I have a few ideas brewing and after bouncing it off some friends, I was pointed in Java's direction. I have xp with Flash ActionScripting 2.0-3.0, but am completely new to Java. I am fully aware of the magnitude in which Java is used in day-to-day electronics and media, but don't know how to apply it.

My questions: What programs are good to start production of a Java game, and is Java similar to As 3.0? What are some of the advantages of Java game production?

Happy to be a new member of GD dot net

Welcome aboard.

I am not really sure what you mean by "programs" but this link should get you started with Java game development. It covers tools, books, libraries and such for game development. Read the entire link instead of just the Java section if you are interested in the possibility of using other languages ( not that I am saying Java is a bad idea ).


You will find syntactically, Actionscript and Java are fairly similar, but the languages are quite different in many ways too. It is somewhat similar to how French and English both have common roots, so there is a similarity there but they are still very different languages. To be a better metaphor, I should have probably used German and Dutch... Anyways, they are similar enough that you will have a headstart because of your prior knowledge, while different enough that if you go in treating Java like Active Script, you are doomed to failure. Make sense?

As to advantages, well they are kinda covered off in the link I gave, but a question like that is so subjective it no doubt leads to massively off topic language wars, as when saying "advantages" you are generally comparing to other languages... with can cause... sparks.