Indie Release Notes #6: MudQuest Reborn

Well, it happened—I definitely burned out, and MudQuest v1.0 never made it to the Apple and Android stores. I think the main reason was the MapBox integration and its limitations with the Flutter SDK. Many simple tasks had to be done manually, or I had to use the API instead. This is when I started thinking that native platforms might offer a better developer experience (DX) and, as a result, a better user experience (UX). So, I switched from Flutter to SwiftUI! I know what you're going to say: what about Android? That's definitely a big question, but in the world of indie hacking, it's important to get initial market feedback, and I'm already working on that. If this project takes off and gains interest from the community, I will invest time in Android development. If it doesn't? Well, I'll still benefit from understanding how the native framework works, and even if I need to return to Flutter, it will only enhance my overall understanding.

This time, I'm not working alone, and it already feels like a huge help in many ways. From brainstorming and PR reviews to actual code implementation, everything is moving faster and in a better direction. I highly recommend having someone in your indie hacking projects who can provide feedback or review any questionable decisions! With MudQuest, we're moving three times faster than when I was working alone, which is very exciting!

Release notes:

All of this was done in a month! I just couldn't believe how much faster we are moving.

• Facebook, Google, Email authentication;

• Settings and Profile;

• Onboarding;

• Mapview with main annotations, clustering, follow user feature, Geo translation with address search;

• Home page with parties as a feed;

• Simple Active Party view;

• Create an active party.

• Edit Profile;

• New website hosting with Astra on the back/front;

App overview

I'll keep it short this time, as many features are similar to what was mentioned before. However, there are some changes. For example, parties now have a feed representation. They will act as social objects and will host pictures and, in the future, videos of the ride. This means if you join a party, you'll have a shared place to add your media, and everyone can instantly access it. There will also be a way to share your ride on other platforms like TikTok or Instagram using media along with Mapbox 3D map rendering, showing where you took the media.

The map view will now have two modes: Map and Navigation. Navigation will be used when a user switches to Active Party and will show your party members on the map. Features like collective navigation and collection destinations are also planned but will follow after the main release as extra features.

What next?

• Party view page;

• Party life cycle - users will be able to start, request, accept, leave, cancel, and complete off-road parties from both sides: as participants and as owners.

• Functionality like comments and likes for the Feed view.