Simply put:

1. The preparation stage before iOS development;

2. The learning stage of iOS development;

3. Graphic tutorials for the application on the app store.

Specifically:

The first step is to obtain the tools. In order to save money and avoid wasting money in case I can't learn it, I bought a second-hand old iMac from eBay. The seller maintained it very well. I was very happy when I received it. (This stage took more than a week. The express delivery in Australia really tests my patience!)

The second step is to configure the system. Install commonly used software, mainly Xcode. You don't need to register Apple's developer certificate during the learning stage, which is also to save money and in case you can't learn it. Now Apple is very considerate and you don't need a certificate for real machine debugging. (This stage took two days. Downloading and installing are very slow. The Internet speed in Australia is not much better than express delivery!)

The third step is to learn Swift by yourself. I searched a lot about oc vs swift online before, and I feel that I prefer swift, which is simple and elegant (this word is said by others, I am a layman). I just followed the official swift tutorial of Apple. I was confused at the beginning, but it became easier to understand slowly. I personally feel that the code is actually similar to speaking English, such as if then, do ... while, etc., and the questioner is an English major, so there is no problem. The rest is some logic and mathematics. I believe that anyone who wants to learn programming should not be too bad. Here I recommend using the playground in Xcode to practice more, which is particularly convenient for understanding. (This stage took nearly a month. After all, I learned from scratch. I searched the Internet crazily when I encountered problems).

The fourth step is to practice with tutorials. After learning the basic syntax of swift, I had an illusion that I had learned the programming language but didn’t know how to write a small program specifically. I searched for tutorials online and practiced. Entering the keyword ios swift tutorial will pop up a lot of tutorials, and there are many more intuitive video tutorials on YouTube. Here is a tutorial website that I benefited the most from: https://www.raywenderlich.com/ (not an advertisement, it's free). If you encounter a problem you don't understand, you can go to http://stackoverflow.com to ask, there are countless enthusiastic seniors and masters who will give you selfless help. (This stage took about two weeks, and I did some tutorial examples. Because the goal is to make a game, not an application, I didn't look into controls, automatic layout, etc., and only focused on patterns, frameworks, and some useful parts such as timers.)

The fifth step is to learn SpriteKit. The questioner can skip this step. I have to learn it because I want to make an independent game. If I want to make an application, I don't need to learn it. The basic process is similar to learning Swift before, but this time I didn't dare to read Apple's official documents, because compared with the official tutorials for learning Swift before, the content of SpriteKit feels too complicated and boundless. I learned it directly from raywenderlich and followed various example tutorials. It's not very systematic, but I have mastered the basics that I need to use. (This stage took nearly a month. The icons with circles and lines on the phone were all small game demos I made.)

Step 6: Start your first game project! This sentence has many words and exclamation marks because I was so excited! I rubbed my hands and leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath! Wait, sir, you haven't paid yet... Well, my previous path of saving money has finally encountered a challenge. It's time to register as an Apple developer. I paid AUD $149 a year without regrets. After all, I feel more or less confident now. In fact, the stingy strategy means that I can wait until the development is completed before registering, but because the Game Center functions used in my project must have a certificate to debug, so the sooner I pay, the sooner I can save trouble. (This stage took about two hours, and the payment was very fast. It took a bit of effort to figure out the various steps in the front. I am not educated and I am most afraid of filling in forms and the like.)

Step 7, the hard work of development... This sentence is replaced with ellipsis because this stage has not been completed yet, and the progress is about 60%. To be honest, this stage is the most psychologically stressful and physically tiring. I work during the day and accompany my wife and children at night. After 10 o'clock in the evening, they all go to bed, so I start to stay up late to develop, until 3 o'clock in the morning of the next day, writing code for 4 to 5 hours in a row. I don't get enough sleep every day, and I am exhausted, but for an uncle who has a family and is still determined to make independent games, dreams come at a price! I am no longer young, and there are not many opportunities to fight in my life. For the dream that has lingered in my heart for many years, it is like the eternal oath in the wedding hall: whether it is good or bad, rich or poor, healthy or sick - I do!