Not too long ago, I started with nothing but an idea: a multiplayer 3D version of Connect Four that could run on phones and tablets, scale globally and be fun to play.

Today I’m ready to send Connect 3D for review for both Apple and Google and soon it will be available in both stores.

This sprint marks the end of my development sprints and the beginning of the game’s real life. Here’s what happened during the final Sprint 12.

Beta Test and Final Polishing

After last sprint’s alpha test with a smaller group, I opened up the beta test to more invited users. It was incredible to see the game played on so many different devices and by people I had never met before.

I fixed small bugs, added accessibility tweaks, and handled plenty of small visual polish improvements. The bigger change requests are now safely added to the backlog for potential v1.X versions or even a v2.0.

User Account Levels and Ads

This sprint, I added ads to the game – trying to find a balance where they are not too intrusive but at the same time a reminder to support the game. I ended up with Unity LevelPlay and a mix of interstitial and rewarded ads from Google AdMob, IronSource and UnityAds. The code was simple but setting up the services was actually really complicated. I let the interstitial ads run after a random number of moves configurable in the server and the rewarded ads run when saving a new avatar or unlocking picture for the avatar.

I finalized the account levels and made a monthly subscription option which removes all ads completely – also surprisingly complicated to set up and test this properly; especially iOS was hard to grasp if it really worked or not.

Running servers costs real money, and while I’m not expecting to become a millionaire from this, it’s hopefully a way to keep the game sustainable.

Store Presence and Web

I created descriptions and graphics for both app stores:

• Text and visuals for Google Play and Apple Store
• Screenshots optimized for various phones and tablets

I also gave the Connect 3D web page a final polish and improved its SEO. Hopefully it’ll help people find the game but it will definitely require a makeover.

A Personal Milestone

Let’s be honest: Connect 3D is a small game. It’s unlikely to top any charts.

But that was never the point.

I built this to prove to myself that I could take an idea all the way to a finished, released product.

Over these six months of development, I’ve:

• Learned Android and iOS development from scratch.
• Created a full 3D multiplayer game with Unity.
• Built a microservice backend, containerized and deployed in Azure.
• Worked with a lot of different areas – networking, databases, security, identity, matchmaking and notifications.
• Explored UI/UX design, animation and sound design.
• Worked with Google and Apple APIs for accounts, ads and subscriptions.
• Taken a deep dive into security and legal.
• Built an actual legal company, wrote privacy policies and published a real product.

Every sprint was hard work and every challenge taught me something. I grew as a developer, as a designer and maybe even as a person.

Nevertheless – however fun this was – there was still one thing missing all along the way. I really love working in a good team and I really missed that during these months of hard development.

Next: Life After Launch

Now, there are no more development sprints. But the story doesn’t end here.

Over the next months, I’ll publish a few more blog updates where I share:

• How many players have found the game.
• What I’m doing to advertise and promote Connect 3D.
• Whether the game servers are holding up under real use.
• And, yes… if any horrifying bugs appear. 🤯

Thank you so much to everyone who followed along during development.

This journey started with one idea. Now, it’s soon out in the world.

– Elena