This is my first website ... after 15 years of making them for everyone else! Hope you enjoy it too.
We are happy to release two useful open source projects we have been developing for some time. One is a Ruby based iTunes API search script. The other is also in Ruby and performs reliable script conversions in Japanese between katakana, hiragana and romaji.
Here at Long Weekend we have been happily using TexturePacker for one of our many projects. This project involves at about 30 different sprite sheets, representing hundreds of frames of animation. Whilst this only translates into a few minutes of animation on the phone, the hassle of managing the asset workflow from artist to Cocos2D [...]
Whilst recently developing a proposal for an organisation in Australia, I conducted some quick research into demand for Smart Phone developers. What I found was not surprising. I have been hearing from colleagues in industry that they are “extremely busy”. Lots of organisations want Smart Phone Apps to complement their existing offerings, or a “me [...]
The syntax for Enums in C are sooo cool! A lot of people must agree with this statement because they keep wanting to use them in Objective C code. Of course there are other benefits: code readability, they are defined in one block, lighter than passing around string constants, etc. However, being C syntax, they [...]
When working with Cocos2D – the uber popular open source gaming framework for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch – you will no doubt encounter the need to create sprite sheets or sprite atlases. There are two great tools on the market that will make your life heaven, instead of hell.
The title of this post may sound like the start of a love song, but on a recent iPhone App project, I had a bit of trouble discovering why I could see my UIButton object, but couldn’t touch it. Specifically, it wouldn’t respond to touches! What I found was worthy of short post, especially since [...]
I haven’t tried it yet, but according to MG Siegler on TechCrunch, it makes the automagical prioritisation of emails a reality. It bases decisions on the sender, keywords, frequency of reading, email history and perhaps even the alignment of the Zodiac.
All puns aside, the UDID (Unique Device Identifier) is needed by developers so you can install their app directly via iTunes and without going through the App Store. Typically this is done for beta testing or software preview purposes. There are two main ways to get your UDID: 1) use the hidden UDID copy to [...]
The Cocos2d gaming library is also a great for making unique graphical interfaces for the iPhone. However, the documentation out there is a bit light, so expect a fair amount of trailblazing before you become proficient. On a recent project I wanted to replace an existing sprite’s image using one selected from the photo library. [...]
When creating an icon for the iPhone, it is critical to remember your icon services three all important functions. 1. Be the recognisable face of your application 2. Stand apart from competitors in App Store searches 3. Stand apart from competitors on the iPhone menu This article outlines how we went through the development process, [...]