Android Tutorial (for Windows)

Twayne2

Should I make an Android publishing tutorial for everyone? I figured everything out and even helped publish a game. (UltimateRunner.) It's pretty easy. It could help newcomers too.

tatiang

Sounds like a great idea!

Twayne2

Okey dokey then. I will try to be clear.

Twayne2

Well I tried a video, and after probably 30 minutes I gave up, I mean on that way, due to personal info and what not lol. I can explain the tutorial via words though. Here I go:
Before you start, you may want to creat some extra folders for some of the following files, so you can access them easier. Just a suggestion.
1. Go to Gamesalad cookbook
a. For Mac - http://help.gamesalad.com/gamesalad-cookbook/publishing/4-android-publishing/4-01-getting-started-with-android/
b. For Windows - http://help.gamesalad.com/windows-cookbook/publishing/android-publishing/1-getting-started-with-android/
Use the above links to follow along if you want to.
2. Download file
a. Just go to link from the cookbook:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk8-downloads-2133151.html
b. Accept the agreement and download.
3. Know where it is stored
a. I don't know about Mac, but for Windows it is stored in Windows (C:): This PC: Program files: Java.
4. Gamesalad Cookbook again - Download this file
a. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkhef9hcwz42l8a/android-sdk-macosx.zip?dl=0
5. Put the new file in a folder, prefeabbly somewhere easy to access.
a. i put mine on Desktop
6. Publish your game in Gamesalad
a. In the Gamesalad software, (or in the online creator, I don't know,) publish your game. For Windows, you go to file - then publish
7. Choose add new game to Portfolio
8. Click or press Android
9. Are you concerned about all of those pop-ups? It seems to be scary every time you do that lol. But don't be. It turns out to be fairly simple. You can read the question booklets to the right of most of the information. I would advise doing so.
a. At the top left, fill in a 512px by 512px icon for your launcher icon, i.e., that little thing you press on the home screen to get into the game. Gamesalad shrinks the size for you.
(Optional) o. Right next to that icon, click or press the little pencil to rename your game in the portfolio, if you want to.
b. "Nickname". This is what appears on the left column under platforms. This helps distinguish your Android publish versus your IOS publish, etc.
c. "Android Package Name". This is Java way of differentiating your apps and games appart. You fill in with, as the example given, "com.mystudio.mygame". You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_package#Package_naming_conventions
This helped me some: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6273892/android-package-name-convention
d. "Display Name". The name of your game, somewhere.
e. "Android Version Code". Important: This must be changed everytime you submit an update to an integer higher. Start with one and go to up to 2, then 3, 4, 5, etc.
f. "Publicly Visible version". What the players and users are going to see as the game version. This does not have to be changed by integers and doesn't necessarily have to be changed every time as you do the version code. For example, after a ton of closed beta updates, you want the players to probably see 1.0, not 4.5 or 5.6 on the first release.
g. "Minimum SDK level". Gamesalad games are not gigantic games, at least in comparison to first-person shooters probably are, so the SDK level can be left low I would think. I guess this means if you think older devices versus newer devices can take the game or not. I am not really sure about this one.
h. "Hardware". Check these as you see fit. I do not know what the first option is, the second is pretty clear, so is the third, and the fourth means if you want player to leave your game when pressing the button at the bottom right, you know, the back arrow.
i. "Extra permissions Required". I think this is un-changeable due to Gamesalad itself.
j. "Touchscreen". Are you pressing several spots on the screen at once or only at one spot at a time? Or maybe not at all? Decide for yourself.
k. "Aspect Ratio". Read about it here and decide for yourself: http://help.gamesalad.com/gamesalad-cookbook/1-getting-started/1-05-aspect-ratios-and-you/
l. "Custom Loading Wheel". When your game loads from the beginning, or another scene, or maybe something else, a loading symbol appears, and if you want it to be different this is where you upload a .png image 128px by 128px.
m. "Custom Launch Image". At the beginning of the game it says something like "powered by Gamesalad". You can change that here.
n. "Service Configuration". Check all of the services you use. Or check none of them.
10. Scroll up and click or press "Generate APK".
(Optional) o. You can close those pop-ups that pop up, or read them. It can entertain you for a little bit, especially if you go ''brush up on your knowledge of Gamesalad", or whatever it says. (Good advice by the way.)
a. Wait until a pop-up that says congratulations pops up. By the way, congratulations by the way on getting this far. Close that pop-up and/or click or press the "Download APK" button.
11. Now open up Gamesalad. At the top it says tools, select it, and then select "APK Signer".
12. More stuff to fill out.
Signing Tools Location
a. The first thing to fill out is the keytool. Press the three dots and go to that Java file you installed earlier. (Program Files/ Java). Select the jdk .exe file. Select bin. Select that keytool application.
b. The second thing to fill out involves almost the exact same process. Go to Program Files, Java, the jdk .exe file, bin, but then select the jarsigner application.
c. The third thing to fill out is the file from the dropbox, (android-sdk). Go to build-tools, open the next thing, and find the zipalign application.
Keystore
a. Click or press on new, and save the keystore as something. Probably it would be good to save it in its own folder. You will use this for all of your games.
b. Give it a password. I would advise a strong one.
c. Repeat the password.
Key
a. Give your key, in other words, your specific way to sign your apps and games and then submit the APKs to the Google Play Console, a name.
b. Give it a password. I would once cagain advise a strong one, but also probably a different one. (You don't have to.)
c. Repeat the password.
d. Fill out everything else.
13. For the next part, find your APK file you downloaded earlier from the portfolio. it is the long named file with a bunch of capital letters. It should be in the downloads section. Select the file.
14. Click or press on sign.
15. Give the new, signed APK a name.
16. After a few moments the pop-up "APK Signed." should pop-up.
17. Celebrate. Pat yourself on the back. Throw a hat up in the air. Celebrate.
18. Now more stuff, but it is not related to Gamesalad, so there are tutorials on it already. Here is one:
I hope this helps someone and gets me likes hehe. (Wrong motive?)
P.S. New record long post? Took a while lol.

Twayne2

Any corrections? Please tell me. Thanks.

Twayne2

Oh and by the way, by following these steps I was successful in helping get a game on Android. So it should work.

Twayne2

@adent42 Could you please change the title to Windows Android Publishing Tutorial please? And move this post up to the top? Thanks.

Twayne2

Thanks for the title change @adent42.