Announcing Hex Map Maker
02 Apr 2018Today marks the release of version 1.0 of Hex Map Maker, a new app for iOS that lets you easily make printable wilderness hex maps for old-school role-playing games. (OSR RPG, for the searchers among you)
I created this app because I wanted a better way to generate hex-based maps on my own iPad and iPhone. There are some great products out there, like Campaign Cartographer and Hexographer, but those are expensive and don’t run on iOS. I wanted something that would let me zoom and pan and update maps on my iPad at the gaming table. It didn’t have to be fancy, but it couldn’t be expensive, so I spent a week and built what I wanted. That’s the advantage of being an iOS developer. 😀
See the Hex Map Maker page on this site for more details and a link to download it from the iOS App Store.
If you’re interested in the development details…
- All app development was done on my kids’ 6-year-old Macbook Pro with a dead battery, proving you don’t need the latest equipment to make an app.
- The app is written entirely in Swift 4, using both storyboards and in-code UI.
- The source code is private, in case I decide to add more features later and charge an in-app purchase for them.
- Testing was performed on at least six physical devices plus the simulator. If you have issues on your devices, please let me know.
- It took me about 50 hours of writing code, learning SpriteKit, making graphics, and testing to get this to 1.0.
And, finally, this app is not related to my employer in any way.
As they say, there are many apps in the App Store, but this one’s mine. Enjoy!