• Turret / chase camera (touch to shoot)
• Adjusted UFO fire rate, accuracy, and damage
• Wingmen are less likely to attack shielded targets
• Updated water textures
• iOS 4 tested

• iPad support
• 3GS/3rd-gen touch optimizations
• Auto-detect device orientation

Creating the native iPad version was fairly straightforward, mostly involving changes in the Apple UI guidelines (app must launch in the correct orientation, and menus must auto-rotate). I was a bit disappointed with the 3D performance of the iPad, though – triangle throughput is good, but pixel fill rate doesn’t scale up to the higher resolution. Particle effects (the clouds) and dependent texture reads (the explosion distortion effect) are especially slow in the iPad version. On the bright side, optimizing the game to run decently on the iPad has made it run silky-smooth on the 3GS!

Here’s the changelist:

• Now requires OS 3.0 and up
• 3GS renderer with new special effects:
  • Reflective, rippling water
  • Distortion effect on explosion rings
  • Dynamically lit volume clouds
  • Extra up-close terrain detail
• Reduced memory usage
• New player ship model
• Repositioned HUD radar to avoid chase camera conflict

The move to OS 3.0 as a minimum is unfortunate, but the alternative was to release the 3GS version as a completely separate app. This way existing users get the update for free!

Should show up on iTunes in about a week! This is a big update, but not everything requested made it in, so stay tuned for 1.6. Here’s the changelist:

• Textured models!
• Terrain deforms from large explosions
• Textured water to differentiate from sky
• Option to rotate screen orientation and home button position
• Improved 3rd person chase camera, now less rigid
• Targeting diamonds are now hidden when up close
• Menu shows random battle at launch, current battle if paused
• Added loading screen with progress bar when changing levels
• Added altimeter under health meter
• Wingmen and enemy fighters can now launch missiles
• Added glow effect to lasers and engines
• Increased enemy ground turret rate of fire
• Improved AI aiming ability, tied to difficulty setting
• Added flaming chunky triangle explosion goodness
• Terrain and models are dynamically lit by nearby lights

I can honestly say I do not remember the last time I had so much fun with an iPhone game. Reminiscent of the classic Descent series, AirMaster 3D hits a home run… AirMaster 3D has the best executed use of the accelerometer and on-screen controls I have encountered on the iPhone… On the whole, AirMaster 3D brings back the classic good vs. evil, green vs. red that is in the heart of any true gamer.

Thanks Ian! Nice screenshots, too – capturing them at just the right moment on the iPhone is no easy task.