Book Image

Learning Java by Building Android Games - Second Edition

By : John Horton
Book Image

Learning Java by Building Android Games - Second Edition

By: John Horton

Overview of this book

Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems presently. It uses the most popular programming language, Java, as the primary language for building apps of all types. However, this book is unlike other Android books in that it doesn’t assume that you already have Java proficiency. This new and expanded second edition of Learning Java by Building Android Games shows you how to start building Android games from scratch. The difficulty level will grow steadily as you explore key Java topics, such as variables, loops, methods, object oriented programming, and design patterns, including code and examples that are written for Java 9 and Android P. At each stage, you will put what you’ve learned into practice by developing a game. You will build games such as Minesweeper, Retro Pong, Bullet Hell, and Classic Snake and Scrolling Shooter games. In the later chapters, you will create a time-trial, open-world platform game. By the end of the book, you will not only have grasped Java and Android but will also have developed six cool games for the Android platform.
Table of Contents (30 chapters)
Learning Java by Building Android Games Second Edition
Contributors
Preface
Index

Summary


We have covered much ground in this chapter. We have learned a pattern called the Observer pattern and that one class is a broadcaster and other classes called Observers can register with the broadcaster and receive updates. We used the Observer pattern to implement the first part of the user input by handling the play/pause button. We added a bit of action to the chapter when we also coded a ParticleSystem ready to use an explosion whenever the player destroys an enemy ship.

In the next chapter we will learn more useful programming patterns including one called the Entity Component pattern and another called the Factory pattern. We will use them to code and build the player ship which will be able to shoot rapid fire lasers and will be able to zoom around with a city skyline scrolling smoothly in the background.