Jake2
Encyclopedia
Jake2 is a Java
port of the GPL
release of the Quake II
game engine.
team for JavaOne 2004
, to present an example of Java-OpenGL interoperability. Jake2 has since been used by Sun
as an example of Java Web Start
capabilities for games distribution over the internet.
As of April 2008, and even if the last release is now two years old, development of Jake 2 is still active.
and thus is easy to modify, jake2 has been used for several experiments:
/ Java OpenAL
or LWJGL
for its internal Java low-level OpenGL
library. Both single and multiplayer modes of Quake are working, and it is possible to use it both as an installed application or by Java Web Start
.
The performance of Jake2 is at par with the original C version. In some hardware configurations, it is even better.
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
port of the GPL
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
release of the Quake II
Quake II
Quake II, released on December 9, 1997, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Id Software and distributed by Activision. It is not a sequel to Quake; it merely uses the name of the former game due to Id's difficulties in coming up with alternative names.The soundtrack for Quake II...
game engine.
History
The 0.9.1 version of Jake2 was shown by the JOGLJava OpenGL
Java OpenGL is a wrapper library that allows OpenGL to be used in the Java programming language. It was originally developed by Kenneth Bradley Russell and Christopher John Kline, and was further developed by the Sun Microsystems Game Technology Group. Since 2010, it has been an independent open...
team for JavaOne 2004
JavaOne
JavaOne is an annual conference inaugurated in 1996 by Sun Microsystems to discuss Java technologies, primarily among Java developers. JavaOne is held in San Francisco, California typically running from Monday to Thursday. Technical sessions on a variety of topics are held during the day. In the...
, to present an example of Java-OpenGL interoperability. Jake2 has since been used by Sun
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
as an example of Java Web Start
Java Web Start
In computing, Java Web Start is a framework developed by Sun Microsystems that allows users to start application software for the Java Platform directly from the Internet using a web browser....
capabilities for games distribution over the internet.
As of April 2008, and even if the last release is now two years old, development of Jake 2 is still active.
Alternative uses
Possibly because its code is based on JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
and thus is easy to modify, jake2 has been used for several experiments:
- In 2006, it was used to experiment playing 3D games with eye trackingEye trackingEye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research on the visual system, in psychology, in cognitive linguistics and in product...
. Survey data suggested that the mouse was indeed easier to use.
- In the beginning of 2009, people from the University of Beira InteriorUniversity of Beira InteriorThe University of Beira Interior is a public university located in the city of Covilhã, Portugal...
were able to reengineer Jake2 to work on GridGain, a gridGrid computingGrid computing is a term referring to the combination of computer resources from multiple administrative domains to reach a common goal. The grid can be thought of as a distributed system with non-interactive workloads that involve a large number of files...
implementation of MapReduceMapReduceMapReduce is a software framework introduced by Google in 2004 to support distributed computing on large data sets on clusters of computers. Parts of the framework are patented in some countries....
dual licensed under GPLv3GNU General Public LicenseThe GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
and proprietary licenses.
Architecture
Jake2 is a full-Java application. It can use Java OpenGLJava OpenGL
Java OpenGL is a wrapper library that allows OpenGL to be used in the Java programming language. It was originally developed by Kenneth Bradley Russell and Christopher John Kline, and was further developed by the Sun Microsystems Game Technology Group. Since 2010, it has been an independent open...
/ Java OpenAL
Java OpenAL
Java OpenAL is one of several wrapper libraries that allows Java programmers to access OpenAL. This allows Java programmers to use 3D sound in applications. JOAL is one of the libraries developed by the Sun Microsystems Game Technology Group. JOAL is released under a BSD license, and is...
or LWJGL
Lightweight Java Game Library
The Lightweight Java Game Library is an open source Java software library for computer game developers.LWJGL exposes high performance cross-platform libraries commonly used in developing software games and multimedia titles...
for its internal Java low-level OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
library. Both single and multiplayer modes of Quake are working, and it is possible to use it both as an installed application or by Java Web Start
Java Web Start
In computing, Java Web Start is a framework developed by Sun Microsystems that allows users to start application software for the Java Platform directly from the Internet using a web browser....
.
The performance of Jake2 is at par with the original C version. In some hardware configurations, it is even better.