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Java Technology Demo Showcases Quake
solarisguy writes "I saw earlier today on JavaGaming.org that Reality Interactive released a non-playable demo of Quake in Windows or Linux flavors, implemented entirely in Java. It runs natively on Linux, 1280x1024 at 60fps on my box with around 65% cpu. Could this be the future of games on Linux?" This ties in neatly to our recent posting on Sun promoting Java for higher-end games development.
The Quake engine is GPLed. I imagine they ported it to Java for this 'technology demo' .. So what I want to know is, where is the source?
-molo
Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
Does the GPL cover this scenario? A port to a different platform is one thing, but a "translation" to another language is quite another. It's unlikely that it shares any actual source. The algorithms and method/functions are likely very similar, but that's not a GPL issue. In fact, it's the open source people who most frequently argue that algorithms shouldn't be encumbered by patents/licenses.
Copyright law should cover this. The Java port is a derived work.
-molo
Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
Remember this???
This demo is offline these days, but the info is all still up there.
"Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
"Could this be the future of games on Linux?"
Depends. Can Java talk to 3D cards? If not, then the answer is no.
If Java were to develop a cross platform version of DirectX, then the answer would be eventually yes. I'm not just talking 3D here, so spare me the "OpenGL already exists" rebuttals. That's only one piece of the puzzle. There also needs to be the equivalent of DirectSound, DirectPlay, and another Direct component that I'm having difficulty remembering of right now.
That's a really ambitious task. But, on the other hand, it'd be really hard to want to develop using DirectX if the Java equivalent does the job and requires little to no porting in order to support other platforms such as Linux or even Mac.
"Derp de derp."
I suppose next we'll be asked if scooters are the future of personal transportation, or talentless teen-age models are the future of pop music, or invading countries that have oil is the future of world commerce. (Oops!)
solarisguy writes "I saw earlier today on JavaGaming.org that Reality Interactive released a non-playable demo of Quake in Windows or Linux flavors, implemented entirely in Java. (...)"
I have lots of non-playable games in Linux flavors, implemented entirely in win32 API... Of course, I am joking. This is great news. When most of games in stores start to be written in Java, I am sure many GNU users will use them (at least those, who have no moral objections to use proprietary software) and there will be finally no reason to use Windows and therefore to preinstall it by OEMs. This could be a great long term strategic success. We need more people using free software at home, especially in the age of corporations looking at such software with suspicion because of corrupted companies, like the infamous dying S.C.O. who tries to extort money never minding the implications to the society at large. I agree with most of people here.
Karma: Positive (probably because of superiour intellect)
And I quote from the FAQ:
3. Isn't Quakeâ GPL? Where's the source?
The technology preview is a Quakeâ compatible system that reads the Quakeâ network protocol and file formats. This is a from-scratch implementation using the Javaâ language and the Reality Interactive Simulation Containerâ. The purpose of the demo is not to demonstrate Quakeâ, but the capabilities of the Simulation Containerâ.
RTFA, smartypants.
--Life may have no meaning, or, even worse, it may have a meaning of which you disapprove.
Ever try playing a game multiplayer with friends, and discover you can't, because it can't cope with NAT, or because despite you opening the ports the game tells you to, it seems to want more undocumented ones, or because you bought your copy for Linux and theirs is on Windows and despite being the exact same game at the same patchlevel (i.e. Loki titles), they just won't talk to each other?
If stuff just doesn't work... it's probably using DirectPlay.
Not that I'm bitter or anything. Just that stuff I know isn't using DirectPlay (id games, for example) always seems to work fine.
Mahnamahna!
This is a very interesting post but I'm glad that you brought up a VERY common misconception. How do you think that Java reads from files or from the network or displays to the screen? It's all JNI (i.e. native methods). There's a reason that there's about 5MB of .dll / .so files in the JRE. So take most any "100% Java" application and turn off native methods and see how far you get.
.jar for obvious reasons).
As for the playable perspective, the only difference between this implementation and a playable implemenation is that input is disabled (and not included in the
As for being impressed, you should be. As recently as a few weeks ago there have been news postings on Slashdot that vehemently denies the possibility of gaming at a reasonable speed under Java. Now it seems that the argument has changed from "not possible" to "well it's still slower than native". What happened to the "not possible"? Let's get back to the "not possible" line.
Will there be a retort for everything that comes out with Java? What if I came out with something that was faster? I rue that day I tell you!
DISCLAIMER: I mean all of this light-heartedly in the spirit of open discussion.