(For more resources related to this topic, see here.)

Manifest file

Many application details are specified in the manifest file. Thus, we will modify it to set the correct application name, description, as well as choose suitable tile images. we can adjust these settings on the Application UI page in the Manifest Designer.

Basic configuration

As presented in the following screenshot, set the Display Name field to Space Aim 3D, and adjust the Description field as well. What is more, we should choose the suitable App Icon, which is an image with size 100 x 100 pixels. It represents our application, thus we should provide the game with a proper icon that the user can easily recognize.

In the exemplary game, the icon shows the planet and a few asteroids, which are the main elements in the game. What is more, the image contains the game title. It is important, because we clear the content of the Tile Title setting. Thus the user will not see additional small text with a name of the application, after pinning the tile to the Start screen.

Tiles

Apart from some basic settings, we can also choose tile images. They will be shown on the default tile when the player taps the game to the Start screen.

we can also create secondary tiles, which could navigate to particular locations inside the application. However, such a solution is not shown in this article.

The Windows Phone 8 platform supports three kinds of tile templates: flip, iconic, and cycle. They differ by a way of presenting content. Of course, we can select a suitable one also in the Manifest Designer by choosing an option from the Tile Template list.

The flip tile template is the default option, which allows we to present two sides of the tile and flip between them. Thus, we can present the game logo on the front side and some more information on the other side. The tile flips automatically. we can specify settings regarding the background images, titles shown on the front and back sides, the content presented on the other side, as well as the number displayed on the tile.

The iconic tile template shows the content in a bit different way. Here, a small icon is used to present the application, together with an optional number, for example, regarding received messages in our project. Of course, we can set some properties, including the tile title, the image, as well as the background color.

The cycle tile template is the last available type, which makes it possible to present up to nine images that are changed automatically. Thus, it can be a suitable way to present a tile for the application which works with many images. In case of the cycle tile template, we can also adjust a few settings, such as the title or the shown images.

Tiles can be available in three sizes: small (159 x 159 pixels), medium (336 x 336), and large (691 x 336). The small and medium ones are mandatory, while the large one is optional.

With the usage of the Manifest Designer, it is very easy to prepare the basic version of the default tile for the application, just by selecting a suitable template type and choosing images which should be shown on the tile, depending on its size. we can also enable or disable the support for a large tile.

After adjusting the tiles, we may receive a result as shown in the following screenshot:

As we can see, the tile is presented in three various sizes: small, medium, and large. What is important, we do not just rescale the image, but provide three separate images in particular sizes, which look good regardless of the tile size. Here, we can also find the Space Aim 3D shortcut in the application list. However, we can expect that it appears in the Games group instead. Fortunately, we do not need to worry about it, because after downloading the game from the store, its shortcut will be shown in the proper place.

As we could remember, the flip data template, which we chose, can present two sides of the tile, but now we do not see this effect. Thus, in the following part of this section we will learn how to configure the default tile to support flipping and how to set the background image and the content at the back. To do so, we should open the WMAppManifest.xml file, but not in the Manifest Designer. we need to choose the View Code option from the context menu of this file.

What is interesting, the XML code contains information that we had set in a graphical way. Thus, it can be an additional way of adjusting some settings and adding more complex features, which are not supported directly by the Manifest Designer. The TemplateFlip node, specified in the WMAppManifest.xml file, is as follows:

<TemplateFlip>
  <SmallImageURI (...)> (...) </SmallImageURI>
  <Count>0</Count>
  <BackgroundImageURI (...)> (...) </BackgroundImageURI>
  <Title></Title>
  <BackContent>Let's avoid asteroids and reach the target 
     planet!</BackContent>
  <BackBackgroundImageURI></BackBackgroundImageURI>
  <BackTitle>Space Aim 3D</BackTitle>
  <LargeBackgroundImageURI (...)> (...) </LargeBackgroundImageURI>
  <LargeBackContent>Let's avoid asteroids, reach the target 
   planet, and see players in the vicinity!</LargeBackContent>
  <LargeBackBackgroundImageURI(...)></LargeBackBackgroundImageURI>
  <DeviceLockImageURI></DeviceLockImageURI>
  <HasLarge>True</HasLarge>
</TemplateFlip>

Here, we specify the BackContent, BackTitle, and LargeBackContent elements to adjust a way of presenting the back side of the tile. The first setting is a string which will be displayed on the other side of the medium-sized tile. The second setting is the title shown on the back side (regardless of the tile size), while the other is a string shown on the large tile.

When we deploy the application to the emulator or the phone, and tap it to the start screen, we should see that the tile flips automatically, and it should present some additional content on the back side. What is more, it differs depending on the tile size, as shown in the following screenshots:

The Windows Phone 8 platform also supports live tiles, which present the content received from the Internet and are updated automatically. Such a kind of tiles can use either the push notifications or the local notifications.

Remaining settings

we have completed the basic configuration of the application, as well as learned how to set up the default tile. However, a few other modifications are necessary on the Packaging tab. Here, we specify the author and publisher data, as well as a version of the application. Other tabs (Capabilities and Requirements) remain unchanged, because we made the required modifications earlier.

Rating by the users

While designing the web screen, we created the button which should allow the user to rate the game. we can easily implement this functionality with the MarketplaceReviewTask class, which is another launcher used in the exemplary game. we need to modify the Rate method of the webViewModel class, as shown in the following code snippet:

private void Rate()
{
  MarketplaceReviewTask task = new MarketplaceReviewTask();
  task.Show();
}

Here, we create a new instance of the MarketplaceReviewTask class (from the Microsoft.Phone.Tasks namespace) and call the Show method. When this part of code is executed, the review page is opened, where the user can rate and review the current application.

Release version

The development environment for programming the Windows Phone 8 applications is equipped with many advanced features regarding their debugging. Such functionalities may require a bit different form of the code, which can be executed slower, but provide the developers with additional possibilities during development. For this reason, it is important to prepare the release version (retail) of the game before publishing.

we can easily generate the release version of the .xap file (with the data of wer application) using the IDE. To do it, we should change two options located next to the green triangle, and a selection of the emulator or device, as shown in the following screenshot. Here, we should indicate that we want to use the Release mode, as well as the ARM platform. Then, we should select Build and Rebuild Solution options to generate the suitable version of the .xap file. Now, we can proceed to the process of testing our game and preparing for submission to the store!

Store Test Kit

Some testing operations are simplified by the Store Test Kit, which allows to perform a set of automatic and manual tests. They can be used to verify many requirements that should be met to accept the application in the store.

we can open the tool by choosing the Open Store Test Kit option from the context menu of the SpaceAim3D project (not solution), or by choosing the Open Store Test Kit entry from the Project menu. The tool contains three pages: Application Details, Automated Tests, and Manual Tests. we will learn how to use all of them in this section.

Application details

In the first page we should specify some details regarding the application, including the store tile image with size 300 x 300 pixels. Apart from it, we need to choose a set of screenshots for each supported screen resolution. It is important to add at least one screenshot and not more than eight. Each of them should be provided in proper resolution, that is, 480 x 800 (WVGA), 768 x 1280 (WXGA), and 720 x 1280 (720P).

The Application Details page is shown in the following screenshot:

In case of applications running in the landscape mode (as in case of wer game), we should provide images that are not rotated, that is, as captured in the emulator.

we can make screenshots either in the emulator (using the Screenshot tab in the Additional Tools window) or on the phone. In the latter case, we should press the Start and power buttons. When a screenshot is taken correctly, a shutter sound is played and the image is saved in a suitable album.

The Application Package field is a read-only textbox, where a path to the .xap file is shown. It is worth mentioning that it indicates the Release version for ARM, thus it is exactly the same version as we generated earlier.

Automated tests

The second page is named Automated Tests. By clicking on the Run Tests button, we run a basic verification of wer project regarding the submission requirements, for example, whether the .xap file size is correct, as well as we provide the suitable icons and screenshots. If all tests are passed, we will receive a result as shown in the following screenshot. Otherwise, some additional notes are shown. In such a situation, we need to fix errors and run the tests once again.

It is important to note that passing all automated tests does not mean that the application does not contain any errors which could prevent the project from being accepted in the store.

Manual tests

Additional verification can be performed manually, by using the Manual Tests tab in the Store Test Kit. Here, we have a list of test cases and their descriptions. we should follow them and manually indicate whether the test is passed or failed as shown in the following screenshot:

Simulation Dashboard

The exemplary game may be used in various conditions, often significantly different than our testing environment. For instance, the player can have a limited access to the Internet or switched off the location services. For this reason, we should try to test our project in many situations. Such a process can be simplified by the Simulation Dashboard tool. we can open it by choosing the Simulation Dashboard option from the Tools menu. Its window is shown in the following screenshot:

This tool makes it possible to simulate some specific network conditions, by choosing a proper network speed and signal strength. we can choose 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, and No Network options as the speed, as well as Good, Average, and Poor as the Signal Strength. Thus, we can check how our application behaves if we need to download some data from the Internet using the slower network connection, or even whether the game responds correctly in case of no network access.

Apart from the network simulation, the Simulation Dashboard allows we to lock and unlock the screen just by choosing a suitable option from the Lock Screen group.

The last supported testing feature is named Reminders. Just after pressing the Trigger Reminder button, the reminder is shown in the emulator. Thus, we can easily check how wer application reacts in such a situation.

Windows Phone Application Analysis

Apart from testing the project in real-world conditions, it is important to check its performance and try to eliminate problems in this area. Fortunately, the Windows Phone Application Analysis tool is integrated with the IDE, and we can use it to measure the performance of various parts of our game. The tool can be started by selecting the Start Windows Phone Application Analysis option from the Debug menu.

After launching, we should have the Execution option selected, thus we can click on the Start Session (App will start) element. It automatically starts our game in the emulator, if it is selected as the target. Then, a process of collecting data is started, and we can use the application in various ways to check the performance of its several areas. For instance, we can start by spending some time on the Menu screen, then we launch the game and play ten levels, return to the menu, and open additional screens (such as Ranks, Map, or World). When we want to finish collecting performance data, we should click on the End Session (App will exit) option. Then, the process of collecting data stops and the report is created, which can take some time.

The .sap file is generated for each analysis session. It is saved in the directory of the managed project, and can be later opened and analyzed using the IDE.

The Windows Phone Application Analysis tool presents a lot of important data related to the game performance, including both the managed and the native parts. The graph, presented in the main part of the window, shows the CPU usage at a particular time, as shown in the following screenshot. we can easily analyze which part of our application causes performance issues, and we may try to improve them.

As we can see in the preceding screenshot, the performance results for the Space Aim 3D game are expectable and reasonable. In case of the Menu screen, the CPU usage is very low. It grows significantly for the Game page, but here we need to perform a lot of operations, for example, related to rendering many objects in the 3D game world. What is interesting, the CPU usage grows slightly while consecutive levels, but also on the tenth level, the game works smoothly both in the emulator and on the phone. As soon as we exit to the main menu, the CPU usage decreases almost immediately. The remaining part is related to opening the following game screens: Ranks, Map, World, and others.

The possibilities of the Windows Phone Application Analysis are not limited only to drawing the graph of the CPU usage. we can also see the Hot Path information, which lets us know what part of code uses the most processing power. In our case, it is the region that renders 3D objects on the screen, using Direct3D. What is more, we can click on a name of the particular function to open another view, which shows more details. By using the tool, we can even analyze the performance of particular lines of code, as shown in the following screenshot:

Available features make it significantly easier to find a bottleneck causing performance problems. By running the Windows Phone Application Analysis tool multiple times, while making modifications in the code, we can see how wer changes reflect in the performance.