iOS Game Development By Example

Table of Contents

iOS Game Development By Example

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

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Why subscribe?

Free access for Packt account holders

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the color images of this book

Downloading the example code

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. An Introduction to Sprite Kit

What's new in iOS 8?

Getting to know Swift

Getting to know Sprite Kit

Advantages of Sprite Kit

Elements of Sprite Kit

Scenes

Nodes

Actions

Features of Sprite Kit

Particle editor

Texture atlas generator

Shaders

Lighting and shadows

Physics

The game loop

Setting up a project

The Hello World project

Result

Summary

2. Scenes in Sprite Kit

Device orientation in Sprite Kit

Orientation in our project

Revisiting project elements

AppDelegate.swift

GameScene.sks

GameScene.swift

GameViewController.swift

Main.storyboard

LaunchScreen.xib

Adjusting the project

What is a scene?

Coordinate system

Creating a scene

Creating a node tree

Drawing order for a node tree

Adding the first scene in our game

Adding another scene to our game

A transition from one scene to another

Setting animation play during transition

Creating transition objects

Adding transition in our game

Summary

3. Sprites

SKSpriteNode

Initializing a sprite

The properties of SKSpriteNode

Physical

Texture

centerRect

Color

Shader

Adding a sprite without using textures

Changing the color property

Changing colorBlendFactor in MenuScene

Changing the position of a sprite

Resizing a sprite

Working with texture objects

What is a texture atlas?

Preloading textures into memory

Summary

4. Nodes in Sprite Kit

All you need to know about nodes

Using the SKNode object in the game

Recognizing a node

Initializing a node

Building a node tree

Actions on a node tree

The coordinate system of a node

Other functions and properties

Creating subclasses for our Platformer game

NodeMenuScene

CropScene

ShapeScene

ParticleScene

LightScene

VideoNodeScene

Summary

5. Physics in Sprite Kit

Simulating physics in Sprite Kit

SKPhysicsBody

The initialization of volume-based physics bodies

The initialization of edge-based physics bodies

The behavior controller properties of a physics body

The physical properties of a physics body

Collision control properties and functions

Forces and impulses

The velocity of a physics body

Using GameScene.swift to add physics bodies

Summary

6. Animating Sprites, Controls, and SceneKit

Animating nodes

SKAction

Adding a single action to a node

Adding multiple actions to a node

Creating actions

Moving nodes using actions

Rotating nodes using actions

Changing the animation speed of a node

Changing the scale position of a node

Showing or hiding a node

Changing the transparency of a node

Changing the content of a sprite node

Some other important actions

Adding controls in Sprite Kit

Node tapping and clicking

Gesture recognitions (swiping in any direction, pinching, or rotating)

Moving sprites with an accelerometer

An introduction to SceneKit

Adding animations and controls in our Platformer game

Adding actions

Transiting from GameScene to MenuScene

Adding controls in our game

Summary

7. Particle Effects and Shaders

Particle effects

The SKEmitter node

Creating the particle effect

Properties for determining a particle's lifetime

Adding the particle effect in our Platformer game

Adding the code to facilitate the particle effect

Shaders

A fact about using custom shaders

The creation and initialization of new shader objects

Uniform data in shaders

Implementing shaders in the Platformer game

Summary

8. Handling Multiple Scenes and Levels

Optimizing game levels

A strategy for multiple levels

Core Data

Adding levels in our Platformer game

Adding the Level label

Adding levels

Adding the pause functionality

Adding the NODE MENU button

Summary

9. Performance Enhancement and Extras

Performance enhancement

Systemizing a game's content in the scene

Performance enhancement by preloading textures

Improving the drawing performance

Improving performance with SKActions and constraints

Improving the physics performance

Improving shape's performance

Improving effect's performance

Improving lighting performance

Measuring performance with instruments

A scoring system in a game

Adding a scoring system in our Platformer game

Creating the Score label

Incrementing the score when required

Saving the high score

Creating the scene to save the high score

Adding a textbox to save player name

Saving the player name with high score

Creating the high score board

Adding sound into a game

Adding sounds into a Sprite Kit game

Adding sound into our Platformer game

Animation frames using SKTexture

Adding the Run action texture to the player in the Platformer game

Summary

10. Revisiting Our Game and More on iOS 9

A recap on the development process of our Platformer game

Working further on the Platformer game

An introduction to Game Center

The advantages of Game Center in a game

Integrating Game Center in a game

Working with Xcode

Working with iTunes Connect

What's new in iOS 9

Summary

Index

iOS Game Development By Example

iOS Game Development By Example

Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: August 2015

Production reference: 1240815

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

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Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78528-469-4

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Cover image by Raju Mondal (<raju@daphnislabs.com>)

Credits

Author

Samanyu Chopra

Reviewers

Chady Kassouf

Joni Mikkola

Jayant Varma

Commissioning Editor

Dipika Gaonkar

Acquisition Editor

Subho Gupta

Content Development Editor

Akashdeep Kundu

Technical Editor

Tanmayee Patil

Copy Editor

Angad Singh

Project Coordinator

Milton Dsouza

Proofreader

Safis Editing

Indexer

Rekha Nair

Production Coordinator

Manu Joseph

Cover Work

Manu Joseph

About the Author

Samanyu Chopra is a developer, entrepreneur, and game developer with a bank of experience in conceptualizing, developing, and producing computer and mobile software. He has been programming since the age of 11. He is proficient in programming languages such as JavaScript, Scala, C#, C++, Swift, and so on. He has a wide range of experience in developing for computers and mobiles. He has worked on a majority of game engines and mobile platforms, and also has a strong proficiency in the Scala programming language.

He is the cofounder and CEO of Daphnis Labs, a mobile app and game development studio. He has experience in managing development, leading the tech jargon, and has published over 150 apps and games for himself and his clients. In his studio, he leads a team of more than 20 members. He is known for executing eccentric projects in the app and game development spaces. He also conducts mobile development workshops at various engineering institutes.

He is ardent about his work, and his colleagues, students, and coworkers think of him as a very dedicated and open-minded person. He is inclined toward investing his time in the research and development of new technologies.

He is an avid traveler and adventurer and a very fun-loving and eccentric personality, as described by the people around him. He has an undying love for travel, tech, and comedy. He is inspired by all the people who have made a stand on their own from scratch. He loves his family and dedicates his life to them.

You can know more about Daphnis Labs at www.DaphnisLabs.com. You can write a tweet to him at @samdonly1 or find him on Facebook for any updates. You can also reach him at .

I would like to thank everyone at Packt Publishing who helped in carving this book, including my acquisition editor, Subho Gupta, content development editor, Akashdeep Kundu, technical editor, Tanmayee Patil, and especially the reviewers. Writing this book has been a remarkable experience for me and it wouldn't have been possible without their support and guidance.

I would like to thank all the mentors that I've had over the years. For this book, particularly, I would like to thank my dad, Mukul Chopra, and the iOS lead in our company, Nitin Rajashekhar, for their wisdom and support.

Finally, immense thanks to my family, friends, and team members at Daphnis Labs, who supported me in making games along with helping me teach game development to others. The conceptualization of this book is the result of the motivation and inspiration provided by them.

About the Reviewers

Chady Kassouf is an independent iOS and web development expert. He started programming 23 years ago and hasn't stopped ever since.

7 years ago, he decided to leave his job as a team leader at one of the leading digital agencies to start his own business.

His interests outside of computers include arts, music, and fitness. He can be found online at http://chady.net/.

Joni Mikkola is currently working on his next mobile game in Northern Finland. He keeps his game developing stamina up to the mark by training regularly at the gym and eating healthy. While developing games, he often reads books, plays the piano, or bakes buns to keep ideas flowing and his mind focused. He is constantly challenging the status quo, which in turn helps him learn new ways to create things.

He has developed games for over 4 years professionally, mostly for mobile platforms. He targets casual games and focuses on creating simplistic designs. With one game released, he is currently working on his next game, which will be released in late 2015 for the Android and iOS platforms.

Jayant Varma is the founder of OZ Apps (www.oz-apps.com), a consulting, training, and development company that provides IT solutions (specialization in mobile technology). He is an experienced developer with more than 20 years of industry experience in several countries. He is also the author of a number of books on iOS development, including Learn Lua for iOS Game Development, Apress. 2012, Xcode 6 Essentials, Packt Publishing. 2015, More iPhone Development with Swift, Apress. 2015, More iPhone Development with Objective-C, Apress. 2015, and Pro Bash Programming, Apress. 2015. He has been a university lecturer in Australia, where he currently resides. He loves traveling and Europe is his favorite destination.

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Preface

Sprite Kit is a set of tools to develop 2D games for the Apple iOS platform. Sprite Kit provides powerful features for graphics and the animation of images having texture, and so on. It is one of the best available game engines for iOS devices. It is very simple and powerful, with full support provided by Apple, hence it is more reliable and convenient than any third-party game engine available today.

The Integrated Development Environment (IDE), Xcode, provided by Apple for app development can also be used for Sprite Kit game development. Objective-C or Swift, either of the two programming languages can be used for Sprite Kit game development. Sprite Kit is already being used by many developers for iOS game development. There is a good amount of information available that focuses on Sprite Kit set up and development. However, a structured and concise resource discussing about the complete development process and feature set is not currently available. This book explains the basics of Sprite Kit development and allows a beginner to become skilled in Sprite Kit game development using the Swift programming language with its complete set of development features. This book is a complete guide for Sprite Kit and a perfect starting point for those wanting to set sail on the iOS game industry.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, An Introduction to Sprite Kit, introduces you to the Sprite Kit game engine, along with its various elements and features. It also helps in setting up a new Xcode project for developing a Sprite Kit game.

Chapter 2, Scenes in Sprite Kit, explains an important topic in Sprite Kit, that is, scenes. Along with this, there is a brief about the node tree drawing order.

Chapter 3, Sprites, explains sprites and their properties. It also applies some of the properties in the example game.

Chapter 4, Nodes in Sprite Kit, discusses about nodes and its subclasses in detail. It also explains the implementation of various node subclasses in the example game.

Chapter 5, Physics in Sprite Kit, talks about physics simulation in a Sprite Kit game. It explains the types of physics bodies. Physics capabilities are applied to the example game in this chapter.

Chapter 6, Animating Sprites, Controls, and SceneKit, covers animating nodes and adding controls to a Sprite Kit game. These features are added in the example game. It also talks about SceneKit.

Chapter 7, Particle Effects and Shaders, discusses about particle effects and shaders, along with their implementation in the example game.

Chapter 8, Handling Multiple Scenes and Levels, helps us understand the need for different levels in a game. This chapter also explains how to create multiple scenes.

Chapter 9, Performance Enhancement and Extras, discusses in detail how to improve the performance of a Sprite Kit game, along with performance measuring using instruments. It also explains the scoring system, sound, and player running animation in the example game.

Chapter 10, Revisiting Our Game and More on iOS 9, discusses the various steps involved in the development of a game, and introduces readers to the Game Center and discusses new features that will be introduced in iOS 9.

What you need for this book

Readers will require Xcode, which is the IDE provided by Apple for developing software, and also the sample game for Mac OS X and iOS devices. An iOS-running device will be helpful to the readers for running the example game that is being developed in the book.

Who this book is for

This book is for beginners who want to start their game development odyssey on the iOS platform. If you are an intermediate or proficient game developer hailing from a different development platform, this book will be the perfect gateway into the