Since I’ve started to offer KoboldTouch developers have been wondering what will happen to Kobold2D? I’ll answer these questions here.
Kobold2D Updates
When cocos2d 2.1 (stable) is released, I’ll update Kobold2D to include this latest cocos2d version. Same with any other cocos2d version that will be released in 2013. I won’t update to beta versions - sometimes they’re riddled with bugs, other times the next beta comes only a week or two later.
I’ll continue to support and update Kobold2D for as long as there’s interest in it but I’ll definitely focus my efforts on KoboldTouch now.
KoboldTouch “Lite”
Sometime in 2013 (probably not before Q2) I’ll release KoboldTouch “Lite” for free, with limited features and support. This Lite version will then take over as the successor of Kobold2D, while Kobold2D will remain available for some time.
KoboldTouch “Lite” will have the MVC framework but not much else. It will not include any additional features such as OS integration, better tilemap rendering, Box2D Objective-C wrappers and what not.
This ought to help developers get accustomed with the MVC framework.
Relaunch of www.kobold2d.com
Sooner or later I’ll relaunch the www.kobold2d.com website as www.koboldtouch.com. I’ll go for a simple look & feel (KISS), it will include the Kobold2D articles and I’m going to write all KoboldTouch documentation publicly.
For one this will make it easier for me to write and publish documentation. It should also help KoboldTouch’s popularity to reveal its documentation to both developers and search engines.
KoboldTouch compatibility with Kobold2D
KoboldTouch is not 100% compatible with Kobold2D, since I’ve already trimmed the less popular libraries from KoboldTouch: Chipmunk, Chipmunk Spacemanager, Cocos3D, ObjectAL, SneakyInput, iSimulate, AdMob. The remaining libraries are: cocos2d-iphone, cocos2d-iphone-extensions, CocosDenshion, Kobold2D, Box2, Lua and a few smaller additions (BitArray, LOG_EXPR, etc).
You should be able to port code that does not use one of these libraries with ease. Though without adapting to the MVC framework you lose a lot of the benefits of using KoboldTouch.
Custom Folders and Source Control
Issues regarding custom folders and source control usage come up frequently. I will alleviate those with KoboldTouch.
The project starter tool will be improved to support creating new projects in a custom folder, with or without copying the offline documentation to the new folder. The project upgrader tool will also work with custom folder locations.
The documentation accounts for most of the disk space usage of a Kobold2D/KoboldTouch project and should therefore not be included when you intend to manage this project with source control. Specifically if it’s an online repository with limited disk space. With the additional libraries stripped and documentation not included, a new KoboldTouch project weighs in at around 15 MB of disk space.
What will remain is that the installer will install to a fixed folder, since you will then be able to create new projects in any custom folder so there’s no real need for a custom folder location during installation.
There are plenty of issues with PackageMaker to overcome to support custom folder locations and I’d rather spend that time on other things. As was always the case, you can of course move the Kobold2D folder anywhere else after the installation completed - it’s just one click & drag operation in Finder.
Your question not answered here?
Let me know by writing a comment.
For the past two weeks I’ve been running a Cocos2D Developer Survey. As of today, 236 developers started the survey and 189 finished it completely. That’s 80% despite the many questions they had to answer.
Here are the results with my observations. I started the survey also to see if I was on track with KoboldTouch, and whether certain assumptions hold true. Specifically I had a hunch that cross-platform development is only perceived to have great value or appeal. Let’s see if I was right.
Click on each image for full resolution.
Who are you?
I was very curious how many cocos2d developers consider themselves to be hobbyists and indies compared to professionals, who either work for a mobile developer or are taking on freelance jobs as one.
Almost half of those who answered the survey are hobbyists. Nearly 30% consider themselves indies who make a living making mobile games. This is great! Continue reading »
I like to take a moment and explain what the development process of KoboldTouch will be, and how you will influence the direction of KoboldTouch. But first, let’s have a look what I have planned for the initial version:
UPDATE: KoboldTouch is now available!
First Goal: KoboldTouch equals Cocos2D
To be completed in November, the main goal is to allow users to use the MVC framework of KoboldTouch with all features of Cocos2D, minus a few exceptions (odd features like CCMotionStreak).
You should be able to write Cocos2D apps with Cocos2D features entirely within the KoboldTouch framework. You’ll experience the KoboldTouch API design goal “feels like Cocoa”.
The first version’s features will be:
- Controller/Model Framework wrapping Cocos2D views
- View Controllers for “view” nodes, minus exceptions (see below)
- Scene Transitions
- Scheduled updates (Step methods in KT)
- Touch & Accelerometer input controllers
- Mouse & Keyboard input controllers
- Simple Audio Controller
- Simple Model Classes
- Archiving & Unarchiving Model Classes
- Basic “Hello World++” Example Project
This first version will be KoboldTouch v6.0. Continue reading »
Kobold2D v2.0.4 is now available for download, as is v1.0.3.
Both versions contain compatibility fixes for iOS 6, Xcode 4.5, Mountain Lion and a few extra features like (finally) Kobold2D Class Templates for Xcode.
The Most Important Changes & Additions
- fixed: iOS 6 initial rotation issue
- iPhone 5 widescreen enabled in all template projects
Existing projects must add a [email protected] image with size of 640×1136 pixels to their project to enable iPhone 5 widescreen support.
- Mountain Lion: no need to lower security level to run Installer. Package is now signed by “identified developer”.
- NEW: Kobold2D Class Templates available in Xcode.
- Use as basis for new CCNode class files. Includes stubs of frequently used methods: init, onEnter, cleanup, dealloc, update.
Continue reading »
- Use as basis for new CCNode class files. Includes stubs of frequently used methods: init, onEnter, cleanup, dealloc, update.
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KoboldTouch brings you the best 2D game development experience for Apple’s platforms!
KoboldTouch is the only Objective-C, ARC-enabled 2D game engine built on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. Write ambitious games with greater ease!
KoboldTouch is also a continuously evolving, customer driven game development framework for iOS & Mac OS X, designed by game industry veterans to incorporate game development best practices and decades of experience.
Learn more about KoboldTouch features and what’s in it for you:
Open the “About KoboldTouch” Page for Details
Not quite ready for KoboldTouch yet?
Fill out the KoboldTouch Survey. Let us know what you think of KT and how to make it better.
Get KoboldTouch!
KoboldTouch is available as a subscription program that entitles you to updates and support.
Choose Your Support & Updates Plan
Recurring billing may be cancelled at any time. The yearly plan is non-recurring.
Monthly
$14.95
You will be charged $14.95 every month.Quarterly
$39.95
You will be charged $39.95 every 3 months.One Year
$119.95
You will be charged $119.95 once. No automatic rebills.
60-Day Money Back Guarantee
If you’re not satisfied you can request a refund within 60-days from the date of purchase, directly via Clickbank.
Learn Cocos2D 2 - Game Development for iOS will finally be available on September 19th 2012. Completely updated for cocos2d-iphone 2.0, Kobold2D 2.0 and ARC.
But that isn’t all!
Essential Cocos2D - The Definitive Reference is an online documentation for cocos2d-iphone 2.0 and Kobold2D. More details soon. In the meantime, here’s a sample chapter about How Draw Order Works in Cocos2D.
UPDATE: Essential Cocos2D is now available!
What’s the difference?
… but not quite out yet. If you can’t wait until August 29 you can always buy the Alpha eBook version now (as PDF) and receive the final eBook version for free (as PDF, ePUB and MOBI) when it’s available.
I’ve updated the book’s product page and included links where you can download the source code for the 3rd edition.
Learn cocos2d 2 (Third Edition)
Release Date: August 29, 2012
What’s New
Cocos2D v2.0 is used throughout the book. To my knowledge this makes the Learn Cocos2D 2 book the first book to cover cocos2d-iphone v2.0.
ARC (automatic reference counting) is used exclusively in the book. All descriptions and source code projects have been updated to ARC, and 12 Cocos2D ARC-enabled Template Projects are included in the source code download. The book contains a description on how to enable ARC in a cocos2d project. Working with ARC means having to write and learn less code while being able to write faster code with fewer bugs. Win, win, win.
You can now also follow the book while using Kobold2D. Any differences between cocos2d v2.0 and Kobold2D v2.0 are explicitly mentioned in the book. In fact, you’ll have to work through less text and code if you use Kobold2D.
The book’s source code is compatible with Xcode 4.4, Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and iOS 6. It is of course also tested to work with Xcode 4.3, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and iOS 5.
Learn more about the Learn Cocos2D 2 book here.
I just released a compatibility update for Kobold2D since there were numerous compiler warnings and errors introduced in Xcode 4.4.
Almost all of the issues were simply the compiler being more adamant about using the correct type specifiers in format strings. For example using %i for an unsigned integer or %u for an unsigned long type would bring up warnings. The solution is to use either the correct format specifier or casting the value. The latter is preferable if the underlying type changes depending on the platform. For example NSUInteger is unsigned int for iOS but on Mac 64-Bit it’s actually unsigned long.
You can get the updated Kobold2D v1.1.2 and v2.0.3 versions from the Kobold2D Downloads page. Continue reading »
