-
Get the book.
The
table of contents and a
sample chapter
are available from the
publisher website.
The book is available in paperback or as a
downloadable PDF file.
-
Subscribe to the announcements mailing list.
I will use this list to announce
errata, supplemental online articles, new classes, new multimedia
files, and new example games. I will only be sending
out a few messages to this list each year. You can subscribe
via the
announcements mailing list webpage.
-
Review the errata webpage.
As errors in the book are identified by myself or readers,
I will update the errata webpage and post a message to the
announcements mailing list. Please review the
errata webpage now to see a list of
errors that were identified before you joined the announcements
mailing list. If you would like to report an error in the
book or suggest an improvement, please post a message to the
reader discussion mailing list.
-
Check the updates webpage.
The Java APIs and the CroftSoft Code Library continue to
improve. Please see the
updates webpage.
-
Read the Introduction and Chapter 1.
Many readers will want to start programming their own games
right away by adapting the template example game described at
the end of the first chapter.
-
Download the source code.
You can download a snapshot archive of the version of the
Open Source Java code as described in the book from this link:
croftsoft_2003-11-09.zip
You can also download the archive from the
publisher website.
If you want the very latest version of the code, including changes
that were made after the book went to print, you can download
a compressed archive or get
CVS server update instructions from the
CroftSoft Code Library web page.
Using CVS is described in Appendix B of the book.
-
Compile and play the example games.
As described in Chapter 1, an
Ant
build file and the multimedia files required for the build
are included in the source code zip file.
The example games are also distributed pre-compiled for
user installation as part of the
CroftSoft Collection.
-
Check out the checklist.
The Checklist is an online supplement to the
book which describes the step-by-step process I use to write an
interactive animated Java game or simulation.
-
Review the javadoc.
The example games are based upon a highly reusable library
of classes optimized for Swing-based animation. You will need
to refer to the javadoc frequently if you want to reuse these
infrastructure classes for your own games.
The book-related
javadoc is spread across two different packages:
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Subscribe to the discussion mailing list.
If you have a question about the book or you need help with
Java game programming in general, you can contact me via
the reader discussion mailing list. I or one of the other
list members will answer your question as soon as we can.
You can also use this list to identify errors in the book
or suggest improvements.
You can subscribe via the
discussion mailing list webpage.
The Public Domain graphics and audio files used in the game
examples are included within the source code archive.
They are also available for separate download as part of the
CroftSoft Audio and Graphics Collections.
Please see the CroftSoft Media
web page for more information.
