axmol/docs/RELEASE_NOTES.md

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**Table of Contents**  *generated with [DocToc](https://github.com/thlorenz/doctoc)*

- [Cocos2d-x 3.12 Release Notes](#cocos2d-x-312-release-notes)
- [Misc Information](#misc-information)
- [Requirements](#requirements)
  - [Runtime Requirements](#runtime-requirements)
  - [Compiler Requirements](#compiler-requirements)
  - [How to run tests](#how-to-run-tests)
    - [Cocos Console](#cocos-console)
    - [Mac OSX & iOS](#mac-osx-&-ios)
    - [Android](#android)
    - [Windows](#windows)
    - [Linux](#linux)
  - [How to start a new game](#how-to-start-a-new-game)
- [v3.12](#v312)
  - [Highlights](#highlights)
  - [The main features in detail of Cocos2d-x v3.12](#the-main-features-in-detail-of-cocos2d-x-v312)
    - [VR support](#vr-support)
    - [Tizen support](#tizen-support)
    - [improve Android performance](#improve-android-performance)
    - [improve web engine performance in WebGL mode](#improve-web-engine-performance-in-webgl-mode)
    - [use clang on Android](#use-clang-on-android)
  - [Other changes](#other-changes)

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# Cocos2d-x 3.12 Release Notes #

# Misc Information

* [Full Changelog](https://github.com/cocos2d/cocos2d-x/blob/v3/CHANGELOG)

# Requirements

## Runtime Requirements

* Android 2.3.3 or newer
* iOS 5.0 or newer
* OS X 10.7 or newer
* Windows 7 or newer
* Windows Phone 8.1
* Windows 10 UWP
* Linux Ubuntu 14.04 or newer
* Mordern browsers and IE 9+ (On mobile platforms, only iOS and Android 5 activated WebGL support)

## Compiler Requirements

* Xcode 5.1 or newer for iOS or Mac
* gcc 4.9 or newer for Linux
* ndk-r10c for Android
* Visual Studio 2013 or newer for Windows (win32)
* Visual Studio 2013 update4 or newer for Windows 8.1 universal Apps
* Visual Studio 2015 or newer and Windows 10.0 (build 10074 or higher) for Windows 10.0 UWP Apps

## How to run tests

### Cocos Console

You can use [Cocos Console](www.cocos2d-x.org/wiki/Cocos2d-console) command line tool to run the test cases on almost all supported platforms.

In console application:
```
// Enter cpp test folder
cd tests/cpp-tests
// Or enter js test folder
cd tests/js-tests
// Or enter lua test folder
cd tests/lua-tests

// Compile or run test case
cocos compile -p ios|mac|android|win32|win8_1|metro|web -m debug|release
cocos run -p ios|mac|android|win32|win8_1|metro|web -m debug|release
```

For example, if you want to run cpp test in release mode on Android, you can use the following command:

```
cocos run -p android -m release
```

### Mac OSX & iOS
You can run the samples by:

* Open __cocos2d-x/build__ folder, open __cocos2d_test.xcodeproj__
* Select `cpp-tests`, `lua-tests`, `js-tests` for __iOS__ or __OS X__ target in scheme toolbar
* Click __run__ button

### Android
You can run the samples by either using the command-line or Eclipse:

**Using command line:**
Perform the following steps:

    $ cd cocos2d-x
    $ ./setup.py
    $ cd build
    $ ./android-build.py cpp-empty-test -p 10
    $ adb install cocos2d-x/tests/cpp-empty-test/proj.android/bin/CppEmptyTest-debug.apk

Then click item on Android device to run tests. Available value of `-p` is the API level, cocos2d-x supports from level 10.

**Using Eclipse:**
Perform the following steps:

    $ cd cocos2d-x
    $ ./setup.py
    $ cd build
    $ ./android-build.py cpp-empty-test -p 10

Next:

* Import cocos2d-x Android project into Eclipse, the path used to import is __cocos/2d/platform/android__
* Import `cpp-empty-test` Android project into Eclipse, the path used to import is __tests/cpp-empty-test/proj.android__
* Build `cpp-empty-test` Android project and run

### Windows
You can run the samples by:

* For win32 project, enter __cocos2d-x/build__, and open __cocos2d-win32.sln__
* For win 8.1 project, enter __cocos2d-x/build__, and open __cocos2d-win8.1-universal.sln__
* For win 10 project, enter __cocos2d-x/build__, and open __cocos2d-win10.sln__
* Select running target
* Click run button

### Linux
You can run the samples by:

    $ cd cocos2d-x/build
    $ ./install-deps-linux.sh
    $ cd ../..

Next:

    $ mkdir build
    $ cd build
    $ cmake ../cocos2d-x
    $ make -j4

Then run:

    $ cd bin/cpp-empty-test
    $ ./cpp-empty-test

## How to start a new game
Use the __cocos__ console app to create a new game:

```
cocos new -l cpp|js|lua MyNewGame
```

# v3.12

## Highlights

* add VR support
* add Tizen support
* improve Android performance issue
* improve web engine performance in WebGL mode
* support Android obb extension
* use clang instead of gcc on Android

## The main features in detail of Cocos2d-x v3.12

### VR support

TBD

### Tizen support

TBD

### improve Android performance

We found cocos2d-x has performance on some Android devices. It is because cocos2d-x creates a big map buffer by default and fill the map buffer with actual data, which is less then map buffer size. On some Android devices, it will transfer as many data as the map buffer size which causes performance issue.

More detail information and discussion can refer to [the issue](https://github.com/cocos2d/cocos2d-x/issues/15652).

### improve web engine performance in WebGL mode

Web engine performance in WebGL mode is obviously improved in this version. The rendering performance, cpu usage and memory usage are optimized.

![rendering peformance](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/minggo/Pictures/master/web-performance-improve/adverage-time-per-frame.png)

![cpu-usage](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/minggo/Pictures/master/web-performance-improve/cpu-usage.png)

![memory-usage](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/minggo/Pictures/master/web-performance-improve/memory-usage.png)

### use clang on Android

As [google deprecated gcc since NDK r11](https://developer.android.com/ndk/downloads/revision_history.html), so cocos2d-x changes to use clang  too. And we suggest using latest NDK version if possible. 
 
## Other changes
You can also take a look at the [full changelog](https://github.com/cocos2d/cocos2d-x/blob/v3/CHANGELOG).