Adding Recurring Leaderboards to Your Game
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Encourage competition in your games by adding leaderboards that have a duration and repeat. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegate → GameViewController → GameKit APIs. |
| Main patterns | View-controller organization, Protocol-oriented abstraction, Delegate or data-source callbacks |
| Project style | 8 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries. |
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 {
// ...
}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
@IBOutlet var backgroundImage: UIImageView!
@IBOutlet var playButton: UIButton!
@IBOutlet var titleStackView: UIStackView!
@IBOutlet var titleStackViewCenterX: NSLayoutConstraint!
@IBOutlet var titleStackViewCenterY: NSLayoutConstraint!
@IBOutlet var titleStackViewWidth: NSLayoutConstraint!| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
TitleScreenViewController |
UIImageView (backgroundImage) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
TitleScreenViewController |
UIButton (playButton) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
TitleScreenViewController |
UIStackView (titleStackView) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
TitleScreenViewController |
NSLayoutConstraint (titleStackViewCenterX) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
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.
Class and protocol design
SampleGame/TitleScreenViewController.swift:11 — representative type boundary
protocol TitleScreenControllerDelegate: AnyObject {
func dismissGame()
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate |
TitleScreenControllerDelegate |
Defines a capability or collaboration contract | AnyObject |
GameMenuDelegate |
Defines a capability or collaboration contract | AnyObject |
CountdownDelegate |
Defines a capability or collaboration contract | AnyObject |
GameControllerDelegate |
Defines a capability or collaboration contract | AnyObject |
TitleScreenViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UIViewController, GKLocalPlayerListener, GKGameCenterControllerDelegate, TitleScreenControllerDelegate |
GameScene |
Scene lifecycle or scene-level composition | SKScene, CountdownDelegate, GameMenuDelegate |
GameViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UIViewController, GameControllerDelegate |
SceneDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate |
GameMenuNode |
Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle | SKNode |
The source explicitly defines local protocol relationships: GameScene → CountdownDelegate, GameScene → GameMenuDelegate, GameViewController → GameControllerDelegate, TitleScreenViewController → TitleScreenControllerDelegate.
Access control
| Symbol | Access | Verified effect | Likely rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
backgroundNode (SampleGame/LeaderboardNode.swift:21) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
rankNode (SampleGame/LeaderboardNode.swift:23) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
rankPosX (SampleGame/LeaderboardNode.swift:34) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
rankPosY (SampleGame/LeaderboardNode.swift:35) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
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
| Logic | Owning type or file | Placement rationale |
|---|---|---|
| View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | GameViewController, TitleScreenViewController |
The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Receives callback-driven events | AppDelegate, CountdownDelegate, GameControllerDelegate, GameMenuDelegate |
The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Scene lifecycle or scene-level composition | GameScene |
The source’s Scene suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| View-controller organization | SampleGame/GameViewController.swift:15 |
A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present. |
| Protocol-oriented abstraction | SampleGame/GameScene.swift:21 |
A local protocol and concrete conformance create an explicit capability boundary. |
| Delegate or data-source callbacks | SampleGame/AppDelegate.swift:11 |
Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner. |
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
AppDelegateis 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
| Source file | Relevant symbols |
|---|---|
SampleGame/TitleScreenViewController.swift |
TitleScreenControllerDelegate, TitleScreenViewController |
SampleGame/AppDelegate.swift |
AppDelegate |
SampleGame/GameScene.swift |
GameMenuDelegate, CountdownDelegate, GameScene |
SampleGame/GameViewController.swift |
GameControllerDelegate, GameViewController |
SampleGame/SceneDelegate.swift |
SceneDelegate |
SampleGame/GameMenuNode.swift |
GameMenuNode, func, func |
SampleGame/LeaderboardNode.swift |
LeaderboardEntry, EntryNode, LeaderboardNode |
SampleGame/CountdownNode.swift |
CountdownNode |