Game Center, now on OS X as well as iOS, is Apple’s online leader board and game matching system. It lets you challenge your friends for both real-time as well as asynchronous multiplayer gaming, as well as give you bragging rights each time you beat out your frenemy’s high score on a Mac game you both play.
Did you know, however, that Game Center also lets you challenge your buddies on iOS, as well? With Two Towers, you can issue your challenge from your Mac, and your friend will be able to accept that challenge on their iPhone or iPad. You can then both play together, cross-platform. Cool, right? Here’s how to make it work.
Two Towers is a pretty deep strategy card game with some gorgeous hand-drawn artwork. The idea is to play cards and spells that weaken the enemy tower while defending and growing your own. The first tower to zero loses the game.
Download Two Towers onto your Mac from the Mac App Store. Enter your iTunes ID and password, and let it download to your Launchpad. Launch Two Towers from there, or from your Applications folder. Once inside, click the right-facing arrow to run through the “tutorial,” which is really kind of basic. Play a few single player games against your Mac to learn how to play the game, and win a few matches. Then you’ll be ready to challenge your GameCenter friends.
Click on the multiplayer button, which is a shield beneath two crossed swords. Next, click on the Search button at the bottom of the screen. A lovely green and faux-wood GameCenter window will pop up, letting you start an automatic game with a random player. To challenge a specific GameCenter buddy, click on the Invite Friends button on the bottom. You can only click on one friend at this point. Do so, and then click on the Next button. Type in a custom message, and then hit Send. Your friend will receive an invite on their iOS device if its logged into GameCenter, and they’ll then be able to accept the challenge, or download the game if they don’t already have it.
Now you’ll be playing a sweet little real-time match of Two Towers, one of you on a Mac, the other on iOS. Isn’t technology fun?
