Today I thought I’d talk about my tool belt. Something actually programming related. A little ironic considering I haven’t coded anything in over a week. I have to admit, setting up Jonny’s Quest has been a slower process than I’d hoped, but I learned a lot about web development. And I finally have a place where I can really show what I’ve been working on.
My language of choice is Java. I like object oriented, I like the write once, run anywhere concept. And I like a challenge. I tried a few others but java just clicked. Was it a nightmare setting up build paths and getting things to compile? Abso-freakin-lutely! But I loved it. And it made me a better programmer.
I did try a few other languages. Javascript, C, and C# among others, but I feel most comfortable with Java. Im sure I’ll learn a few more, but Java suits my needs for now. And it’s used with the LibGDX framework.
LibGDX is a game development framework used to make cross-platform games with Java. And it’s my framework of choice for game development. I tried Unity and it’s great, but at the end of the day, I still want to learn programming. And I already know Java.
My relationship with LibGDX has been love-hate so far. I had a few headaches getting everything set up but I managed to make a something decent. It’s called Coin Collector. It portrays a few of the most basic game programming concepts using some of this guy’s assets. It’s also only for desktop at the moment thanks to my impatience.
I’m sure I’ll get the cross platform thing going soon but I really just wanted to start the coding. When it comes to the actual building, LibGDX has been great so far and I’ve learned a lot. I plan on working on at least one mechanic a week so I can build a really strong foundation. I’m excited to finally start coding again and really get my quest going!
