On the subject of Java3D... don't even try it.
I spent months on Java3D trying to see if I could get DX\OGL type quality. Java3D is very very inferior, I tried doing a simple particle engine and it ran like crap. Yes, Java3D runs atop DX or OpenGL, but it doesn't give you the same functionality.
Java on the other hand is great, it's just not for games yet.
As for "writing our own client", yeah... that's basically a whole new project.
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-- t3mp14rX --
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