Role: Solo Developer (Programming, 3D Art, Game Design)
Duration: 2013–2014
Stack: Unity3D, C#, Blender, Android SDK
Planet Mushroom gameplay trailer showcasing multi-directional freedom
My First Steps in 3D Development
Planet Mushroom was my first major 3D project and a complete dive into game development and 3D graphics programming. Learning Unity3D and Blender at the same time, I decided to reinvent one of mobile gaming’s most popular genres by fixing a design problem: the restrictive linearity of endless runners.
The project became my proving ground for 3D technical skills, teaching me the full product lifecycle from concept to 10,000+ downloads on the Google Play Store. It opened doors into 3D development.
The Linear Endless Runner Problem
Endless runners dominated mobile gaming in the early 2010s, but the genre followed a rigid formula. Games like Temple Run and Subway Surfers offered reflex-based challenges but locked players into left-right dodging and lane switching along a fixed (or sort of) forward trajectory.
Players couldn’t explore, backtrack, or choose their own path. The “endless” aspect referred only to distance, not spatial freedom.
Infinite Multi-Directional Procedural World
I built Planet Mushroom as a 3D endless runner that replaced linear corridors with true spatial freedom. Players could jump in any direction (forward, backward, left, right, or diagonal) across a procedurally generated world that extended infinitely in all directions. The game rewarded exploration and pathfinding skills over pure reaction time, with some decision making: chase distant collectibles, retreat to safer zones, or risk shortcuts across gaps.
Key mechanics:
- 360-degree movement with full directional control via tilt
- Infinite world generation that ran smoothly on 2013 Android devices
- Dynamic difficulty progression increasing velocity, platform spacing and hazard density over time
- Score multipliers encouraging players to start new runs
Technical Architecture
Infinite World Generation
The core technical challenge was generating an infinite 3D world without frame rate drops on low-end mobile hardware in 2013. I built a 3×3 grid streaming system that kept playable world regions loaded while culling distant geometry.
System architecture:
- Grid cell management - World divided into square regions containing platform clusters
- Active 9-cell buffer - Player always surrounded by 3×3 grid of loaded cells
- Directional streaming - When player exits a cell, system spawns 3 new cells in movement direction
- Automatic culling - Cells beyond the 9-cell buffer destroyed to free memory
Procedural Platform Generation
Each grid cell placed mushroom platforms while managing the density:
- Difficulty scaling via platform spacing and gap distances
- Collectible distribution using weighted randomization
- Hazard placement ensuring playable paths always existed
- Visual variety through randomized mushroom sizes and colors
Development & Publishing
Solo Production Pipeline
As my first major 3D project, Planet Mushroom meant learning the complete game development stack:
3D Art & Animation:
- Modeled mushroom platforms, character, and environmental props in Blender
- Particles and shaders
Programming:
- Built physics-based character controller with mobile input
- Built procedural generation system with spatial partitioning
- Integrated ad monetization SDKs for free-to-play model
Publishing:
- Handled Google Play Store submission and compliance requirements
- Created marketing materials and managed a community on social media
- Iterated based on early user feedback during development
Development took about 12 months as a solo effort while learning Unity3D and Blender.
Performance Metrics & Impact
Launch & Growth
- 10,000+ downloads within months of 2014 launch via initial spike and sustained growth
- Partnership with gaming company accelerated distribution and visibility in the competitive mobile market
- Monetized through ad-based revenue model between gameplay sessions
Building visual experiences? Reach out or connect on LinkedIn .