The Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games makes it easier for developers to quickly build social and casual games using Windows Azure.  Today, we have shipped a completely updated version of this toolkit that makes building these games and learning game development even easier.  This version of the toolkit is available for download here.  Additionally, you can view the full source here.

The first version of the Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games was built around the Tankster sample game. Based on feedback, we have now separated the toolkit from the Tankster game to make it easier to use the toolkit and learn the basics of building a social game. This version of the toolkit ships with two simple games, tic-tac-toe and four in a row. These games are much easier to dive into than the full-featured Tankster game. Tankster is still available for download and can now be found in source control under the ‘samples’ folder or downloaded here.

The core features of this toolkit are:

• Samples Games (Tic-Tac-Toe and Four in a Row)
• Authentication with ACS (Access Control service)
• JavaScript Tests
• Leaderboard
• Game Friends
• User Profiles
• Invites and Notifications
• Tests for both server and client code
• Reusable JavaScript libraries

Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games ships with all the great things you expect from our toolkits including documentation, easy setup, and a new version of the content installer. Download it today and get started building social games on Windows Azure.

You can read more about this toolkit on the project site and on Nathan Totten’s blog.