Apparently Funcom is working on a Java Based massively multiplayer online role playing game that is free to play. This is a HUGE mistake. Not only is Java a dead technology, but the graphics in Java based games completely suck. No offense to Runescape but that game is a perfect example. The graphics seem from another era and they have recently been improved with Runescape HD.
Runescape was so successful because it was one of the first MMORPGs out there and has such a large following. Funcom could never hope to build a game in 2009 or 2010 in Java that will be a success. 17 developers are working on this Java-based MMORPG aimed at teenagers and younger.
Wow what an impressive screenshot of some cutting age graphics of a game.
Thanks to Gamasutra.
May 19, 2009 at 06:44:33
Whilst I agree that FunCom making another MMO is a mistake (they haven’t even got halfway to finishing off making AoC) I think your being a bit unfair on RS and Java. RS have managed to achieve a lot on the graphics front for a no-download game, and Java is still doing well for its self as a language.
May 19, 2009 at 10:37:07
I completely disagree that Java is dead.
Java is everywhere…Java is used in software for mobile devices, desktops, enterprise systems, the Internet, or games.
Runescape is not just popular because it was the first to do the MMO thing. New players find it everyday. The reason it is so popular is first it has a good free version and no downloads or installs are necessary.
Can you plan WOW at the library, no? At school, no? At your grandmas for the weekend, na uh? How about Runescape? You can play a Java based game on a computer with very low specs, yeah even Grandma’s computer. Can’t install software or make huge downloads at school or the library? Runescape runs right in the browser.
Graphics are not all that games are about… Try fun, accessablity, playablity, portablity, hanging out with friends, making new friends… Some of the best games in history didn’t have the best graphics, heck some of them didn’t even have graphics.
May 19, 2009 at 13:57:56
@Mitch
Thank you for your comment. I give RS a lot of credit but they have been around for so long. If they launched today with Java they would not be anywhere near as successful if at all.
May 19, 2009 at 14:02:37
@LJ
Thank you for your comment. You make some good points but your first is wrong. Although Java still exists because of an agreement for Microsoft to continue to support it, Java is almost never used on the internet, in games, in enterprise systems, or in desktops. As soon as they loose their last remaining foothold on cell phones they will be gone for ever. More and more cell phone applications are written in other languages.
May 30, 2009 at 22:12:26
@admin
Erm no, even NCSoft in their newest mmo Aion use Java technology in their websites. As well there are numerous other things what use it. Java is advancing and will be. There are numerous of things what can Java do easier than other languages. Saying Java will die is saying the same as Python will die. And Microsoft ain’t the only os what supports it. Linux and Leopard supports it as well.
And RS would not have that bad of a success in modern MMO industry either.
May 31, 2009 at 15:48:25
@slime,
erm yes. Saying Aion uses Java in their web site is a terrible way to make a point. I am talking about a java based game! Screw the web site. Apple and oranges my friend. And yes Java will die. Your other point about RS seems to agree with me instead of disagree “RS would not have that bad of success” that is different than the phenomenal success they currently enjoy. No?
Jun 1, 2009 at 09:43:33
@admin
I don’t think Java is dead or will be anytime soon. When you stated “Java is almost never used on the internet, in games, in enterprise systems, or in desktops.”, I will have to agree that Java is not used in games and desktops but Java is everywhere on servers and the internet. Microsoft .NET is gaining on Java but all you have to do is search for all of the J2EE developer jobs out there. Or, see how many Java app servers are used in the real world to power websites and backends (IBM makes a killing with WebSphere java app server)
Jun 1, 2009 at 14:36:35
@evilphoton
Thank you for your comments. You make some good points however you will find that the number of J2EE jobs has drastically declined and will continue to do so.
Aug 26, 2009 at 06:32:17
@admin
Does it really matter what language a game is programmed in? As long as it works as intended, who cares? This game is obviously aimed at quite young people, so I doubt the graphics will be a problem at all.
Aug 26, 2009 at 11:00:30
@Doesitmatter
Yes it does matter. There are so many things wrong with your comments:
1. You underestimate young people
2. Graphics are more important now
3. Thats just it Java doesn’t work well
Sep 2, 2009 at 16:29:23
Just like every other programming language… it’s more than just what the company makes. Companies won’t spend a lifetime on making games so they shortcut it and decided not to add better graphics options or more functionality.
If you want better Graphics on a game… why don’t you try creating extensive 3d models and code it into whatever the hell programming language you want.
Sep 3, 2009 at 09:14:11
@Really?
No Java Sucks!
Nov 17, 2009 at 13:49:36
seems like admin is strong Java-hater
Why do you hate Java so much? You’ve tried to learn it and hasn’t succeed?
Java is not dead and won’t die in the near future. A lot of reasons for that, just some of them:
1. By all pools Java is #2 programming language after C. It’s rival from Microsoft (C#) takes way beyond (like #10-#12). Closer rivals – PHP, Perl, Python, JavaScript and Ruby – are popular, but can’t provide the same enterprise adoption enjoyed by Java right now.
2. Java is one of the strongest server-side technologies out there. Java on servers ways stronger than .Net and Microsoft despite huge hype and marketing efforts hasn’t been able to match it with it’s platform.
A lot of the Internet is powered by Java – you just can’t notice that.
3. Java is widely adopted in Open Source projects, there are more application servers, web frameworks, clustering solutions etc for Java then for any other enterprise technology. Most of that is open source and people who doesn’t want vendor lock, prefer that to proprietary solutions.
4. admin: “Java still exists because of an agreement for Microsoft to continue to support it” – that is really bold statement. Microsoft doesn’t support Java from 1997 when they excluded it from OS (and caused death of Java as Desktop platform for Windows by that). However, giants like IBM, Oracle, BEA, SAP, Google and most of Fortune 500 have invested and continue to invest billions of dollars in that technology.
5. admin is right that Java is not strong in game devlopment. But that is not because of some weakness, there is no reason whatsoever Java game should be ugly.
Tribal Trouble looks really nice, and thats Java game.
6. Java rulez on mobile. Most of mobile games are Java-based.
7. Future platforms like Google Android are Java based.
8. Future is behind the Internet, not the Desktop. And in online Java is a strong force. That is ideal platform for future MMO clusters – project Darkstar is one example of that (open source too)
So, don’t put Java into the grave. We will smell a lot of Java in the future, believe me
Nov 17, 2009 at 15:38:35
@Igor,
Thank you for your well thought out points. I won’t address all of them but this one stuck out to prove my point:
“7. Future platforms like Google Android are Java based.”
Actually, Android is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel. Although it currently allows for Java programming that will not last long. Android is Linux based and future versions will take any type of code that runs on Linux.
Also what do you mean Tribal Trouble looks really nice? That game looks terrible. Just look at this gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEIpZiH7lL4 That is the best example you have? Even Trial Trouble 2 in high definition looks bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78iq31azccI
Java is on its way out my friend and a terrible choice for anything other than mobile games.
Nov 20, 2009 at 05:35:21
True, it is based on Linux kernel. BUT Android is not only an OS kernel – it is full application stack for mobile devices.
Look at the architecture review on http://developer.android.com/guide/basics/what-is-android.html.
Android is Linux Kernel + Specific Libraries over it (like OpenGL, SQLite database, media codecs etc) + Davik Virtual Machine (runs preoptimized java code).
All Android APIs are Java based! As you see from picture – between the applications layer and Linux kernel lays the API layer. And there is no way for application to call Linux kernel directly.
So, it is not just Linux at all. All application on Android written in Java, compiled with special optimized compiler for Google Davik VM. You can’t simply run linux apps on that thing…
Well, you could write C code, install it on Android as libs, but anyways, you HAVE TO provide Java APIs for these in order to use that functionality from applications.
I know that, because I’ve written applications for Android (on Java – be sure
It is really fun and easy thing to do. You should learn Java and join the Android community 
About other languages – as far as I can tell, Google hasn’t announced nothing about support of other languages. Actually you could use any language running on top of Java platform (that could be JavaScript, Groovy, Phyton, Ruby and hundreds of others) but anyway, all system calls will be done through Java API.
About Tribal Trouble – it is not Crysis for sure, but it has stylish and smooth graphics. It looks much better that these 5174 MMORPGs written on C++ (who can tell much of MMORPGs already written?) with ugly models and boring repetitive maps.
It is not a limitation of Java, it is the quality of modeling and smoothing everything till it looks nice.
If you are not making next Crysis of something, you could use Java, or Python or any other language for client code. It is easier to create complicated code on these, that on C++ with all memory problems etc.
As for the server technology – Java is a perfect choice, it is ideal for all MMO needs, has all tools and frameworks needed.
So, I totally disagree with the title of this post – nothing is terrible about Java-based MMORPG.
I hope there will be more and more of these – on Java, Phython, Groovy, Ruby and other languages. C++ monopoly in gamedev is not beneficial for the industry. It is always good to have some competition.
Nov 20, 2009 at 15:36:30
@Igor,
Thanks for your comments. Just watch. In 5 years use of Java will decrease at least 50%
Dec 8, 2009 at 12:21:48
While I agree that Java usage is going to decrease as time goes on, it’s far from a dead language. There have been quite a few examples which show Java is only about 1.1 times slower than the same code run on C++.. In some cases the JIT compiler makes it even faster. There’s nothing stopping java from doing anything C++ can do.
While I also agree most Java games are graphically lacking, there’s no reason that has to be the case.. There’s absolutely nothing keeping a Java Desktop app from being just as graphically intense as a C++ app. It’s just that the focus seems to be in providing a web interface instead of desktop clients.
Back to the original point though. Although the java language is a bit archaic and inflexible at times.. The JVM ensures the continuity of the Java platform. Right now, python and Ruby are all the rage, and growing.. Currently the Java implementation of Ruby, JRuby is running even faster than Ruby, and Jython is making good headway. While the use of Java may continue to decline, so will C++. The future involves Rapid Application Development on the .NET and JVM platforms. And while, .net has windows Java controls most of the internet which is run mostly on various flavors of Unix.
I personally prefer C#, to Java syntactically.. But I’d much rather program for the JVM and have access to the Ginormous breadth of Java’s cross platform libraries.
Jul 14, 2010 at 21:24:08
get ready for c+++ in the future
Nov 30, 2010 at 03:00:02
@RandomDude
You means C++0x?
@admin
Dude, Java and C++ are my 2 favourite languages but now i preffer Java more because:
1. You can make browser-based applications.
2. No libraries required.
3. Everything you need is there, mouse, keyboard, timers, graphics, sounds.
4. Socket programming is much more powerfull and much more easier with Java. It took me 1 day to master it using Java. But using C++ I spent over a week and I still cant make a server/client application :@.
Although I understand that applications written in C++ don’t need anything, unlike Java requires Java Runtime Environment, but there is still a very big ammount of personal computers that have it installed. I don’t agree that Java will die, games like RuneScape keep it alive. (:
Besides! Developing with Java is much much more easier because you don’t have to consider what platform its gonna be on.
And don’t give me that shit about the decrease of Java use, more and more applications are written in Java every day and the only competition I image for Java would be AS3.0 (Flash), but Flash doesn’t have perfect graphics either. Its not about the graphics, its about the easy access in web-browsers.
But serously, Graphics don’t really matter, why does everyone want 3D and want it to be perfect HD… I never really give a shit about graphics cause im not gonna play a game for life, its just for temporary fun, and the fun is not in the graphics… Its in the game it self! I will play a 2D game as long as its fun.
Dec 3, 2010 at 13:54:56
I, as a young person and, as a gamer find that nice graphics benefit a game, however the gameplay mechanics are far more important and I believe that anyone that thinks graphics make a game has a big pile of shit image in their head.
I have found fun in many games with poor graphics, such as: Runescape (A homely game that’s recently been ruined with ‘modern’ graphics and someones vision of safety), Minecraft (which graphics suck and it’s written in java and it’s one of the best games I’ve experienced) and one of the best examples of an amazing game with poop graphics is the whole collection of Pokemon games (all of them have more or less worthless graphics, yet they’re displayed with great care and fun gameplay mechanics).
1. Graphics do not make a game, for example I find turn based RPGs dull, boring and slow paced and even if they have the most entrancing graphics I don’t feel compelled to play.
2. Java is not dead! Runescape releases frequent updates and has a growing community. Wurm Online is still growing strong. Minecraft is amazing, intense and jizz worthy. The Java loving community seems to be growing stronger; if you ask me.
3. FunComs MMO may hold a few treats so don’t knock it before you’ve tryed it.
4. The title: “a Java Based MMORPG is a HUGE Mistake” is instantly contradicted as soon as you mention Runescape, whether you believe Runescape is an exception or not.
Dec 30, 2010 at 17:24:24
By the way a few days ago I was travelling around New Zealand and I took this cruise from a company called “Sea Shuttle” and their reception program was in deed written in Java. I was surprised to see Java used for that, but I guess it makes sence since its way easier to program in Java.
So thats maybe a really small use of Java, but it’s always used all around the world for variuos reasons, not only game clients and servers.