Android Game Programming by Example

Android gaming is a hot topic these days, but one of the few areas of technology that does not have an abundance of clear and useful documentation online. However, there is an ever-increasing demand for Android games.

Harness the power of the Android SDK by building three immersive and captivating games

About This Book

Implement the critical main game loop and structure your games to enable an array of advanced features
Animate your characters with sprite sheets, add multiple scrolling parallax backgrounds, and implement genuinely tough, playable levels in your games
Build super-smooth 60 frames per second with the help of this easy-to-follow, projects-based guide

Who This Book Is For

The book is best suited for existing Android or Java programmers who want to adapt their skills to make exciting Android games.

The book is also for determined readers who might have no Android, game programming or even Java experience, but a reasonable understanding of object oriented programming knowledge is assumed.

What You Will Learn

Build simple to advanced game engines for different types of game, with cool features such as sprite sheet character animation and scrolling parallax backgrounds
Design and implement genuinely challenging and playable levels
Implement the critical main game loop
Implement basic and advanced collision detection mechanics
Bring to life a challenging enemy AI
Make the math behind 2D rotation, velocity, and collisions simple
Run your game designs at 60 frames per second or better
Process multitouch screen input effectively and efficiently
Implement a multitude of other game features such as pickups, firing weapons, HUDs, generating and playing sound FX, scenery, level transition, high scores, and more
Implement a flexible and advanced game engine that uses OpenGL ES 2 for fast, smooth frame rates

In Detail

This book will help you get up to speed with the essentials of game development with Android. The book begins by teaching you the setup of a game development environment on a fundamental level. Moving on, the book deals with concepts such as building a home screen UI, implementing game objects, and painting the scene at a fixed resolution. Gradually, it builds up to the implementation of a flexible and advanced game engine that uses OpenGL ES 2 for fast, smooth frame rates. This is achieved by starting with a simple game and gradually increasing the complexity of the three complete games built step by step. By the end of the book, you will have successfully built three exciting games over the course of three engrossing and insightful projects.