iOS 9: What's new for game developers?
On Wednesday, September 16, Apple released the ninth version of the OS for mobile devices. The VentureBeat resource figured out exactly what iOS 9 is interesting to game developers.
1. 3D Touch
The screens of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus have become sensitive to the force of pressing. The smartphone now reacts even to a light touch. This update in the future will give a lot of new ways for players to interact with the device.
2. ReplayKit
Players will be able to record gameplay videos with their own voice comments, and then share them on social networks or video hosting. The video can be edited with your own hands before being uploaded to the network. Moreover, during recording, the system will not send notifications or reminders, so as not to spoil the video.
Before that, there was no way to record gameplay directly from a smartphone. The developers have built third-party SDK services into the game (such as Kamcord, for example). Or users recorded the video themselves by connecting a smartphone to a computer.
3. GamePlayKit
GameplayKit is a set of tools responsible for game logic. More specifically, it can help the developer debug pathfinding, randomness, and advanced simulation.
4. Model I/O
Responsible for rendering physical models and helps to work with lighting. In general, if you are making a three-dimensional shooter for mobile phones, thanks to Model I/O, it will look a little (just a little) more realistic.
5. The smartphone keeps the charge longer
As we wrote yesterday, the ninth iteration of the Apple OS will help the device’s batteries work an hour longer. This, in theory, is good not only for players, but also for developers who can now count on their game to be played longer.
6. Updates to SceneKit, SpriteKit and Metal
Updates to Metal will help the smartphone to use the CPU/GPU more efficiently. For gamers, this means that the device will “pull” games with better graphics, for example. The updated SceneKit and SpriteKit will support 3D and 2D games. This is again about the improved picture.
7. Additions to the Game Center
You can now create a guest account in Game Center. Up to three users can be invited to real-time games, and up to 15 people can be invited to step-by-step games. And all this on the same device.
Well, being the organizer of White Nights Moscow 2015, we can’t help but mention that a closed master class dedicated to working with iOS 9 will be held at the conference.
A source: http://venturebeat.com
Other materials on the topic:
