Given Apple's assertion that Game Center will unify existing online networks rather than replace them, Aurora Feint's decision to leverage data from the platform to launch its own online gaming set up appears a sensible one.

Called PlayTime, it makes the most of the experience Aurora Feint has built up with its OpenFeint network, and makes use of Game Center's user accounts to serve up realtime online play for OpenFeint-enabled titles across iOS and Android. 

Aiding connection

One feature which distinguishes PlayTime is the system's ability to seamlessly mix realworld and artificial intelligence players.

This means that instead of online games ending if one player is cut off - something that will happen with Game Center's peer-to-peer system - PlayTime keeps the game going, replacing lost players with AI controlled characters.

"The most successful games have one thing in common: they bring people together," says Aurora Feint CEO Jason Citron. 

"Whether a simple board game or a stunning 3D console game, games are always better when shared with family or friends.

"Traditionally, multiplayer technology has been accessible only to top tier developers. It's just too complicated and time consuming. So we invented PlayTime, which literally takes one day to integrate into a casual game."

Time for PlayTime

Indeed, Aurora Feint claims PlayTime's SDK can be implemented by developers of any size, allowing the smallest of studios to connect iPhone users to their Android counterparts, and vice versa.

It will be available in two flavours.

PlayTime for Casual Games gives developers the tools to transform a single player game with high scores into a multiplayer game based on high score competition.

A developer simply needs to have high scores in their game to take advantage of the PlayTime APIs.

The PlayTime for Casual Games SDK will also include drop in widgets for displaying progress, an embedded VoIP client for group voice chat, a lobby, a matchmaking system for starting sessions, and a synchronised event system for passing data between games.

Developed in conjunction with Exit Games, PlayTime for Core Games will enable developers to build complex real time multiplayer games similar to Xbox Live.

It provides a robust architecture for 16 player server based multiplayer games, with group voice chat for team coordination, as well as a skill based lobby and matchmaking system.

PlayTime is due to launch later in 2010 as part of OpenFeint 3.0.

Developers looking to implement the features are advised to sign up to take part in PlayTime's private beta via OpenFeint's website.