I haven’t committed to WoWs Info since Jul 14, 2020 except for personal rating on the API branch so you might ask, “Am I abandoning this project?”. There were several occasions where I wanted to stop but I didn’t. Did it worth it at all? Before answering this question, we have to go back to 2016.

March 2016

I registered my Wargaming account on March 3, 2016. This was the start of everything. You might argue that my life would be completely different if I didn’t play this game, World of Warships. I had a friend playing this game so I joined as well because of Fubuki from kancolle. I was a noob but it was fun playing with friends. Often, they carried me to victory. Nothing different from a normal player until late 2016.

Late 2016

I started checking my stats online and was also interested in other player’s stats. However, it was really slow because the website only updates whenever you are checking a player’s stat but there are lots of detailed stats available. That’s why I started making a tiny C# WinForm program just to do that. It was a small box with an input box. Sadly, I have deleted on my GitHub so it is gone forever. The program wasn’t great and it took about 5s to show the stats. That’s why I decided to make an iOS app powered by the official API from Wargaming.

iOS Development

I spent lots of time learning iOS Development just because I wanted to make a mobile app for WoWs. Eventually, I created a repo on GitHub. It was called WoWs Info and that day was Feb 12, 2017. I spent about a month working on the main part of the app and soon, I published it on AppStore. By August 2017, I have updated the app multiple time. However, some people started asking, “Where is the Android Version?”. This changed my strategy because I didn’t consider about Android at all. I was using an iPhone and I had to learn Android as well?? That’s why I did some research.

Cross Platform App Development

I was thinking, “Is there a way to write once and work on two platforms?”. Yes, I didn’t want to spend more time writing the same code again on Android. I wanted a shortcut. There were 3 options, Xamarin, Ionic and React Native. I chose React Native in the end. A new repo was created on Nov 20, 2017 and it was called React-Native-WoWs-Info. I have abandoned my Swift project in less than a year because I was rushing to have an Android version.

I kept rewriting the app and wanted to improve it. It took almost all my time. I was programming every single day even during my summer holiday. I felt powerless. There are just so much you can do alone. I had to localise the app in 3 languages. I had to write what’s new in 3 languages every time I update. There were just too much for a single person to do but I didn’t want to disappoint those who were supporting me. Several events were coming very soon but I had no idea.

Changing to Android

iPhone 7 was the phone I was using. It was great except for one problem, the battery. It was just bad and unacceptable anymore. You may say, “Why not carry a power bank, mate?”. I don’t like it. That’s all. It was the first time in my life ever I started to consider Android phones as an Apple fanboy. I was also disappointed at iPhone X because I don’t like the notch. In the end, I changed to OnePlus 5. Battery life issues no more. At the same time, my uni life wasn’t great.

Fail x5

I failed 2 courses in a semester and then, another 3 courses in the next semester. It was the darkest time at uni. I thought I couldn’t pass anymore. The reason behind was 50% uni and 50% me. Simply, they were too difficult for me at the time and I was spending too much time on WoWs Info. I had no choice but to stop developing.

Termination of Admob

Soon or later, Google banned my Adword account and my Admob was terminated as well. It was the only income I had for WoWs Info and it was only 3 days before my first payment. I was really sad but you think Google would care at all? No. There weren’t any emails before that and they just terminated my account without a reason. They can destroy everything just with a click. Also, it taught me a lesson. Don’t depend too much on others. That’s why I switched to IAP and it was around 3$ per year. My users hate me because of this. This is the reality.

2020

Many had happened in 2020. I graduated and start job hunting. It was probably the worse year for a graduate looking for a job but I got one. Now, if I look back, all my hard work wasn’t nothing. I gained unique experiences other graduates didn’t have. I also started learning C++ and native iOS & Android development. Until June, I was still working on another Wows Info rework in Flutter but I stopped playing World of Warships and I don’t use my app anymore as well. That’s why I stopped the entire project because I am tired. You can still use the app if you want to but there won’t be more updates unless I am interested in this project.

It is almost 4 years since I started developing WoWs Info so I started something new, パズそば. I really enjoyed it and it reminded me about why I started programming. Some videos about it are on YouTube. Please have a look if you are interested.

The END

Thank you for reading and happy new year. This is my first post and I am still exploring. More Coming soon…

In the end, I am glad I developed WoWs Info. I always wanted to make an app because it was cool. Kids are just this simple and straightforward. While growing up, we might change and forget about this.

Did it worth it? 
Yes, because I was super cool.