offers sample applications and demo software.

This innovative approach to teaching Java language and programming uses game design development as the method to applying concepts. Instead of teaching game design using Java, projects are designed to teach Java in a problem-solving approach that is both a fun and effective. Learning Java with Games introduces the concepts of Java and coding; then uses a project to emphasize those ideas. It does not treat the object-oriented and procedure and loop parts of Java as two separate entities to be covered separately, but interweaves the two concepts so the students get a better picture of what Java is. After studying a rich set of projects, the book turns to build up a “Three-layer Structure for Games” as an architecture template and a guiding line for designing and developing video games. The proposed three-layer architecture not only merges essential Java object-oriented features but also addresses loosely coupled software architecture.

CD-ROM includes: Source code, examples and projects for the tutorial chapters. -- Games from the Game Gallery section of the book. -- The Java Developer's Kit (JDK) version 1.0.2 for Macintosh, Solaris, Windows 95, and windows NT. -- All the materials on the CD-ROM in ZIP or TAR format.

Intermediate programmers with an interest in game development will benefit from this book that is fast-paced enough for experienced programmers but detailed enough for beginners.