Java is a powerful programming language that can be used to create Android games. While Java is not the only language you can use to develop Android games, it is a popular choice among developers.
If you’re interested in developing Android games using Java, there are a few things you should know.
First, you’ll need to download and install the Java Development Kit (JDK).
Once you have the JDK installed, you’ll need to choose an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to write your code in. There are many different IDEs available, but we recommend Eclipse for beginners. You can find Eclipse here.
Once you have Eclipse installed, you’ll need to create a new project for your game. In Eclipse, go to File -> New -> Project. Choose “Java Project” from the list of project types and click Next.
On the next page, you’ll need to enter a name for your project and choose a location for it on your computer. We recommend choosing a location that is easy to remember, such as your Desktop. Once you’ve chosen a name and location for your project, click Finish.
You should now see your new project in the Package Explorer window in Eclipse. The next step is to create a main activity class for your game. Right-click on your project in the Package Explorer window and select New -> Class from the menu.
In the New Java Class dialog that appears, enter a name for your class and click Finish. We’ll call our class MainActivity.
Once you’ve created your MainActivity class, open it in the Eclipse editor and add the following code:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
}
}
This code creates a new activity class called MainActivity and sets the activity’s layout to the activity_main layout file that is included in the Android SDK. The next step is to create a layout file for our game’s main menu.
Right-click on your project in the Package Explorer window and select New -> Folder from the menu. In the New Folder dialog that appears, enter “res/layout” as the folder name and click Finish.
This will create a new layout folder in your project where you can store your game’s layout files. Right-click on the layout folder and select New -> File from the menu. In the New File dialog that appears, enter “main_menu.xml” as the file name and click Finish.
Open the main_menu.xml file in the Eclipse editor and add the following code:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”
android:orientation=”vertical”
android:layout_width=”match_parent”
android:layout_height=”match_parent”>
<TextView
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:text=”Hello World!” />
</LinearLayout>
This code creates a new LinearLayout with a TextView that says “Hello World!”. The next step is to add this layout to our MainActivity class. Open the MainActivity class in the Eclipse editor and add the following code:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main_menu);
}
}
This code sets the activity’s layout to our main_menu.xml file. If you run your game now, you should see the “Hello World!” text on the screen.
The next step is to add a button to our main menu so that we can start our game. Update your main_menu.xml file with the following code:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”
android:orientation=”vertical”
android:layout_width=”match_parent”
android:layout_height=”match_parent”>
<TextView
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:text=”Hello World!” />
<Button
android:id=”@+id/startButton”
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:text=”Start Game” />
</LinearLayout>
This code adds a Button widget to our layout with the text “Start Game”. The next step is to add an OnClickListener to this button so that we can respond when the user clicks it. Update your MainActivity class with the following code:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private Button startButton;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main_menu);
startButton = (Button)findViewById(R.id.startButton);
startButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View v) {
// Perform action on click
}
});
}
}
This code gets a reference to our startButton widget and sets an OnClickListener on it. When the button is clicked, the onClick() method of our OnClickListener will be called. Right now this method is empty, so our game doesn’t do anything when the button is clicked. We will update this method later to start our game.
The next step is to create a new activity class for our game. Right-click on your project in the Package Explorer window and select New -> Class from the menu. In the New Class dialog that appears, enter “GameActivity” as the class name and click Finish. This will create a new GameActivity class with the following code:
public class GameActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_game);
}
}
This code sets the activity’s layout to an XML file named activity_game. We haven’t created this XML file yet, so let’s do that now. Create a new layout file named activity_game.xml in your project’s layout folder and add the following code to it:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”
android:orientation=”vertical”
android:layout_width=”match_parent”
android:layout_height=”match_parent”>
<TextView
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:text=”Game Activity!” />
</LinearLayout>
This code creates a new LinearLayout with a TextView that says “Game Activity!”. The next step is to update our MainActivity class so that it starts our GameActivity when the start button is clicked. Update your MainActivity class with the following code:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private Button startButton;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main_menu);
startButton = (Button)findViewById(R.id.startButton);
startButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View v) {
// Perform action on click
Intent intent = new Intent(MainActivity.this, GameActivity.class);
startActivity(intent);
}
});
}
}
This code creates an Intent object that starts our GameActivity when the start button is clicked. If you run your application now and click the start button, you should see the “Game Activity!” text appear on the screen.
You are done!
Congratulations, you’ve just created your first Android activity!
Of course, this is a very simple Android app, if you’re looking for more help or to hire a professional with an advanced masterpiece, then be sure to contact a professional mobile app development company that will ensure your idea comes to life.