Kobold2D v1.0 is now available from the Kobold2D Download page!
This is mainly a maintenance release, I found and fixed all the bugs that had been reported, including some nasty linker issues that occurred with a preference on Snow Leopard. Kobold2D is now thoroughly tested with Xcode 4.0.2, 4.1 and 4.2 under Snow Leopard and Xcode 4.2 under Lion.
Of course the latest updates of cocos2d-iphone-extensions 0.2 and cocos3d 0.6.3 are also included.
And I can’t say it often enough: Kobold2D supports ARC (automatic reference counting) out of the box! There’s nothing you need to do! Just have Xcode 4.2 installed and start writing code without retain, release and autorelease ever again.
Forward Looking Statement
The motto for the next updates is still “Get Connected!”. I want to add more online features and update the KKGameKitHelper class with remote config support provided by AppMynx. I will evaluate ShareKit and hopefully be able to implement that with (if necessary) a reasonably simple interface for Cocos2D apps.
I also have a commercial product for iOS in development that will make sending data over the network a lot simpler. The basic idea being that if, for example, you want to synchronize a sprite’s position and rotation properties with all other devices, you simply write something like this:
[cc lang=”cpp”]
[KKConnect addSharedObject:self
identifier:@”Player1″
properties:@selector(position),
@selector(rotation),
nil];
[/cc]
It works with any properties (except id/pointers). Whenever one of the property values changes, its value is sent to all connected devices and assigned to the property of the local object with the corresponding “Player1” identifier. Dead simple. And coming soon.
Learn Cocos2D Game Development with iOS 5
It’s also no coincidence that the print and PDF versions of the Learn Cocos2D Game Development book (2nd Edition) are available since a few days.
The book uses Cocos2D v1.0.1, the chapters have been significantly improved, Chapter 3 is almost a complete rewrite. There are also two new chapters discussing integration of UIKit views in a Cocos2D app, as well as adding Cocos2D to an existing UIKit app. The other new chapter is about Kobold2D and introduces Lua and Cocos3D.
Readers keep asking me when the Kindle or iBooks versions of the new edition will be out. To be honest: I don’t know. But I’m confident that there will be a Kindle version and one for iBook eventually, and I expect these to be available soon. After all the first Edition is also available through these channels, and so are most (if not all) Apress books. Plus Xmas is coming, just like most companies book publishers are eager to get their best products out the door in time for Xmas.
The first preview release of Kobold2D (v1.0.0 preview 1) will be available for download on:
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Semi-Public Release
To be able to download the Kobold2D preview version(s) you will have to be signed up to my Kobold2D / Cocos2D Newsletter:
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On the release day I’ll send out an email with download instructions. Those signing up after the initial release date will receive the download instructions in the welcome email.
Why Newsletter-only?
Initially I want to limit the number of users downloading and using Kobold2D preview versions to those who are really looking forward to it. I hope that this will improve chances of you having a good first experience and me receiving better feedback. After all, it’s the first time I’m releasing Kobold2D to the wild and I’m careful not to release it to the masses right away.
The final public version of Kobold2D will not require a signup of any kind. And it’ll be free of course. Depending on the issues reported by previewers the final version should be available around 4-8 weeks later (October).
Cocos2D is finally and officially carrying the version number v1.0. Without any beta, unstable, rc suffixes.
I’ve updated my Cocos2D Installer Package (.pkg) to use the latest v1.0 and removed the v0.99.5 version, which cut the download size in half (35 MB). Cocos3D is still included of course. And as always, the main reason why you would want to use the installer is to avoid any issues installing the Cocos2D Xcode Project Template and File Templates.
You can download the Cocos2D Installer through Cocos2D Central or directly from here via this hotlink.
The Cocos2D Installer has been superseded by Kobold2D!
Since you’re looking to install Cocos2D, you may be interested to hear about the Kobold2D game engine. Kobold2D is designed to make Cocos2D developers more productive. Of course it comes with an installer, and includes Cocos2D.
Original Post
With the release of the unstable cocos2d-iphone v1.0.0 rc3 version today I’ve updated the Cocos2D Installer to include this new version, as well as an updated version of Cocos3D (v0.5.4). The installer will install the Xcode templates for you for both cocos2d and cocos3d in both Xcode 3 and Xcode 4 versions.
Download the Cocos2D Installer (66 MB)
The Cocos2D installer includes cocos2d-iphone v0.99.5 (stable) & v1.0.0 rc3 (unstable) and cocos3d v0.5.4.
Cocos2D/Cocos3D will be installed to the user’s Documents folder in appropriately named subfolders. You can move these folders after installation to another folder without breaking anything.
The most frequent questions I get from readers of my Learn Cocos2D book:
- “Where can I download the source code?”
- “Why do I get compile errors in CCLabel?”
- “Is there an updated version of CCAnimationHelper?”
They all boil down to the fact that the book was written against cocos2d-iphone v0.99.5 with some projects using v0.99.4 and a few even had used v0.99.3.
Unfortunately this is also why some readers deducted one or more stars in their Amazon book reviews. Even more unfortunate because the changes that break the code were entirely cosmetic (renamed classes, function parameters removed or re-ordered, deprecated functions in favor of others). All changes required only fixing the lines using one of these outdated classes (CCLabel, CCLayerColor) or functions (bitmapFontAtlasWithString, frameWithTexture, …).
Quick List of Changes
I kept track of the changes I made to the source code. This is what it boils down to:
- remove: EAGLView viewWith… -> remove last parameter: preserveBackBuffer:NO
- remove: CCSpriteFrame: frameWithTexture -> remove last parameter: offset:CGPointZero
- remove: CCAnimation: animationWithName -> animationWithFrames & remove last parameter: frames
- rename: CCLabel -> CCLabelTTF
- rename: CCBitmapFontAtlas -> CCLabelBMFont
- rename: CCBitmapFontAtlas: bitmapFontAtlasWithString -> labelWithString
- rename: CCXxxxxTransition -> CCTransitionXxxxx
- rename: CCColorLayer -> CCLayerColor
- rename: CCQuadParticleSystem -> CCParticleSystemQuad
- rename: particle system: centerOfGravity -> sourcePosition
- change: particle system: use NSUInteger instead of int for initWithParticleCount
These are the changes affecting the book’s source code. There were some more changes in the cocos2d-iphone engine, for example some actions have been renamed as well.
Good News: Updated Source Code for v1.0
I updated the book’s source code to use cocos2d-iphone v1.0.0 rc2. Once the v1.0 final is released I’ll make another update.
You can get the book’s source code from the Learn Cocos2D Book product page (scroll to the bottom), or via this direct download link. The download is about 100 MB and contains all the chapter’s source code plus some extra projects not mentioned in the book, and all of them (over 70!) are now using cocos2d-iphone v1.0.
Note: This code obviously differs slightly from the code described in the first edition of the Learn Cocos2D book, so you should get the unmodified v0.99.x book source code as well.
Upgrading to Cocos2D v1.0
I also recently wrote a tutorial outlining the steps to update an existing cocos2d-iphone v0.99.x project to v1.0 in case you have an existing project that you’d like to upgrade to the latest Cocos2D version.
Learn Cocos2D: Second Edition
All these changes will be reflected in the second edition of the Learn Cocos2D book.
The second edition will be released summer 2011, likely around July to August. This is my estimate based on the fact that my work is scheduled to be completed on June 27th, and I’m working hard to keep that (tight) schedule.
Actually, make that we are working hard. The second edition of the Learn Cocos2D book will have contributions from a co-author. Someone who is well-known in the Cocos2D community! To be unveiled. 
Discuss this topic on Cocos2D Central.
My Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development book is out and that inevitably meant it would appear on websites offering download links to illegal copies of the book.
Since there’s really nothing that can be done about it that actually works, and because I understand (but not necessarily condone) the reasons for downloading ebooks illegally, I wanted to take a different stance. And so I’m posting my thoughts on the matter on forums and websites, where a link to an illegal download of my ebook is shared.
That way, I hope to convert a minority of the downloaders to buying customers. But my actual goal is to use their websites as marketing instruments. Shamelessly placing my links on their websites and asking their users to come here is just fair and square. If they enable illegal downloads the very least they can do for me is to allow me to enable users to more easily come here, or on rare occassions to actually buy the book. Who said that illegal downloads can’t also be a mutual relationship?
Here’s what I’ve been posting to “warez” and “free ebooks” websites offering downloads or download links of my book:
My Response on Illegal Download Sites
I’m Steffen Itterheim, author of the Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development book.
I see that my book is offered here for download illegally, either directly or via linking to an externally hosted file. I wanted to share my thoughts on this matter.
1) I’m not offended, disappointed or furious.
Why should I be? It’s to be expected. I’ve been working long enough in the software industry to have come to accept piracy as something that shouldn’t affect you at all.2) I don’t judge you.
A lot of people download(ed) things from the Internet that they shouldn’t have. For some, it’s part of their culture. For others, it’s the only way to take part in a world that they couldn’t otherwise afford to join. For a few, it’s simply a hobby, or a habit. Some claim it’s for research and trying things out before buying, but quite honestly I think they fall in one of the aforementioned categories. Or they’re merely being pragmatic about their spendings, cutting corners where they can.3) I won’t lecture you either.
Piracy is a fact. It’s not even a market because if piracy wouldn’t exist, most pirated products wouldn’t be selling noticeably better anyway. Only very few pirates would ever buy a product they downloaded.Those are my convictions on piracy. I think it’s pointless to complain about piracy, and it would be especially stupid of me if I did so in the lion’s den, so to speak.
I’m a realist. I understand that some percentage of you will download the book just to have it. You’re the collectors, you may skim over the book before you set it aside in your amazingly well-assorted, categorized archive of eBooks. Enjoy it. Then there’s a percentage of you who download the book on a hunch that you might need it soon, or that it might spark your interest (again) in game development or programming for iOS devices. You probably wouldn’t buy it either. Except for a select few for whom the book did spark a flame - but how could you know beforehand?
To everyone else who truly want to read the book, I can only encourage you to buy the book in hindsight, after the fact. I know it costs quite an effort to pay for something you have already used, or read in this case. I still hope some of you will, I’d be grateful for that.
And what I’d really like you to do, regardless of where you got the book from and what your intentions are, is to stop by and visit my website Learn & Master Cocos2D Game Development:
I also want to make it very convenient to those who *might* consider buying the book, to actually do so. I know that one aspect of piracy that shouldn’t be neglected is merely convenience. So for that reason I’ll give you the links that lead you to Amazon and other websites all around the world which carry the book, as well as links to eBook versions of the book The Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development:
Purchase the print book via Amazon:
Amazon.com (United States)
http://www.amazon.com/Learn-iPhone-iPad-Cocos2D-Development/dp/1430233036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284664414&sr=8-1Amazon.ca (Canada)
http://www.amazon.ca/Learn-iPhone-iPad-Cocos2D-Development/dp/1430233036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284664526&sr=8-1Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-iPhone-iPad-Cocos2D-Development/dp/1430233036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284664462&sr=8-1Amazon.de (Germany)
http://www.amazon.de/Learn-Iphone-Ipad-Cocos2d-Development/dp/1430233036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de&qid=1284664401&sr=8-1Amazon.fr (France)
http://www.amazon.fr/Learn-Iphone-Ipad-Cocos2d-Development/dp/1430233036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=english-books&qid=1284664539&sr=8-1Amazon.co.jp (Japan)
http://www.amazon.co.jp/Learn-iPhone-iPad-Cocos2D-Development/dp/1430233036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=english-books&qid=1284664550&sr=8-1Purchase the eBook:
From Apress (PDF): http://apress.com/ecommerce/cart?act=add&bid=1524
NOTE: the Apress PDF eBook has no DRM, it is not copy-protected or password-protected. It’s probably the exact same file that is being shared here.From Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Learn-iPhone-Cocos2D-Development-ebook/dp/B004E0Z4YY
I hope you understand that if you offer my book for download illegally, it’s just fair to reply to that with promotion of my websites and making it a bit more convenient for the few people who tend to download books exactly because it’s convenient. At least this way I’m getting something positive out of it.
Thank you for your time and for allowing this message to be posted.
Steffen Itterheim
Just today I was informed that the eBook version of Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development is now available in its final form!
UPDATE: the source code download (also on the book’s page, left side, under Book Resources) now includes all of the source code.
The print edition will follow sometime soon, hopefully within the next ~3 weeks.
On a related note, Ray Wenderlich joined forces with Rod Strougo to help finish Rod’s Cocos2D book, due to an oddly scheduled release date whose publisher apparently feels impossible to postpone. By that I mean to say: Rod’s wife is having a baby. Congratulations to that, and the book!
