Sigh…it’s been long overdue since the last SporeDay (Well over a month) and was hoping to hear what Maxis is currently working on.  Fans are left to wonder Spore’s existence and whether or not Maxis has abandoned it.  While we’re still not sure what they’re up to, MaxisCactus did drop a note to let us know they are still alive with a brand new Spore contest dubbed ‘Triocular Scorpiod Challange‘.  Take it away, MC:

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.