If you would like to write a software that can reach billions of people world-wide, then this book will help you get started on that journey. Today, most of the devices people use every day (computers, laptops, tablet computers, smart phones, and so on) are capable of running HTML5 code. What's more, as modern web browsers continue to get more and more powerful, your HTML5-based games and applications can run at or very near native application performance levels.
This book will help you learn all about HTML5, including the semantic markup elements, CSS3 styling, and the latest supporting JavaScript APIs. With this knowledge and skill, we'll be able to create fun games that can be played by anyone using a device connected to the Internet.
Chapter 1, An Overview of HTML5, explains what HTML5 is, and how it fits into the Open Web platform paradigm. It also introduces the three pillars of HTML5, namely the new HTML elements, CSS3, and new JavaScript APIs.
Chapter 2, HTML5 Typography, introduces the first game in the book, namely, a DOM-based typography game. The main HTML5 features described in the chapter include web forms, metadata, web fonts, transitions, animation, text shadow, box shadow, window.JSON, and querySelector.
Chapter 3, Understanding the Gravity of HTML5, builds a basic jelly-wobbling gravity game. This chapter includes a discussion of cross-browser support, polyfills, and how to get around different API implementations among different browsers. The main HTML5 features described in the chapter include web audio, SVG graphics, and drag-and-drop.
Chapter 4, Using HTML5 to Catch a Snake, creates a traditional snake game using the new HTML5 canvas element, with its accompanying 2D rendering context. Other HTML5 features described in the chapter include web workers, offline storage, and RequestAnimationFrame.
Chapter 5, Improving the Snake Game, builds on the same game created in the previous chapter, adding features such as window messaging, web storage, local storage, session storage, and IndexedDB.
Chapter 6, Adding Features to Your Game, focuses the discussion on advanced HTML5 concepts, as well as the latest features. Although no game is built in this chapter, the JavaScript and CSS APIs described represent the current state of the art in HTML5 and web development. The major features described in the chapter include WebGL, web sockets, video, geolocation, CSS shaders, CSS columns, and CSS regions and exclusions.
Chapter 7, HTML5 and Mobile Game Development, concludes the book by building a 2D space shooter game completely optimized for mobile game play. The focus of the chapter is mobile-specific considerations in web development, including a discussion about the differences between desktop and mobile platforms. The major HTML5 features described in the chapter include media queries and touch events.
Setting up the Environment, walks through the setup of a local web development environment, including installing an open source Apache server. In addition to setting up the development environment, it demonstrates how to build a web portal using the new HTML5 elements, from which we can access the games developed throughout the book. This chapter is available online at: http://www.packtpub.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Setting_up_the_Environment.pdf.