6.18 Miiverse

6.18.1 Using Miiverse

Interaction with other users of Miiverse is one of the big attractions that applications can offer. However, some users might not want to interact with other users via Miiverse. In addition, Miiverse use might be restricted by Parental Controls. It is therefore prohibited in principle for Miiverse use to be required for progress in an application.

6.18.1.1 Prohibition Against Forced Miiverse Use

Guideline Item

The user must be able to progress through your application without using Miiverse.

Software to Be Tested

Applications that use Miiverse.

Test Method

Play through all modes of the application from beginning to end.

Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if the user can progress through the application without using Miiverse.

6.18.2 Using Data Acquired from Miiverse

Applications can acquire various types of data from Miiverse, such as posts posted to communities and messages sent from friends, and can use this data within the application. If your application gets posts or messages from Miiverse and uses them within the application, it is acceptable to modify them in small ways as necessary to better suit the application's UI or overall atmosphere; for example, by abbreviating the Mii nickname or displaying the posts using effects or expressions that suit the application. However, Nintendo strongly recommends avoiding effects or expressions which could be offensive or which could give the impression that a different user originally made the post or message.

 

No required guideline items.

6.18.3 Using Communities

If you embed the OLV library in your application, you can allow the user to use communities from within the application. If you allow use of communities from within the application, then Nintendo strongly recommends always getting the community information (community ID, community name and so on) from the server, as opposed to hard-coding this information. This is because there is no guarantee that community IDs, names, sorting orders, or other such information will be identical across the development, Lotcheck, and production environments, or that such information will remain unchanged after future server updates.

Furthermore, although you can include topic tags and search keys in posts made to communities from within the application, it is prohibited to use topic tags or search keys that might be used to filter posts by locality. This is because the ability to filter posts by locality might be used to arrange face-to-face meetings between users. The following are some examples of locality-restricting topic tags or search keys:

  • Topic tags or search keys used with the purpose of dividing users into specific geographical areas at the state, prefecture, or city level, like "California," "Tokyo," or "Frankfurt."

The following are some examples of locality-restricting topic tags or search keys whose use is acceptable.

  • Topic tags or search keys used with the purpose of dividing users into countries, or into other large geographical areas, such as "Eastern U.S."
  • Topic tags or search keywords used with the purpose of dividing users into groups based on language, such as "Danish."

6.18.3.1 Prohibition of Locality-Restricting Topic Tags

Guideline Item

When posting to a community, applications must not include topic tags that might be used to filter posts by locality.

Software to Be Tested

Applications which can include topic tags in posts to communities.

Test Method
  1. Progress to a scene in the application where it is possible to post to a community.
  2. Submit the post to the community.
  3. In Miiverse, check the post made in step 2.
Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if, in step 3, topic tags that might be used to filter posts by locality are not displayed.

6.18.3.2 Prohibition of Locality-Restricting Search Keys

Guideline Item

When posting to a community, applications must not include search keys that might be used to filter posts by locality.

Software to Be Tested

Applications which can include search keys in posts to communities.

Test Method
Check the source code.
Note: Lotcheck uses a special tool to check this guideline.
Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if search keys that might be used to filter posts by locality are not included.

6.18.4 Restrictions and Cautions on Use of OLV API

 

Keep the total number of calls to all of the functions in Table 6-7 OLV API Functions That Trigger Server Access combined to no more than 20 calls per 10 minutes. Calling these functions excessively increases the load on the Miiverse server, and could prevent the server from providing stable service.

Contact Nintendo at support@noa.com if your application allows the user to perform unusual actions that cause these functions to be called in excess of the values below. 

Posting to communities via the posting applet is not subject to this guideline, because none of the restricted functions are called in that case.

Table 6-7 OLV API Functions That Trigger Server Access
Function Name Call Frequency
nn::olv::DownloadPostDataList Up to 20 calls every 10 minutes for all calls to these functions combined.
nn::olv::DownloadCommunityDataList
nn::olv::DownloadCommentDataList
nn::olv::DownloadUserDataList
nn::olv::UploadCommunityData
nn::olv::UploadEmpathyToPostData
nn::olv::UploadFavoriteToCommunityData
nn::olv::UploadFollowToUserData

 

Keep the number of posts and messages retrieved using the functions shown below to no more than 100 at a time in order to avoid the need to transmit large volumes of data all at once.

Table 6-8 OLV API Functions That Retrieve Data From the Server
Function Name Restriction on Number of Posts/Messages Retrieved
nn::olv::DownloadPostDataList No more than 100 posts/messages retrieved at one time.


nn::olv::DownloadCommunityDataList
nn::olv::DownloadCommentDataList
nn::olv::DownloadUserDataList

If you set flags with SetFlags and use the nn::olv::DownloadCommunityDataListParam function to get communities, no error occurs when there are no hits. In this case, Nintendo recommends displaying a message within the application, such as "No communities found."

 

6.18.4.1 Restrictions on Calls to the OLV API

Guideline Item

Applications must keep the combined frequency of calls to the OLV API functions in Table 6-7 OLV API Functions That Trigger Server Access to no more than 20 calls per 10 minutes.

Software to Be Tested

Applications that use the OLV API functions listed in table 6-7 OLV API Functions That Trigger Server Access.

Note: Posting to communities via the posting applet is not subject to this guideline, because none of the restricted functions are called in that case.

Test Method

Check the source code.
Note: Lotcheck uses a special tool to check this guideline.

Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if the application keeps the combined frequency of calls to the OLV API functions in Table 6-7 OLV API Functions That Trigger Server Access to no more than 20 calls per 10 minutes.

6.18.4.2 Restriction on Number of Posts and Messages Retrieved at One Time

Guideline Item

Applications must use the OLV API functions in Table 6-8 OLV API Functions That Retrieve Data From the Server to retrieve no more than 100 posts or messages at one time.

Software to Be Tested

Applications that use the OLV API functions listed in table 6-8 OLV API Functions That Retrieve Data From the Server.

Test Method

Check the source code.
Note: Lotcheck uses a special tool to check this guideline.

Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if the application uses the functions in Table 6-8 OLV API Functions That Retrieve Data From the Server to retrieve no more than 100 posts or messages at one time.

6.18.5 Exchanging UGC via Miiverse

Posts on Miiverse communities can include the following types of data.

  • Text
  • Handwritten messages
  • Image data
  • Application data
Note:

"Application data" is a data region that applications can include in posts. Applications can freely specify the data in this region and can use this data however they want when obtaining posts. This included data can be up to 1 KB in size. Application data is not displayed in Miiverse.

As a general rule, applications that exchange UGC via Miiverse must comply with all guidelines in volume 7 UGC. See the table below.

Table 6-9 Case-by-Case Handling of Specific UGC Guidelines
 Specific UGC guideline Case-by-case handling
Sending text, handwritten messages, or image data Receiving text, handwritten messages, or image data Sending application data
(See Note 1)
Receiving application data
(See Note 1)

7.2.2 Prior Explanation

Compliance required Recommended Compliance required Recommended

7.2.4 Publishing UGC on a Server

Exception Compliance required
(See Note 2)
Exception Compliance required
(See Note 2)

7.2.5 Profanity Checking

Exception Exception Compliance required on either sending or receiving side, not both Compliance required on either sending or receiving side, not both
7.4.2 Redistribution  Compliance required  Compliance required  Compliance required  Compliance required  

7.4.5 Preventing the Exchange of Rich UGC with Offensive Users

Exception Compliance required
(See Note 2)
Exception Compliance required
(See Note 2)

Note 1:

In this case, exchanging UGC refers not only to storing UGC in the application data itself, but also to any implementation where from the user's point of view it appears that UGC is being exchanged via Miiverse.
For example, if the application data contains information allowing your application to link to rich UGC uploaded to an NEX data store or external server, this also counts as exchanging UGC. In this case it is your application's responsibility to check whether the Parental Controls item Sharing Images / Audio / Video / Long Text Data is restricted. See section 7.4.1 Rich UGC-Related Parental Controls for details.

Note 2:

If users are unable to easily find this data within the Miiverse application, compliance with sections 7.2.4 Publishing UGC on a Server and 7.4.5 Preventing the Exchange of Rich UGC with Offensive Users becomes impossible. Therefore, you must ensure that users viewing the data have some means to report it and/or to block its creators. For example, if your application receives text, handwritten messages, or image data, possible ways of accomplishing this include implementing a feature to directly jump to the corresponding post in the Miiverse application itself. If this kind of support would prove difficult, contact Nintendo at support@noa.com.

■ Retrieving Posts to Communities and Displaying Them Within the Application

If your application has a feature to automatically retrieve and display posts made to communities within the application itself, Nintendo strongly recommends implementing a way for users to enable and disable this feature. This is because not all users prefer to have UGC displayed. It is, however, acceptable to enable this setting by default.

 

 

6.18.5.1 Displaying or Receiving Posts Containing UGC

Guideline Item

Applications that display or receive content posted on Miiverse that contains UGC must ensure that users viewing such content have some means to report it and/or to block its creators.

Software to Be Tested

Applications that can display or receive posts containing the following types of UGC from Miiverse communities.

  • Text
  • Handwritten messages
  • Image data
  • Application data
Test Method
Play through the application from beginning to end.
Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if the application ensures that users viewing such content have some means to report it and/or to block its creators.

6.18.6 Prohibition of Auto-Following Without User Consent

If you use the OLV library, it is possible for your application to automatically make the user follow other users on Miiverse. However, if you make the local user a follower of too many other users, their Activity Feed will be overwhelmingly filled with the activity of people they don't know, and they will have trouble finding the activity of the ones they are interested in. Therefore, it is prohibited for applications to make the local user auto-follow other users without the local user's consent. However, if the application explains to the local user beforehand that performing a specific operation will make them auto-follow other users, then it is acceptable to do so when the local user performs that specific operation. Such "specific operations" must be ones that the local user has a choice to perform or not perform. For example, if the local user auto-follows other users by confirming to register them as rivals after an online match, or by selecting them as objectives in a rankings chart, these are operations the local user chooses to perform. Such operations do not include any setup where the local user is not given the right to refuse: for example, making the local user auto-follow others after every matchmaking session, or making them always auto-follow the top 10 names on a rankings chart.

6.18.6.1 Prohibition of Auto-Following

Guideline Item

Applications must not use the OLV library to make the local user automatically follow other users on Miiverse without the local user's consent.

Software to Be Tested

Applications which use the OLV library within the application to make the user follow other users on Miiverse.

Test Method

Proceed to a scene in the application where the local user is caused to follow other user(s) on Miiverse.

Pass/Fail Determination

Passes if at least one of the following conditions is met.

  • The application gets the local user's consent before making them follow other users.
  • The application gives prior notice that certain user operations will cause the local user to follow other users on Miiverse, and the user has a choice and is not forced to perform the specific operations that will cause them to auto-follow other users.

 


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