Thanks. Will get stuck into slick for a few weeks and take it from there!

Thanks for all the pointers. Had a go with slick 2d today. Spent 90% of the time getting it set up, but made one of the tutorial games in the remaining 10%. Kinda like it.

How would you rate slick vs libgdx?

Thanks sproingie. I'll look LibGDX up!

Hello,

I'm fairly new to java game development. All the games I've dabbled with so far were in swing. I'm guessing that for a number of reasons, swing isn't a very good environment for proper game development.

I've heard there are problems with rotating images and speed. Also, I suspect that handling resolution will be problematic, as the types of graphics swing can handle don't scale well. (Please correct me if I'm wrong) One thing I do like about swing is the components. Are these problems bypassed/easier to cope with using the lwjgl?

I'd really like to keep working on games in java, as I have an intermediate grasp on the language itself. The game I'm working on will use simple 2D graphics, and basic animation. Animation is causing me the most trouble at present. Does Lwgjl sound like a good library for me to use? I'd like something with good documentation and maybe some examples (which LWJGL seems to have)

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for the advice. Some good points made. Should be able to handle the game design, coding (if I can figure out basic animation), and story telling myself. The intention from the start has been to get allies to help on the graphics and sound. Have no aptitude for either of those.

Thanks again

Hello,

After graduating from computing conversion course (in which we got a grounding in Java and a few simple games) I decided to have a go at making a proper game. I decided not to make the usual mistake and go for a huge project, so I decided on a 2D tactical combat game with a base management layer and RPG style levelling...

4 months later, I've built a prototype that is functionally almost complete.

The problem is the visual implementation, especially of the turn based combat segment. It's awful. That's because my knowledge of graphics in java is awful. I've been stalled for a week now, trying to build some basic animation testers.

Now for the questions:

1) Can a game of commercial quality be made in a swing frame set to full screen? (i.e. something that could be sold on Steam) Or do I need to use FSEM? Or should I add some libraries (another topic I know little about). The base management layer is heavily reliant on frames.

2) How many months learning will it take to get a basic grasp on animation? Assume I'm pretty much starting at 0.

3) Are there any different technologies (i.e. game engines) I could move to that would greatly simplify animation?

4) Would teaming up with another enthusiast who has a grasp on graphics be a good idea? What are the downsides?

5) Should I backtrack and work through some tutorials on making simpler games, and then return to my main project?

Thanks for reading. Any advice would be seriously appreciated.