Meeting Gameplay: Uploading Virtual Controllers

Have you ever wondered where all those Virtual Controllers you've been using to play games come from? Have you wished you could share your own Controller creations? This guide has the answers to your questions! Find out how to share Virtual Controllers with the community and more within!

Introduction

If you’re new to GestureWorks Gameplay, the Beginner’s Guide is a good place to start. {LINK REMOVED}The Beginner’s Guide goes over all the basics of using the software, including a thorough section on Building a Controller.
This guide will go over the process of uploading a Virtual Controller (also known as a VC) to the community library, making it available for other Gameplay users to download.

Why upload a Virtual Controller?

Every game requires a different controller. Gameplay comes pre-loaded with some optional controllers and there are currently over 500 controllers available from the community. But considering there are thousands of games out there, maybe you’ve been playing a game that doesn’t have a controller in the community database. Or perhaps you’ve made a controller that improves upon an already established design for one reason or another.

Either way, uploading a controller does a few things, so it’s generally a good idea. First, it establishes that the game is compatible with Gameplay.

Uploading also allows your controller to be highlighted on the GestureWorks Gameplay blog and on our social media. It could also be featured in one of our videos, screenshots, Twitch broadcasts, or other marketing media.

Many people like to just download a controller and start playing, so uploading a controller is a way to help out other Gameplay users. The Gameplay community is growing, and the controller database should grow with it! This is your chance to make your mark!

What makes a "good" Virtual Controller?

Virtual Controller design can be tricky at times. Some games are incredibly simple, while others are vastly more complicated, using elaborate keybindings and sequences. The conventions between genres can wildly differ. But at the same time there are also many elements that are shared. Once you’ve made a few controllers, it should become incredibly comfortable for you to make more.

So what makes a good controller? Well, probably by now you’ve used a few virtual controllers, and it is quite possible you’ve used physical controllers in the past. What are elements of those controllers that you like? What about those elements that you find less intuitive or comfortable?

Think of how controllers are generally set up, and the ergonomics behind them. The left hand and right hand are often in charge of different groups of actions, one hand often in charge of moving, while the other is in charge of doing. This helps keep confusion to a minimum when things really get going. The pace of the game is a factor that should always be taken into consideration. You don’t ever want to be scrambling to hit a button at a key moment.

Good controllers take these things into account during their design. And before uploading a controller, you should always use it yourself! A controller can be made by tossing the required hudgets down in a logical configuration. But good controllers are ones that have been tested and tweaked.

Upload Process

Once you’ve made the VC and you’re happy with the design you can upload it to the community.
Before uploading, there are a few things you should check.

First, make sure all of your hudgets have bindings. If your controller is missing even one binding, then the approval process will be delayed. You will likely have to fix any of these mistakes, and then reupload your controller.


Second, go to the properties tab of the controller you’re planning on uploading, and make sure everything there is good.


Does your controller have a name? This is the first thing many people will see, so it’s one of the most important things about a controller. Always including the name of the game is a good idea.

Here at GestureWorks Gameplay, we use a naming convention for our uploaded controllers.
We begin with the name of the game. “Game X” This lets users know immediately the most vital piece information about a controller.

We then include how many players the controller is for. E.g. “Game X (1-Player)”
And also whether the controller is for the local device, or for an android remote, or even both. For example, “Game X (1-Player Local/Remote)” or “Game X (2-Player Remote/1-Player Local)”
You are not required to follow this format, though, and can title controllers however you wish.

You can also edit the Description under the Settings tab. Here you can include a small summary of the game, information about how you bound the keys, or other details you think may be important. If you’re using a really specific version of the game, or needed any plug-ins, or other software for Gameplay to run well with it, the description is a good place to write these down.

From the main page, click the green Share” button. Here you’ll be shown a form to fill out, titled “Share Virtual Controller”.


If you already entered information in the Description fields, most of the fields will be autopopulated with that information.
You’ll just need to pick the game name from the dropdown list, and enter your email.

Type in the name of the game that your controller was designed for.

Make sure you get the name of the game correct! Having the name of the controller and the name of the game mismatch is one of the other common reasons for having the controller approval process delayed!

When you enter an email, make sure you pick one that you can be reached at. If we have any questions about your controller, or encounter any problems during the approval process we need to be able to contact you. We also need to be able to reach you if you’re chosen for Pick of the Week.

Don’t worry though: your privacy is of the utmost concern to us at Gameplay and we won’t give your e-mail away to any third parties. Your e-mail is only used to contact you in the event there is a problem with your Virtual Controller. With an email we can give feedback as to why a controller may have been remitted or rejected, and give you an opportunity to fix the problem.

If we don’t have a valid email, your controller may never make it past the approval process! So make sure you’ve got this field correct!

When you’re done, and everything looks good, hit the upload button! You’re done! The controller has been submitted for approval.

Why should I include this information?

Including it speeds up the approval process. This helps not just us, but you, and even game developers (Maybe you’ve included a really compelling description which could net them sales) plus the rest of the Gameplay community!

A controller is also required to have a name, an associated game, and a description so that users may more easily find what they are looking for in the database.

Check your spelling and grammar! We don’t make any edits, so we won’t be fixing anything for you. The whole world can see your submission, so make sure you’re proud of it!

Why was my Virtual Controller remitted or rejected?

There are a few very common reasons. One, you were missing key bindings. Two, there was naming confusion between title of your VC, its description, and/or the game it was assigned to. Three, you submitted a controller that was an exact replica, or something extremely close to it, of another controller already in the database.
Four, the game you submitted a VC for was on {LINK REMOVED}the Blacklist.
If you’ve found a way to get a Blacklisted game working, let us know! We’d love to hear about it!
In most cases though, you’ll be contacted and told the exact details of the situation.

What was covered in this Guide

Creating a controller might be the hardest part of the entire process, because uploading a controller is easy! Using the information contained in this guide, you’re just a few clicks away from leaving your mark on the Gameplay community!

So get to it!

From the GestureWorks Team,
-Happy Gaming!