Title says all.
Java! I'm on a windows machine using Eclipse (Neon) making Java 2D games currently Any developers?!? Feeling frustrated and I need some help with the java "entry point of game" displaying on submission, if anyone has submitted Java (.jar) games before I need some assistance with this "Fly Squirrel Fly" .jar game, which is a 2D platormer with "Squizza" the squirrel.
So I tried to upload my first .jar java executable game but ultimately failed and just posted a "downloadable .jar". (which has all kinds of security warnings).
Zero_Fade
Basically,..I am at a snag with one part of the "Draft" page, it won't display my game (but I can run it locally as a .jar).
I think it has to do with this: (has anyone had to set "entry point of game"
JAR class name — Enter entry point of game, eg. io.itch.MyGame
'm pretty sure it's io.itch.main ... but that doesn't seem to show a game on the draft page.
I assume my game should simply run in the "Draft" mode if I have the entry point right? (Support confirmed this).
So, I don't feel this game is complete at all, even tho I published it :(, so am joining this Jam. and reading more online about this ;) THanks!
I haven't used Java in that context, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong -- but isn't running jars in the browser just about impossible with the last couple years of security updates?
It used to be done by wrapping the jar as an applet, until Edge & Chrome blocked Java applets completely. Firefox is on the same path. As a result, Oracle announced it would stop supporting the feature completely in future updates.
But maybe there's another way to run Java in-browser that I'm not aware of?
Edit: Whoops, I see TerraCottaFrog beat me to it on another thread haha.
Hey Holland, thanks for the reply. I'm confused right, as you can upload .jar and can choose "play in browser", I asked support and they said this, but didn't really lead on about an functionality issues with browsers.. :S
"The entry point is the package name of the class you compiled into your jar. Once you get it correct it should work on the draft page. If you're using an existing game engine then they might have a tutorial about how you would embed your game into a browser, and they'll describe what your entry point is."
Are you still having trouble getting the jar to show? Getting the file structure right definitely seems frustrating :|
This seems to be the sort of applet wrapping and whatnot that itch does on their end. Meaning the entry point they need is the class that either 1) runs the main class that you first call in your application, or 2) is defined in your (Web Start?) settings as the launch applet.
Basically, whatever class starts your game is what they need. (If they want the package as well, it'd be something like myPackageName.myFirstClassName instead, or possibly myPackageName.myFirstClassName.class since they don't seem to add the .class on their end.) I'm not sure if they actually need that "io.itch." before everything or if it was just an example.
You'll have to play around with it and see what works :o
\ \ Just as an aside, since it looks like you were using them in "Fly Squirrel Fly": I also read that jFrames do not run on their own in browsers; they need to be replaced with jApplets (which are the web equivalent & function similarly) for web use. That may be the issue if you have the class right but it's not running.
(Again, I haven't done applets before, so double-check my facts here lol.)
Hey Holland, thank you so much! man, I'm so glad I joined itch, as these conversations have made me question my approach to creating games (Java not so ideal). So, I ended up asking the person that supplied the javacode on YouTube (ForeignGuyMike) and it's in Java "Swing".
He replied "I wouldn't use Swing for games anymore. Best if you just port this to some gaming framework".
Also, The more I talk to people on here, I believe this is to do with security concerns with Java in the future, and I'm not using jApplets, I am using jFrames, so that may be an issues also that I would have to iron out.
....I did learn a bit in eclipse about setting this entry point, but I'm feeling like overall I need to revamp my approach.
So, I'm going to change directions and spend my time learning C# and playing with Unity for beginners! Thanks again.
No problem :) Glad you're figuring things out!
Yeah, doing games in Java is a little rough, especially Java/Swing. (Java/FX is supposedly a little easier to control graphics-wise but will have the same security issues.) It's great for desktop applications, but game design is way easier in engines dedicated to it.
Good luck with Unity! You'll enjoy C#. I found transitioning into it from Java was really nice.
I'm speed-learning Java. This project is supremely ambitious for someone who will have less than a month of Java experience by the time of the deadline but it's going really well so far and I'm only going for a tech demo or so anyway.
I wish Java's documentation & community were a bit less labyrinthine, though.
I work in C, which is a typed language. In fact, every programming language is also typed =)
More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_and_weak_typing