title: Java 2D game programming - Newbie questions
body: <p>We're a team of a programmer and a designer and we want to make a medium-sized java game which will be played as an applet in the web browser. Me (the programmer) has 3 years of general development experience, but I haven't done any game programming before.</p>
  
  <p>We're assuming that:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><p>We'll decide on a  plot, storyline of the game, etc.</p></li>
  <li><p>We'll create a list of assets (images) that we need, i.e player images, monster images, towns, buildings, trees, objects, etc. (We're not adding any music/sound efffects for now)</p></li>
  <li><p>The designer will get started on creating those images while I finish reading some of the game programming books i've bought. The designer will create the first town/level of the game, then pass on those images to me, I will begin coding that first level and he would start on the next level, and after 4-5 levels we'll release v.1 of the game. </p></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><strong>Question 1:</strong> Is this the correct methodology to use for this project?</p>
  
  <p><strong>Question 2:</strong> What format should the designer create those images in. Should they be .bmp, .jpeg, or .gif files? And, would he put all those images in one file, or put each  monster/object/building in its own file? Note; We are sticking to 2D for now and not doing 3D.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Question 3:</strong> I've seen some game artware where there would be a file for a monster, and in that file there'd be about 3-4 images of a monster from different directions, all put in one file, i think because they're part of an animation. Here's an illustraton:</p>
  
  <p>[Monster looking to right]   ... [Monster looking in the front] ... [Monster looking to right[</p>
  
  <p>And all of them are in one file. Is this how he'll have to supply me with those animations?</p>
  
  <p>What i'm trying to find out is, what is the format he'll have to supply me the designed images in, for me to be able to access/manipulate them easily in the Java code.</p>
  
  <p>All answers appreciated :)</p>