Getting to Know Project Stratosphir - Snapping

The grid has been around since the very beginning of Atmosphir. Spanning 100 spaces in each direction and climbing 100 floors, designers have been given 1,000,000 spaces to fill with various blocks, props, and other objects from the toolbox. However, placement within these 1,000,000 spaces was limited. The bottom center of every object rested in the exact middle of the space it was placed in. Certain things could overlap, such as treasures being placed on the same space as a floor tile. Even then, they were forced to remain in the center of the space, unable to be placed freely.

Project Stratosphir will feature a new type of placement control, which is activated using the F key. Using this tool is rather simple. To begin, choose an object from the toolbox. Keep in mind that not all objects will work; props, interactives, and a select few other pieces. Once you have made your selection, hold the F key and move your cursor onto the map. The piece will not rotate to place its base wherever you are pointing. This includes blocks, ramps, and essentially any other surface on any floor you can see. If the cursor is not pointing to a surface, you will be able to place the object on any space on the current floor.

However, each object you place using the Snap technique will still take up a space. This space is determined by the center of the object being snapped. The same rules will apply to placing multiple objects on a single space. This means you cannot have a snapped Gravity Changer on the same space as the base of a ramp, or a key on the same space as a springboard.

Because you can place objects on any surface, this leads to some very interesting possibilities. One of the most used possibilities is to snap a gravity changer to a ramp. When the player runs on the ramp and touches the changer, the level will shift as an uncommon angle. With this in mind, it’s more than possible to rotate a level in any possible direction. Using the free rotate tools on a ramp and snapping a gravity changer to said ramp opens a world of possibilities.

One common use for this technique is to make loops. By making a circular formation of ramps in order to give the appearance of a loop, you have laid the foundations. From there, place gravity changers on each ramp. As the player runs up the ramp, the gravity will shift, giving the appearance of running on a loop. Add some speed powerups and you’ve created a high-speed stunt. Be careful with this however; it’s very easy to accidentally create exploits when messing with gravity like this.

The loop was only one example of what can be done with this tool. It is my hope that you, the designers of Atmosphir, will put this feature to the true test and come up with some incredibly crazy ideas for us all to enjoy. I can’t wait to see what you do! Thanks for reading, everyone!