Developers Corner

I assume you want to program somethings like an MMORPG with Java. So you can use a combination of java and JOGL. With JOGL you have access to OpenGL from java and a simple to use canvas which you can integrate nicely into an AWT or Swing GUI (but you should enable heavy-weight popup menus to make it work properly with Swing).

The advantage of using JOGL is the platform-independence by using OpenGL. Done right your graphic is not significantly slower than using a combination of C++ and OpenGL calls. This combination is used by www.wurmonline.com for example - if you want to check it out.

Ragosch

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Originally posted by Ragosch
I assume you want to program somethings like an MMORPG with Java. So you can use a combination of java and JOGL. With JOGL you have access to OpenGL from java and a simple to use canvas which you can integrate nicely into an AWT or Swing GUI (but you should enable heavy-weight popup menus to make it work properly with Swing).
The advantage of using JOGL is the platform-independence by using OpenGL. Done right your graphic is not significantly slower than using a combination of C++ and OpenGL calls. This combination is used by www.wurmonline.com for example - if you want to check it out.
Ragosch

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Could you give out some good links to JOGL sites? I would like to read more on the subject.

There's always the LWJGL (Light Weight Java Game Library). It's not too hard to use and it was made with game programming in mind. Unfortunately, it only supports the mouse and keyboard for control (no joysticks or steering wheels), but that's all you'll need if you want to do tradition computer games like RPGs, RTSs, and FPSs.

Tribal Trouble was written in Java using this library.

LWJGL is not a good choice, even it incoporates several things in one which you need in a game. Actually I have forgotten about what isnt that good with it, sorry ... but I came over this also during the time we had to choose which way to go. And we decided to use JOGL as our gateway to graphics hardware and use other packages for 3d sound (OpenAL) and such.

JOGL is very good if you want to integrate 3D graphics into a sophisticated swing GUI, all you need to do is enabling heavyweight popups and you can use a 3d graphics canvas inside a swing GUI. This way you maintain platform-independence of your client. The user does not even have to install JOGL, if you start the client via Java Webstart - but he needs to have java installed on his computer ofcourse.

JOGL is basically a way to access OpenGL calls from java and display the results on a canvas which can be easily integrated into your java application. It is not a complete gaming solution like LWJGL tried to be ... JOGL is very fast but low-level ... that low standard OpenGL calls are. Best for those who want to build their own engine based on OpenGL in the java programming language.

Ragosch

If you want to implement a MMORPG in java using a server-cluster instead of a single server, you might have a look at the early-access version of the Sun Game Server, you can find it here

Project Darkstar

I assume that a stable version of the Sun Game Server technology will be available when you have finished your project. I have not tested it yet because it is available since 22nd of March 2006 and I just found it some minutes before this post.

Ragosch