CroftSoft / Library / Books / AJGP

Checklist

David Wallace Croft

2006 Jun 22 Thu

This is my checklist and exemplar template code for creating interactive animated Java games and simulations. In many places, it relies upon the new Java 5.0 classes and syntax, some new CroftSoft classes, and a refined philosophy about how a model-view-controller (MVC) architecture should work. I will continue to update this checklist and the template code over time as I improve my process.

You can run a demonstration of the compiled template code by clicking on the screenshot image above or this Java Web Start link: exemplar.jnlp.

A reference such as "pp51-55" should be read as "pages 51 to 55" of my book, Advanced Java Game Programming.

Choose a project name. Keep it short as you want to use it as part of your package name, e.g., project "exemplar" and package "com.croftsoft.apps.exemplar".

Add a javadoc package.html file to the project source code directory.

Create a class for your main() method based on the template Main.java (p334).

Create a class for your configuration based on the template Config.java (p256).

Create a class for internal messaging based on the template Message.java.

Create a class for your model based on the template Model.java (p284).

Create a read-only model accessor interface based on the template Accessor.java (p285).

Create a class for your controller based on the template Controller.java (p308).

Create a class for your view based on the template View.java (p300).

If this is a 2D animation or includes a 2D animation, create a class for 2D animation based on the template Animator.java (Chapter 3).

Create the Ant build file and test the compile and run (p8).

Get something mildly interesting working for a placeholder release.

Create a JAR file with your application in it (pp49-51).

Create a local directory for the deployment webpage with two subdirectories, "images" and "jnlp".

Add the template deployment webpage exemplar.xml and customize.

Add a screenshot to the "images" subdirectory (Alt-PrtScn, Paint). Rescale the image if required so that it fits nicely within the deployment webpage.

Add the template deployment JNLP file exemplar.jnlp (right-click, save link as) to the "jnlp" subdirectory and customize (pp51-55).

Add the application JAR file to the "jnlp" subdirectory.

Add the .htaccess file (right-click, save link as, rename from htaccess.txt to .htaccess) to the "jnlp" subdirectory (p54).

Use Ant and XSLT to merge your website template with deployment webpage. The result will be an XHTML file called index.html.

Upload the deployment webpage directory and subdirectories.

Test the deployment.

Repeat, adding one new feature at a time. Use incremental release to ensure that you always have a recent demo available online while you work on the next feature.