Gerald Mckoy's Blog

So you want to know what iPhone game engine I am using?

Gerald McKoy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:47:36 +0000

“Why go and reinvent the wheel?” It’s a question that’s been around for centuries; right? Well as far as I am concerned the underlining question is really a question of leverage. I choose to leverage my money and time. If someone else has done the work and it meets my needs then that means I don’t have to waste time doing it. When it came time for me to start work on my own game project it just made sense that I would take advantage of the work that someone else had done. This would allow me to shortcut the whole game engine creation portion of my development and only concentrate on my game specific coding. Now of course if I could not find one that met my needs then I would have needed to create one however this was not the case. This of course brings me to the question at hand.

What iPhone game engine am I using?
Well the one I chose was Bork3D.

I took a look at quite a few game engines but in end I decided to choose Bork3D. The choice was pretty easy for me since it was done in C++ and my current library of game code would merge quite easily into it. Also the engine was easily modifiable into a 2D engine while the others would take quite a bit of work. Lastly, the cost was also pretty nominal as well at $49 (earning less than $100,000 /yr) and $199 (earning over $100,000 /yr). BTW, the developer is a pretty nice guy as well. Anyway, if you are interested in the other engines I took a look at here they are.

Cocos 2D – http://code.google.com/p/cocos2d-iphone/
Unity 3D – http://unity3d.com/
Torque2D / Torque3D – http://www.garagegames.com/
Shiva – http://www.stonetrip.com/

All the engines had some positives and negatives but overall these were some awesome engines and you will need to make the choice for yourself which one you want to purchase if any of them. You may decide none of them meet your needs and in that case you may decide to write your own. However, writing your own means that you may get to market a little later and have more competition. So like that old guy in Indiana Jones 3 said, “Choose Wisely”.

If you have any comments regarding the engines I have listed above or you know of other game engines for the iPhone/iPod Touch please share your wisdom.

Where do you find artists for your games?

Gerald McKoy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:35:38 +0000

Well that is a good question. I have often asked that question many times to other developers and most of them have given me the answer, “Around”. I often thought that their answers were pretty cold but in the end they are only trying to protect their best interests. Well I will tell you that I found my artist on Guru. Basically, all you need to do is open a Guru account and post your projects. It’s that simple. Then you wait and see what the responses will be and then either accept the best candidate or repost the project. Anyway the two artists I used were KitMurray and the guys at Inet2Inet. You can also try going to elance. I hear that you can find some pretty good artists there as well.

If you know of where you can find some game artists share your wisdom.

Do you know of any good iPhone Game Programming Tutorials?

Gerald McKoy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:05:52 +0000

Yes, John and Mike at 71squared have put together some awesome game programming tutorials with video. So get your popcorn and soda and prepare to be blown away by these guys.

Check out their iPhone Game Programming Tutorials you will be glad you did.

I follow these guys on twitter because their tips are tight. If you know of any other good iPhone video tutorials share your wisdom.

Yes, I have an iPod Touch!

Gerald McKoy — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:42:10 +0000

Yes, I have been bitten by the iPhone, iPod Touch bug. About 9 months ago I purchased an iPod Touch for a project I was working on. After finishing the project I realized that there was quite a bit more I could be doing with my iPod Touch. My current uses include listening to audio books, playing and testing games, connecting to the internet via my portable wireless router for research, acquiring apps I don’t need, reading my bible, and of course listening to music. Since then I purchased another iPod Touch for my wife for her birthday and she is having a great time with the device as well. So have you been bitten by the iPhone, iPod Touch bug?