Happy (upcoming) Memorial Day! We’ll be having a massive sale to celebrate the holiday weekend, and each and every item were voted into the sale by users! We’re going to go over some of the discounted items in this article, but not all of them. There will be several surprise deals that you’ll only be able to find during the sale itself, so make and sure to keep checking out our catalog throughout the upcoming week. The Memorial Day sale officially begins Friday, May 24th, and runs all the way through Wednesday, May 29th.
Hats that will become limited:
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Aperson1890 Proves Building is Constructive at Maker Faire
Looking back, there are a lot of Maker Faire stories to tell. I talked with independent game developers about the potential of distributing a game on ROBLOX. I talked with parents who were looking to guide the play habits of their children down productive paths. I talked with former ROBLOX builders who, after witnessing dynamic lighting and other modern features, headed home to revive their dormant accounts. I saw a maker wearing a 3D-printer backpack buy a ROBLOX fedora before striking a pose for me (I was photographing the booth). But probably the most memorable story was that of aperson1890, a longtime ROBLOX builder, 2012 RGC 2012 Hackathon winner, and up-and-coming programmer who was in the booth all weekend.
It was hard not to be intrigued by aperson1890. On Saturday morning, he set up shop at a laptop on the build table. He pulled out a file folder of sketches and notes, thoughts and ideas. He turned on some K-pop via YouTube. He started building, his ultra-patient parents spectating from the booth’s fringe.
Continue reading Developer’s Journal: Stylized and Efficient Level Design
Last month, we gave builders an opportunity to write for the ROBLOX blog. We received a wealth of thoughtful submissions and quickly started working with potential authors on articles that leverage their unique experience and expertise. MahPizzaIsHere has established himself as a premiere builder and level designer, and today discusses his techniques for designing stylized, but efficient first-person-shooter levels.
Continue reading Weekly ROBLOX Roundup: May 19th, 2013
Every week, we’re busy telling the stories behind our platform, our technology and our place in the gaming and technology industries. For those of you who catch up with ROBLOX over the weekend, the Weekly ROBLOX Roundup collects the best stuff to hit our various avenues of publication in the last week. This time: how to make your dynamic lighting and shadows look amazing, renting plots of land in KlamKnights City, our weekend at Maker Faire Bay Area, tips for submitting to the ROBLOX Film Fest, Team Zombie Defence Tycoon, and other bits and pieces. Enjoy.
Seven-day Blog Recap
How to make your dynamic lighting look amazing
While there is a considerable benefit to simply enabling dynamic lighting in your place — that is, your parts immediately cast realistic shadows — ROBLOX builders have found many ways to manipulate 
the feature for much more impressive and immersive effects. In this article, we had four proven dynamic lighting aficionados provide tips, techniques and resources for creating amazing atmosphere. From beginner to advanced, there’s something for everyone who’s looking to make their mark with dynamic lighting.
Photo Gallery: Live from Maker Faire Bay Area 2013
Update, 10 p.m.: Hello from Maker Faire 2013! This is Alan with updates straight from ROBLOX’s booth. Andrew did a great job capturing our booth and the interactions between our staff and builders earlier in the day, so I decided, as the sun began to set on day one of Maker Faire, to take a step outside and shoot some of the amazing creations and props scattered throughout the grounds. Check out what I saw below!
Tips for Submitting a Successful Film Fest Entry
The submission phase of the ROBLOX International Film Festival is in full swing! During the first two weeks, ROBLOX builders have submitted more than 200 films, and many of them are undoubtedly capable of earning a coveted BLOXY Award. But don’t let that dissuade you; there are still two more weeks to submit and the weekend is imminent. It’s a perfect time to get started on your own film.
Those of you who didn’t swoop in and enter right away actually have an advantage: you can see what categories are stacked with competition and what categories remain thin. For instance, we’ve received a lot of ROBLOX machinima and commercials, but a relatively small number of city-specific films and physics/building showcases. If you want to improve your odds of getting noticed, produce a film that falls under a category with fewer entries. Create a city-specific film that shows the essence of Chicago, London or New York City within ROBLOX. Capture footage of yourself building something cool and intricate, then speed up the footage so we can see the whole process.
Continue reading A Day in the Life of the ROBLOX Client Team
ROBLOX is about 70 people strong, with teams specializing in everything from web and client development to customer service and marketing. While each team executes starkly contrasting projects, we’re united by our shared values and the ultimate goal of making ROBLOX the best digital-creation experience. We’re going behind the scenes with teams across ROBLOX to provide some insight into the tasks and challenges associated with achieving that goal. So far, we’ve dissected the day of a ROBLOX web developer and Content Team member. Today, we shift our focus to the ROBLOX Client Team.
