We've just added three new games to AppGameKit Games Pack 1 - a remake of the classic Pong game, Flappy - a take on the Flappy Bird genre, and Night Driving which creates all it's media within code (and is a tricky game to master).

Each game comes with complete source code to help you learn how to make your own games and apps.

Games Pack 1 is currently on special offer so it's a great time to add this DLC to your AppGameKit collection!







https://store.steampowered.com/app/468510/AppGameKit__Games_Pack_1/

AppGameKit for Java and Kotlin is here!



We've teamed up with HockeyKid, an avid AppGameKit user, and now you can utilise the power of AppGameKit with the flexibility of Java or Kotlin. Java/Kotlin offers the perfect alternative to Tier 1 with plenty of benefits:

• Object Oriented Programming (OOP): Java & Kotlin are built around OOP using modern and well known concepts such as Classes, Interfaces, Inheritance, etc. These allow for clean, elegant, and organised code that is both reusable and extensible.
  
• Vast Libraries: Java & Kotlin have a wide range of first and third party libraries that can add lots of functionality, from basic Data Structures (Queues, Linked Lists, HashMaps, etc) all the way to libraries for Gesture Recognition, Digital Signal Processing, etc.
  
• User Interface: Want to make a desktop tool in AppGameKit? Kotlin & Java have plenty of different libraries for UI like JavaFX, AWT, or Java Swing which will all work alongside AppGameKit.
  
• Garbage Collection: Much like AppGameKit Tier 1, Java has a built-in Garbage Collector. This means that you don't have to worry about concepts like memory management as you would with Tier 2.

How to get started
To use AppGameKit for Java or Kotlin all you need is:

• Java Development Kit: The latest version of the JDK can be downloaded HERE
  
• Your Favorite Java IDE: Java & Kotlin have tons of Integrated Development Environment (IDEs) avaliable and you can use whichever one you want. Here are two recommendations:
  
  
  • Netbeans (Simple and full-featured Java IDE)
    
  • Intellij (Best for Kotlin, works for Java too)

Try the sample Project Zip File
This along with more information can be found in the AppGameKit for Java & Kotlin forum post located HERE

AppGameKit, the engine behind the UK’s #1 app for Learner Drivers looking to pass their Driving Theory Test, is gaining on the competition and fast becoming a good and reliable alternative engine for hobbyists and app developers.

The innovative Driving Test Success (DTS) apps were developed to provide learner drivers with everything they need to pass their Driving Theory Tests first time and now lay claim to the UK’s top driving test app on both iOS and Android charts.

Developing the apps has improved AppGameKit significantly along the way and the commercial features that have been added mean that app developers and hobbyists now have a credible alternative engine to consider when developing their idea – be that a simple game or a commercial app.

Rick Vanner, Development Director at TheGameCreators, said “AppGameKit is a well-established development tool with over 1900 powerful commands that cover every aspect of app and game coding. There’s no better example of AppGameKit’s market potential than Driving Test Success Theory Kit.”

There’s also a free version of AppGameKit for Raspberry Pi users and all Educational establishments can now register and use AppGameKit free of charge in the classroom.

You can see more about the great new features for AppGameKit and what's on special offer here:
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/TheGameCreators

The AppGameKit Giant Asset Pack #2 is expanded today with a set of isometric sprites:

Existing users can download these right now. The AppGameKit Giant Asset Pack 2 is currently on special offer, it's a great time to grab this great DLC at a bargain price!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/410531/AppGameKit__Giant_Asset_Pack_2/

This new version of AppGameKit brings all these new features and tweaks:

• The IDE now supports Google translated texts for Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Russian languages.

 

• Fixed Android apps that set ARCore as required being rejected by Google due to missing AndroidManifest.xml feature
  
• Fixed tapping on notifications from the app whilst the app is open on Android causing a blank screen or image corruption
  
• Android expansion files can now be used to store 3D objects, OGG and WAV files, and any file opened with OpenToRead
  
  • Use the prefix "expansion:" to load files from expansion files, e.g. OpenToRead("expansion:MyFile.txt"), the file will be extracted from the expansion file to the write folder then opened as normal
    
  • Subsequent requests to open "expansion:MyFile.txt" will read the file directly from the write folder without re-extracting it, unless the file has been deleted

• iOS will now automatically change the app orientation if SetOrientationAllowed is used when the device is in an orientation that is no longer allowed

• Added check box in the IDE preference to produce 64-bit executables on Windows instead of 32-bit executables
  
• Fixed an error about a missing games_app_id entry in the values.xml file when exporting for Amazon if the Google Play App ID field has a value even if it is greyed out
  
• Steam Windows users can now post their projects to the Steam Workshop and download shared projects with these new menu items. This is a Beta feature which we encourage you to try out and send us feedback on.

• Fixed CURL error when running AGK apps on newer versions of Linux

• Changed AdMob ads to show non-personalised ads by default to comply with the GDPR
  
• Added commands to request consent for personalised AdMob ads using the Google consent dialog (requires you to reduce your list of providers from the 200 commonly used ones to a maximum of 12 in your AdMob settings)
  
• Added OverrideConsentAdMob command to turn on personalised ads, if you have consent from the user from your own dialog
  
• Updated AdMob SDK on iOS to 7.31.0
  
• AdMob on Android is using version 11.8.0
  
• Fixed smart banner ads not apearing on Android
  
• Fixed smart banner ads on iOS not appearing in the correct location
  
• Changed Charboost ads to show non-personalised ads by default to comply with the GDPR
  
• Added OverrideConsentChartboost command to turn on personalised ads, if you have consent from the user from your own dialog
  
• Updated Amazon Ads on Android to version 5.8.2
  
• Updated Amazon Ads on iOS to version 2.2.15.1
  
• Updated Android target to API 26 for Google apps, this does not affect the minimum supported version, but it now requires the permission commands to be used for certain commands to work

• Updated Chartboost SDK on Android to version 7.2.0
  
• Updated Chartboost SDK on iOS to version 7.2.0

• Added an error message if FacebookActivateAppTracking is called before FacebookSetup

• Fixed SetSpriteAnimation not always reporting an error if the number of frames specified exceeds the image size

• Added command GetSupportedShaderVaryings to return the number of vec4 varyings that can be used in shaders

• Fixed FBX files in text format sometimes causing errors during loading

• Added GetSpeechNumVoices, GetSpeechVoiceName, GetSpeechVoiceLanguage to return the available TextToSpeech voices on the
  current device

 

It's a great time to pick up some awesome deals on AppGameKit DLCs, check out these discounts:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/650840/AppGameKit__Visual_Editor/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/623100/AppGameKit_VR/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/710830/AppGameKit__Shader_Pack/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/410530/AppGameKit__Giant_Asset_Pack_1/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/602720/AppGameKit_Sound_Library/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/468510/AppGameKit__Games_Pack_1/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/802000/AppGameKit__Games_Pack_2/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/491780/AppGameKit__3D_Asset_Pack/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/345720/The_Official_AppGameKit_Tutorial_Guide_Vol_1/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/744150/The_Official_AppGameKit_Tutorial_Guide_Vol_2/


The AppGameKit Team

AppGameKit FREE education licences are now available for Schools, Colleges, Universities and other educational establishments (After School Clubs, Summer Camps, etc) and is the perfect tool for teaching students of all ages how to make games and apps.



The comprehensive FREE Education Pack includes everything a teacher or lecturer needs to teach coding skills that can be deployed quickly and easily in the classroom. It works across a range of abilities, so is suitable for primary and secondary schools, sixth form colleges and colleges and universities.

The AppGameKit FREE Education Pack comprises:



The Instructors Guide written specifically for teachers and tutors enables you to easily develop courses and classes to teach programming and app development. The Instructors Guide also includes code exercises with commands, loops, variables, images and sprites, and all AppGameKit project source code and media is included, alongside the detailed PDF documentation.

The AppGameKit FREE Education Pack also includes six classic game tutorials:



Find out more information about the AppGameKit Education Pack here https://www.appgamekit.com/education or to register for FREE educational licences please visit the registration page here https://www.thegamecreators.com/education/register?rp=agk

AppGameKit Games Pack 2 is on special offer and now includes two new games with their full project source code: Quintu and Ringz!

Quintu is actually five games in one: The classic Four in a line, Hopper, Kono-8, Reversi and Twista.
Check out the souce code to learn how the logic for these games was coded.


Ringz is a puzzle game where you have to build circuit rings from the random pieces that appear. It's trickier than it sounds and requires good forward planning and a little luck!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/802000/AppGameKit__Games_Pack_2/

Here's a new maintenance version of AppGameKit bringing you important fixes and a few new additions. 

 

• Fixed short touch events near the top and bottom of the screen on iOS 11 not registering as a pointer event
  
• Fixed SetSpeechLangauge causing a crash on iOS

• Fixed Spriter files causing a corrupt animation if the bones are out of order
  
• Spriter import now supports bone hierarchy changes during animation, however tweening between two animations with different hierarchies will cause momentary distortion

• Fixed DeleteFont crashing if LoadFont failed to load the font

• Fixed 3D animations becoming corrupt if a bone didn't have a keyframe near the animation end time
  
• Fixed transparency mode 2 (additive) on 3D objects not working properly with fog turned on
  
• Fixed objects or terrains with over 65536 vertices per mesh causing a crash on iOS, and invalid polygons on other platforms

• Fixed setting the sprite shape to circle after SetSpriteScale causing the shape to be the incorrect size
  
• Fixed using the sprite shape commands to change an individual shape causing the other shapes to be deleted

 

• Fixed RequestPermission generating a permission not found error
  
• Fixed Ouya export causing an error when trying to load the Ouya image
  
• Added more DirectInput device types to list of recognised devices that can be used as AGK joysticks, e.g. flight controllers
  
• Fixed GetDeviceID on Windows sometimes returning different values for the same device

 

The AppGameKit Giant Asset Pack 1 has been expanded with great new extra graphics! Users who own this DLC will receive these updates free of charge.

Here's what's new:

• 1 animated hero character
  
• 22 pick up objects
  
• 11 Terrain platforms
  
• 42 Scenery items

• 53 Pixel Art Items
  
• 12 Planets and asteroids
  
• 8 Backdrops
  
• 5 Rockets
  
• 11 UFOs

https://store.steampowered.com/app/410530/AppGameKit__Giant_Asset_Pack_1/