Beginning Android 4 Games Development

Beginning Android 4 Games Development offers everything you need to join the ranks of successful Android game developers. You’ll start with game design fundamentals and programming basics, and then progress toward creating your own basic game engine and playable game that works on Android 4.0 and earlier devices. This will give you everything you need to branch out and write your own Android games.

The potential user base and the wide array of available high-performance devices makes Android an attractive target for aspiring game developers. Do you have an awesome idea for the next break-through mobile gaming title? Beginning Android 4 Games Development will help you kick-start your project.

The book will guide you through the process of making several example games for the Android platform, and involves a wide range of topics:

• The fundamentals of Android game development targeting Android 1.5-4.0+ devices
• The Android platform basics to apply those fundamentals in the context of making a game
• The design of 2D and 3D games and their successful implementation on the Android platform

What you’ll learn

• How to set up and use the development tools for developing your first Android 4 or earlier version game app
• The fundamentals of game programming in the context of the Android platform
• How to use the Android’s APIs for graphics, audio, and user input to reflect those fundamentals
• How to develop two 2D games from scratch, based on the Canvas API and OpenGL ES
• How to create a full-featured 3D game
• How to publish your games, get crash reports, and support your users
• How to complete your own playable 2D OpenGL games

Who this book is for

This book is for people with a basic knowledge of Java who want to write games on the Android platform. It also offers information for experienced game developers about the pitfalls and peculiarities of the platform.

Table of Contents

1. Android, the New Kid on the Block
2. First Steps with the Android SDK
3. Game Development 101
4. Android for Game Developers
5. An Android Game Development Framework
6. Mr. Nom Invades Android
7. OpenGL ES: A Gentle Introduction
8. 2D Game Programming Tricks
9. Super Jumper: A 2D OpenGL ES Game
10. OpenGL ES: Going 3D
11. 3D Programming Tricks
12. Droid Invaders: the Grand Finale
13. Advanced Techniques from Latest SDK
14. Publishing Your Game