Snipe

Main Menu
First Contract
In Game
Contract Completed
The Armory
Create Custom Levels

Inspiration

SNIPE was inspired by the tension of sniper games. I wanted to make a game where every movement matters, every shot is permanent, and the player has to think like a hunter: herding targets, using bullets, and waiting for that single clean shot.

Instead of just a standalone game, SNIPE became a shared daily challenge and community level platform, where players compete for the best time and permanent records.

What it does

You move the scope to make time flow for targets.
You herd marks by animating one, parking him, and walking another into place.
Bullets can punch through bodies.
Gunfire and corpses panic anyone awake to see them.
A mark that escapes, or a dead civilian, voids the job.

The game supports:

HQ (hub) for campaign, saved drafts, and the contract editor.
Daily contracts with one attempt per day and a shared leaderboard.
Community levels built in the editor and published with shared speed-run leaderboards.

Fast clears earn career points, streaks pay a bonus, and points unlock scope upgrades like STEADY GRIP, MARKSMAN GLASS, IRON LUNGS, and DEAD CALM.

How we built it

I built SNIPE as a web-based sniper game, using a compact canvas engine and a shared ruleset for fair leaderboards.

The server handles daily contract generation, one-shot attempts, paginated leaderboards, level publishing, and mod tools. Daily contracts are seeded from the UTC date, so everyone gets the same mark each day.

The client handles the scope view, touch/mouse controls, breathing mechanic, and the in-game editor. Logged-out players can play unranked, while accounts are only required for dailies, leaderboards, and publishing.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was balancing the “time only flows in your scope” idea so it felt fair and readable. Players need to understand why some targets move and others do not, and how their choices cascade through the level.

Another challenge was designing the daily contract system so it was both consistent and replayable. The seed-to-map logic had to be deterministic, but also varied enough to keep each day interesting.

I also had to make sure the community tools editor, publishing, and leaderboards worked smoothly alongside the core sniper mechanics. The game needed to feel like one cohesive experience, not a core game with bolted-on social features.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud that SNIPE delivers a strong identity: a sniper game where time is the mechanic. The “frozen world” hook makes every scope movement feel meaningful.

I'm, also proud of how the daily and community systems integrate with the gameplay. The daily contract creates a shared challenge, while community levels give players a way to create and compete indefinitely.

Most of all, I'm proud that the game rewards strategy over reflexes. Good sniping here is about planning, positioning, and timing, not just fast hands.

What we learned

I learned that strong constraints can make a game much more interesting. Limiting time flow to the scope creates natural tension and forces players to think carefully about every look and shot.

I also learned that daily challenges work best when they are simple, fair, and clearly timed. A single attempt per day makes each run feel meaningful.

Finally, I learned that user-generated content can extend a game’s life dramatically. The editor and publishing tools turn SNIPE from a single-player puzzle into an ongoing community platform.