*Help* making a simple RPG for my AP CS class

Question

I am in desperate need of help, I am creating an RPG(of sorts, it is a purely a battle RPG in which characters level up and modify stats) there will be no storlyine (Yet) or adventure elements. I've reached a severe mental roadblock in the actual programming of the game but I have a very clear picture of exactly how the game runs. Here's how the game works, after starting a new game from the opening screen, the player begins with a simple battle against one monster. The player has four characters and each character starts with one basic attack. Battle continues in typical RPG style in which the player selects attacks, and then battle ensues in order based on the speed of each participant. At the end of each battle, all the characters level up once and the player can distribute a certain amount of stat points to each of the characters individual stats. The game continues like this for 40 levels with increasing difficulty, new attacks, and an upgrade to a new class at level 20. level 41 is a final boss fight against a typical RPG boss monster. Here is what i particularly have trouble on
1. Determining how to create the attacks that the player can choose and figuring out how i can call upon them and have them do their damage based on certain specs
2. Determining how to create an interactive interface that allows the player to choose the attack for each character, upgrade individual stats after each battle, and save (this will be a point and click menu system)
3. Figuring how to create and input my own homemade graphics into the game (the book i have doesn't seem to cover putting in graphics that you create on your own, just the graphics that are part of the java package)
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated becuase it is a major grade in my class

Answer 1

Hello,
I have been programming (in various languages) for years now. I also am in AP CS and I have been trying to think up a good game to make, i'm about 2 months ahead of my coursework in class and spend my time making and re-making various games during class.
If i were to program this game i would go about the Attack issue by having a class called Attack (as was mentioned early). In it have the methods and variables and such for the attack, i would have a database or something along those lines of all the attacks (but for now start small with a basic one) and then each player could have one (or multiple - depending on whether or not they have an assortment of attacks) class attached to it (or if multiple perhaps an array or vector of classes). The attack class would contain basic information like the Name of the Attack, the Damage, Type, etc. And the class could even include methods which get the 'Level' of the player and calculate the damage multiplier or something along those lines.
As far as choosing what to have the characters/players do i would (for yours and simplicity's sake) make a side menu which allows you to choose whatever attack, etc. you want. It's simple and easier to work with, just have a JPanel within the JFrame which controls the players, and it will control each player when it's their turn. This shouldn't be too difficult to do.
The graphics part (you have already recieved some suggestions about), i prefer to use ImageIcons in my games. They're simple and easy to work with and are painted just as a circle or rectangle is. You just draw the images outside of the program and use them in the program through ImageIcons. If you have a good image-edittor (Photoshop, Flash even), you can make Animated Gifs which will add to the look and quality of the graphics of your program.
The trick with big projects like this (and the goal of Object Oriented Programming) is to take a big problem (Like and Entire RPG Game -- The Program) and break it up into smaller problems and tackle each one, one at a time (divide the Program into an assortment of Classes).
I wish you the best of luck, i myself am starting a small game (Something similar to Zelda i'm thinking), i'm still designing it on paper and I personally think if you design and organize everything on paper and make a checklist of sorts, things go much smoother and more organized (not to mention faster).