STOPX | November 2023 News and Views

Introduction
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ In terms of Marble Blast traffic, STOP DeluXe has grown beyond our imagination. This project is becoming more successful and known by the month. We are very thankful for the people who have checked our project out and continue to play and make memories with each other. In October, we had a lot of events and activities that saw a lot of players participating, including The Final Jump Scare Activity, Ultra Unlock 2023, Specimen of the Sewer, Harvest Time, and more.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The Discord server is more active than ever as well (and we got our first Server Boost from Bobirika12, thank you so much - we gave you Pentagons and a brand new Elite Marble for boosting the server)! We released some STOP I Redux waves which has gotten very positive reception. I encourage more prominent members of this community to give this extremely fun project a try. Tell us what you like or don't like about it - in other words, feel free to rate the game and suggest any improvements. We're open to all constructive feedback.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ We implemented some terrific suggestions that have been asked of the community for a long time. For those who still like to hide under the covers cowering in fear, Jump Scares can now not only be toggled on or off, but they are also disabled by default! You won't have to worry about them anymore if you don't want to play with them, our network of exorcists have sealed them away for good. We also added Local Instant Replays (you can now save Instant Replay recordings in-game that consist of bloopers, funny moments, or for the purpose of helping our team squash bugs) and we released our biggest update yet for those who have been waiting for what feels like 13,337 years for Marble Blast Fubar to return, which is an exclusive Experience and Level Up system for STOP DeluXe, which will be integrated on the Marble Blast web site soon! Our update from the beginning of October to late November has showed how far we come, and how far we will continue to grow as the years go by.




Summary
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Compared to other months, October was heavy in terms of content, but that's because we released Update 1.3 (also known as "Build 1.8uX") in mid-October. For the first time in Marble Blast history, we also released an infographic. This has not been seen before on any other Marble Blast modification (or officially). Here's how they work: a large image containing what is happening on our calendar, an event, or activity will be released every so often detailing what an update/event/activity will offer. You can download and print them as well! An example from October 2023 is provided.



‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The update includes a ton of things - we can't list them all here! You may now disable Jump Scares (which they will also be disabled by default, requested by popular demand!), there's a new system where you earn Experience Points and rank up Levels, there's a new Search Menu for stages, World Record messages on our Discord server got buffed up, Local Replays are now available if you want to save a blooper or report a bug, and the first wave of STOP I Redux also released. You can now enter your e-mail to receive newsletters and become verified in STOPX, and you can enter your birthday for great rewards, such as a marble if you login on your birthday. If you want to learn more about all the changes Build 1.8uX has to offer, please visit this forum post:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ We also released the first wave of STOP I Redux which has had a lot of awesome reception from players. Many like Tskater7000's (a.k.a. Tyler Rockers') unreleased music and the revisions to the stages have been greatly received for their appearance, presentation, and how they are still accurate to speed run through as the original Marble Blast STOP. On November 02, 2023, we also released the second wave. It got so much cool reception. The next wave comes out on November 17, 2023.



‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ October saw a ton of events and activities. First, The Final Jump Scare activity released. Players were encouraged to turn Jump Scares back on in order to find The Final Jump Scare with increased odds. Xeinox beat the Activity after going through a ton of random chance Jump Scares to find it. He is also the only player who has found all of the Jump Scare in STOPX thus far, and was awarded a brand new new Elite Marble ("The Golden Skull") which has golden skulls fly out from it when you roll around and it also allows you to view a gallery of all the Jump Scares any time. On top of that, he also got 20,000 Pentagons for being the first player to find it. View all the Jump Scares by clicking here.



‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Then, we kicked off the Ultra Unlock event with a new A.R.G. style side quest, which was called For Harvest Time and Mowing. Users had to find clues in order to discover a temporary Hidden World which looks similar to the D.L.C. #5 (Tribute Galaxy) stage, The Garden of Proserpine. Only three users beat my difficult puzzle, I have no idea how they did that. I salute phyrex1anreb1rth, Xeinox, and Edward! Beating the puzzle legitimately gave you Mysterious Object (now called "The Void Teapot Gift Box") which (obviously) awarded The Void Teapot. It has a current market value of 25,000 Pentagons, but the Void Teapot Gift Box (a.k.a. Mysterious Object) is no longer obtainable. There are only 3 in existance. View more about how the event went here.



‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Our Activity for this month was Specimen of the Sewer, which also saw the release of our first Jump Scare since STOP DeluXe first released back in April 2023. A bloody half-skeleton with a sinister face was chasing you around Trapped in the Sewer and you had to escape the sewer without getting caught by it. Edward was the main victor of the event, winning a $25 Amazon Gift Card, 5,000 Pentagons, and the first clue for the Harvest Time portion of the Ultra Unlock event. It is also the second animated GUI in Marble Blast history, where the Jump Scare is animated. The first was CHEST_EYES back in April 2023, the first animated GUI in Marble Blast history evar.




Statistics
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ August and September had fluctuations in terms of who was signing into STOPX when, but October is extremely exciting compared to those last two months. We are growing so well. In September, daily logins were 28 users a day on average, 55 users a week, and 90 users a month. We counted 202 total downloads for September as well. That is awesome. In October 2023, the all-successful project is now averaging 32 average users a day, 64 users a week, 151 users a month. We also got 236 downloads this last October - amazing. We are also getting two new sign-ups daily/bi-daily. Like usual, Marble Blast traffic is sparse (less than 100 people sign onto PlatinumQuest daily), and to see these numbers for STOPX is exceptional. We are becoming as successful as the de-facto fan-mod and it is awesome to see how well we are competing with it. May we continue to go farther and please our new revolution of the STOPX Community.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ STOPX continues to be considered one of the major modifications offered on this web site and within this community. Members are even considering STOPX as a "big dog" project alongside PlatinumQuest (PQ). This data has showed that our prediction from last month is correct as well: Build 1.8uX was a huge turning point and a new revolution for our community, and we cannot wait to see more memories and experiences that the STOP DeluXe community makes, especially when our new web site releases in due time.

The Future of STOPX
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ This article came out very, very late this year, and for that, we must explain why. You see, I just got accepted into the highly competitive Psychology major at my university, which I have been working hard at for at least five years. I am also of the 20% of new members that is eligible for Honors if the first quarter goes well. Next year is going to be extremely busy, so I am making a lot of opportunity costs. STOP DeluXe is one of them. I have already stopped editing the STOPX Wiki primarily and it is now public to edit. We want to see STOPX continue to grow and last for many years, so RandomityGuy will still be in the background, but my friend Josh is going to be primarily taking over the server (along with maybe a couple others - still need to contact them) and I will also be leaving my accounts behind until Summer 2024 when we are ready to edit the BEST Time Rampage for STOP DeluXe. Stay tuned for that announcement as well. Rest assured that STOP DeluXe is not going dead, it's not going anywhere, but I will be leaving many, many things behind to focus on my career.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Stay tuned for the December News and Views post. It's going to be a big send-off to STOPX before I leave for my new chapter.
But the end is only the beginning.

Best Regards,
Jiquor & The STOPX Team
Tekannabrand