All things LittleBigPlanet (1, 2, PSP, Vita & Karting)

[ratsoalbion]

The Vita incarnation is out this week I gather, and is garnering strong reviews.
I've played through the original and love the character, sound, visuals and concept - but the feel of controlling Sack Boy is just so woolly(!) it robs the game of a lot of its potential for me.

I now have LBP2 and it can be inspirational seeing what people have created (7 million levels, several hundred of them worth your time including the whole of FFVII) but the creation stuff is disappointingly beyond my limits of skill, patience and time.
I understand that LBP Vita does go some way to making the feel of the platforming better, but does it make it any easier to create worthwhile ugc?

And do we have anyone on the forum who has made a properly decent LBP level?

[JaySevenZero]

I think one of the reasons I never got a handle on this game is that I never really dedicated myself in having some online sessions with friends. Since we now have this spanking new forum, full of amazing people, I think I should rectify this issue sometime very soon.

[ratsoalbion]

It's true a lot of us must have both LBP & LBP2 sitting on our PS3 hard drives from the PSN outage and PSN+ offers respectively.
The game is definitely funnier with a) more than one player and b) with PS Eye connected to make stickers with.

[Xantiriad]

I barely played the main game (2d platformers = meh) but spent hours making a level, with much enjoyment from the process: I made a prototype non-platforming puzzle game.

What annoyed me was the need to play the crappy main game in order to unlock some of the cooler gear for you level. It was a weird juxtaposition in that people who finished the game, who had no interest in making levels, unlocked the best stuff.

My Vita copy is on route, and I feel it will probably be much the same experience for me: I'll love wasting time making stuff and will get very bored playing the main game.

[ratsoalbion]

It seems slightly perverse making levels for a game you don't want to play...

[Xantiriad]

It seems slightly perverse making levels for a game you don't want to play...

The robustness of the tools mean you can create "gameplay" that's nothing like the main game; particularly with LBP2.

It's like Repton 4/Infinity (BBC Micro) and its programming language (Reptol): I created a shmup with it.

[ratsoalbion]

90% of the non platforming user levels I've played in LBP have been dire, but it's impressive that it can be done. I remember people making non shoot 'em ups in SEUCK although I'm pretty sure you can't make anything other than a text adventure (with pictures) in GAC!

[mik]

I already grabbed a copy on the Vita, thanks to Gamestop arranging to break the street date. It's terrific. Best version by far--and the best platform to create and play on. The only problem now is that LBP is a three-person affair in my house.

My daughters and I still play LBP2 on a weekly basis. And they've created some pretty great levels (for kids, at least). One of the things I love about watching them play the game is that they sometimes treat it as an elaborate dollhouse/action figure set. They'll create scenarios they want to role play, then build sets and props to accommodate that. Whether it's a school room with an oppressive teacher, or a concert venue with their favorite pop band. It's another toy for them--a toy with seemingly endless creative opportunities. Al of those experiences are probably what add up to this being my favorite game franchise. Love it.

[Sean]

I already grabbed a copy on the Vita, thanks to Gamestop arranging to break the street date. It's terrific. Best version by far--and the best platform to create and play on.

Agreed. LBP Vita may as well be LBP3. For Vita, more than any other game so far, I'd say LBP has made the best cross-over yet, to portable. It looks 100% just as good the console versions, and, has the entire feature set, plus all the touch controls. Now that the servers are online, I'm pretty sure I'm set, forever.

Also, I really liked the LBP Karting beta. Wonder how well it's going to perform, though.

I haven't messed around too much with the creation tools, but, I'm gonna give it a real shot on Vita. Seems at least a little easier (though, there's still a lot to take in).

[ratsoalbion]

Your task Sean: make a C&R themed level.

[Sean]

Haha, it shall be done!

[ratsoalbion]

My daughters and I still play LBP2 on a weekly basis. And they've created some pretty great levels (for kids, at least). One of the things I love about watching them play the game is that they sometimes treat it as an elaborate dollhouse/action figure set. They'll create scenarios they want to role play, then build sets and props to accommodate that. Whether it's a school room with an oppressive teacher, or a concert venue with their favorite pop band. It's another toy for them--a toy with seemingly endless creative opportunities. Al of those experiences are probably what add up to this being my favorite game franchise. Love it.

Now that all sounds quite wonderful. Infinitely better than what I - and I suspect the majority of LBP players - did, which is play through the game as a straight (and not very good) platformer.

[MAp]

This is THE game for kids, and I mean that in a Pixar "also for anyone with a heart" kind of way, I think?

In a similar way to mik I find playing this with my neighbours kid to be a big bag of joy. Everything about it mechanically seems to benefit the player truly playing with the game, which I thought was mainly because of the funny multiplayer interactions all within the safe play haven you get with it being a platformer, along with the friendly happy visuals. But the last few visits he's been drawn to Rayman Origins, and with that I've noticed a shift in play styles, with him being more a concerned about getting to the end and grabbing "the little yellows".
He has started to become better at platformers though so maybe him losing his playful innocence isn't so bad.

[ratsoalbion]

Now someone like you MAp, a talented and creative person, could surely make some wonderful-looking levels. I guess the thing is that one being creative in that way doesn't necessarily mean that one is also good at the mechanical/design side of making a fun play experience (and vice versa). Remembering this helps me realise why there are so few truly excellent levels out for LBP as well as swelling my already huge admiration for one-person indie/bedroom coding teams.

[MAp]

I've sadly never tried making a LBP level or any other game making project. I get big dreamy ideas from time to time but (for now) I'm too content with the quick turnover of ideas to finished creation you get with paintings/sculptures/prints.

Yeah I always respect anyone that goes off and starts any form of project. Unless that project is a podcast about video games from over a month ago, it's old news! STOP LIVING IN THE PAST!

[ratsoalbion]

:-p