Java game engine = slow by the way

Game engine modules usually are:

File I/O (saving,loading)
hard I/O (keyboard/mouse input)
Event handling
AI
Graphics (drawing it)
Resource management (loading the data e.g levels, graphics files, music)

The actual plot etc... is not a part of the engine. e.g one game engine (for example, the unreal engine) powers about 50 different games.

Dont use java though. 99% of game engines are C++ (and maybe a little assembley for the graphics)

Java isn't necessarilly slow. That idea of yours is outdated by 5 years at least. For many applications Java is now as fast as C++ if not faster.

I'll agree, from experience, for most individual tasks, there's not much speed difference between C++ and Java. However; the rigid paradigm inflicted by Java sometimes restricts certain approaches to problems, approaches which, in some cases, could be faster ( or more memory efficient ) than those afforded by sandboxed pure OO... That still stands today.

I disagree. Even after all these years, Java still has to go a long way when compared to C++, at least in terms of Game Development. The kind of raw power achieved by C / C++ _can't_ be offered by Java.

Compare and contrast the implementation of different languages in C and Java and you would know what I am talking about (Rhino v/s SpiderMonkey). Although this _slow_ term isn't really justified in normal application development, it stands out when developing games. Plus the inclination of the industry to still use C as the core language to develop the game / graphics engine, regardless of what they use for scripting is enough proof in itself.

But I don't question the theory that the future holds a lot for newer langauges like Java, Ruby, Python but that time is yet to come.

Python is actually used a bit for the AI in turn basd strategy games such as the Civilization series

Python is used in a lot many games. Severance - 'The Blade of Darkness', 'Freedom Force' and so on. The scripting language Lua has been used in both the original and the expansion of 'Painkiller'. Search up those and you will see these really are famous games.

The point here is that you might and should use scripting if it simplifies application development but the time when they would be used to code the time critical logic is yet to come...

Thats pretty cool. I thaught it was used in more games, but i wasnt sure.

but i still wouldnt use a managed or scripted language for the core engine stuff (e.g drawing)

My brother and I are actually in the midst of writing a "game engine", and I can tell you it is no small task. If you're looking to get a game put together in less than a couple of years (at least concerning an MMORPG), writing from scratch is probably not a good idea. That being said, it's definately a rewarding experience if you've got the patience.

From what I've seen so far, the basic ingredients are as follows:

Data(base) Engine - Load/Save information about the game
Rules Engine - Make it fair (and have a plot line)
Physics Engine - Make it look real / behave properly
I/O Engine - Make it interactive (handle keyboard/mouse)
Audio Engine - Make it sound good
Display Engine - Put it on the screen

And if you're doing a network game

Network Engine - Make it talk to the world

Again, that's what I've seen so far. It does depend on the type of game you're making, too. For example, if you're making a puzzle game, physics (at least real-world physics) aren't going to matter too much to you.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor! This can be a whole lot of fun, if you're one who likes a challenge!

PirateTux

I don't think java is slow many games are made in java which are leading this time atleast its better then c or c++....