Dedication

J2ME Game Programming

Have you ever seen players' eyes light up as they explore the worlds that you've created in your games? If you have, then game development probably has you hooked firmly in its grasp! If you've never taken your games beyond the PC, now's the time! "J2ME Game Programming" is a hands-on guide that teaches you how to create games for micro-devices. You'll be amazed at just how cool the games you create can look and play. Focusing primarily on mobile phone game creation, you'll jump right in and create your own games as you work your way through the book. The thought has surely crossed your mind that it would be nice to make some money off of this cool hobby of yours. J2ME offers real opportunity to profit from your games. Learn how you can earn revenue from your games by taking them to market. If you have a basic understanding of Java, then you're ready to explore all that "J2ME Game Programming" has to offer!

Features

  • Addresses important issues of J2ME game development that have been given little, or no attention in other publications such as game play design tailored for mobile devices, supporting multiple target devices, squeezing traditional game techniques, and more.

  • Readers additionally learn how to structure code and classes to achieve as small an application footprint as possible.

  • Covers all the elements needed to create the reader's own J2ME game. Readers learn the essentials of J2ME game development from the ground up, including issues involved in developing for multiple target devices and how to wrestle the jungle of device specific libraries and device capabilities.

Table of Contents

    Introduction
      What's in the Book?
      Who Are You?
      Who Am I?
      Let's Go!
    Part I:  What Is J2ME?
      Chapter 1.  J2ME History
      Java's Acorn
      Java's Growth in the Sun
      So What Is Java?
      Multiple Editions
      Micro Devices Everywhere
      Micro Software
      Conclusion
      Chapter 2.  J2ME Overview
      I Shall Call It Mini-ME
      J2ME Architecture
      MIDP
      MIDP 2.0
      Conclusion
      Chapter 3.  J2ME-Enabled Devices
      MID Overview
      Conclusion
    Part II:  Show Me the Code!
      Chapter 4.  The Development Environment
      Getting the Tools
      Installing the Software
      Baking Some MIDlets!
      Creating the Full Package
      The J2ME Wireless Toolkit
      Working with Other Development Environments
      Conclusion
      Chapter 5.  The J2ME API
      MIDP API Overview
      The MIDlet Application
      Using Timers
      Networking
      Persistence (RMS)
      User Interface (LCDUI)
      Conclusion
      Chapter 6.  Device-Specific Libraries
      Device-Specific Libraries
      Nokia
      Siemens
      Motorola
      Other Extensions
      Conclusion
      Chapter 7.  Game Time
      Game Time
      Game Design
      The Application Class
      The Menu
      The Game Screen
      The Game Loop
      Adding the Graphics
      The Actors
      Input Handling
      Collision Detection
      Game Over
      Conclusion
    Part III:  Game On
      Chapter 8.  The Project
      The State of Play
      Game Types
      Designing Your Game
      The Development Process
      Your Idea
      Conclusion
      Chapter 9.  The Graphics
      Sprite Basics
      Advanced Sprites
      Conclusion
      Chapter 10.  The Action
      Getting Some Action
      Basic Movement
      Moving at an Angle
      Advanced Motion
      Collision Detection
      Actors
      The Enemy
      Conclusion
      Chapter 11.  The World
      A New World
      Creating a Tile Engine
      Building Worlds
      Conclusion
      Chapter 12.  The Game
      The Game Screen
      Game State
      The Primary Actor
      Dealing with Damage
      Saving and Loading
      Conclusion
      Chapter 13.  The Front End
      Front End Overview
      The Application Class
      The Menus
      The Splash Screen
      Conclusion
      Chapter 14.  The Device Ports
      Nokia Customization
      Build Systems
      Multi-Device Builds
      Conclusion
      Chapter 15.  The Optimizing
      Speed, Glorious Speed
      Optimization
      Conclusion
      Chapter 16.  The Localization
      Localizing
      Conclusion
    Part IV:  Sell, Sell, Sell
      Chapter 17.  Marketing Material
      Game Guide
      Taking Screenshots
      Making Movies
      Company Presence
      Conclusion
      Chapter 18.  Sales Channels
      J2ME Business Model
      Ways to Market
      Approaching the Publisher
      Doing the Deal
      Conclusion
    Part V:  What Next ?
      Chapter 19.  CLDC 1.1 and MIDP 2.0
      The Next Generation
      Developing with MIDP 2
      Sound
      Enhanced LCDUI
      Game API
      Communications
      Push Registry
      Conclusion
      Chapter 20.  Isometric Games
      What Is Isometric Projection?
      The Graphics
      Conclusion
      Chapter 21.  Ray Casting
      What Is Ray Casting?
      The Fundamentals
      The Engine
      Advanced Features
      Conclusion
      Chapter 22.  Making the Connection
      Mobile Communications
      Network Gaming
      A Simple Networked MIDlet
      The Server Side
      Online Scoring for Star Assault
      Advanced Networking
      Conclusion
      Appendix A.  Java 2 Primer
      Java 2
      The Nature of a Program
      Objects Everywhere
      Basic Syntax
      Strings
      Arrays
      Advanced Object-Oriented Programming
      Exceptions
      Packages, Import, and CLASSPATH

  Dedication