Outline
Elemental Java uses games as a motivating application to learn computer programming, and takes a “data-first” approach. Before we learn how to make our games make decisions and do repetitive actions, we learn how to build the essential structures of data that underly our games.
| Unit | Subjects |
|---|---|
| Grounding | Basic system model, and the game cycle |
| Data modeling | Primitive types, classes, arrays, and enumerated types |
| Data creation | Variables, assignment statement, new operator |
| Expressions | Operators, order of execution, methods |
| Classes with methods | this, constructors, static members |
| Branching | if...else if...else statements, switch statements |
| Repetition | while loops, for loops, and do while loops |
| Initializing game state | Constructors and the new operator |