Didn't know where to post this so I figured I'd post it here.
Just wanted to introduce myself. My names Ryan, on the internet I go by durenir. A few friends of mine and myself have taken up video game design as a hobby of ours. We started off using RealmCrafter but didn't like how limited it was and the language it used (RC Standard uses Brisk VM and Pro uses C++) My friend Cody and myself have been coding java powered "bots" for a game called RuneScape for over 2 years now so we are pretty fluent in the language so we decided to make a game from scratch using nothing but Java. I did a little research on Java based games and stumbled across this. Could anyone point me in the right direction for getting started? Thanks 
hello. i have been part of the realmcrafter community since 2005, and i got to say i like JMO 100x better
for me the best way to get started was to first look at all the test classes in the jmetest section, and then i decided on a small test game to make which is still in the works, and i have just taken it piece by piece. thats how i got started
Well start building a game engine, cause this is for the most part only a extended grafic one.
-> decide what kinda of physics you need find/build implementation
-> same for sound
-> and for network
-> get all to run nicly together
-> learn quaternions at least what they are standing for you don't have to understand every math behind it.
-> maybee try to learna shader language
-> build a simple networkbased game using all the above stuff (like a physic networked pong with sound effects)
-> now you are ready to start programming your real game. (Don't forget, try to find the best solutions for everything, as one design mistake can annoy you for the rest of the project or force you to rewrite huge parts)
The wiki’s to-be new frontpage is invaluable imo. Move your way down there as you wise up to the intricacies of the engine and you should get the hang of it. The extensive user guide is also a resource to be aware of.
Thank you everyone My plan is to get use to JME by making a couple small projects and then start on an MMO that a few others and myself have been working on for a couple months. We've drawn out almost everything and have made a lot of the models already.
First, welcome 
durenir said:
Thank you everyone :) My plan is to get use to JME by making a couple small projects and then start on an MMO that a few others and myself have been working on for a couple months. We've drawn out almost everything and have made a lot of the models already.
The model pipeline is also something to be aware of if you're bringing old work in to make sure you'll be able to get it into jME ;) Currently, animations are best handled by OgreXML or blender with the HottBJ tool.
When starting with jME be aware that there is great gapping holes in the documentation in areas! The user guide is one good example of this and the javadoc is another. Another thing to remember is that some of the tutorials will refer to the jmetest.* packages and this is only available if you check out the source and build it your self. Maven is required to build the sources and you will need to run a script to import some of the dependencies into your local m2 repository before you can build it. Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the tutorials were written for the jME1 and some things have changed in jME2. Other than that the tutorials like the 'flagrush series' tutorial is the way to go.
sbook said:
First, welcome :)
durenir said:
Thank you everyone :) My plan is to get use to JME by making a couple small projects and then start on an MMO that a few others and myself have been working on for a couple months. We've drawn out almost everything and have made a lot of the models already.
The model pipeline is also something to be aware of if you're bringing old work in to make sure you'll be able to get it into jME ;) Currently, animations are best handled by OgreXML or blender with the HottBJ tool.
Thank you :) I'm using blender.
realbadapple said:
When starting with jME be aware that there is great gapping holes in the documentation in areas! The user guide is one good example of this and the javadoc is another. Another thing to remember is that some of the tutorials will refer to the jmetest.* packages and this is only available if you check out the source and build it your self. Maven is required to build the sources and you will need to run a script to import some of the dependencies into your local m2 repository before you can build it. Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the tutorials were written for the jME1 and some things have changed in jME2. Other than that the tutorials like the 'flagrush series' tutorial is the way to go.
Thank you :)
No problem! 
Just trying to make your new found monkeying more approachable.
realbadapple said:
... Maven is required to build the sources and you will need to run a script to import some of the dependencies into your local m2 repository before you can build it...
I don't know what led you to this conclusion, but Maven is not required. jME 2 can be built, very easily, with just Ant and a JDK. The 3rd party librares needed to run all of the tutorials (and much more) are provided and used automatically. Even if you're writing an app, chances are good that you won't need anything beyond the provided libraries.
Welcome aboard durenir and good luck with your projects.
I would highly suggest to check out the source in a IDE of your choice. So maven or ant is not really needed directly.
There are a few getting started guides in the wiki (also a video tutorial for eclipse hinthint*).
The wiki is a bit of a mess currently, but anyone can edit and improve it