Rejected Due To Lack of iOS native buttons and functionality

Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
This really pisses me off because GameSalad doesn't provide any of this. I have to make my own buttons and these lead to rejection. If GameSalad would just integrate a library of native buttons we could use, it would solve all the problems. My interface could be better, but it really sucks that GameSalad isn't doing anything about it. We haven't had an explanation for what will exactly be in things like the New Mac UI and other engines.

GameSalad has a terrible reputation at Apple. I have talked with representatives and they even say they frown upon the GameSalad Engine.

What I like GameSalad doing -
- Overscan
- New engine and UI. But the new UI and Engine HAVE to have iOS specific features. OR else more of our apps and games will be rejected.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do something about these rejections and add native iOS buttons and features.

Heres the apple response -
10.6

We found the following issues with the user interface of your app:

- Included low resolution/jagged image/s; see screenshot for example.

- Did not include iOS features. For example, it would be appropriate to use native iOS buttons and iOS features other than just web views, Push Notifications, or sharing.

It would be appropriate to add iOS specific UI and functionality rather than displaying just text and table views.
«1

Comments

  • LiquidGameworksLiquidGameworks Anchorage, AKMember, Sous Chef Posts: 956
    Often times they'll reject apps if they feel it isn't "appyness" enough. It isn't necessarily about having buttons which look like native buttons. The majority of applications which are accepted have not a single iOS native UI element in them.

    My guess is that your app didn't have enough content, and your images were not of sufficient quality.

    If you could provide screenshots and a description of what your app does, we may be able to help you, as I don't think its every the intention of GS to include iOS native artwork into the creator (Of which, if you really wanted, could easily find on the internet).
  • LooseMooseLooseMoose Member Posts: 224
    If your app is a game I think it may have been rejected solely because of the low resolution/jagged image/s. Games are supposed to have custom UI to match the games graphic style, so it doesn't make sense to use IOS buttons.
    If you fixed that problem your game would most likely be accepted.

    One of my games got rejected because of a 3 second load time and no IOS features. All I did was add a loading screen and my game was accepted.

    If you're app is not a game, when apple mentions IOS features what they usually want to see is their IOS buttons in your app to maintain their classic look.

    Here is a tutorial to help with making IOS buttons:



    There is plenty more information on the web to help you. You can even download some pre-made buttons here if you don't want to make your own.

    http://nathanbarry.com/designing-buttons-ios5/
  • lycettebroslycettebros Member, PRO Posts: 1,598
    edited November 2012
    This statement says it all....

    "- Included low resolution/jagged image/s; see screenshot for example."

    Get the quality up and you may find the rest will follow!
  • EbreezeEbreeze Member, PRO Posts: 481
    If your app is a non game app then that is why. Go look at other non game apps and you will see the way the menus and buttons look...just like your iPhone "settings" menu ..apple have strict guidelines about this
  • MarkOnTheIronMarkOnTheIron Member Posts: 1,447
    As others have said the problem is not entirely the lack of native buttons, the main problem is with the quality of the buttons you used. That's why Apple said to you to go native.

    Most of the times I use custom made buttons and I never had a problem.

  • famekraftsfamekrafts Member, BASIC Posts: 834
    I do not think graphics and UI and buttons are GS responsibility, its a game engine,

    its you who needs to design the graphic part.

    Have you not used double size graphics as required for HD and retina?

  • jonmulcahyjonmulcahy Member, Sous Chef Posts: 10,408
    please post screenshots of your app, it's kind a hard to talk about a rejection without seeing why
  • IcedBIcedB Member, PRO Posts: 384
    @poisenden

    Walled Garden i guess...I'm hoping they've not tightened up i just submitted an old low res port to iPad :S

    It's possible that you got a harsh adjudicator, theres been some dodgey and rubbish apps that slipped through in the past. Not to say that yours is but you could try a resubmission....
  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    I'm not sure how to post screenshots, but it's a big hassle to make buttons that are native iOS, then GameSalad could have a library of graphics to draw from. To the post that said GameSalad is only a game engine. Let's remember that they control Playhaven accounts, won't give us the Xcode file, and act like they own our games. Because if we use GameSalad we are locked into a system of using their code, advertising solutions (which they get money from) and submitting our games through their system. So if GameSalad does all of this and controls us, then why can they not have an images library so we can access commonly used buttons and images?

    If GS was only a game engine they would simply compile the code and let us do the rest. They wouldn't mess around with controlling advertising. They would want to get the most features as possible into their engines, and not try to make money off of games after they have been published.
  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    BTW the game is a Football app that let's people who are clueless about football learn about the positions.
  • MarkOnTheIronMarkOnTheIron Member Posts: 1,447
    edited November 2012
    but it's a big hassle to make buttons that are native iOS.
    Your buttons don't need to be identical to the native ones, but they at least need to be of a good enough quality. You can't blame GS if you lack the skills to do them. Do as others do in that case: hire an artist or google for "ios ui psd".

    Here's the code to post an image: image

  • famekraftsfamekrafts Member, BASIC Posts: 834
    Man they are giving you an engine free, they are not controlling, this is probably the only engine right now which lets you publish on ios without any fee. From Unity to gamemaker every engine charges, from 100- 200 $ for an ios license.

    If they are giving something for free, obviously they need to have some backup system which will help them grow as a company. so they use playheaven ads on the free engine, that also just on the splash screen which is fine.

    If you know how to use xcode then you can use that to publish your games.

    As @SaladStraightShooter said they provide the tools. Graphics is our responsibility.

    to post any image here, upload on tinypic or flicker or other sites and then post the code here. The code will look like this < href..... image.jpg> etc

  • SingleSparqSingleSparq Member Posts: 1,339
    edited November 2012
    So I suppose GS should provide a liabrary for android elements too huh? Sorry but graphics are your responsibility as this is not just an iOS toolkit. If you want such elements you can check out omnigraffle they have stencil libraries which have all those elements you could want even add you own text to buttons. Not free but if you want to look professional worth a look.

    Here's a sample stencil
    http://graffletopia.com/stencils/570
  • RPRP Member Posts: 1,990
    You need to add in your features: Free stuff.

    User Interface is Apple rule #1 (don't ever forget it).

    Don't take it out on GameSalad. As the trail of comments above will tell you, bring your own building supplies, or higher a contractor.

    Hope you get your app approved (with new buttony goodness).
  • andrewm2211andrewm2211 Member Posts: 341
    Yeah even if you code nativley, without gamesalad, you still need to make your own artwork...
  • tatiangtatiang Member, Sous Chef, PRO, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 11,949
    GameSalad has a terrible reputation at Apple. I have talked with representatives and they even say they frown upon the GameSalad Engine.
    This doesn't surprise me (and I know it's not really your main issue here, but still...) because GameSalad brings game design and development to the masses in such a way that just about anyone (I teach 8-14 year olds how to use GameSalad) can submit a game to the App Store. That means that the quality of those games varies greatly and I'm sure quite a few submitted games don't work, are missing menu buttons, have plenty of bugs, etc.

    GameSalad could certainly fix their reputation with Apple by: forcing everyone to go Pro, making coding more difficult and time-consuming, and in other ways raising the bar on who gets to design games. But they haven't done that. They've made it accessible, easy, and free. So I think Apple may resent the volume and (in some cases) quality of apps they are receiving, but all in all GameSalad is providing a fantastic resource for people of all ages to get started in game design.

    New to GameSalad? (FAQs)   |   Tutorials   |   Templates   |   Greenleaf Games   |   Educator & Certified GameSalad User

  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    @SSS GameSalad may provide the tools and the toolkit, but you don't make building material for the tools, you make the tools for the building material. If we buy tools from you, do we have to buy your 'construction company services' from you too? Because you lock us into your ways of 1 monetization partner and not giving us an Xcode version.

    Why do you lock us in? 1. Because you don't want us to leave. 2. Because you can make money from the game even after we spend $300 for a BETA license. 3. Because you think you own the games we make. Because you do. Because we only get a GameSalad file of the game, not it's actual file.

    If you lock us on, why not provide the whole experience? It's not fair to say we will only give you the tools and publish it for you, but you have to make the building materials to fit our tools.

    There's my rage. Adding a simple library of native iOS buttons that we can use is easy, and solves getting rejected by Apple! It's mandated to use native iOS buttons, so you should provide them. Or gives us the Xcode file.
  • TechNoirTechNoir Member, PRO Posts: 117
    @poisenden

    Actually this is a simple case of you designing a poor app and trying to blame something else for your mistakes and lack of quality..
  • RPRP Member Posts: 1,990
    edited November 2012
    Wait... an xcode version? :-? Let me simplify how to correct this. Use Xcode. Learn Objective C and interface builder (and the various relative tidbits like OpenGL). Now you only have to pay Apple an annual fee. You still need to bring your own supplies (unless you like the generic buttons in interface builder).

    GameSalad is a CHEAP and effective route for game design and publishing. You have no idea how many obstacles in the design process that GS has removed for you in the creator. If you are serious about taking game design into a successful business or skill, you need to realize this, as well as realize that you are getting a lot for very little. If you are this distraught over something so minuscule, there are very bumpy roads for you ahead.

    Your issue is that YOU did not have a Button in you app that says "click to play" etc.
    How on earth is that GS's fault? Everyone else here seems to appreciate that and accept that. People have given you suggestions on how this could be done, via freebee buttons images etc. Rather than spinning out over a button (as this really is silly), get a button and fix the game. Resubmit. Done.

  • TesseractEngineTesseractEngine Member Posts: 180
    @poisenden

    A significant majority of games in the App Store have barely any native iOS UI elements.

    Access to native iOS UI elements (which are available online, as has already been pointed out to you, more than once) does not automatically mean you would suddenly pass a magical UI quality threshold.

    Your app is being rejected for poor UI quality. Native iOS UI, in-and-of-itself, will not change that.
  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    @TesseractEngine The native iOS will change it. My app is NOT a game. Therefore it needs native iOS UI to get accepted. I'm simply saying that GS should have a drag and drop option to give everyone the images they will use.

    @RP Developing games and apps with GameSalad is limited majorly to doing it for yourself. You cannot develop for others. If you developed for someone else you could only give them a GameSalad file. It's also difficult to start a team with GameSalad, because it's not a common language.

    PROS of GS: Quick, can make non-complex games faster. Are starting to take some initiative and add more features.
    CONS: Your business is YOU. You cannot sell your business. You have to wait for GameSalad to do something that has available months or years before. You cannot do large volumes of contract work. GameSalad isn't for businesses. It's for individuals.

    Now that I addressed that, I'm sure people would use a library of drag and drop iOS buttons, the same way as we can get white blocks from GameSalad.
  • capitalcarnagecapitalcarnage Member Posts: 371
    @poisenden - I doubt people would use a library of iOS buttons, we have enough trouble standing out from the crowd as it is, why on earth would we want to standardise our look?
  • LooseMooseLooseMoose Member Posts: 224
    I'm glad GS doesn't provide a libary of IOS buttons. Because the people who invest time making the buttons themselves are usually the ones who produce good apps. If GS is made too easy we would see a rise in terrible apps from people who think they can produce an app in 10 minutes because it's so easy.
  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    Those apps would be rejected by apple. Apple rejects apps that don't use native iOS functionality that are non-games. I cannot think of any non-game apps that don't use native UI. It's REQUIRED for non-games. It's not that we want to standardize our look, its that we HAVE to.
  • TesseractEngineTesseractEngine Member Posts: 180
    @TesseractEngine The native iOS will change it. My app is NOT a game. Therefore it needs native iOS UI to get accepted.
    No. Demonstrably untrue. There are not an insignificant number of non-game apps, on the App Store, right now, that use not one iota of native iOS UI.

    Sorry mate, but I'll say it again. Seriously, I'm trying to help, your app is being rejected for poor UI quality. Native iOS UI, in-and-of-itself, will not change that. You could cover it in native UI and still get rejected. Take a fresh look at it.


  • SlickZeroSlickZero Houston, TexasMember, Sous Chef Posts: 2,870
    edited November 2012
    My best friend makes UI's for iPhone Apps, and he does them all himself, and does them all in Vector with Illustrator. And these are not games. There's this one called Robo Strobe...

    http://thomasianwilson.com/2010/12/16/robostrobe-iphone-app/

    And when he does an app that resembles iPhone style buttons, he does them all himself, and does them better than Apple in my opinion. Like this...

    http://thomasianwilson.com/2010/12/16/tap-spatial-ui-ipadiphone-mobile-app/

    Apple just provides you with those buttons, but if you can make them look good, you can make your own for non-game apps.
  • RPRP Member Posts: 1,990
    edited November 2012
    Uh oh, going into bad-guy mode, just bare with me here though...

    "GameSalad isn't for businesses. It's for individuals."

    I could not disagee more. Independant developer means I build and create for no one but myself (unless contractual or freelance) and I own a businesses registered in two countries. (I do more than just games, as most here do). If you have been working as a creative team, you would know that GS does just fine sharing the project file for editing, testing etc.

    I also own a Torque license, yet I find GS suitable for my needs. Different tasks and projects require different kits and creation apps. You need to know this BEFORE jumping in.

    Now if you were a large studio, that was building apps from the ground up for others (handing it off as a complete app), a different means of creation would be HIGHLY recommended.

    If you are looking to build apps for people (for their own commercial use), GS would NEVER had been an option. That is all pretty self explanatory (including the limitations of GS code). Your apps are a product of the business, not the business. Are you even a registered entity?
  • famekraftsfamekrafts Member, BASIC Posts: 834
    I have put my head in unity, torque, game maker, game editor, game creator, flash, director and I do not even remember some of them. Gs is the only one which is working best for me till now, as a designer. With every other engine some sort of programming is required which made me stuck.
  • Team6LabsTeam6Labs Member Posts: 541
    I am a registered entity. I mean for larger businesses. I'm thinking of companies that make more than 60k-100k a year.

    Let's face it, it's REALLY REALLY REALLY difficult to get enough revenue from the appstore alone. Maybe as a side job, but nothing that could actually support a full time living.

    The other option is contract work for clients. For reason you just said, it would never be an option.

    If you start your own business and go guns blazing (office, at least 1 or 2 employees, etc.) and create a startup it's would be a TERRIBLE idea to use GameSalad. This would be because of the limitations of game salad and reliance on the engine. What if it has a bug that doesn't get fixed for a month and a half that halts you revenue. In a startup, (excuse my language) you're screwed without revenue.

    Starting a business on game salad really isn't feasible. They have too much control over your product. There's no way to expand if you have a success because your code is in game salad and it's locked up.

    That's why GS is GREAT for individuals. It's great if it's a side hobby (like it is for me) because it takes care of all the little things that you don't want to deal with.

    To cover the recent post - GS is a great tool for artist because it doesn't force you to deal with actual code and all that messy stuff. But if you want something complex and potentially more profitable then I think Unity is the best engine. Just because it's more open and allows you to expand more than GameSalad would. And it's based on common things such as Javascript.
  • RPRP Member Posts: 1,990
    I think you got it. GS can't fit the bill every time for all situations.

    Unity is a great engine no doubt. More freedom, more possibilities, access to a common script language, but $$$.
    FryingBaconStudios and I are tinkering with a project in Unity.

    Good luck on your endeavors!

Sign In or Register to comment.