INSTRUCTIONS: First you need to know a few things.

These parts come from your own Darkspore/Data folder.

You must copy the file Arenas_RDX9.package, Arenas_Textures.package & Other.package from your Darkspore/Data into your current Spore/Data directory. If you use Galactic Adventures, then its in the Spore_EP1/Data folder

You must have latest patches for everything to work properly.
I will not answer ‘Doesn’t work’ anythings!

Via DavoOnline - See the thread on the official Sporum

Keynote speaker Will Wright is the award-winning creator of Spore, The Sims, and SimCity. The head of the entertainment think tank Stupid Fun Club, Wright is widely acknowledged for creating the simulation video game genre.

Innovators in technology and design continually reimagine computer games. User-generated content for commercial games (Spore, Little Big Planet), social network games (Farmville), vast simulation worlds with their own economies (World of Warcraft), games using mobile phones to augment reality (Ghostwire)–ten years ago these were dreams, and now they’re part of the cultural fabric. As the imagined becomes real, the question of “what’s next?” confronts both academic researchers and the game industry.

“Inventing the Future of Games,” a day-long symposium April 15 in Silicon Valley, aims to explore the possibilities of the next decade of gaming innovation and technology. Sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Center for Games and Playable Media, the symposium will gather some of the brightest minds of academia and industry to discuss the advancement of game design and technology.

The inaugural symposium, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at the India Community Center in Milpitas, Calif., will feature keynote speeches by Sims creator Will Wright, Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble (Second Life), and Michael Mateas, co-creator of Facade and director of the UC Santa Cruz Center for Games and Playable Media. Tickets are $100 for the general public and $30 for UC Santa Cruz students.

“We’re looking forward to starting conversations between academics and industry professionals on where the field of computer games might go,” said Mateas, an associate professor of computer science in the Jack Baskin School of Engineering. “Moving toward games that truly pay attention to the player’s actions and generate dynamic responses would allow games to create new types of experiences. It would open up new approaches in interactive storytelling. Multi-player missions and quests could be adapted to specific social play styles. A whole new world of games waits to be discovered.”

The symposium will include four sessions: exploring the relationship between games and cinema, making self-generating games, the future of games and culture, and creating new forms of character and dialogue.

Session speakers will include Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia), Emily Short (Galatea), Ian Bogost (Georgia Tech/A Slow Year), Tracey Fullerton (University of Southern California/The Night Journey), Robin Hunicke (thatgamecompany), and UC Santa Cruz game program faculty members Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Marilyn Walker, Arnav Jhala, and Jim Whitehead. UC Santa Cruz’s John Funge, Warren Sack, Soraya Murray, and Sri Kurniawan will moderate the panels.

For more information, visit games.soe.ucsc.edu

Greetings Everyone!

We’re really excited about our upcoming game Darkspore and are happy to invite the awesome community here on Spore.com to get an early sneak peek! That’s right! You’re all invited to the beta!

What is Darkspore?

Well, first things first. Some of you may not be familiar with our new game Darkspore.

Darkspore is a unique sci-fi action RPG, where you battle across alien worlds in fast-paced solo and co-op action. You can also test your skills against others in head-to-head or team PVP.

Also, Darkspore has the all new Hero Editor which uses Spore technology to allow the player to outfit their heroes in ways never seen before in this genre.

Here’s how to get your beta key.

You didn’t think we would just hand a beta key over to you did you? No no, we’d like you all to show us more of the amazing creations you all have been uploading since the release of Spore!

You see, in Darkspore there are a large variety of characters to collect and customize. From large hulking brutes to small agile scrappers and everything in between.

Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to make ALL of the characters we have in the game. To get your beta key, we’d like you to recreate one of the three Darkspore characters we have chosen below, in Spore’s creature creator.

Press the “Play Video” button underneath the hero thumbnails to check out the hero spotlight videos. This will give you a better idea of how they will play in the game.

Important!!

When you upload your creation, you must tag it with “DarksporeBetaNOW” or else you will not receive your beta key!

All submissions must be in by 11:00am PST February 24th, 2011

Have fun! And we look forward to seeing you in the Beta!

FAQ

I decided to add a frequently asked questions section to answer your questions.

Q: Do I have to live in the USA to qualify for this beta invite?

A: Absolutely not! We are now accepting entries from all over the world (unfortunately martians are still ineligible.)

Q: Are only creature creations accepted?

A: Absolutely not! All types of creations are eligible. Just don’t forget to tag them with “DarksporeBetaNOW”

Q: When should I expect my beta key?

A: Beta keys will be emailed on 2/25/11

Q: Are people with the trial account eligible?

A: As long as you are able to recreate a Darkspore creature and tag it with “DarksporeBetaNOW” then I don’t see why not.

Requires internet connection, EA account and Spore Creature Creator to enter. By uploading and tagging your creation

“DarksporeBetaNow” between 2/11/11 and 2/24/11, you agree to receive email notifications about the upcoming Darkspore beta. Participation in Darkspore Beta requires an EA account, beta agreement acceptance and registration code. You must be 18+ to accept the beta agreement. Code expires 3/13/11. EA online Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are available at www.ea.com. Code may not be substituted, exchanges, sold or redeemed for cash or other goods or services. May not be combined with any other offer, gift card, rebate or discount coupon. Void where
prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

Fixed Morphology Challenge

In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Entries will be judged on creativity, simplicity, adherence to creature bio, and how well they animate. Show us what this creature should look like in the Hypno Mantis Template Challenge!

Using the template above, submit a creation that shows us how you think the Darkspore Hyno Mantis NPC should look. Decorate and paint the creature, but don’t alter the base template in any way. Entries will be judged on how cool they look. The second template can be used for non C&C players.

Bio: Like a few mutant children of the Darkspore, hypno mantises were once small, harmless creatures playing a vital role in their ecosystems. Now they’re giant, repulsive, terrifying monsters, taller than the average sentient biped and more than capable of slaughtering sentients by the dozen in a single attack. But the hypno mantis doesn’t need to touch its prey to kill. Instead it propels a symbiotic plant that sprays toxins in a cloud. Hypno mantises also possesses revivifying antigens and boosters that allow it to bring seemingly dead creatures back to action. If all its other attacks fail, the hypno mantis attacks physically, with devastating results.

Color/vibe references:
These images are meant to generally inform the aesthetic direction you take especially when painting your creature. It’s not a requirement to match your paint to these colors, but we just want to give you an idea of the vibe we’re looking for.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
Maxis will hand pick the winner in this challenge. The winner(s) will be featured on Spore.com and may be included as NPC designs in Darkspore!

Challenge Rules:

• To submit an entry, tag it with: mchynomantischallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT December 20, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Winning Criteria

• No parent author in the lineage other than yourself or MaxisCactus
• No offensive/copyright protected references in entry
• No links/references to other sites in submission tags/name/description
• No cheats allowed
• No using the invisible limbs bug
• Asymmetry is allowed, but entries should be in a default idle stance.

Fixed Morphology Challenge

In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Entries will be judged on creativity, simplicity, adherence to creature bio, and how well they animate. Show us what this creature should look like in the Laser Tank Template Challenge!

Using the template above, submit a creation that shows us how you think the Darkspore Laser Tank NPC should look. Decorate and paint the creature, but don’t alter the base template in any way. Entries will be judged on how cool they look. The second template can be used for non C&C players.

Bio:Possessing brains and nervous systems cloned from the planet’s strongest warriors, laser tanks were once beings who fought the Darkspore. Formidable foes, laser tanks are highly resistant to energy attacks, and can slice up to three enemies simultaneously with sustained energy beams at nearby foes. They create “laser walls” to cage in their foes at penalty of dismemberment or death.

Color/Vibe references:

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
Maxis will hand pick the winner in this challenge. The winner(s) will be featured on Spore.com and may be included as NPC designs in Darkspore!

Challenge Rules:
• To submit an entry, tag it with: mclasertankchallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT December 8, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Winning Criteria
• No parent author in the lineage other than yourself or MaxisCactus
• No offensive/copyright protected references in entry
• No links/references to other sites in submission tags/name/description
• No cheats allowed
• No using the invisible limbs bug
• Asymmetry is allowed, but entries should be in a default idle stance.

50% off of many titles from The Sims series – great deals to be had if you are into downloading digital copies of the games.  Deal ends on 11/29 – so act fast!

To the EA Store!

Fixed Morphology Challenge

In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Entries will be judged on creativity, simplicity, adherence to creature bio, and how well they animate. Show us what this creature should look like in the Ray Shot Template Challenge!

Using the template above, submit a creation that shows us how you think the Darkspore Ray Shot NPC should look. Decorate and paint the creature, but don’t alter the base template in any way. Entries will be judged on how cool they look. The second template can be used for non C&C players.

Bio: Ray shots once were solemn, nocturnal hunters, whom the Darkspore turned into homicidal hench creatures. Cunning and ruthless, ray shots unleash death in the form of plasma-bursts resembling miniature comets, one for each enemy who faces them. Those micro-comets can be dodged, but inflict terrible damage on those who fail to do so.

Color/Vibe references:

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
Maxis will hand pick the winner in this challenge. The winner(s) will be featured on Spore.com and may be included as NPC designs in Darkspore!

Challenge Rules:
• To submit an entry, tag it with: mcrayshotchallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT November 30, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Winning Criteria
• No parent author in the lineage other than yourself or MaxisCactus
• No offensive/copyright protected references in entry
• No links/references to other sites in submission tags/name/description
• No cheats allowed
• No using the invisible limbs bug
• Asymmetry is allowed, but entries should be in a default idle stance.

Two Part Challenge

Round 1: Submit a template (8/24 – 9/7)
Create a template creature based on the bio below. Your template entry should be in the form of a published creature tagged mcrakthatemplate. Paint your template white!

Templates will be judged on creativity, adherence to the bio, simplicity, and how well they animate.

Round 2: Submit a finished creature (Dates TBA)
We’ll give you more details on this later when round 2 begins. Players will submit creations based on the winning template from round 1.

Raktha

Bio: Rakthae are the children of two epochs of mutation on Cryos: the Crogenitor era, and the Darkspore era. Originally, they survived Cryos’s descent into an ice age, the Rakthae evolved into double-extremophiles. They flourished when the Crogenitors ripped Cryos with rivers and oceans of plasma, gaining the ability to metabolize plasma itself (especially advantageous with the planet’s dwindling food supply).

But when the Darkspore invaded Cryos, they bent the beautiful creatures to their own will. Protected by halos of flame, the Rakthae inflict flaming devastation on any who attack them bodily, and aim fiery vengeance at any target. Whether defensive or offensive, Raktha flames are difficult to extinguish and can quickly turn terrible wounds into terrifying death.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
The winner of round 1 will be featured. Winners of round 2 will be featured and may be included as NPC designs in Darkspore! Credit will go to both the template and final creature artists for any creations that go into Darkspore.

Challenge Rules:
• To submit a template, tag it with: mcrakthatemplate
• You can submit as many templates as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT September 07, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Winning Criteria
• No parent author in the lineage other than yourself
• No offensive/copyright protected references in entry or parent creation
• No links/references to other sites in submission tags/name/description
• No cheats allowed
• No using the invisible limbs bug
• Asymmetry is allowed, but don’t pose your creature. Entries should be in a default idle stance.

Challenge FAQ

Your questions answered here.

Q: How complex should I make the template?
A: We’ll be looking for simpler creations. Having a simpler template design will boost your entry’s chances of winning.

Q: Will all challenges follow this format in the future?
A: Probably not. We’re experimenting here, and we want to test out some of your brilliant ideas. We’ll see how we like it, we’ll see how you like it, and gauge how best to run challenges after we’ve done this trial run.

Q: Is C&C allowed?
A: Yes, however, if you use C&C and are a winner of round 1, we will publish a duplicate version of your template with alternative parts for non C&C players for round 2.

Is it possible to win with our own template?
A: Yes. If you create the winning template, then make one of the best entry creations based on it, it is possible!

Winning Entries & Darkspore

Earlier we announced that the secret purpose of the Maxis Template Challenges was to allow players to help us design some of the NPCs in Darkspore.

This is THE FIRST challenge since announcement, and I hope we get a huge tidal wave of entries now that you guys know the real reward at stake here.

No Template?

We’re still getting a feel for how best to run these challenges. The feedback you guys have been provided is helping shape the process here. We know you’ve been making unbelievably cool creations based on our templates, but this time we want to give you a chance to spread your wings and really come up with some cool designs on your own.

This is based on your feedback, so I’ve got to give credit to you for helping us redesign our challenge format. This is a trial run, so we’ll see how it goes. Let us know if you like the original template format better, or if you prefer this new style of challenge!

In the past, the templates are based on NPCs in Darkspore that have already been designed, with art and engineering behind them to make sure they work well in the game. We simply skin the current Darkspore NPCs with the models you provide us.

With the new format, we’ll be doing the art, effects, animations, etc. after we determine the winners. This means a team of Maxis folks will be at work making YOUR winning creations shine in the game.

I’m super confident that you guys are going to come up with some work that will blow them away and inspire them as they’re puppeteering your creations to life in the game. Make me proud!

-MC

Oh, and considering that they are tweaking this process, these may or may not make it into the final build of the game, set to be released in February 2011.

Space Barracuda: Preview Winning Player Designs in Game

Many of you probably already know about the template challenges we’ve been hosting on the Spore forum. We announced that these may be used to help design NPCs in Darkspore. Today we announced winners for the Space Barracuda Template Challenge!

Players created Space Barracuda designs based on the following brief description, imagery, and template creation. Check out the original thread here.

“Space Barracuda
Bio: Once tiny sea creatures, the space barracudas are now larger and via gravitic powers, able to “swim” through the air on land. Dangerous and unpredictable, space barracudas use their gravitic abilities to teleport themselves and their prey. Prospectors and fighters should exercise extreme caution around these bizarre creatures.”

The creation entries designed by the Spore community were judged by the Darkspore team and finalists were hand picked for preview in Darkspore.

Check out the finalists in the level editor. They won’t all swarm like this in game, but we needed to see all the finalists animate in game to verify viability as potential NPC designs.

We chose our top six and verified that their animation, look and feel all integrated well with the game environment.

Check out the top 6 in game, pitted against Zrin. They look great!!!

The Winners:

1. Space Barracuda By shamar10
2. Starstaidned Space Barracuda By KaluluUchiha
3. Space Barracuda By WforWumbo

Honorable Mention:

1. Space Barracuda By ESquidey
2. Space Barracuda Template By Richardson72
3. Space Barracuda Template By Richardson72

I want to stress that this whole thing is WIP (work in progress). We’re still working out the kinks with UGC, but we want to try to get your creations in game. The images above depict a level populated with a bunch of Space Barracudas, but that was for judging preview purposes. We can’t guarantee that these will be in the final game, but we’ll continue to explore this as an option.

Thanks to everyone who contributed in this challenge. I hope to see you guys enter the next one soon!

-MC

On the Spore forum, many of our Spore players have participated in our template challenges and there has been speculation around why these are happening.

With the huge announcement Tuesday about Darkspore, you may have already guessed that some of the winning creations from these challenges could help constitute the cast of NPC creatures you’ll see in Maxis’ new action-RPG.

Stegavaar Template Challenge Entries

The entries to these contests absolutely blew us away, and we can’t wait to show off challenge winners as NPCs in Darkspore.

During each template challenge judging round, we bring our favorite entry creations into Darkspore to see how well they integrate with the existing Darkspore environment. A group of Maxis artists, designers, and producers analyze your creations, how well they animate, the execution of their design, and their fidelity to the NPC bio we provided to inform your work.

Stegavaar Entries Previewed in an earlier game iteration

Each template challenge is based on a real Darkspore NPC, which has its own specific abilities, unique animations, and personality already designed and implemented. When we drop your models in to skin the NPCs, they come to life in a new way.

Loading up a level where I have to battle Falcore’s inspired triple-spike tailed Scorpiod or flee Potatofish’s barreling armored Stegavaar proves that these creations deserve a spotlight in Darkspore.

While we’re still working on the pipeline, and the process hasn’t quite been ironed out, there’s something magical here that we can’t wait to show you.

Your participation in this is completely voluntary. The Maxis team is creating all of the core NPCs in the game, but we want YOU to contribute too!

I hope you’ll keep submitting entries in future challenges, and maybe some of you will see your creations come to life as mutated E-DNA hordes in the Darkspore game!

Previous and Current Challenge Links:
• Stegavaar Template Challenge
• Lightning Stalker Template Challenge
• Space Barracuda Template Challenge
• Triocular Scorpiod Challenge
• Uklideon Template Challenge
• Quadrakiller Template Challenge
• Toxiraptor Template Challenge
• Necro Template Challenge

-MC

via MaxisCactus over at the Sporums

Overview: In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Your entry should be in the form of a creature tagged mclightningchallenge based on the template provided. Entries will be judged on creativity, adherence to creaturmclightningchallengee bio, how well they animate.

Lightning Stalker
Bio:Lightning stalkers have been the scourge of stragglers and survivors since the planet’s ice-age set in. Heavily armored with terrible claws and horns protruding from across their bodies, lightning stalkers are highly adept at tracking prey for hours, days or even weeks if food is scarce. While they’re quite capable of ripping their targets to bloody shreds with their claws, they more often strike at a distance with blinding bolts of their electroplasma.

Template restrictions: You may not modify (scale, move, remove) the spine, legs, arms, “fingers” or mouth. You may swap out the feet as desired. You may add parts anywhere.

Tag: mclightningchallenge

Template:

Color/vibe references:
These images are meant to generally inform the aesthetic direction you take especially when painting your creature. It’s not a requirement to match your paint to these colors, but we just want to give you an idea of the vibe we’re looking for.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
A chance to be featured on Spore.com! Maxis will hand pick the winner(s) in this challenge.

Challenge Rules:

• To submit a creature, tag it with: mclightningchallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT July 20, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Feature Criteria

• Creation must not have any parent authored by a different creator (other than MaxisCactus)
• Creation must not have any offensive creation in its lineage (any parent or child creations)
• Creation must not have any links or references to other sites in the submission’s tags, name, or description

Overview: In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Your entry should be in the form of a creature tagged mcbarracudachallenge based on the template provided. Entries will be judged on creativity, adherence to creature bio, how well they animate.

Space Barracuda
Bio: Once tiny sea creatures, the space barracudas are now larger and via gravitic powers, able to “swim” through the air on land. Dangerous and unpredictable, space barracudas use their gravitic abilities to teleport themselves and their prey. Prospectors and fighters should exercise extreme caution around these bizarre creatures.

Template restrictions: You may not modify (scale, move, remove) the spine or mouth. You may add parts anywhere.

Tag: mcbarracudachallenge

Template:

Color/vibe references:
These images are meant to generally inform the aesthetic direction you take especially when painting your creature. It’s not a requirement to match your paint to these colors, but we just want to give you an idea of the vibe we’re looking for.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
A chance to be featured on Spore.com! Maxis will hand pick the winner(s) in this challenge.

Challenge Rules:

• To submit a creature publish and tag it with: mcbarracudachallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT July 13, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Feature Criteria

• Creation must not have any parent authored by a different creator (other than MaxisCactus)
• Creation must not have any offensive creation in its lineage (any parent or child creations)
• Creation must not have any links or references to other sites in the submission’s tags, name, or description

The Sims 3 World Adventures and The Sims 3 are $4.99, Spore Creatures, Spore Origins and SimCity are $1.99.  Good savings for those who’ve yet to own the games!

Overview: In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Your entry should be in the form of a creature tagged mctoxiraptorchallenge based on the template provided. Entries will be judged on creativity, adherence to creature bio, how well they animate.

Emerald Toxiraptor
Bio: Centuries ago the rainforests and grasslands teemed with gentle creatures sharing their habitats. Following the invasion, the planet exchanged its serenity for terror. Once tiny creatures with a mild, stinging bite, toxiraptors (striking for their glowing emerald eyes), became tall, lightning-fast attackers that hunted in packs. Aside from the terrible damage their fangs can inflict, it’s their toxin that’s of greatest worry to any being they target, a nerve agent that untreated causes paralysis and death within minutes. Any explorer catching sight of toxiraptors hunting in packs should evacuate or flee immediately… or be prepared to unleash maximum firepower.

Template restrictions: You may not modify (scale, move, remove) the spine, legs, or mouth. You may swap out the feet as desired. You may add parts anywhere.

Tag: mctoxiraptorchallenge

Color/vibe references:
These images are meant to generally inform the aesthetic direction you take especially when painting your creature. It’s not a requirement to match your paint to these colors, but we just want to give you an idea of the vibe we’re looking for.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
A chance to be featured on Spore.com! Maxis will hand pick the winner(s) in this challenge.

Challenge Rules:

• To submit a creature, tag it with: mctoxiraptorchallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT June 8, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Feature Criteria

• Creation must not have any parent authored by a different creator (other than MaxisCactus)
• Creation must not have any offensive creation in its lineage (any parent or child creations)
• Creation must not have any links or references to other sites in the submission’s tags, name, or description

Posted via MaxisCactus over at the Sporums

Game Changers Winners Announced!

NINE GAME DEVELOPERS TO SHARE $250,000 FOR EDUCATIONAL GAMING EXPERIENCES USING LittleBigPlanet™ and Spore Galactic Adventures

May 24, 2010 (Games for Change Conference, New York City) U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, will announce on Tuesday the nine winning game developers who will share $250,000 for new and educational gaming experiences on the commercial games LittleBigPlanet™ and Spore™ Galactic Adventures. These winners are part of the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Competition, which is designed to support the most novel uses of new media for learning. This year, MacArthur teamed with Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Electronic Arts (EA), the Entertainment Software Association, and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation to support new and creative user-generated levels and adventures to engage young people in learning in the two games. The intention of the competition is to promote “participatory” learning, which operates under the notion that individuals, specifically young ones, learn best through sharing and involvement. The competition is administered by the virtual network of learning institutions, HASTAC, and is part of the Obama Administration’s Educate to Innovate initiative. More information at www.dmlcompetition.net.

The three winning Spore™ Galactic Adventures projects include:

Creatures Classified! An exploration of cataloging creatures across the galaxy, $40,000
Mathew Powers, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
Best in Class: Creatures (Spore™ only)
In this Spore™ adventure, fifth and sixth graders, acting as “intergalactic speciologists,” learn how to collect and organize scientific data and employ the scientific method to classify living things. Armed with a science field journal, players must navigate progressively more complex and challenging planets, collecting data, and classifying the myriad species they encounter based on the evolutionary and physical characteristics of the creatures.

DIASTEM: Digitally Integrating the Academics of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, $15,000
Patrick Keller, Albuquerque, NM
Leveraging Spore’s™ powerful ability to personalize gameplay, DIASTEM targets STEM-related content that applies directly to digital game development. Within the Spore™ interface, players will complete challenges—from simple math and logic puzzles to more complex physics and engineering construction projects—that are specifically developed and created to elicit player understanding of game design theory and application.

Mission: Evolution, $15,000
Jennifer Biedler, Blacksburg High School, Blacksburg, VA
In Mission: Evolution, high school students thoroughly analyze the evolutionary science driving the Spore™ game engine and investigate the scientific accuracy of the game. Working together to identify principles of evolutionary change that are absent from the off-the-shelf version of Spore™, students collaborate to introduce these principles into their own missions in Spore™ Galactic Adventures.

Overview: In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Your entry should be in the form of a creature tagged mcquadrakillerchallenge based on the template provided. Entries will be judged on creativity, adherence to creature bio, how well they animate.

Ballistic Quadrakiller
Bio: When the factories fell silent after centuries of poisoning the planet, only a few things were left moving on the deathfields of the planet Ballistic quadrakillers were among them. Possessing four arms, each capable of unleashing terrifying volleys of lightning projectiles, the quadrakillers were the product of two centuries of fighting over the last natural resources to maintain life. Devastating in combat, quadrakillers possess one flaw their dead makers never got a chance to fix: following attacks, they enter brief rest moves in which they are vulnerable to destruction.

Template restrictions: You may not modify (scale, move, remove) the spine, legs, arms or mouth. You may swap out the weapons at the ends of the arms as desired. You may add parts anywhere.

Tag: mcquadrakillerchallenge

Color/vibe references:
These images are meant to generally inform the aesthetic direction you take especially when painting your creature. It’s not a requirement to match your paint to these colors, but we just want to give you an idea of the vibe we’re looking for.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
A chance to be featured on Spore.com! Maxis will hand pick the winner(s) in this challenge. Finalists will be posted before the winning creation(s) are announced.

Challenge Rules:

• To submit a creature, tag it with: mcquadrakillerchallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT May 18, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Feature Criteria

• Creation must not have any parent authored by a different creator (other than MaxisCactus)
• Creation must not have any offensive creation in its lineage (any parent or child creations)
• Creation must not have any links or references to other sites in the submission’s tags, name, or description

FAQ:

How Do I use the Template?

1. Right click on the small PNG above and choose Save as.
2. Open your Spore Creature Creator and drag the png into the editor.
3. Add parts and paint to flesh out the character of this creature. All parts including accessory, mech, C&C, and base game parts are allowed. You may not scale, remove or move any parts of the original template, with the exception that the feet may be swapped out for other feet.

Can I use cheats?
Cheats such as AddDNA and Freedom are not allowed. Asymmetry is allowed on the parts you add.

Is outfitting allowed?
Yes.

Posted at the Sporums via MaxisCactus

Overview: In this fixed morphology challenge it’s up to you to modify our template creature to fit the bio provided below. Your entry should be in the form of a creature tagged mcscorpiodchallenge based on the template provided. Entries will be judged on creativity, adherence to creature bio, how well they animate.

Triocular Scorpiod
Bio: Prowling the dark ranges and crevasses of its cold domain, triocular scorpiods employ their tails for two deadly functions: night vision for hunting, and plasma-blasting for killing their prey. Also known as “tri-scorps,” they are particularly dangerous for their ability to “ricochet” their lightning attack off one target and onto others. Explorers and others travelling in groups must therefore exercise tremendous caution in their presence, and are advised to kill the tri-scorps on sight.

Template restrictions: You may not modify (scale, move, remove) the three tails, spine, legs, or mouth. You may swap out the weapons at the ends of the tail as desired. You may add parts anywhere.

Tag: mcscorpiodchallenge

Color/vibe references:
These images are meant to generally inform the aesthetic direction you take especially when painting your creature. It’s not a requirement to match your paint to these colors, but we just want to give you an idea of the vibe we’re looking for.

What will the challenge winner(s) get?
A chance to be featured on Spore.com! Maxis will hand pick the winner(s) in this challenge. Finalists will be posted before the winning creation(s) are announced.

Challenge Rules:

• To submit a creature, tag it with: mcscorpiodchallenge
• You can submit as many entries as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00am PDT May 11, 2010
• Optional: Post screenshots or YouTube movies of your creation on the forum

Feature Criteria

• Creation must not have any parent authored by a different creator (other than MaxisCactus)
• Creation must not have any offensive creation in its lineage (any parent or child creations)
• Creation must not have any links or references to other sites in the submission’s tags, name, or description

FAQ:

How Do I use the Template?

1. Right click on the small PNG above and choose Save as.
2. Open your Spore Creature Creator and drag the png into the editor.
3. Add parts and paint to flesh out the character of this creature. All parts including accessory, mech, C&C, and base game parts are allowed. You may not scale, remove or move any parts of the original template, with the exception that the feet may be swapped out for other feet.

Can I use cheats?
Cheats such as AddDNA and Freedom are not allowed. Asymmetry is allowed on the parts you add.

Is outfitting allowed?
Yes.