Go on, ask me anything.

[Riven]

sigh...  

Care to elaborate on how to interprete that deep sigh?

[swpalmer]

sigh...  

Care to elaborate on how to interprete that deep sigh?

Sorry.. I can see how that wasn't clear... I was empathizing with you :-)

[Gudradain]

I did that:
   http://www.java-gaming.org/topics/once-again-fast-mappedobjects-implementation/18852/view.html
and everybody was like... "what?"

Usually I get at least a good idea of what a piece of Java code is doing when I read it, but not this time...

Games published by our own members! Check 'em out!

[princec]

Hmm actually it looks quite useful, at least from the "complexity" side of things. One thing that I've been unable to do until recently was @annotations, on account of clinging on to Java 1.4.2 for Mac compatibility. Now I've finally moved to 5.0

Cas

[lhkbob]

Annotations are the greatest thing since sliced bread

[Roquen]

This is no comment on annotations, but what exactly is so great about sliced bread?

[Riven]

Sliced bread itself isn't that great. It's the slicing that sucks. Having somebody else slicing your bread is epic.

[lhkbob]

Sliced bread lets you make sandwiches, French toast, regular toast so it basically enables you to do really cool things with other ingredients (just like annotations)

[Sinuath]

i'm a little disappointed in sliced bread, it just doesn't stand up to a broiler like i wish it would.

[pjt33]

Hmm actually it looks quite useful, at least from the "complexity" side of things. One thing that I've been unable to do until recently was @annotations, on account of clinging on to Java 1.4.2 for Mac compatibility. Now I've finally moved to 5.0

Cas

I've written code using Java 1.5 features and targetting the 1.3 VM. The secret is -target cldc1.0

Games published by our own members! Check 'em out!

[ra4king]

Hmm actually it looks quite useful, at least from the "complexity" side of things. One thing that I've been unable to do until recently was @annotations, on account of clinging on to Java 1.4.2 for Mac compatibility. Now I've finally moved to 5.0

Cas

I've written code using Java 1.5 features and targetting the 1.3 VM. The secret is -target cldc1.0

Whoa! That's a shiny and useful gem isn't it?

[jezek2]

Funny, been using Java 5 for 5 years and took the ride of it's features, like annotations, bytecode modification and other stuff... and after the years of real usage I realized how they are evil... Sadly experience is non-transferable.

BTW, using Java 5 features under older JVMs was always possible by projects such as Retroweaver and Retrotranslator and I think they're cleaner way than the CLDC target trick. Retroweaver appeared shortly after Java 5 release and it's availability was prerequisite for me to start using Java 5 fully. So there was really no reason for not using it all these years...

[benc1213]

Whats the best way to learn and remember java? I am currently using bucky's tutorials which are great but I can't remember too much about the details on certain things. I also ordered head first java just to let you know.

[lhkbob]

As has been said before, practice and lots of it.  And patience.  I've been programming for 9 years in Java and now I'm finally able to say I'm competent.

@jezek2 I don't like bytecode modification at all, either.  Annotations can do some nifty things and are of great use with documentation.  They're not a magic bullet, but they really help enrich self-aware code.

[tberthel]

And now comes Java 7.  What will you do with its features?

[princec]

I don't know... not much in the way of new features it has that I need, except syntax niceties and faster execution.

Cas

[Roquen]

Sliced bread lets you make sandwiches, French toast, regular toast so it basically enables you to do really cool things with other ingredients (just like annotations)

So, originally bread was unleavened, tasty and easy to cut.  Then new kinds were added that are leavened, tasty and easy to cut.  The someone figured out how to make a tasteless, sponge-like and hard to cut variety.  Then someone came along and figure out how to pre-slice it.  And this is the peak of advancement? 

WRT: bytecode modification.  Heathens.  Well I guess for it to be fun you need to be doing it a runtime.

[xsvenson]

I have another question about Steam. How did You get Your game there ? I mean, I have no knowledge of the process, though I've heard they are quite picky and what not. So, did You approach them Yourself ? They came to You ? Do You have to, like, give in on some demands ? (For example keep up the quality, sacrifice Your every first puppy ... etc) I do not even know what exactly to ask.

And now, that You've been on Steam a bit longer, how have the sales gone ? I mean from the interest in the game point of view. I would think the throughput of the sales is a tad bigger, than before, but is it stable ? Or more like hectic, random spikes ? Or rather, no meaningful changes at all?

[princec]

I have another question about Steam. How did You get Your game there ? I mean, I have no knowledge of the process, though I've heard they are quite picky and what not. So, did You approach them Yourself ? They came to You ? Do You have to, like, give in on some demands ? (For example keep up the quality, sacrifice Your every first puppy ... etc) I do not even know what exactly to ask.

And now, that You've been on Steam a bit longer, how have the sales gone ? I mean from the interest in the game point of view. I would think the throughput of the sales is a tad bigger, than before, but is it stable ? Or more like hectic, random spikes ? Or rather, no meaningful changes at all?

Had a friend already in there who recommended us. I had approached them directly before but they just said "No" without any further explanations. Once you're in there though Valve are exceptionally easy to work with and place absolutely no restrictions on what you can do, beyond reasonable behaviour (like "don't install malware and trojans" is about as restrictive as it gets). More than that I'm not at liberty to say.

Sales on Steam trickle away now we're off the front page, and will plummet completely I expect once we're off the new releases lists. Direct sales have barely been affected, and still limp along at about $100/day on average. If Steam and Puppygames sales together add up to $200/day or so we'll be at minimum wage which will be nice but not quite nice enough

Cas

[xsvenson]

Fair enough. Thanks for the answers.

[kappa]

considering the strong/unique look of your games, ever consider selling puppygames merchandise? (T-shirts, mugs, key rings, mouse pads, etc)

[princec]

considering the strong/unique look of your games, ever consider selling puppygames merchandise? (T-shirts, mugs, key rings, mouse pads, etc)

Yes - tshirts definitely, probably mugs, and maybe... just maybe... plushies 

Cas

[tberthel]

I would say given the company name you might make games around plushies.

[Mr_Light]

Imagine:

1) a LLVM like system in Java
2) Java runtime written in Java (like extended version of Jikes RVM)
3) a java interpretor written in java
4) microkernel based arch (again in Java)

Porting to a new range of hardware requires adding CPU description data in the LLVM like system & kernel.  You run an exisiting version, which cross compiles a sub-set of the Java runtime, kernel and all of the interpretor to lowest supported processor and saves off the execuatable. (The runtime needs to be able to cache precompiled code)  The system gets copied to the new target, which boots, no full cached runtime, uses interpretor to construct cached binaries of 1,2,4 for the "exact" hardware which it is on.  (Of course all of this could be pre-compiled, but this is cooler as well as smaller).  Restarts itself.  Thus the only portion of the system that cares about the hardware are descriptors in the compiler and kernel frameworks.  Yeah, yeah, there lots of gaps in this "fantasy", but what the heck.

you guys do know about maxine and related projects, right? code inlineing for jvm methods, native methods... kernel? et al?
combine it with static typing and elimination of the need to use hardware memory protection and I suspect that you got some crazy speed on your hands.

though I hear more and more complains about bytecode, but considering we get by without memory mapped objects 

anyways, so cas what part of creating games do you find most satisfying? and what do you spend time on when you don't feel like developing?

[vyh]

Do you play game's? (not indie) what genre games you like?

[badlogicgames]

What's the status on the IOS and Android port of ROTT?

[princec]

anyways, so cas what part of creating games do you find most satisfying? and what do you spend time on when you don't feel like developing?

Just the satisfaction of making a really solid, cohesive, together sort of game. That's why I never really manage to embark on little projects or those experimental indie title styles that seem all the rage like Nidhogg. I like seeing it finished. I like it when people say they really enjoy playing it. I feel like I've done a little good to the world.

I especially like it when I get my hands on their filthy green.

Cas

[princec]

Do you play game's? (not indie) what genre games you like?

I used to pretty much play Soldat exclusively. Now the last few games I've bought are Bioshocks 1 & 2, Amnesia, and Portal 2 is just downloading in the background there Not much work going on tonight whilst Chaz and I do some, er, research.

Cas

[princec]

What's the status on the IOS and Android port of ROTT?

Got a meeting next Wednesday with Adam Martin to sign off on a contract to port it - it seems that's his speciality these days along with a bunch of other guys.

Cas

[lhkbob]

... Portal 2 is just downloading in the background there Not much work going on tonight whilst Chaz and I do some, er, research.

I also will be doing research with by partner in crime tonight