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!