October 30th, 2008 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Platforms: J2me | No Comments »
Good news for mobile game developers that utilize Nokia's Sn@p platform. With the newest SDK release (v2.2), Nokia promised that development time will be slimmed down.
The SNAP Mobile SDK 2.2 provides developers with a number of tools to make it easier to create connected mobile games. New features include a game template, skinable user interface framework, support for J2SE and Bot API. The SDK is available for download through Forum Nokia.
"Nokia is committed to enhancing the mobile gaming experience and by adding these new elements to the SNAP Mobile SDK, we're making it faster and easier for developers to add connected gaming elements to their games," said Jonathan Sharp, Director, Games Strategy, Nokia. "Consumers expect more and more from their mobile games and this SDK will help developers deliver great Java games with superior connected gaming elements. We are working in close collaboration with our gaming partners to evolve the mobile gaming industry at large and together we can ensure that consumers get even better games."
With the user interface framework, developers can quickly manipulate a game's look and feel with easy to change XML. The UI framework includes a clean separation of controller logic which makes it easy to use with developers' existing UI frameworks. For example, PopCap Games' ChuzzleTM powered by SNAP Mobile is now available with new connected elements that enable players to compete globally for high scores. PopCap took their existing Chuzzle game and used the SNAP Mobile SDK 2.2 to quickly add connected functionality with only minimal redesign to the game's user interface. This is PopCap's first connected mobile game developed on a Nokia platform, with development ongoing for additional games expected to be available in 2009.
The SNAP Mobile SDK 2.2 also adds support for J2SE, enabling developers to design games with cross platform support. This means that SNAP Mobile games can also be created as a desktop applications or applets to run on PCs and web pages with the possibility to play against the same game's mobile version. For example, the N-Gage title Reset Generation uses the SNAP Mobile support for J2SE to enable players to compete against each other from a webpage and from their Nokia device.
The new Bot API helps developers deliver a better connected game experience as it guarantees that mobile players can find opponents online. If an opponent isn't immediately found online, the system will match players with a server based AI so they can play without having to wait for an opponent.
