iPhone-centric tutes?

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Mindfield

Greetings!  Rank n00b hereabouts.  I've been wrestling for months both trying to find free time and trying to wrap my head around the iPhone SDK and Objective-C in particular.  My problem is that my programming background is pretty old school.  I haven't programmed in over a decade and when I did I've developed in various languages, mostly revolving around either some flavour of BASIC or 6502 and 68K assembler.  While I've done some stuff in standard C, Objective-C is just alien to me.  In fact, OOP is alien to me.  I could probably get the hang of it eventually but right now I just don't want to spend that time.

So when I learned GLBasic did iPhone now I thought this would be an excellent jumping-off point for me to dive back into the development pool in an environment that is at least relatively familiar to me.  I read up on it and ultimately downloaded the SDK.  Very quickly I had a sprite on the screen and could control it with the keyboard.  Easy peasy.  I think I could really get into this.

But as mentioned, my target platform is going to be iPhone and Touch, so now I'm wondering if there are any tutorials focused on that platform, even if it's just something to explain how the various iPhone/Touch-specific APIs accessed through GLBasic, like how to set resolution, process touch and multitouch input, use the accelerometer, and so on.  Just something to get me started on the right foot.  If GLBasic does what I'd like it to do (and really, my needs aren't particularly extraordinary; my first two games are both straight up 2D deals with basic input and animation) then buying the SDK would be a no-brainer, but I'd like to make sure it fits my needs and I can work with it easily first.

Any pointers, link to helpful threads, or whatever you've got would be awesome, thanks.

MrTAToad

#1
There are currently no real tutorials for the iPhone.

The main posts concern how to compile (http://www.glbasic.com/forum/index.php?topic=3265.0), and examples for using the input area (http://www.glbasic.com/showroom.php?site=games&game=iphonetouchfeatureexample&lang=en).

For setting the screen, you would use the standard commands or set it in the compiler options - what works for Windows, Mac, Linux etc will work for the iPhone - as long as you have a Mac, of course.

There are some cravets - might be worth looking at : http://www.miscthings.co.uk/GLBasic/iphone_ipodlimitations.html

And then check out GLBasic stuff in the AppStore : http://www.glbasic.com/forum/index.php?topic=3857.0

Kitty Hello

We oughta write one.
... I could try to make a video with Trucidare.

Mindfield

A tutorial would be awesome.  I'll tell you what I'm interested in right now (given that I'm still very green):

- Tap events seem quite simple, they're just crossed over from mouse events which is dead easy, but is there a way to get it to function more like the simulator in that you can move the mouse around but not register an actual tap event until the left mouse button is pressed?

- Although I don't need it right now, it would be good to know more about the accelerometer.  Interpreting it as a joystick is dead simple, but is it possible to test this in the compiler?  Or would you have to effectively create an accelerometer polling function and just change the code to use, say, the keyboard to simulate accelerometer movement and then change it back to joystick polling when you're ready to compile as an .app?

- I looked but couldn't find anything specific on this particular stuff, but is there any information on integrating third party iPhone APIs like OpenFeint (or Plus+ or ScoreLoop), Box2D/Chipmunk, etc.?  I've seen one or two existing APIs integrated with GLB, but nothing on these.

- Any way to access Location Services?

- What about information on app exit routines, such as saving game state so the player can resume when they reload?

That's about all I can think of right now as far as specifics go but any information would be awesome.

MrTAToad

OpenFeint is being worked on, and by all accounts works very well.

I believe there was problems converting Box2D to the iPhone, hence it not getting very far.

Kitty Hello

I think about writing an App that you can get on AppStore, that sends acceleration and touches to your win32 program via Tcp. That would be great to debug on windows using the real device for input.

Or does anyone volunteer to write it? I'd buy that for a dollar ;)

Hatonastick

Well considering you could probably knock that out in about 1/4 the time most of us could, I vote you make it.  =D

Mindfield

Quote from: MrTAToad on 2010-Jan-28
OpenFeint is being worked on, and by all accounts works very well.

I believe there was problems converting Box2D to the iPhone, hence it not getting very far.

Pity about Box2D; is there any equivalent (or even passable) physics API available?  Awesome to hear about OpenFeint.  Any hints as to when it might be available? (Not that I need it just yet but OF integration is something I know I'll get asked about if it's not there. :))

Quote from: Kitty Hello on 2010-Jan-28
I think about writing an App that you can get on AppStore, that sends acceleration and touches to your win32 program via Tcp. That would be great to debug on windows using the real device for input.

Or does anyone volunteer to write it? I'd buy that for a dollar ;)

It would be a good tutorial to post, definitely.  Don't know if it would fare on the App Store with all of the existing remote input apps like JumiMouse and (my personal favourite) AirMouse.  But it would be cool to see the proper way accelerometer control is done, and adding some TCP code in there would give a great tutorial on connecting to the PC via TCP.

Kitty Hello

Yes... where is the Box2D port? There was 2 people fighting for who would port it, resulting in noone actually does it, right?
Hello? Please?

Gary

I would pay extra for open feint support. Looking to add some sort of achievments to my app and was going to do it locally but OF support would be great. Any time scale to release?

Kitty Hello

Very soon. I have no Idea if Trucidare charges mooney for this. If not, a donation from your earnings would be nice, though.

trucidare

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