Endless – Ugolnik's blog

Bugzz Smaher

I created the first version of this game at my summer house over just two weekends in 2015. The full version differed only by minor interface tweaks, improvements to the wave generator, and Facebook integration.

The game featured saving and progress synchronization across devices, allowing players to exit on one device and continue on another. At the time, I thought this was a useful feature, but now I see it as an unnecessary use of time.

Most of the bugs in the game were originally made for another game that never saw the light of day. Yet in this game, they fit perfectly and added a unique charm. I designed the game interface myself using GIMP.

Way of Tanks

Way of Tanks is a tank runner game with endless gameplay and diverse tracks. Players control a tank using swipes, keyboard buttons, or Apple TV gestures, aiming to cover as much distance as possible without hitting obstacles or dying in boss battles.

The tank can switch lanes, shoot, and even jump over trenches – yes, it’s that kind of modern tank! The game features various power-ups that temporarily enhance the tank’s abilities: agility, super shots, doubling collected coins, or the ability to break through obstacles.

Players can also use coins collected during runs to purchase new tanks or upgrade existing ones. There are four tanks in total, each with unique stats and capabilities.

With the permission of Ogurec Apps, I took on porting Way of Tanks from Java to iOS, tvOS, macOS, Linux, and Web, using my old but familiar and convenient game engine. The game is now ready to be handed over to its owner, though I retain the source code of both the game and the engine.

The game is already available in the browser – Way of Tanks. Hopefully, it will soon appear on the Apple AppStore for iOS, tvOS, and macOS. As for Linux, the decision rests with Ogurec Apps, but I really hope they won’t mind.

Omo Jump

One of the early games developed in a small team at Synesis.
It’s a hyper-casual game where the character is controlled with just a single tap on the screen. The player’s task is to tap at the right moment – tap too early, and you lose; too late, and… yep, you lose again.

I can’t recall many details about the game – I’ve forgotten most of them. I do remember there were some issues with the game mechanics. It lacked clarity and transparency for the player, which left mixed impressions overall.

Both the game and the engine were written in C++. It was still the first version of the engine, though already significantly improved.

What I do remember well is that I really liked the character – both the design and the animations. In that regard, the team did an excellent job. The same can’t quite be said about the rest of the game.

Omo Jump for iOS.

Death Hop

or maybe Death Jump… who remembers these names anymore?

We definitely overcomplicated things – it says Hop on the icon, but Jump in the menu.

A rather interesting hyper-casual game with endless gameplay. I really liked this one – fun mechanics, a nice setting, and good animations for both the character and the platforms he hops on.

The rules are simple – you know the drill: tap the screen at the right time, collect the red-and-yellow soul orbs – they’re needed to respawn.

Both the engine and the game were written in C++. It was made by a small team at Synesis. If I remember correctly, there were no real difficulties during development – everything went smoothly and quickly. That’s how it usually goes when you actually like the game you’re making.

By the way, this game would have worked perfectly on Android TV and Apple TV in landscape orientation. I’m pretty sure I even created builds for tvOS and Android TV at some point.

It seems the game now only survives on my iPhone and Android devices.

Flawless Hit

The first attempt to create a classic stacker game in an isometric projection was made at Synesis. The custom engine and game code, written in C++, allowed the game to run on multiple platforms simultaneously – Android, Android TV, iOS, and Apple TV. Development was done on macOS, so the game also ran perfectly on macOS. The engine even allowed the game to run on Windows.

This game belongs to the category of my creations that I’ve enjoyed playing for many years.

Cosmos Wars

This is a space-themed endless runner. Unlike other runners, it stands out with its setting. The game features a variety of ships, each with unique characteristics.

The game was also developed at Synesis. I worked on the engine and the game code itself, while other specialists at the company handled the rest.