[JAVA][Beginning Java 8 Games Development]

Chapter 11
Moving Your Action Figure in 2D:
Controlling the X and Y Display
Screen Coordinates
Now that we have created the public CastingDirector class, which I call the “casting engine,” in Chapter 10, we need to
get back into our InvinciBagel.java primary application class coding here in Chapter 11, and create our iBagel primary
game play Actor (character) in the .createGameActors() method. We will also create the castDirector object using
the CastingDirector.java class and its CastingDirector() constructor method, which we created in Chapter 10, as well as
creating the .createCastingDirection() method, which will manage our casting direction class-related features.
After we finish adding the code into our InvinciBagel.java class that will create the iBagel Bagel object, and create
a castDirector CastingDirector object, we will reorganize our code into logical method structures for the major task
areas that need to be addressed in the InvinciBagel class. After we do this, we’ll have eight logical method areas. These
methods will then serve as “guides” to the functional areas that we will need to keep updated (add statements to) as
we develop our game over the rest of the book. For instance, if we add an Actor to the game, we will do this by adding
(instantiating) an Actor object inside of a .createGameActors() method, and then add the Actor object to a cast object
created using our new CastingDirector() constructor method inside of a new .createCastingDirection() method.
In addition to the .createGameActors() and .createCastingDirector() methods, our new methods will include the
.loadImageAssets() method, the .createSceneEventHandling() method, the .createStartGameLoop() method,
and the .addGameActorNodes() method. So, we will be creating half a dozen new methods for your InvinciBagel.
java class during this chapter, to significantly “beef up” the top-level organizational structure for our game’s core
class as well as its “top-level” .start() method. There’s only one method that will survive this process without any
modifications; that will be the .addNodesToStackPane() method, that you created in Chapter 6 (see Figure 6-8 to
refresh your memory).
After we have reorganized our InvinciBagel.java code infrastructure, we can move on and start to create the
program logic that will be used to create, and later control, the primary hero for our game, the InvinciBagel himself.
This will involve using the Bagel() and CastingDirector() constructor methods, and then adding the iBagel Bagel
object to the Scene Graph (StackPane root object) and CastingDirector castDirector object, using the .add() method
call and the .addCurrentCast() method call respectively.
After we have the iBagel Actor created, we will wire up its .update() method to the GamePlayLoop .handle()
method, at which point we can start to build the programming logic that will move this InvinciBagel around on your
Stage. At this point, things get more interesting, as we can start to define the movement boundaries for the Stage, the
sprite image states (the nine different character positions), and how these relate to X (left-right) and Y (up-down) key
usage. For instance, no movement will be standing, left and right will use running, up will use jump, down will land, or
later on in the game design, certain key combinations can cause an InvinciBagel to fly and so on as we refine the code.
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