Java Game Development Tools

Article by John Parks

The Java language is normally the first language that any programmer learns. Since many different programmers are interested in developing their own game, many programmers will use the Java language to create a simple one. There are many different Java game development tools. For example, a programmer could use Java 3D, Swing, AWT, LWJGL, Slick, and JGame for game development.

Java 3D, Swing, AWT

Java 3D, Swing, and AWT are game libraries that are not designed for game development. However, they do have a slight advantage. This advantage is the fact that Java 3D, Swing, and AWT are already installed on the Java system automatically. This means that the new programmer does not need to deal with specific configurations. This makes it easier for the programmer to use Java and these game development tools to make easy games. However, Java 3D, Swing, and AWT do have their own disadvantages. For example, these programming tools are specifically designed for making Graphical User Interfaces. Java 3D, Swing, and AWT are not the best tools for creating Java based games. This is mainly because the developer needs to focus on synchronizing audio and video.

The Lightweight Java Game Library

The Lightweight Java Game Library, or LWJGL, is an extremely powerful Java game engine. The Lightweight Java Game Library gives Java game developers the chance to access the Open AL audio library and the Open GL graphics library. The LWJGL also provides specific functions that allow the developers the ability to access and create game pads and joysticks. The engine is normally used in both games made for hobbies and commercial ones. As long as someone understands the Java programming language, the LWJGL can be of some use.

Slick

The Slick Java game development tool is an easy to use tool that many different programmers can understand. The Slick gaming interface is built on top of the LWJGL interface. Since the open AL audio library and the open GL graphics library can get a little complicated, Slick replaces the open AL and open GL with simple method calls. In addition, the Slick Java based game development tool features built in game skeletons. The built in game skeletons are designed to be useful for game designers who need to handle the options screen and the main menu for a Java based video game. However, the negative aspect to the Slick Java game development tool is the fact that Slick only supports 2D graphics. This can get frustrating when a game designer wants to create one that features high quality 3D graphics.

JGame

Instead of using the LWJGL, the JGame uses the AWT, Swing, and Java Open GL libraries. In fact, the JGame application is built on top of these libraries. The JGame Java tool is used to make many different games. In fact, JGame can be used to create Web browser video, desktop video, and even cell phone games. However, the cell phone or computer needs to have Java installed. JGame also supports simple methods like DrawImage and PlayAudio.

For more information on Java game development, visit http://javagames.com/p205077-java-game-development.cfm

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Worlds collide as Super Mario Bros and Portal become Mari0 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Setting Up Your First Game Server

 

Everyone loves playing their favorite games with their friends online. But no one likes having their game play interrupted by the game server crashing or some other player joining your game and starts shooting everyone. The best way to stop this is by run your own game server that you have full control over. The first step is to describe weather you want to host your own game server or rent one. In most cases it best to rent one especially if you have a clan that is going to play on the server a lot. So we need to find a good game server host, my favorite is End point Gaming. They have low prices, easy to use control panel, and great support. The support staff is helpful when you don’t know how to do something or need help fixing a problem.

 

So after you get a game server host you like and they send you all the information about how to log into the game server control panel. You will want to start customizing your game server. Now most game server host do all the hard work for you, so you will just need to change a few files to make everything work the way you want it to. Theirs really only one file you will want to edit and that is the server.cfg. The server.cfg file contains all the settings for the game server, so we will be working on editing that file. You really only need a few basic command in this file to start with.

First you will want to give your game server a name, so you will use this command hostname “Game Server Name”. Then you may want to put a password on the game server so only you and your friends that have the password can join. You will need to put this command in only if you want to put a password on your game server, sv_password “Game server Password”. You will want to put in a Rcon password on the game server. This will make it possible to control the game server from anywhere, rcon_password “Rcon Password”.

Next you might want to install a few game server mods for fun. If you go with a game server hosting company like End Point Gaming you will be able to install game server mods from the control panel.  If you don’t use a game server hosting company you will have to install them by hand and that takes some time.

Lastly you may want to add in a fast download service to download the game server map and any mods you install faster. Any web hosting service will do the job, my favorite is Techwebhosting. Once you have the fast download service you will need to put this command in the server.cfg file, sv_downloadurl “http://techwebhosting.com/Your_Files”, that’s it pretty simple.

Endpointgaming.com – game server hosting

Techwebhosting.com – web hosting

Game Server Hosting – Ping or Die

Game servers are usually developed in a form of a standard component that can be found in many games that have a multiplayer option. After this kind of business became popular, hosting companies immediately responded to the growing demand and started offering dedicated servers for online gaming to both those who want to make business and to those who are simply enthusiastic. Generally game server hosting caters to two main groups of online games – those available from the main server, and those that operate through a series of distributed ones.

Centralized servers are mostly often used to host games that require these servers to be able to host thousands of users playing at the same time. The main server stores all the necessary data about the game environment and the cyber world is there 24 hours 7 days a week. The game goes on no matter if the user is online or offline. To participate in the game, a player usually needs special client software that connects to the main server. One of the most popular game using the technology of centralized servers is the World of Warcraft.

Another model is the distributed servers technology. This one is usually utilized by enthusiasts and small businesses. In this model the software is distributed onto several dedicated game servers. As an example, real-time strategies are usually based on this technology. They need frequent updates of the game world that is executed through messaging between users and servers. There should be a master server in this chain to control messaging between the whole bunch of distributed servers. Low latency and fast ping time – that is what needed for this model to be successful and ensure the fast speed of messages reaching the server and coming back to the user. Users usually choose servers with the best ping rates and connect to them to play online. That is why game server hosting companies connect their servers to the fastest networks. Security, operating system and applications tweaking and thorough configuration are also very important.

Hosting providers usually supply their clients with game server hosting services that include the most technologically advanced servers and network connections, very often with the preinstalled software to start online gaming business immediately. The most popular games using the technology of distributed servers are: Doom 3, Medal of Honor, Halo, Unreal Tournament, Counter Strike, Quake 3 etc.

Game server hosting providers are expected to significantly increase their revenue due to such rapid growth figures of online gaming. Many hosting companies have already build up a wide range of special game server hosting offers including even those for -40 a month. This is significantly cheaper than many low-performance dedicated servers.

Introduction to Game Server Web Hosting

According to the Wikipedia, Game Server is a remotely or locally run server used by game clients to play multiplayer games. Most video games played over the Internet operate through a connection to a game server. These game servers are offered by the Game Server Providers, companies that lease dedicated game servers. Presently, in the web hosting industry, game server web hosting is one of the fastest growing segments.

Game Servers are of two types, Listen Servers and Dedicated Servers. Listen server are usually used in situation in which the server typically runs in the same process as the game client, allowing a player to both host and participate in the game. Listen servers are mostly operated by individuals, often in LAN situations rather than over the internet. Dedicated servers are the servers which can be run by individuals, but are usually run on dedicated hardware located in data centers, providing more bandwidth and dedicated processing power. Mostly, for hosting game servers for most PC-based multiplayer games dedicated servers are used.

Unlike traditional business hosting, Game hosting is far more demanding. It requires significant amounts of specially formatted server space to meet the demands of many players choosing one game at a single time. There are literally millions of consumers around the world who opt to play games online, which all translates to a need for reliably organized and dedicated service.

Heavy traffic is not the only issue that should be addressed when looking for a game server web hosting service however. Easy to use control panels which can help the site owner automate and organize many processes is also something that should be considered an absolute “must”. This is because the online gaming environment requires a lot of customer support and service, and also many applications and software updates and fixes which can only be managed with a good control panel feature.

Additionally, the amount of space required to handle the needs of the gaming software may limit the number of games available and the gamer server web hosting company selected. The games are each assigned a special “node” on the hosting equipment and each node has a limited number of “slots”, which translate to the total number of players who can access the game at any given time.

The best contemporary game server web hosting companies make about ten to fifteen nodes available on each server – which is a good illustration of the kind of space the games and functions require. This also introduces the need for reporting features that quickly let the website owner know which of their games is receiving the most attention or usage. Such information is critical in expanding offerings or eliminating a game that may be taking up to fifteen percent of a company’s server space.

Hosting providers usually supply their clients with game server hosting services that include the most technologically advanced servers and network connections, very often with the preinstalled software to start online gaming business immediately. The most popular games using the technology of distributed servers are: Doom 3, Medal of Honor, Halo, Unreal Tournament, Counter Strike, Quake 3, etc.

Many online gamers also like to discuss the games they are playing and to socialize with fellow gamers, because of this it is important to see if the game server web hosting company provides applications such as chatting or forums which will add to the enjoyment of the customers.

Finally, though the game server web hosting sites are relatively new, they still require as much security and updating as traditional server equipment. Because of this it is important to inspect each company before making a final choice.

Is your Game Server Support Good?

As fast as your game server might be, there will come a day when a problem arises. Perhaps your server will become laggy, maybe it will get hacked, or it might not work at all. When these things happen, your line of defense will always be your game server provider’s support team. Any decent provider will offer free support with your server, and some even offer 24-hour support! Good support is the key to having a good game server, and you shouldn’t give any provider that doesn’t offer it a second glance.

So, just what is good support? A good support person will answer all your questions fully and completely, be polite at all times, and fix your problem in a reasonable amount of time. Preferably, all issues should be solved in less than 24 hours. Most gaming server companies offer support via special online ticket systems, but some go as far as to offer instant message support, email support, and in some cases, even phone support.

To have your problem fixed as quickly as possible, it’s important to open a support request as soon as the problem is first noticed. When filing a ticket, tell your provider exactly what the problem is. Give details about when the problem occurred, what you were doing at the time, what game your server runs, your server’s IP, and how the problem specifically impacts you. Doing these things will not only get your problem solved faster, but will make life easier for support personnel.

Just like with any computer product, a decent game server will have good support. Though providers with better support may be more expensive, it will spend more time online and less time down, giving you more fragging action. No matter how good or bad your particular game server’s support is, keep one thing in mind: you always have the power to change providers.

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Online Forex Trading Game – Learning the Ropes of Forex Trading and Getting Ahead of the Game Early On

Online Forex Trading Game

In the world of cut-throat business, it pays to know your way around. And in the world of forex trading it pays to know the market, the players and the stakes. In forex trading, you need to know what you’re looking at – the value of the currency you’re trading, the factors that affect the value of your currency, the trading strategies and the market trends. Online Forex Trading Game

Fundamental to forex trading is research. But as we are talking about big bucks here, a good forex trading course would be helpful.

Why Go for a Trading Course

A Forex trading course teaches you how to predict or chart the movements of the market as well as the perfect time to buy and sell a commodity. It familiarizes you with the basic terminologies and the process of trading.

Because forex trading is done in real time and decisions are done on the spot, a trader should be emotionally equipped and prepared to handle the demands, challenges and the stress of the market. And these, one can learn in a forex trading education.

What To Look For in Forex Trading Courses

The Basics. A god forex trading education should include in its program the basics on margins, types of orders and leveraging as these are essential in the forex market transactions. It should teach the basic terminologies, the types of analyses being used, the software and tools and other such important things as charting and leverage. These are essential as the trader learns when to cut back and minimize his losses as well as gain profit. Online Forex Trading Game

Analysis. It should also teach you how to analyze common mistakes and at the same time, the ways to avoid such mistakes. Basic to a forex trading course is a detailed discussion on doing technical and fundamental analysis and tools.

Values. More than the theories and the basics involved, a good forex trading education should teach you proper money management and the development of a proper trading disposition and psychology. As the stakes are upped, a trader may become too emotionally involved. It is important that a forex trading course develops the appropriate values needed in money trading, such as discipline, patience and commitment.

Experience. A good forex trading course should provide real life experience through apprenticeship. There is no better teacher than experience, they say, and as forex trading is as real as it can get, forex courses should offer avenues where the student can practice trading. Some courses have live conference rooms or boards where the trader can learn to trade in real time or, in some cases, in a simulated environment. These experiences should also have a one-on-one feedback and forums for discussion and exchange of information and lessons.

For those who’d like to get a good grasp of the market and the rules of the game, there are online sites offering courses and workshops on forex trading. These sites offer courses on risk and money management, trading strategies, technical analysis, market trends and networking. There are also tutorials on the latest softwares and tools being used. There are also online sites that offer lifetime membership and support. Some online schools allow their students to retake the course for updates on the newest trends and strategies. Online Forex Trading Game

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