Now featuring less lag, less uptime, lots of levels and even more mosquitoes

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Written by: IsraeliRD

Category: News

Published: 27 May 2014

Hits: 4066

Apparently our server PQ’d itself for the last 13 hours, which is unfortunate because our 99.99% uptime is now 98.18%. The original 0.01% was because I wanted to take the server down due to a quick and urgent maintenance. The staff would like to apologize about that and we’re sorry for any inconvenience caused. You can go back to play Multiplayer and give your rating points to Dushine and RC.

 

More importantly, I won’t stop complaining about the mosquitoes anytime soon either. For those wondering I am now back in Israel (no more Australia [much sad, very tears]) and besides the tasty food, my ping on Multiplayer is better so I’m less laggy (HiGuy and Regislian are a testament). Unfortunately the mosquitoes here are super-fast, whereas their Aussie counterparts are slow as heck. I got bitten in a week more than the last 6-7 years put together, if not 13. The last month itself was super busy, both in Australia and Israel (our staff will agree because I had no time to even tell them I was leaving!) and besides job-hunting I’ve been running throughout the country between several government sites and what not to do lots of registrations. Bureaucracy is lengthy and not fun at all.

 

One of the best and fastest players in the Marble Blast scene is Blasted Marble, and making levels is something he is pretty good at! Today's update includes Determination Race, a small replayable level which is pretty fun to play, and Revealing the Diamond, another great level which features some original challenges and its own bouncy floor.

Epicperson456 is newer here but made two levels as well. Super Duper There and Back Again where jumping might not be the best idea but knowing you guys you'd speedrun it with super duper lots of it (I'm looking at you, Xelna). Also a first (at least on this site) is a custom level for Marble Blast Emerald! The mod receives a level called Find the Sapphires where you need to find the true Sapphire between over 20 fakes. Could we see more love for this mod and even Advanced?

 

Now these guys haven't uploaded to the site any levels and while we urge them to do so, you can meanwhile find the levels at the links provided below, all of which point to their custom levels’ topics.

Frostfire who you probably played (and lost to) in Multiplayer made a bunch of unique levels which are a must for anyone to play.

Nathan made a lot of levels which not only look great, but play great.

Avi also made lots of interesting levels which you should check out.

acpascal - no relation to Xelna (unless he is her long lost brother?) made four levels which all seem rather intriguing to play.

m2mm4m - made a single level that requires CLA interiors, and promises not to be one to be beaten easily. You should make more :)

 

Although he is last on the list when you hear of Buzzmusic you know you are in for a treat, and today is no exception. The young-gun of the Marble Blast scene was very productive the last couple of months and there is a lot to cover. Shifting Corridors is a very interesting level in the way that the corridors keep switching every few seconds. Finding the best path won't be easy! Joining it is Creationism, a challenging level for those who like moving platforms done in a twisted way, Buzzmusic style. And if two levels aren't enough, how about 60 more? Buzzmusic made available almost all of his levels in four downloadable packs: Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3 and Pack 4. Go get them!

As some of you might know Buzzmusic has another creative side to him which is music. One of his finer works is Comforting Mystery which is featured in MBP 1.50 as the Online/Leaderboards theme, and he had created a number of soundtracks for PlatinumQuest, all of which I guarantee you are top quality. His YouTube channel is filled with his soundtracks and as of recently he has released his first official Album, Beyond Slumber. This optimistic album is filled with dreamlike elements, and containing lots of instruments and some mystery in the vocals. You can also get it on iTunes, eMusic and Spotify.

 

Earlier I was talking about speed but just how many of you were fast enough to notice the change of the third image on the front page AND figure out what is up? If you still are confused, then be so no more! Coming in MBP 1.50 RC1 the 60 Marble Blast Ultra levels are being added directly to the leaderboards. With them we will add an old MBP level from a pre-1.00 build and an extra MBG Xbox level, making a total of 62 levels. All MBU levels will be playable with the former GarageGames marble but with plenty more skins to choose from. In addition we will feature a number of new and unique achievements to the MBU levels and of course, their own dedicated leaderboards.

Unlike MBP, in MBU collecting Time Travels, getting a checkpoint and falling off causes the clock to run again when you respawn. Do you want the behavior to stay similar to that of MBU or would you prefer the clock to continue being paused, probably making different paths altogether in some levels? Post your response and we’ll do as the community chooses. A majority vote wins here so think carefully. Remember that it will already be hard to compare due to the different start pad and the fact that the marble in MBP (due to Marble Blast's engine/physics) is faster and lighter than its MBU counterpart.

 

I will see you all in Multiplayer at some point, and more on the front-page. Which reminds me, I should really upload more videos to my YouTube account.