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iOS and MacOS / [STICKY] I recommend TestFlight for everyone writing an iOS app!

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Jeku
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Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 24th Feb 2012 20:09 Edited at: 18th Dec 2018 20:00
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Hey all,

I've really been going strong with my new game, WordTrix 2, for the iPhone and iPad using AGK. Tier 2 has been really cool so far, and the community here has been stellar.

In 2008 and 2009 I wrote an iPhone game in Objective-C and found the beta test portion of the phase very difficult. I had a few testers and was constantly sending builds over email, most of which just didn't work for one reason or another.

Lately I've been using TestFlight to setup beta test groups, and it's AMAZING. Basically you get your testers to install the TestFlight app from the iPhone store, and it automatically sends you their device UIDs, which you put into your distribution profile. After that, you simply upload the builds to the site, and all your testers get a notification that enables the TestFlight app to download your build to their device! It's super easy, and the site has tons of video tutorials for those new to the process!

It even sends you crash information, and allows the testers to write comments to the builds.

I recommended Lee use this and he seemed impressed, although I'm not sure if he actually uses it

I don't work for them and I'm not a spokesman or anything, but I can not recommend them enough! And it's free!

Test Flight

If there's a need or desire for a tutorial or video tutorial on Test Flight, I'll consider making one.

P.S. - This would be an excellent way for us as a community to beta test each other's games
Senior Software Engineer - RotoGrinders
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bjadams
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Posted: 24th Feb 2012 20:25
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Do we need to integrate any testflight specific code in the app itself?
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Jeku
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Posted: 24th Feb 2012 23:00 Edited at: 18th Dec 2018 20:00
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You don't have to, nope. You *can* use their SDK to prompt users at certain points to fill in what they think, etc. But you don't have to add any specific code in the app itself, so it should work with Tier 1 as well.
Senior Software Engineer - RotoGrinders
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bjadams
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Posted: 25th Feb 2012 18:24
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great. thanks a lot
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Jeku
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Posted: 28th Feb 2012 18:59 Edited at: 18th Dec 2018 20:01
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I stickied this because I'm using it for my AppGameKit game and it works beautiful! Since there's only one other sticky in this forum I figured it's worth having this up at the top.
Senior Software Engineer - RotoGrinders
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halley
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Posted: 17th Jun 2012 06:40
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It's very difficult for me to open the test flight website, though I want to try it several times.

The Miracrea Games
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bjadams
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Posted: 17th Jun 2012 21:22
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Yes sometimes its overloaded and very slow
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Rich Dersheimer
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Posted: 20th Jun 2012 14:04
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Wow, this works really well! If anybody wants to be an iPad/iPod/iPhone beta tester for me, send me an email!

Some days, the bear will eat you.
Some days, you'll eat the bear.
Today, I'm eating the bear!
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Conjured Entertainment
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 00:15 Edited at: 25th Jun 2012 00:16
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I tried to build my game for iPhones on a Mac Mini by following the AppGameKit instructions, and all I got was a bouncing Icon.
So, I gave up and have now moved over to Android, which is working out fine so far. (I got to see my game on a phone finally!)
When I gave up on iStuff, v1036 was the current versionof AGK.
Now, I am using v1076 which is wonderful and allows me to do much more than before.
Once the newest player for Android is approved, I will be testing out my High Scores, which is the last feature before release.
I'll be trying to build for the iPhones again soon, but only after I am finished building for Android.
I will give this a try then, for sure.

Thanks Jeku

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 01:00
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You can download the v1076 version of the Android player from the TGC 'Your Products' page.

When you tried to do your build on your Mac Mini, did you remember to add this line as the third line in interpreter.h:


And, did you put all your media and the renamed bytecode file ('<yourapp>.byc' becomes 'bytecode.byc') into a directory named media and add the whole directory to your Resources so that it appears as directory media in the Resources list?

I'm assuming you copied the IDE stuff from the v1076 download into the appropriate place on your Mac Mini.

This google issue shows an updated Xcode AppGameKit Tier 1 build guide for Xcode 4: http://code.google.com/p/agk/issues/detail?id=322&sort=-id

It doesn't mention using the complete media directory because it was done before v1074 came out.

As of v1074, all platforms expect the bytecode.byc file and other media to be in a media directory.

This means that on the Android, you create a media directory under the assets one.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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Rich Dersheimer
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 06:20 Edited at: 25th Jun 2012 06:22
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Hmm, I don't have a media directory in my mac xcode project, and my game is building just fine. Dare I try it?

Also, I didn't put that line in that file you mentioned.

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 16:48
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It will build. But it might not run.

Tier 1, v1074+ requires the media and bytecode to be in a directory named media below the executable.

Xcode and Android setups properly put the media directory included in Resources and assets, respectively, when the project is built and installed.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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Rich Dersheimer
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 19:15 Edited at: 25th Jun 2012 19:37
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Quote: "Tier 1, v1074+ requires the media and bytecode to be in a directory named media below the executable."


I'm not using a media directory in my xcode project, the project builds and runs fine, on my mac, on my iPad, and my iPod Touch. And the archived build runs fine on the devices of my beta testers through TestFlight.

But, to stay current... I remove all my resources from the project, then add them back in, inside the media folder? 'cause just moving them to a media folder caused many many errors. I'll try that today.

EDIT: That worked fine, so I'll be conforming to that requirement from now on. Thanks for the info Ancient Lady!

MORE EDIT: Oops, I spoke too soon. It appears that the launch image and the icon files need to NOT be in the media directory, but in the project directory.

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Some days, you'll eat the bear.
Today, I'm eating the bear!
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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 19:47
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Quote: "It appears that the launch image and the icon files need to NOT be in the media directory, but in the project directory."


I thought that should be the case. But my icons and Default(-landscape) images are in my media subdirectory and it works. Curious!

This is the code in the current interpreter.cpp file:


Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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Rich Dersheimer
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 20:10 Edited at: 25th Jun 2012 20:11
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Yes, that is curious... did you specifically add them to your resources by drilling down into the media directory? I didn't, I just put them in the media directory and added the media folder into my resources. I got a blank icon and no splash screen, so I moved them back up a level and added them into resources.

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 25th Jun 2012 20:20
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I just added the media directory. Maybe the project is 'remembering' that they belong as the icons and startups, even though they aren't in the right place.

I think I'll move them to the correct place, just in case.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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Conjured Entertainment
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Posted: 26th Jun 2012 01:17
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Quote: "You can download the v1076 version of the Android player from the TGC 'Your Products' page."

I know, but they can't do it on their phone because they never purchased AppGameKit, so they have no 'Your Products' page.
I'm not about to give them my password for my TGC account, so accessing my account on their phone isn't going to happen.
In fact, their phone has nothing in the menu to access the files on their mini SD card.
You can view everything on the card with a PC, but their phone doesn't allow you to view, much less manipulate the files.
The Apps can access and use the files on the phones SD card, but the user can't. (go figure)
So, the way their phone is; you have to get the apps from an Android store.

Quote: "When you tried to do your build on your Mac Mini, did you remember to ..."

I never tried to build on a Mac Mini with v1076, I was using v1036 and I followed the instructons exactly as they appeared in the help guide at that time.
I am using v1076 now and doing well with Android, and I will try the iOS again with the v1076 after I get in stores for Android.
I will give this a try later though, when I am ready to give building for iOS another try.

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 26th Jun 2012 01:40
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Quote: "The Apps can access and use the files on the phones SD card, but the user can't."


I have an Android tablet and I still couldn't get to the files. I finally added a program to look at files, but it won't see anything I add to the sd card on windows. In fact, it doesn't seem to know that it is looking at an sd card. This problem started after we let the device update its OS. It messed up the sd card access information.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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Conjured Entertainment
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Posted: 26th Jun 2012 04:06 Edited at: 26th Jun 2012 04:16
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I was telling my friend we need to make an App for file navigation, because that phone is rediculous.
I did get my game on there though, and was perfect for testing up to that point, but I got halted reading/writing a simple text file for high scores.
Anyways, until I can hack her phone, I just have to wait for the new player to get approved at the store.
Then, I can take the final step in publishing my game.... store rejection!

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Rich Dersheimer
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Posted: 27th Jun 2012 05:47
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TestFlight might be a good way to get the AppGameKit player into peoples hands. I'm going to try that with JHA, see how well it works.

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RickV
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Posted: 18th Dec 2012 11:39
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We use Test Flight all the time here. It saves a lot of bother!

Rick

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Virtual Nomad
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Posted: 3rd Jun 2021 08:49
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URL above is dead.

https://developer.apple.com/testflight/

is this still the "go to", otherwise? ie, worthy of the Sticky?
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