cocos2d
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Cocos2D 2.0 available now
After months of testing, the team behind the latest version of the extremely popular Cocos2D game engine for iOS has released version 2.0 of the framework, and it's available for download right now. The framework isn't completely compatible with version 1.0, so devs currently using the previous version on a big project might not want to upgrade in the current build. But the new version is quite fast, includes support for OpenGL ES 2.0, and much simpler code for setting up and maintaining lots and lots of on-screen sprites. Cocos2D is probably the number one open source engine for iOS game development. It sits inside Apple's Xcode software and allows developers to easily and quickly prototype and develop 2D games and apps. This new version of the software should allow for even easier and more powerful development, leading to even better games and apps for end-users.
CocosBuilder 1.1 beta out now, open sourced by Zynga
Cocos2D is an open source framework that developers can use, along with Apple's Xcode software, to help build 2D iPhone games and apps for the App Store. A lot of popular titles are built with this framework, so many that I can guarantee you that you've played some of them. CocosBuilder is another tool for developers. It is a graphical interface for setting up all of the various sprites and widgets used in Cocos2D. And not only has CocosBuilder just released version 1.1, but it's now been made open source, which means anyone can download and use it to build scenes for Cocos2D. The app's creator, Viktor Lidholt, says he's been hired full time by Zynga to build and grow CocosBuilder, so we expect even more updates. Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of thing you can still just jump in on. While Cocos2D makes things relatively simple for developers, it requires a solid working knowledge of both Apple's Xcode software and the Objective-C language. It's not quite as easy as a graphical SDK like Gamesalad, and CocosBuilder is still in beta, with all of the issues that come along with that. But it's still a great tool for devs using Cocos2D, and the fact that it's now officially open source should be a nice boon for those interested. CocosBuilder can be downloaded directly from the site.
Zynga hires team behind cocos2d
Zynga has picked up yet another relatively big-name iOS developer. After acquiring Wonderland, Area/Code and Newtoy earlier this year, the social gaming giant has now acquired the team behind the iOS physics engine cocos2d. That engine is used by all kinds of developers, and while Zynga has hired Ricardo Quesada and Rolando Abarca on as developers to use the engine with its own iOS titles, all indications are that the cocos2d community will remain open and available to all, just as the core engine code will stay open source. Zynga continues to build one heck of an iOS development division. What exactly are they building? That's still a mystery, though presumably Zynga will use its leverage in the social gaming space to push more ports of its popular games and a few new titles as well. We'll have to see what comes of this development, even while it's hard to believe Zynga's buyout spree isn't quite over yet.
