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1up previewWould be cool if I can a sock puppet into the game.
Follow a link for the pic!
I don't think the controller's gonna be a problem. Mouse might be easier for editing; oit would certainyl be good for drawing objects rather than repeat cuts and pastes with rotated blocks.
Still I've yet to meet anyone who couldn't manage left/right on stick and a button for jump! The problem with catering for a large target is how to make it accessible and complex. From the sounds of it the current implementation is as good as you could ever get, with simple game controls but lots of scope to add nuance, so experienced gamers can get more from it. And if you look at other platformers like Mario Galaxies, they don't seem to encounter any hangups with conventional stick+button controls.
It's not that the controller is a problem, or a big problem. It's just that a lot more people can relate to it better. They can look at the game and say, I can do that. It's on familiar ground for them, especially the authoring part.
Naturally, this is not the only issue LBP needs to overcome for more penetration/coverage. It would be even better if there is some useful, day-to-day thing it can contribute to. I am just focusing on the user-generated content portion of the game. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, LBP may "just" be a fantastic game and nothing else.
EDIT:
at sock puppet reference in 2007 preview. That's great. Assuming that they have indeed made good progress in the gameplay front... finding ways to put kids' favorite (stuffed) toys into the game is probably a key win.I think this is the Casual game for the PS3. Or it really has the potential to appeal to a mass market.
1. Iconic cute Sackpeople
2. 2d Platformer (most people know how to play platform games).
3. Multiplayer Co-op on/offline
4. Simple controlles (just two buttons to play without creat)
5. Georgus and immersive graphics that appeal to all age ranges and sexes.
6. U rated game (i.e. good clean fun).
7. Create your own levels easy enough for small kids to customise their sackpeople and make their own basic levels (pretty good learning\educational tool), especally as it teaches problem solving, taps into creativity, backdoor introduction to physics i.e. graphics, friction through Ice etc.
8. Almost unlimited replayablity through the use of user created maps.
I really think that this type of game would be a superb game for young kids in schools for some educational purposes.
In my mind this game is really something I would have imagined to be out on the Wii. It has the tetris, Mario, nintendogs type of appeal to it.
The biggest negative in my mind is that its coming out on the PS3.
Now I am PS3 pro. However PS3 maketing has been all about power, sophistication and quality. Something that doesn't easily fit into LBP marketing IMO. Don't get wrong I know things like Buzz and Singstar are huge hits on the PS3 so Casual games can work on the PS3.
It's just that if this game were coming out on the Wii I can really see this being their biggest game even bigger than smash brawl or Mario World,
I think Sony have to market the PS3 as well as LBP in a diffrent way than their used to to try to emphasise that the PS3 can be a "fun" console along side LBP.
I don't mean that LBP wont be successfull as is. However I really could see this being a really huge game and has the biggest potential to reach casual users and make them think of buying a PS3.
As the only way to really hit the casual crowd is to really market this game and LBP to them (don't concentrate on the "hardcore crowd as I believe that most PS3 owners know what LBP is all about allready).
Side Note
I am a little tickled at the thought of an actual glove puppet being used by somone to control sackboy/girls antics on screen. Imagine waving a hand with a hand puppet sackboy/girl and the onscreen copys the motion lol.
1. Iconic cute Sackpeople
2. 2d Platformer (most people know how to play platform games).
3. Multiplayer Co-op on/offline
4. Simple controlles (just two buttons to play without creat)
5. Georgus and immersive graphics that appeal to all age ranges and sexes.
6. U rated game (i.e. good clean fun).
7. Create your own levels easy enough for small kids to customise their sackpeople and make their own basic levels (pretty good learning\educational tool), especally as it teaches problem solving, taps into creativity, backdoor introduction to physics i.e. graphics, friction through Ice etc.
8. Almost unlimited replayablity through the use of user created maps.
I really think that this type of game would be a superb game for young kids in schools for some educational purposes.
In my mind this game is really something I would have imagined to be out on the Wii. It has the tetris, Mario, nintendogs type of appeal to it.
The biggest negative in my mind is that its coming out on the PS3.
Now I am PS3 pro. However PS3 maketing has been all about power, sophistication and quality. Something that doesn't easily fit into LBP marketing IMO. Don't get wrong I know things like Buzz and Singstar are huge hits on the PS3 so Casual games can work on the PS3.
It's just that if this game were coming out on the Wii I can really see this being their biggest game even bigger than smash brawl or Mario World,
I think Sony have to market the PS3 as well as LBP in a diffrent way than their used to to try to emphasise that the PS3 can be a "fun" console along side LBP.
I don't mean that LBP wont be successfull as is. However I really could see this being a really huge game and has the biggest potential to reach casual users and make them think of buying a PS3.
As the only way to really hit the casual crowd is to really market this game and LBP to them (don't concentrate on the "hardcore crowd as I believe that most PS3 owners know what LBP is all about allready).
Side Note
I am a little tickled at the thought of an actual glove puppet being used by somone to control sackboy/girls antics on screen. Imagine waving a hand with a hand puppet sackboy/girl and the onscreen copys the motion lol.
I think it has the potential to bridge the gap between the so called "casual" and "hardcore" purely through being an everything-machine. I really think it is the media capabilities has helped get the PS3 into more "non-gamer" homes than anything else.
I know my parents are easily intimidated by new technology, but with familiarity comes the exploration of other features. Anecdotally the use of consoles as a DVD player introduced my parents to some occasional gaming, as they were no longer put off by the very existence of the controller.
I know I'm going to be playing Little Big Planet with my mother
Back on topic:
Does anyone know if it is possible to have camera triggers in LBP, like the audio triggers?
Being able to briefly focus the camera onto a hazard or puzzle would make the experience so much better.
Otherwise I can see playing through user created levels being potentially more frustrating if the context of the level isn't shown.
eg: There's a video out there showing the Sackboys being chased by a large fire breathing construct, which moves at a constant pace. If you don't know about it beforehand, the very gameplay mechanic is not immediately clear and becomes trial and error from the start.
eg: Being able to show the entirety of a physical puzzle beforehand can help the player know - hey there's a switch up the top, now I need to figure out how to get there. Otherwise the same puzzle could end up far more frustrating, as the player doesn't know to travel UP, again relegating the gameplay to trial and error.
Those examples only fall withing the scope of a traditional platformer too.
I'd like to know about optimum resolution for stickers when creating custom levels too. I want to get prepped for some rad content creation~
Hmmm, we need a community driven create Q & A with the developers
Once upon a time platformers ruled the roost.
It's probably expecting too much for a brand new platformer -- all the creative options aside -- to set the world on fire.
The best-selling games now seem to be very story-driven -- Halo, GTA, Bioshock. A part of their appeal may be gamers identifying with the characters.
If LBP is just a collection of puzzle-platform levels, it may get lost
It's probably expecting too much for a brand new platformer -- all the creative options aside -- to set the world on fire.
The best-selling games now seem to be very story-driven -- Halo, GTA, Bioshock. A part of their appeal may be gamers identifying with the characters.
If LBP is just a collection of puzzle-platform levels, it may get lost
That's hardly true. The Sims has sold a bazillion copies and it contains no story (unless you count the one players often insert into their games). I know of very few people who play GTA to do the missions: the appeal is specifically in the sandbox. And Bioshock wasn't even in 2007's top 10, though I do believe it was in the year's top 50, maybe even top 25. It did do solidly, but there are many more examples of games that did much better and contained much less plot. Such as the several Guitar Heros, or Super Mario Galaxy, neither of which are plot-heavy.
Halo and CoD4 did do very well, though, and they did have a stronger plot than those games. They also had great multiplayer, and Halo in particular had a marketing effort we haven't really seen since (I don't think GTA's was quite as big), besides being built on a really really strong franchise, so I think you'd have a hard time really establishing that their sales are due to plot. Your best case may be Assassin's Creed, which WAS in the year's top 10, and was plot-heavy with no multiplayer. Still, again, I don't think you can really make the case that plot is what drives game sales. In fact, I think there's plenty of evidence to the contrary.
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From a multi player standpoint I would say LBP is closer to Buzz and Singstar. And they never needed a story. If your looking for a story LBP still has 50 story driven levels. You could also make your own story and tell it by using the speakers and instead of music play your own voice recordings.
Is game creation not new and exciting?! Isn't this remark kinda like suggesting Spore is nothing other than a Civilization clone, and that market has been dwindling since the God-game peak that preceded the FPS epoch?And Wii-sports --the waggle controls aside -- is hardly going to set the world on fire. Nor Gears of War 2 -- franchise aside.
I don't think so. I've asked the devs about camera controls but got no reply. I've also asked about content types and got no reply. Not a very talkative bunch!
As for instructions, we've seen advice boxes which means they can be used. eg. The original showing had them lifting up shells for the trap. The latest version of that level has a king model with a big speech bubble telling the player what to do. You'll also no-doubt have comments associated with your level as a description.
Imo LBP could be huge. I know I am very exited maybe to exited about this game. However potentially it could be the new "doom" type of game that introduces new people and demographics and a new way of playing (creating) to games (platform in particular.
I think it would be criminal not to really really blitz this all across media. The game sells itself as can be attested to peoples reaction since GDC 06 (I think it was). The sackboy maskot is every advertisers wet dream for having a iconic face to sell the game off.
Potentially it also has the ability to really sell by word and mouth to. As I think if anyone get their hands on it they will be drawn to the cutsy, highly polished world of LBP. The Creative side could also be very positive for long sales legs as a successfull comunity is set up.
If Sony really want to caputure some of the Wii market then they have it here in spades. It's really in their hands to spend the money on marketing to make a big hit.
And the more people who buy this game the better it will be for all of us due to the amount of people contributing playable levels etc. to this game (essentally perminantly free DLC from the community with maybe some paid dlc from MM and/or some of the other Sony first party studios.
Actually I really think this would be a good idea. For people like Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch et all to release their own themed levels. Imagine playing Uncharted LBP.
I think it would be criminal not to really really blitz this all across media. The game sells itself as can be attested to peoples reaction since GDC 06 (I think it was). The sackboy maskot is every advertisers wet dream for having a iconic face to sell the game off.
Potentially it also has the ability to really sell by word and mouth to. As I think if anyone get their hands on it they will be drawn to the cutsy, highly polished world of LBP. The Creative side could also be very positive for long sales legs as a successfull comunity is set up.
If Sony really want to caputure some of the Wii market then they have it here in spades. It's really in their hands to spend the money on marketing to make a big hit.
And the more people who buy this game the better it will be for all of us due to the amount of people contributing playable levels etc. to this game (essentally perminantly free DLC from the community with maybe some paid dlc from MM and/or some of the other Sony first party studios.
Actually I really think this would be a good idea. For people like Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch et all to release their own themed levels. Imagine playing Uncharted LBP
.That could also be a good way sell LBP. Letting people play with characters they already know and love. And at the same time introduce existing franchise's to a new audience. SCEWWS should try to gets all their internal studios behind this idea. The Helgast sackboy's were a good step in that direction.
I am already scetching my Rick Dangerous Sackboy on paper. Also it would be cool to recreate Rick Dangerous themed level with LBP level creation tool. Possibilities are endless...
Possibilities are endless...
I hope they will also put in some MGS costume's in there.I agree those KZ helgasts sackboys were superb. Imagine Ratchet SB, Nathan SB, Kay SG all playing on their themed levels
Off-topic:
I tried to post a message on the 'Neverending Upscaling/Resolutions' thread, but for some reason, after I hit the submit button, my message doenst get posted.
Must I have a particular post count, or will my message get checked by a moderator before it actually gets posted or something?
There's a problem here though - they haven't mentioned at all what format and means 3D models can be imported. Most of the stuff they have talked about people creating has been with the in-game creation. They have mentioned giving away something like a hat you've created, but that's about as far as the open model suggestions go. At this point we don't actually know if we can model and include anything at all. Anything created that way would need to be within a certain poly-count I imagine. It'd be possible to create stuff in a 3D app and just assume standard open formats will be supported, but until we get absolute confirmation, you run the risk of expending effort for no gain.
Yes, newbies need their first post validating to cut down on spammers.Jin-Wu said:
I just want to state that when I wrote other characters I did mean sackboys/girls who look like those characters. Thats the superb thing about the sackboy/girls they are very flexible as is. A Nathan drake sackboy would look very cool and funny at the same time. (black wig wet T shirt and jeans ).
).*sigh* Ah well, thanks for the info, we can only hope.
I've just been thinking about how to go about creating something more interesting than a mere level, and the announcement that you can't import your own .mp3s is saddening, so I was looking to alternative options to tell a story.
Advice boxes/scenery-stamping are inelegant, but it'll do
There's a lot of very specific creation questions which haven't been asked yet, hopefully journalists will realise they can only write about the same content creation tools so many times before going more in depth with it.
On the upside, learning to use Blender would be a handy skill anyway...
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