Adding Recurring Leaderboards to Your Game

At a glance

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── SampleGame/
│   ├── TitleScreenViewController.swift
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── GameScene.swift
│   ├── GameViewController.swift
│   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   ├── GameMenuNode.swift
│   ├── LeaderboardNode.swift
│   ├── CountdownNode.swift
│   └── Base.lproj/
│       └── LaunchScreen.storyboard
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── SampleGame.xcodeproj/
    ├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
    └── project.pbxproj

Structure observations

• Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
• Primary languages: Swift.
• The verified tree contains 7 project/configuration file(s) and 14 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

flowchart LR
    N1["AppDelegate"]
    N2["GameViewController"]
    N3["GameKit APIs"]
    N1 --> N2
    N2 --> N3

Reference code

SampleGame/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        // Override point for customization after application launch.
        return true
    }

    // MARK: UISceneSession Lifecycle

    func application(_ application: UIApplication,
                     configurationForConnecting connectingSceneSession: UISceneSession,
                     options: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) -> UISceneConfiguration {
        // Use this method to select a configuration to create the new scene with.
        return UISceneConfiguration(name: "Default Configuration", sessionRole: connectingSceneSession.role)
    }

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didDiscardSceneSessions sceneSessions: Set<UISceneSession>) {
        // Use this method to release any resources that were specific to the discarded scenes, as they will not return.
    }
}

Interpretation

The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into GameKit.

Ownership and state

classDiagram
    TitleScreenViewController o-- UIImageView : backgroundImage
    TitleScreenViewController o-- UIButton : playButton
    TitleScreenViewController o-- UIStackView : titleStackView
    TitleScreenViewController o-- NSLayoutConstraint : titleStackViewCenterX

Ownership evidence

SampleGame/TitleScreenViewController.swift:17 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

class TitleScreenViewController: UIViewController, GKLocalPlayerListener, GKGameCenterControllerDelegate, TitleScreenControllerDelegate {
    // ...
    @IBOutlet var backgroundImage: UIImageView!
    // ...
}

Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.

Concurrency, scheduling, and thread safety

Evidence limit: actor isolation, async/await, or Task creation does not by itself prove background-thread execution; Sendable conformance alone does not prove thread-safe mutation.

No source-visible execution, scheduling, or synchronization boundary was found in the indexed source.

@MainActor/MainActor.run, DispatchQueue.main, and RunLoop.main are reported as distinct isolation, queue, and event-loop mechanisms. A plain Task is kept separate from Task.detached; neither is labeled as a background thread.

State propagation, frameworks, and dependencies

Evidence limit: an import proves a source-level compilation dependency at the cited line; it does not prove runtime use, architectural adoption, or whether a Swift package is a direct application dependency.

receive(on:) describes downstream delivery scheduling, while subscribe(on:) describes upstream subscription/request/cancel scheduling. An import Combine alone establishes neither behavior nor a Store, reducer, Redux, or other application architecture.

Class and protocol design

SampleGame/TitleScreenViewController.swift:11 — representative type boundary

protocol TitleScreenControllerDelegate: AnyObject {
    func dismissGame()
}

The source explicitly defines local protocol relationships: GameScene → CountdownDelegate, GameScene → GameMenuDelegate, GameViewController → GameControllerDelegate, TitleScreenViewController → TitleScreenControllerDelegate.

Access control

Reference code

SampleGame/LeaderboardNode.swift:21 — representative boundary

class EntryNode: SKNode {
    private let backgroundNode: SKShapeNode
    // ...
}

Swift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.

Logic ownership and placement

Design patterns

Naming conventions

• Types: Controller: GameViewController, TitleScreenViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, CountdownDelegate, GameControllerDelegate, GameMenuDelegate, SceneDelegate; Scene: GameScene.
• Protocols: TitleScreenControllerDelegate, GameMenuDelegate, CountdownDelegate, GameControllerDelegate.
• Methods: dismissGame, viewDidLoad, updateBackground, viewWillTransition, showGameVC, authenticateLocalPlayer, gameCenterViewControllerDidFinish, application.
• Files: SampleGame/TitleScreenViewController.swift, SampleGame/AppDelegate.swift, SampleGame/GameScene.swift, SampleGame/GameViewController.swift, SampleGame/SceneDelegate.swift, SampleGame/GameMenuNode.swift.

Architecture takeaways

• AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
• Framework work reaches SpriteKit, UIKit, GameKit through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
• Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
• Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
• Local protocol relationships provide an explicit substitution boundary.

Source map

• Official Apple documentation