It was liberating to the computer industry when computers finally became small enough to take home and set up on a desk. As the technology has gotten smaller and more portable, it has continued to grow in power. The device and the components also became less expensive as the years and months passed. Soon all the components were consolidated into one device and we began using notebook computers that we could use in our laps.
In 1993, Apple had a vision for mobile computing that they first implemented in their device, the Newton Message Pad. This was a device that allowed you to do simple day-to-day tasks in the palm of your hand. Although it was not a successful venture for Apple at the time, we believe this was a pivotal milestone for the modern PDA. Others entered the PDA market, cell phones became the norm, and Apple introduced the iPod. In 2007, Apple took the best from all these mobile innovations and wrapped them together in the device you know today as the iPhone.
In summer 2008 Apple began allowing developers to write custom applications for the iPhone and sell them in their hugely successful App Store. We are realizing that these technologies that Apple has cleverly combined will synergize if leveraged with the right application. As we move forward with the iPhone we see the potential for applications that can connect people in ways we may not have considered until now.
iPhone Game Development is about releasing the potential to use this small but powerful device to host games that are fun, engaging, and just as powerful as the device they run on. Use the material in this book to help you bring your creations to life. We aim to help you explore beyond just porting your favorite games to a new platform and see the iPhone for its potential to connect and share experiences with other players.
If you are new to iPhone development, we suggest reading Part I to help you get started. The first steps in iPhone development can be some of the toughest ones, and they can be make-or-break points for many developers. The instructions in Part I can help new developers overcome these obstacles. If you are not new to iPhone development, feel free to skip ahead to Part II to begin learning game development.
iPhone Game Development is organized into five main parts:
Part I: Beginning iPhone Programming
This part of the book helps developers who may be new to iPhone development get started. There is much more to developing applications for the iPhone than just syntax and compiling. The chapters in this part keep you pointed in the right direction.
Part II: Creating Simple iPhone Applications
This part of the book gets you started creating basic games for the iPhone. If you are not new to iPhone development but you are new to iPhone game development, this is where you will want to begin. Many profitable games are still being sold today that use only the basic technologies discussed in these chapters.
Part III: Shall We Play a Game?
In this part we up the ante a little. The technologies introduced in this section help you move your creations to the next level. Even if you already have a successful game, you can use techniques discussed in these chapters to improve your game with Facebook integration, peer-to-peer connectivity, or global networking. These additions can lead to the holy grail of game sales: viral marketing.
Part IV: Advanced Technical and Business Programming Concepts
The chapters in this part cover advanced techniques you may want to pursue later. We have included a chapter on grasping advanced programming topics to serve as a catalyst for beginning to learn advanced techniques that you may wish to include in your game. The chapter on understanding the business of software helps you understand what to expect on the App Store and how to use strategies that other developers have used to get better results. We also discuss cost-effective ways to generate more sales and make your applications even more successful.
Part V: Appendixes
Check this part of the book for a list of useful links, books, and other helpful resources; a look at our 31 days of iPhone applications from http://appsamuck.com; and a glossary for concise definitions of terms that are helpful for you to know as you get started in iPhone game development.
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To further assist you in reading and learning the material in this book, the following conventions are used throughout:
New words or phrases that may require definition and explanation appear in italics. Text that carries emphasis and single characters that may be easy to lose in the text also appear in italics.
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