Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
In Figure
10-3
, we see the screen in iTunes Connect where in-app purchases are listed. We can see
that we added two: one for each additional type of actor the user can add to the game. For each
in-app purchase, we see a reference name, a product ID, a product type, and the product status.
The reference name is for internal use—it will not be seen by the user. The product ID is a unique
name, used across all iOS applications, that identifies the purchase. The product ID will be how we
reference this purchase in code.
The type refers to the different purchase types we discussed earlier—in this case, nonconsumable.
The status value indicates what is required for this in-app purchase to be accepted by Apple. (Apple
must review each in-app purchase you create, much like how each app must be reviewed before
sale.) In this case, we are informed that Apple is waiting for screenshots of the purchase before it will
review it. The screenshots are not shown to the user—they just give context to Apple about what the
in-app purchase is. In Figure
10-4
, we see the view in iTunes Connect that is used to create a new
in-app purchase.
Figure 10-4.
A new in-app purchase
Item A in Figure
10-4
shows where we enter our reference name for the in-app purchase. Item B
shows the Product ID for the in-app purchase. In order for you to create the in-app purchase, you must
provide the localized strings for the in-app purchase by clicking the Add Language button (item C).
Under the Pricing and Availability section of Figure
10-4
, you must set the item as cleared for sale, at
item D, for you to test the purchase. You must also specify a Price Tier at item E. The price tiers are
the same as the tiers for an application, with the exception that there is no free tier.
Once you have in-app purchases defined for you application, you must configure a test user so you
can test your purchases. It is highly recommended that you test your in-app purchases before you
submit your application.
