The beginnings
Once upon a time, in the distant and frosty Finland, an ambitious young programmer named Jussi Koskela began experimenting with creating side-scrolling graphics code. At one point he noticed that the image on the screen was starting to resemble a ski jump. As he had long wanted to create a sports-themed game, he set himself the goal of creating a simulator of an increasingly popular discipline at that time - ski jumping.
The plan was ambitious because, unlike the very simple games on this topic currently available on the market, the game was to be distinguished by faithful reproduction of the laws of physics and precise mouse control. Right after graduating from high school, Jussi decided to devote 3 months of his free time to creating the first version of the project. He managed to complete it the day before starting his military service.
First version
After months of arduous work on the appropriate balance of controls, flight position and physics model to ensure the highest possible level of playability, the first version of the game was released on July 4, 1999. It was characterized by poor, two-dimensional, "pixel" graphics. The demo version contained 4 hills, and the full version 8. Due to the lack of advertising budget, Jussi decided to send the game to friends and several game magazines. Even though the game did not impress with its appearance, players' first impressions were very positive. Faithful reproduction of the laws of physics and the ability to compete with others, and thus great fun from the game, effectively overshadowed the graphical weaknesses. Over time, jumping fans themselves began to share the game, making it more and more popular.
DSJ2
Following suit, Jussi Koskela decided to devote the next months to releasing the next version of the game, primarily adding new hills. Deluxe Ski Jump 2.0 contained as many as 32 objects (completely invented, i.e. not imitated in reality). In version 2.1, security was improved and the falling snow effect was added. Ski jumps modeled on real Polish facilities appeared in version 2.1p attached to the Komputer Świat magazine, which we wrote about in more detail in the interesting facts. This was the last version of the game released for personal computers.
At that time, the game's popularity reached its peak, and Poles went crazy about it. According to information from the game's creator, almost every second player came from our country. This was certainly also related to the ongoing "Małyszomania", i.e. Adam Małysz's great sports successes. This is also evidenced by the so-called "playing Małysz", a kind of unofficial, commonly used name of the game in Poland. Numerous tournaments were organized in schools and on the Internet. The best players shared their results in official rankings on the game creator's website, breaking new and incredible records. Every meter was fought for, everyone wanted to feel like Adam Małysz.
DSJ2 Mobile
On November 21, 2020, a mobile version of the game was released for Android devices. From February 2, 2022, a version for iOS is also available. The jumper is controlled in the game by tilting the device or moving your thumbs across the screen. The Android version has been installed over 500,000 times.