Introduction

It's been a while since I did any serious programming, as I have a very time-consuming job. But since I bought myself a new Nexus 7 tablet, I've been finding myself wanting to develop games for it.

Not only will this be my first real Android project, it will be my first Java project (most of my experience is with C, and some C++ and C#).

I'm keeping this journal for two reasons. Firstly to keep track of my progress and help keep myself motivated, and secondly to hopefully help anyone else who finds themselves in the same situation.

The Game

The game I've chosen to make for this project is a skiing game based on a BASIC game I had on my Atari 800 when I was a kid. The premise is simple - avoid obstacles and last as long as possible. Points are awarded continuously over time (the faster you travel, the more points you accrue) for just surviving and extra points can be earned by skiing between sets of flags,

The control scheme I intend to implement is to steer by tilting the device to the left or right and controlling speed by tilting backwards and forwards.

Development Process

I will probably prototype my ideas using C/C++ and Allegro 4, as it is what I am familiar with. At the same time, I intend to learn Java and LibGdx to write the game itself. At a later date, I hope to start using the Android port of Allegro 5, but I will wait until it is more complete before switching from LibGdx.