Here’s a quick look at how we’re trying to freshen up combat in the new version of Atmosphir. The characters have been completely re-rigged and animated, and particle/light effects really help battles come to life. Combat has always been fun but repetitive in the past, and we’re actively working to change that - whether solo or multiplayer.

Today we had a great leaderboard contest in the forums - our first ever - to see how many people could beat Nuinethir’s insanely challenging Ninja Warrior level. I promised special screenshots if enough people beat it. It’s one of the best moments we’ve had in Atmosphir so far - everyone was scrambling to win, posting secrets and walkthrough videos, and battling against each other for the best score. Leaderboards, coupled with the new Play Browser interface, have made playing Atmosphir a much more social, competitive, and fun experience.

Congratulations to Leki1982 for holding the current top score of 421, and also to the other finalists: Tamloo, Laqueum, Zeo12, Traceguy, Nuinethir, blackseptember005, Chillinguy, Adz, PizzaBoy, EdacOnag, kingvortex, sakana, DuckMasters, crackrjakz, and Levion. You have proven yourselves as some of the very best Atmosphir players in the world.

Well, as promised, here you go. Thanks for playing everyone.

Pretty cool, huh? Now now, don’t get too excited yet. As you programmer-types know, adding lights/shadows/etc. can get pretty CPU-intensive. But I thought these in-game studies were interesting and show where Atmosphir may very well be headed in the near future. What do you think? (And no, Cameron is not back from the dead - this was done in an older version of the game).

Gadoidao returns to the Level of the Day with his perplexing Coloured Rooms of Confusion. This maze is broken up into dozens of multicolored, uniquely decorated rooms, but pretty quickly you realize that there’s more that first meets the eye. Essential items like bombs and keys are cleverly hidden along with non-essential treasures and time bonuses, so every room has the potential to hold a secret. I definitely got lost a couple of times. The diversity in the rooms really keeps things fresh, making the obligatory exploring and back-tracking not so bad. Different, fun, engaging…nice work!

Okay, okay - this is the last Mario level this week, I promise. It’s just that Amethyst’s Marios Treasure Box is another excellent example of taking something familiar and turning it into a new gameplay experience. As you explore giant block versions of a warp pipe, koopa shell, POW block and other classic Mario staples, you’ll find various goodies that help you reach new heights and discover even more hidden treasure. Apparently Mario needs to unlock the treasure box to get the much-needed star inside, so it’s up to you to find the key and unlock it. You can check out Amethyst’s outstanding library of original levels in her spotlight thread here.

Rikachu makes his LOTD debut with The Forest in the Icy Sky, an extremely difficult journey through floating chunks of earth in the middle of an asteroid belt. I love how there is so much scenery to take in - all the suspended blocks help give a sense of distance, scale, and speed (particularly when you’re falling past them to your doom). But no amount of scenery can save you from the tough-as-nails gameplay, so get ready for quite a few lost lives. If you prefer exploring to platforming, check out rikachu’s other new level, a subterranean treasure hunt called Tombs in the Underground.

It’s always awesome when someone takes something old and familiar, and then remixes it into a fresh experience in Atmosphir. Super Mario Land 3D by bigdrip681 does just that. It’s great fun roaming around this giant world, jumping off of 20-story green warp pipes, mushrooms, stars and more in search of 10,000 points worth of treasure. While the color theme pack makes up the bulk of the design, bigdrip681 also manages to mix elements from several other packs to create a unique style of his own. Absolutely incredible.

The Great Bank Robbery is a clever little city exploration level created by Kandalf. While the ultimate goal is to break into the bank’s vault, you end up stealing a lot of treasure all over the town, from store displays to a hospital to a movie theater. With no time limit or enemies (well, except for the bank security system), it’s an open-ended experience that should be fun for players of any skill level…there are just so many creative uses of blocks here to check out. Nice work Kandalf!

City in the Sky: Homecoming is an unbelievably epic adventure around a massive floating castle. The sheer sense of scale catches your attention immediately, but once you dig inside the castle and begin to find all the interconnected underground tunnels and secrets, it will blow you away how much is packed in here. The level took me about 20 minutes to beat with a final score of 8517 (you need 7000 to win - no small task since most of that is in 50-point coconuts). I loved the design elements that helped sell the story - stuff like the floating block clouds and the airship docking stations (where you begin the journey). Even better, designer EliteBlackDragon says Homecoming is just the beginning, and more challenging levels built around this city are on the way.

And while you’re at it, make sure to check out Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a beautiful race tutorial and another EliteBlackDragon creation. You can find his complete library of levels nicely compiled here.