Android Studio is the program where you will work on the game. The game project is a folder containing its Java instructions, pictures, and setup files. The Java instructions are called source code. Android Studio puts the tools for reading, changing, checking, and running that code in one place. A program that combines these tools is called an integrated development environment (IDE). Despite its name, Android Studio can also make games that run in a window on a computer. You do not need an Android phone or tablet for this course.
Git is a tool that remembers how your files change. You can ask Git to save a named checkpoint, called a commit, after completing a piece of work. If you make a mistake later, those checkpoints help you compare versions and recover earlier work. Keeping this history is called version control.
A project folder tracked by Git is called a repository. Git and GitHub are different: Git tracks the repository on your computer, while GitHub is a website that can store and share a copy online. You will use Git by clicking commands in Android Studio.
libGDX is a library, which means it is a collection of ready-made code that another project can use. It provides the game window, tools for drawing pictures, and a way to detect keyboard input. It also provides the game loop, which repeatedly updates what is happening and draws the next picture on the screen. You do not install libGDX separately; the project downloads it when needed.
Install Git and Android Studio before continuing. You need both programs, but you do not need a GitHub account.
Download and install Git:
Web browser
→ Open https://git-scm.com/install/windows
→ Download Git for Windows
→ Double-click the downloaded installer
→ Keep the default choices
→ Install
→ Finish
Download Android Studio from its official website:
Web browser
→ Open https://developer.android.com/studio
→ Download Android Studio
→ Accept the terms
→ Download the Windows .exe installer
Install Android Studio:
Downloads folder
→ Double-click the Android Studio .exe file
→ Allow it to make changes, if asked
→ Follow the Setup Wizard
→ Keep the recommended options
→ Finish
Apple includes Git with its Xcode Command Line Tools. Install those tools with this one terminal command:
Applications
→ Utilities
→ Terminal
→ Enter: xcode-select --install
→ Press Return
→ Install
This command only installs the tools that include Git. You will do your Git work by clicking commands in Android Studio, not by entering Git commands in the terminal.
Download Android Studio from its official website. Choose the download that matches whether your Mac has an Apple or Intel chip:
Web browser
→ Open https://developer.android.com/studio
→ Download Android Studio
→ Choose Apple chip or Intel chip
→ Accept the terms
→ Download the .dmg file
Install Android Studio:
Downloads folder
→ Open the Android Studio .dmg file
→ Drag Android Studio into Applications
→ Open Android Studio
→ Complete the Setup Wizard
You will clone the project, which means downloading a copy to your computer. Git will then be able to record your own work on that computer.
From the Android Studio welcome screen, clone the course like this:
Clone Repository
→ URL: https://github.com/SageCreekRobotics/ftc-java-course.git
→ Choose where to save the course on your computer
→ Clone
If Android Studio already has another project open, start here instead. On Windows, the hamburger button (☰) is in the upper-left corner of the Android Studio window. It's called a hamburger because it resembles a hamburger. On Macs, skip the hamburger-button step below and choose File from the menu bar at the top of the screen:
Hamburger button (☰)
→ File
→ New
→ Project from Version Control
→ Version control: Git
→ URL: https://github.com/SageCreekRobotics/ftc-java-course.git
→ Choose where to save the course on your computer
→ Clone
The cloned repository root is the starter game project. Keep it open in Android Studio and choose Trust Project if prompted.
Gradle is a tool that manages the project's setup, libraries, and build steps. Android Studio now runs a Gradle sync to prepare the game. The first sync may take several minutes.
Wait for the Gradle sync to finish before continuing.
Before changing any code, run the starter.
At the top of the Android Studio window, find the green triangular Run button. The menu immediately to its left should show RobotGame. Select RobotGame from that menu. If it is missing, check that Gradle sync has finished and that you opened the cloned repository root containing settings.gradle.
When the menu shows RobotGame, click the Run button.
A blank, dark game window should open. The robot is not visible yet; making it visible is part of the first session. Return to Android Studio and click the red Stop button.
You are now ready to follow Session 1 — Make the Robot Move. Complete the sessions in order because each one begins with the game produced by the preceding session. Make your changes in this root project. Use the projects under reference-games/ only to compare your work with a completed session or recover if you become stuck.
After each session, use Android Studio to create a commit—a named Git checkpoint stored on your computer:
Hamburger button (☰)
→ Git
→ Commit
→ Review and select your game changes
→ Enter a short message describing what you completed
→ Commit