iPhone Game Development - Chris Craft [5]
How This Book Is Organized
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.
Icons Used in This Book
To make this book as usable as possible, icons in the margins alert you to special or important information. Look for the following:
Caution
The Caution icon offers important information about a procedure to which you should pay particular attention.
Cross-Reference
The Cross-Reference icon refers you to a related topic elsewhere in the book. Because you may not read this book straight through from cover to cover, you can use cross-references to quickly find the information you need.
Note
The Note icon alerts you to a special point or supplementary information about a feature or task that may be helpful.
Tip
The Tip icon marks a tip that saves you time and helps you work more efficiently.
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.
Menu commands are indicated in chronological order by using command arrows: File⇒Open.
Part I: Beginning iPhone