Are you tired of installing on your computer those programs that don't allow you to perform new tasks to take full advantage of the power of your PC? Suppose you feel identified with this situation, and you also want to try your luck in the development of three-dimensional games. In that case, we recommend giving jMonkeyEngine, one of the most robust programs you can try on your computer, a chance as soon as possible.

The truth is that, first of all, jMonkeyEngine is free software for which you won't have to pay. Designed mainly for 3D video game developers, it stands out because it has a somewhat advanced learning curve, so we recommend it above all for those who come from more straightforward programs. Of course, anyone can try it.

One of the striking issues of jMonkeyEngine is its graphical interface, which is more straightforward than many other game development systems, so if you are not used to this type of platform, it is probably an excellent way to get into them. Of course, you have to know that being created in Java; it will be necessary to have this technology on your computer. If you don't have it, installing it only takes a few minutes.

jMonkeyEngine, perfectly compatible with the Windows operating system, has versions for other environments such as Mac or Linux. Best of all, it offers us the possibility of enjoying our creations in all of them. Just as you hear it, the productions you have made, thanks to this service, you will be able to make them run on all three platforms, which we believe is a beneficial difference from other development programs.

Considering our knowledge of developing all types of games, we must say that jMonkeyEngine has a very high ceiling regarding the quality of content we can generate. That is to say, if you already have experience in this type of work, do not doubt that you will achieve excellent content thanks to this platform, better than others that could be competitors.

Continuing with the features of jMonkeyEngine, we can point out that it uses a scene architecture known as a tree. That is, you will be able to organize all the elements that are part of the game data in a series of nodes. Each of these nodes has internal nodes known as child nodes, so it is effortless to establish branches that derive from the script.

And what famous games have been developed using jMonkeyEngine? A lot of them, although we could mention some such as CHAOS: In the Darkness, Drohtin - Tales of an Old Kingdom, Spermination, Gentrieve 2, Maker's Tale, Rising, World, Seizon, Herodex, Just Tactics, Gentrieve 2, Copod, Grappling Hook, Fleshsnatcher, Hostile Sector, Boardtastic, Urban Galaxy or PirateHell; although you can be sure that there are many more.

How did we find the user interface of jMonkeyEngine? One that undoubtedly approves, and this has to do with the fact that it uses black or dark gray background colors like most editing or content development programs, to which it then adds the menus on both the left and top of the screen. It is likely that at the beginning, you will find it difficult to find any function because of the vast amount available, but with a few hours of practice, you can get good results.

Another good recommendation about jMonkeyEngine, especially if you have doubts about how to take advantage of this platform, is to search the different Internet sites that offer attractive tutorials made by users to make the most of it. Thus, you will find a series of guides that will allow you to have a first approach to the essential functions of this title, and who says, soon you could develop your first games in three dimensions.

The history of jMonkeyEngine

We believe that it is not superfluous in this particular case to comment a little about the origins of this software, especially after having analyzed its main features. The first thing to say is that its creator is Mark Powell, who, in 2003, was investigating the qualities of OpenGL when he decided to use Java to develop some basic video games. For this, he relied on the node tree system that we have been mentioning above.

Soon after, jMonkeyEngine became part of the Sun software repository on Java.net, and many budding developers began to try their luck with the tools offered by this platform. From then on, it was considered one of the best free and open-source proposals that any user could install on their computer to start programming all kinds of games.