[JAVA][Beginning Java 8 Games Development]

Chapter 14
Setting Up the Game Environment:
Creating Fixed Sprite Classes Using
the Actor Superclass
Now that we made a significant amount of progress creating your primary InvinciBagel character, using a number of
key methods in the Bagel.java class, as well as the Actor and Hero superclasses, all of which we put into place along
with the GamePlayLoop class and CastingDirector class in Chapters 7 through 13, it is time to add fixed sprite objects,
which I will call “Props,” into the Scene and on the Stage (on the screen). These fixed objects are almost as important
to the game as the main character himself, as they can be used to provide obstacles, barriers, protection from the
enemy, and various challenges for the primary game hero character to overcome. We will also need these fixed objects
in the Scene to use in our collision detection program logic, and to test our CastingDirector class (object).
If you remember, back in Chapter 8, we created the Actor superclass with fixed sprites in mind and the Hero
superclass with motion sprites in mind. I started out with the motion sprites, because the primary game character is a
motion sprite, and even though motion sprites are more complex, by their very nature, they are also a lot more fun to
play around with! Now I need to take a chapter and put the Actor superclass into action and create some Prop-related
subclasses. We will use these Actor subclasses to populate our Scene (Stage) with things such as platforms, obstacles,
barriers, bridges, treasure, and similar game play fixed location objects that you will want to add into the Scene (on
the Stage) to create a game world and enhance the game play experience (also known as user experience).
We’ll create four fixed Prop subclasses, using the Actor superclass, which will make it easy to construct fixed
scenes (also called levels, when you have created more than one). The Prop.java class will use your fixed sprite Image
assets “as-is,” while the PropH.java class will set the isFlipH property to true and mirror the image asset around
the Y axis, using a JavaFX spriteFrame.setScaleX(-1); Java statement. The PropV.java class will set the isFlipV
property to true and mirror the image asset around the X axis, using a JavaFX spriteFrame.setScaleY(-1); Java
statement. The PropB.java class (B stands for “both”) will set both the isFlipV property and isFlipH property to true,
which would mirror an image asset around both the X and Y axis, using two JavaFX spriteFrame.setScale(-1); Java
statements.
Once we have created these four Prop-related Actor subclasses, we will use them to place fixed objects into the
Scene to create the first level of this game. That way, when we get into the collision detection chapter, everything that
would be in a real game will be in place, and we will be able to start coding the collision detection logic; and then,
eventually, an auto-attack engine; and then game play logic, which dictates how the scoring engine is implemented.
This chapter will be valuable in creating a more feature-filled game. A major part of any game design, in this case,
it is Ira H. Harrison Rubin’s InvinciBagel character and game, is building the environment that the characters (the
hero and his or her enemies, whether in a single-player or a multi-player game) engage in is critical to the success and
popularity of the game, since these fixed elements are a major part of creating the game play challenge for the player.
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