First Steps: Developing a Text-Based JRPG in Java

What have I been up to lately? Making a Final Fantasy 6 – inspired game in Java! What a fun way to help you study programming!

Of course, as I always tell my students, I spent lots of prep time doing planning and research before I started coding. Honestly, one of the biggest problems I see with my students is that they briefly read a problem description, then immediately start typing code.Perhaps you can get away with this approach for smaller problems, but I highly recommend taking some time to figure out what you’re trying to accomplish first. Taking that time can make the problem easier to solve, rather than just typing the first thing that comes to your head. Coding without planning can lead to confusing, complicated “spaghetti code” (think of a bowl of spaghetti, twisted and tangled, hard to unravel). If you’re taking a class that requires you to complete projects, you might even be asked to write some sort of design document or planning, similar to what I’ve been doing for this project.

After a hiatus, I am restarting this RPG project.  I’ve created a page where I will be adding articles and tutorials to help you make games like some of your favorite RPGs, with focus for now on turn-based games such as Final Fantasy and Pokemon.

Also, we are putting together a self-paced online course about programming role-playing games (RPGs) in Java, with a mixture of free and paid content. We are asking for feedback and contact info, if you’re interested in enrolling.  To send feedback and be notified about when the class is ready, please fill out this form.