Dev Blog #78 - Are you feeling lucky? Friday 13th, review of the year video and new items!
Hello my lovely Atomians!
That Lakeview Retreat eh? What a catch! We can't wait to bring it to you so keep an eye out for more news on its development.
Anyway, let's dive straight in because we have some awesome new things to share!
Friday 13th...unlucky for some...
Is this the unluckiest day ever? Friday 13th is bad enough but to have one in OCTOBER!!! Whewww!
Well don't despair, you can turn it into a good 'un by joining us for our party on Friday from 8pm UK time.
It will be hosted by our lovely guides and we are sure you are going to have a great time...unless anything BAD happens...mwuhahahahahahahhahahhahahahah!
We're going to have spooky themed music and an exclusive free t-shirt, only available if you join us in game on Friday 13th October! Trade in 1 Atom for your t-shirt, and you can wear it all year if you are that unlucky :).
Scarf t-shirts are back!
We haven't released one for a while, but one of your favourite items is back with a new design. Have a look at this crazy tie-dye pattern with a customisable scarf. Available on the tight t-shirt for Adam and Eve, so again we are going a little old school on this one. We know some of you prefer the tight t-shirt for Adam, so watch out for more of that design in future updates.
We also have a soccer shirt for Adam and Eve and check out this smart little t-shirt for Adam with a flower patterned pocket, very stylish.
We know that Eve players loved the skirt with stripy leggings underneath, so here's another to make you smile, this one has rainbow stripy leggings.
New clothing available from midnight tonight (UK time).
Bundles of Joy
Another bundle is on its way! We have gathered together all the Zombie items we released earlier in the year for this special bundle just in time for Friday 13th October and Halloween. There's one for Adam and one for Eve.
Remember our bundles will work out an individual price for you based on what you already own, so it is guaranteed good value for everyone!
They're available NOW so use your braiiiiinsssssss and get your zombie on ;)
One Last Look at our Awesome Year!
So we have come to the end of our birthday activities. We had a wonderful time celebrating our 1-year anniversary- my favourite bit was the giant cake, what was yours?
There's still time to have one last look back over the year, so join us in celebrating what we have achieved together by watching this jam-packed video!
We would like to say a massive THAAAAANKS! to community members Orange Crush 83, Abiatha, RosieMoon, and our Guides Luuk and Guardian Hawk for contributing footage to this video.
So that's it for this week, we are going to scurry away and get cracking on what's next! Keep your eyes peeled for details on our Halloween events and keep dreaming of the lovely Lakeview Retreat <3
Bye for now!
Dev Blog #77 - News from Sub D Studio and Design a Christmas Jumper!
Hello you lovely people!
It's all go here at Atom HQ, we never stop bringing you awesome new content!
We've got another great release with cool new clothing, free items and exciting news about another space coming to Atom Universe!
Read on for all the juicy details!
Sub D does it again!
They brought you the chic Mirage house and the cool Cave House and now our friends SubD Studio have something else to show you! They have recently sent us images of their latest space, Lakeview Retreat, which will be coming to Atom Universe soon.
Check out these work in progress images...do they bring back any memories? Lakeview Retreat is an homage to the popular log cabin in PlayStation®Home.
This wooden cabin set by the shore of a beautiful lake will both inspire you and keep you cosy through the misty early mornings.
We are so excited about this space, it's really beautiful, great to explore and we hope it will make a great holiday home for you.
Keep an eye on future devblogs for more information about when it will be released, plus look out for our next newsletter where we will release more exclusive images of Lakeview Retreat!
Get dressed in style
Here's our latest clothing releases, arriving in game from midnight tonight (UK time).
We're going totally topical with this t-shirt for Adam and strapless dress for Eve. If it's turning colder where you live, fake the summer with these and stay in the holiday party mood!
And if tropical isn't your thing, what about stripes? We have a striped polo shirt for Adam and a skirt with striped leggings for Eve.
All of the above items are colour customisable so get creative!
Free for all
We're adding more free band t-shirts for you to show your support. Check out these Noxxu t-shirts for Adam and Eve. They're colour customisable too so you can adapt them to suit your mood!
Christmas jumper competition - We want your designs!
Get involved with our latest design competition. This time we would like you to design an image to go onto the front of a Christmas jumper!
The winning design will be added to the game for Adam and Eve and will be a free item for all. Plus the winner will be credited in game, so everyone will know they are wearing a design that YOU created!
Get involved and create a seasonal classic and a piece of AU history :)
To submit your design visit our facebook page or reply to our post on twitter
Our 5 Simple Rules:
1) Create an image of your own making (No Copyrighted Images) with a Christmas theme.
2) Think carefully about what you include, small details or text will be very hard to see clearly.
3) Image size must be no larger than 300x300 pixels
4) Submit your own designs in the comments below this post.
5) Only original designs will be accepted. We cannot accept copyrighted images.
There will be ONLY ONE winning design chosen
The competition closes at 23:59pm (UK time) on Tuesday 10th October.
See you next week!
Bug Fixes
<*>Fixed an issue where the menu in game would become laggy if there were lots of people in the space. Have reinstated 32 person servers as a result.
Dev Blog #76 - Time to shine, buy a bundle and explore a new space!
Dearest Atomians!
Thank you for joining us to celebrate our birthday :D We are all exhausted from all the partying!
Psssst, we saw you all dancing on the giant cake, what a hoot!
Hope you enjoyed all the free gifts and surprises that we created for you. Let us know what your favourite moments were by tweeting us @atomrepublic and don't forget our competition to win some swag for your avatar - more details below.
So here's to our next year of awesomeness!
And it begins right now, as it's time for more cool stuff from midnight tonight! (UK time). We have bundled up some new items, popped in a new space and even had time to fix a few crazy bugs!
Get your glow on
Mwuhahahahahahahahhaha...welcome to the darkness of Crowbots. It's the perfect space for wearing your glowing sole trainers eh? Well if you like that you will LOVE what we have coming out for you next.
Check out these glowing cyber locks, eyes, necklace and wristband.
Get raving and throw some shapes with these beauties!
Time for a change?
Now that you can customise your avatar in game, there's so much more scope for experimenting with your style! So we bring you more items to play with :)
Subscribers can kit themselves out in this skull hoodie for men or a sleek plain beach bikini for women.
To add to that for Adam we have this cool pair of Tartan Zipped trousers, plus a kooky diagonal striped t shirt (makes me think of toothpaste for some reason!)
Eve has a new dress to wear - finally a dress you can purchase with molecules! This casual bandeau dress is perfect for evening drinks by the pool, so I'll see you all in Mirage House!
We wanted to try something different for Eve. For a while now Adam has had a choice of tight or baggy t-shirts, but all of Eve's are tight. So we have created a baggy t shirt for when you feel like wearing something super comfy and chilled. Variety is the spice of life afterall!
And don't forget the subscriber dance this month is 'Disco Fever' and the pose is 'beckon'. Have fun with those!
In-Game Bundles!
This saturday, we are releasing our very first in-game bundle! We are starting with a bunch of number t-shirts that you can buy as a bundle, or individually. The bundle is better value than buying them all individually. Over time we will bundle up more items to give you more choice in how you make purchases.
These bundles will be intelligent! They will work out what you already own from the bundle and adjust the price accordingly. So if you already own some items from the bundle you will not pay full price for the bundle! How cool is that!!!
Make sure if you buy an individual bundle item you refresh the page before trying to buy the whole bundle straight away, as otherwise the new bundle price won't have been calculated. Press touchpad or spacebar to refresh.
So, what's your favourite number? Now you can show it on your shirt. And if it's 35679, then you will have to rope some friends in to help you :D
Number t-shirt bundle available from Saturday 30th September.
Subscribers! Explore a New Space!
Step inside the Horror Forest- if you DARE!
This work-in-progress public space will be available for all subscribers to access for an early preview.
We wanted you to have a sneak peek before we bring the full version to you. It's a very early version right now, so enjoy being one of the first to experience it.
Horror forest preview available from 30th September.
Don't get lost!
Here comes our first mention of Christmas...
You knew that it couldn't be too far away eh? Well don't panic, I'm not going full on Christmas mode, yet ;)
We are launching our next design competition, and this time we want you to create a seasonal classic...a Christmas jumper! The wining design will go onto a woolly jumper for Adam and Eve and be free to all users!
Get involved a create a piece of AU history :)
To find out more and to submit your design visit our facebook page.
Best Party Picture Contest
You have two days left to grab your best party picture in Crowbots and enter it into our competition. We are going to reward the best image with a selection of awesome items.
To enter or find more information head over to our facebook page.
Crowbots will return to normal on Saturday 30th at 12pm (UK time) so make the most of it! After that; no more cake for you!
Patch 0.10.1.4150
You may have noticed a cheeky extra little update to the game on Wednesday. We used 0.10.1 to fix a couple of bugs in game, including one where you could sit in the air in Arcade Plaza! We know you had fun playing with it, but it wasn't supposed to be there!
<*>Users can no longer sit in the air in the middle of the dancefloor in Arcade Plaza
<*>New users will be able to complete the tutorial properly
<*>Fixed a bug where the grass appeared dark in Aurora
Wheweeee! Another great update. Get one last dance in on the cake and check out the community party happening in Arcade Plaza on Saturday night (UK time).
See you next week!
Dev blog #75 - 0.10.0.4150 New Patch! Plus celebrate our birthday with sales, gifts, parties and more!
Wonderful news, Atomians! Our latest patch is here, and our 1st birthday has arrived!
We can finally share with you all the exciting things we have planned to celebrate this marvellous milestone. Plus we have a new public space; oodles of new items; super sales; generous gifts; a slick new tutorial; and even more exciting, we have brought molecules to the PC version, so now it is possible to buy items when you play on PC!
We have been so busy working on all this new content and we are delighted to share it with you, so come on... let's party!
Happy Birthday to *us*!
Just 1 more sleep until our birthday! There's so much awesome birthday stuff I'm going to have to break it down, otherwise you'll miss bits!
Mirage House Pool Party and awesome new birthday items
We've chosen Saturday as our 'official' birthday, but we are starting the celebrations right away with birthday themed clothing and decorations. Host your own birthday pool party in Mirage House, hang up the bunting and balloons and don't forget a giant pile of presents!
Grab one of our birthday t-shirts to show you are in the party mood. These shirts also double up for when it is your birthday, so you can let everyone know that you are a year older :D (Luckily Adam and Eve don't ever age so no one will really know!)
Put on your free cake hat, delicious! (I told you there would be cake!)
Sale On!
This weekend just keeps getting better! On Saturday and Sunday to celebrate our birthday we are holding a sale on all items! That's right, everything in the game that you buy with molecules will have an amazing 50% off for this weekend only! Subscribers will get their usual 10% off as well, so this really could be the 'sale of the century'!!!
Don't miss out, make sure you visit us this weekend to take advantage of this amazing offer. Take the chance to treat yourself to that highly desirable item you've had your eye on for a while - you deserve it ;)
Happy birthday to *you*!
It's not just *our* 1 year anniversary, some of you have been with us for that long (and even longer) too! So we wanted to say thank you by gifting you some awesome gifts when you reach your 3 month, 6 month and 1 year anniversaries!
The day you reach your anniversary you will receive the appropriate reward plus the bonus subscription. If you have already passed two or more of the anniversaries then you will get each of the items, and the longest bonus subscription (the subscriptions will not add up, sorry!). If you already have a subscription, the bonus subscription will kick in once your current subscription has ended.
Check out the User Profile in the settings tab of the main menu to find out when you joined us and start planning for your anniversary!
Fondest memory competition
We want to say thank you to all of you who have wished us a happy birthday so far or who have taken part in the competition to share your greatest AU memories. This competition is now closed, now we are going to enjoy reading them all and choosing a winner!
Party, Party, Party...
If you didn't have a memory to share yet, how about creating a new one? Something really special will happen at 8PM today UK time to our latest public space (more details below), so make sure you don't miss it.
For the whole week we will be hosting a massive party in this space and while you are at the party you can take part in our new photo competition! We want to see your awesome photos from the party. So get your best party outfit on, invite your crew and pose! Find out how to enter on our Facebook page.
Our new public space...? It's Crowbots!!!
Crowbots has returned! We have had many requests asking about it and wondering if it would ever come back, so that's what we have done! Crowbots was around in the early days, but if you don't know it, it's a new nightclub with a darker vibe than Arcade Plaza, plus we've added some really interesting interactions with the environment...
I'll let you guys figure them out, but they're super cool!
You can get to it from the spaces tab, or through the door in The Hub, so head over to Crowbots for an edgier experience; chat, dance, glow and have fun in the darkness!
Our mega BIRTHDAY PARTY will take place in here on today at 8PM UK time, until the same time next Saturday, and something very special will happen to the space during that time. Remember we said there might be cake? Well look out for a giant cake! Dance around it... or maybe you will find a way to interact with it ;) There's also a huge slice on the bar for you all to share.
Make sure you join us for the party or in the week following it, as Crowbots will return to normal on Friday 29th September and you will miss the cake!
Molecules for all!
Another highly requested feature is to enable molecules on the PC version so that PC users can buy items in the game. We've been working on this and we can now announce that it's here!
Top up your steam wallet and then click on an item that is available for purchase. You will be prompted to add Molecules to your AU account, and then you will be able to purchase anything in the game that requires you to spend molecules.
Think about freshening up your outfit with a snazzy new clothing item or accessory; travelling to distant lands like Aurora Private Islands or Cave House; arranging furniture in your Urban Apartment or Mirage House; or getting your hair cut into one of our awesome gradient designs.
As well as molecules you can now purchase the Christmas, Halloween, Medieval and Japanese DLC packs through Steam; and you can also purchase a subscription!
Having access to molecules unlocks your AU experience and gives you so much more! Have fun exploring your extra options!
Let us guide you!
New users will be treated to a tour of some of the key features and spaces in Atom Universe when they first log in. Instead of going to the main menu, a new user will be whisked straight to their Urban Apartment to begin their AU adventure. We want new users to feel more at home when they first arrive, and we hope the tutorial will help them do that. But don't forget, new peeps still need your friendly guidance!
The tutorial will also play for existing users the first time they log in after the patch if they have not verified their email address with us. You only have to play the tutorial once, and all users can replay the tutorial at any time, by clicking on the 'Start Tutorial' button in the Settings tab of the main menu.
Improved Reporting
We have added an extra step to reporting so that you can let us know more about why you reported someone. Select Report from the social menu as normal, then choose a reason from the drop down and if you want to, you can type into the box below to give more details.
This will help us to moderate undesirable users and make Atom Universe an even better place to be!
Other Bits
Goodness me! That's one bumper patch all right :)
Get ready for it to drop at 9AM UK time today and be first to explore the new spaces, items and features :)
See you by the giant cake!
Bug Fixes
Dev Blog #74 - It's nearly here! Birthday teases and new competition!
Hello dearest Atomians!
How was your week? Let us give it a boost with our latest lovely dev blog, full of exciting news about what's coming up next in Atom Universe. We'll be releasing new items into the game tonight at midnight, launching our latest competition and teasing our birthday plans; plus let's have a catch up about last week's exciting activities!
Getting Excited...!
IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY SOON! We are getting really excited here at Atom HQ and we cannot wait to show you all the awesome things we have planned. We want you to celebrate with us, so you can expect lots of gifts, birthday related items, spaces to decorate, special sales, and a huge party in a very special location! We are not telling you too much just yet...but keep Saturday 23rd September free so that you can join us for the greatest party Atom Universe has ever seen!
Look out for patch 0.10.0.4150 coming really soon; once it drops all the exciting birthday stuff will explode into the game! I'll give you one clue...it might include cake ;)
Tell us your memories and win a prize!
We know you have some amazing memories of your time here in Atom Universe, and as we approach our first birthday we want you to share them with us! Take part in our latest competition to win an individualised bundle of clothing and accessories. More details can be found on our facebook page. We can't wait to hear/see your fondest memories! Good Luck!
The Sky's the Limit!
So who LOVED our Altered Sky event last Saturday? We did!!! If you missed it, we hosted a 24hr Altered Sky video marathon. Altered Sky are one of the most popular artists playing music in our game, and we want to say a big thank you to the band, their management, and to all of you for joining us! We hope to host more occasions like this in the future, so make sure you vote for your favourite artists in the poll in the Arcade Plaza.
And if you joined us last weekend you were given a FREE GIFT of a two-week subscription. We hope you are enjoying all the extra cool perks you have access to! Make the most of your subscription while it lasts and visit the shop to grab your 10% discount on all molecule prices!
If you missed out this time, don't worry, we will do this again in the future. Keep an eye on our social media for details!
Free Veela T-Shirt
This month's free music t-shirt is for the wonderful Veela! The logo has a classy minimalist look, and the shirt is colour customisable, so get creative! Grab your free T-shirt, add it to your collection and show your support for our amazing artists!
What to wear..?
Last week we brought you a basketball top, now here comes a pair of basketball shorts to finish off Adam's outfit! Or maybe it's not quite finished off unless you wear the basketball head too! These are colour customisable, you can even change the colour of the stripe!
We also have a cute pair of skinny shorts and a plain pair of jeans with a zipped design for Eve, plus a t-shirt with a cheeky little pocket design for Adam. These are all colour customisable so match them with your favourite outfit.
Research Center Open House 16th/17th Sept
A few weeks ago we introduced the Research Centre, a space for one of our communities. This weekend in collaboration with the community that brought it to the game we are giving all subscribers the chance to visit. It will appear in the list of public spaces, so don't be shy, take a trip, explore and discover this new exclusive space.
You can read more about the Research Center in Dev Blog #72
And don't forget that if you took advantage of our free two-week subscription promotion last weekend, then this means YOU can visit the Research Center!
Next week we will be announcing all the birthday news so make sure you read next week's dev blog for more info, it's going to be a really juicy one!
Have fun out there!
Dev Blog #73 Happy Birthday, Atom Universe! Start the celebrations with a free surprise!
Hi there!
It’s hard to believe that Atom Universe will celebrate its first year this month - on the 23rd September, to be precise! It’s been such an exciting journey and we are really grateful for your support. You guys are awesome!
In this week’s blog we will share with you some of our memories of this adventure and give you some hints on the awesome things we have been planning to celebrate the big day.
We also have a surprise for every AU player, exciting news about one of our featured artists, plus some new items in the game from midnight tonight! You can read more about these below.
So Many Memories...
We were so thrilled when we achieved our Kickstarter target back in April 2015. We always knew that our fans were really behind us and the backers were truly amazing. It was time to start turning Atom Universe into reality!
Many of you will remember our concept art from those days, but in case you missed it...
As well as building the environment, the next big challenge was bringing the Avatars to life. Not an easy task for us poor humans without any godlike powers! Pixel by pixel, from a generic head and body to Adam and Eve.
So many crazy outfits, so many competitions, so many design ideas from our community, so many Block Parties! Such a brilliant year.
It’s Party Time!
It’s been such an amazing adventure so far, and yet it’s just the beginning of a long and awesome journey together. You constantly inspire us with your enthusiasm, suggestions and ideas and we’re looking forward to expanding the universe.
It’s time for celebrations! One day wouldn’t be enough, get ready a few weeks of fun (and new content!). And save the date for the 23rd September (and the whole weekend)!
So to get you in the party mood, here's a lovely surprise for everyone...
Free 2 week subscription for all!
So the celebrations start here! Log in to the game any time this weekend (9th and 10th September) and you will be rewarded with a free 2-week subscription. The subscription will start as soon as you log in so you can take advantage of all the subscriber perks straight away.
Subscribers have access to extra spaces, clothing, accessories, dances and poses for the length of the subscription, so you can kit yourself out in a new outfit and bust out some special moves! Everyone get line dancing!
But not only do subscribers get extra items and spaces, they also get 10% off all in-game purchases. So your molecules go further while you are a subscriber. Time to treat yourself to something awesome!
Don't forget, the new Research Center club space will be available to all subscribers on 16th and 17th September when we host an open house. So take advantage of your free subscription to get a sneak peek at this new space. You can read more about the Research Center in dev blog #72.
Another First For Atom Universe - Altered Sky Party!
This weekend check out the Arcade Plaza for our very first 'rock block'! It's a space dedicated to the music of one of our favourite artists - Altered Sky. We are so excited about this, and so are and Altered Sky! Check out the Altered Sky facebook page for more details. All are welcome, and don't forget to wear your Altered Sky t-shirt to show your support. We want to say a massive thanks to the band for sharing their music with us all!
Shopping Spree!
We have been looking forward to getting these next few items in the game for a while! First of all, check out these awesome skull t-shirts for Adam and Eve! We love their style, a little grungy, a little mysterious and totally ROCK! We have a new pair of hotpants that come with knee high boots for Eve and a pair of shorts with a palm tree design for Adam. All are colour customisable and a brilliant addition to your AU wardrobe!
Plus we have some non-customisable versions of two of our most popular shirts. The basketball top for Adam and the cheerleader crop top for Eve. If you haven't already bought one of these, maybe we can tempt you with these black versions. Because black goes with everything ;)
Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane, and hope you enjoy the new items :)
See you on the dance floor!
Dev Blog #72 - Subscriber highlights, Beautiful Bikinis and something new...
Hi there!
This week's dev blog features the latest subscriber items; plus more content is released into the game at midnight tonight (UK time), and we have something completely new to tell you about!
This Month's Subscriber Treats
We have a brand new item for Adam, a colour-customisable polo shirt. You have our official permission to rock that smart-casual vibe, it is dress-down Friday after all!
We bring Eve her own version of the popular stripy zipped trousers. Again these are colour customisable, choose which colour to compliment the black stripes. Red looks good, or green, or turquoise or purple or...you get the picture!
This month's moves for subscribers includes 'The Slide' dance (you should recognise this one), plus an 'OK' and a shocked pose. Like O-M-G!
Bikinis are here!
Hurrah! It's time to cheer as we have two brand new bikinis in game for all you lovely Eve players.
Feast your eyes on these two cheeky designs, we have a fruit pattern and a sunshine pattern. Guaranteed to brighten your day! This is a completely new style of bikini, a little less sporty, and a bit more beach ready. The little ties on the bottoms are sooooo cute!
The top and the bottom are separate garments, so you can wear them as a complete outfit or mix and match them with your other favourite items.
What's more, they're customisable so you can choose your favourite colour!
For Adam we have these quirky logo t-shirts, available in patterned sleeve and plain sleeve versions. They look a little like pyjamas, so pair them with the sweatpants, get comfy and settle down for a sleepover!
Snap and chat!
Get your selfie face ready for these beauties! Strike a pose with the butterfly crown for subscribers or the flower crown available to all! They are both colour customisable and look (I believe the expression is...) - on fleek!
You might remember our poll winner from June was the straw fedora, well here it is! This classy little number is perfect for those long summer days, team it with a pair of sunglasses for a masterclass in cool.
We also have a cute little checkerboard wristband available to everyone for free! Oh yeah!
Shiny New Ideas - Clubs
We are delighted to announce that we are taking our first steps towards a clubs feature in Atom Universe. We have started by providing a clubhouse space for one of our communities. It's still very early days, so at the moment it is just a space to explore. But we hope as it develops the clubs feature will be able to deliver what our communities need; helping them thrive.
Some lucky users will be able to go on a tour of the new Research Center from tonight at midnight (UK time) if they are part of the community that contributed it. It will be accessible to all subscribers during our open house weekend on 16th and 17th September.
The Research Center is a unique space, chosen by the community involved and brought to us ready to go. If you are interested in starting a community in Atom Universe and getting access to your own clubhouse, you could start by having a look on the Unreal Marketplace (or similar sites) for inspiration of the kinds of spaces that you could bring to the game.
Then contact us to propose your ideas and find out about how we can collaborate to bring it to life. You provide the space, we can put it in the game! Send us a message via clubs@atomrepublic.com to find out more.
Bundles
We are pleased to announce that bundles are coming to Europe! They are now available to all PS4 users via the PS Store. If you are just getting started or know someone who is just dipping their toe into the AU waters these are a great value way to kickstart your collection of items.
Sign up for our email updates
Is your email ready for this? As well as our newsletter we also send out vital communications via email, plus information about offers and gifts for you. Make sure you have an email registered with us so that we can keep in touch.
If you haven't done it already, you can register and verify your email when you first log in to Atom Universe. Enter your email into the box and click register email. Click verify email; then check you email, click the verification link and you are all done!
Tune in!
We hope you are enjoying the latest music in the Arcade Plaza. We love the original music we are able to bring you- don't forget to support the artists by wearing their t-shirt in game.
Check out a snippet of our current playlist below!
Known Issues
We are still aware of the lag issues encountered in busy spaces, and so maximum server sizes will remain reduced while we work on this.
Dev Blog #71 - New patch is here! Say hello to 0.9.0.4150
Guess what Atomians?
IT'S UPDATE TIME!
Version 0.9.0.4150 will be released today at 1:30pm (UK time) and it contains all this lovely lovely stuff!
Remember I told you something exciting was coming? Well get ready, there's lots to read...
Right here, right now!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/tQPn-QfiEPg
We are so overwhelmingly excited to tell you all about this new improvement. It is now possible to change your outfit and buy new items without having to leave the space you are in! That's right, the menu to do this is now on the touchpad button (or space for PC users), meaning instant access to your wardrobe.
Check out the video above to see it in action!
Change your outfit to match your mood or your destination. Show your allegiance to your friends by sporting the same cool accessory. Be the darling couple of AU by coordinating your date outfits. Compare your latest purchases, and show off your extensive collection. Like what you see? Buy it and put it on straight away! And best of all avoid that horrible moment when you realise you and someone else are wearing the same dress!
You can also change your gender and skin tone in this menu.
Customise on the fly with our new player menu. So many creative possibilities now unlocked and available to you, wherever you are in Atom Universe!
We think this is pretty handy, and we hope you do too!
Would you like to see the menu?
There are other improvements to the menus that we need to tell you about. Quite a bit has changed about the way you access many of the features, so spread the word and help people out if they get confused!
We have two menus in the game, one is called the Player Menu, and the other is the Action Menu.
Use the Action Menu if you want to pose, dance or change your emoji/flag. Press square (or Tab for PC users) and use the menu in the same way you have before. We have simplified this menu so that you can get to the section you want much quicker.
Use the Player Menu (press touchpad or space) to buy items, customise your avatar, access the social features, view your stickerbook or travel to other spaces.
If you were wondering about chat, it's still on triangle (or Alt for PC users), that hasn't changed.
At first it might take a little getting used to, but enjoy your new menus!
There's More to Explore in Aurora Private Islands
Your own Private Aurora just got bigger! We have added a cluster of three new islands, providing more tranquil space, a picnic spot and a funky dancefloor! This new improved space also includes exclusive furniture items. Gather around the campfire, set out your beach furniture and watch the glorious fireworks decorate the beautiful night-time sky. Bring your friends to enjoy this wonderful space!
It's a lovely surprise for those who supported us by buying Aurora Private Islands, thank you for your contribution to Atom Universe!
Spinning Around
We have a new toy for you to play with! Visit Arcade Plaza or The Hub and seek out the new fidget spinner game. Test your button-pressing prowess and set your fastest speed! Compete with other users by making it onto the global leaderboard! Or just use it to pass the time while you wait for your friends.
90s Dances
Here comes another dance pack! This one contains 6 kitsch dances to throw you back to the 90s. You 'can't touch' it for it's retro feel. The pack comes with an iridescent version of the urban boots, which look super cool. There's some great party moves in there, so get the whole room involved, 'strike a pose' and 'jump on it'!
TOUCHDOWN!!!
The football season kicked off at the weekend with the start of the pre-season exhibition games. You might already have a favourite team, but how about supporting #TeamAtom by wearing our own football jersey? Available for Adam and Eve, you can customise the colours to create your 'away' strip too!
You can pair it up with these striped sweatpants for Adam when you are not out on the field, and here's a cute plain version of the pleated skirt for Eve; it's colour customisable so you can match it to your team's colours and become a punky cheerleader!
Travel 1st Class
We have added Aurora and the Urban Apartment to the quick travel menu on the START tab. It's a handy way to get straight into game as quickly as possible and now you have more options to choose from.
Some other bits and bobs...
It's Good to Stay Active
This patch sees the introduction of an inactivity timer. If you do nothing for 1 hour you will see a message with a countdown. If you want to stay in the space you can cancel the message, and carry on as normal! If you don't cancel it, you will be whisked back to the main menu.
Be aware- this will also happen if you are dancing, posing or have opened a menu and you are not doing anything else, like interacting with the menu or chatting for example. Moving around or interacting with the space will also reset the timer, so chances are you will never see the inactivity message, as you are all busy little bees!
We are doing this to make sure we don't have any pesky servers hanging around with one 'afk'(or absent) player inside. We want to make sure that our servers are lively spaces with a positive vibe, especially when new people arrive. Pitching up to an empty space with one non-responsive player in it is not the most welcoming experience!
All in Moderation...
We have improved our moderation tools so that we can more effectively help people who are having an unpleasant time in the game. Now if we ban a player they will be removed from the space they are in, meaning the ban becomes effective immediately.
We have also added another element to the 'block' feature. Now if you block someone their Avatar will be hidden, as well as their chat. If they were bothering you by following you around...BLOCK and be gone :)
We have some other new tools available to us as well that we are not going to go into details about here, and also further plans to improve our reporting feature. So watch out trolls!
User Profile
Have a look at your new User Profile which is available to view on the Settings tab of the main menu. Here you can see some details about your account, including your display name/ID, the date you created it, and the status- for example if you are currently banned that would appear here.
Bug Fixes
<*>Music from the video screens in Woodland House is now muted.
Improvements to items:
<*>Crab Claw reward now moves with the hand.
<*>Tracksuit bottoms no longer clip through long shirts.
<*>Zip skirt is now properly colour customisable.
Known Issues
Dev Blog #70 - New items available from midnight tonight!
Good morning/afternoon/evening my lovely Atomians!
Well I did say that I would be back with exciting news this week, but sadly I'm gonna have to keep that juicy info in for a wee bit longer. I hope you can contain your excitement!
In the meantime here's what we have in store for you this week - going live at midnight tonight!
T-shirt Treats
We've got two new t-shirt designs to delight you. Check out the ink splats and the fade designs. Each one is colour customisable and available for Adam and Eve. See what beautiful combinations you can create.
We haven't left out the bottom half, don't worry! Adam has some new swimming shorts and Eve has a pair of fade leggings. I'm not really sure if the fade leggings and the fade t shirt will go together or not...is anyone brave enough to try? xD
Emoj-ional
There's a new emoji head for you and it's free! That makes a collection of 6 for when you feel like hiding behind a fake smile/frown/laugh. This one has a mischievous winking face, so go and give someone a giggle with your cheeky expression!
Ok that's it from me, I'm going to scurry off and keep working on next week's update.
Have a lovely weekend,
Peace out!
Bug Fixes
<*>All that noise! We have removed the video soundtrack from most of the private spaces so that you can once again enjoy them in peace. Woodland House will get the same treatment in the next patch.
Dev Blog #69 - Luscious Locks, Poll Winners and Community Corner
Well hello, you beautiful Atomians!
It's time for some new items, arriving in on the hype-train right about...now!
Pop into the game and check out the new stuff we have for you. And don't forget about your free wristband - more details below!
Some Say 'Taste', We Say 'WEAR' the Rainbow
Remember to visit AU before 23:59pm (UK time) on Thursday 10th August to claim your free rainbow wrist sweatband. That's TONIGHT people! Once it's gone it's gone, so make sure you can say 'I was there' by trading in 1 atom before the time runs out, and then you get to keep it!
Its great to see so many of you wearing them, and spreading joy and happiness! It is our gift to you to thank you for your patience and for joining us in AU!
Hair Gets Even Cooler
Look at these awesome hairstyles! We've taken some of our most popular hairstyles and given then a funky twist. Choose two colours to wear in your hair and see what unique combinations you can create! If you loved the gradient hairstyles you will LOVE the bi-colour hair! Stand out from the crowd and bring a big splash of colour to your world.
Cash me if you can
Its been a while since we brought you any baseball caps, so here's four new ones to try. Available with Dollar, Euro, Pound and Yen logos, you can show the world what currency you deal in. They're customisable with two colours too! Cold hard cash only. Word.
Day of the Tentacle
Back in May we asked you to vote on a new style of earrings to add to the game. The winner was the glowing tentacle earrings and we are so pleased to announce that they will be live at midnight tonight! They really do glow- watch them pulse on and off! They look so cool in the dark spaces...perhaps we need more dark spaces, hmmmm.... ?
Remember we do a community vote or competition every month, so make sure you keep an eye on our facebook page for more details of the next one. Get involved and have a say about what we create for the game!
Get Sporty
Did you know the World Athletics Championships are on at the moment? Why not celebrate with our running t-shirt? And if running isn't for you, we have new tennis and cycling ones too, all in simple but sweet designs with customisable colours.
Community Spotlight
We have an active community here in AU and we want everyone to know how special our members are. We want to thank our wonderful moderators who help keep things ticking over nicely; our amazing guides who help and welcome people every day; our fantastic content creators who make awesome videos to spread the word about Atom Universe; our lovely forum members who make ace suggestions; and our super community leaders who create events and competitions.
And of course we also want to thank everyone who drops by each day to play games, boogie or chat!
It's a lot of people to thank, but we really mean it! Thank you!
The next community event is this weekend, have a look here for more details. Hosted by JFCVC, it's a house party with an open invitation to all, but places are limited so check out the details and RSVP soon! Have fun if you take part!
That's all for now! Don't forget to grab your rainbow wristband, and I'll see you here next week for some exciting news about our next update. Oooooohhhh..... ;)
