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How common is a Java installation

A topic by sandcastlegames created Sep 17, 2018 Views: 457 Replies: 2
Viewing posts 1 to 3
(1 edit) (+1)

Hello,

I am a Java developer and also the games I have done recently are in Java. I was wondering if games are delivered and they tell players they need to have (or need to install) a Java JRE how much of a problem this is for the average player. I appreciate any general feedback but especially I am thinking about these questions:

1) Can one assume that most players have a JRE (maybe not the latest but at least one)?

2) Can one assume that the average player is able to install a JRE without additional instructions except a link to the Java website?

3) Do others maybe ship their Java games bundled with a JRE ready to run? I think this might be dangerous as this would be a java version that receives no security updates.

4) What does the itch.io Game type filter "Java" actually mean? I got the impression before that this is for Java applets directly loading in the browser form the itch.io page without download. I classified my game as "Downloadable" but actually it is Java as well. Should I use both?

Best Regards,

Sandcastle Games

4) the Java filter is for Java applets, I think it should be removed as those have fallen out of favor

I'd recommend always bundling a JRE into your game, to be on the safe side.

Have you ever heard about launch4J?

I think as long as your game doesnt involve modifying some data. you dont need to care about security