JavaGameTemplate

A small, readable Java 2D game starter you can copy into new projects. It focuses on clarity and minimal moving parts: a window, a panel with a tiny game loop (Swing Timer), a simple player entity, basic input, asset helpers, and optional dialogue and logo support.

This README has been updated to reflect the changes in Version 1.1 (see latest commits).

What's new (Version 1.1.3)

• Reworked SoundManager to improve sound effect handling and performance. A sound test file is included at src/sounds/ping.wav.
• Added LogoEntity and LogoManager to display a splash/logo at game start. The logo image is located at src/logo/logo.png. The logo can be triggered from GamePanel with triggerLogo() (or similar wiring in the panel).
• Centralized overlay control: managers/SceneManager now manages Dialogue, Logo and Transition subsystems. Use the SceneManager (via GamePanel wrapper methods) instead of manipulating those managers directly.
• Added a simple Dialogue system:
• managers/DialogueManager — load dialogue lines from a text file and iterate them
• scenes/DialogueBoxEntity — draw a semi-transparent dialogue box at the bottom of the screen
• Sample dialogue file: src/dialouge/test.txt
• Updated GameWindow title to "Java Game Template v1.1".
• Improved logo scaling logic in LogoEntity to preserve aspect ratio and better cover the game panel.
• Minor bug fixes in Animation and ImageManager for more robust asset handling.
• Project structure has been reorganized for clarity and maintainability.
• Added ImageFX.java (image helper / effects utilities).
• Added ScreenTransition.java class, which creates screen animations which occupy the full screen, Fading in and out to create a transition between game features.

Project structure (updated)

• main/
  • GameApplication.java — entry point
  • GameWindow.java — top-level Swing window (info bar, game panel, buttons)
  • GamePanel.java — rendering surface and game loop (now supports logo trigger & dialogue wiring)
• entities/
  • PlayerEntity.java — example player (draws a circle, moves on input)
  • DialogueBoxEntity.java — simple overlay box to draw dialogue text
  • LogoEntity.java — displays splash/logo with improved scaling
• managers/
  • ImageManager.java — image loading helpers (bug fixes / improvements)
  • SoundManager.java — reworked sound singleton (optional)
  • DialogueManager.java — reads lines from a text file one-by-one
  • LogoManager.java — optional manager for logo lifecycle
• src
  • src/dialouge/test.txt — sample dialogue text (one line per entry)
  • src/logo/logo.png — example splash/logo image (if present)
  • src/sounds/ping.wav — example sound effect
• util/
  • ImageFX.java — basic image effects / helpers

No external dependencies are required beyond the JDK (uses Swing for rendering and simple audio APIs).

Run

• Launch main.GameApplication.
• The window maximizes to your screen; the game panel is centered and uses the screen dimensions.

Controls (default)

• Start Game: Start button
• Exit: Exit button
• Move: Left Arrow / A (left), Right Arrow / D (right)
• Attack example: Left mouse click (triggers a demo point update)
• Shield example: Right mouse press/release (demo toggle)
• Dialogue Next: Next button (advances one line when dialogue is present)

Dialogue system (simple)

The Dialogue system is now managed by SceneManager and rendered by scenes/DialogueBoxEntity.

• managers/DialogueManager

  • loadFromFile(String path): loads lines (one per line) into memory
  • hasNext(): whether more lines remain
  • nextLine(): returns the next line (or null if none)
  • reset(): go back to the start

• scenes/DialogueBoxEntity

  • setText(String): set the current text to render
  • draw(Graphics2D g2, int width, int height): draws a semi-transparent box at the bottom and the current text

• SceneManager wiring

  • managers/SceneManager owns a DialogueManager + DialogueBoxEntity and provides simple APIs:
    • showDialogueFromFile(String path) — load a dialogue file and show the first line
    • advanceDialogue() — advance to the next line (hides the box when finished)
    • isAnyActive() — returns true when dialogue/logo/transition is active (useful to pause gameplay)

• main/GamePanel wiring (current behavior)

  • The panel now delegates overlay control to SceneManager.
  • On game start the template loads src/dialouge/test.txt and shows the first line by default.
  • The Next button in GameWindow calls GamePanel.advanceDialogue() (which delegates to SceneManager.advanceDialogue()).

To change the script, edit src/dialouge/test.txt (one line per entry). To disable dialogue, remove the showDialogueFromFile call in GamePanel.createGameEntities().

Logo / Splash

• Logo files: src/logo/logo.png
• Use LogoManager and LogoEntity to show a splash at game start. Logo scaling preserves aspect ratio and attempts to cover / center on the game panel.
• Trigger from GamePanel using the provided triggerLogo() method or equivalent hookup.
• Trigger from GamePanel using the provided triggerLogo() method or equivalent hookup. You can also use GamePanel.loadLogo(path) + GamePanel.showLogo(durationMs) to control loading and display separately.

Sound

• Sound helper: managers/SoundManager
• Example sound: src/sounds/ping.wav — used for sound tests / examples.
• SoundManager is optional — if you don't require audio, you can ignore or remove the code.

Quick customization

• Replace the PlayerEntity with your own entity and draw it in GamePanel.gameRender().
• Map more keys in GameWindow.keyPressed() (e.g., up/down) and translate to updateGameEntities(direction).
• Use ImageManager / ImageFX to load and transform sprites and draw them instead of the sample circle.
• Use SoundManager as a starting point for sound effects or background music.
• Use DialogueManager + DialogueBoxEntity for simple in-game text/dialogue sequences.
• Use LogoManager + LogoEntity for splash screens.
• Use SceneManager to centrally manage dialogue/logo/transition overlays; call GamePanel wrapper methods or access SceneManager directly if you prefer.

Notes

• The game loop uses a Swing Timer (~60 FPS). For physics or precise timing you can swap in a fixed-step loop later.
• The template intentionally avoids complexity: no scene graph, no ECS. Add what you need as your game grows.

Additional notes about transitions and pause behaviour:

• Transitions: TransitionManager supports a timeline of fade-in -> hold -> fade-out. Default fades are 200ms each and are scaled if the total duration is shorter than the sum of fades. Use SceneManager.showTransition(totalMs) (via GamePanel.triggerTransition(...)) to activate.
• Pause semantics: GamePanel checks SceneManager.isAnyActive() and pauses player movement and game updates while dialogue, logo, or transition overlays are active. This preserves the expected behaviour where overlays block gameplay.

Changelog (high level)

• 2025-11-02 — Version 1.1
  • SoundManager rework, logo support, dialogue system, title update, image/animation fixes, project reorganization.
  • TransitionManager rework

Happy game making!