Closure

            It’s been a couple years since the Atmosphirian started as a simple little side project that I thought I’d give a shot. I was never really much of a writer until the day I started this blog. Soon enough, I found myself writing and writing. I simply couldn’t get enough, especially when I saw the pleasure that it brought so many people. My little project was growing into something much bigger and better than I could have ever imagined, and that was terrific. But times changed, and I got busier, and the posts slowed down, eventually stopping altogether.

            If you’re one of the old readers of the Atmosphirian, then welcome back. If you’re someone new who has found this blog among the remains of civilization, welcome, future-starter!

            I was walking around campus the other day, and randomly thought about the one thing every college freshman thinks about: my major. Ever since I saw how much people loved to read, I decided I wanted to become a writer so I could share experiences. But writing falls into many majors, such as English, Creative Writing… And journalism. Upon thinking of that last one, memories of the Atmosphirian came to mind, and I realized that one day this blog just sort of faded away, left untouched. The thought made me sad, realizing there was never any real closure.

            If you haven’t heard much from the Atmosphir world, I left several months ago. Pressures from school and life itself brought me to the decision to retire from my Head Moderator position, step down from the Editorial Staff, and simply fade away, never truly leaving yet not entirely present. I still stop by the site every once in a while, never leaving any trace but glancing over things, amused. Very little has changed in the months since I left. That was okay with me, the Atmosphir I had fallen in love with long ago was scarcely present under all of the flashy props and firearms. I keep telling myself I’ll go back someday, even going as far as to download and open the game once more, but I still haven’t felt that truly limitless inspiration that I used to feel so often.

            So, backtracking a bit, I decided that I should finally wrap this one up. This project reached greater heights than I could ever imagine; looking at the pageviews as of now, there are 6234 recorded. Over six thousand views spread over 75 posts… Wow, that really hit me. People enjoy reading about things they care about, and as a writer, that’s really inspiring that such a small community could visit that often.

            So thank you to everyone out there who made the Atmosphirian what it was, is, and will be preserved as in my mind. I always said the Atmosphirian was for the people, by the people, and that’s true. It got bigger and better because of all of you, and my thankfulness can’t even be put into words.

            Thank you to Minor Studios for providing me with an opportunity to have something to write about. It was a pleasure to represent the community for so long.

            And thank you to the future Atmosphir players and writers who continue to make projects like this possible. If you’re considering writing about something, do it. Chances are that there are people out there who are willing to listen to what you have to say. Don’t get discouraged; it took the Atmosphirian nearly a month of work to start gaining momentum. So too will yours if you put your heart into it. Do it because you’re passionate. Do it because you care.

            Do it because you’re an Atmosphirian. For the people, by the people.

Video: Teleporters and New Weapons

Hello and welcome to the first ever Atmosphirian news broadcast. Today is July 30^th, 2010, and I’m your host, Colin.

Atmosphir has received several updates over the past week. The first update, 0.9.8.2, brought the long-awaited teleporters into Atmosphir. These interactive props are designed to transport any player or object from Point A to Point B in an instant. Teleporters take up one space on the design grid, and at this time cannot be scaled or free-placed.

Teleporters are activated simply by standing on them. There may be a charge or cool-down time, as determined by the designer of the level. Interactives, such as beach balls, boxes, and coconuts can be sent through the teleporter. Players have confirmed that bombs can be teleported, though the momentum of the shot will not be carried over unless the teleporter is designed correctly.

Version 0.9.8.3 was released today, bringing the community three new ranged weapons. The Plunderer K-460 is a bomb cannon whose bombs explode on impact. The Berryblaster SW-22 is a new laser weapon which fires a pair of pink rings for each shot. The final weapon, the AX-70, fires two red lasers in rapid succession. Head Moderator Adz was kind enough to provide the community with footage of each of these weapons for players who are cautious to spend their money. Each weapon is available in the store for 300 atmos apiece.

A new category has also been added to the store. This “animations” category is currently empty, but Dave has promised that there will be news about that in the near future. He did however confirm that there will be several basic animations which will be free of charge, while the more advanced animations will be on sale soon. Prices have not been announced.

That’s all for today, everyone. Thanks for watching.

New Design Challenge: Story10

Storytelling has been a part of our world since the very beginning. The expression of feelings, events, and history through the written and spoken word has been a tradition that has been naturally passed on to us through the centuries. Stories are meant to invoke emotions in people, whether they be good (Happiness, joy, excitement) or bad (sadness, depression, gloom). Atmosphir’s latest Design Challenge addresses one of our oldest traditions in a storytelling competition.

Story10, announced last week, is the latest Design Challenge facing Atmosphirians. As the name implies, the object here is to create a story-driven level. There are an infinite number of stories that can be written of course. Dave (OkaySamurai) provided us with numerous examples, including a mystery, trivia game, interactive story, recreation of another story, and many more. If you need some quality examples, be sure to check out the official topic.

For many, the question comes down to “How do I tell a good story?” Unfortunately for the community, NPCs and dialogue are not available yet. However, info stickers are at our disposal. These circular Interactives display a text box whenever the play walks on them, allowing designers to convey a message. In a recent update, a new feature was added to them, allowing them to become invisible. In this challenge, Info Stickers will be the primary weapon.

Of course, a good story alone will not satisfy a majority of the community, who determine whether you win or lose. Excellent gameplay is expected to accompany the level, as always. There are two ways to approach this; build a level around a story, or write a story about a level. Having a basis is very important when it comes to creating both a level and a story.

If you’re having difficulties writing a story, try searching for writing tips on Google. There are many tips out there to help even the poorest writer create an excellent story. Music is also an excellent source of inspiration. Listen to the lyrics or feel the emotion in a song, and let the words flow naturally.

When using info stickers, be careful with your placement and visibility. Plastering your level with visible info stickers can take away from the scenery, but it means your audience will not miss them. On the other hand, invisible info stickers don’t damage the view at all, but they can be very easy to miss. Take the time to create a balance between these two extremes, as it could mean the difference between first place and not ranking at all.

The deadline for Story10 is July 1, 2010. Be sure to include “Story10” in your title! Good luck!

Guest Article: Seven Tips to Help You Become a Better Designer

Today we have a guest article by a very special friend of mine, Prototype. He’s been a supporter of the Atmosphirian since the very beginning, and I’m very happy to have him write an article for it.

Atmosphir is one of the most flexible game making tools out there. The possibilities are virtually endless. Semi-recent updates have expanded those possibilities, enabling many advanced concepts to emerge. Over the past few months, great levels from great designers have set the standards for a good level. The following tips will help even the worst designers improve their levels.

1. Plan
One of the most important things you can do, is to plan out your level before you start making it. Not just in your head, either. A sheet of paper, a pen, and an imagination is all that you need to get started. What kind of level will this be? Will you collect treasure, battle enemies, race to the finish? Decide upon the ultimate goal of the level, and build upon it. After that, start drawing. Decide the shape of the level and where you want to end up. Plot where you want enemies to be, and where you want to place powerups or treasures. Try to make it as clear as possible. After you have thought about almost every aspect of your level, you can start making it.

2. Gameplay
In the end, your level has to be fun to play. If just one of your levels is really fun, the player will want to play the rest of your levels. So, what makes good gameplay? Extreme difficulty certainly isn’t the answer. Just because you can make a near-impossible level, doesn’t mean you’re a good designer. In fact, many players resent those who purposefully steal their atmoscore. It would be hard to describe what exactly makes good gameplay. So my advice to you, would be to look at popular levels and see what you can get from them. See how they are designed, and any concepts you can get from them. If there is something you like, copy it in your own level.

3. Concepts
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” -Pablo Picasso
The previous tip advised you to see what you could copy from other great designers. If you want to be truly great, you won’t do that. At least, you won’t leave it at that. Great designers take it a step further. Once you have the idea, mold it and transform it into your own. The further you transform it, the better. Originality is greatly appreciated, and the original designers will be grateful that you built upon their concept.

4. Environment
A visually appealing level is like candy for your eyes. Not only does the level have to be fun to play, but it has to look good. Sometimes the scenery makes the level, and therefore it is important that you get it right. Just because you’ve thrown props around the level, doesn’t mean it looks good. One thing you can do to greatly increase the quality of your level, is to diversify your walls. When you use the same block to make your walls, the level looks kind of plain. It works for some levels, but not all of them. Throwing in another block or two adds diversity, and makes the overall look of your level more pleasant.

5. Capacity
Pay attention to the capacity bar. This tool can be the difference between the life and death of your level. A level the lags a lot isn’t enjoyable to play at all. Props, Hazards, and interactives take up the most capacity, while blocks and connectors don’t. The capacity bar is there to ensure that all levels work on most computers. The lower the capacity, the better. If you stay below 50 percent, almost every atmosphir user will be able to play your level.

6. Playtest
Just as location is to real estate, playtesting is to Atmosphir. Many consider this to be the most important thing you can do when designing a level. Make sure it is beatable. No one likes an impossible level. Playtesting will also help you prevent people from cheating your level. When playtesting your level, think like a player. Think as if they want to win the level as fast and as easy as they can. Once you prevent any bugs or cheats in your level, you can upload it.

7. Advertise
This is the easiest and shortest tip of all of them. No one is going to know about your level unless you advertise it. Make a thread in the Cool Levels section of the forums. Include a picture, a link, and a brief description of your level. You can also advertise it in your signature, or PM specific users, asking for feedback. Youtube is another great way to advertise your level. Upload a short preview of your level, and bam! You have people playing your level that didn’t even know about Atmosphir!

While there are many ways to make a level, there are many more ways to make a great level. Your designs are sure to get better with more experience. Thanks for reading, and I’m sure Picasso will greatly appreciate you using his advice.
DO THE PROOT

It’s The Final Countdown

Atmosphir has been in development for quite awhile now; well over a year and close to two. Its gone from a simple desktop application with limited features to a web browser game with endless possibilities- and more are on the way. This Monday, June 7^th, Atmosphir steps out of private beta and welcomes the world into its halls.

While a specific time has not been established for the launch, it’s expected to take place mid-afternoon. When asked why the launch would take place on a Monday, Dave (OkaySamurai) replied that it would be much easier for the Development Team to address issues over the next week as opposed to letting them build up over the weekend, when a fatal error could easily occur.

The waiting list for Atmosphir has been growing longer since its beginnings during the December of last year. Dave has said that the list contains over 50,000 addresses, all awaiting the launch date. Of course, not all 50,000 will enter the game at once, though the size of the community is expected to swell rapidly over the next week.

Along with the official launch will be the return of the Atmo Store, where players can purchase atmos and player’s club benefits to enrich their Atmosphir experience. At this time, all previously owned or earned atmos or club statuses will be returned to players, with the ability to purchase more immediately available. Dave has announced that some features of the store will not be immediately available, such as the 10% Club discount, and prices should be expected to change as adjustments are made.

Community member Scary101 had a chance to meet up with DEV Team member Kotorna in a multiplayer match recently, and gleamed some information from him. The new laser weapons which were recently announced will not be a launch feature, but will be added in the near future. Small changes can be expected to be seen on the website, though none of them will be major. As an added benefit, Player’s Club members should receive their first exclusive gift on Monday as well.

Dave has also said that there is a very special surprise update planned for the first week of public launch. While it may not be much of a surprise anymore, players are speculating what it could contain. One of the more popular guesses references a secret message planted in the game itself which says that triggers are completed. While this hasn’t been confirmed by Minor Studios in any way, it is a definite possibility.

Whatever the future may bring, it’s certain that it will mean big news for Atmosphir and Minor Studios. As it has been said, this is not an ending. This is only a beginning.

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading!

Atmosphir + Podcast = Atmocast

Throughout its history, Atmosphir has experienced several types of media coverage. These range from numerous blogs to live sessions of the game all the way to crazy machinima creations. Last Friday, a new Atmosphir media surfaced.

Hosted by Wowfunhappy, Bigdrip681, Colinnn, Marcod, and Kaiserg, Atmocast hit the air. Due to some technical difficulties, there was a delay in the broadcast time, and two members of the team were unable to actively participate. Nevertheless, it seemed to be a hit with the community.

This group of well-known Atmosphir players held a live talk show where they discussed various aspects of Atmosphir. Topics included recent updates, gossip within the community, current events, and hot topics. Each host brought a different opinion to the table, making for an interesting conversation. Viewers were able to offer their own opinions and comment on the show through the live chat placed on the broadcasting site, Justin.tv.

While the team admitted that the technical difficulties were unfortunate, they’ve assured the community that they learned quite a bit from the experience and will use that knowledge to improve future episodes. Aside from some minor criticism, the show seemed to earn positive feedback from the community as a whole. Dave (OkaySamurai) himself tuned in to the show and expressed his love for it. In a comment on the feedback thread for the show, he said “That was GREAT! Genuinely funny, interesting discussions...I loved it.”

After the success of their debut, the team is excited to return on Friday, May 28 for yet another exciting episode. The show is expected to begin at 3:00 PT / 6:00 ET at www.justin.tv/atmocast. The team encourages anyone to come take part in the fun, and appreciates the support of the community.

If you missed the first episode, there’s no reason to worry. Kaiserg has provided the community with a downloadable version of the show, with an official iTunes Podcast listing coming soon. You can find the download and summary of the show here.

That’s all for today, thanks for reading!

Social Networking – Keeping You Up-To-Date With Atmosphir

In today’s day and age, there are so many ways to stay connected. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are three of the biggest ways to stay connected and share news. They’re cheap (if not free), effective, and quickly becoming the #1 way to connect with the world. Bigger names in the world are taking notice of it as well. Countless celebrities, companies, and organizations have used social networking to reach out to those who otherwise would not know anything about them.

Atmosphir is no exception to this popular trend. There are numerous ways to stay in touch with and receive updates from Atmosphir, as well as groups within it. The best part is that they’re free and located right on your computer!

Staying in touch with Atmosphir is pretty simple. Twitter is the most frequently updated venue, with updates concerning everything related to the game and its status. Occasionally those who tweet Atmosphir will even receive a response! The official Twitter name is @Atmosphir. If you have a Twitter account, it’s highly recommended that you add it to your watch list! Of course, that is not to say that Facebook does not have its own place. The official Atmosphir fan page, established by Minor Studios, officially represents the game on the world’s most popular social network. While updates are not quite as frequent, they tend to have more substance to them. One of the big Facebook-exclusive features of the fan page is the community polling. Occasionally a question will be asked about how they feel about a particular idea, and anyone is free to respond through the comment system.

The Atmosphir Editorial Staff also have their own Twitter account. You can find it at @AtmosphirES. In the past, the account has been used to provide daily Level of the Day news, updates, and other events taking place. With some transitioning taking place within the Editorial Staff due to some member changes, it’s uncertain where the Twitter account is headed now. However, the only way to find out is to add it to your watch list and find out!

The community itself is also rather involved with Twitter. A majority of the population has a Twitter account, and can be communicated with through the system. This includes some more important members of the community, including Martin Repetto (@Mrepetto) and the moderator staff. It’s not difficult at all to find friends on Twitter!

For those of you who are avid readers of the Atmosphirian, we also have a Twitter and Facebook page for your convenience. Become a fan and receive updates about anything going on here!

Bottom line, it’s not hard to stay in touch with the game you love. All it takes is a few clicks and you’re in. If you’re not already a member of these websites, take a moment to considering becoming one. Despite how much you use it, social networking, as said before, is becoming a huge hobby for the world. You may find something in it that you didn’t see before.

That’s all for today, everyone. Thanks for reading!