Our helpful friends inside the SJG framework ready to their best for you and your game.
Introduction
A Framework for Small Java Games is a lightweight framework for Java applet games. It includes an xml-parser, a very simple multithreaded scripting language and support for image cropping, sprites, double-buffering and networking. All compiles down to less than 50 KB. For an example application see Taleban vs. Robot. The xml-parser is also available as a separate distribution.
The framework is based upon Java 1.1 because it has the widest support and it opens the possibility of supporting less capable platforms such as mobile phones or PDAs.
The project is released under the BSD open source license and hosted at sourceforge.net.
Overview
The framework consists of the following classes:
sjg.*- the core of the framework. Defines a generic programming model based on the state design pattern and a decoupled game loop.sjg.animation.*- classes for image cropping, sprites and animation. The minimalist sprite engine supports a viewport for scrolling and simple collision detection.sjg.gm.*- classes for various graphics models. Allows the user to shift between buffered and non buffered graphics without changing code.sjg.network.*- classes for network support. Currently in development. But the idea is to build a peer-to-peer network model where only user interaction (mouse and keyboard input) is transmitted over the net, saving bandwidth and still providing generic support for all types of games.sjg.scripting.*- a small multithreaded scripting engine. The script language consists of the following commands: execute (a script), spawn (a new thread executing a certain script), wait (a number of frames), jumpto (a script), command (sends a message to the running user program through a callback).sjg.xml.*- a small xml parser and serializer.
For more details; either browse the javadocs or look at the Taleban vs. Robot tutorial and source code.
Games
Games that use a framework for small java games:
- Erik vs. Erik. A remake of the arcade classic "Amidar".
- Spacerace to Timbuktu. A space shooter.
- Taleban vs. Robot. A post 9/11 take on Bomberman.
Documentation
Download
- full zip source codes for the framework and Taleban vs. Robot - this requires Apache Ant to build.