endloop blog

Bankshot

We’ve just released Bankshot Ad-Free, which is essentially the same game as Bankshot but, well, without ads! We didn’t think ads bothered anyone (they don’t bother us), but you spoke and we listened, so now we’ve made an ad-free option available. It’s available on the App Store now!

Also, if you’re still not convinced it’s fun, check out these reviews:
TUAW.com

Bankshot delivers a quick hit of fun.
It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s the perfect kind of game to just pull up and play when you only need a few minutes of distraction.
If you want a quick arcade hit to play during your next few iPhone breaks, definitely pick it up.

iPhoneFreak.com

Like TRON, Paper Toss or Air Hockey? Check out the Bankshot game, its fun and free!
From time to time I sit and waste some time playing games on my iPhone, but given that I am far from a gamer the games I play are simple. I prefer the ones that you can pick up and put down with ease such as Bejewled, Peggle, TapTap, LED Football and Flight Control. I am also pretty cheap when it comes to purchasing games.
Given that I was happy to discover a new game called Bankshot. And it hit me right from the description…

Yes, that’s right, we’re looking to expand! Check out the job posting below and if you fit the bill, we’d love to talk to you!

————————————-
Endloop is a boutique iPhone App and Games development shop based in Toronto, Ontario that started in 2009. In a short period of time, we’ve developed some pretty cool apps and games and started to build a growing client base.

We are looking for a junior, rockstar developer (preferably a recent grad, looking to learn), who wants to develop and create awesome iPhone apps/games – plain and simple. You will be involved in anything and everything related to iPhone and game development.

Obviously, you should also love Apple, Macs, iPhones, iPods and, yes, even the iPad, despite its name (but we’ll forgive you if you don’t like Apple TV – neither do we).

The ideal candidate will have some or all of the following skills:

Objective-C
Xcode w/ iPhone SDK (and Instruments)
Core Animation, Quartz 2D, Open GL-ES
Cocos2D, Unity3D, Torque
Box2D / Chipmunk

You should also be:

- Brilliant. Like ridiculously smart and can learn and soak up knowledge like a sponge.
- Passionate about something (preferably iPhone or game development)
- Code master (OOP a must, game dev would be awesome)
- Gamer and gadget freak

Have your own apps/games on the App store or in the approval process? Show us your apps for BIG bonus points.

No recruiters, please.

Email: jobs [at] endloop.ca
Website: http://www.endloop.ca

Yay! It’s great to be recognized for our hard work but it’s even better when it’s the fans that voted for us! Thanks for all your support, Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers was awarded 3rd Best Card Game of 2009 in the Best App Ever Awards!

We’re stoked about this because although, it wasn’t 1st place, we are in great company with Apple just ahead of us and then the biggest iPhone game developer on the planet, Gameloft, in 1st place. As in Indie Dev, it’s humbling to just be mentioned with those two!

Again, thanks for all the support and encouragement. 2010 is going to be an even better year!

A few more glowing reviews for Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers have popped up!

SlideToPlay

Solitaire is something mere mortals are helpless against. Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is no exception. Early on, its clean graphics, gentle sounds, and smooth animation lull you into a state of euphoria. Then the simplicity of the gameplay– tapping on cards one higher or lower than the one in play– binds your animal brain so that you can hardly think.

Your global ranking is tracked in real time in the corner of the screen, and you can watch it soar ever higher as you play, pumping happy chemicals into your brain. The end of each round leads into the beginning of the next, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

But you wouldn’t want to– you’re hooked. Our advice? Buy it. Love it. Surrender to it.

Casual Gameplay

One of the smoothest implementations of TriTowers on the App Store, this one not only looks great, it plays well and has some unlockables to boot!

And for anyone that can read German, I *think* this was a good review.

TapToPlay - 5/5 stars
Here’s the original German:

Gelungene Bedienung, Darstellung und Suchtpotential - TriTowers überzeugt und ist mit 79 Cent ein wahres Schnäppchen.

And the Google translated English:

Convinced Successful operation, presentation and addictive - TriTowers and is 79 cents a true bargain.

And the great reviews keep on pouring in!

AppAddict.net - 5/5 stars

Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers from Endloop Systems is one seriously addictive game and is easly our top choice for solitaire on the platform. Frankly we cannot believe we are THIS excited about a solitaire game, but the guys at Endloop obviously put a lot of time and thought into crafting a well balanced game, requiring a nice blend of both strategy and luck.

AppGirlReviews.com - 10/10 stars

If you’ve ever had even a small amount of fun playing Solitaire, you owe it to yourself to give Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers a try. I’ve never been a huge fan of card-based games, and yet I’ve spent many hours playing this little treasure. For the introductory price of 99 cents, this game is a no-brainer; however, it’d be a bargain at four times the price. Here’s the bottom line: the only thing wrong with Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is the fact that your boss probably won’t accept it as an excuse for being late to work.

AppAdvice.com - 3.5/5 stars

Arcade Solitaire: Tri Towers is the best version of Tri Towers in the App Store … The scoring system, time constraints, flair, and online high scores present solitaire in a whole new way.

Another great review of Arcade Solitaire:TriTowers, this time from TouchGen.net!

Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is one of the most addictive games I have encountered for the iPhone. Basically what developer Endloop Systems Inc. managed to do is to merge solitaire with arcade action.

The game looks bright, and sparkly with some really snazzy effects when you clear a lot of cards in a row.

There are no less than 30 decks and backgrounds to unlock, and you can combine them however you want to. The sound consists of chirpy sound effects, and you can play your own music alongside them.

Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is a great time waster that takes the already addictive solitaire into arcade territory. At the introductory price of $0.99 it is an absolute steal, and even at $2.99 it will be easy for me to recommend.

4/5 Stars

You can read the full review here: TouchGen.net Reviews Arcade Solitaire:TriTowers

Yay, the first official review of Arcade Solitaire:TriTowers has just been published!

If you enjoy playing cards and specifically Solitaire, then you will like Tri-Towers, as it is one of the most addicting and amusing solitaire games on the App Store.

The game includes 30 unlockable card deck skins and background skins, which are a nice incentive for those players who need one. Personally, I found the addicting and fun game play enough inventive to continue playing, but the extras are a nice perk.

The game offers good visuals with very easy to see and read cards. I like that the cards and background skins can be changed, which adds a custom element to the game.

To go along with these visual graphics are awesome sound jingles! Exciting little sounds are played as combos are gained and objectives completed and once the level is finished, a brief sound jingle is played that is surprisingly fun to listen to.

Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is scored a 4 out of 5

You can check out the full review here: iPhoneInCanada Reviews Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers

This is just the first of many positive reviews coming! We’ve been in touch with lots of sites and they all LOVE the game! Wooo! If you’ve got a site and would like a promo code for Arcade Solitaire:TriTowers, let us know ASAP as we don’t have many left!

Thanks and see you on the leaderboards!

We’re extremely excited to announce our first game which is called Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers! Our mission was to take the old, stuffy Solitaire and add great graphics, addictive and fast-paced gameplay, in-game leaderboards and just great arcadey goodness! We set out to bring Solitaire to the 21st century and believe we’ve made the most addictive, best Solitaire game yet!

It’s fully integrated with OpenFeint 2.2 and has almost 50 achievements. We’ve packed it with over 30 unlockable skins and decks! It’s got everything you’d expect from an Endloop product!

Here’s what some of our beta testers have been saying:

“Arcade Solitaire is an intense and challenging game that has caused many missed bus stops, late appointments, and arguments with loved ones.” - Jon Lim, MustTap.com

“The only downside to this game is that you’ve created digital CRACK!” - Neil Warner, Beta Tester

Here’s the trailer for Arcade Solitaire - TriTowers :

And here are some screenshots:
Read more…

Unity3D is coming to Toronto to launch their Unity Users Group chapter here and they’ve been gracious enough to offer our followers 50% off their mixer/networking event AND their workshop next week.

Here’s the info:

TORONTO - MIXER (November 10th)

50% off DISCOUNT CODE: endloopUnityNW

To kick off the Toronto UUG Chapter, dimeRocker will be hosting an afterwork Mixer at the Gladstone Hotel on Tuesday, November 10th.

The event will featuring a keynote by Tony Garcia (Unity 3D Business Development):

5:30pm - 6:30pm Reception, drinks & appetizers at the Gladstone Hotel
6:30pm - 7:30pm Keynote followed by Q&A with Tony
7:30pm - 9:00pm Networking social, raffle of Unity Pro or iPhone license

Admission includes a drink, eats and a chance to win a Unity Pro or iPhone License (valued at $1,500)!

TORONTO - WORKSHOP (November 11th)

50% off DISCOUNT CODE: endloopUnityWS

The next day, Wednesday November 11th, Amir Ebrahimi, (Unity Developer & Field Engineer) will lead a 3hr Unity Workshop at George Brown College on the St. James Campus.

12:30pm - 1:00pm Registration and refreshments
1:00pm - 3:30pm Unity Skills Workshop
3:30pm - 4:00pm Workshop Q&A

Register now - space is limited!!

So, first off, I have to say that I wasn’t even planning to go to 360iDev in Denver. Budget and time constraints prevented me from even considering going.

Then a funny thing happened - I won a free ticket! Thanks to Fernando Barajas for giving up his ticket (he wrote the app, Skatr - get it now!!). Thanks to Dan Grigsby and MobileOrchard, an awesome blog for iPhone Developers, for posting the ticket giveaway (and for the great marketing advice) and finally, thanks to Tom and John for organizing such an amazing event!

So it was really a no-brainer for me to go now, so I went - but with the thought that this would be just like any other conference I’ve been to.

Boy, was I wrong.

This event may have been the single best experience I’ve had in my professional (and independent) career. And I say this without any hesitation - it was THAT good. So, why was it that good? As some others have already said, it wasn’t any one thing but rather a perfect storm of great talks, events and people all coming together to create this life changing experience. Let me briefly go through the list.

The Talks
I have to say the talks at 360iDev were all great and there were so many that really opened my eyes and struck a chord with me. I can’t possibly list them all but here are, what I thought, were the best of the best.

David Whatley - How to make Mad Money with an iPhone Game
Critical Thought Games (geoDefense and geoDefense Swarm)
For me, this was the best talk of the entire conference. I know the title sounds a bit cheesy, but his talk was FILLED with great tips on game design and business strategy specific for the iPhone platform and market. Great speaker, tons of great information and experience and success to back it all up.

Matt Drance - Keynote
Bookhouse Apps (and former Apple iPhone/Mac Evangelist)
Matt gave a great keynote about how to improve your chances of success on the app store. He talked about building relationships with Apple, how to build quality apps and how not to get screwed by the App Review process (well, insomuch that you can). Incredibly informative, especially the tip about adding Apple as a contact in your phone! (FYI, he suggested putting Apple’s number (408)996-1010 as “OMG APPLE” in your address book and lol and behold, a few short hours after I got the OMG APPLE call!)

Dan Grigsby - Warm, Clothed and Fed: Developer Run iPhone Business
MobileOrchard.com (Founder)
Dan was one of the best speakers at the entire conference - energetic, informative and great slides! His talk was practical and loaded with real numbers and statistics from the industry of iPhone development as a business. Standing room only for his talk, but it was worth it as the room was riveted the entire time.

Henry Balanon - Lottery you can influence. iPhone App Marketing for Devs
Bickbot (Founder & writer for TheAppleBlog.com)
Easily the funniest talk of the conference, Henry is also a great speaker. His talk was about how you can try to maximize your chances of getting that big “hit” and making it into the Top 100 - which should be your ultimate goal. Great information and entertaining throughout, Henry kept the whole room in stitches.

Rana June - Return to Quality Keynote
Medialets (Co-Founder and VP of Marketing)
Rana caught me off guard with this one. It had a controversial twist to it, but her talk cut through the BS and resonated with a lot of people, including myself. Luckily, it was recorded and you can watch her great talk here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

The Events
So, besides the great catering, the free beer and the Rock Band parties, there was one event that spontaneously occurred that really made the entire conference for me, and that was the iPhone Game Jam. The idea was the brainchild of Noel Llopis (Snappy Touch) who came up with the idea and organized the event.

A Game Jam is where a bunch of developers get together and try to build a game or games in a limited time span. In this case, it was from 7pm at night until 8:30am in the morning. I know, it sounds like a brutal exercise but it was one of the most fun events I’ve done in a long time, and it was entirely because of the people I was with and the amount I learned in a short period of time. The results that came out of the iPhone Game Jam were incredible! You can check them all out HERE.

For me, I had never played with a physics engine before so I really wanted to learn something new, so I played with Box2D and in 9 hours I managed to crank out Gravity Vs. Ladybugs.

It doesn’t look like much, but it only took 9 hours and is completely physics based so I’m extremely happy with it! Basically, the premise is that you use your finger to create gravity wells to keep the ladybugs away from your player while he automatically seeks out the gems. Pretty simple, but sorta fun too!

Anyway, as I said, the game jam was one of the best highlights of the whole conference. The energy and the people in the room really inspired me to forge ahead and build something cool while under the pressures of a ticking clock.

The People
And last, but not least, the people at 360iDev were amazing. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, from the speakers, to the organizers and to all the attendees, were all so friendly and open. Some of the people there were genuine stars in our industry but NONE of them were hard to approach and strike up a conversation with. They let me pick their brains for advice. They shared a few beers with me. They ENGAGED in genuine conversations and genuinely wanted to help others achieve the same success as they had. It would be too hard to name them all, but I can honestly say that I am grateful to have met and made new friendships with all the people there. And I really hope that we’ll be able to maintain these great relationships going forward because I’m sure that every single person that went to 360iDev had the same experience that I did.

And that’s it, the best conference I’ve ever went to. And if you missed it, I feel for you. And if you don’t believe me that it was really THAT good, check out the links below and see what they have to say about it because I know that I’m not the only one who felt this way.

[Updated]
TouchArcade - 360iDev Game Jam: 10 Hours of Game Development Insanity
Critical Thought Games Blog - 360iDev and Apple & App Store
MobileOrchard - iPhone Game Jam report
ByteClub - Surviving the iPhone Game Jam
Riptide Games - A night to remember