iOS devices...
ryast
Member Posts: 145
Hey!
I'm planning on buying Pro soon and publish to Android as well as iOS marketplaces, I have two Android devices that I can use to test my game before publishing... but I do not have any iPhones/iPads. At best I have a friend who has an iPhone (not sure if its 4 or 5 - I know its not 6) ...
Is it required to have an iOS device to test before uploading to Apple's market?
Any suggestions / advise / links would be very appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
(P.S Slightly related:
1 - someone put a pretty good video on getting started with publishing on iOS, step by step, I lost the link... any one have that bookmarked?
2 - In your experience, how long does it take from submission to it showing up in the iOS marketplace? I have heard some horror stories and would just like to know what your personal experience was like.)
Comments
It's not required by Apple to test on an iOS device. But it is good practice to test your game on a system if you expect it to play well on it.
My experience with the iOS App Store has been that it takes about 1.5-2 weeks to get from submitted to actually appearing in the store. None of my games have been rejected by Apple though, if you get rejected, expect the process to start over from the beginning.
http://jamie-cross.net/posts/ ✮ Udemy: Introduction to Mobile Games Development ✮ Learn Mobile Game Development in One Day Using Gamesalad ✮ My Patreon Page
Hey @ryast,
as @jamie_c said, it is not required but I would recommend doing so. Your game could end up running totally different on the device than it does in the GS creator and GS viewer. You want to be able to see your product and see how your product functions and see what you are giving to people. Remember First impressions last. You give something that looks, feels and functions like crap, you will get a bad rep not just on the game but as the individual or company that released it and it will be that mush harder to get your future products into the hands of people. Don't cut corners and cut yourself short.
Here is a good link, the only issue is it's out of date and things look and run a little different but are the same for the most part. No one that I have seen has done an up to date publishing tut. I may end up doing one. If you need help, I help out on the side for a small fee, just PM me for the details. Below is the link
It could take anywhere from a day to 2 weeks. My average waiting time is about 7 days (a week) but I have waited 2 weeks before and also have had it go through in 3 days. It all depends on how many people have submitted apps and if your app gets rejected or not. There's a lot of factors that go into it.
@ryast The updated GS Cookbook tutorial, sections 3.1 - 3.7, covers everything about publishing to iOS very well. If you work through it step by step I think you won't need a video.
Just ignore section 3.3 because I don't think the GS Viewer is working at present.
Thanks for replying guys!
@jamie_c / KillerPenguinStudios : I'm guessing most of us are trying to target all devices out there to try to maximize our returns, so taking iOS as an example when you say:
"But it is good practice to test your game on a system"
you mean test on an iPad+iPhone+iPod or just on any one (iOS device) ?
Because Apple stuff is expensive (overpriced IMHO) and I don't see me being able to afford 5+ of their devices just to test anytime soon!
@KillerPenguinStudios : "Don't cut corners and cut yourself short."
, cutting corners right now is my only option if I want to get in the game (pun intended 
)... I really wish I could afford a big bunch of test devices like the big studios - but reality is; I can't, so I come seeking advise from you more experienced guys, hoping to at least avoid any big gotchas.
I was born with a great personality instead of rich
Thanks for the video link, wish I could afford take you up on your offer for consultation right now, but maybe in future after I get a pro account and some experience...
One of my ideas is to release two versions of my little game, one free and one not, that way I can also come here seeking any kind souls who are willing to install their game on their device i-/pad/phone/pod and tell me if/how badly it sucks
@PhilipCC , Thanks! Will have a look! I have not really gone through the manual much, learned most of what I am doing via videos as I am a bit dyslexic - learning from text has always been a major pain in the behind. Apparently my brain has a built in game that makes the alphabets/words jump around a bit, getting to the next level is not as much fun as most of the games on my phone
Or as my cousin used to joke with me, "Dyslexia is just a fancy word for stupid"
if anyone has a good place to hide bodies let me know
Hey @ryast,
I totally understand where you are coming from and it is expensive. If you can get at least one newer device to test on then that should be good for the most part. Some things such as the stretch, letter boxing, or over scan will look different based on the device. Also, one thing you could do is get people with different devices to play test for you via Test Flight and gain feedback from them. There are ways to get your stuff tested, just gonna be extra work on your end.
My main point I was trying to make is don't just throw something out there in hopes it works. Try to find ways to get your stuff tested.
@ryast, I agree with @KillerPenguinStudios, testing on one iOS device is probably enough. Of course in an ideal world you would test on every device you expect the game to be played on, but that is not very practical.
I'd be far more comfortable testing on one iOS device and releasing a game for all iOS devices than I would testing on one Android device and releasing for all Android devices. The Android system is so fractured that it seems nearly impossible to run well on all possible devices.
http://jamie-cross.net/posts/ ✮ Udemy: Introduction to Mobile Games Development ✮ Learn Mobile Game Development in One Day Using Gamesalad ✮ My Patreon Page
Thanks for replying guys!
After reading your last replies I started to look on eBay and local sell sites for a secondhand iOS device... then remembered a few of my friends have iOS stuff
so I've racked up two devices (albeit I have to visit them to use it) to test:
iPhone 4
and an iPad (around 2 years old, no idea which model that would be)
@KillerPenguinStudios , whats "test flight"?
And, when I sign up for GS pro (and an apple account) is there any limit on how many devices I can test the game on? And do I need to do anything special to the iOS device before testing? (I ask because the iOS devices belong to friends and they would be doing me a favor)
Hopefully the 2yo one would be Retina iPad. If it is not look for a second-hand one on EBay. That's all you would really need. That is what I bought new and it is only a 16GB WIFI model. It is perfect for testing iOS Universal apps.
You build for IPad in GS with scenes 2048 x 1536 landscape or 1536 x 2048 portrait, make all you actors 4 x the size you use them in GS Creator, and with dimensions divisible by 4. Build with Resolution Independence. In Creator you can preview every iOS device and get a very good idea of how the the app will look on each device. Choose Overscan and flip between them. Test your AdHoc builds on the iPad.
There is a lot of good information in the Forum, so just do a search for the topic or issue. Sorry, but you are going to have to read most of it, but the tips are usually short.
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Not a problem @ryast! Test flight is a place where you can upload a compressed .ipa file of your app then you can send to people via test flight and they can download it to their device and test it out!
I use it for all my clients so they can play test their stuff!
@PhilipCC
Thanks! I already follow most, if not, all, of the above
I also had @BBEnk help me with universal resolution ( kind, amazingly helpful and generous dude) so I think I am on the right path, but as you can imagine, it's hard to be sure without testing.
I know, I seem to stumble onto a new tidbit everytime I visit, love the community here!
Ah! Thanks for that info as well @KillerPenguinStudios , didn't know about "Test Flight" before, will def check it out!