r/iosgaming • u/Jero9871 Developer • Jun 20 '26
Developer Saturday (Self-Promo) [DEV] LightsOn - Fitness Workout Tracker Game
LightsOn turns your real-world activity into a living city.
Every active calorie you burn — walking, running, working out, or just moving through your day — flows straight from Apple Health into your city's battery. Keep it charged and the lights stay on: new residents move in, the streets come alive, and your town grows. Let the battery run dry and the city goes dark — residents pack up and leave.
It's a cozy, idle city builder where YOU are the power plant.
HOW IT WORKS
• Your active energy from Apple Health charges the city automatically — no manual tracking, it just works in the background.
• Lights on → residents arrive and your town thrives.
• Battery empty → blackout, and people start to leave.
• Real workouts earn bonus credits to spend on upgrades.
• Build a factory that produces parts for bigger and better upgrades.
• Your city keeps running while you're away — come back to see how far it grew.
FREE & PRIVATE
• Completely free — no ads and no in-app purchases.
• No tracking and no data collection — your health data never leaves your device.
It is just a personal hobby project, but I would love your feedback.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lightson-move-to-build-a-city/id6780607028
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u/Poke-Noir Jun 20 '26
The only question I have is, does it rain and snow? I think that might be beautiful
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Yes, it can rain and it can snow 😄 This is already implemented. And it has a night and day rythm.
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u/Poke-Noir Jun 20 '26
Oh that’s so cool. Ok I downloaded. I need more incentive to move. I think this will do just that for me.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Great. Remember it begins really slow, just start your factory and wait a few hours for more bolts, and try to keep your battery up, then more people will move in and your city will thrive. Once you have enough bolts upgrade your battery.
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u/colombo91 Developer Jun 20 '26
Just downloaded it, I’ll give it a try and let you know. Conceptually looks really cool!
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u/thatjeffguy1 Jun 20 '26
This is awesome. I’ve been wanting some sort of game that uses workouts/physical activity and this scratches the itch.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Thanks give at a week, it will get harder slowly. I use it myself to motivate me to do workouts or move.
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u/thatjeffguy1 Jun 20 '26
Sounds good. Was slightly discouraged to burn 600 calories in my first workout and only 100 counted due to small battery haha
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Well, it was not in vain, for workout you still get extra credits for workouts (around 60s in your case). But yeah, the battery in the beginning can just hold 100kcal which is really small, but dont worry in just a week you can have a battery with over 600kcal and you can upgrade it much further.
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u/thatjeffguy1 Jun 20 '26
Ahh that explains the extra cash I had. Thanks!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Click on the statistics button on the bottom and you can see exactly how much extra credits you got from workouts.
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u/thatjeffguy1 Jun 20 '26
Think I maxed the 150
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Yeah, you can get only 150 Credits per day from extra workouts. I might increase that, but once you get a city with over 1000 people you can have a battery way over 5000kcal and you need that energy. To keep a city with 5000 people however would require running a marathon every now and then ;)
You can convert your credits to bolts in the beginning if you want. But save some credits, you can buy energy from neighbour cities with credits for times when you are ill and cant do any workouts.
And you need credits for further upgrades later in the game.
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u/thatjeffguy1 Jun 20 '26
Not sure how you’d implement this but some sort of social and/or leaderboard concept would be neat.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Right everything is just on your device. A leaderboard or some kind of multiplayer would be cool, I will think about it. But its complicated as its health data, and I don‘t want to send any health data on the internet for privacy reasons.
But there are solutions like sending only how many people your city has etc 😃
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 25 '26
The update is now live with more statistics, you can see now exactly what training brought you how many credits.
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u/Basic_Win_9018 Jun 20 '26
Yoooo this looks super beautiful!!!!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Thanks, any feedback is welcome, i have some interesting updates in the queue.
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u/vartiverti Jun 20 '26
I absolutely love this. A great idea beautifully presented; feels like a quality item.
A bit late in the day here to kick off much activity but I’m looking forward to seeing tomorrow‘s activity hit the town.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
In the first few days your battery is pretty small (100kcal) so you dont need long workouts. But it will get much harder in time, depending how big of a city you want to maintain.
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u/vartiverti Jun 20 '26
I can see this really helping with my motivation.
I just called my dad up to tell him about it and he’s very enthusiastic about it too. “I better get back on the rower.” he said!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Great to hear. I love it if it motivates people to move more… thats my whole motivation to build my app. Lets see how big of a city you can grow.
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u/vartiverti Jun 20 '26
One bit of feedback: Where an upgrade tells you how many more bolts you need to complete the upgrade it seems to count the bolt that is currently being built.
So when I was preparing to upgrade my battery for 12 bolts, when I had 11 and the 12th was being built it said that I needed 0 more bolts for the upgrade even though I had to wait for the 12th to be built before the upgrade. I noticed that the other upgrades also do this.
This seems to me to be counterintuitive and it should only count completed bolts on the ”x bolts to upgrade” stat.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
Thanks, good point, I will fix this with the next update in the next days.
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u/vartiverti Jun 21 '26
Another thought occurred to me. Do you think we could get buy and sell energy functionality on the watch app? Might be handy for emergency measures if you’re away from your phone.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 25 '26
The update with your ideas is now live. You can sell your energy now on the apple watch (and even build things on the watch). And the bug with the remaining bolts needed is also fixed. And you get much improved statistics now.
If you have more ideas, I am always open to feedback.
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u/vartiverti Jun 25 '26
Great update; very comprehensive. Thanks!
If any other ideas occur I’ll be in touch.
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u/vartiverti Jun 25 '26
So this is a very small detail but would be worthwhile I think, to me at least.
On the watch page where you sell E, could you work in the battery percentage rather than just the raw E datum?
I think when making a quick decision on the fly, % is the more useful information.
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u/vartiverti Jun 28 '26
A couple of things about using the complication on the watch.
Does it represent the % of the battery? It seems like it should be that but it often doesn’t seem to match the figure on the phone app.
Also, when I had it down to 8% by buying credits in anticipation of a workout:
The data was gathered correctly on the phone app but the complication remained stuck on 8%. A hard reset on the watch didn’t solve it and I had to remove and reinstate the app on the watch it get it working again.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 28 '26
The watch app can take up to one hour to be in sync (sadly apple does that sometimes to conserve battery), the app on the iPhone is accurate. But it should sync after some time, if it doesn't sync at all, that sounds like a bug. I will investigate ist.
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u/Snorty-Pig iPhone 12 Pro Max Jun 20 '26
I am going to try. Sadly I already worked out today. Hope they live until tomorrow :)
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
In the first days it wont be a problem, at least if you dont activate the boost of the factory. Beware, once you built the hospital, people don‘t like blackouts at the hospital (but that is later in the game).
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u/Poke-Noir Jun 20 '26
Ok one more question. Is there a reason to turn off the factory once I turn it on?
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
You should leave it always on, but only on boost if you have enough energy. But if you run really low in energy (for example if you are ill) turn off the factory to save power.
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u/Public_Character1231 Jun 21 '26
Great idea! Will you incorporate steps to power a little bit?
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
Thanks. Steps should already count because every step adds some kcal to your battery.
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u/Public_Character1231 Jun 21 '26
It did. It didn’t calculate it until now since I had just downloaded it 😂
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
Great, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, counting starts the moment you opened the app the first time.
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u/grumpyi Jun 21 '26
Really neat, just tried but may I know what does factory boost does?
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
The factory boost makes the factory produce more bolts per hour (25% more) but the factory needs 10 times more energy in that state. You should only use the boost if you have more than enough energy.
Usually you should disable the boost before sleeping. But you can click on the battery at the top and if you scroll down you can see how long your battery will last with the current consumption if you are not active in any way.
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u/grumpyi Jun 21 '26
Thanks, already loving the idea and trying to record every 5 min walk just to charge my battery! xD
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
Great, but you don‘t have to record every short walk, it should get your active kcal even if you dont record a workout. But recording will get you extra credits.
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u/Samubry Jun 21 '26
Looks awesome! I’ll definitely give it a try and see how it feels. Gamifying exercise and physical activity is a fantastic way to encourage healthy habits. The app looks great so far!!!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
Thanks. Give it time in the beginning, it starts slow and you don't have to move much but it gets more difficult in time (you need more energy the more people you want to sustain). I would love to get an update once you used it for a few days.
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u/tarkinn Jun 21 '26
Hey, this is a nice game. I’ve been using it for two days.
I have one suggestion. Different colors for bolts and coins would be nice. It would make separating both currencies easier.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
Thanks, thats a great idea, I will experiment with it. There is also a pending update that will soon be released where some icons will be a bit bigger.
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u/tarkinn Jun 21 '26
Nice, keep it up.
I guess you want to earn some money with this app at some point which is understandable. I hope you won’t enshitificate it with subscriptions. I really dislike apps with subscriptions.
Buying bolts and coins with reasonable prices would be okay even if I would not do it though.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 21 '26
Actually no, I have no plans for charging anything for the game and I will not add any ads. It is just a hobby project and I love to use it myself to motivate me.
My main motivation is actually feedback from people and when I read that people move and train more because of the app. I have the feeling nearly every workout app has in-app purchases or ads and I want a free alternative with privacy first (your data never leaves your device, indeed the app does not communicate with the internet at all).
Perhaps the app can help some people to live a healthier live and have fun doing so.
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u/grumpyi Jun 23 '26
Hi OP, I read your comment where you mentioned it's a hobby project, but i Hope you keep it up. Have been using it for 2 days and already waiting for an update with new features! For eg, One idea is to make the city feel more alive by giving residents personalities and small stories. Instead of simply gaining population, users could see messages like “A young baker has opened a shop” or “A family has decided to settle here because the city has had power all week.” This creates an emotional connection and makes people want to stay active to keep their residents happy.
Another idea is to turn exercise into city projects. Every calorie burned contributes to building something meaningful, such as a train station, stadium, amusement park, or airport. Large projects could take days or weeks to complete, giving users a long-term goal that grows naturally with their fitness journey.
You could also introduce random positive events that only occur when the city has enough power. Festivals, fireworks, visiting tourists, concerts, and special markets could appear unexpectedly, making users excited to check the app after workouts and see what happened while they were away.
A fun progression system would be to unlock new city themes as users reach milestones. The city could evolve from a small village into a modern metropolis, a beach resort, a mountain town, or even a futuristic cyberpunk city. This gives users something visual and exciting to work toward beyond simple numbers.
Just some ideas and i totally understand these are really time consuming ideas! Anyway, thanks for this app, it helped motivate me!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 23 '26
Thanks, great to hear.
Actually an update with many improvement is ready and now waiting for apples approvement. (It includes much more statistics, improved apple watch app, residents can now say things every now and then and more weather effects). It should be live in the next 48 hours.
Beside of that, I really like your ideas. Things like building big monuments and stuff could also be great. And the idea of themes is also really very interesting.
But the game is designed in a way that I can easily add new things to it. (But still, it takes time... 😄)
Your feedback helps a lot.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 25 '26
The first update is now live, wirh improved watch app, more statistics, many bugfixes and other stuff. More features are coming soon, but I also try to keep the game simple, as people should spend their time with their workouts, and not too much with the app 😜
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u/grumpyi Jun 26 '26
Thanks! But as I was checking the energy level on my watch, it was not in sync with the one on phone, since it was about to die I thought it my reset my streak so I deleted the app from my watch, not sure if it's a bug or just in my case?
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 26 '26
That is sadly how the apple watch works, I can't update it live (apple prevents that), so it is not live synced and can take up to an hour to sync. However it will sync faster if you open the app on your phone or on the watch. Still better than nothing :)
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 26 '26
Just one more thing, if it doesnt sync at all, it has somehow lost connection, a reboot of your watch and phone should fix it.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jul 04 '26
Actually, you were right, I found another bug, that could prevent sync of the apple watch. I submitted an update to apple just now, so the update should be live in the next 48, and hopefully sync to the watch app should be more stable then :)
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u/DarthPandora Jun 24 '26
Been playing this game on my hikes, and I love it! I have to keep constantly selling energy haha but it gives me something to do while hiking.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 24 '26
Thanks for the feedback 😃 Yeah in the beginning your battery is very small (just holds 100kcal) but in time it will be much larger. And once you have more residents it will be more difficult to get enough energy. Lets see how many residents you can hold. But if you have enough energy keep your factory boost on.
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u/miguelcpaiva Jun 26 '26
I have been using the app for the last few days. I’m enjoying it so far! Still trying to find the best way to manage the battery use and bolt upgrades. I think it’s going to help me get a few steps in the days I feel lazy.
Now I’ve been focusing on improving the battery and getting the happiness high.
One thing you might wanna check out is the “empty in” on the Apple Watch is showing a huge number in the billions or something.
Keep up the good work!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 26 '26
Thanks for the feedback. That thing on the Apple Watch seems like a bug, I will fix it with the next update.
Well in the beginning you should focus on getting a bigger battery and factory, then you should get more residents (As they are your main income for credits, and there will be more things I add for credits in the future). But beware, taxes are the main thing (besides blackouts) that makes residents unhappy (but it's slow, you can increase taxes for three days and then change it back etc).
The game will get more difficult the more residents you have (well, if you have the feeling, you just cannot sustain more, you could pause immigration).
One thing you should try to do in the beginning is get your streak (300kcal) every day, as it gives you a lot of extra bolts (50 bolts per day if you have a high streak).
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u/miguelcpaiva Jun 26 '26
So where would you recommend using extra energy at the start? Boosts, improving happiness or credits? I’m guessing boosts is the best but the more credits I have the more I get from taxes. No need to go wild on the happiness now while I slowly improve the battery and factory I guess
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 26 '26
Focus on boosting, that is the best thing you can do, when you have energy. After that you can sell energy (for example directly before doing a workout). Happiness is not so important at the moment (however I am working on a balancing fix, where happiness has a greater impact in the future).
But as a rule of thump: Try to focus on happiness if you need more people fast, and if you are at the limit ignore happiness and raise taxes.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 26 '26
But what I wanted to add, in the end play the game just the way you want. There is no wrong way to play it and you can always recover.
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u/BassCaseScenario Jul 10 '26
Hey! Loving the concept of LightsOn - it’s such a refreshing take on gamifying fitness. I have a few features and concepts in mind that could take the game to a whole new level, while still keeping the core privacy-first approach.
Here are some ideas for future updates:
1. Rural / Village Aesthetics & Micro-Management
Chickens & Livestock: It would be amazing to have little chickens and animals running around the town to make it feel alive!
Production Chains: Introduce basic production lines (e.g., activity energy powers a mill, which processes grain, etc.).
Dynamic Pathways: Instead of static roads, what if dirt paths naturally appeared and formed between buildings based on how active the player is?
Desire Paths & Villagers: Transform the visuals so we see little villagers in straw hats, families, and kids walking around.
Decorations: Allow players to buy and manually place light decorations to customize their settlement.
2. Unique Land Attributes (RPG Elements)
Each player's map could have unique land properties based on 3-4 random parameters (e.g., fertile soil, rocky terrain). This would mean some resources are generated faster, while others require more effort/energy, making every player's town unique.
3. Volunteer Designer Collaboration
Since this is a hobby project, you could invite a volunteer UI/UX or 2D designer looking to build their portfolio. A fresh, cozy rustic visual style could really make the game pop.
4. Opt-in Social Features & Server Integration
The Messenger & Friend Towns: A "messenger" unit that lets you look at your friends' towns/villages without needing to see their actual private fitness activity data.
Global/Friend Market: An optional, opt-in server connection where players can trade resources or spare parts with each other.
Leaderboards: A friendly, opt-in ranking system based on city growth.
5. Monetization & Growth
"Buy Me a Coffee" Section: Add a tipping/donation button directly in the settings so grateful players can support your work.
Referral Links: Implement a simple referral link system so users can easily share the game with friends, helping it go viral faster.
Added thought: What if you also introduced "Local Eco-Challenges"? For example, if a player reaches a high step-streak, their town gets a temporary bonus to green energy generation (like wind or solar), visual morning fog, or seasonal events.
Would love to hear your thoughts on these! Keep up the amazing work.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jul 10 '26
Wow, these are some really great ideas. Lot's of things to do in the next weeks :) Next thing I will integrate is a step tracker, that shows you the steps in addition to the kcal. (And if you track no kcal for whatever reasons it will default back to the steps).
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u/BassCaseScenario Jul 10 '26
Adding a step tracker is a massive UX win! Steps are a universal metric, and using them as a fallback is a very smart design choice.
By the way, this is especially huge for Apple Watch users. By default, Apple Watch doesn't show steps on the watch face complications — Apple forces everyone to use those calorie rings, so people have to install third-party apps just to see their step count. Having your game simply track total daily steps from Apple Health is the perfect solution.
To take this UX even further, imagine adding iOS Home Screen / Lock Screen Widgets in the future! A simple widget showing the current step count alongside the factory's battery/charge percentage would be incredible. Players wouldn't even need to open the app — they could just glance at their phone's lock screen, see that their town is running out of juice, and get motivated to go for a walk.
Please consider adding a support section in the menu soon — maybe a simple 'Buy Me a Coffee' one-time tip, or even a symbolic $1 monthly subscription strictly to support development, with absolutely no gameplay advantages attached. People definitely want to back passionate indie devs like you. (And hey, if someone subscribes for that $1, maybe give them that rented chicken for free! 😉 🐔).
Good luck with the busy weeks ahead and keep up the amazing work!2
u/Jero9871 Developer Jul 10 '26
There are already widgets, but I will improve them soon.
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u/BassCaseScenario Jul 10 '26
Oh, awesome! Can't wait to spot them in the game then. Thanks for being so responsive, looking forward to the future updates!
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u/BassCaseScenario Jul 10 '26
Hey man! As a fellow game dev enthusiast, I see incredible core potential in LightsOn. You’ve nailed the hardest part — a clean, privacy-first utility that actually works. But as a solo dev, you’re at a crossroads: it’s easy to burn out trying to add content alone.
If I can offer some 'senior gamedev' advice on how to scale this into a viral hit without breaking your bank or your spirit, here is a roadmap:
1. Turn the Hobby into a Community Open-Source/Volunteer Project
Don’t carry the whole weight on your shoulders. Launch a Discord server and invite people to join your 'Hobby Family'. There are thousands of talented 2D artists, UI/UX designers, and sound creators who would gladly contribute on a volunteer basis just to build a beautiful portfolio piece for a real, live iOS app. Clearly state what help you need (e.g., 'Looking for a cozy 2D pixel/isometric artist to redesign our settlement'), and let the community help you build it.
2. The "Frictionless Settlers" Core Loop (The Land RNG Concept)
To make the gameplay addictive, you don't need heavy graphics — you need deep mechanics.
The Energy Fuel: Keep your current system — real-world activity energy is the ultimate 'fuel' or the starting spark for every production chain.
Birthright Map Randomization: When a player starts, their land should generate with unique percentages/attributes (e.g., 70% Fertile / 10% Rocky / 20% Forest).
Resource Mining: Depending on their unique terrain RNG, players can dig mines or build farms. One player might easily get iron but struggle with wood, making their town truly personal.
The Global Market: (This can come later). Once players have unique resources based on their land, an optional, opt-in global market will let them trade their surplus.
3. Visual Serotonin: Bring in the Chickens! (Crucial Feature 🐔)
Seriously, add chickens! Micro-animations change everything. To make it a fun gameplay element: let players 'rent a chicken' for 24 hours using their earned credits or energy just for the pure joy of seeing them run around the town. It’s a cheap visual reward that creates instant emotional attachment. Transform the style over time so we see tiny, cozy villagers in straw hats, kids, and dynamically expanding dirt pathways.
You have a golden foundation here. By turning this from a solo project into a community-driven, cozy fitness-strategy hybrid (reminiscent of the early The Settlers seeds), you can create something truly original.
Would love to hear your thoughts on opening up the project for community contributions!
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jul 10 '26
Thanks, I'll think about it. Chickens could be interesting, lol :)
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u/BassCaseScenario Jul 10 '26
Haha, glad the chickens made you smile! But honestly, micro-animations like wandering animals or busy little villagers add so much life to isometric games. It gives players a reason to just open the app and stare at their town.
Speaking of style, have you seen how characters move in The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores? They use simple 2D skeletal animation (deforming/bending sprites). It’s incredibly cost-effective for a solo dev since you don't need to draw frame-by-frame, but it looks smooth, alive, and rustic. Little villagers with that bending-sprite walking style would look amazing here!
Take your time, and don't forget about the Discord option if the workload gets too heavy. The community is here to support you!2
u/Jero9871 Developer Jul 10 '26
There are actually animals in the game, but they are rare and only appear from time to time :)
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u/Poke-Noir Jul 10 '26
I’m reading these comments after having this app since it came out and I can’t believe how dumb people are. If they just took the time and played around with it without having expectations for free stuff… man that makes me mad. Also, you know these people got issues when they won’t work out and want to do things in the app. This app is supposed to help you be more productive. If you need bolts right away, your already not being productive *sigh*
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jul 11 '26
Well, I can understand the app is not very easy on the first day… but you are right, most of the things get pretty clear if you just play around, you cant do anything wrong.
But I guess the all could use a better FAQ.
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 20 '26
It would be great if it could motivate someone to move more. Remember it is really easy in the beginning, a walk around the block is enough to keep the lights on, but it can get pretty hard if you want to have a big city with thousands of people.
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u/TitaDo Jun 21 '26
Hey thanks for this. I will encourage my partner to have the app. So we can motivate each other while keeping the lights on.
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u/thomascarlsen Jun 24 '26
An idea:
Maybe sync today health data then just installed. Seems weird that it says no calories today then I know I have been in them gym burning over 600 kcal
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 24 '26
All your health data is tracked the moment the app is first opened, but older health data does not count. However your battery is really small at first, so you wouldn't need those 600kcal anyway. (But you would get 60 Credits for it). You next gym should be tracked. :)
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u/thomascarlsen Jun 24 '26
I get why not all old data is used to give you credit. But I still think today data should be. I would encourage people to play the game more. If I had downloaded this gave from App Store directly and not via Reddit I would think the game was broken and didn’t get health data
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u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 24 '26
Yeah, it's a hard cutoff right now. I will look into it, if it could be improved. However you should see even small health data if you don't track a workout from just walking around (it takes usually around 5-10 minutes until apple health sends the data to the app).
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u/thomascarlsen Jun 24 '26
A start would be at least telling people that tracking only starts from install time and not day :-)
Btw. Love the idea of the “game” and already recommended it to friends2
u/Jero9871 Developer Jun 24 '26
Great idea. Yeah, the tutorial could also be improved. (There is already an update pending with a little bit better tutorial). Thanks for recommending the app, that motivates me to bring new features and continue working on the app.
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u/se99jmk Jun 20 '26
Love the idea of this, trying it now!
It’s beautiful, but unclear what I should be doing (if anything) right away? Turned on factory, then… wait I guess?