Game Types

In your quest to make a great J2ME game, your first consideration should be the type of game to make. More specifically, what type of game is suited to micro devices? Take a look at some of the classic gaming genres and consider how well they might suit MIDs.

Action Games

Action games are by far the most popular for any hardware platform, including J2ME. Since the caveman days, there has always been something instinctively fun about trying to spear a speeding mammoth. (It's a guy thing, okay?!)

The sky is really the limit on the type of action game you can develop. From simple vertical scrolling shooters to in-seat car racing, there's plenty of room to create a solid but still quite original game.

If you've played many J2ME games, you might have noticed a tendency to simplify game play. This is mostly to compensate for the limited input controls. Reducing the complexity of game control is an easy way to ensure that the game isn't too hard to handle on a typical MID. For example, most side-scrolling shooting games (well, the good ones anyway) provide an auto-fire option so the player doesn't have to hit the move and shoot keys simultaneously.

So should you make an action game? Well, the bad news is that action games are probably the most difficult to develop on J2ME because they combine so many resource-hungry elements. You need real-time physics (even if it's basic motion), collision detection, animation, multi-layer moving backgrounds, precision input, AI, sound, and some pretty graphics, too. All of these things combined will stress almost any MID.

The good news is that action games are both fun to develop and fun to play, so your chances of having a commercial success are higher given the popularity of the genre. Gamers understand action games almost instinctively, so assuming you stick to the standard styles of games (even if you mix in your own elements), you'll be using a reliable formula for success.

Puzzle Games

Puzzle games are typically much simpler than action games, although they can be just as successful if they are done well. Jigsaws, word games, memory games, sliders, and many others are all tried-and-true material.

Puzzle games are a pretty interesting type of game to create for J2ME. Done well, they can be addictive and very popular. You can also mix puzzle-style games with other genres. Adventure games work very well with puzzle games, as do action games; the mighty Tetris is a great example of a mix of puzzle and action.

If you're considering creating a puzzle game, I recommend taking a basic puzzle scenario and applying it to a more interesting (and exciting) environment; the classics Lode Runner and Penguin are excellent examples of this. Both games involve figuring out a basic sliding puzzle, but the settings in ice and rock caves (as well as the risk of being squished as a result of an error) make things far more interesting than in traditional sliding puzzles.

Adventure Games

Classic adventure role-playing games (RPGs) can translate very well to J2ME. The slower game action results in less reliance on the limited input and device horsepower. On the flip side, though, adventure games rely quite heavily on exploration of new environments as a key motivator for players, and this typically translates into new graphics. Limited JAR space will be the dragon you'll have to slay to make a great adventure game.

There are three main types of adventure gamestop-down perspective (including isometric-style games such as Diablo); first-person perspective, where the player "sees" as though he is in the game world; and storybook, where the player sees (and reads) the game as distinct pages. All of these game types are good choices for J2ME game development.

Strategy Games

Strategy games are typically either real-time (RTS), such as Warcraft and Command & Conquer, or turn-based, such as Heroes of Might and Magic and Chess. The settings and perspective can vary enormously, but generally strategy games simply involve the acquisition and tactical deployment of available resources for the greatest gain. Doing this against other players (even AI ones) is even more fun.

Simulation games also fall into this category. These types of games involve the management of a deeply complex system (usually as it's evolving), such as an ant colony, amusement park, or town. (The Sims is an excellent example of a simulation, even if it's somewhat original.) A simulation game is more about understanding and affecting the inherent nature of the simulated system than it is about employing a proactive strategy. This is great because not only do you get to play a strategy game, but you can also learn a great deal about the simulated entity along the way. Even if you won't say it out loud, you have to admit that finding out how ant farms really work is pretty cool! If you're considering developing a strategy game, think about teaching the player the nature of something along the way.

So can you make a strategy game using J2ME? You bet. In fact the platform is well suited to most turn-based strategy games, as long as they don't require fast input or high-speed action. RTS games are a little more difficult, though. They require a great deal of CPU power to handle the graphics, animation, unit movement, and AI (for path finding and enemy strategy). In addition, RTS games can involve the control of many units very quickly. Try selecting those 20 defense tanks using only the keypad while the enemy is rushing your base! To make an RTS, you need to carefully consider the input limitations and automate as much as possible. This might include simplifying the terrain and movement systems or removing requirements for fast-response, complex input from the game design.

Strategy games, like most micro games, will never be the same as they are on bigger systems, so don't try to make them that way. Adapt to the platform; you'll be surprised how easy it can be to rework things to suit the more restrictive format. Who knows, maybe you'll create a new game genre along the way.

Traditional Games

Traditional games, such as gambling, card, board, and dice games, are a much scoffed-at genre. However, keep in mind that a very large part of your potential market won't (or can't) play complex action or strategy games. Want to bet with me that the default solitaire game installed on most PCs is the most popular game in the world? Scary, I know.

Traditional games don't necessarily have to be boring. You can easily beef them up with good graphics and sound (strip poker, anyone?) or mix in other genres. Consider inventing your own dice game or adding a little strategy or action to a classic slot machine game.