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!