The Frontier: A Java Game This    game    was    coded    in    Java.    It’s    a    single    player    game where   the   player   tries   to   survive   as   long   as   possible   by avoiding   being   hit   by   asteroids.   The   objective   is   to   collect   a certain   amount   of   loot   objects   in   game.   It   was   originally   an educational   Program   that   can   be   used   as   a   study   aid   for students   ranging   from   grades   6   to   8.   The   program   teaches students   about   the   planets   in   the   solar   system   and   allows them   to   apply   their   knowledge   through   an   interactive   test. It     was     made     in     2016     as     a     final     computer     science summative.   *Note   that   not   all   of   the   textures   used   are   my own.

Features Menu The   interactive   menu   system   uses   a   series   of   images   and transitions   to   create   a   graphical   interface.   The   images   are loaded   in   using   buffered   imaging   to   ensure   there   is   no   lag between   transitions.   The   menu   is   navigated   by   using   the arrow   keys   and   enter   button   on   the   keyboard.   This   is   done by    using    the    KeyEvent    and    KeyAdapter    java.awt.event   library.

Source Code To   download   the   source   code   and   try   it   for   yourself   visit   my github by clicking the link below. For additional information email me at

Database The    database    option    in    the    menu    unlocks    after    the player   collects   all   8   pieces   of   loot   within   the   game.   When entering   the   database,   the   user   has   the   option   to   scroll through    information    on    each    planet.    Here    they    can prepare themselves for the test section of the program. 

Game Classes The   game   consists   of   21   original   classes,   the   main   ones being;    Player,    Camera,    bufferedimageLoader,    Animation and   Textures.   The   player   class   takes   care   of   the   players movement,   position   and   object   collision   with   the   map.   The camera   class   is   what   controls   how   the   background   and map   scroll   left   to   right   to   give   the   game   its   platformer characteristics.   The   bufferedImageLoader   class   takes   care of   loading   consecutive   frames   to   ensure   the   game   runs smoothly.   The   animation   class   controls   all   of   the   sprites that   contain   animations.   It   works   by   cycling   through   given textures    to    create    a    loopable    animation.    Finally,    the textures    class    is    where    the    sprite    sheet    is    divided    into different   sections   to   create   the   individual   textures   for   each object. 

Collision Detection Collision     detection     was     built     using     getBounds     and physics.collision      functions.      The      getBounds      function returned   the   x   and   y   boundaries   of   a   given   object   and   the physics.collision   function   checks   if   the   boundaries   of   any two   given   objects   intersects.   Depending   on   which   objects are    colliding,    different    outcomes    occur.    For    instance, asteroids    destruct    when    intersecting    the    map    or    the player, and the player loses health if hit by an asteroid.

Health System & End Screen The    score    system    incorporates    player    health    and score   using   basic   counters.   The   count   is   triggered   by the   collision   of   objects.   Once   the   players   health   count reaches   0   the   game   enters   its   end   sequence.   Here   the player   is   presented   with   the   option   to   quit   or   return to the main menu.

Test Class The    test    section    of    the    program    consists    of    multiple choice   questions   built   using   a   basic   GUI   interface.   After all   the   questions   are   answered   the   results   and   number of correct answers is displayed.