[Android Software Development] tjdwowh:
Please do not comment in this thread. This thread will be used to archive lessons.

If you are looking for the most recent tutorials, please go to this thread.

So you want to be a game developer!

I once was in the same shoes as you -- I wanted to make awesome games! But when I looked through the vast resources of the Internet, scouring for a guide that could help a beginning programmer transform into an Android game developer, I was unable to find a simple, thorough, yet comprehensive tutorial that I needed to succeed.

Hours and hours of reading books and watching videos later, I now think that I can help others overcome this "barrier to entry."

So without further ado, I'd like to jump right into my series.

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Lesson #1-0: What is Java?

Java -- everyone's heard of it. But what is it really?

I'm not going to delve too deep into Java details, as all of that information IS available online and you are here for one thing: game development.

All you need to know for now is that Java is both a programming language (that lets you communicate with computers) and a platform (that is driven by a virtual machine that interprets all of your code).

Java was designed to be everywhere -- in phones, cars, computers, and any other object that is computerized. The developers promised that you would be able to write one program that will run on any device that runs the Java platform. This promise kind of fell short, as Java did not proliferate the world's electronics devices at the rate and the extent people expected; however, a few years ago, Android came along, and this open source platform began to do what Java could not. Android devices started making their ways into cars, desktops, tablets, phones, refrigerators, and more recently, Nexus Q's. Who knows what else in the future?

Well Java will be the foundational structure of all Android game development that we will cover (at least in the predictable future), so this is why we will start with Java.

As always, if you have any questions, refer to my first post for contact information!

If you already know how to do something that I cover in a lesson, feel free to skip it! I will try to make this guide cumulative, yet easy to incorporate into what you already know.

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I realize this is the most boring part of game development... bear with me here and don't be discouraged!

*One final note* : The following instructions are for Mac and Windows.

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Lesson #1-1: Downloading Java and Eclipse.

Before we can do any sort of Java programming, we must first prepare our development machine!

To install Java Development Kit (JDK - it lets you create java programs), follow the following steps:

Note: As of yet, Java 7 is not supported, so you must download Java 6 (JDK6).

1. Here's the link to the download (To people reading this guide in the far future: if the following link no longer functions, search for JDK on Google. If Google no longer exists, I don't know what to tell you).

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk6-downloads-1637591.html

2. Once you are there, below Java SE Development Kit 6 Update XX, look for YOUR operating system and version to download the corresponding JDK.

3. When the download is completed, follow the instructions to get the JDK installed!

Now we must download Eclipse, the IDE. Feel free to look up more information on Eclipse, but once you begin programming, you will easily understand what its awesome capabilities are.

Eclipse will compile your code, let you export your code, help you correct your code, organize it, etc. It's extremely useful!

1. Follow this link to the Eclipse.org's download page:

http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

2. Download the corresponding version of Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers.

3. You will get a .zip file containing the Eclipse folder. No installation is needed. Place it where you want to, and open eclipse.exe.

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Lesson #1-2: Setting up Eclipse:

1. Upon starting Eclipse, it will ask you where you want to place your "workspace." Your workspace is where all of your resources, code, assets, etc. will be kept.

Choose a location that you will be able to access easily.

2. Once that happens, you will see a welcome screen like so:

I will pick up right here from the welcome screen for the next tutorial tomorrow morning (US Eastern Time)!

Thanks for reading.

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Day 1: Summarized

Today, we discussed Java and began setting up our developmental computers, installing both the JDK and Eclipse.

Tomorrow, we will write our first Java programs and discuss the meaning of Java jargon.

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