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I am going to start developing Java games (3D) but I have a few questions.

I dont know if I should use an engine or make my own. I feel like I am "cheating" if I use an engine to make my game. Is it frowned upon in the game developing world? What are some advantages and disadvantages to using an engine for my game and is it really that much harder to make my own engine? I know that engines have built in models and textures with easy drag and drop interfaces, would I have any of that if I were to code my own engine? Thanks guys.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Let me try to explain why people are down voting. (I can't explain why they aren't commenting). This question doesn't really have a correct answer. Other than "it depends". And honestly it doesn't really matter what the answer is, it just matters what you want to do, and that's a question only you can answer. \$\endgroup\$ – MichaelHouse♦ Sep 18 '12 at 23:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ Very similar, if not duplicate: gamedev.stackexchange.com/q/37289/14808. My opinion is that this should be closed too. \$\endgroup\$ – Laurent Couvidou Sep 19 '12 at 8:57
  • \$\begingroup\$ @CJSculti It's not frowned upon to use an engine to make a game. Actually, it's more frowned upon to create an engine from scratch without a very good reason (learning being one, thinking you can do better without any prior knowledge being, well... hum, dangerous). \$\endgroup\$ – Laurent Couvidou Sep 19 '12 at 9:00
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Well, this really depends on what you count as an engine. Technically, JOGL is an engine, which is used very frequently. Unity and UDK are also game engines, if that's what you mean. Plenty of games are made with all three of these options, along with other engines (so long as they are obtained legally), so it wouldn't necessarily be "frowned upon." Using these engines are almost always easier than making your own. For built-in texture/models, though, you need to be a bit careful with copyright infringement, because sometimes companies will give you those only for educating yourself with use of the engine.

As for making your own engine in Java, it can be moderately difficult to make a code-only engine yourself, and it will most likely not be as good as something like JOGL. These are generally more easier to adapt if you're using your own as opposed to something like JOGL. It really just depends on what your game needs. However, making your own engine with a user-interface takes significantly longer and is much harder, but it can be easily re-used and it is easier to start new projects with it.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ What I meant by an engine was something like this, jmonkeyengine.com \$\endgroup\$ – CJ Sculti Sep 18 '12 at 21:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ok, so sort of like Unity? \$\endgroup\$ – sciguy1121 Sep 18 '12 at 21:50
  • \$\begingroup\$ I guess but I feel like i am kind of cheating... But I just cant picture how to do it without something like that. I mean how would you edit terrain or render animations or design maps without some drag and drop interface? Could you maybe direct me to a book that I can use to start off? \$\endgroup\$ – CJ Sculti Sep 18 '12 at 21:58
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    \$\begingroup\$ Well, the book Killer Game Programming in Java is a bit outdated, but it's good. \$\endgroup\$ – sciguy1121 Sep 18 '12 at 22:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ Should I learn 2D game programming before 3D? \$\endgroup\$ – CJ Sculti Sep 18 '12 at 22:28

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