Frequently asked questions
Integration
1.
How do I integrate my game onto Bigpoint.com?
So that your game can be accessed by players on the Bigpoint portal, you have to attach it to our interface first. You’ll have to make a couple of small adjustments to your game in order to make this feasible. A detailed document about the adjustments to be made can be found in the members-only area in the DevLounge.
You can use a wide variety of graphics in your game such as screenshots, banners and teasers and upload them onto our server via the DevLounge to make your game visually appealing on our portal. In your Sandbox, you can test in peace and quiet to see if everything in your game works according to plan.
2.
My game has been fully integrated, but it still hasn’t gone online?
Once you’ve completely finished the configuration of your game, it has to be sent to Bigpoint’s Quality Assurance department to be authorized first before it can go online. There is a special area in the DevLounge for this where all the functions and information of your game will undergo thorough examination. You can think of the process as being similar to a traffic light: In this stage, your game is at the “yellow light” where it will be evaluated and given the final touches.
Once the QA department has given the green light, your game will be put online immediately and you’ll be informed right away with an e-mail from us. Your game is now accessible for everybody to play on the portal. However, if the QA finds errors in your game configuration, you’ll receive a detailed error report from us. Once you have fixed all the bugs described in the report, you can resubmit your game for further evaluation.
3.
Can I edit my game in the DevLounge although it is already online?
Yes, you can! And you don’t even have to take your game offline. But you will have to send all the changes you made to the QA department once again for their approval.
4.
Who will be in charge of providing support for my game?
Since you are the one person who knows your game inside and out, you will be responsible for providing support for your game. It’s very important that you create a forum where your users can go and ask questions and communicate with others. You can link the forum directly to the Bigpoint portal: But don’t forget that the quality of your support service will definitely factor into the success and popularity of your game! And, so that you can answer questions from your users with regard to the payment system, you will have access to a special tool in the DevLounge whcih gives you an overview of the payment activities for your users.
5.
Will Bigpoint take over the role of hosting my game?
No, you’ll have to continue operating your game on your own systems. Players will only be redirected to your game from the Bigpoint portal. Ensure that your server has enough capacity for you to respond quickly if the game catches on within the community and user traffic starts to skyrocket.
6.
What are the reasons why the QA can turn down my game?
Games that glorify violence and contain racist or pornographic content/storylines and games that violate copyright laws by using copyrighted material (such as graphics, names, quotes and fonts) will be rejected by our QA department. Even after your game has been published on our portal, the content, setting and storyline of your game will be checked on a regular basis. If your game violates these conditions, you will be notified by e-mail. You will be given sufficient time to take corrective measure.
7.
Where will my game be shown on the Bigpoint.com website?
You can present your game on your own special page within our portal. Users can access your game from this page directly. Don't forget: Impressive graphics and a snappy text will ensure that your game is a raging success on the Bigpoint.com portal.
8.
How can a user find my game on the portal?
Users can find your game on the portal with the search function as well as with the teasers which can be found on the homepage, the overview pages and in the game lists. Where your game appears and in which position is determined by a ranking index which is calculated from different factors. Relevant here are things like the availability of your game and the popularity among the users. The more popular your game, the faster it will make its way up the charts or even get placed as a Top Game.
In addition, your game will be displayed in real time in the game ticker when a user is currently playing it.
