Learning Cocos2D: A Hands-On Guide to Building iOS Games with Cocos2D, Box2D, and Chipmunk

14. Particle Systems: Creating Fire, Snow, Ice, and More

In the previous chapters you learned about the Box2D and Chipmunk physics engines and how to incorporate them into Space Viking and your games. In this chapter you will learn about particle systems and how easily you can add realistic fire, smoke, snow, rain, and other effects to your games. Particle system is just a name for a technique to generate certain graphical effects, such as explosions, flames, and of course fire, smoke, or even rain. Instead of trying to model those effects, a large set of tiny images, or particles, is used to fool the player into seeing the desired effect.

Terminology Review

Before moving on to creating and coding particle systems, it is important to understand ...