STOPX | What Prevents You From Playing?

Hello everybody - I've returned to ask the age-old question: why haven't you tried out STOPX? Is there something that is preventing you from playing? Does it have to do with me personally? Are there too many software limitations? Your questions and more - discussed and answered - may be posted here to discuss the future of STOPX and to learn why the majority of the community has not played STOPX yet.

For those who are wondering about the status of STOPX, check out this thread. We release monthly newsletters here, but in the future, we will be releasing them on our new domain, coming in late 2023 (if not early 2024).

Here are some popular questions and comments, answered:
I haven't played because it's not for macOS systems. Our technology may take a good while to port to macOS systems, but there is a chance it may not happen at all. Unless we make a Haxe port of the game, which we don't plan to do for a long time, I don't see the possibility of having macOS support for STOPX.
I haven't played because you don't have the original physics installed. Quite the contrary, especially if you haven't paid attention to STOP II since it's 1.4u0 release. In STOPX, we have a setting where you can choose between Tekannabrand's and InstantAction's physics. You don't have to uninstall or modify your game anymore. You just change a setting and that's it. The original physics are unmodified and accessible to everyone.
The console isn't available. Why do you need it? Your settings and features are all included at the touch of a button. Records are easily forgeable with it, and this is not an environment where we encourage people to build their own stages. This is not a "testing ground", unlike PlatinumQuest or Marble Blast Gold. This is a full scale modification with a closed-door administration for designing the game with a story that is not meant to be circumvented with the console. However, if there is a feature you cannot find without console access, please tell me about it, and I will put it in the to-do list. Thanks for your understanding.

I will appreciate this discussion. Thanks, Jiquor - Tekannabrand

Honestly, a large reason why I haven't played STOPX (and most other Marble Blast mods) is simply because I lack the time to really sit down and play it. I have some IRL things I need to work on, and outside of that, I still have goals I want to achieve in both MBG/PQ, and Marble it Up. It all really comes down to other priorities I have, and I feel as if a good chunk of the community can relate to this. People may be busy with other stuff and may not have time to play STOPX.

For me personally, if I am going to be touching a marble blast mod, I evidently will want to speedrun it, and I often fall into that pit a lot when playing new levels and it results in me putting too much focus into something that should be a side thing. If I am going to put that much effort into something, I might as well do it for the things that matter most to me.

Hi Mazik! Thanks for your wonderful post. I appreciate your thoughts and considerations.

This the same for me regarding other modifications too - STOPX is part of my "IRL commitments", and I don't have enough time to sit down and play other games including other modifications these days either, especially while I've still got a Pokemon GO network to run and moderate. For you and others, this is totally agreeable.

I went down that rabbit hole with speed running games myself, and that is what evidently lead me to quit doing it, aside from my impatience with running through things. STOPX was designed to be casual-friendly, but have optional settings available to speed runners (like the old physics, leaderboards, and activities). I also *might* have on-set palsy now, which is another reason why I feel I cannot play games as quickly as I used to. My hands get so shaky, it's very annoying even while typing or messaging. Makes me relieved I don't play games like ROBLOX or BrickPlanet anymore myself.

If you ever have time, I would love to see you at least casually play the game and review what I've got in store for you and others. I would appreciate your feedback. We've worked on this project for many years.

Thanks for your message! How does that prevent you from playing STOPX? Aside from that, we'll clean that right up.

Mazik explains most of it. The only reason I played a substantial amount of any game this year is community. I've lost interest in games mostly, in addition to not wanting to spend time on unimportant things, and usually run MB only to work on my level pack (which is rare because I can't fix the major bugs, sadly).

I did play the first MBStop and figured I might play the second as well, because parts of them have relevance to my level pack.

STOPX looks like one of the best mods because of all the effort put into it and its community, and that (as well as non-mods) may be what sustains the MB community in the future. Take care however not to rest your meaning on things like this.

Weather - thanks for your wonderful message. I like to host the small community I have, and is part of the reason why I still keep working on STOPX. That's not all of it, but even the smallest number that still continues to play helps me know STOPX is a worth it game to play, and it's shown in the last few months. I recently stumbled upon the de facto Discord for this web site, and I have also been told similar things. I'm proud of how far this modification has come, despite how little traffic everything unofficial gets, PlatinumQuest included (sadly). Like you, I only really run marble blast to test something new I'm working on, whether it be a vanilla MBG client or an offline STOP II client.

Really? They do? I feel flattered knowing that I've inspired some of your work. I would like to know what you've got so I may try them out myself.

Even Xedron respects the grind, so I know I can't say no to awesome comments like this - thank you very much for your comment, it makes me feel warm and more welcomed here. I know, I should've prioritized quality over quantity when designing this hybrid, but STOPX really let me unleash my eclectic personality, and that's why I built the most stages that any fan made game has had. I've made nearly 500 stages at this point. But honestly, I think I'm winding down.

I probably won't understand, but I can certainly learn.

my new-ish computer (i got it november last year) is powerful enough that i'm not just bound to playing marble blast and half-life anymore so i never really touched mb in the last year

Thanks for your wonderful comment Bukki13! We have events and activities running from time to time, so if you ever feel like playing, the game won't ever be going anywhere. It's a super fun game with lots to offer.