GameSalad made my app get rejected.
InflatusGames
Member Posts: 5
This just makes me angry.
I made an app with the GameSalad free version (I realized NOW that GameSalad puts ads on them; they aren't too keen on letting free users know about that before it's too late). I submitted the binary to Apple, waited a whole week for it to go from "waiting for review" to "in review." Less then a day later, Apple rejected me for the following reason:
"2.25: Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected, unless designed for a specific approved need (e.g. health management, aviation, accessibility, etc.) or which provide significant added value for a specific group of customers
2.25
Your app displays apps, other than your own, for purchase or promotion. This is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.
Specifically, your app contains a section that includes 3rd-party apps from other developers. The attached screenshot has been provided to help show this issue.
It would be appropriate to remove this feature from your app to be in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines."
When I made the app, it had zero ads. GameSalad doesn't let free users put ads that make the actual DEVELOPERS any money. So, when I was submitting the binary, I didn't check any of the boxes involving whether my app uses third party ads, or any ads for that matter.
My app gets rejected for that very reason.
It's complete bogus. There's a banner of other GameSalad games that takes up just about a third of the screen! I don't think it's even possible to play the game with that stupid banner there.
I could rant on and on about all the faults of GameSalad, such as how it made me RESTART MY ENTIRE APP 20 TIMES! (not actually that many, but you get my point). But the point is: GameSalad SUCKS. It's buggy, the preview doesn't work half the time, and the project file gets corrupted the other half of the time. Yes, I do realize GameSalad is still in beta. Yes, I do realize that Windows Creator has always been buggy, much buggier than the Mac Creator. But Jesus, I'm not paying $300 just so I can remove the stupid GameSalad ads that won't let me put my game on the App Store in the first place!
To all you potential GameSalad developers, I have a message for you: DON'T FALL FOR IT. If you don't spend $300, then you are disregarded and ignored as an amateur who doesn't know what he or she is doing. I'd rather spend years learning real Objective-C on X code than have to deal with some crappy developing engine, supposedly in "beta," yet it is a paid service.
Don't waste your money. Don't waste your time. Please don't, because I did.
Comments
Oops I almost forgot the screenshot: http://postimg.org/image/831muk6j7/
...
Then move on to another sdk that's free that suites your needs. Seems to suite others just fine.
BTW if you looked at the list that showed the pro vs the basic you would have seen
'Mandatory Interstitial Ads' so much for buyer beware.
Cute hehe...
what do people actually expect nowadays??? That you can get ANYTHING you need in order to make the next Flappy Bird FOR FREE and on top of it earn a lot of money, but are not able to spend a dime themselves?
Wake up dude... Business is business... if you want to earn you have to spend... it´s the oldest rule of the world.
Have a look out there for systems similar to GameSalad... and see what you´ll get...
and if you want to do it all on your own and not depend on anyone else... LEARN CODING AND DO IT YOURSELF!!!
But don´t spit blood because of your own intellectual inferiority and inform you BEFORE you start your "project" ;-)
Good luck for your business
I thought Apple was now approving apps with GS ads in them (free users). If not there isn't much of a point in being a free member.
If you are serious about it 300 is nothing. Try making one on your own. Or better yet try hiring someone. 300 a year is nothing. A professional app developer in the US can make up to 100-120 an hour.
Try opening up a small business for 300 a year (or 400 if you count apple developer). A small business start up could cost you thousands.
Hit the zoom out button and see the big picture. (Pull on your left ear twice and it zooms out your view on things).
Just YAWN
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The sense of entitlement some people have! Why should people work for years so you can publish your game for nothing.
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I don't know what's more adorable. The post or the agree.
I think the responses in this thread are, frankly, disgusting. The whole thing reeks of arrogant superiority.
This is a serious problem and a legitimate issue that isn't being openly addressed by GameSalad.
It is NOT very clear when you first start using GameSalad that being a free member means forced ads. They do state it now (something they didn't always do), but it DOES come as a surprise to a lot of people. Snide comments made once they're completed their game and found the problem achieve nothing.
It is NOT stated ANYWHERE that making a game with a free version of GameSalad will get your app rejected. That's the situation now. The free version of GameSalad is literally nothing but a demo, and that is not clear. People put many hours into making games only to find out when they submit that they used a completely crippled free version. That's not funny. Some of the replies here are just mean-spirited and nasty. Shame on you.
$300 isn't "nothing". A lot of people are drawn to GameSalad as it enables them to make games. That's their motivation. Not making money. Sure they'd love to make money, but not everyone has $300 to finance a hobby where they have, realistically, very little chance of a return on that investment. It pisses me off when people say things like "if you're serious $300 is nothing". It may be nothing to you, but it's a lot of money to a lot of people.
The bottom line is GameSalad present it as a FREE version, not a non-submittable DEMO version. I feel your pain @InfaltusGames, I went through a similar thing. When I did it they made ZERO mention of the ads ANYWHERE, but at least games weren't being rejected for them. Now they make ZERO mention ANYWHERE that they cripple games made with the free "demo" version so they're not submittable to the app store.
And this is yet another thing where we have a MAJOR problem and radio silence from GameSalad.
So rather than try to resolve this user's legitimate problem the answer is to move on to another SDK? I sure as hell hope that isn't the attitude of GameSalad staff (though it does appear to be). And as I already noted, it says "Mandatory Intersititial Ads". How is a complete newcomer going to know that means "Your app will be rejected"?
What happened to this community helping and supporting newcomers?
Ah a good bit of patronisation. Valuable.
But that's not how it's presented to potential users and it's not always the motivation. It is NOT clear that the free version of GameSalad is a demo only and not suitable for submitting to the App Store. Users don't get presented with this ultimatum until after they've completed their game.
I get so tired of seeing this argument trotted out. Even then you're still dependent on Apple, but that's not the point. People are drawn to GameSalad, us included, because we can't or don't want to code. So don't throw that in people's faces, it's petty.
Where exactly? And nice, you called him stupid. That helped a lot. And subtle belittling of his hard work too, classy.
So now we're mocking people for raising legitimate issues and being pissed they waste probably dozens of hours of their lives under the - legitimate - belief that they were going to be able to release a game that they're now told - at the final hurdle - they can't release without stumping up $300? I'm sure he really appreciates being told how boring he is.
Because that's exactly what they say they're doing?
I know what's most childish and patronising but it comes a lot later in the thread...
And then we have a moderator jumping in to insult the new user. Classy.
This thread makes me ashamed to be a part of this community.
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For the record the moderator you're referring to was me. I posted a video to lighten the situation, not aimed at the new user, but "inspired" by another member's post.
You insult me by saying I insult new users. Anyhow, I've deleted the video, it was a lack of judgement on my part, aimed at an attempt at lightening the tone of a thread.
""You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." - Zork temp domain http://spidergriffin.wix.com/alphaghostapps
I would say a video mocking a new user's post as boring is insulting to at least one new user.
For the record though, I have absolutely no problem with removing my references to any of the belittling or insulting posts here if the said posts are removed.
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I would say you're out to cause upset, not taking in the words I wrote explaining why I posted the video of the yawning man (taken from a famous family film classic) and my free admission that it was a lack of judgement on my part.
""You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." - Zork temp domain http://spidergriffin.wix.com/alphaghostapps
I think my posts are a perfectly legitimate response to the already inflammatory nature of this thread. If it's acceptable to speak to new users this way (the whole thread, not your post specifically), even if their posts are clearly venting a significant amount of frustration and not in an entirely constructive way, then these forums really have lost their way and are not the welcoming and kind community we like to think of ourselves as. I've lost respect for people while reading this thread.
I read your reasoning for your post, and that's fair enough. But it was still insulting to the thread starter, and I was responding directly to your comment that I insulted you.
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I like helping and supporting newcomers. I do it all the time and I don't think I have been this critically of anyone before. The way @InflatusGames has gone about getting his issues addressed is inflammatory and appalling. It's immature like a child in the sand pit throwing his toy because it wont do what he wants.
If he would have asked or searched the forum he would know that Apple recently made some changes which have caused problems in this area for GS. It will get sorted and it may take some time. Why didn't he contact GS directly to get an answer? I have said it before I'll defend anyones right to hold GS's feet to the fire on the promises they make and break, false advertising, etc. But never when it is done in this manner.
No it is not. They are placing adds in the games to make money.
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Actually, it was your "perfectly legitimate response" which made me wake up (I'm not the best in the mornings) and so making the decision to remove the lighthearted video - a lack of judgement to have posted it in the first place which I realised would be misunderstood (but obviously not removed quickly enough).
"But it was still insulting to the thread starter" - I don't know how you know that (do you know the person who started the thread) but I agree it could have been taken as that - but I say again, I had no intention of insulting the thread-starter, or anyone else for that matter, - merely an attempt to lighten the atmosphere of a thread I thought would begin to get out of control - despite you still thinking otherwise, I suspect.
You made some good points but I'm not keen to underline or agree with any of them (with any of my particular perfectly legitimate responses) because of your aggressive (and slightly arrogant) attitude (though I can understand your annoyance, to be fair).
I'd suggest we leave it there otherwise this thread will be derailed even more; and also suggest we all get back to the main discussion.
""You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." - Zork temp domain http://spidergriffin.wix.com/alphaghostapps
Was his post inflammatory? Absolutely. Was he clearly upset and frustrated and feeling betrayed? Clearly. Does that give us a right to mock him? No. Does it gives us a right to belittle him? No.
Why should there be the expectation that he search the forums to find recent changes by Apple that GameSalad can't be bothered to inform their users about? How is that even vaguely a reasonable expectation of someone who - for all we know - know nothing about publishing games except what he learned using GameSalad?
When Apple make major changes that fundamentally affect the functionality of the free version of GameSalad it's entirely reasonable to expect GameSalad to inform users of this. They've had months.
Was his post misguided? Perhaps. Did it include some valid points? Absolutely. Could he have made them in a more constructive way? Completely. But "he was childish so I was childish back!" is an argument that has no place even inside a classroom.
Well right now they're not. They're not making money as the games can't be submitted. But the free version is a loss-leader designed to encourage people to upgrade to pro, not to make money from the inserted adverts.
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The point is.... 300 is NOT a lot of money for a hobby that can reach the entire globe and have potential to make profit.
I don't care who you are. 300 can be raised in a matter of weeks. If you want it you'll get it. Mow rake wash cars. It will happen.
And the tone of the original poster was slamming a completely free service for its faults.
Let me repeat that.... He was slamming a COMPLETELY FREE SERVICE (cost nothing to the user) ( I reiterate free as in 0) ( that's zero pennies) ( I reiterate.... Take 1 penny and subtract 1 penny from that and that = 0).
Even with all it's faults he was getting the service free.
And 300 IS nothing in comparison to a hobby that reaches the globe or a small business that reaches CONTINENTS.
I do feel for him for wasting the time. Time is money. But he could have said all of that in a better way. He invited it.
Perhaps my attitude is aggressive, but bullying always makes me see red. And that's what this thread essentially is. It's far from the first I've seen of this nature and tone, too.
A reminder, then: The main discussion is that GameSalad do not inform new users that the free version is not suitable for submitting games to the App Store and that it is essentially a demo version for you to try out making games, and that you need to pay the $300 to publish anything. Not only that, they actively imply that you can publish with the free version. I'd go so far as to say they outright state it.
GameSalad should not be surprised that there will be angry users when they discover this is not true.
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Wow. Another mod at fault and insulting new members. Is that part of the mods jobs these days.
So according to the mods. Its alright to insult and post insulting contents if its too early in the morning. Interesting.
I admire people who post legit issues. I admire more people who take the time and guts to stand up to these issues and have the guts to speak up. People need to stop worrying about what people on the forums thinks. Its clearly not a good place since mods and other members have little respect. Or telling people to move to another sdk.
If you stand up for what's right who cares what these keyboard warriors type.
Hopefully this can be sorted out professionally by the actual people who need to be involved.
But the $300 isn't really the point... There would be no issue if it was stated upfront: "To be able to publish games using GameSalad you will have to pay the $300 Pro fee."
That's not what's said.
I want to live in your world where anyone can make money just because they want to.
But the point is it ISN'T a completely free service. It was presented to him as one and after his hours of hard work he discovers it (currently at least) ISN'T completely free.
I'll state that again: GameSalad is currently NOT FREE IF YOU WANT TO PUBLISH TO IOS.
Let me ask you all this:
Imagine you are back in school, and sitting in a classroom with your friends. You're all in the final year of school and comfortable, confident. Suddenly a first-year student bursts into the classroom crying and screaming about a teacher that just gave him detention for not doing homework he wasn't actually told about.
"Haha you should have known Mr Brown gives out detentions for no reason!" one of your friends tells him.
"Move to a different school if you don't like it here," another suggests.
"It's not our fault you're too stupid to avoid Mr Brown," you pipe up.
"This school is free, you shouldn't be so entitled! The odd unreasonable detention is what you have to expect!" another friend throws out.
"Aww how cute, he's having a rage," says another of your group.
Several others just laugh at him, uninterested in the boy's distress, but making absolutely sure he knows how little he matters to them. This is kind of situation that happens in schools all the time. It would make me angry every time I saw it.
Is this a reasonable way to treat the boy? Is it a reasonable way to treat a new member of these forums?
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I approached a company 4 years ago to make an educational game for me. They quoted me 12,000 dollars. Yes 12 G's.
I published my first app on a FREE gs account. It had those crappy ads on it... And still made about 100 dollars.
It can be done.
And where are you from that 300 can't be raised in "weeks"??
No, no it can't if you can't even get your app accepted to the App Store. I'm starting to feel like a broken record making that point.
And as to the $300... I'm from the world.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17512040
More than a third of the world's population live on less than $2 a day.
Even in a country like England or the USA there are hundreds of reasons why $300 might be too much for someone to put together. Perhaps they're unemployed but still have children to support. Perhaps they have a disability. Perhaps they live in a part of country where there literally are no jobs to be had, and to wash cars they'd be competing with dozens of others. (I live less than 5 minutes away from at least 8 places where I can get my car washed for £3.)
Contact me for custom work - Expert GS developer with 15 years of GS experience - Skype: armelline.support
@Armelline Not really. I used the free version for a while before saving up to buy the Pro version. Whilst I agree on mocking someone for not having $300 (that just is not right), Gamesalad CLEARLY STATES that mandatory adverts are part of GS Free
Now I don't know enough of how iAds works and Apples constant crusade to remain control freaks over everything they do but if GS and Apple need to resolve something, then they should. However, without constructive threads on the issue, it will just get ignored
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Gamesalad is free to publish to ios.
Apple made a policy change a few weeks ago that broke gamesalads current method. There have been many methods. This police change was part of a larger change ( remember reading all about the backlash about rewarding people for watching ads? That part was reversed)
Gamesalad has already posted in one if the hundred threads about this that they are working to fix it. They found out about It the same time we do. And as a company relying on that feature to support their ability to offer it for free, it's going to take them longer to come up with an alternative.
If you have a problem with a mods behavior, feel free to PM all of us, @forumninja or anyone else on the gs staff.
I am debating whether to close this thread since it is basically just trolling. The frustration is legit. The expression and resulting discussion has detailed.
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Seriously. Read the the posts @jonhutto . You can't use GS free version to publish to ios. Its false advertising. Not everyone reads the forums and I can understand why. A business is advertising a product that doesn't perform to what is stated. Thats a news headline right there. This new rule has been out for some time now and it was noticed well before it actually happened.
I don't see why there is an argument here. The facts are all there.
What a ridiculous and inciteful thing to write. I won't bother explaining why I wrote that to your narrow and prejudiced mind, your comment being the latest attack on anyone who is a moderator.
Except to say your willingness to stoke up, twist and/or reinterprete a decision, judgement or misjudgement (this last one freely admitted to by me in this particular case) - if any of those are made by a moderator, is not acceptable in these Forums. (Written by a Moderator).
I suggest you need to learn a bit of common respect for all members - mods or not. I also suggest you stop having a poke a me anymore and discuss the issues in hand.
""You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." - Zork temp domain http://spidergriffin.wix.com/alphaghostapps
Currently it is not. It may be free in intention but it is not in effect.
A post in a thread on the forums is not a sufficient way of informing your users. It is entirely reasonable to expect that many users - such as the starter of this thread - would not see it. I read these forums extensively and I've not seen any direct comment from GameSalad about it, even after originally pointing it out as a problem weeks ago before the first rejection was even in.
But this wasn't really my issue, my issue was with the insulting way the thread starter was treated and the casual way it was accepted.
But they don't state that those mandatory ads will result in your game being reject from the App Store. That's the problem. Not the ads, the resulting rejection. The end result is that the free version cannot be used to submit to the App Store.
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This new rule to do with ads was a recent change in policy by Apple, GameSalad are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible. It's a little unfair to blame GameSalad for this situation.
Now your threatening me.?!
For pointing out what YOU did. The wrong you did. I expected a mod to be a good representative for a company.
Oh please do explain. I am sure it will contain more insults. I have to say I am disappointed by the responses. Your just digging yourself a deeper hole.