removr

Removr 1.3.3 approved after being rejected

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My recent Removr updates were rejected with the note:

“Please remove any references of iOS 5 from your release notes and/or application description.”

Thankfully, Apple no longer requires reuploading a binary when it’s rejected for metadata issues. Supposedly just changing the description (it now says ‘bug fixes’ rather than ‘now compatible with iOS 5’) and replying to the message in resolution center should be enough to have it reviewed again.

On a side note, I’ve heard that iOS 5 beta 2 resolves the issue with SQLite3 opening databases in the app bundle, although I haven’t verified it yet.

Update: Apple has approved the updates after simply changing the description without resubmitting the binary. Removr 1.3.3 & Removr Free 1.3.3 are now available.

Sugar Rush, Removr, and iOS 5

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I’ve been able to test my apps in iOS 5 and the only one that has an issue is Removr. Sugar Rush is 100% compatible with iOS 5 and doesn’t require an update.

Removr immediately returns to the menu when you tap play or try to go to a level. I’ve already fixed it and will submit the update after some further testing as soon as Apple accepts iOS 5 application updates.

There seems to be a change in SQLite’s behavior under iOS 5 which affected Removr. I’m storing the level maps as a SQLite database in the application bundle. In the current version, I’m opening the database as follows:


int err = sqlite3_open([self.dbpath UTF8String], &db);

Under iOS 5, that fails unless readonly mode is specified when opening the database. The simple fix was merely to specify read only mode as follows:


int err = sqlite3_open_v2([self.dbpath UTF8String], &db,SQLITE_OPEN_READONLY,NULL);

I will release a Removr beta in the next few days to anyone whose device ID I have (I can’t add any new devices until July 16).

Removr 1.3.1 rejected and resubmitted

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After a week in review, I finally got an email from Apple today saying that version 1.3.1 was rejected because:

Removr has the UIFileSharingEnabled key set to true in the Info.plist, but this feature is not functional.

When file sharing is enabled, the entire Documents folder is used for file sharing. Files that that are not intended for user access via the file sharing feature should be stored in another part of your application’s bundle. If your application does not require the file sharing feature, the UIFileSharingEnabled key in the Info.plist should not be set to true.

Removr does use file sharing to allow levels to be added using our level editor. I changed the way it works since the last version. Previously, I copied the internal level database to the document folder where it could be edited. I now look for files with the extension leveldb and add them as additional levels. For the benefit of the reviewers, I’ve also provided a sample level file.

I had originally intended 1.3.1 as an intermediate update to add some new levels & achievements while I perfected that feature, so I had it temporarily disabled, since I figure not too many people were using it. After I submitted it, I contined to work on that feature in a way to lay the groundwork for in-app purchasing, as well as creating new levels.

The newly re-submitted Removr 1.3.1 now has 100 levels instead of 96 with fully-functional file sharing. Hopefully this one won’t take too long to approve.

Current Status

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I submitted Removr 1.3.1 early last week and it’s been in review since Thursday 2/10. After 1.3.1, I have another minor update that will look for additional levels in the documents folder as well as support for purchasing additional levels.

In the future there will be two ways to expand levels. You can use the level editor and add leveldb files through iTunes file sharing, and eventually I’ll have in-app purchase for new level packs. The previous version copied the level database into the document directory, where it was accessible through iTunes. That was not a good solution since app updates which changed the levels would wipe out your changes, and it was possible to mess up the levels. It now only adds levels found in the document directory to the existing levels.

Video review of Removr

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Here’s a nice video review of Removr from TheTechWeb.

See more videos from TheTechWeb and subscribe here.

Look for an update to Removr coming soon. I got rid of a few levels I didn’t like and added several new levels. I’ve also added a few hidden achievements in Game Center.

Removr 1.3 is now available

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Removr 1.3 is now ready for sale. New in this version:

  • Now a universal app that runs on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
  • Updated to the latest version of Cocos2d with native retina display support
  • Removed the option to turn off accelerometer.

 

Removr is becoming universal

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I was originally planning to make a separate HD version of Removr with different levels designed especially for the larger screen, but after looking at several other games I saw that many of them use the same levels in the iPhone & iPad versions. Therefore, I decided to make a single universal version that supports iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The current levels work nicely when scaled up on the iPad, and I found that kids especially prefer to play it on the larger screen. I’m still doing some final testing and will hopefully submit it in a few days.