Todd Moore’s new book, Tap, Move, Shake: Turning Your Game Ideas into iPhone & iPad Apps, is currently the best choice for getting started with writing and publishing IOS games.
A key feature is that the apps in the book are IN THE APP STORE. Never saw that trick before and I think is a standard for anyone writing IOS books. I actually followed the steps of creating an app I could download suffice it had a tad more flash in the store.
This is the first book I have seen in XCode/ObjectiveC that takes the submission to the App store as important a learning step as is the process of writing code. I loved the give and take App store rejection emails that provided a lot of insight for anyone who is going to submit an app the first time.
Also insightful is the special effort in giving the coder who is light on media creation great chapters on creating graphics and sound. Links provided are well researched.
On the wish list for me was not to dismiss ARC (Automatic Reference Counting) at the onset. Gee the book kinda assumes the beginner and ARC leans to that. But I suspect a case of examples completed at a time Apple was busy upsetting the cart for writers in progress.
The chapters are extremely well thought out especially the progression of development with the sections in each chapter.
I think you need a basic skill in XCode and Objective C to follow the book. XCode is introduced nicely for beginners and Objective C is learned more by example and less by explanation. I could not have solved some bugs without a basic skill in Objective C. The architecture of IOS app is explained well. I loved the clarity of explaining the bootstrap of an IOS app. I finally got it!
The book covers EVERYTHING you need from setting up for development, coding, basic testing, resource creation, app submission and even app marketing. All at a very clear to the point approach. The book examples make you feel you are starting at the beginning because they are from the gaming industry beginnings tuned to the phone.
This is 254 page book that has a good number of images taking up pages. Compared to 3 and 4 inch opus magnum IOS books out there that are OMGs difficult to hold open on the desk or in a lounge chair, Todd gets a great deal done as a focused writer. Cutting content is key. I rather buy more books than have big monsters.
Want to get started in IOS gaming without a gaming engine or better understand your gaming engine, then do this book.
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