Design Challenge – Tutorial10

In the old Atmosphir, Design Challenges were always a big hit. The concept was simple; build a level to meet a certain theme or criteria, and publish it alongside other entries to be judged by members of the community. The best levels were featured on the news page, and the top three winners received Atmos as prizes. First place won 1,000 Atmos, second won 500, and third won 250.

The last design challenge given to the community was Arcade09, back in November. Since then, the community has been deprived of the most popular competition to hit the site. Thankfully this beloved contest has returned in the newest version of the game.

One of the earliest design challenges was Tutorial09. In it, players were instructed to create levels that were idea for beginners. This meant simple concepts that forgave easily and let newbies get into the flow of gaming again. Of course, the downside to that challenge was that the designer had no effective means of communicating with the player, except through the level description before the play button was even pressed. Since then, things have changed.

With the addition of the Info Sticker tool, this month’s design challenge has been taken to a whole new level. Titled Tutorial10, the criteria is essentially the same as it was way back then: Build a level which allows newbies to get used to the game. Dave (OkaySamurai) has encouraged the community to start the level easily, and move up to more advanced concepts which test previous knowledge.

It has not been officially stated how this contest will be judged. The official topic for the design challenge says “At the end of the contest, the Minor Studios staff will select their personal favorites.” This implies that Minor Studios will play and vote on the levels themselves. However, this goes against the tradition of the community selecting levels.

As usual, the prizes will be 1,000 Atmos for first, 500 for second, and 250 for third. As an added bonus, some levels may be selected to be official tutorials for the game in the future! The deadline is March 10, 2010. Good luck everyone!

Thanks for reading!

The Evolution of Atmosphir - 3/3/10

It’s been a few weeks since the initial release of the prebeta version of Project Stratosphir. Since then, the community has experienced wave after wave of creative concepts, stunning effects, and the growth of what many believe to be the future of gaming.

As you may recall, roughly 500 users signed up and were accepted to be prebeta testers, in addition to those who had purchased Player’s Club. Since gaining access, they have scarcely tested the limits of the new game. While their clever concepts and sleek designs are no doubt impressive, it’s doubtful that they have even scratched the surface of what is possible.

On the topic of highlighting levels which stand out amongst the others, the Editorial Staff has returned once again to provide the community with daily reviews of the best of the best Atmosphir has to offer. The group of eight (Adz, Boberto, Colinnn, DuffyZeEmu, EliteBlackDragon, EdacOnag, Robcozzens, and Swordsman761) will be aiming to publish daily. For the time being, their articles will be posted in the “Cool Levels” section of the forums, as a functional news page is not yet operational.

The Editorial Staff also now has their own Twitter account. Following @AtmosphirES will provide you with constant updates concerning the group, including Level of the Day links, upcoming events, and important news.

Bit by bit, the forums are also becoming fully functional. Since the initial release, simple BBcode has been made available. We are now capable of making text bold, italicized, larger, or smaller. Hyperlinks and Image Tags have been implemented as well. Each user is also now capable of designating their own signature for their posts, but images have not been allowed yet, if ever. Andres, an employee of Minor Studios, is responsible for these updates. Be sure to thank him if you get the chance!

Through Twitter, @Atmosphir has announced that a new design block will be made available in the very near future. While no official date has been set, it is expected to come along with the newest update to the game since the release of v0.7.2 last week. Pay attention to the official Atmosphir twitter for updates!

As of yet, the AtmoStore is not yet functional. On the forums, Dave has mentioned that it will most likely be later in March, when everyone’s Atmos are reset again, due to a bug in the checkout system. Expect an improvement to the shopping system when compared to previous versions!

The Atmosphir community is in a state of excitement as of late. With a nearly a year’s worth of waiting finally finished, it’s a time of great celebration for everyone. For many, this is a time of bonding and exploration into a world familiar, but yet different. From the Atrmosphirian, we hope you’re having a good time, and thanks for reading!