7.31.09 Mailbox

Today the second Mailbox was released. For those of you who do not know what that is, it’s a series of Q&As done by Dave (Okaysamurai). The questions are submitted to him via Twitter, and he selects a few to answer.

Today had some more interesting questions than last week, in my opinion. Here’s a basic summary of the session:

Multiplayer and Locked Doors. It’s uncertain what will happen when a player opens a door in multiplayer. Will the door unlock for only that person, or others as well? One thing Dave suggested was a key respawn.

Multiplayer Rankings. Dave would really like to see this happen.

Previous versions of Atmosphir. The suggestion was made that MiSt re-release previous versions of Atmosphir to celebrate the 1-Year anniversary of the Beta. Dave liked this idea.

Favorite Mods? Dave thinks that the concept of mods is a good one, and it really brings out the creativity in people. A few of his favorites were AtmOsphir and Atmosphir HT (Hey, the same ones that won the MOD Spotlight!).

Time it takes to develop a level? As Dave put it, you can’t just crap out a level. It takes a lot of time and effort to make a winner.

Office Tour. See video.

Making a level for multiplayer. All it will really take to make a pre-existing level compatible for Atmosphir is a few more spawn points, some alterations to the rules, and a few other things.

Pay Pal. It’s coming.

Do Zombiez 8 Atmosphir or atmozphir at zombiez? I honestly couldn’t figure this question out. Dave had some kind of reply, but without knowing the question, I can’t sum it up. Some kind of paradox.

Moving Platforms and Stratosphir. They will be compatible when the new engine is released.

Camera Control. Dave would like to add some kind of camera control options for the “hardcore” gamers.

What would you pay for? Dave really liked the idea of unlocking blocks in-game, or paying Atmos to skip the work and just get the block. I’m sure Boberto wasn’t too pleased by this answer.

GAMES. They probably won’t be coming anytime soon, but if/when they do, they will be more of a “playlist” than a chain of levels.

All in all, it wasn’t too bad. We got a lot of information from this Mailbox. It would seem that Stratosphir is coming along nicely. Adz also made an interesting discovery, which can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6978.0

Seems as if Dave let a few other things slip that we might not have noticed at first. Thanks to Adz for finding these!

Until next time, Atmosphirians!

Getting Noticed In the Play Browser - Part Two: Overused Ideas

Originality in Atmosphir is like money in a store. The more imagination and originality, the more plays a level will receive. As with everything else however, there comes a time in every idea’s life that it becomes such a good one that everyone wants to use it in their own designs.

When everyone insists on using the same idea, it loses its originality and one-of-a-kind attribute. There are a few ideas what are so overused that I find myself rolling my eyes and giving a poor rating to them. Of course, I don’t base my rating off of that, but originality is very important in my opinion. Today I’ll be discussing the levels that make me wonder what happened to effort.

10-Second Finishes. One of the most common types of levels that I see is a straight line between the start and finish flags. There are no jumps involved, and every space as a speed power-up. All the player has to do is run in one direction to the finish. As long as you can run in a single direction, you can beat these levels. Now be honest, how fun is a level like this? To me, not at all. Something like this can be made in a few minutes. If a level is based off speed, make it a nice racing level, not a line from one place to another.

Start and Finish Maps. Honestly, a map that has the finish flag five feet from the start (with nothing in-between) is just… I’m not sure what. There certainly isn’t much work put into it. I think this one explains itself.

Treasure Spam Maps. A variation of the Start and Finish Maps, these kinds of levels are generally a large platform filled with treasure, a start flag, and a finish flag. Nothing to them. All you have to do to get a high score is run in lines, collecting everything. If you don’t want to do anything, you don’t have to. Just walk to the flag.

Unbeatable levels. I’m not sure what to say for these levels. Any map that cannot be finished is just another bad mark on anyone’s play record. Please, beta test your levels before publishing them. Run through them to make sure they can actually be beaten. If it can’t be beaten, do us all a favor of fixing it before publishing.

I’m sure there are other types of levels that get on our nerves. My point to everyone is that it is not difficult to add some spice to your level. Have fun with Atmosphir, and let your imagination run wild!

Getting Noticed In the Play Browser - Part One: Stars, Difficulty, and Plays

The core of Atmosphir, besides the optional community, is its ability to allow players to create their own levels and share them with the world. Here, the possibilities are endless. Players can make towers that reach for the heavens, or forested landscapes, or anything in between. In Atmosphir, you, the player, have the chance to express yourself within a 100 x 100 x 100 grid- more than enough room.

Once we finish our levels, it then is entered into the world, where anyone can play it. At this point, players can rate it based on two different scales. First is the 5-Star system. Once you have played a level, you may rate it from one to five stars, with five being an excellent level, and one a not so excellent level. This is probably the most influential factor when deciding to play a level. The higher the star count, the more people loved it. Next is the difficulty factor. A player may also rate a level based on how easy or hard it is, a one being very easy, and a five meaning it is very hard. If you are new to the game, you might want to stick with very easy levels. If you’re looking for a challenge, expert levels are for you. Keep in mind that if a level has been not been rated on difficulty, it will appear as “very easy.”

The final factor, called plays, cannot be determined at will. Any time someone begins to load your level, one play is added to it. This number is nearly as influential as the star factor, as it will determine the popularity. If there are many people playing your level, it will have a higher play-count than a level which is not noticed. If you want to get your level noticed, it would be recommended to advertise it on the forums. If you simply want to show off, make a post in the Level Spotlight. For contests involving your level, please post in the Competition board. Remember to include screenshots so your level will attract attention!

This is only the first part of making your level get noticed. Next time, we’ll discuss some generic ideas that seem to be overused in Atmosphir. Keep reading, Atmosphirians!

Player Spotlight: Munchy365

When I first joined Atmosphir and began to visit the forums, like anyone else, I was clueless about who everyone was. Everyone was a stranger to me, with a blank record. It was up to me to find my way around- there were always people offering their hand to help, but I had to seek them out.

On most other forums that I’ve visited, the moderators have stood out against the crowd. Nearly every post they made involved scolding someone for posting in the wrong place, bumping threads, or locking threads. Overall, it looked like a pretty boring and stressful job. Another thing I noticed about them was their age. It seemed to me that all of them were college-age or older. That’s a pretty big contrast to the group of teens that usually ruled the forums.

On the Atmosphir forums, nobody stood out as a moderator. It seemed that whenever something was out of place, everyone could point it out from a mile away. I ended up getting some of the moderators and regular users confused for various reasons. There was one moderator who really hid himself well, however. He acted just like a regular user with an interesting personality. It wasn’t until my first night on the live chat that it finally occurred to me that he was a moderator.

Of all the moderators that I’ve met from any forum, this one really stands out. They’re the perfect representation of the fact that moderators, although powerful, are exactly like us. This is why this week, I would like to present the Atmosphirian Player Spotlight to none other than Munchy365.

I first “met” Munchy in the live chat the night I was on vacation. A few hours were all it took to figure out his personality: overall, a very nice person. After seeing him in the chat, he was everywhere. In fact, it became hard not to see him. The most notable place is the Competition forum, which he moderates in. Just because he moderates doesn’t mean he has a rough job. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve never seen him have to inform someone that they’re in the wrong area. He’s very well liked in his own boards, and for good reasons.

One of Munchy’s services as a moderator is the Challenge of the Week. Every week, he will select a few levels that are deemed “challenging” enough to be placed in a poll. The community votes and the winner has their thread stickied in the Competition board. Munchy gives one user a shot in the spotlight for making a great level, which often gets them noticed. Anybody who has their level nominated should be thankful for the chance at some fame.

Another highlight of Munchy’s Atmosphir career is his “Flying Circus,” where he will make any kind of graphic you need, free of charge. Simply fill out a request, and he’ll get right on it. At the time of writing, the shop is closed so he can work on some orders. In the future, be sure to remember Munch’s Flying Circus for your graphic needs. He recently requested a shop spotlight, but since there isn’t much competition for that, this was it. You’re welcome, Munchy.

These are just a few of the things that Munchy does around the community. As a moderator, it’s not hard to miss him. Keep an eye out, he’s always looking for friends.

So once again, congratulations to Munchy365!

Level Spotlight: Evolution OF Speed - Zone One [Mini09] by Frodo

The current design challenge, Mini09, has a very simple goal: design a level that can be beaten within two minutes. This time limit puts boundaries on the size of your level, due to the fact that the player must be able to navigate the area within the two minutes that they are given. This does not mean that the level cannot be challenging and unique. Although your options may seem limited by time, they are, in fact, widened. For example, many of the levels have incorporated the limit into their level through the use of moving platforms. When the platform reaches the end of the level, time will also end. Many designers have found various ways to use time as an advantage, not an obstacle.

When you consider the short time that you are given, speed comes to mind. You can cover more space if you can run faster than you could normally. Therefore, there are levels which focus on the speed powerup entirely. Most of these are race levels, in which the player must hurry to the finish before time runs out. A challenging level would leave the player with only a few seconds by the time the level is completed.

Out of all the Mini09 levels that use speed as a key factor, only one of them has truly captured my attention. Changing speed into a puzzle of sorts is an impressive thing to do. Therefore, straight from one of Atmosphir’s pro designers, the Atmosphirian is proud to announce that the next Level Spotlight goes to none other than “Evolution OF Speed – Zone One [Mini09]” by Frodo!

The concept of Evolution OF Speed is a simple one. When you begin, you have close to no running power. You can just barely skip one block. And that’s exactly what you do. Right away, you will jump the smallest gap. There will be a speed powerup waiting for you. Take this, and run back. Jump to the central pillar, and look for the next smallest gap. For this, you will be just barely able to pull yourself up. Once again, there will be a speed powerup. Take this, and return to the central chamber. Fine the third largest gap, jump it, and take the powerup. The fourth and final gap is the most challenging. If you miss this, you will fall onto a bed of spikes. As long as you time your jump correctly, you will safely climb onto the ledge, where there is a speed powerup. If you want to end the level now, you may do so by walking through the door, where you will find the flag.

If you have some spare time and lives, however, you may wish to collect the bonus points scattered throughout the level. If you return to the first and second side chambers that you entered, you may notice that there are two side halls with spikes and crystals. As long as you’ve collect all the speed powerups, these should be no problem. A few of these halls are longer than the others however, so be sure to jump carefully!

The thing that interests me the most about Evolution OF Speed is how simple it is. Most people would consider a level with short time to be a frantic race to the finish. This level is surprisingly laid-back, however. It not too frustrating or hard to understand. You don’t have any directions, yet you somehow know where to go. It’s a great use of the speed powerup in general. Another amazing thing about it is that you finish the level with time to go back through the level to collect bonus points. As I said before, most levels leave you with only a few seconds remaining. It’s rare to see a level so well designed, yet remain so simple.

Once again, congratulations to Frodo for his level, Evolution OF Speed – Zone One [Mini09]!

MOD Spotlight: Atmosphir HT - The High Texture Mod for the Mature Gamer

Probably one of the most welcoming aspects of Atmosphir is its cartoon look. No matter what you’re doing, there always seems to be a slight childish feeling coming from every block, prop, and hazard. This does not mean that it is unappealing to the older player. This particular feeling is welcoming to everyone, at any age. It really does bring out the kid in our hearts.

As welcoming as this may be, there will always be players who want to take a more mature approach on gaming. That is why I’d like to throw a new mod into the spotlight. Yet another very impressive mod has shown itself in the Creative Spotlight board. When deciding on a mod to feature last week, it was a close competition between AtmOsphir and this. At the time, AtmOsphir was fully developed, so it went first. Now that this week’s mod has reached 50% completion, I think it’s time that it is put into the spotlight.

This week’s MOD Spotlight goes to none other than Atmosphir HT – The High Texture Mod for the Mature Gamer, led by YoungLink, one of the Atmosphir moderators.

When I first saw this, it was titled “Atmosphir HD for the Mature Gamer.” Since then, due to conflicts with other mods with similar names, it has evolved to the name we see today. Atmosphir HT intrigued me the most due to its very realistic textures. It turns out, the reason these textures look so real is because they are! Nearly every texture used for this project is an actual texture. For example…

…the textures used for the crab are actually taken from a red crab, and…

…the texture used for the fire-breathing bird is an actual texture for cracked stone.

In the beginning, the only modded textures we saw were the floor and bird textures. Since then, there has been a large variety of new textures, nearly all of which are made with actual textures from real creatures. My personal favorite is the new Skybox:

Beautiful.

You can see that a lot of time and effort has gone into making this mod. I can assure you that when this mod is released, I will be trying it out ASAP. Once again, congratulations to YoungLink and any helpers he has worked with!

The Atlympics: Round One Results and Round Two Information

Friday night, Tamloo released the results of round one of the Atlympics. Along with these results was an updated bracket describing the second round of the competition. If you haven’t heard, here are the results from the opening round:

BearBoy97 (No Level Entered) VS. Levion (No Longer Participating)

Winner: Nobody.

Gary1 (Sacred Realm) VS. Josh5 (No Level Entered)

Winner: Gary1 by default.

TheAtmosphere (No Level Entered) VS. Seabot81 (No Level Entered)

Winner: Nobody.

Bender (Galaga [BlockArt09]) VS. Boberto (The Spike Tunnels)

Winner: Boberto.

CloakedYoshi13 (Zelda OOT Deku Tree) VS. Drfuzzyness (Vertigo [Mini09])

Winner: Drfuzzyness

Out of the opening ten, only three move on to Round Two. In this round, beginning tomorrow, there will be eight matches. Due to the results from Round One however, two players will automatically move on as long as they enter a level. As Tamloo put it, they could make the worst level ever created and still move on to Round Three.

Here are the matches for round two. Participants may submit their levels starting tomorrow, July 26^th, with a deadline of July 30^th.

Bboys99 VS. Force255, Turkeylurkey VS. Nobody (Automatic Win), Colinnn VS. Gary1, Cmmatzat VS. Memphiston, Scary101 VS. Nobody (Automatic Win), Boberto VS. Tominator, Frederik VS. Drfuzzyness, and Creator7 VS. Wowfunhappy.

Regardless of the fact that I’m in it, I’m looking forward to my match with Gary1 the most. I’ve made my predictions about most of the other matches. Regardless, this will be an interesting round.

Best of luck to you all! Remember to have your levels in on time so we don’t have another group of people dropping out.

The Atlympics information thread can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6138.0

The Atlympics discussion thread can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6560.0

The Atlympics Bracket can be found here: http://8-bitstudios.co.cc/Bracket.pdf

Thanks for reading!

Live Chat With the Atmosphir Community

If you’ve read The Atmosphirian, you will know that for the past few nights I have been on vacation. I was lucky enough to have a wifi connection, but the technology my computer had made it very difficult to play Atmosphir. Therefore, I was stuck with using the forums as my only source of Atmosphir-related entertainment. For the first few nights, I stayed up, many hours into the night, posting on the forums. It was not until my last night that I stumbled upon the live chat for Atmosphir.

Many of the regular players have entered the chat. Wednesday night was my first time connecting. Not expecting much, I entered under my usual name, Colinnn. Considering it was close to 9:00 Central time, I wasn’t expecting much company. Much to my surprise, there were some players talking. They greeted me warmly, and we started talking about all sort of things.

As the night went on, only a small group of us were left: Bigdrip681, Munchybot, Kaiserg, and I. Before trying out this chat, I never had much contact with these three. I was most familiar with Kaiserg, who has always been a supporter of The Atmosphirian. Aside from that, my connection with them was minimal. That night, however, we all talked like old friends. It was a great chance to talk to them, and I learned many things. Topics ranged from thetan levels to stories of former players. I passed around seven hours overall in the chat that night, and I feel that I am better friends with those three because of it. By their request, here’s a screenshot from the chat:

My conclusion is that I’m cool. So are they.

Probably my favorite part of the chat was Atmobot. As the name implies, Atmobot is not a real person but a computer. Part of its coding gives it the power to interact with the users. For example, if your message includes “hax” in any part of it, Atmobot will yell “HAAAX!!!” and send you a video containing a clip from The Gmod Idiot Box (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0OZXnkfJB0&feature=related). If you type someone’s name, Atmobot will inform them that they are being summoned. The most important feature of Atmobot, however, is to update the statistics for the chat.

The statistics, as the name implies, records information about what is said in the chat. It marks what day, what time, and by whom a post was made. It then organizes this information into a list of facts. This information is divided into various sections:

Daily Activity. Essentially a chart showing how much we have talked over a certain amount of time.

When do we talk? This is a chart that is stretched over 24 hours, and changes according to when we talk.

100 Most talkative users. This is probably the most important part of the statistics. The top 100 posters are listed here, along with when they talk, how much they talk, as well as a random quote by the user.

They just didn’t make it to the top 100. Basically the next 102 on the top posters list. These runner-ups only have their name and number of posts listed.

Time of Day Stats. This divides the day into four 6-hour periods. The top posters from each section are then listed.

Long Term Statistics. Time periods of two weeks are compared to each other in terms of post count.

In my opinion, the live chat is an amazing addition to the Atmosphir community. It provides a closer connection to one another, much like instant messaging. If you haven’t already visited the live chat, be sure to add it to your list!

Information for the chat can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=1509.0

Statistics for the chat can be found here: http://www.landorindustries.com/atmosphir/atmosphir.wyldryde.html

Thanks for reading!

Mailbox 7.23.09 Summary

Earlier today, Minor Studios released the July 23^rd edition of Mailbox, which is the continuation of the Atmosphir Journal. Sadly, this was not recorded in his kitchen. On the bright side, many players’ questions were answered. Below is a basic summary of all questions asked.

In-School Resources. Dave would like to insert Atmosphir into the educational environment through the use of proxy servers, written resources, school versions of Atmosphir, etc. All that was said was the possibility, and no timeline was given.

Dave does not have a second job. Working on Atmosphir takes up nearly all of his time.

Goat and Human friendships. According to Dave, it cannot happen.

Project Stratosphir will be released by the end of the year. As long as everything goes according to plan, multiplayer will be released for Atmosphir by the end of the year. Once again, this is if everything goes according to plan.

Dave’s refrigerator contents. Not much, because Dave is traveling lately.

Maximum number of players in multiplayer. Right now, Stratosphir supports a total of five players. Dave hopes that this can be raised to a total of twelve. Co-op hopes to be a total for four.

New engine footage. See video to watch.

Upgrading to new the engine. Nearly all of the resources have been imported, excluding character models. This is due to the new physics being used for the player. Aside from a few players, very few actually know the name of the engine.

Gravity rules. Odds are there will be high and low gravity variables. Most likely, there will be the option to change gravity within the level by the player, or in the rules by the creator.

Saving money in a tough economy. Dave and his friends have saved money by staying within a $5 limit for meals, as well as entertaining themselves with cheap entertainment, such as free games.

Coffee or Tea? Hot chocolate.

Incomplete games. Dave has never beaten Dead Rising, Fallout 3, Zack and Wiki, and Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone.

Altogether, none of this news was revolutionary. Most of it was pretty common knowledge, but it was reassuring to hear it from Dave himself. Everyone remember to thank him for doing this, as he is taking the time for these updates at our request.

Do you have a question for Dave? You can submit your own questions for answering at www.twitter.com/minorstudios.

How To Become A Hot Topic On the Forums, Random Announcements

As with most forums, the Atmosphir Forums, by default, base their listing of threads based on the most recent post. Topics which have more recent posts are at the top of the list. If a thread does not receive a post, it begins to sink until it does. Threads which are deemed important or popular enough by the moderators can be marked as a “sticky,” which basically means that it will be on the top of the lit, no matter what, until it is no longer “sticky.” These topics will generally relate to the rules of a forum, or involve some sort of current event.

But what can the rest of us do to get noticed? Getting a topic stickied, especially when it is made by a common user, is an incredibly rare event. Therefore, we must ensure that our topics receive enough posts to keep it floating on the first page. People do not generally look past the first page of a forum, so if your topic that falls off, odds are that you are the only one who cares and can being it back.

In my mind, there are some guidelines that I follow when I create a topic. I think the community would look nicer if we took a few simple steps when opening a topic. Here are my top picks from such steps, as well as some concepts that can put your topic on the bad side of a moderator.

Follow the common rules of the English language. As far as I know, there is hardly any diversity of languages when it comes to the Atmosphir community. If they do exist, then this rule really doesn’t apply as much to them. As for the rest of us, we have grown up with the knowledge of the English language. First, capitalization. In my opinion, topics look much nicer when capitalized correctly. Second, spelling. While abbreviated phrase such as “LOL” or “BRB” may be popular on the internet, I believe they don’t make for a very good title. Some spelling mistakes I’ve noticed are very simple words which could be corrected easily. This seems like it should be a small problem, but it is a rather large one in actuality. Even the content of your post should follow these guidelines. There are several ways you can make sure you haven’t made a mistake. Some web browsers include a built-in spell check. If not, the forums themselves have a spell check feature. Simply click on “Spell Check” when you are done, and it does the hard work for you. If you still have problems, type it out in a word processor first. I do this with my longer replies and topics, as well as these blog posts. My spelling may appear nice, but in actuality, I make my share of mistakes. It’s a simple step that we need to realize. I’ve noticed that threads with spelling mistakes often receive nothing but comments referencing the error in the name. This is not how you want to make a thread popular.

Make sure you are posting in the correct topic. The Atmosphir forums are divided into several different topics. Each topic is there for a different purpose. If you need a description of the topic, they can be found directly under the topic’s name. Make sure you read these! If you post something in the wrong topic, a moderator may request that you move it to the correct topic, or if they have the power, do it themselves. If you have a question about where to post something, feel free to send a message to a moderator. They will be more than happy to direct you to the correct location.

Appeal to the masses. Make sure your topic is appealing to anyone who might see it. The first step of this would be to follow the above guideline, “make sure you post in the right topic.” This will narrow down your audience considerably. First, you should make the topic something that will capture someone’s attention like a Pokemon. For example, in the Competition topic, would you rather click on a thread named “try my level” or “Come play Time Trial Tower Dash [Mini09]! 500 Atmos Prize!” (DISCLAIMER: There is no prize for this level. It was simply an example)? I think the answer is obvious. The name of the thread provides information such as a level name and prize. The prize is especially important, as there are many people who would look into anything involving Atmos. While very obvious, there are some things you should not, under any circumstance, include in your title, post, or anywhere on the forums. These include, but are not limited to, racial slurs, anti-religious statements, negative comments directed towards another user, curses, swears, etc. Please be smart when you name a topic!

Present your information in a legible and interesting form. After you’ve brought someone in with your interesting name, be sure to follow up with interesting and accurate information. Make sure that your post actually relates to your title, as well. Follow the previous three guidelines when you write the core of your thread. Use proper spelling and grammar, make sure it’s relevant to the topic, and appeal to the masses. When writing your post, there are certain guidelines for certain topics. In the Creative Spotlight and Competition topics, posts generally include screenshots and links relating to it. Provide interesting information in order to keep your audience intrigued. When posting screenshots, make sure they make your topic look interesting. If you need help following the tradition of the topic, look around at some other threads to get a feel for what you’re doing.

Know when to quit. There comes a time in every thread’s life when its purpose has been served. It’s important to know when that is. If your question has been answered, your competition is over, or you start to receive negative comments, it’s generally time to close shop and move on. This is when the “lock” feature comes into play. A locked thread can be viewed, but not posted on. In order to lock your own thread, scroll to the bottom left corner. There will be an option to lock this topic. Click on that, and it is locked. If you need to unlock your thread for some reason, it can be done though the same method.

There are some things that can put you on the bad side of a moderator as well.

Bumping a topic. “Bumping” a topic means that you post again, generally a double-post, in order to bring a thread to the top of the list again. As a general rule, do not double-post. This is a common rule throughout many forums. Also important is not to resurrect a thread by posting on it. This applies to threads that are ancient and/or are irrelevant.

Remember, moderators are members of the community, just like us, except with the power to, well, moderate. Try to make their job easier by following the rules. They want to enjoy Atmosphir as much as we do, and they deserve it for the services they do for the community.

Time is running out for level submissions to the Atlympics! Make sure you get your levels submitted for the current round ASAP.

Dave will be recording another journal very soon. Expect to see it tomorrow.

I’m very interested in what you guys think should be done with the Atmosphirian. If you have any suggestions regarding topics you’d like me to talk about, please send me a PM on the forums. Please, no promoting your own self/mod/level for spotlights. These titles are earned, not given. If you’d like to recommend something for a spotlight, however, please do.

Time is quickly running out for the Expert09 Play Challenge. For those of you who need a refresher, please go here: http://atmosphir.com/news/2009/07/expert09-play-challenge/

That’s all for tonight, good night everyone!

Player Spotlight: Boberto, Public Opinion Survey

I haven’t been a member of the Atmosphir community as long as many others. I downloaded Atmosphir on June23rd, 2009, but my time on the community has been even shorter. I would estimate that I became a regular on the forums roughly two weeks after joining. Even in that short time, it’s been fairly obvious to me who each person is, and how much of a role they play in the community. In such a small, close group, it’s not difficult at all to see who is an active member, who thinks they’re the best, etc. If you mention someone else, nearly everyone will know who you are referring to.

To me, some members stand out among the others. Some are much more involved in the community, commenting everywhere and being involved in everything. Some are expert designers, and you see them winning contests and being featured. Most importantly are those who seem to give a feeling of kindness, and lighten the mood of the community.

And this is why I’d like to throw someone into the Player Spotlight. If you’ve been on the forum for even a few minutes, you’re bound to see him. He’s like a ray of sunshine to the community and to the game. Yes, that was a bad pun on his current avatar.

The first ever User Spotlight presented by the Atmosphirian goes to none other than Boberto!

At the time of writing Boberto has been online a total of 14 days, 20 hours, and 18 minutes. His total post count is 2495. This makes him the #4 top poster out of everyone on the forums!

If you’re moving through the forums, you can’t miss him. His current icon is a giant sun, with a cheesy smile and a pair of shades. He seems to be everywhere! He is an active participant in community events, such as the Atlympics and Jumpstart Design Challenges. Boberto definitely knows his way around Atmosphir!

But these are simple accomplishments that anyone can achieve. What really makes Boberto stand out among other users is his personality. He really is a ray of sunshine to the community. From what I have seen of him, Boberto is always very good-natured about everything. While browsing the Atlympics forum, I noticed that he is very encouraging to the other competitors- even his rival in round one, Bender. Not many people would be willing to offer such encouragement to others.

In my opinion, Boberto is an important figure in Atmosphir. His kindness and personality certainly add a lot to the environment, and this is why the spotlight is on him. Congratulations, Boberto!

I know some you have noticed the Public Opinion Survey I’m holding about The Atmosphirian. I’m attempting to gather opinions about the Atmosphirian. Please, if you have not done so already, go here (http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6658.0) and vote, as well as leave a comment. Each vote helps me to get a very broad opinion of the public’s view of The Atmosphirian. The comments, however, are where I get the most information. Telling me what you think of The Atmosphirian tells me what to do more or less of. As I said in the thread itself, writing a blog is not a job for one person. It takes the support of a community in order to make it happen.

Until next time, Atmosphirians! Thanks for reading!

The Atlympics

The Design Challenges issued by Dave (OkaySamurai) during issues of Jumpstart are arguably the most popular contests held within Atmosphir. In most cases, a contest is only truly competitive if a prize is involved, especially atmos. Design Challenges meet this requirement. Not only do the top ten levels get showcased on Jumpstart, an Atmos prize is issued to the top three winners. First place receives 1,000 Atmos, 2^nd wins 500, and 3^rd wins 250.

If you are ever visit the Competition section of the forums, you may notice that the most popular threads are those which include a prize in their name, especially Atmos. Since Atmos are only attainable through Jumpstart Design Challenges or through real money, they are very popular. If you want to make your level get noticed, put an Atmos prize on it for whoever gets the highest score, the first to beat it, etc. Just make sure you pay!

But what contest has twenty Atmosphir level designers competing for an undefined prize, with no actual promise that it exists? The latest buzz in the Competition Forum is At Atlympics, organized by Tamloo with the help of Mrcoble and Marcod. While it’s too late to enter, it doesn’t mean that those who aren’t involved won’t be affected. Expect a stream of levels, made with the thought of winning in mind, to enter the game in the next few weeks.

Each contestant is given a Freemo, while is basically a pass for the round. Rather than make a new level for the round, you are given the option to use your single Freemo to use a previously existing level in the round. This should be used if you will be unable to make a level to meet the deadline. If you do not use a Freemo, you must make a new level.

In round one, there will be four matches: Gary1 vs. Josh5, TheAtmosphere vs. Seabot81, Bender vs. Boberto, and CloakedYoshi13 vs. Drfuzzyness. The most anticipated match seems to be between Bender and Boberto, both well-known names on the forums and in-game.

The other contestants will begin in Round Two, either facing the winner of a previous round, or in a whole new match. There will be a total of five rounds throughout the contest, lasting a span of five weeks. Be sure to check out the Atmosphir Information and Discussion thread to keep up with updates, as well as chat about the tournament.

The official information thread can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6138.0

The official discussion thread can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6560.0

Once again, good luck to everyone involved in the competition! The full bracket can be found here: http://8-bitstudios.co.cc/Bracket.pdf - You will need Adobe Reader to view it.

Level Spotlight: Sacred Realm by Gary1, Atlympics Notice, Thread Notes

When you’re looking for a tough challenge on Atmosphir, a majority of the “hard” levels are filled to the capacity limit with traps. A common example would be a single-floor level with spinning spike traps everywhere you see. While a level like this can indeed be challenging, it is also very frustrating. There is rarely any actual design to it- Rather, the creator most likely randomly placed traps everywhere with no particular plan or pattern. Conquering these levels is not based off of skill (though I’m sure some is required), but rather it is based off of frantic moving and jumping, in hopes to avoid being killed or harmed.

That is why I would like to focus on Sacred Realm by Gary1 for The Atmosphiran’s very first level spotlight. The main attraction I see in this level is that it is hardly based off of hazard props. Where they are used, they are incredibly easy to dodge, and probably aren’t intended to kill. The true challenge comes from the jumping techniques used.

The first part of the level focuses on sets of blocks that are roughly 3 spaces in diameter. Using the jump and speed powerups you find on each platform, you are supposed to leap to each one. At the end, there is a checkpoint. Next, there is a room filled with monsters and spinning spike traps. It’s a pretty easy concept. Once you’ve killed all of them (They are needed to finish the level. If you kill all of them, you will need one more to reach the goal. Climbing up the nearby vines, you will find some more speed and jump powerups. You make a long jump to reach the Muka box located between two rows of trees. Once you pull yourself over, you will reach your second checkpoint. Here you will find a trail of colored blocks that you must jump along. I really don’t have any suggestions for you here. Just take the process slowly, and eventually you will reach the newly added third checkpoint. Here is the point that many get stuck on. There are five rocks that zigzag across the pit to the fourth checkpoint. I actually have a couple tips for you at this point. First, you don’t have to jump on each rock. You have enough speed and jump powerups that you can jump across the three rocks in a row, and reach the checkpoint. My second tip is to aim for the lower platforms if you fall. You may have to do the whole level over again, but I feel that it is better than losing a life. Make sure you do not touch another checkpoint, however. Once this part is over, tag the checkpoint and jump onto the water above (Does that sound right? I didn’t think so). Use the logs to move along. The hardest part in my mind is this part: The fence. I have terrible luck with these. My only tip for this part is this: Run, full-speed, at the bridge, as soon as you touch down on the fence, jump again. If you get lucky and landed on a post, you will jump onto the grass above. If not, you will fall and die. Oops. Just repeat until you make it. Follow the path, jump over the boxes, and use the floating trees to reach the other side. My only advice is not to fall. Kill one of the Mukas up ahead in order to complete the level requirement and move along. Make sure to touch the final checkpoint! My suggestion for this next part is to simply run and jump the birds. It’s that easy. This next part may take a few tries. Get a running start, and jump towards the Muka box floating father ahead. I aim to hang on the side, but if you think you can land on it safely, go ahead. If you’re lucky enough to grab it and pull yourself up, jump onto the other box, and then onto the platform. At this point, the level is basically over. Go off the ramp and enter the green room ahead. Jump up the incredibly easy blocks, and then follow the path in front of you. Soon enough you will reach a golden Triforce. Simply climb up the side of it, and you’re done!

I might make it sound easy, but it’s not as hard as some people say. Yes, it will take a few tries. It took me three hours, but this was before the checkpoint was added before the rocks. Officially, I was the first to ever beat the level. Playing something for three hours gave me the chance to recognize the true skill (and patience) it takes to do something like this. Great job, Gary!

For those of you involved in the first round of the Atlympics, you may now enter your levels. Information on how to do this can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6138.0 – Good luck to everyone involved in Round 1! It looks like there will be some interesting matches.

I’m sorry to point this out again, but at the time of writing, The Atmosphirian board has disappeared from page one of the topics. I was afraid of this happening, but some things can’t be helped. In this case, however, it can be. Please, for the sake of the Atmosphiran, leave a post of comment on the thread in order to keep it alive! The thread can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6561.0

As another note, I will be leaving for vacation tomorrow. I’m unsure if I will have internet access there or not. I am also unsure if I will have the time. I will try my best, however.

Thanks for reading everyone, and keep Atmosphiring.

MOD Spotlight: AtmOsphir - The Portal Mod, Atlympics Bracket Released, Various Blog Notes

Portal, the 3D Puzzle game brought to us by Valve Corporation, has been around for awhile (Since October 9^th, 2007). References to the game have been used all over the internet, the most of which is “The Cake Is a Lie” as well as the ending theme, Still Alive (Performed by GLaDOS/Jonathan Coulton). Portal is a First-Person puzzle game focusing on the creation of portals; one orange, one blue. When you enter one portal, you reappear through the other. Using this technology, the player must solve various puzzles under the direction of GLaDOS (Genetic Life-form and Disc Operating System), a mysterious voice that seems to control the facility, Aperture Science. I would recommend picking up a copy of the game, as it is an incredible experience.

There have been some levels created in Atmosphir attempting to imitate Portal using various methods. The lack of teleportation in Atmosphir makes this rather difficult, however. There have been a few clever attempts at replicating the concept, but none of them give the feeling of a true Portal.

While looking through the Creative Spotlight Forum, I discovered AtmOsphir: The Portal Mod, created by Drfuzzyness, Kaiserg, Adz, and Bramblepath. For those of you who do not know, a Mod is basically a set of textures that replace the default textures in your game directory. In the game, the effect is a new game experience. The original textures you received with the game have been replaced with the ones that you just downloaded. You can restore the default textures simply by replacing the modified textures with the originals.

AtmOsphir modifies textures to resemble the environment from Portal. For example, the movable box now looks like the infamous Companion Cube, and tree limbs now appear to be metal piping. Various other blocks and such appear to be the walls and floors from Portal. Some levels have been made to be used with the AtmOsphir mod, and are usually labeled with this image on the Forums:

This image means that the level will look fairly natural with the AtmOsphir Mod.

This image means that the level will require the AtmOsphir Mod to look normal.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of mods. They really serve no purpose but to alter the experience of Atmosphir. But when I stumbled upon this mod, I had to take a look. What really drew me in was the refined product. Not only were you given the textures, but you also received a PDF (Adobe Reader) explaining the setup of the mod (for both Mac and PC users), as well as various information about it. I don’t know a whole lot about mods, but from what I have seen, there are few with this much time and effort put into it. Thank you to the team who made this possible!

The thread for AtmOsphir can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6281.0

In other news, the bracket for the Atlympics has been released. It can be found here: http://8-bitstudios.co.cc/Bracket.pdf - You will need Adobe Reader to view this. Don’t know what the Atlympics are? It’s too late to register, but the information can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6138.0

In blog-related news, I’m having some issues with getting the blog noticed. I’ve yet to hear a negative response regarding it (If you’re holding one back, please don’t! I need honest opinions if I want this to work). Therefore, I feel that The Atmosphiran has a decent shot at becoming something more than just a hobby that nobody cares about. Right now, however, nobody has commented on the forum page, and it’s rapidly sinking. Odds are that if it falls off page one at this stage, it will never come back. Therefore, please leave a comment there telling me what you think, whether it’s good or bad. I can only do so much when it comes to this.

The official Atmosphiran Thread can be found here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=6561.0

Thanks for reading, and please stay with me!

Dave Has A Casual Conversation With Atmosphir Players

This afternoon, Dave (OkaySamurai) graced us with his presence over UStream. He spent some time playing levels and talking to those of us who were watching. I was only around to watch him play a few levels, which I believe were called “Sacred Realm” by Gary1, “How I Fell In Love” by DJrunn3r, “Pond S.C.U.M.” by EdacOnag, and “Time Trial Tower Dash [Mini09]” by Colinnn (Me). I don’t believe he beat any of them, but he did reveal that he loves popsicles.

Aside from playing, Dave also held a Q&A session, due to popular demand. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here were the main points, as remembered by Nuinether and me:

-Restart Button. There’s one in development. This is for the levels that you simply have to start all over.

-Game Controller Support. It’s the sort of thing he would like to happen, so odds are it will.

-Chicken Launcher. I’m pretty sure this was a joke, but it was mentioned all the same. Atmosphir will be very interesting if we have to shoot enemies with exploding chickens.

-Angling Blocks/Platforms. Not really any news there.

-Water. It has been confirmed for the new engine, but this was pretty well known already.

-Props. Soon we will be able to attach props to one another.

Among these things, there were a few minor notes. The first, which I’m not sure is worth mentioning, is that Dave likes pie. Second, any level that involves popsicles is an instant five-star, though I’m fairly certain this was a joke. Third, the office is apparently a mess. The fourth is that Dave has a lot of random objects around him. We saw a stuffed AiAi (Monkey Ball), Petey Piranha (Mario), a wooden action figure, some sort of plastic seal, and everyone’s favorite, a car carrying three men that plays obnoxious music (In this case, it was Low Rider by War. Old music is old). He also refused to show footage from the new engine, whose name is still unknown.

Feedback from the meeting was generally good. The community had been pressing for more contact with MiSt (Minor Studios), so this was a popular event. Unfortunately, due to the short notice, many missed it. Also unfortunate was the fact that Dave did not record the session. Of course, this is understandable, because he was the only one talking. The rest of us were typing.

Personally, I would love to see this happen again, perhaps with a little more notice from Dave. The chance to talk with him in a casual environment was a great experience.

As a side note, I'm still working out all the details for the blog. My main focus right now is the banner, which is harder to make than you might think. Any suggestions would be helpful.

The Beginning of The Atmosphirian

Atmosphir.

It’s probably not something you’ve really heard about (probably because it’s still locked away in beta testing and has failed to see the light of day). If you’re reading this, odds are it’s because I decided to show off on the Atmosphir Forums, or I shoved the link in your face declaring that I’m trying to run a blog. Either way, it’s not the type of game that you hear about every day. You don’t see banner ads on various sites, it’s not the game that all of your friends are playing; your life probably wouldn’t be any different if you lived without knowing about it.

But Atmosphir, to those who have experienced it, have entered a world that they may find hard to leave. Like a baby or a small child that you can’t take your eyes off of, Atmosphir is taking its first steps towards becoming an incredible game. Of course, there are some bugs to work out, but there’s a reason it’s in closed beta. And that’s also why there’s a small group of us working together to improve it. As we play and give feedback, we are shaping the very future of Atmosphir. This is a community project, and we are the community that it ready to step up to the challenge.

My name is Colin. That’s all you really need to know, I suppose. You may have seen me wandering around the community under the name Colinnn. Original, I know. For awhile I’ve wanted to make some sort of impact on the community. I want to play a crucial role in the making of Atmosphir. Maybe I sound a little power-hungry, but I don’t want power. I just want to play my role. Out of that idea came the idea for this blog, The Atmosphirian. I’m planning on making it a little journal, talking about the world of Atmosphir. Odds are I’ll be discussing my favorite levels, recent events in the community, and showcasing levels and users who seem to be making an impact in the world, just as I would like to. I might talk about some of the less friendly things, such as giving criticism for things that may seem out of place, or express my frustration with literally impossible levels. I tend to be pretty good-natured, so don’t count on those showing up as much.

I don’t know if I’m starting on a project that could last a few hours, or a few months. Maybe the spark will be lit in me, and I’ll be doing this as long as I am able. Maybe this won’t be a good idea to the community, and The Atmosphirian will fade away. Or maybe it will become a big hit, and everyone will be asking for more. I suppose that’s up to the community to decide, but for me, I’ll do my best to give it my all. My goal is daily updates, but as we all know, things happen. So bear with me as I start my own journey to bring coverage of Atmosphir, written by a sixteen-year-old living in Iowa, to the community of Atmosphir.

Feel free to drop me any comments or concerns you may have. I’m always looking to improve on my work (as I’ve said about all my levels, and now this).