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In general I come across this a lot. Some of my co-workers prefer very simple, easy to read classes even if that means that there is some code duplication, whereas I do everything in my power to avoid code duplication, even if it means making more a complicated architecture. What is the best practice? I work exclusively in Java.
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In computer programming, duplicate code is a sequence of source code that occurs more than once, either within a program or across different programs owned or maintained by the same entity. Duplicate code is generally considered undesirable for a number of reasons.
because it goes against Composition over inheritance principle, will force any GameObject who needs to jump to inherit from Character class. This will make the design less flexible.
To avoid the problem of duplicated bugs, never reuse code by copying and pasting existing code fragments. Instead, put it in a method if it is not already in one, so that you can call it the second time that you need it.
The main reason to avoid code duplication is maintainability. If a segment of code appears in multiple places, when it comes time to update you have to remember to change it everywhere. Forgetting to change one instance can cause big problems, which you may not notice immediately.
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While both are good goals, I feel that readability is the absolute first requirement to have a maintainable codebase. I would always prefer simple, readable, and maintainable to a complete elimination of code duplication.
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