Memorial Day Survey: Retexture Race

Hi. IBarrageI here back from what seems a big break. (Exam troubles and whatnot have caused me to be inactive with RN for some time). But I am back now, ready to bring you more posts.

This post is about the Memorial Day poll going on right now. And this post is specifically about the retextures being voted in the survey to be published. (Side note: arbirator has told me to be totally unbiased when it comes to this post due to me being mentioned in this post. I might have difficulty with this :P)

First off we have the very humble "Sock" by the ever amusing Phantomazing

Phantomazing made this retexture /number/ months ago to celebrate the Olympics, but it sadly never got published. So now the time has come for a survey with a chance to get a retexture published if enough people vote for it, he took it upon himself to start advertising it with this Sock-tastic ad.

This ad has proved to be effective as it has passed 1500 takes. Not bad for such a humble retexture.

Secondly we have the clown mask by Plasticine.

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm scared of clowns, (I think that's because of the fact they seem to be always smiling) and I am also scared of this retexture. This retexture is an inventive one, using the comedy mask to then create such a creepy and awesome clown mask. This retexture is also being advertised using a block style ad with a dark theme to it.

Spooky.

Plasticine's retexture has passed 1900 takes, and is one of the retextures in with a good chance of getting high in the rankings.

Next we have the silver tea kettle by the upcoming retexturer Sporeman15.



Now, I understand how much work has been put into this retexture, as I know how the texture on that mesh is made up. As quoting from the man himself "it wasn't easy, it was a massive game of trial and error".

He has currently got 2 ads running on this retexture and boy are they eye catching.

Giving a users a question to answer in an ad is a great way to bring attention to it, meaning that now over 2100 people have taken it making it one of the 5 front runners in this retexture race.

Next we have the Rainbow Crown of Ozymandias by JewleyCat



Once again I understand the pain that must of gone into this retexture. As there are so many different parts to this texture that you wouldn't believe, even if you located them all on the mesh, you would still have a hard time retexturing it. I salute you *citation*, this is an incredible show of determination

Now we are coming up to main "power forces" in this race, and this is where I break arbirator's rule.

Here we have the Bluesteel Bathysphere. A "comical?" creation by DarkGenex.



Ok, I'll say it. Is Bluesteel rust proof? I guess I wouldn't want to be the person finding out.

DarkGenex is an old hand when it comes to these surveys, while he recently got Blizzaria: The Frozen published for the President's day sale via the survey, due to it being mass advertised. And now he is back and more crazier than ever with his masterful creation? Mass advertising once again.

He is using maximum bids of 99,999 tickets on ads, and this now has gotten him over 6800 in the time of just 4-5 days (yikes).

Brighteyes revealed a few days ago that DarkGenex's retexture and another one are roughly 20 votes apart. "What retexture?" I bet you are all asking.

Well I have left the best till last (I'm disappointed in you ~arbirator), and there is no doubt that this is the best retexture in the race (seriously you're fired ~arbirator). It is the amazing (I won't tell you again ~arbirator) Crimsonwrath, Lord of the Magma by IBarrageI.

Ok, less of the bias now and more of the explanation behind this retexture. Ok so the first time I saw the original hat, I thought to myself, "that is an interesting mesh, I bet I could make that more impressive" and then just decided to be unoriginal and turn it into Crimsonwrath but more dark and rock covered. I have tried on many occasions tried to get it published via the Black Friday/President's Day surveys but failed miserably. So this time I decided to mass advertise it to give it attention. 8 ads all running at the same time, I eventually got 5000 copies taken within a 4-5 day period and has now become slightly viral with many other retextures such as the clown mask by plasticine and the bathysphere by DarkGenex creating ads "slamming" Crimsonwrath.

Examples of the slam ads:




But less of my story. Who do you think is going to win?
Let us know in the comments below. And we'll see if you are correct.

(Have you got an awesome retexture story you'd like to tell me about? Pm me on roblox (username: IBarrageI) and I may end up interviewing you for roblox news.)

Five New Job Vacancies at Roblox News!

Today I bring the exciting news that Roblox News has five available job vacancies!

At RN we look for the best of the best. Staff who are responsible and able to tackle challenges are at the top of our agenda. We recognise those who have unique skills, talents and attributes. We are looking for experienced players who enjoy ROBLOX and whom enthusiastically engage with the community. Here at Roblox News, we are looking for passionate writers to join our ranks. Writers that can communicate their opinions effectively and with an aspect of style. We let our individual writers express their opinions and love of the game through the medium of our blog.

Remember: our blog is all about detail and accuracy of information. On top of this we make sure the posts are enjoyable to read for our blog's visitors.

We will require writers to be very active on the blog; publishing several posts a week. They will be required to attend team meetings and briefings from editors and managers. Roblox News staff are given a large amount of freedom in what they post; they will be assigned the section of their choice i.e games, catalog or site news.

The fivepositions are as follows:

• Catalog Analyst
• Site News Journalist
• Site News Journalist
• Game Journalist
• Game Journalist 

If you believe you meet all the above requirements, please email an application to: robloxnewshelp@live.co.uk !

What should the application include? 

1) To kick off the application, a paragraph describing yourself should be included. This should be consist of your talents that you would bring to Roblox News. You should also include any hobbies and personal interests you may have. 

2) A paragraph about why you would you like to join Roblox News and why you want to apply for the chosen role (Game Journalist/Catalog Analyst/Site News Journalist). Including what interests you the most on ROBLOX is a definite plus, and you can also include your favourite past times on the site. Information about you have previously engaged with the community would also be a plus.

3) Finally, include a sample article of your choice. If you are applying for the role of Game Journalist, please send a place review, strategy guide or news report on an upcoming game project. If you are applying for the role of Catalog Analyst, please send an item review, investment article or comparison post (Gear, Hat, Package). If you are applying for the role of Site News Journalist, please send an article based on a recent update to the ROBLOX site. This could include dynamic lighting, ROBLOX's presence at the Maker Faire or news about the upcoming BLOXXYs.

Remember to include your ROBLOX username and your email you use to log in to blogger - we will need both of these if you are chosen to join our team! 

The deadline to send in applications is Thursday 30th May 2013.

Good luck to all applicants! We are looking forward to reading them!

-Arbirator

Editor of Roblox News

Double Gear Review- Trollamom and Laser Pointer Fingers!

With the recent release of dynamic lighting, ROBLOX decided to release some gears that manipulate the features of dynamic lighting! Here is the first of a new series; Double Gear Reviews.

Trollamom is, in a nutshell, an upgraded version of the Trollamon gear. This gear has two features. The first, and main feature, is that Trollamom can shoot lasers. The lasers give off a dim red hue, and they deal a decent amount of damage. You have a quick reload time, and it takes about two shots to kill someone. That's not all. Occasionally Trollamom will summon the Trollamon, which fires targeting fried chicken missiles at your opponents. Quite the OP gear. This gear was originally 650 robux (price of trollamon plus an additional 250 for the laser feature) and was timed because it was meant as a Mother's Day gear. Overall, this gear gets a 8/10. It's a very quick and easy to use gear, but it looks a bit dull and isn't the most creative gear invented.

The second gear is the Laser Finger Pointers, an extreme dynamic lighting gear that is worth a whopping 1000 robux. Like Trollamom, this gear's main feature is a dynamically lit laser. However, there are three different lasers. You can use either the red damage laser, the green health laser, or the blue trip laser. All three lasers are automatic and clicking changes the laser. The red laser can be used to harm players, but it is REALLY SLOW because it doesn't deal much damage per second. The green laser works the same way, except it heals. Meaning, it also is REALLY SLOW. The blue laser is fun to use because it makes other players fall over, but it isn't hard to recover from falling over, and it isn't the best trip gear I've seen in ROBLOX. Overall, this gear gets a 6.5/10. Creative idea and excellent manipulation of dynamic lighting, but it is too weak to be worth 1000 robux.

This week's winning gear is Trollamom! Check back another day to see which gear wins next!

- NonstopEpic, Catalog Manager

Bargain of the week: Lightning Baseball Cap!

Greetings fellow  experts and virtual items enthusiasts! Today I bring you a post dedicated to a new addition to the ROBLOX catalog: the Lightning Baseball Cap which you can bag for a cool 35R$. This cap is pefect for completing simple retro looks, and makes for good hat combinations with black shades that offset the striking yellow colour.

Building on the base of the Corduroy Baseball Cap's original texture and mesh, the Lightning Baseball Cap adds extra 3-D realism through the use of the lighting bolt on the centre of the cap. The bolt is raised adding depth to the hat and differentiating it from other caps within the 20-40R$ price range. The colours of the cap also make for an interesting combination with the bright yellow offsetting the dark navy background on the base of the hat. If you take a closer look, the rim of the cap also has slight cross-hatching adding a nice finishing touch and distinguishing it from other caps.

As mentioned in the introduction, this hat is worn effectively with other facial accessories such as shades. If you are lucky enough to own a pair of Ice Cold Stunnas (the greatest eyewear item every created) then I would highly recommend wearing it with the lighting Cap as displayed in the image to the right. It would also suit headphones and headsets well!

The Lightning Baseball Cap just goes to show that often the best hats are cheap, simple, and just plain retro! For 35R$ you receive a simple cap, with a neat texture, awesome mesh features with the bolt and a great contrasting colour scheme. This hat really is a bargain!


Thanks for reading!

-Arbirator
Editor of Roblox News

Interview with Keyrut!

Today I bring you an interesting dynamic lighting themed interview with Keyrut; an active ROBLOX forumer. Here is what he had to say!

Q) Do you believe dynamic lighting can add suspense to ROBLOX horror games? Why? 

A) I believe it adds in a new feeling to games on the way it is used, and if it is used correctly it can, such as horror games, or even war games, it adds a whole new element of fear.

Q) Which do you prefer; dark games, or light games? Why?
A) I like both dark and light because in dark games it showcases the full potential of dynamic lighting, and in light games it has the new set of shadowing in certain areas of the game that are intentionally made dark, which is also pretty cool.

Q) What do you believe is the best aspect to the dynamic lighting update? Why?
A) I love the Global Shadows property, mainly because it completely transforms a old game to a new game, it makes it just feel simply, amazing.

Q) Upon its release, describe the game ideas that immediately came to mind? 
A) The first Idea I had were Muzzle Flashes (this has now be implemented into Battlefield), and Police Cars. ( Haha, I know not the best but pretty cool)

Q) How do you think dynamic lighting adds to the ROBLOX experience? 
A) It adds in a lot more awe into games, other then that it also shows ROBLOX not only is beautiful but has successfully been able to make a game beautiful and with virtually no lagg!

Q) What is your favourite place with dynamic lighting implemented?
A) Strobe!

Q) Are there any features you would add to dynamic lighting? Describe them
A) I would probably add a further distance for shadows to be show and possibly more Range for point-lights and spotlights.

Q) If you were a ROBLOX developer and were asked to design an item with dynamic lighting properties, what would it be? 
A) A Mining Helmet, because you know, lights on hats would be cool.

Q) Out of the five gears that currently alter dynamic lighting. which is your favourite?
A) Lightblox Jar

Q) Finally, sum up dynamic lighting in one word!
A) Nani (Beautiful in Hawaiian)


Thanks for reading!

-Arbirator
Editor of Roblox News 

Place Review - Battlefield (Pre-Pre Alpha)

Battlefield is an excellent game, it's by far the best first-person-shooter on ROBLOX, with an excellent FieldOfView and aim. The game uses dynamic lighting in an epic way, each time you shoot there is a light that surrounds your character, and I think that just gives off the perfect effect.

Battlefield is an amazing FPS, it includes many different guns that you can choose and customize with multiple attachments and camos, each gun allows you to have two attachments, plus a third one with a special perk. The classes you have also include perks, you are also limited to two perks, that is a great limit, not too much not too little. The game has recoil and hit-markers. Hit-mark always gives a great effect and tells you when you have hit a player.

Battlefield cycles through many different maps, and DeadzoneZackZak has allowed the public to submit one of their maps to him and perhaps if it's good enough to be used in Battlefield, I think that is a great thing DeadzoneZackZak has done. The public love to get involved.

Although the game is in Alpha, it is very intense and fun, I love hiding round corners and camping, each gun has an accurate aim and shoot. I love how I can aim and have the exact same scope as I do on normal Call of Duty, Battlefield feels like the Call of Duty style.

Once you die on Battlefield you respawn with your camera circling your gun, with a billboard gui allowing you to change your guns attachments and camo. This is a very good addition ZackZak has done, it just gives a better effect to the game. This game is a big step from Deadzone's previous game, Deadzone, and it's pretty epic too.

I have played it many times and even bought a game pass for it. There are many attachments and ZackZak is a very public person, therefore what the people suggest countless times is usually added. Battlefield is also well moderated, earlier Cameron Stickley and I were playing Battlefield and there was somebody claiming to be a moderator, blatantly spelling moderating wrong by saying "modify", and a moderator, Philcutie, told ZackZak the player's name and got them banned for impersonation. I believe that is great moderation.

Battlefield is my favourite FPS because it is a perfect aim-down sights. It also has a brilliant use of Dynamic Lighting and the Lens flare that the game contains is blocky but very, very effective, ZackZak managed to keep the same style of gameplay, he managed to keep the game realistic but at the same time standard ROBLOX (blocky).

Scripting: 10/10
Excellent scripting, definitely one of my favourite scripters.

Building: 7/10
Although many of the buildings are made by the public, they are all at a good standard.

Tools: 10/10
Excellent aiming and excellent guns.

Overall: 8/10
Great job, I love games like this, it's definitely a long-time favourite, just like Sword Fighting Tournament.


Thanks for reading,
~Zak

Hat Review: Donald P. Sullivan - Gold Edition

Donald P. Sullivan

Gold Edition

Mesh: 7/10

There isn't all that much to say about the mesh. It's the exact same mesh as the original Donald P. Sullivan hat. A cylinder-headed robot with angry-looking eyed, a bowler hat, and a fancy-looking moustache. The original hat wasn't too popular at first, so they made a package to go along with it.

Texture: 10/10

Even if this is just an edited version of an old hat, you have to admit the texture looks awesome. Everything is gold. The head is gold, the bowler hat is gold, his hair is gold. Even his moustache is gold. The only thing not covered in gold are his eyes. If the eyes were gold, it would have looked worse, so I'm glad they kept the eyes as they were.

Price: 3/10

I don't know what on earth the ROBLOX staff were thinking when they priced and stocked this hat. It's 7,500 robux with 350 in stock. When my hat notifier told me this came out and I saw the price, I expected it to have 50 or 100 in stock. But I was extremely disappointed when I saw how many there really were. Even with it completely coated in gold, it's taken[to this point] 5 hours to sell out, and 105 still remain. I estimate it will start out at around 9 - 10,000 robux and then drop to around 5,000. If the stock had been lower, it probably would've sold out long ago and be at around 20-30k right now. In all the years that limited items have been around, the ROBLOX staff still doesn't seem to be improving at pricing and stocking them.

Overall: 6/10

This hat looks good, a totally gold-covered revamp of an old, non-so-popular hat. But the price and stock are ludicrous and the staff should've known better. It will fail as a limited item. So if you have 3-4,000 robux, I'd suggest you wait until it sells out and buy it for a discounted price, because it will NOT profit.

However, I do like the idea of "gold edition" hats. I wonder what, if any, other Gold Edition hats will come out. My vote goes to Shaggy - Gold Edition.