GameDevMike

EDIT: Much has changed since this post was first written. The Sun Game Server, now called Project Darkstar, went through a couple of early access releases before Sun announced they would release the server under the GPL. They have also announced that NCSoft is indeed using the server for an MMOG project.

I was going through some of my Java bookmarks today, catching up on news related to Java game development. I was happy to learn that Mark Powell and Joshua Slack, the primary forces behind the Java Monkey Engine, both have landed jobs at NCSoft Austin. That’s great news for them, but I wouldn’t be posting about it except for one really interesting tidbit: their new jobs will have them working with their own engine, JME. How’s that for good fortune? They will now be getting paid to do what they’ve already been doing for quite some time. It also bodes well for the future of the JME project. I don’t know the circumstances that led to Joshua and Mark’s employment, but I can certainly speculate. And I think big things are afoot.

If you don’t follow Java game development, you might not have heard of the Sun Game Server. News about the SGS has been wrapped in secrecy and very little about it has been released. Through some posts at the javagaming forums from a couple of people involved in the project, a few hints have been dropped here and there. Some hints have also been dropped outside of the message boards, where it has been disclosed that Sun has had discussions with the major MMOG players and has been in “close contact” with at least one.

I’m not privy to the internals of the SGS, but what I’ve read of it has led me to believe that any MMOG servers developed for the platform will require a Java client. Normally, if you were developing a client/server app from scratch this wouldn’t necessarily be a requirement. A Java server would have no problems communicating with a C++ client. From what I understand of the SGS, they are using a protocol that would require a shared API between the client and the server. I may be way off base, but I don’t think I am.

So when you add this up: Sun has discussed the SGS with some major MMOG shops, SGS games probably require a Java client, NCSoft has hired the developers of a Java graphics engine to work on a project with their engine, and NCSoft is a company that has focused only on MMOs thus far… Do you really think NCSoft would be entering the downloadable games market or putting out a single player Java game? I surely don’t.

So if you’re a fan of Java for game development, as I am, this is huge news. While it would be nice to say definitively that NCSoft is working on a Java MMOG, Mark did mention (in his JME forum post linked above) that it is an ‘experiment’ being carried out by a small team. Most likely they are only prototyping and evaluating for now. But that’s still a big step. Anyone who has read the Game Programming Gems or Massively Multiplayer Game Development books knows that NCSoft Austin is big on Python, so it’s not too big of a stretch to see them going for Java. This also goes to show how a dedicated hobby project can get your foot in the door when you fill a niche. Grats to Mark and Joshua! And here’s to hoping I’m right!