The Smiley Puzzle Project
A while ago, I started a new game project. For the time being, I will name it the Smiley Puzzle Project. Why? Because it will be a puzzle game featuring smileys! 
More precisely, the core game mechanic will be the same as my old mac game Enigmatic Movements. An extremely limited version can be played as a java applet at the Dark Moon Software website. But contrary to my other games, this one will be my first game coded in Java, using LWJGL (Lightweight Java Game Library), an OpenGL and OpenAL binding for java.
I have 3 good reasons for going the java route:
- I’ve been coding in java for more than 7 years now, so I have plenty of experience using both the language, and the necessary tools. I expect this will speed up the development of the game considerably!
- Cross platform!!! Since I’m a long-time mac user, and I don’t even have a Windows machine at home, using java will definitely be the easiest solution for going cross-platform. In the beginning, I will probably keep concentrating on the mac market. But expanding my audience with millions of windows users can’t hurt. And it will be necessary if I want to get this game on any portals!
- Ultratron and Titan Attacks! These fun and cool looking games by PuppyGames are also written in java and LWJGL, and are a great inspiration! This blog post about Titan Attacks is also an interesting read. Another full 3D game written in java and LWJGL is Tribal Trouble by Oddlabs. Check out the amazing screenshots! These games clearly show that java has become a valid alternative to C and C++ for game development.
Currently I’m working on a prototype of my game, and I already have a small part of the artwork done. I hope to have some screenshots and more details available in the near future, so check this blog on a regular basis. Or better yet, subscribe to the Dark Moon Newsletter!
Related Articles:
- New Online Games Arcade SmileyGamer.com Enters Beta Stage
- First Flash Game Finished: Enigmatica
- Sneak Peek At SmileyPuzzleGames.com
- Smiley Puzzle Project: 3D Rendered Animated Smileys
- Smiley Puzzle Project Back Alive!
- Smiley Puzzle Project: First Screenshots
- Enigmatica now freeware
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April 15th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
[…] Oh, and just to make it clear again, this is not a match-3 game! More about the game concept can be found here. […]
July 24th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
your smily face project is interesting… kwel
October 6th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
[…] After finding out about these, I’m confident I made the right choice by using Java and LWJGL for my game development. Maybe I’ll make a free online version of Bubblomania with this API. It could be a nice project to get up to speed with LWJGL, and start off my life as an independent game producer next week! […]
October 4th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
[…] I still have several features planned for the website, before I can call it final. But even more important is to continue work on Smiley Memory, which will be my next Flash game! Already mentioned before, Smiley Memory will be the first game from the Smiley Puzzle Project. This game will feature the 3D smiley’s also used on the Smiley Gamer site. I expect it to become a lot more popular than Enigmatica, so it will be a great promotion for the site! It’s great to see the Smiley Puzzle Project, originally started more than a year ago, finally come to life! […]