Frequently Asked Questions (iOS)

General Questions

How do I get started with creating iOS games using Stencyl?

We have a complete guide to getting started with iOS game creation here. Our guide features articles and videos to help you get up and running quickly.

What are the system requirements for creating iOS games?

• iOS Developer License from Apple
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Lion
• iOS SDK 4 or 5

If you’re not on a Mac, you will only need the iOS Developer License from Apple.

Why do we require the iOS SDK on Macs?

Stencyl games run directly inside the iOS Simulator or on your iOS device.

Do I need to install the iOS SDK to publish iOS games?

Yes, if you’re on a Mac. The SDK lets you run games directly inside the iOS Simulator or on your iOS device.

If you're not on a Mac, you can publish and test games via our web server. Whether that setup works for you is something you can decide by trialing it. About a third of our customers are in this boat and have found success.

Are Stencyl-made iOS games native?

Yes, Stencyl produces fast, native Objective-C games, just as if you were coding with Xcode. We don’t use anything like Adobe’s converter or PhoneGap behind the scenes.

Where can I go for help?

Stencyl’s user community forums have a specific section for iOS-related questions. You can find them here.

Going Pro

Can I publish to the App Store without a subscription?

No, a Pro license is required to publish games to the App Store.

What is the watermark?

We show a small reminder to upgrade to Pro. This makes no difference in reality because a Pro subscription is required to publish to the App Store anyway.

Can I test on my device without a subscription?

Yes, as long as you've got Apple's developer license, you can test regardless of what you're on.

How much does an iOS Pro subscription cost?

See this page.

Does it work on Windows/Linux? Are there any limitations?

Yes, you can develop on Windows or Linux, but you won’t be able to test your game in the iOS Simulator. Pro subscribers can use the StencylBuilder service to generate a game which they can load onto their device. See our Stencyl TV section for how this is done.

What happens when Stencyl supports new platforms (Android or HTML5, for example)?

We will give our subscribers a special offer as thanks for adopting our toolset early on.

Do I need to pay Apple $99 for a developer's license?

Yes, Apple requires you to have purchased a developer’s license in order to publish to the App Store.

Can I try out StencylBuilder without having a Pro license?

Yes, if you don't have a subscription, it will route to the trial server instead and spit back a trial build for you.

Publishing

How do I generate certificates? Can it be done on a PC?

See our publishing guide which has a section on certificates. PC users should check out this link from Adobe.

Do I need a Mac to submit the final version of my game to the App Store?

Yes, Apple requires anyone who wants to submit an app to the App Store to do so from a Mac. It doesn’t have to be your own Mac; you can ask a friend or utilize a cloud service to submit your game for you. Or, if you’re just making a free app, many Stencyl developers have their own accounts and would be happy to submit your game for you.

How do I submit my game to the App Store via a Mac?

We have a complete guide to setting up your game, and publishing it to the App Store, here. You can also watch a video on setting up development provisioning profiles here.

Troubleshooting

I can't test games on my device.

Check this article, which contains all the possible causes and solutions.

When testing on the device, I get something like Code Sign Error: The identity 'iPhone Developer' doesn't match and valid [...]

Many things can cause this. The first is this: do you have Apple's iOS developer license, and did you install the certificates on your computer? If so, then read on.

The simplest solution is to, in Xcode, go to Window > Organizer and then right-click your device in the list and select 'Add Device to Provisioning Portal'

If this does not work, try reinstalling your certificates on your system (Step 1 in our publishing guide)

I can't test anything in the iOS Simulator!

If you have Xcode 4.2, this might come up. The solution is to set the iOS Simulator Version in Mobile Game Settings > Versions to 5.0. If it's set to 4.3, it will not work.

If you've already done that, try picking the "Reset Content and Settings" menu item in the iOS Simulator. This did magic things that fixed problems for one user who had exhausted all other options.

I have Xcode 4.3 and iOS SDK 5.1. I'm having a hard time testing.

Apple changed some things around. We've fixed this for Stencyl 2.0.

Why does testing on the device take so long?

If you test on your device from Xcode, there is a long lag time between when your hit run and when the game begins loading (the loading bar shows up).

This is not Stencyl's fault - it's an inherent part of the Xcode debugging process in which the app is transferred to the device and is set up in debug mode. Your apps will load much quicker in real-world situations, and the only load time that is attributable to Stencyl is the time between when the loading bar shows and the game begins.

LkePneForest
I am doing the first crash course 2.2.0 (b502). I ran it on my IBM without problems. But on my Mac I get "Flash-10-mac" can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer. Your security preferences allows installation of only apps from the Mac App Store and identified developers". I am running Mountain Lion on the Mac and XCode Version 4.5.1 (4G1004). I am also running IOS 6.0 on my Apple devices. I am currently an Apple developer only and am interested in testing on my devices.
0 7 months, 3 weeks ago

manchildbenny
Wasn't 1.3 suppose to come out today? Where is it?
0 1 year, 5 months ago

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