Looks like Ipad is not supported by GS ....yet anyways

JamesZeppelin

This does not include running iphone apps on the ipad.. older 480 x 320 apps made for iphone apps will run but, will be iphone apps not ipad apps in the app store.

In order to use higher resolution and/or make it ipad specific, autorotate is REQUIRED and the app must be functional in both portrait and landscape modes. Without that feature you may only upload as an iphone app with the iphone resolution

After reading the outline it looks like a possible solution to not having to make your game in both sizes (assuming GS adds autorotate to the bundling) would be something like bars on the side with a menu option or something.

the link covers how that is possible.. not that it applies to us but i thought i would share

User Interface Guidelines
[moderator edited for link length]

the requirements can be found here:

About the Platform
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Eastbound

I keep expecting apple to release something exempting games from this. It is ridiculous to expect developers to make games compatible with both orientations.

StormyStudio

does seem a bit odd to ask developers to do that, imagine racing games which work so well in landscape, need for speed or whatever, making them work in portrait would surely be rubbish, and not something any user would expect.

Chaser

That sucks. So can I go higher than 72dpi on my graphics so it looks clean blown up on the ipad

ORBZ

Games are not Apps. Apple is probably referring to information appliance type applications. Not games. It's not at all sensible to assume that a game that uses a specific screen orientation for actual gameplay should work the other way too.

Imagine space invaders in landscape mode, it's retarded.

butterbean

No way!! This puts a dent in my plans! I thought we would be able to publish for the iPad now

I hope you're right Orbz and they were referring to apps and not games....

it would be very ridiculous if they require that, especially with racing games and other types that just won't work in portrait mode

JamesZeppelin

They go j to length about how to split screen and stuff. Would be good well, let's just use space invaders for example. Landscape tilt to move tap anywhere to fire. Portrait keeps the same ratio but brings up a descent size and finally functional virtual controller.

Instead of going into q menu you just flip to change play style.

If that is the requirement there are work aronds that I anything just forces creativity which is what apple wants.

On a side note virtual controllers are gonna be so much better when they aren't 5mm x 5mm

butterbean

I checked out the SDK forums, and looks like a lot of people are not happy with the idea of this, and from what I've heard, Apple has heard them, so let's see if they change the requirements before launch of the iPad

It's one thing if a device is dual screened like the Nintendo DS, and requiring developers to utilize both screens for the game, to create a mini-map, but it's another thing to require the game to be played in both modes! Ridiculous!

If they were to ammend that and say, okay use the portrait mode for stats, or mini-map, or anything of your choice, I'd be on board with that, but to have to program the game to work in both modes is absurd, and if they knew anything about gaming, they'd not require this.

rebump

@Butterbean: I like that idea, play the game in landscape and then rotate the phone to pause which then pulls up a mini-map, help, settings, or what not.

butterbean

Yea I'm hoping they'll be flexible with this requirement, but I think it's still unclear at this time

firemaplegames

If they do require it, I would assume that in portrait mode, the game would just get letterboxed.

butterbean

Joe, if they still stick to this requirement, will we have to program that ourselves, or do you think Gamesalad will find an easy way to implement this?

adent42

To quote our experienced head developer Dan:

This information is coming from the iPad Programming Guide User Interface section. These are guidelines for UI, not rules.

My interpretation of the iPad guide is: 'support autorotation unless is doesn't make sense for your app.'

The iPhone guide originally said 'support autorotation only if it really improves your user experience'

Thus, Apple is giving developers stronger encouragement to support autorotation for iPad, but it is not required and not appropriate for every app.


Of course, we're not Apple so this isn't authoritative... but it makes sense to me.

butterbean

I hope this is true Adent! I'm hearing mixed interpretations....

rebump

Makes sense adent42 and that is what I thought was going to be the case as I thought I remember them saying that in the iPhone specific SDK materials when I read them last year.

I was too lazy to look into the new SDK docs. :-)

extensor

On rotate: pause the game and show your company logo and URL. ^_^

scorelessmusic

Apple themselves demonstrated a locked orientation in the iPad launch. Just check the segment when they introduced Keynote. It auto-rotated even before the device was physically rotated, and the explanation given was that it's only natural to interact with slides this way (and only this way).

Hopefully Apple doesn't pull a double-standard with this design implementation.