The Preprocessor thejubilee

thejubilee

The Preprocessor

All C/C++ compilers implement a stage of compilation known as the preprocessor. Part of the responsibility of the C++ preprocessor is to perform an intelligent search and replace on identifiers that have been declared using the #define or #typedef directives. Although most advocators of C++ discourage this usage of the preprocessor, which was inherited from C, it is still widely used by most C++ programmers. Most of the processor definitions in C++ are stored in header files, which complement the actual source code files. thejubilee http://greateventsupport.com

The problem with the preprocessor approach is that it provides an easy way for programmers to inadvertently add unnecessary complexity to a program. thejubilee Many programmers using the #define and #typedef directives end up inventing their own sublanguage within the confines of a particular project. This results in other programmers having to go through the header files and sort out all of the #define and #typedef information to understand a program, which makes code maintenance and reuse almost impossible. An additional problem with the preprocessor approach is that it is very weak when it comes to type checking and validation.thejubilee www.gesrental.com

Java and Web Games

With all the hype surrounding Java and what it will do for the Internet, it should come as no surprise that games are being hyped as one of the most interesting applications of Java. Indeed, that's probably why you bought this book to begin with! Even though Java includes many useful features for games, it still isn't quite the ideal gaming language for the Internet.

Note

Just because Java isn't an ideal Internet gaming language doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver on many accounts. In reality there probably will never be an ideal gaming language because games have such unique programming challenges and languages tend to be designed for general use. thejubilee

Although it's not the ideal language, Java does have much to offer for mixing games with the Web equation. Java as a technology is poised to bring interactivity to the Web in a general sense. Java games are only one aspect of this "interactive revolution." Java provides a level of platform independence, security, and network support that is still unattainable in any other language. All these issues are of utmost importance in any technology that is to bring interactive games to the Web.

Platform independence refers to the capability of a single executable program to run on a variety of different computer systems. thejubilee

This discussion might make a little more sense in the context of an example, so let's look at one. Consider an educational Web page attempting to discuss desert animals and how they interact with one another. Before Java, without using complex platform-dependent programming languages, the Web presentation would have been limited to text and inlined graphics. thejubilee Now imagine a Java game inserted right into the Web pages, thejubilee which allows students to play the role of a desert animal contending with other desert predators. This level of interactivity combined with the accessibility of the Web can't be matched by any other media. www.greateventsupport.com Web games written in Java will truly change the way you perceive the Web as a whole. By the way, this example isn't just something I made up for the purposes of this discussion; you will actually develop a game on Day 10 that is very similar to this example.

The Preprocessor thejubilee

thejubilee

The Preprocessor

All C/C++ compilers implement a stage of compilation known as the preprocessor. Part of the responsibility of the C++ preprocessor is to perform an intelligent search and replace on identifiers that have been declared using the #define or #typedef directives. Although most advocators of C++ discourage this usage of the preprocessor, which was inherited from C, it is still widely used by most C++ programmers. Most of the processor definitions in C++ are stored in header files, which complement the actual source code files. thejubilee http://greateventsupport.com

The problem with the preprocessor approach is that it provides an easy way for programmers to inadvertently add unnecessary complexity to a program. thejubilee Many programmers using the #define and #typedef directives end up inventing their own sublanguage within the confines of a particular project. This results in other programmers having to go through the header files and sort out all of the #define and #typedef information to understand a program, which makes code maintenance and reuse almost impossible. An additional problem with the preprocessor approach is that it is very weak when it comes to type checking and validation.thejubilee www.gesrental.com

Java and Web Games

With all the hype surrounding Java and what it will do for the Internet, it should come as no surprise that games are being hyped as one of the most interesting applications of Java. Indeed, that's probably why you bought this book to begin with! Even though Java includes many useful features for games, it still isn't quite the ideal gaming language for the Internet.

Note

Just because Java isn't an ideal Internet gaming language doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver on many accounts. In reality there probably will never be an ideal gaming language because games have such unique programming challenges and languages tend to be designed for general use. thejubilee

Although it's not the ideal language, Java does have much to offer for mixing games with the Web equation. Java as a technology is poised to bring interactivity to the Web in a general sense. Java games are only one aspect of this "interactive revolution." Java provides a level of platform independence, security, and network support that is still unattainable in any other language. All these issues are of utmost importance in any technology that is to bring interactive games to the Web.

Platform independence refers to the capability of a single executable program to run on a variety of different computer systems. thejubilee

This discussion might make a little more sense in the context of an example, so let's look at one. Consider an educational Web page attempting to discuss desert animals and how they interact with one another. Before Java, without using complex platform-dependent programming languages, the Web presentation would have been limited to text and inlined graphics. thejubilee Now imagine a Java game inserted right into the Web pages, thejubilee which allows students to play the role of a desert animal contending with other desert predators. This level of interactivity combined with the accessibility of the Web can't be matched by any other media. www.greateventsupport.com Web games written in Java will truly change the way you perceive the Web as a whole. By the way, this example isn't just something I made up for the purposes of this discussion; you will actually develop a game on Day 10 that is very similar to this example.

The Preprocessor thejubilee

thejubilee

The Preprocessor

All C/C++ compilers implement a stage of compilation known as the preprocessor. Part of the responsibility of the C++ preprocessor is to perform an intelligent search and replace on identifiers that have been declared using the #define or #typedef directives. Although most advocators of C++ discourage this usage of the preprocessor, which was inherited from C, it is still widely used by most C++ programmers. Most of the processor definitions in C++ are stored in header files, which complement the actual source code files. thejubilee http://greateventsupport.com

The problem with the preprocessor approach is that it provides an easy way for programmers to inadvertently add unnecessary complexity to a program. thejubilee Many programmers using the #define and #typedef directives end up inventing their own sublanguage within the confines of a particular project. This results in other programmers having to go through the header files and sort out all of the #define and #typedef information to understand a program, which makes code maintenance and reuse almost impossible. An additional problem with the preprocessor approach is that it is very weak when it comes to type checking and validation.thejubilee www.gesrental.com

Java and Web Games

With all the hype surrounding Java and what it will do for the Internet, it should come as no surprise that games are being hyped as one of the most interesting applications of Java. Indeed, that's probably why you bought this book to begin with! Even though Java includes many useful features for games, it still isn't quite the ideal gaming language for the Internet.

Note

Just because Java isn't an ideal Internet gaming language doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver on many accounts. In reality there probably will never be an ideal gaming language because games have such unique programming challenges and languages tend to be designed for general use. thejubilee

Although it's not the ideal language, Java does have much to offer for mixing games with the Web equation. Java as a technology is poised to bring interactivity to the Web in a general sense. Java games are only one aspect of this "interactive revolution." Java provides a level of platform independence, security, and network support that is still unattainable in any other language. All these issues are of utmost importance in any technology that is to bring interactive games to the Web.

Platform independence refers to the capability of a single executable program to run on a variety of different computer systems. thejubilee

This discussion might make a little more sense in the context of an example, so let's look at one. Consider an educational Web page attempting to discuss desert animals and how they interact with one another. Before Java, without using complex platform-dependent programming languages, the Web presentation would have been limited to text and inlined graphics. thejubilee Now imagine a Java game inserted right into the Web pages, thejubilee which allows students to play the role of a desert animal contending with other desert predators. This level of interactivity combined with the accessibility of the Web can't be matched by any other media. www.greateventsupport.com Web games written in Java will truly change the way you perceive the Web as a whole. By the way, this example isn't just something I made up for the purposes of this discussion; you will actually develop a game on Day 10 that is very similar to this example.

The Preprocessor thejubilee

thejubilee

The Preprocessor

All C/C++ compilers implement a stage of compilation known as the preprocessor. Part of the responsibility of the C++ preprocessor is to perform an intelligent search and replace on identifiers that have been declared using the #define or #typedef directives. Although most advocators of C++ discourage this usage of the preprocessor, which was inherited from C, it is still widely used by most C++ programmers. Most of the processor definitions in C++ are stored in header files, which complement the actual source code files. thejubilee http://greateventsupport.com

The problem with the preprocessor approach is that it provides an easy way for programmers to inadvertently add unnecessary complexity to a program. thejubilee Many programmers using the #define and #typedef directives end up inventing their own sublanguage within the confines of a particular project. This results in other programmers having to go through the header files and sort out all of the #define and #typedef information to understand a program, which makes code maintenance and reuse almost impossible. An additional problem with the preprocessor approach is that it is very weak when it comes to type checking and validation.thejubilee www.gesrental.com

Java and Web Games

With all the hype surrounding Java and what it will do for the Internet, it should come as no surprise that games are being hyped as one of the most interesting applications of Java. Indeed, that's probably why you bought this book to begin with! Even though Java includes many useful features for games, it still isn't quite the ideal gaming language for the Internet.

Note

Just because Java isn't an ideal Internet gaming language doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver on many accounts. In reality there probably will never be an ideal gaming language because games have such unique programming challenges and languages tend to be designed for general use. thejubilee

Although it's not the ideal language, Java does have much to offer for mixing games with the Web equation. Java as a technology is poised to bring interactivity to the Web in a general sense. Java games are only one aspect of this "interactive revolution." Java provides a level of platform independence, security, and network support that is still unattainable in any other language. All these issues are of utmost importance in any technology that is to bring interactive games to the Web.

Platform independence refers to the capability of a single executable program to run on a variety of different computer systems. thejubilee

This discussion might make a little more sense in the context of an example, so let's look at one. Consider an educational Web page attempting to discuss desert animals and how they interact with one another. Before Java, without using complex platform-dependent programming languages, the Web presentation would have been limited to text and inlined graphics. thejubilee Now imagine a Java game inserted right into the Web pages, thejubilee which allows students to play the role of a desert animal contending with other desert predators. This level of interactivity combined with the accessibility of the Web can't be matched by any other media. www.greateventsupport.com Web games written in Java will truly change the way you perceive the Web as a whole. By the way, this example isn't just something I made up for the purposes of this discussion; you will actually develop a game on Day 10 that is very similar to this example.

The Preprocessor thejubilee

thejubilee

The Preprocessor

All C/C++ compilers implement a stage of compilation known as the preprocessor. Part of the responsibility of the C++ preprocessor is to perform an intelligent search and replace on identifiers that have been declared using the #define or #typedef directives. Although most advocators of C++ discourage this usage of the preprocessor, which was inherited from C, it is still widely used by most C++ programmers. Most of the processor definitions in C++ are stored in header files, which complement the actual source code files. thejubilee http://greateventsupport.com

The problem with the preprocessor approach is that it provides an easy way for programmers to inadvertently add unnecessary complexity to a program. thejubilee Many programmers using the #define and #typedef directives end up inventing their own sublanguage within the confines of a particular project. This results in other programmers having to go through the header files and sort out all of the #define and #typedef information to understand a program, which makes code maintenance and reuse almost impossible. An additional problem with the preprocessor approach is that it is very weak when it comes to type checking and validation.thejubilee www.gesrental.com

Java and Web Games

With all the hype surrounding Java and what it will do for the Internet, it should come as no surprise that games are being hyped as one of the most interesting applications of Java. Indeed, that's probably why you bought this book to begin with! Even though Java includes many useful features for games, it still isn't quite the ideal gaming language for the Internet.

Note

Just because Java isn't an ideal Internet gaming language doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver on many accounts. In reality there probably will never be an ideal gaming language because games have such unique programming challenges and languages tend to be designed for general use. thejubilee

Although it's not the ideal language, Java does have much to offer for mixing games with the Web equation. Java as a technology is poised to bring interactivity to the Web in a general sense. Java games are only one aspect of this "interactive revolution." Java provides a level of platform independence, security, and network support that is still unattainable in any other language. All these issues are of utmost importance in any technology that is to bring interactive games to the Web.

Platform independence refers to the capability of a single executable program to run on a variety of different computer systems. thejubilee

This discussion might make a little more sense in the context of an example, so let's look at one. Consider an educational Web page attempting to discuss desert animals and how they interact with one another. Before Java, without using complex platform-dependent programming languages, the Web presentation would have been limited to text and inlined graphics. thejubilee Now imagine a Java game inserted right into the Web pages, thejubilee which allows students to play the role of a desert animal contending with other desert predators. This level of interactivity combined with the accessibility of the Web can't be matched by any other media. www.greateventsupport.com Web games written in Java will truly change the way you perceive the Web as a whole. By the way, this example isn't just something I made up for the purposes of this discussion; you will actually develop a game on Day 10 that is very similar to this example.

The Preprocessor thejubilee

thejubilee

The Preprocessor

All C/C++ compilers implement a stage of compilation known as the preprocessor. Part of the responsibility of the C++ preprocessor is to perform an intelligent search and replace on identifiers that have been declared using the #define or #typedef directives. Although most advocators of C++ discourage this usage of the preprocessor, which was inherited from C, it is still widely used by most C++ programmers. Most of the processor definitions in C++ are stored in header files, which complement the actual source code files. thejubilee http://greateventsupport.com

The problem with the preprocessor approach is that it provides an easy way for programmers to inadvertently add unnecessary complexity to a program. thejubilee Many programmers using the #define and #typedef directives end up inventing their own sublanguage within the confines of a particular project. This results in other programmers having to go through the header files and sort out all of the #define and #typedef information to understand a program, which makes code maintenance and reuse almost impossible. An additional problem with the preprocessor approach is that it is very weak when it comes to type checking and validation.thejubilee www.gesrental.com

Java and Web Games

With all the hype surrounding Java and what it will do for the Internet, it should come as no surprise that games are being hyped as one of the most interesting applications of Java. Indeed, that's probably why you bought this book to begin with! Even though Java includes many useful features for games, it still isn't quite the ideal gaming language for the Internet.

Note

Just because Java isn't an ideal Internet gaming language doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver on many accounts. In reality there probably will never be an ideal gaming language because games have such unique programming challenges and languages tend to be designed for general use. thejubilee

Although it's not the ideal language, Java does have much to offer for mixing games with the Web equation. Java as a technology is poised to bring interactivity to the Web in a general sense. Java games are only one aspect of this "interactive revolution." Java provides a level of platform independence, security, and network support that is still unattainable in any other language. All these issues are of utmost importance in any technology that is to bring interactive games to the Web.

Platform independence refers to the capability of a single executable program to run on a variety of different computer systems. thejubilee

This discussion might make a little more sense in the context of an example, so let's look at one. Consider an educational Web page attempting to discuss desert animals and how they interact with one another. Before Java, without using complex platform-dependent programming languages, the Web presentation would have been limited to text and inlined graphics. thejubilee Now imagine a Java game inserted right into the Web pages, thejubilee which allows students to play the role of a desert animal contending with other desert predators. This level of interactivity combined with the accessibility of the Web can't be matched by any other media. www.greateventsupport.com Web games written in Java will truly change the way you perceive the Web as a whole. By the way, this example isn't just something I made up for the purposes of this discussion; you will actually develop a game on Day 10 that is very similar to this example.

Graphics and Animation thejubilee

thejubilee
Graphics and Animation

What good is a game without graphics? In most cases, not much! Fortunately, Java delivers the goods when it comes to graphics. The standard Java API includes wide support for all kinds of neat graphics features such as images, color models, and 2D graphics primitives. Although Java as a whole is still largely limited by its relatively slow performance, the support is in place for very powerful graphics. As future releases of Java address the speed concerns, game programmers will be able to more fully exploit the graphics capabilities Java provides. You get the whole scoop on graphics later this week on Day 5, "Java Graphics Techniques." thejubilee www.greateventsupport.com

What about animation? Most games would be pretty boring without it! Although the standard Java API doesn't provide any specific animation support, it is riddled with features that make implementing animation very easy. One of the most important aspects of Java is its multithreaded design, which provides a powerful framework for establishing the all-important timing necessary for animations. You learn all about implementing animation in Java later this week on Day 6, "Sprite Animation." thejubilee www.greateventsupport.com

In the context of a real game, the graphics and animation form the majority of the look of the game. In a Space Invaders game, for example, the graphics and animation account for the aliens, the player's ship, any barriers that the player can hide behind, the missiles being fired back and forth, and any explosions that take place when a missile collides with something. thejubilee www.greateventsupport.com

Furthermore, the display of the title screen and score would also fall under the area of graphics programming.