IPhone game development notes (1): tools and technologies used

From small to large, we have game dreams, so we hope to develop our own games. IPhone game development mainly uses these technologies and tools: Objective-C or C/C ++, xcode, uikit, quartz 2D, core animation, OpenGL, audio APIs, networking, and gamekit.

Development tools and environment

The language used for iPhone development is objective-C. Objective-C is an extension of C language, which gives C a simple and direct object-oriented feature. All API interfaces of the iPhone are implemented using objective-C, but some non-interfaces are implemented using C/C ++. Therefore, you need to be familiar with objective-C and have a certain understanding of C/C ++.

Xcode is a powerful IDE.

Uikit

Uikit provides the simplest way to draw graphics and UI elements. It is very easy to use uikit to display and locate bitmaps. due to low-layer hardware acceleration, the speed is still quite fast. The use of uikit is a good choice for games with few graphics and animations.

It is a game fully developed using uikit and does not directly use OpenGL ES. It also has a large number of graphics and animation elements, which are close to the frame rate limit that can be achieved in uikit. If you want to add more images, you need to use OpenGL ES to ensure that it can run quickly on all devices.

It is also a game developed with uikit. It does not require the powerful graphic rendering functions provided by OpenGL ES. It is a text game, with only a small background animation. Therefore, uikit is very suitable for such development.

Quartz 2D and core Animation

Quartz 2D is also known as core graphics. It provides a more advanced and underlying rendering engine. Quartz 2D provides many useful and powerful functions, such as screen rendering, transparent layer, and line drawing. These features come in handy. Many game developers do not like radar, mini maps, curved paths, and other UI elements on the screen. Although it may be used to render a game whose main content is too slow, quartz 2D is also a valuable tool for iPhone developers.

Core animation provides developers with the easiest way to move and transform UI elements. With core animation, you can create time-based animations by using attributes such as location, rotation, and transparency. Core animation can also be used to transition between views. Provides many built-in transition methods.

OpenGL ES

The most important tool of OpenGL ES is the fastest graphical rendering method, which also enables it to support 3D models.

It is a 3D image rendered by OpenGL ES.

Is a 2D model rendered by OpenGL ES.

Audio APIs

Gaming is inseparable from sound effects. iPhone development has multiple options for using sound in gaming. For example, more advanced API: openal, simpler: built-in service. Which one to use depends on your game needs. Using the audio API, You can stream audio, play short audio, or even simulate audio location in 3D space.

Networking

The iPhone provides developers with many connection technologies. For example, real-time multiplayer games can be connected through sockets and streams on servers and clients, or through Bluetooth pairing of gamekit.