JMonkeyEngine

jMonkeyEngine 3 SDK

By itself, jMonkeyEngine is a collection of computing libraries, making it a low-level game development tool. Coupled with an integrated development environment like the official jMonkeyEngine 3 SDK, it becomes a higher-level game development environment with multiple graphical components.

The SDK is based on the NetBeans Platform, enabling graphical editors and plugin capabilities. Alongside the default NetBeans update centers, the SDK has its own plugin repository and a selection between stable point releases or nightly updates.

Since March 5, 2016, the SDK is no longer officially supported by the core team. It is still being actively maintained by the community. The term "jMonkeyPlatform" is also used interchangeably with "jMonkeyEngine 3 SDK."

History

jMonkeyEngine helps to improve the lack of full featured graphics engines written in Java. The project has evolved over time.

jMonkeyEngine 0.1 – 2.0

Version 0.1 to 2.0 of jMonkeyEngine marks the time from when the project was first established in 2003, until the last 2.0 version was released in 2008. When the original core developers gradually discontinued work on the project throughout the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, Version 2.0 had not yet been made officially stable. The code-base became adopted for commercial use and was most popular with the engine's community at the time.

|access-date=2009-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726211405/http://jmonkeyengine.org/groups/development-discussion-jme2/forum/topic/a-break |archive-date=2011-07-26 |access-date=2009-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703213723/http://blog.renanse.com/2008/08/at-end-of-tour.html |archive-date=2009-07-03

jMonkeyEngine 3.0

Since the departure of jME's core developers in late 2008, the codebase remained practically stagnant for several months. The community continued to commit patches, but the project was not moving in any clear direction. Development on Version 3.0 started as an experiment.

The first preview release of jME3 in early 2009 drew positive attention{{Cite web |access-date=2013-04-23 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130704035826/http://jmonkeyengine.org/forum/topic/jme%D0%B7-project/ |archive-date=2013-07-04

|access-date=2009-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101055014/http://jmonkeyengine.com/blog/blog/2009/06/24/new-branch-and-management/ |archive-date=2010-01-01

|access-date=2010-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706041319/http://jmonkeyengine.org/2010/05/17/jme3-sdk-first-alpha-release/ |archive-date=2010-07-06 The same date marked the first Alpha release of the jMonkeyEngine SDK, only a few months after the first planning stages.{{Cite web |access-date=2011-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930050131/http://jmonkeyengine.org/groups/jmonkeyplatform/forum/topic/jmonkeyplatform-gde-idea-thread/ |archive-date=2010-09-30 The "jMonkeyEngine SDK" has since become the default product download recommended to all jME3 developers.}}

|access-date=2010-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113124704/http://jmonkeyengine.org/2010/09/07/jmonkeyengine-com-and-org-re-design-what-is-happening/ |archive-date=2010-11-13

|access-date=2012-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224165436/http://jmonkeyengine.org/2011/10/22/jmonkeyengine3-sdk-beta-released/ |archive-date=2011-12-24

|access-date=2015-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206113558/http://jmonkeyengine.org/219514/jmonkeyengine-3-0-stable-released/ |archive-date=2015-02-06

Projects powered by jMonkeyEngine

• Nord, a browser-based massively multiplayer online game (MMO) on Facebook, created by Skygoblin{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106034051if_/http://www.engagedigital.com/2010/09/16/slx-games-launches-nord-on-facebook/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-11-06 |access-date=2010-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030150511/http://www.arcticstartup.com/2010/09/22/swedish-slx-games-takes-first-3d-mmo-to-facebook |archive-date=2012-10-30
• Grappling Hook, a first-person action and puzzle game, created by an independent developer{{Cite web |access-date=2010-11-06 |archive-date=2010-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131044839/http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/10/indie_game_pick_grappling_hook.html |url-status=dead
• Drohtin, a real-time strategy game (RTS){{Cite web |access-date=2014-01-14 |archive-date=2014-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113083824/http://drohtin.org/blog/ |url-status=dead
• Chaos, a 3D fantasy cooperative role-playing game (RPG) by 4Realms
• Skullstone, a 3D retro-styled single player dungeon crawler game, created by Black Torch Games
• Spoxel, a 2D action-adventure sandbox video game, created by Epaga Games
• Lightspeed Frontier, a space sandbox game with RPG, building, and exploration elements, created by Crowdwork Studios
• Subspace Infinity, a 2D top-down space fighter MMO
• 3079 and 3089, randomly generated and open-world RPGs by Phr00t's Software
• New Star Soccer, a mobile football video game, created by New Star Games.

Reception

• JavaOne 2008 Presentation{{Cite web |access-date=2010-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726210901/http://jmonkeyengine.org/2008/05/11/javaone-2008-and-jme/ |archive-date=2011-07-26
• Finalist in PacktPub Open Source Graphics Software Award 2010{{Cite web |access-date=2010-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930141604/http://www.packtpub.com/blog/the-2010-open-source-awards-finalists-announcement |archive-date=2010-09-30

Ardor3D fork

Ardor3D began life on September 23, 2008, as a fork from jMonkeyEngine by Joshua Slack and Rikard Herlitz due to what they perceived as irreconcilable issues with naming, provenance, licensing, and community structure in that engine,{{Cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160410045120/http://blog.renanse.com/2008/09/new-focus-ardor3d.html |archive-date = April 10, 2016

The first public release came January 2, 2009, with new releases following every few months thereafter. In 2011, Ardor3D was used in the Mars Curiosity mission both by NASA Ames{{Cite web |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/_oBYQaKo74A| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Interactive 3D Mars Visualization

On March 11, 2014, Joshua Slack announced that the project would be abandoned, although the software itself would remain under zlib license and continue to be freely available.{{Cite web |access-date=March 26, 2016 |archive-date=December 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202230232/http://ardor3d.forumatic.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12755#p25887 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410021803/http://blog.renanse.com/2014/03/winding-down.html |archive-date=April 10, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2016 |archive-date=December 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202222744/http://ardor3d.forumatic.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&p=25977#p25907 |url-status=dead

References

References

1. "JMONKEYENGINE".
2. Idix, Prostate. "Interview: 4realms - Dossiers / Chroniques RPG France".
3. "Skullstone - Dungeon Crawler in Development {{!}} News @ RPGWatch".
4. "Skullstone {{!}} IGDB.com".
5. "Spoxel {{!}} IGDB.com".
6. "About Lightspeed Frontier {{!}} Lightspeed Frontier Official Wiki @ Gamepedia".
7. "Lightspeed Frontier {{!}} IGDB.com".
8. "Subspace Infinity Source Repository {{!}} Github Repository".
9. MCV Editors. (2019-05-15). "Making an indie hit: New Star Soccer uncovered". MCV.