Constructure

Constructure was my first app released to the AppStore and was the first project I worked on after breaking the tutorial trap, 6 months after starting. Accumulation games were big in the AppStore so I decided to test myself and create my own.

Using UIKit throughout the entire project, Constructure utilised as many features as possible; UITableViews, custom UITableViewCells, UIPickerView, UIButton and more. These were typically laid out using Storyboards and controlled programmatically.

I quickly realised the difference between following a tutorial and writing code for myself, as it was not long before faced multiple debugging issues and code design problem-solving.

As the project got larger, I faced issues with data management and began to work on data flow and persistent data techniques, in this case, UserDefaults. I also incorporated Game Center using the GameKit framework to store and share significant game stats and achievements.

In response to early testing feedback, I also added UserNotification capability to trigger when gameplay jobs were completed and the user could continue building their construction. This was my opportunity to work with dates and calendars and learn about making an app work dynamically for different time zones.

Lastly, I use a PageViewController to build a simple walkthrough and after connecting my IAPs in AppStore Connect, version 1.0 was launched. A year on, Constructure was given a refreshed look and some of the ‘early days’ code was re-written or refactored.