Android Games

Android Game Development Tutorials

Some months ago we received an email from a fellow Java developer, Tamas Jano, asking to be part of our JCG partners program. To our surprise he maintains a blog named “Against The Grain” debating about game development for the Android platform. I have been reading all of his articles since then and I must admit that his writings have been an inspiration and a motivation for me and my colleagues here at Java Code Geeks so as to start developing our first game for the Android platform.

With this post I would like to present Tamas‘s work to our community hoping that you will be inspired and motivated just like we did!

What follows is a portion of Tamas‘s introductory article titled as “A little motivation and what’s the idea behind all this.” I am certain that after reading it you will realize (just like I did) that you have many many things in common with this guy!

First of all I know no great coder who is not interested in games. Some love slow paced ones while outdoorsy geeks (yes they do exist) will have a go with any type that requires all those reflexes some just won’t develop. At some point in their lives they might have wondered how the hell is this done? Wouldn’t it be cool to make such a thing? I’d love to do that.

And so they went, getting into computing fueled by a passion for creating worlds they own and command. Back in the days you would see these guys at the arcades, hanging around computer labs and dreaming of owning one of those magnificent machines they can create their universe on. I’m talking about the 80s.

Many took the classes, went through all that necessary crap that comes with getting a degree one would not care about in the future and here they are. Some graduated and have decent paying “software engineer” positions working for a multinational corporation doing who knows what. But a percentage of these so called engineers dream of games. They own the latest gadgets but they do not have the one thing that would enable them to make games: Time. Working 9-5 sucks and many have families or other obligations but they still think of doing projects on the side. Unfortunately many never even get started.

How many thought: man…I’ll be building the greatest game of all, I’ll be rich and famous. Then they meet someone, have to get a job to pay for “settling” down and pay the bills for a place where they go in the evenings to crash just to start it over the next day. All this by doing boring web stuff or working on a small part of a monstrous multi-threaded distributed enterprise application architected by an inexperienced halfwit architect wannabe who got the job by sticking with the company since he was an intern.

Where is the game you dreamed of doing 10 years ago?

To be precise I am in a similar situation and while I had a short gig with a game company I am well in the rat race leading nowhere. I have decided to try one more time and I will give it a go. Why? Just for the hell of it, to demonstrate that games are simple to build and you can sit at your computer and have some fun too. Actually this is why I ended up a coder, to make games not to configure some frameworks (yes, that is not programming, it is mostly configuration).

Well was I right? I hope I was!

As I told you before Java Code Geeks have been busy enough developing our first game for the Android platform. A new category named “Android Games” has been created in order to contain all game related articles from now on.

 

Last but not least we have established a new division, JCG Studios (Just Cool Games Studios) where all our games will be presented and promoted.

We would love it if you supported us by checking out our fist game endeavour ArkDroid :

ArkDroid

 
 

You don’t stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing!

Byron

Byron Kiourtzoglou

Byron is a master software engineer working in the IT and Telecom domains. He is an applications developer in a wide variety of applications/services. He is currently acting as the team leader and technical architect for a proprietary service creation and integration platform for both the IT and Telecom industries in addition to a in-house big data real-time analytics solution. He is always fascinated by SOA, middleware services and mobile development. Byron is co-founder and Executive Editor at Java Code Geeks.
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asosa
12 years ago

I like this already! It is the truth of today. There are so many dreams flying around all day, all night with no outcome. What’s the reason for all of these dreams? You got it ………. 9-5 J.O.B. I am in the same scenario and trying to change that. I trying to change from consumer to producer mentality for the things I have control of.

Very good analysis in deed.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago
Reply to  asosa

+1

scott Pilgrim
scott Pilgrim
11 years ago

Thanks for that reflexion and the tutorial

Alexander Ledkov
11 years ago

Unfortunately, this is not a complete cycle of lessons. Sometime after the lesson about the sprites, the author takes the side, so that the game claimed in the first tutorial does not finished.

Christopher Bseirani
Christopher Bseirani
11 years ago

This tutorial is exactly what I needed to get going. I’ve never worked with opengl before, but you guys gave me exactly the information I needed in clear, developer-to-developer fashion. Thank you so much!

james
james
11 years ago

maybe if you didn’t like codes so much you would get lade

shaun walsh
shaun walsh
11 years ago
Reply to  james

Maybe if you weren’t getting ‘lade’ so much you could figure out how to spell simple words…

Stas Melnychenko
11 years ago

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
George Bernard Shaw

tal
tal
10 years ago

When I try to create sprites and make collision they identify each other’s frame so that the collision calls long before its really should happen. How do I make them identify only the painted portion of the sprite without its frame?

Marcos Henrique da Silva
Marcos Henrique da Silva
10 years ago

Just want to say thanks for all those tutorials! They helped me a lot!

Waqas
10 years ago

This is really great one as motivational!

anish
10 years ago

Thanks a lot for this motivation.For your kind information here i would like to introduce http://skillgun.com for more discussions on IT interview questions.

Bernard
9 years ago

Great share, i just begin my way with android game programming.. i am still new to java, i am lucky to find this great community.. i hope i can find open source game here this will help more to develop my skills. thank you.

Ivan
9 years ago

Hey! This article really made me feel a little more optimistic. A couple of months ago I quit everything else, packed my savings and started working on the project which was the reason I choose to become a programmer in the first place – to make video games. Things are a bit tough with finances, and that makes me feel a bit gloomy at times, but seeing there are other enthusiasts is quite cheering. If you’re interested, please feel free to visit my site, morroworks.com and maybe even take a look at the game engine I’m developing. It’s free and… Read more »

Tharaka Devinda
9 years ago

Thank for give this lessons for free :)

AJ
AJ
9 years ago

i need a java programmer to make a multi-player cards online game details to be discussed later on.

Nikola
9 years ago

I’ve been interested in Android game development lately, but never had time to actually start learning it. Can anoyne experienced tell me how much time is necessary for making an average Android game? I have experience in creating graphics for the mobile games, but I don’t have the actual programming knowledge at all

Fancy
Fancy
8 years ago
Reply to  Nikola

it takes minimum 1 year spending 2 or 3h a day, and probably the project will make you to puke…

Bumszakalaka
Bumszakalaka
7 years ago

Hi!

I just finished a game called Paddle Clash. I have a regular job so I was doing it for two years few hours a day. It is a hobby so I made everything on my own – unfortunately I made textures on my own too and i am no artist ;). Let me know what you think:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.abductedpiggy.games.paddleclash.lite

Thanks!

prakas
7 years ago

Great article dear
any one can easily learn through this post
thanks

shahid ullah
5 years ago

Thank you so much for this article its really helpful!

Appikr
1 year ago

Your blog is Amazing, thanks for sharing the knowledge.

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