[PS3] LittleBigPlanet 2

[Shifty Geezer]

Go online and search for "B3D jump test". should come up straight away. The level was placed near Europe.

 

[goonergaz]

and while you're at it feel free to check out some of my levels!

 

[tha_con]

"B3D Jump test" level uploaded. After messing about a bit, this simple level seemed okay for showing the inconsistencies and problems with floatiness. Basically jump all the way to the end, flick the lever and jump back. Jumping on the bumps shows height is inconsistent. It varies a little, but occassionally Sackboy can jump 50% higher or only half a full jump. 50% higher than a full jump is a bug IMO. And the final jumps are easy when you know the mechanics, but for a typical player racing against the clock, the fact some jumps won't even register because Sackboy's feet never hit the ground, is confusing and annoying. I changed the ground from fire to lightning to be even more punishing! That and the long walk adds to the stress and thus increases likelihood of making mistakes.

I'll try the level and post my thoughts when I can. Gotta use my phone as a mobile hotspot so I can download some patches and play.

 

[patsu]

LBP2 FAQ:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/05/20/littlebigplanet-2-the-littlebigfaq/#more-29749

Can you program Sackbots to activate swithces? *Example* giving them jobs on a pirate ship.

Stay tuned, we have a specific “Sackbots” feature planned in an upcoming LittleBigPlanet 2 post – we just hope you provide your Pirate Sackbots the proper minimum wages

FAQ wouldn't be complete without a question like this:

Will it be in 720p or 1080p?

LittleBigPlanet 2 is getting a completely new graphical overhaul, so stay tuned for a future LittleBigPlanet 2 post, where we’ll cover off on more specifics like this.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

1080p would be a waste (and not possible IMO!). 720p with upgraded lighting and MLAA will look fabulous, and if there are any spare cycles to burn, spend them on the framerate. 60fps would be glorious!

 

[patsu]

*nod* *nod* but I'm hoping they can shoot for stereoscopic 3D presentation. >8^)

 

[Arwin]

It's already running in 3D isn't it?

 

[patsu]

They showed one stereoscopic 3D level. I'm waiting for official confirmation for the entire game.

 

[tha_con]

1080p would be a waste (and not possible IMO!). 720p with upgraded lighting and MLAA will look fabulous, and if there are any spare cycles to burn, spend them on the framerate. 60fps would be glorious!

I doubt (strongly) that they'd invest in getting it to run @ 1080p. Though, with them being acquired by Sony I'm certain they are getting a LOT more support from Sony and getting access to a ton of those libraries and 1st party tools.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of improvements in the way of frame rate and screen tearing (or lack of).

 

[patsu]

Interview with LBP2 senior designer, Daniel Leaver:
[gt]100393[/gt]

 

[nightshade]

LBP2 @ 60FPS would be sweet !
But alas...it'll remain just a dream.

 

[N_B]

I hope they can manage that fantastic water effect without screen tearing this time. It really is odd how it was the ONLY thing that ever caused the game to tear, even though there were other causes of framedrops.

 

[patsu]

I'm not sure about having three planes of movement though, seems like two would be enough, and maybe would minimize a bit of confusion and getting stuck/trapped on some user made levels.

LittleBigPlanet PSP actually only uses two planes, but I don't think that makes a very big difference. I think visual cues could actually help better.

I thought they needed 3 depth layers to support 4 players. How many players does LBP PSP version support ?

 

[Arwin]

I don't think the number of players correlates with the number of layers (pretty sure it doesn't).

LBP PSP only supports 1 player.

 

[patsu]

ic. I was thinking they may need separate tracks for vehicles so that people can race without blocking each other. With 4 players and 3 layers, one will be left behind as the loser. Although I supposed they can have us pair up if they only have 2 layers.

 

[patsu]

Edge has a 5-page article on LBP2:
http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/creative-class-littlebigplanet-2


[size=-2]I haven't read it yet. Have urgent crap to take care of. ^_^[/size]

 

[patsu]

Went back to try LBP after playing Modnation Racer.

I don't think that the floaty jumping is the problem. I think that the physics of objects+the floaty jumping is the problem...

Yeah, but I like the physics. It's what makes the LBP world come alive.

People seem to be of the opinion that either you have LBP's physics, or you have a dry, direct control game like Mario. There is a middle ground.

...

It is quite possible to have LBP with LBP's physics and mid-air correction, but with a more dependable jump height, and a range of levels so those who like a challenge have to counter inertia to land on a pinpoint moving platform, while those who are lacking deft platforming skills don't get punished for it.

It is not that I want the controls fixed in only one way. IMHO, I think it's better to let the creators decide for their levels. They will need to playtest their levels anyway. I think the toy LBP physics is very entertaining.

e.g., This afternoon, I witness my kid and some random online partner ride a jet-powered magic carpet repeatedly for giggles. Depending on what the SackBoys did, the outcome was very different.

While the magic carpet rocketed across the TV at a neck-breaking speed of about 2 screens per second,
I saw a SackBoy give blow job to another on the flying carpet because they happened to hold on to one another at the wrong position (Things happened too fast !). I also saw 2 SackBoys holding the jet carpet up and dashing across the level (like Flintstones and Speedy Gonzales). I also saw one SackBoy jumped from the carpet and amazingly kept up with the carpet as they raced across the screens.

We all hard (probably for different reasons).

If the jump was a fixed and precise mechanism (i.e., not related to physics), it would not be possible to have such spontaneous experiments. We would all know the predictable outcome of the jump.

 

[Toaddio]

I saw a SackBoys give blow job to another because they happened to hold on to one another at the wrong position (Things happened too fast !).

I have to disagree. If they're getting blow jobs their positioning was probably just about perfect.

 

[patsu]

LBP2 interview with Evans:
http://littlebigpodcast.blip.tv/file/3686277/

Alex talks about what he likes most in LBP2, in-game resource budget, and other mechanics in the game.

 

[Arwin]

Here's a nice small stage demo of LBP showing a crazy 3D Rez homage level. It's not just that the level (created by one of the users who makes great LBP1 levels) is amazing however - what's even cooler is that he goes into create mode to show some of how it's done. And that's ...

http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6266342/?hd=1

Incidentally, the direct control features are a really great preparation for getting Move controls in later. I already imagine a lot of fun Angry Bird / Boom Blox type games.