Additional Guides

This section contains additional guides associated with now.gg Cloud to help you configure our services and APIs conveniently.

Available Additional Guides

The following guides are available:

• Cloud Storage Setup for Saving User’s State
• Preparing App Files
• Add and Configure Custom Domain
• Upload App using now.gg CLI
• Understanding Subscriptions
• Enable Cloud Game on your Website with Embed Module
• Host System and Browser Requirements for Games on now.gg

Cloud Storage Setup for Saving User State

This section focuses on setting up the now.gg Cloud storage to save and restore the user’s game progress data by defining the save file path(s) and excluded file path(s).

Defining the ‘Save’ and ‘Excluded’ file path(s) is an essential practice that reduces the game’s loading time to enhance the user experience and ensure optimal usage of now.gg Cloud storage.

To set up the cloud storage, you should specify the following:

• Save file path(s)
  Indicates the location of files or folders which should be saved on the cloud. Typically, the save files are stored in /data/data/<package_name>/<file_name>.
• Excluded file path(s)
  Indicates the location of files and folders which you do not want to save on the cloud.

Configuring File Paths

You can configure this setting for any new app you release now.gg Cloud. In case your app is already released, you will need to release a new version of your app.

To configure the file paths:

• Log in to the nowStudio.
• You can either:
  • Add a new app.
    • Follow the instructions here to add a new app.
  • Release a new version.
    • Follow the instructions here to release a new version.
• On the ‘App Contents’ tab:
  • Provide the Save File Path(s) and the Excluded File Path(s):
    
  • Click on Save.
• Click on Release on the left navigation.
  • Create a release for your app.

Note:

• If you have multiple file paths, separate each of them with a new line instead of spaces or commas.
• For save file paths, only the files and folders you specify will be saved and restored for the next user session.
• For excluded file paths (Optional), the files and folders you specify will not be saved on the cloud.

Preparing App Files

Using this guide, you can prepare your app files to upload on nowStudio.

To create a release with nowStudio, you need to prepare your app files. We accept either a standalone APK or an APK and Assets Zip file.

{
    "assets": [
        {    
            "name": "asset1.xyz",
            "location": "/data/media/0/Android/data/<packageName>/files"
        },
        {
            "name": "asset2.unity3d",
            "location": "/data/media/0/Android/data/<packageName>/files"
        },
        {
            "name": "OtherAssets",
            "location": "/data/data/<packageName>/files"
        }
    ]
}

Add and Configure Custom Domain

This guide details the process of adding a custom domain for your apps if you want to host them on domains other than now.gg.

In addition to now.gg Cloud, you can also host your apps on other domains by adding a custom domain for your apps on nowStudio.

The following scenarios are explained:

• Add a custom domain for a new app.
• Add a custom domain for a published app.

1. Add a Custom Domain for a New App

This section explains the steps to add a custom domain for a new app.

To do so:

• After you have added a new app.
• Select your app from the All Apps section.
  • Click on View Details in front of your app name.
• Within the Production section, click on Information.
• Enter the custom domain address in the given field, as shown below:
  
  Note: Make sure you own the domain that you wish to add.
• Please ensure you fill out the other required details.
• Click on Save.
  • Our team will verify the domain details you have provided. Once the domain details have been verified, you can continue mapping your domain.
• After you have provided all the required app information, you can continue to create a release for your app.
• After receiving the mapping details, you can view them by clicking on ‘Mapping details’ within the ‘Information‘ tab, as shown below:
  
• The domain mapping details are provided, as shown below:
  
• You can configure your DNS provider using the provided details.
• After you perform the provided configuration with your DNS provider, your game will be available on your domain.

2. Add a Custom Domain for a Published App

This section explains the steps to add a custom domain for an already published app.

To do so:

• Select your app from the All Apps section.
  • Click on View Details in front of your app name.
• Within the Production section on the left sidebar, click on Information.
• Click on the Edit button in the bottom right.
  (This will enable you to edit the provided fields)
• Enter the custom domain address in the given field, as shown below:
  
  Note: Make sure you own the domain that you wish to add.
• Click on Save.
• A confirmation will be displayed on-screen, as shown below:
  
• Our team will verify the domain details you have provided. Once the domain details have been verified, you can continue mapping your domain.
• After receiving the mapping details, you can view them by clicking on ‘Mapping details’ within the ‘Information‘ tab, as shown below:
  
• The domain mapping details are provided, as shown below:
  
• You can configure your DNS provider using the provided details.
• After you perform the provided configuration with your DNS provider, your game will be available on your domain.

Upload App using Nowgg CLI

nowgg CLI is a command-line tool that lets you easily upload your app builds to nowStudio. This guide details this functionality.

Using nowgg CLI

Open any terminal on macOS or Windows.

Install and Initialize

  pip install nowgg

  nowgg init --token "<your_publisherToken_from_nowStudio>"

Upload app to nowStudio using nowgg CLI

  nowgg upload --app_id <your_app_id> --file_path "/directory/sample.apk" --apk_version <app_version_name> --version_code <app_version_code>

  nowgg upload --app_id <your_app_id> --file_path "/directory/sample.apk" --apk_version <apk_version> --version_code <app_version_code> --deploy 

Help

  nowgg -h
   nowgg init -h
   nowgg upload -h

Understanding Subscriptions

The following document focuses on important aspects of the subscription capability offered by nowStudio.

Subscriptions are in-app products on now.gg that charge users a recurring fee for access to content or services within your app.

nowStudio offers a versatile ‘Subscriptions’ capability that enables you to create, manage, and sell subscriptions effortlessly. The primary distinction between an in-app product and a subscription product is that an in-app product incurs a one-time charge for the user, whereas subscriptions involve recurring charges.

To understand how to create and manage subscriptions in nowStudio:

• Refer – Create and Manage Subscriptions section.

To understand how to implement subscriptions in your app using now.gg Payments module, follow these guides:

• Unity
• Native Android

Important: In addition to the information on this page, you should also refer to now.gg policy.

Overview of Subscriptions

This section introduces subscriptions.

• Subscription
• Billing Period
  • Auto Renewals
• Benefits
• Pricing
  • Price changes

Subscription

A subscription offers a set of benefits that users can access for a specified time period. You can have multiple subscriptions within the same app to represent different benefit sets or tiers of a single benefit set, such as ‘Gold’ and ‘Diamond’ packs. Users gain access to a subscription by purchasing it through your app on now.gg.

Billing Period

now.gg enables you to select the duration of the subscription. The available billing periods are:

• Every 4 weeks
• Monthly
• Every 2 months
• Every 3 months
• Every 4 months
• Every 6 months
• Every 8 months
• Yearly

Benefits

You can add up to four benefits to your subscription, helping users understand what they will receive. You should highlight the core benefits relevant to your subscription.

Declined Payments

If a renewal payment is declined, now.gg will prompt the user to resolve the payment issue. If unresolved, the subscription will automatically expire.

Enable Cloud Gameplay on your Website with Embed Module

now.gg Embed Javascript Module provides a framework that enables you to seamlessly embed cloud gameplay on your website.

With now.gg Embed Module, you can:

• Easily embed gameplay on any webpage.
• Implement advanced functionality with embedding to enable event-driven communication between your app and the webpage where the gameplay is embedded.
• Get better exposure for your games to increase user engagement and retention with embedded gameplay on your website.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites must be met before integrating with now.gg Embed Module:

• Whitelisted Domains – The now.gg Embedding will only work on Domains that are whitelisted by us. Please contact us at dev-support@now.gg with the list of Domains you wish to whitelist.
• clientId – To get your clientId, please contact us at dev-support@now.gg.
• appId – To get your appId, please follow the steps illustrated here.

Once the prerequisites are met, you can continue to the next section to embed gameplay on your webpage.

Implement Embed Module

To enable cloud gameplay on your website using now.gg Embed Module:

1. Add Embed Module to your website.
2. Start the game in an Iframe.
3. Additionally, you can implement advanced functionality with embedding using the next section.

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.now.gg/external/sdk/ifp-sdk-1.1.0.min.js"></script>

const iframeParentElement = document.getElementById("your_iframe_element");

// Callback function to handle events sent from the Android app.
const appEventCallbackFunction = (event) => {
    console.log(event.name); 
    console.log(event.data);
    // can do your event-based handling here
}; 

// Callback function to handle javascript Module events.
const sdkEventCallbackFunction = (event) => {
    console.log(event.name); 
    console.log(event.msg);
    // can do your event-based handling here
}; 


NowIfp.init({
    clientId: <"your_clientId"> ,
    appId: <"your_production_appId/your_test_track_appId"> , \\ appId example - Test Track: "1234_t1" | Production: "1234"
    iframeParentElement: iframeParentElement,
    customData: {} // for app-specific custom handling
    appLaunchData: {
        // pass launch arguments to Iframe, It will be serialized and passed to the app at launch intent.
        [key]: [value]
    } 
    appEventCallback: appEventCallbackFunction,
    sdkEventCallback: sdkEventCallbackFunction,
    isNowLoginEnabled: true
});

Advanced Functionality with Embedding

This section explains the steps to implement advanced functionality with the embedded game on your website (HTML page).

To further enhance the gameplay experience of your embedded game, now.gg Embed Module enables you to:

• Pass events and data from your App on now.gg Cloud to your HTML page, and
• Pass app launch parameters to your App on launch.

Prerequisite

• Please download and integrate the now.gg Events module with your Android App to enable the following functionality.

1. Pass Events from your App to your HTML page

After you have integrated with now.gg Events module, you can pass events and data from your App on now.gg Cloud to your HTML page where the game is embedded.

Please refer to:

• Send Events and Data to the HTML Page section of now.gg Events Module Documentation.
  • Unity
  • Native Android

2. Pass Parameters from your HTML page to your App on Launch

You can now pass app launch parameters to your App from your HTML page. We have provided sample code snippets to define appLaunchData that is passed to NowIfp.init and to retrieve it in your App.

NowIfp.init({
     clientId: <"your_clientId"> ,
     appId: <"your_appId"> ,
     iframeParentElement: iframeParentElement,
     customData: {} // for app-specific custom handling
     appLaunchData: {
           [key]: [value]
     } 
      // pass launch arguments to Iframe as it's at launch, It will be serialized and passed to the app at launch intent.
     appEventCallback: appEventCallbackFunction,
     sdkEventCallback: sdkEventCallbackFunction,
     isNowLoginEnabled: true
 });

//Retrieves the value using key passed as app launch parameter
 string value = NowGGEventsSdkManager.Instance.GetAppLaunchDataProperty(key);

Demo Project

This section showcases a demo HTML page for the now.gg Embed Module, and explains the end-to-end flow associated with the Embed Module.

Please go through the Embed Module demo by following the steps below:

• Click here to launch now.gg Embed Module Demo
  
• The Embed demo showcases:
• App Launch Data
  • If you wish to add any appLaunchData with launch intent:
  • Click on the + button.
    
  • You can provide your input through the Key and Value fields.
• Module Init
  • Click on the Initialize Embed Module button to initialize the Module and launch the cloud game.
  • The initialization events are captured by sdkEventCallback, as shown below.
    
  • After successful initialization, the embedded game starts running, as shown below:
  • 
• Send Data from Unity to HTML(web client)
  • Open Link
    • The open link button will open the provided link in a new tab.
  • Browser Event
    • The browser event button will send the data from Unity to the HTML page, which you can handle as per your implementation.
    • The App events are captured by the appEventCallback function, as shown below: