Google Maps will now be available for game developers who want access to map data. This means that games like Pokemon Go will be a lot easier to make.
Unless you live under a rock, you must have heard about Pokemon Go and how it turned your surroundings into a playground. It used an AR-based map and you had to move around to play it.
The game used map data compiled by the developer’s themselves – which, surely, is not real-time and not as good compared to Google Maps – which is why making such a game requires a lot of resources and effort.
Dev Kits for Easy Access
In the coming years, developers will not have to face this issue anymore because Google has decided to make their Map-platform’s real-time data public and open to all developers. Other than that, the tech giant will also offer software development kits for developers to easily use that data in order to make games around them.
Their kits will translate the Map data into the game engines such as Unity directly making the process easier.
Adding Real Life Objects to Games
Developers will be able to convert real buildings and landmarks within the Map data into 3D objects which can be manipulated as needed. For example, a real building can be turned into a safe house or a point of interest which, say, triggers an event within the game.
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This will allow developers to focus more on designing their games and gameplay instead of writing codes to develop a “map” foundation for the game. Thanks to this, more real-time location games will be developed by creators of all sizes and expertise.
This means first we need to have street map view support.