Hey there fellow Marble Blasters!
Last time we left you all with a challenge; to create a level for the Quota game mode of PlatinumQuest. Since then, we have received a number of submissions and have discussed each of them in detail. What interested us the most was that none of the submissions were in fact designed for the Quota game mode… did people forget?
As such, there was no winner of the Quota game mode Level Competition, but one of the submissions did fit into one of the other game modes of PlatinumQuest. As such, we’re happy to announce that RDs.Empire had won with a fantastically fun filled level, and even though it’s not Quota at all, you will meet it as a different game mode.
Now that we have our feet in the water, let’s dive right in with another level competition! This level competition is open for the Hunt game mode only. The Hunt game mode requires you to collect as many gems as possible from the random spawns that will appear within the level which will therefore give you your final score. The gems available to use are Red, Yellow, Blue and Platinum, which in the same order are worth 1, 2, 5 and finally 10 points respectively. Two levels will make it through to PlatinumQuest, so you have a greater chance to make it in.
Your task is to design a level which answers the following guidelines: • Level must include whether it uses a definite starting point (start pad) or a random spawn point (please indicate on your level where spawns are, preferably with an Easter Egg on each spawn point. You may add your own Easter Egg to the level if applicable).• Optional: level may use time travels to extend the period of time of gameplay, but please do not use them excessively (the less the better) and think about their usage and how much they should be worth.• Par Time has a maximum of 2:00.00 minutes. Your level can feature a much lower Par Time.• Difficulty can be anywhere from beginner to low-expert (Marble Blast Platinum level difficulty rating)• Level must be fun and replayable; levels that won’t answer these criteria are most likely to be rejected on the spot.• Level is original and creative; levels will not be rejected if you can’t come up with new ideas. However, if we find these factors to be too low, we will reject the level.• Level does not need any scenery. That will be handled by us.The due date to submit your level is 19th September, 2010. Unlike the previous level competition, you may also build your level in the Level Editor but cannot use any custom interiors. Usage of default interiors such as 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 and the sort are fine.
You are to submit the following:• A mission file (.mis) which contains a Par Time, Author, Description. Optional: start help text.• Any interiors you used (.dif) (if you use QuArK/Constructor)• A map file (.map) (if you use QuArK/Constructor)• You may also submit non-DIF material such as shapes (.dts) with their source files (e.g. .blend for Blender files) so that we may modify them appropriately.Please submit all of these in a ZIP file that is uploaded to mediafire, rapidshare, localhostr or any other file upload service. The download link along with your real name OR nickname, level and description should be submitted to Matan (click here to submit) via a Personal Message. That means you have to register on MarbleBlast.com in order to send the Personal Message.
As a reminder, you cannot release your level until winners have been determined, and winners themselves cannot release their level to the general public at all. Finally, you may submit more than one level to the competition.
As before, we realize that as we progress with new updates you might find that you want to add more to your level or even change some parts. Winners may update their levels accordingly while maintaining or raising the quality of the level as they deem fit. The winners’ names will be posted here on the site at the next update after the competition closes. The next update will be at some point in either October or November.
For those that do not know, Alex Swanson was the main level designer for many of the Marble Blast titles, including Gold, Gold (Xbox), Ultra (Xbox 360) and Online. Alex Swanson has kindly donated two unreleased levels of his own to PlatinumQuest and we’re honoured to have them alongside the levels of our staff. The first one has been seen before in pictures, but never as a final build. As you have most likely guessed, this level will be used for the Hunt game mode.
Original:
PlatinumQuest (in-progress):
Stay tuned for more updates,
- The PlatinumQuest Staff
"matan, now i get what you meant a few years back when you said that "the level in mbg is beyond me" after the last rampage i noticed things were insane, and now i truly feel that too" - Dushine, 2015.