Openfeint + Game Center and a Chicken

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

I just through the chicken in there for good measure. What I am really looking for is the definitive Ansca endorsed guide for implementing Openfeint with Game Center. I’ve seen the Openfeint sample but I can’t find anything for Openfeint with Game Center. I’ve seen a few posts here and there about using Game Center, but I have also seen some mention of Apple rejections for going through Openfeint and there are a lot of unanswered questions. For instance is there a way around having to show the Openfeint screen as the first thing a user sees when they launch your app? What’s the way to provide the best user experience? What about implementing game center buttons? I’ve seen where some people can launch Game Center straight to their leaderboards and other people say it doesn’t work.

Most important is not getting rejected by Apple. How do we avoid that? Do we have to call something first, or perhaps implement a game center button? Is there some special trick? Do we have to build our app on the third full moon of an odd year? Or maybe we have to sacrifice a virus free Windows box upon an altar of Mac Pro towers. I don’t know if I can find virus free Windows box, see what I mean?! How do we do this?

Did I miss something, is there already a best practices guide which can answer these questions? Otherwise, I call upon Peach Pellen, Corona Forum Hero and Tutorial Master, or Jonathan Beebe, Corona Code Guru. Let there be a definitive sample! [import]uid: 8139 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 311616[/import]

#2

I laughed reading your post, then was flattered for the mention - thank you :slight_smile:

At this stage I don’t know of a perfect, definitive sample - someone else might, I’m not up to date with every Corona tutorial site out there. (There’s more than there used to be, that’s for sure!)

As far as rejections go, I can tell you that I have built 4 apps in the past little while; all show the OF screen first and NONE have been rejected. Although that doesn’t mean 110% certainty that Apple wont reject, it does mean I consider it quite unlikely based on my own recent experience.

There are tutorials around the place for launching GC with it’s own button but as I haven’t used them I can’t comment either way, beyond saying it’s one option.

I hope that is mildly useful, even if I’m not quite living up to the “Forum Hero” status you have bestowed upon me :wink:

Peach :slight_smile:

PS - Oh, actually, if you want the best luck, kick an Xbox 360. Preferably one of the older Pro models, not the new black elites. [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42273[/import]

#3

Great post, fair play.

Just to add to Peach’s GC button comment, that’s what I do.

system.openURL("gamecenter:") launches, and you’re not going to believe this, Game Center. No questions asked by Apple in my experience.

cheeeers,
Egg [import]uid: 38932 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42283[/import]

#4

@kRona,
I am not a fan of technologies that bail out on you, I added OpenFeint just to add a bit of fun and retention in my app, it enabled GameCenter and guess what!! REJECTION from Apple!!

2.3: Apps that do not perform as advertised by the developer will be rejected

We found that Game Center has not been fully enabled for this version of your app. Though Game Center has been enabled on the Manage Game Center page, it must also be enabled on the App Details page in iTunes Connect.

Can Ansca, please create a GameCenter API…

@Egg, now by just having a system.openURL(“gamecenter:”) how do you integrate the achievements, etc Just logging into the GC does not create achievements, does it?

cheer,

?:slight_smile: [import]uid: 3826 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42347[/import]

#5

@jayantv, correct. Here’s the steps I took to integrate GC the best I could.

1. Set up OF leaderboards and achievements
From your Open Feint dashboard, as normal

2. Set up GC leaderboards and achievements
From iTunes Connect. It’s a good idea to use the IDs which were generated by OF. For example, if you create a “Top Score” leaderboard in OF, and it assigns an ID 12345678 to it, enter 12345678 as the ID when creating your GC “Top Score” leaderboard.

3. Create OFGameCenter.plist
Now, when this is present in your project folder, OF will silently post to GC whenever it posts to OF. Visit this link for a template: http://support.openfeint.com/dev/game-center-compatibility/

As we can’t launch directly to leaderboards or achievements as we do with OF, that’s where the “gamercenter:” button comes in.

This is ok as a temporary work around, but I’m sacrificing Windows boxes and kicking every Xbox 360 I find right in the DVD tray, in the hope that Corona will add a decent Game Center API. I’m especially hoping for the ability to download friend’s scores so we can display them how and when we want, just like Fruit Ninja.

cheeeers,
Andy
(not egg, that was just a reference to chicken.) [import]uid: 38932 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42380[/import]

#6

hi @andy,
thanks for that info. I have recreated all the achievements, etc in GC, but I am not creating the plist file at this point. Apple has asked me to enable GC but not resubmit the binary, if they have issues, then I might have to create the plist as described.

cheers,

?:slight_smile: [import]uid: 3826 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42388[/import]

#7

@jayantv, make sure you’ve enabled Game Center from within iTunes Connect! [import]uid: 38932 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42389[/import]

#8

Wow there is a lot of good information here.

@Peach, so be it then, sounds like it is working for you I wonder why I have seen some tales of rejection for going through OF for Game Center…very strange maybe the reviewer had not had their coffee yet or something.

I think if I throw the Game Center button in there then there’s not really too much to complain about right, I mean you can still sign into Game Center separately if I am following all this right.

@andy1927 thanks for the GC button code and that rundown of how you integrate GC is REALLY helpful. This should all get me going pretty well, thanks again! [import]uid: 8139 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42435[/import]

#9

Hey kRona,

Ultimately I don’t think it’s a case of a reviewer not being alert; it’s happened so many times now. I think there might be a small percentage of reviewers who reject on those grounds but that is likely at their own discretion.

I’m purely speculating mind you; all I know is I haven’t been rejected for this reason and neither have others I’ve spoken to. It doesn’t mean it wont happen, just that I am personally not concerned at this stage. [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 11616 reply_id: 42477[/import]