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!

The Time Is Upon Us

Today is the day we’ve awaited for nearly a year. Provided nothing goes terribly wrong last minute, today 500 or so players will be welcomed into the next generation of Atmosphir.

At the time of writing, anything related to the game has gone seemingly crazy. #Atmosphir currently has 52 participants. The forums broke the previous “Most Online” record, raising it to 92. Currently some members of the community are attempting to make #Atmosphir a trending topic on Twitter, which essentially means it is one of the most discussed topic at the time.

Dave has been feeding the community information through Twitter as well. just recently he has informed us that 3 PM EST should be the official start time, which means the invites will be sent out and it will all begin. Currently the plan is to admit 500 members who signed up through a form posted on the forums, as well as anyone who currently has Player’s Club membership in-game. These members will receive an email informing them about how to access the game.

In the last hour before we all begin anew, the Atmosphirian would like to thank you for the support you have shown since the very beginning. This truly is a great time for Atmosphir now and forever, and the Atmosphirian is proud to be a part of it.

And so it begins. Expect exciting news about the new version of the game from Atmosphir’s leading news source, The Atmosphirian!

See you all on the other side!

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!

Getting to Know Project Stratosphir - Single Player Rules

In addition to being able to build your own levels, Atmosphir has also allowed designers to determine how their levels are played. Using the Rules menu in the design mode, designers were able to determine various concepts, such as run speed or jump velocity. In Project Stratosphir, many of these variables return alongside some exciting newer features.

Before continuing, please note that these variables are subject to change. New features may be added or some may be taken from the game before launch time. Please keep that in mind as you read today.
In today’s article, I will be discussing the various aspects of the Single Player rulebook. While the Multiplayer Rulebook does have some varied features, the basic concepts are mixed with the Single Player rules. Another day we will discuss the aspects of Multiplayer Rules.

As in the previous versions of Atmosphir, the basic concepts still remain. The first is the Timer. The timer determines how much time you are given to complete a level. This slider goes from an unlimited time limit to 10,000 seconds (166 minutes 40 seconds). Next is the Initial Lives variable. This goes from an Unlimited number (-1) to a total of 100. Extra lives and time can be found within a level.

Unlike past versions, Project Stratosphir allows you to determine how often you receive time and lives based on your score. Two sliders control this: Extra Life Score and Extra Time Score. The extra life score variable ranges from zero to 50,000. This variable moves in increments of 500 (0, 500, 1000, 1500, etc.) If it is at zero, no lives will be awarded based on your score. If the variable is set to 500, you will receive an extra life for every 500 points you receive. The extra time score variable works in the same way, with the exceptions being that it ranges from zero to 30,000, and it gives out time as opposed to lives.

Along the lines of basic variables are the Jump Velocity and Walk Speed. These features remain unchanged from previous versions. Jump velocity determines how high the player can jump, ranging from zero (no jump) to a velocity of ten. Walk Speed ranges from one to ten, with one being the slowest movement possible. Both of these variables can be altered through the use of run and jump powerups.

Jump Velocity goes hand in hand with the new Gravity Force variable. This variable determines how high/quickly/slowly objects and players fly, and how quickly/slowly they fall. The range for this goes from one (low) to 20 (high). Low gravity will result in high, lazy jumps with slower descents. High gravity means very low jumps with faster falling. So far this cannot be changed in-game, but anything is possible for the future.

Single Player game modes remain largely unchanged. The same modes are still available, namely Find the Finish Flag, Survive the Time Limit, beat the Score, Defeat the Enemies, and Defeat the Bosses.

Find the Finish Flag is the basic gamemode which can be completed by simply touching the green finish flag in the level. Survive the Time Limit simply means surviving until the timer runs out. The other three modes have a little more to them than that.

Beat the Score is a mode which involves meeting a certain score requirement in order to beat the level. The Target Score variable determines the score you must beat. It ranges from ten to 100,000 points.

Defeat the Enemies and Defeat the Bosses modes also go hand in hand with one another. The Number of Enemies to Defeat and Number of Bosses to Defeat variables both range from zero to 100. On each enemy, there is a choice to set an enemy as a boss or a standard enemy. Muka Bosses are, by default, bosses, while every other enemy is considered standard.

Keep in mind that these modes can be mixed and matched. For example, you could have a survival level in which you have to kill a certain number of enemies, or a find the finish flag level with a certain requirement for points. Any number of these conditions can be applied to a single level.

Next are the score multipliers given at the end of a level. As in the previous version, they include the Lives Left Multiplier, Time Left Multiplier, and the Score Multiplier. The Lives Left Multiplier (0-5000x) gives you a set amount of points for each life you have remaining at the end of the level. The Time Left Multiplier (0-100x) gives you a set amount of points for each life you have remaining at the end of the level. The final multiplier, the Score Multiplier (.25x-10x), multiplies the points earned during the level by a variable.

A new kind of multiplier is also introduced in Project Stratosphir, titled the Enemy Score Multiplier. This multiplier is applied as you play, and therefore does not appear at the end of the level. In the new update, each enemy can give you a certain number of points upon death. The Enemy Score Multiplier takes this number and multiplies it by a variable between zero and 100.

Along with this is a new switch, Enemies Give Points On Kill Only. This switch determines how you receive points. When it is on, you will only receive your points upon killing (reducing its health to zero) the enemy. If this option is off, you will receive a fraction of the points upon each strike, determined by the amount of damage you do.  If you do all the work, you get all the points. This feature would be handy for Co-op maps where multiple players are fighting the same creature but do not want to share the points.

Finally are the Skybox and Music features, which will be discussed another day. Along with that is thepreview Fog switch, which turns on or off the fog while working in design mode.

While many of the rules are not new to many who is reading this, it is always good to get a refresher in. My apologies for the lack of screenshots; the information presented here is hardly appealing for a screenshot. It is my hope that you will make the most out of the new and old rules alike. I’m looking forward to some interesting setups from you! Thanks for reading!

Getting to Know Project Stratosphir - Scaling Objects

In previous versions of Atmosphir, anything in the toolbox had a specific size. Blocks took up one space, water took up nine, pillars took up three, etc. With the power of the new version of the game however, players are now able to break free from the grid and expand or shrink various parts of the game to fit their needs.

The concept of scaling is incredibly simple. To begin, take an object from the toolbox, and move it to the grid. At this point, hold the C key. This key must be held when scaling anything. From there, simply move the scroll wheel on your mouse up or down to enlarge or shrink the object respectively. Objects can be enlarged to 200% of their original size, or shrunk to 50%.

Keep in mind that not every object from the toolbox can be resized. Objects that cannot be resized are: Blocks, Floors, Moving Platforms, Falling Platforms, Interactives, Mukas/Skulls/Crows/Crabs, Treasures, and Powerups. On the other hand, the following can be resized: Ramps, Basic Props, Hazards, and Flags.

An advantage of resizing objects is that it does not take up any more capacity than a regularly-sized object. If there is a different, it’s so small that it’s hardly worth accounting for. This means you can have the same number of 200% pillars as you do 50% pillars, and the total capacity of each would be the same.

Another advantage that can be pointed out has been demonstrated in several videos: Building “staircases.” I’m sure many of us would find it more interesting to climb a series of pillars made to look like stairs, as opposed to climbing the traditional staircase. Of course, this means you’re taking up the capacity of pillars as opposed to a simple ramp.

Yet another advantage is the ability to bring a little life into levels. Not every tree is the same size, nor is every staircase built to the same dimensions. The ability to vary the size of an object lets you add the variety that can make an ordinary level extraordinary and full of life in some way.

Atmosphir has been locked into a gird since the beginning. With this new update, the game will begin to break free from these restrictive yet necessary boundaries and allow for a new era of creation. With each new feature, I grow more and more excited to see what the community can create. Thanks again for reading!

Getting To Know Project Stratosphir - Today's Topic: Moving Platforms

If you want to get a character from Point A to Point B without having them move themselves, moving platforms have always been the way to go. In the newest update, the capabilities of moving platforms have been increased several times over.

The first note to point out is that objects will not slide off of moving platforms unless the angle forces them to. In previous versions, objects such as boxes would simply slide off of these platforms, making it difficult to make puzzles based on moving objects.

A second thing to note is that objects are able to activate moving platforms. This means that if a box, beach ball, log, enemy, or even a bomb touches the platform, it will activate and begin moving. This feature can be turned off in the properties box for moving platforms. Activating the “Player Only” button will set the platform to only respond to a player’s touch.

One more note to make before getting into the deeper concepts is that moving platforms can have inverted start directions. This means that you are now able to determine which direction your platforms will move. This can be determined in the moving platform properties menu.

While the moving platform remains mainly unchanged from previous versions, it has many new tricks. The first thing you may notice (as shown in the above screenshot) is that moving platforms now have an arrow on them. This arrow plays a key role when it comes to Waypoint Rotations, which I will get into later. Please note that moving platforms cannot be rotated using SHIFT + R, nor can they be scaled to be larger or smaller.

The system for plotting the paths of moving platforms no longer is comparable to laying a pipeline, but instead is a matter of moving from Point A to Point B. The Waypoint (As shown above) is the basic tool used for creating paths for moving platforms. After selecting the tool, simply click on a space on the grid to set a waypoint. After you have done so, your cursor will now have a blue trail connecting it to the previously placed waypoint. Clicking somewhere else on the grid will create another waypoint, with the two connected by a blue line. You can continue to do this to create a series of waypoints connected by lines. When you are done charting the path for your platform(s), simply right click to end the series. These lines are where moving platforms will travel. The platform will move in the order the waypoints were placed. Moving Platforms can only begin on waypoints.

Moving Platforms are also now capable of doing flips or moving to a vertical angle. Doing so simply requires rotating gravity in one of two ways. The first way begins with placing a waypoint. Without ending the series, rotate gravity using the Q and E keys until you have the level rotated the way you would like it. At that point, place the next waypoint. Note that the platform will flip over the course of the path. That means if the distance between Point A and Point B is short, the flip will be fast, and if the path is long, the flip will be slow.

The second method, which can be easier, is to simply rotate the waypoint with SHIFT + R. This method has the same principles as the first.

Ending a series of paths is very simple. The Waypoint Stop (as pictured above) is used to stop a moving platform once it touches it. Without this, the moving platform would retrace its path once reaching the end. Placement of the Waypoint Stop is also very simple. Once you have the Waypoint Stop tool selected, click on the second to last waypoint in your series. This will connect the Waypoint Stop to a previous waypoint, creating a path. Simply click where you would like to end the path to place the stopper, and right click to end the series.

The final type of Waypoint is the Waypoint Rotation, and it is the most complicated of the three. As you may recall, the moving platforms now have an arrow alongside them in design mode. As you may also notice, the Waypoint Rotation also has an arrow. The simplest way to explain this tool is through a series of pictures.

In this picture, we see the Aztec hand with the arrow facing north. It is along a path which ends with a waypoint rotation pointing east. If we allow the platform to move on the path…

…the platform will rotate to match the arrow of the waypoint rotation. If we continue to let the platform return along the path it took, it will return to its previous orientation.

In words, the arrow of the moving platform will move in whatever way is necessary to match the arrow of the waypoint rotation by the time it reaches it. As was the case with flipping platforms, short paths result in fast turns, while long paths result in slow turns. These waypoints can also be rotated, just as the normal waypoints could be. Simply use SHIFT + R to direct the arrow. The platform will move to match the arrow as it always does.

One final note to make about moving platforms is that they are now capable of moving through anything. In previous versions, they were only capable of moving through a select group of props.

In the past, it was difficult to create puzzles using moving platforms. With the vast improvements made to one of Atmosphir’s most-used tools, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can come up with! Good luck, and thanks for reading!