LittleBigThings: Of Karting and Sackthings

I don't think I've ever really understood Kart racers from any vantage point.  While I've certainly played some and I did enjoy a few whilst playing them, it was all brief, lasting only as long as the controller was in my hand if that.  So when the intent expressed with LittleBigPlanet Karting was "Let's give the guys who made ModNation Racers (that was considered 'alright' at best) a chance to make another Kart Racer, just with LittleBigPlanet this time!" I experienced something of a tepid excitement - certainly not the extent I would have had for something else, anything else, involving the LittleBigPlanet franchise.  Still, it had to be something I could embrace, I could come to love and enjoy, right?  It says LittleBigPlanet after all, right there on the tin.  I love LittleBigPlanet, so I should love this!

I'm....not quite sure.

LittleBigPlanet Karting certainly is a LittleBigPlanet game in more than just name, supposing that being a platformer is not intrinsically what LittleBigPlanet is.  With all the varied types of levels and, indeed games that have been made with LittleBigPlanet in its various releases that stretch beyond platforming, LittleBigPlanet has grown itself into something that just is itself, I suppose.  While Super Mario is certainly a loftier series, one can draw a comparison - games which Mario are in are, by extension, Mario games because of the inclusion, because the inclusion is in itself more than just Mario.  By that measure, LittleBigPlanet games are games in which you are given a Sackboy to control, a popit to interact with, a mode with which you can build to your hearts content and all the charm and Stephen Fry tutorials you could ever want.  LittleBigPlanet Karting has all that, in spades even, and in fact more than that, sticking to the world-based, level-based formula that has worked with every game that's released thus far, further cementing it as a LittleBigPlanet game and thus easing you into the change.  Or perhaps trying to have you accept that it's not so much a change as it is another possibility.

Still, under the charm, under the Sackboys and Sackgirls, under the Create Mode and under the familiarity, the game is still a Kart Racer and not much else.  It does a good job of presenting various types of -things- to do within the setting of a Kart, however, which gives me hope for the levels or tracks or games or whatever they're supposed to be called that players have made between the release and now.  Battle Mode seems like a ripe field to use for Create, given that you get to simply establish an area and have your Sackfolk faff around in it however you like, as I imagine we're not -all- interested in actually making Racetracks.  Depending on the 'restrictions' in place for making a level of a Battle Mode type, as it were, it could be incredibly rich and diverse and I look forward to seeing if anyone has managed to tap into that sort of thing when I eventually get to the created levels/tracks/games/whatever.  Story first, however, as is the case with any LittleBigPlanet game.

Though there is another mode that certainly tugs a little more at the creative urges than Battle Mode, if only in a "Hrm, this isn't set up for it properly, but wouldn't that be neat" type of way.  I encountered a Gran Prix race towards the end of the first world which is another beast entirely.  Eschewing the competitiveness of other players and even the allure of third-person view, Grand Prix mode is a first person race unlike anything else in LittleBigPlanet Karting.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) you do not see your kart at all, yet you are definitely in First-Person mode and in the race I was in, it was a simple enough affair, if that it had a restriction to it that forced pit stops to refuel (which is unseen in the rest of the game).  Regardless, a mode, any mode that allows First-Person perspective is absolutely blessed for opportunity and, provided the boundaries to making a Grand Prix level are a little lax, one could find that it might be possible to do some absolutely wondrous things that couldn't, in fact, be in place in any other LittleBigPlanet game.

The problem is that, if you've noticed, I've simply talked about what the game -can- be, possibly, instead of what it is beyond saying "well, it's a Kart racer".  It is a fun game, really, and I don't have much issue with it, but racing games as a whole are a hard sell to me and even with a LittleBigPlanet coat of paint, I'm finding the game a little hard to be truly excited for.  That can change, of course, as I'm only in the second world of the game and already I've found plenty of neat things to hold my interest.  Already I'm looking to the next Story-based Battle Mode track because I had a lot of fun with the first, and I still wonder if there's anything that the game has yet to really show off, because I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it did.  If nothing else, I am holding my arms out, waiting for the tender embrace of exuberance, and even if I'm left by the wayside by it, at least I considered it an option.

LittleBigThings: Welp, Working on Some Stuff

As I sort of imagined, though feared against, I am finding it a little easier than it was on the PS3 to set about actually building a level and getting stuff put down.  Not -much- easier, mind you, but I have a days-worth of progress on something done up versus....well, no progress at all, so that's something.  As is generally the case, that's more or less what I've been doing since I aced the Story Mode, though I have put in some time to actually attempt the whole online thing to get some of the 2-Player required prize bubbles and have met with limited amounts of success.  While I can actually play online as opposed to some games, I'm sure the NAT factor is still in play when it comes to my ability to actually enjoy the online aspect of the game.  Which is marginally strange to me since I apparently have the same on my PS3 but I guess having a cable hooked up makes all the difference in the world.  Regardless, I have taken down about four of the levels with two-person-only Prize bubbles which means great success where I come from.

Create mode in LBPV has been a little bit of a different beast than its console counterpart however, at least in terms of a few things.  Mechanics-wise, it's generally the same aside from a few improvements that I may or may not touch on tonight, but what I'm talking about...well, does sort of matter in that context, as it's about the content available.  You see, LittleBigPlanet 2's big billing thing was "You get -everything- from LittleBigPlanet to carry over!" which means costumes, stickers, bits and bobs, objects, materials, etc. etc. etc.  Everything when it means everything.  Going from LittleBigPlanet 2 to Vita, however?  You get.....DLC costumes that were purchased in either LBP or LBP2 which are appreciated of course, but nothing else that isn't mechanical.  To tell the truth, I haven't really looked, but I do believe that the Paintinator has been completely phased out for the Creatinator which is admittedly basically the same thing but still, that's...something.  Water has been implemented properly, as a core mechanic, so why not bring that along as well?  (I might have overlooked it, however, will probably edit in here after I check when I'm done with the post itself.)

As such, I find it odd, trying to do some things in it as I remember bits and pieces of my excursions with the console versions and the things I used there, only to find that they're simply not here.  Almost disconcerting, even.  To top that, some of the LBP Costumes in the actual storefront on the Vita are for packs that include more than just costumes.....if you buy them on PS3.  For the Vita version itself, you only get the costumes, thought I suppose a theoretical LittleBigPlanet 3 would eventually use all the elements again if you're worried about having to 'go back' to LBP2 to get the full use out of them.  Still, I hold out a little bit of hope that something will be done here in the future to allow us access to the rest of the stuff from the DLC, the materials and the like, though I suppose I will understand if it's just not really possible.  If we're throwing out dreams as well, hoping they are heard by the powers that be, being able to get base things, again materials and the like from LBP 1 and 2 would also be nice, but I'm mostly just concerned with the stickers and materials from the DLC as I would assume they have all the rights they need to bring them over - after all, they were alright enough to tinker with bits of all of them as is.

Anyways, the point was to talk about the creating thing so I should probably do that instead of anything else like whining about not having enough stuff to build with.  Which I suppose is still talking about creating things in a sense but it's a bit heading off the topic an- right, right, moving on.  It's an odd thing, trying to build something in LittleBigPlanet because I have sort of been ruined by the community.  You go into other levels and see things and marvel and wonder at just how the hell they made that, and then go into one of your levels and have a dumpy little outline of a house started.  It's....intimidating to say the least.  I can't help but equate it somewhat to making things in Sound Shapes, where I didn't really -have- that.  Sure, there were nice looking things in Sound Shapes, but the bulk of them were just creative usage of pre-made things.  In LittleBigPlanet, entire levels are literally hand-crafted things and sometimes they are just amazing.  I freeze up just thinking about trying to replicate anything that has the sort of grandeur I've come across or, more importantly, just thinking about what I make in comparison to those other things.  It's.....never pretty.  And unnecessary.  I cannot -not- do it, however.

Still, for whatever reason I have found that it's easier to get past that in LBPV - perhaps because I really don't care about being judged in the same scope as those other types of levels (which I don't think I would, since they're separate entities) or perhaps because I'm getting more confident about being able to make things that look kind of half-decent.  I mean, take a look at the screenshot provided at the top - it's not bad I'd say, for being very early on in planning out.  I have the planters and no idea how to actually put plants in them yet which I can get past, a doormat on the step up, and a doorway with a door that actually has a little detail on it with the knob, the lock and the stickers.  Also in the level is a white-picket fence, a mailbox and a tree with a Tire Swing because -why not-.  It's all very basic yet because...well, that's how you gotta do it.  I have to lay the framework for things before putting anything else down.  Not because I want everything to be perfect because it assuredly will not be, but because I need to try at least, because it's only with trying that you get better and such.

The issue I'm running into with all my levels, not just this basic house one (which will be used as a sort of 'hub' level for my other things) is that I just don't know a whole lot about what I want.  I can't really visualize and I can't really replicate with scale.  Everything looks okay until you put it in contrast with something else.  For example, the planters and the step look a little big when you compare it to the door, and the space of the entry room seems like it might be a little big compared to the door as well, but the door scales really nicely to Sackboy itself - a little taller and a little wider than him, like any good door to a person.  In the end, I'm sure I'll probably just have to not -care- so much about scale since Sackboy isn't really a thing of perfect proportions himself and trying to base around him specifically is something of a fool's errand.  Still, I operate under the theory of doing something right when you do something at all, or at least I pretend I do, so I am trying to stick with that if nothing else.  And I'm not about to publish a level unless I'm mostly happy with it.  And it's done and such.  My House level is pretty good so far for being like 1% done, so small victories here.  When I get some more done with it, I'll do an update here and/or when I start working on the other two projects, I'll do something for them here as well.  With any luck, it will be soon!

LittleBigThings: I Beat LPBV's Story

So, technically I beat the story to LittleBigPlanet Vita (I'm cutting the Playstation part of the title because it's extraneous) a couple nights ago, and since have just been going back into them and trying to Ace them, some with far greater success than others, but I think that added experience has done wonders for my ability to appraise it as a full product.  Not in a review sense, since I really don't think that'd be fair since, in all actuality, the real beef of LittleBigPlanet Vita is not -there- yet in a sense.  Which is not a slight at MediaMolecule or, in this case, Tarsier Studios, of course, because the things that they do are magical, but they are probably cheating a little.  You know that every single Community Level you play is drawing from the exact same set of tools that you yourself have available to you and I'm just not quite sure that the developers have those same tools or those same limitations, particularly on space.  And besides, I think I love LBP a bit too much to offer it a fair appraisal (though I said that about the Yakuza series and I think I did alright there) especially as I play more and more Community Levels (and make my own) because I'll just get too attached to things that aren't necessarily of the game itself.

Even now, trying to think of the actual story missions, just in its own, I'm also considering other things like Bound: Prologue, a capable enough little tech demo for something of an actual sword-n-spell combat system that people have only been asking for since the Paintinator, more or less, and Snatch which is a basic little Escape the Room type game that I happen to have something of a fondness for when they're not completely overwrought.  Also, I'm thinking of my own projects, one of which I've started some very basic preliminary work on, where the other is only a concept for now.  When either of them get a little more accomplished, I'll likely be doing up a Behind-the-Scenes type of post here to show off what I've got going and what I'm envisioning for the rest of the level.  Because it's going to be pretty cool, I assure you.  Or at least, I think it will be pretty cool.

But if anything, I think that helps illustrate my point that I was trying to make.  I could go on and on and on and on about LittleBigPlanet in any iteration without mentioning the story whatsoever, and that is simply because that half of LBP as a series is just so big that it could, in fact, be its own game.  I have a secret hope that, with LBP being a thriving series and LBP Karting coming up (as well as the existence of Modnation Racers) that we will see other genres embrace the LBP-style experience and let us get things out there.  Touching on something I went on about the other week, can you imagine if someone took, say, the RPG genre and did up something like LittleBigPlanet for it?  Having a game with it to show you some of the mechanics, and giving you an opportunity to earn the tools, then having an entire community creating and releasing things for others to enjoy.  Or, honestly just about any genre out there, I think anything could be molded in a way that it would work really.

Anyways, yes yes, I really should be getting on with actually talking about what is there in LittleBigPlanet Vita when you pop it into your Vita in some fashion.  I find it particularly funny that just after talking about it the other night, and mentioning that the touch controls had been used quite nicely that I run into a level that uses the rear touch pad in a manner that I am tempted to call abhorrent, but I won't go that far, because it's really not -that- bad, just disappointing since it makes me look like an ass.  As I do, I went ahead and took a screencap of the level I had in mind and provided it above, so that I can sort of explain what's going on.  Now, it's hard to tell specifically, but that is my Sackboy (Detective Penguin~) on something that is basically a lightning bug or something of that sort by way of controllinator.  So you see that screenshot and probably say "Hey, alright, twin-stick shooter type thing" and you are wrong.  And seeing me say that and now remembering that I just brought up the rear touch pad, I'm sure you're very confused.  As well you should be.

You see, your only method of input for that entire level (which is mercifully short) is, indeed, the rear touch pad.  You touch on a spot and your bug moves towards your finger and that is how you get from point A to point B.  Depending on how far your finger is makes it kind of faster, but that's not really a considering factor, really.  It's unwieldy and it's unnecessary and it's just not a very good idea.  I get that they were probably trying to do something to let you know that you can use the rear touch pad for more than just bumping out platforms, but I'm sure that anyone could have thought of something far better to use as a tool to do that with.  With the other touch controls, some of it is stuff that, well you -don't- need it to use it, like the panels you pull down to bounce your Sackboy up with, but it ends up feeling fairly natural anyway.  But there's really just no excusing using the rear touch pad as a navigation device when you have not one, but two control sticks on your device.

In all honesty, however, that's really the only stand-out situation where it is inherently just poorly used.  Other times, I could mention because it forces use at semi-hectic times, but it's not -bad-, and just takes a little skill, much like any other control method.  Control-wise, that's kind of how the game is; for the most part it's fantastic (same as usual) and for that one level and bits and pieces here it's less than stellar.  Similar is the story, which is more or less what you would expect - charming and light, though to its credit, every region has a genuine reason for you being there which could have been something that would get muddled up more than not.  I was fairly impressed with it, and it was pretty much what you would want.  Perhaps I'll get around to getting into that more eventually since the story isn't quite as spoiler-ruined as most, but there's not really much expansion to do without telling the whole of it, which I don't plan on doing tonight.  No, what I plan on doing is purely getting a little more acing done, and then sleep.

LittleBigThings: LittleBigPlanet Vita is in My Hands - Literally

Greetings from LittleBigPlanet, folks!  As predicted, or rather, as I hoped, I was able to waltz into GameStop today and pick up my copy of LittleBigPlanet Vita with absolutely no hassle and upon returning home, I immediately jettisoned Dynasty Warriors Next from my Vita (I put it in after I finished Gravity Rush in the off-chance that I wanted to mindlessly grind towards the eventual goal of Platinuming the game) and inserted the cart that might as well have been gold-plated for as eagerly as I had awaited it, had longed for it.  There was a minimal update required prior to actually enjoying the game that enabled the Cross-Buy DLC option as well as other little tweaks, but LittleBigPlanet as a series is no stranger to patches (literally and figuratively, what with the sack/fabric motif) and as an avid fan of the franchise, neither am I.  As it was installing, my anticipation was at its peak and the point where I started playing the game was all the better for it.

The game is, in a word, LittleBigPlanet.  Having played 2 not too long ago, it's like I'm playing it again, except there's all new levels.  And that is -good-.  Impressive, even, considering that the series on PS3 is quite pretty to look at, if for the fairly distinct style it carries, but for also the overall 'look' of it.  That is pretty much captured nicely on the Vita with no real substantial area in which it is lacking that I can point out or identify.  The gameplay, much like the visuals, is distinctly fitting in the series' last offerings while adding in its own flair that I will get to in a moment.  That does mean, for better or worse, that it is still a LittleBigPlanet game, and if the controls have bugged you in the past, this game will likely do nothing to change that.  For my part, though, I never, -ever- got the controls complaints and I very much doubt that I will ever understand them, since, after playing other platformers who had their controls described as wonderful and disliking them, I am convinced that my definitions and my expectations are just different.

Yes, being a Vita game, there are touch-based controls for many things, some of them being mandatory.  And yes I get that some people hear that and instantly look for the nearest table to upend, but seriously, do not worry about it.  When done right, touch-based controls are simply natural, feeling like they deserve a place in line next to the X button and down on the D-Pad and such.  And make no mistake, they are certainly done right in LBPV from my semi-limited experience with the game.  You can interact with a few bits and bobs of the environment here and there in pretty natural ways - in the actual 'tutorial' bit for it, you have a block that you can take from a ledge and put it down as a step for your Sackboy to jump on to progress. 

But it's not a simple 'you touch, it does this' process in that you can...kind of just do whatever you want with items that you can pick up and move as that.  Even crushing your sackboy with it or, if you have a very steady hand, carrying them on the platform.  This type of usage is expanded on with spring platforms that allow you to pull it down to launch Sackboy up, rather than having to do those timed jumps some of you might remember from similar platforms in earlier games.  (Like the Wedding section in the first, remember how much of a pain that could be?)  Later examples show off the pushblocks which can be pushed in or out using the front and rear touch screens that will provide passage depending on their usage.  In one, you push back a wall to get by it, move forward jump up and then push it back out to serve as a bridge.  It does not feel forced, awkward, or anywhere near out of place, considering the 'universe' it's in.

Something that I certainly do want to touch on (ha!) before I forget is something that specifically has an all-new sort of excitement welling up in me.  You see, it seems that after beating a boss, you are granted access to one of the levels in The Arcade, which features, from what I can tell, something of greatly expanded-on Mini-games.  Mini-games that bring something into LBP that I have not seen in any fashion before and something that I've often lamented it lacks:  persistence.  Now, when I say persistence, I mean it in a game fashion, as in, you do something and it persists.  Specifically, the first Arcade game that is opened is Super Conductor, a puzzle game where you send a pulse from a source with the ultimate goal of getting it to where it needs to go, a task that leaves you to alter pipes and such as it goes.  If I'm believing right, it has 20 levels to it, and I'm stuck at....17 or something.  The thing that I am excited for is the fact that when I open LBPV up again and go back into the Super Conductor level, all of my progress is still there.  Levels 1-16 are still beaten.

It seems like a little thing to laud, but it's really not, considering that it's more or less something that hasn't, likely couldn't, be a part of LBP in the past.  I'm not even really sure how they manage it - if there's some sort of special programming that cannot be done with the creator (which would make me sad) or if it's just an honest-to-sack new ability that the game has managed to include in the editor.  But if it's in there, it's going to be huge for people not content to make levels that intend for you to get from A to B once and maybe do over again with a sticker that you only get at the end to open a second path.  Because it means that you'll be able to take these elements already provided, the 'overhead camera' for isometric-type games, the sackbots, and make a true, actual game, which has been the mantra of the series since 2, building on the idea that you were merely making 'levels' in the first.  I am highly skeptical that it's something available to us, but only because I'm tempering my hope, since I cannot imagine what people could do with persistence on top of the other amazing things that have been made in LBP and LBP 2 already.

LittleBigPlanet Vita Officially Coming September 25

Can you hear the hype train?  You should, because the hype train has officially fucking arrived, my friends, and I'll be riding that train til September 25th when it brings me back home with a copy of LittleBigPlanet Vita that will probably not leave my Vita for a good clip of time, or if it does, simply for small bits here and there assuredly.  Assuming you're a faithful reader, or can take a hint from the "LittleBigThings" post tag on the right side (I really should update those....), you realize that I am a huge LittleBigPlanet follower; I just friggin' love the franchise in ways that would make my family members and my ex jealous of.  So to -finally- have a release date as an official thing brings me immense satisfaction, and is honestly just a good thing which I have rather needed lately.  But I'll get into that on another day or not at all since whatever, this is about happy news, excitement or other such things.  Which finally having a release date for LBP Vita is all of those things, certainly.

Unlike several others, apparently, my Vita has not been at a lack for games, though admittedly it's not all been Vita-specific gaming I've been doing on it in the fleeting moments that I have actually managed to play it, rather than dealing with -things-.  Between Treasures of Montezuma Blitz, Gravity Rush and the handful of PSP games I've spoken of (As well as Hexyz Force which I haven't truly gotten around to talking about because I haven't actually played it all that much yet) to make no mention of the upcoming Sound Shapes which I'm sure will be a steady play-every-now-and-again game when I want to have some fun with music, I'm pretty covered in regards to Vita gaming, and this is, of course, without dipping into other things that I really want (Touch My Katamari, Mortal Kombat Vita, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection to name a few), so I don't really get the "Hurr, about time, Vita needs games, etc" rhetoric flying around beyond the obvious fact that a lot of games are nice to have.  But not apparently vital, if you look at the 3DS library against its sales, but hey Nintendo is special blah blah.  Still, the game is a more than welcome addition for reasons that are fairly obvious at this point, I'm sure.

Just to help, however, I would like to point out that the creator used in LittleBigPlanet Vita is apparently quite close to the one used in LittleBigPlanet 2, so you will have access to that wonderful complexity in the palms of your hands.  Or at least, it's confirmed that you can make movies in LBPV, which requires Sackbots and Microchips at bare minimum which are, again, the rather complex things LBP2 has to offer in terms of the creator.  Having not spent a lot of time with it in LBP2, or at least, not a lot that I could remember, and the fact that there will be new additions to play to the Vita's controls means that it will likely be a little daunting at first, but I think it's quite a bit easier to commit to given the portability factor, as I find myself a little lost with my Vita whenever I don't have an internet connection (either because I don't have power for six days, the router explodes or, like a normal person, I'm simply away from my home) but this certainly gives me something to do whenever regardless.  If I'm not doing things that don't require internet, of course, like....playing the other games and such.  It...made more sense in my head, I assure you, and I hope you get what I'm getting around, which was mostly that the creator mode will likely just be fun to mess around with to learn it, which I haven't honestly done a whole lot of with the previous games.

It's honestly one of those times where I'm just too excited (perhaps overly so, admittedly) where I can't even really think of much constructive to say.  I could mention in an off-handed fashion that pre-ordering it seems to give access to two Costume packs (maybe, there seems to be a little mixed signalling going on at the moment) one of which is a Bioshock-themed costume set with a Big Daddy and Little Sister that look....just fantastic.  It's a little thing, certainly, but I can imagine what interest it might have to -some- people who might catch this, so I wanted to point it out, if just to tempt, even a little.  I am doing my duty as a LBP lover with that, at least, since I certainly want this game to succeed.  I can't see it being a -bad- game by any measure which hopefully isn't going to be jinxing the thing.  I haven't heard any impressions from the Beta which I unfortunately didn't get in on (I would've loved it) and probably won't pay attention since I...really don't care what some random person says about a game I have an interest in.  Like random youtube people talking about the Private Beta for Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.  When you do ever trust Random Youtube Person?  Never.

Hopefully we start getting some story trailers or creator videos or something as it comes closer to release, since I should like to talk about it again between now and release, but I'll need something resembling content to do so.  Speaking of content, with any luck LittleBigPlanet Vita won't follow in the footsteps of Resistance:  Burning Skies and disable the screenshot function since....well, that would just be a silly thing to do.  If it -doesn't- disable that, then I'll be able to take pictures and it'll be that much easier to talk about things on here, as in things that I make in the creator because I will actually probably make things.  If just a prototype or what have you of my 'real-time' day/night tool that probably will not work but it would be totally cool if it did.  It's a thing to try, at the very least, and if nothing else, I can try out just making basic things, like a 'house' level if you will to store links to levels that I -actually- make eventually maybe hopefully.  Levels that I will totally make, maybe, I don't know.  I guess I'll just wait til I actually have the game and get to have all sorts of fun with it first.

Creativity Is a Churnin'

So, for as much as this is "yet another LittleBigPlanet Vita" post, this will actually not be so much -about- LittleBigPlanet (Vita or otherwise), but rather creating something from nothing.  Partly because I'll be talking more about an idea I have and the way I could likely work it with the tools, which I plan on trying of course, and partly because I don't even mention it so much as making an LBP level/game, so much as it's just something conceptual that you could just repurpose for some other type of programming of the like.  Which is all a fancy way of saying that this is going to be another one of those posts where I nerd on for a bit and make less and less sense as I go along, but at least this time it's not with numbers.  Still, if this isn't your cup of tea, and I can understand why it might not be, then maybe move along for tonight and check back to see if I have something more interesting to talk about.

So, back before we knew what Project Happiness was going to be on I had high hopes of being able to play it on my Vita because for Harvest Moon-type dealies, I'm basically stuck with picking up Innocent Life which I already have played a bit, Harvest Moon:  Boy & Girl which I also own and played the hell out of when it was called Harvest Moon 64, or Harvest Moon:  Hero of Leaf Valley, which is one of the "you have an endgame" types that I don't particularly care for in my chill game.  It is not exactly the library I'm looking for, especially when playing one on the Vita would cost $15 where I've already bought and played the two that interest me.  And knowing that, I sighed and told myself, "Well, if only I could make my own Harvest Moon game.  But, ha, what's coming out that let's me make thi-Oh My God, LittleBigPlanet."

And on just that conceptual level, it sort of works, even, because you can shift the 'camera' to a top-down view, ala Harvest Moon games with a little wizardry, and you can certainly create a big, enjoyable area to explore, as well as make NPCs to hang about and do things.  Of course, when you get in a little deeper, you start to see where the overall idea at least wrinkles, if not completely folds.  Harvest Moon works on a day-to-day, Morning-to-Night cycle that actively -runs- the game, as there are things you can only do on certain days, as well as certain time-frames within which you have to work.  On top of that, the big thing is growing your own crops, raising your own animals, and befriending the locals, even to romance one of the ladies (or men if you're playing as a girl) to actually make a 'fulfilling' life for your character.  And just that on its own makes it rather difficult to envision even any one of those aspects working, much less all of them.

As you can see by my lovely bit of concept scribbled out on a couple post-its, I have put a little beyond basic thought into this which is 10x the amount of thought one -needs- to put into something like this.  Because it is likely a fool's errand, but regardless, there it is.  The first bit is me posing a question to myself that I don't really know the answer to/have been too lazy to look up, in wondering just if the Day-Night tool can be set to slowly cycle through Day and Night or if it's a switch that means it goes from one time to another and perhaps back at the flip of that switch.  Obviously, the idea there would be to time it out so that you have something resembling 'real-time' (in game terms at least) so that every pass from day to night to day takes X amount of time, maybe 12 minutes.  Then, when you have that figured out, and this is the bottom part of the first post-it, you have a wheel with seven sensors on it to roll at the particular rate/speed with which it will pass.  So 24 minutes pass and that's enough time to take the sensor from 'Monday' to 'Tuesday'.

Then, if you're working on a timeline that is constant, 'programming' your NPCs becomes that much easier, since you have a set time-frame with which each one of them works within.  I don't know the finer points of how you can set your NPC/Sackbots behaviors, but I know it involves Microchips and you can 'record' actions for them, not only as standard (say, a patrol route) but as well as reactionary (the player getting within a certain distance of them) and with a little remapping via those Microchips, you could technically set up something that is like "Press X to talk" for your character's sackbot that will only function within a certain vicinity of one of these Sackbots.  And on the opposite end of the spectrum, with microchips, you can make sure the Sackbot has something to say upon being talked to.  Potentially with triggers, you could make sure that they have -two- things a day to say and default to the second thing after the first has been said so you don't just stand there and hear "Oh hi, great day today!" again and again.

And as you can see, the second Post-it is me trying to think out just how you could potentially partition up a Microchip or perhaps even have Microchips within microchips that would govern behavior based on the day that the sensor reads.  Like, being able to make NPC 1 go from Point A to Point B on Monday, but making that same NPC go from Point A to Point C on Tuesday....but far more complex than that, of course.  That's proof-of-concept thinking at least.  The way it would work is simply by tying each Microchip to the day sensor which only trips when it's active.  Considering you can only have one day sensor active at a time, it would potentially work, I think.  At least, I can't conceive of a reason why it -wouldn't- work unless you simply can't do Microchipception with chips inside of chips inside of chips.  I guess I'll find out when I grab the game on Vita since the tools are more or less supposed to be the ones from 2 plus some Vita-specific ones to take advantage of the touch screens and the like.

Of course, the thing about a version of Harvest Moon on LittleBigPlanet that I didn't realize until I had thought about all of the above for -far too long-, is that it simply won't work on principle.  This is because the whole point of Harvest Moon is to have a persistent world/game which is something that LittleBigPlanet simply cannot offer in the creation of a level/game/what-have-you.  It starts and ends at definite points upon being opened and is not something that you can drop in/drop out of on a whim after a save.  The only thing I could imagine to combat that would be a password system but that would be....yet another level of complexity that I cannot even comprehend.  Because the most 'simple' version I could come up with would be having everything down to statistics and assigning a letter/number to everything depending on your progression.  As in, if you were getting cozy with this NPC, that's "X" level, whereas if you haven't even talked to this NPC, that's "Y" level.  With as many things in such a game (number of animals, crops, etc.) that would get quite lengthy and you just would get people who don't care enough to enter a password -that long-.

Still, it got the creative juices flowing and that is definitely a good thing.  LittleBigPlanet isn't the only thing in those terms that I've been thinking about, but I'll save those for another day.  Since I've rambled on and on enough about this and taken far too long to do so.  Still, it's nice to actually have -something- to present that makes me look like I actually think about things instead of parroting off information as well as my opinion.  I mean, obviously, I have more than just that type of post but sometimes I really just like....well, it's not like I'm teaching anything, but that I'm putting something out there.  With any luck, I'll be able to pull this off as a proof of concept for...perhaps not a Harvest Moon type of game, but -something- of that sort.  Because I'm figuring if my derpiness can create something like this, the geniuses out there can take the idea and make it shine.  We'll see!

LittleBigThings: LittleBigPlanet Vita Beta Sign-Ups Live!

You all know I loves me some LittleBigPlanet, so a chance to play it early and free (legally) is a chance that I am entirely too enthralled with trying for to pass up.  And such a chance is available now, with the LittleBigPlanet Vita Beta sign-up form that was so conveniently offered.  It's rather light on details of course, but if the recent printed publications are anything to go by (Playstation:  The Official Magazine and Game Informer) then that June release date for LittleBigPlanet Vita is more firm than I would like (yet at the same time I love it since it's not too far off), so the window for an effective Beta period is shrinking.  Still, nothing's set in stone and we'll just have to see when it's officially announced, patiently or otherwise.

The sign-up form couldn't be easier:  "What's your basic info (Email, PSN, DoB)?  What LBP games have you played before?  Do you have a Vita?  Have you ever created and shared a level in a LittleBigPlanet game?"  That's it.  Literally, those are the only things required; it takes somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple minutes and can, thankfully enough, be filled out -on- a Vita's internet browser as I found out.  Since I saw it on LiveTweet and simply -had- to do it right then before I forgot.  Which reminded me about the handy little exploit you can use with LiveTweet and the Internet Browser - If you open a page through LiveTweet, it'll open the Web Browser and go to the site....whether you have a game active or not.  So you can search whatever you want in that one window, but of course, tabbing out of it and then trying to re-enter will provide the "The Following Applications Must Close" screen, so you better get the info you want and make sure you know it as it's not exactly quick reference.

It's a strange prospect to me, that of being involved in a Beta of a game, since while I have been in quite a few, I never really had anything of an attachment to them.  I was in the Beta for Uncharted 2's Multiplayer mode, both Modnation Racers Betas (PS3 and PSP) and the Invite-Only Playstation Home Closed Beta (which seems a little cheapened now that it's been in open beta for...years.) off the top of my head, and with respect to the games mentioned, I've never cared much to the end of it or beyond.  Outside of my strange obsession with Home that has admittedly died out after the bad situation I had with it months back, meaning that I haven't gone back to it since.  Still, I find myself wanting to hop back into it every now and then to sate my decorating needs, or even hoping that something similar will come out for the Vita, but that's neither here nor there.

LittleBigPlanet Vita's Beta, should I get into it, will likely be the first Beta I get into that'll really leave a lasting impression on me.  I say this all the time when it comes to LittleBigPlanet-related things, but I really, really intend to make use of the Level maker with this and since I'll have no worries about using it for an extended period of time, as well as being able to use it whenever I want, I'm sure I can squeeze in some actual work into it.  Even if I don't, I'll be rather delighted just to get the actual game when it comes out and work with it and, thankfully, the Vita Snapshot feature will offer a little incentive for me, odd as that might sound.  I think that being able to actually throw down some Behind-the-scenes shots here easily would be something that will give me that little kick of incentive to keep at it.  As well as being able to just sort of share work with others to get advice perhaps.  I see a lot of potential for lasting appeal with the Vita version of the game, is what I'm getting at, and I sincerely hope that everyone else sees that as well, considering what an important franchise it is to me.

LittleBigThings: Start Your Engines!

The above image, showing off Racing, one of the new styles of games you could make in LittleBigPlanet 2, might have been fore-telling something yet to come as LittleBigPlanet Karting is officially a thing, though details beyond that are scarce.  Literally, that's about all we know about it, as in we're not even sure on a developer just yet, but we're promised details of these things "soon", whenever that is.  This all follows some rumors that started towards the start of the week stating that LittleBigPlanet Karting was a thing and might even have some sort of Move integration, going so far as to having a Move Wheel peripheral mimicking that of the Wii Wheel used for Mario Kart.  I honestly don't like the idea of that, nor do I really have an idea of just how that would work (the Move Wand has a more organic, thus harder to mold, shape and the whole ball thing too), but I honestly wouldn't be surprised by it at this point.

You might be wondering, just as everybody else, "Why LBP?  Modnation Racers already exists!"  In fact, Chance wondered this exact thing and it is a really, really valid wonder to have.  I myself had it at first, but I had a little think about it, and I've got at least an idea of what could be the reason behind it all.  Just bear with me here for a moment.  The original Modnation Racers was made for PS3 as we all know, by a little studio called United Front Games who, as you might also know, has been a little busy lately.  Modnation Racers was initially something that a lot of people were looking forward to...until they got to play the Beta.  Gripes about controls instantly came out and even with some tweaking, the general opinion of the internet was a little unfavorable.  I'm sure it didn't set the sales charts on fire, despite all you could really do with it unfortunately, and the end result is that I don't think it's been seen as a 'franchise to look out for', like some of the other things the PS3 has that have started on the PS3 itself.

Then you have the PSP version that did even worse, mostly by virtue of it being a PSP game, which certainly didn't help the brand along at all.  That version and the up-coming Modnation Racers:  Road Trip for the Vita were done by SCE San Diego rather than United Front Games, so it just sort of reeks of "We already made this, might as well try and get it to sell." despite never really getting a lot of chatter.  Being that it's been a while since Modnation Racers came out, it's probably about time for a proper sequel to it, but the originators probably aren't too fussed at doing one and a sequel is likely a bit too much work for SCE San Diego who aren't really known for doing a whole lot aside from the criminally underrated Mark of Kri.  So if you can't do a sequel of a not-so-hot game, but still want to have another new racing game that has a broad appeal, what do you do?

Take the concept that worked (The Race, Create, Share philosophy that UFG put out there to mirror LBP's own Play, Create, Share), add it to a franchise that worked (LittleBigPlanet) and hope for success.  Everyone sort of looked at Modnation Racers as the "LittleBigPlanet" of kart-racing anyways, so why not make it official, yeah?  Sackboy already has a fairly broad appeal, as far as audiences go which is almost money in the bank right off, and the natural linking with making, tinkering with your own courses, racer and kart only makes it seem like more of a perfect fit.  Really, if it weren't for Road Trip coming out, Modnation Racers would probably be out of the general mindset already, so LittleBigPlanet Karting would be a little easier to accept.  LBP Karting even has Modnation Racers as an example case to look at; take the good, leave the bad.  As it stands, it just seems like the next step up if you sort of take apart all the ideas and look at them separately.

We'll see how it works out when the eventual reveal comes out, likely sooner rather than later.  I expect to see some footage of it by E3 and hopefully whoever's developing it (I doubt it's going to be Media Molecule, but we'll see) will be able to work something out with MM for some type of integration.  Figuring on the racers themselves being Sackboys and girls that you can customize, I'd hope we would be able to import our favorites from LBP 1 and 2 in to design karts around, rather than having to start from scratch - especially if they're planning on selling costumes for other Sony Franchises (as they did with Modnation and LBP both) to prevent having to double-dip for a Cole Sackboy racer.  (Which yes, Cole can't drive, blah blah, let me dream, okay?)  Here's hoping for at least a developer reveal in the coming week or so, since I'm pretty interested at face value.

LittleBigThings: I Think Sony Likes It Too

Mostly because they keep acquiring the developers involved with the games.  Last year, Media Molecule became a Sony First-Party Studio, and now Double-Eleven has signed an exclusive deal with Sony, ensuring they'll be around to fuel the Vita on (and possibly do something for PS3, if they so choose) for quite some time.  While not being wholly bought like MM, this is still something to ensure Double-Eleven will be around to show some support to the LittleBigPlanet franchise.  I couldn't be happier, of course, since this means my addiction will be fueled one way or another.

I admit, I was a bit worried when I heard Media Molecule is 'taking a break' from LBP, since, even though it is well-deserved, it means at worst, no LBP game for a while or another, possibly-unfamiliar studio mucking about with it.  Though, for whatever reason, Double-Eleven inspires confidence in me; confidence that I will decide whether or not it's placed well when I have LittleBigPlanet Vita in my hands.  From the looks of the game so far, however, I'm not seeing a whole lot wrong.  I don't even really know how you can muck up the game!

....Aside from doing what LittleBigPlanet PSP did, by cutting out the Multi-player, dropping out of post-release support early, taking major short-cuts with the design tool, and hampering the gameplay by taking out three whole layers of play.  (Two 'thin' layers and a 'walking' layer, I believe.  Possibly only one 'thin' layer.)  But even then, LittleBigPlanet PSP was fun!  Somewhat forgettable and frustrating at times, but fun nonetheless.  I'll have to dig it out again sometime and do a run through some more of the levels, see if I can't pick up the last bit of those items, since, without multi-player, the only obstacle in getting them is finesse which I appreciate greatly.

I should clarify before I end the post:  LittleBigPlanet PSP was quite wonderful, and I enjoyed my romp around with it.  Anyone who was eying it as one of their Welcome Back freebies was doing themselves a service; doubly-so if they got it.  But we all know that we quickly become spoiled with things, so when said things are missing, we tend to get a more harsh view of the overall product.  So when I couldn't sit down with LittleBigPlanet PSP's creator and make something with the ease of use as the PS3 version, I did get a bit put-off.  And some of the platforming levels are, quite frankly, balls-out difficult to Ace, to the point where I'm not sure I'm capable of doing so.  However, the charm was there and that's more or less what you want from a LittleBigPlanet game so, more or less, they accomplished their goal.

LittleBigThings: Squeenix Finally Does Something

Remember waaaaaaaaaay back in the beforetimes of 2008, when both Old Snake and Sephiroth were shown off in LittleBigPlanet to show off third-party support with the game, via costume and level packs?  Remember when Old Snake got his time in LBP, via the first and likely biggest Level/Costume/Tool pack and we all loved it?  Sure you do; it brought us hours of fun with the Paintinator and the ability to dress up like MGS4 Snake to recreate our favorite moments from the game.  Er....just me?  Well...well, alright then.

Remember when Squeenix's pack showed up?  No?  Well, that's because it never did.  Which is only finally being fixed now.  Coming out next week, on July 13th, (which is a day after Catherine's demo is to go up, apparently, maybe it's a special update?  Or maybe someone's got the dates tossed up  Update!:  Actually, it's the blogpost that's tossed up.  I imagine they copied it wholesale from the EU Blog and just changed the currency signs.) is the Final Fantasy 7 Costume pack, including Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Vincent and of course, Sephiroth for $5.99.  That's right, it's just a costume pack.  It took Squeenix three years to get their costumes done well enough and go through MM's methods to get them in the LittleBigPlanet universe.  Which....well, that's right on target with Squeenix Time.  (Not quite as long as Valve Time, but quality is not assured.)

The Costume pack is part of a line of them ready for the rest of the month that actually started just today with the above inFamous 2 Cole Costume.  (Also available in Evil Cole flavor as well as including some stickers)  Following FF7 is a Killzone 3 pack which will also have two costumes and stickers for the same price as the inFamous 2 pack of $2.99.  After that, sometime, will be the Toy Story pack with costumes -and- levels (and likely stickers as well), to be followed sometime by a Motorstorm Apocalypse pack of some sort.  Not to mention the Playstation Move-themed Pack which will be out sometime....soon-ish?  Yeah, let's go with soon-ish.

I am an absolute whore for LittleBigPlanet themed things, so I'm not too particularly ashamed to admit a good bit of these things will be mine.  (Definitely the FF7 and inFamous 2 things, as well as the original inFamous costumes)  In my defense, I will remind everyone that the costumes will be compatible with the Playstation Vita version of the game as well, which we all know I will be playing the shit out of.

LittleBigThings: Vita News and a Blast from the Past

As we all learned today, LittleBigPlanet Vita is being developed by Double11 Studios in conjunction with Tarsier studios who has worked on the console versions of both LittleBigPlanet games as well.  It would be nice to be able to link to their Wikipedia page here, but apparently they aren't big enough for one.  So all we have to go on is the fact that Double11 Studios was formed by Ex-Rockstar employees (according to Joystiq) and y'know?  That's probably enough.  Everyone was pretty delighted with the game at E3, and the idea that they're working with people with experience with the series, I'm sure we'll end up with something of a delight.  Hopefully, it'll end up being a bit better on the technical side than LittleBigPlanet PSP, though it's entirely possible that is will.

Speaking of LittleBigPlanet PSP, I finally cashed in my Welcome Back rewards today from PSN and picked LBP PSP as one of my PSP games because, well, a digital version will be nice when Vita rolls around.  I thought I was being clever by waiting to activate it towards the end of the month so I'd get two months worth of Playstation Plus content to browse through (Which, I think, will mostly work), and all the store issues would be cleared up and I'd be able to just claim my free games like that.  That was not the case!  And, in fact, I had to go about the method illustrated here to get them, which was a bit bothersome, but they're all in my download list, ready for me whenever I, and my internet, are ready for them.

I can't think of a smooth transition to type here, so, fuck it:  we're gonna talk about my LittleBigPlanet levels yet again.  As always, the above is my level I made a while back, Journey's Fall, and the reason I bring it up tonight, is for the fact that the other night, I stumbled across the notebook I had way back when I was planning it, with the notes for it, the blank page for JF2, and the notes I drew up for a Saw-themed level which, hey, I might just actually make.  Because I actually do have quite a bit for it done already (conceptually, of course), and I just like the Saw franchise that much.

Essentially, the level will drop the Sackboy (or girl) into a fairly identifiable area for the series (Not that I'm going to recreate an area, just the trademark look, hopefully) and begin with the normal Jigsaw doll in the TV.  I'm working with Cinematic Cameras currently so hopefully I'll be able to -really- work them out and have them for that part if nothing else.  The general theme that Jigsaw lays out is that you, the Sackboy (or girl) are there because of something a good majority of the people on LBP could generally be there for, the 'crimes' of the community:  Heart4Hearting, Purposefully/Maliciously One-Starring (Or, now, Sad-Facing), False Grief Reporting, and Poor Teamwork Skills.  So the first step, like other helpful programs, is to admit your problem, your 'crime'.

I'm not sure if I want to just have the player tackle only one, or just throw them into a gauntlet of all four, because, hey, the player could be guilty of any combination of all or none of what's presented; and it's not like it matters in the grand scheme of things.  While perhaps not original (Unfortunately, I've seen my share of Saw-based levels and I don't think any of them ranked above poor) I'm hoping I can put some work into it to make it really shine.  Once I get a more solid layout drawn out, I may even post it here (either edit it into this post and then remark about it on my Twitter to lead you back) or just make a new LittleBigThings article.

Who knows, maybe the Journey's Fall Remake might actually have been worked on by then!  (Spoiler:  It will be.)

LittleBigThings: Water water everywhere...

So I finished the Pirates of the Caribbean DLC today, though, unfortunately did not get everything.  Not only is there a nigh-arbitrary x2 section in one of the levels, later on there is an even more arbitrary x4 section in the same level.  I'm not sure if I care enough to bother for them, honestly.  I got what was important out of the pack already:  The Water.

Awww yeah.  We wanted it, we got it.  Mostly.

Before this, you were merely stuck with using glass and/or poisonous gas in varying shades of blue to depict "water" in your levels, and even as is, it's not entirely optimal, as it's merely a switch that floods the level, but to a degree you adjust, and one that can be altered on the fly with switches.  Still, it works; you swim in it, they give you a scuba pack if you want to put that up, ensuring that you won't drown, or you can add bubble stations to recharge the 30 second air limit.  Not a concept any of us should be unfamiliar with, certainly.

Quality-wise, I'm not sure what I think of the PotC levels and, in fact, I was trying to think while playing it, since I knew I was going to report it here.  The levels retain a charm that is distinctly LBP, one that you can't mimic without flaw, but the actual enjoyment of the levels is middling.  Not unenjoyable, but not exactly fun.  Not difficult, but you don't manage to simply walk through every level and get an ace.  Especially the boss-fight, which, on first attempt, befuddled me as to how I would even manage to ace it, seeing that it seems very nearly random regarding your chances.

This is part of the Kraken fight.  The part with the tentacles.  Clearly.

It's very very near lazy, I'm loathe to admit.  You are on the boat, and there's four cannons on it, the second tier requiring you to grab something on a piston to get to.  Said piston might also shield you from the flaming cannonballs that the enemy ships shoot into your ship from the top.  Of course, they might drop the cannonballs directly onto your little stuffed head as well.  With the space as cramped as it is, it's hard to prevent such a fate, and instead, better to simply hope it doesn't befall you.

The bossfight's pattern is rather simple; it starts with you between two ships.  They shoot cannonballs at you, you can use the cannons to destroy them, but there's little point beyond points (possibly, I don't even remember if you get any for sinking a ship), as, at certain points, they'll move off to let the Kraken's tentacles come up from the briny depths to wiggle threateningly at you, and sometimes encroach on the ships borders, killing you if you happen to be in line with their destination.  No projectiles, no real impact, just a line of poison gas behind the tentacle that is sure to hit you if you're not far ahead of it.  The point is to use the cannons to destroy them, of course.  The balls have sensors that dissolve the green bits as they pass by, and you need to dissolve the top and a good amount of the sections beneath that before it's defeated.  You have to do this twice per stage, as there's two tentacles at all times.  And you have to do this three times.  Three sets of two, if I didn't make that clear.

When you defeat them, the enemy ships swoop back in and shoot at you until they stop and another attack of the tentacles occurs.  And then when you beat that, you just have to go to the scoreboard.  It manages to be wholly underwhelming despite the significance you might think it would have, given that it's a Disney/MM colab.  And honestly, that's mostly the problem; despite it being the Pirates of the Caribbean DLC Pack, if there were none of the licensed stickers or the costumes, you wouldn't know the difference.  It is very generically 'Pirate' which almost didn't really strike me until now.

Still, at no point was I specifically annoyed or disappointed with the pack.  I may focus on the fact that at no point was I specifically enjoying it either, they both deserve an equal say.  If you want Water and any and all chances for new materials and the like, having the Pirates pack won't do you a disservice.  But if you're not much of a creator or don't really think you need the tools, it's a safe pass.

LittleBigThings: Of Contemplation and Exectuion

As I've lamented about before, Create Mode in LittleBigPlanet (as a series, not just one specific game) is wonderfully open, in my case, entirely too open.  It's been said by many gamers that, presented with a sandbox, the first thing they do is freeze with the possibilities, because here they are, playing a game like they have done before; but in this one, rather than being presented with a clear path, say a long corridor in a building, or a more vague "Here's point A, there's point B, get there" over a large map, tools are thrust in their hands and before them lies a canvas, with only the gentle encouragement from the developers to guide them.

"Go ahead," they say.  "Do what you want.  Make what you want to make; express yourself."  Much like that Art Teacher in High School that simply hated being stuck to a curriculum and felt better things would come from less structure, the developers of these sandbox games expect you to derive more enjoyment out of being able to do what you want, rather than what they want you to do.  And by in large, they're right, but that doesn't make the prospect any less terrifying.  Because, as is the natural order of things, once you have managed to buckle down and put yourself to that canvas, to create, truly, what you wanted to create, another push is given, still caring in nature, after all they're just trying to help you. 

"Now show it off.  Be proud of what you've done."  Bless these people, all they want is for you to have a little fun with yourself, and to let others see your interpretation of fun, they want to help you help others.  But damned if it isn't difficult to do, knowing that the second step is there beforehand.  Because, at least I believe that we, as a people, not just the small percentage that enjoy games, have a nature entirely counter to that.  We like to think what we like, enjoy what we like, but we know that there are others who think completely counter to us and, when there is a conflict of opinion, there tends to be other conflicts.  Most people tend to, in general, try to avoid conflict!

As such, as I believe it goes, the first instinct of being frozen when presented with the opportunity to show off in front of others, is natural.  Unfortunately so, as the general line-of-thought goes "I make this, I show this, people hate it." and then that comes back around to making something in the first place.  Obviously, this doesn't affect everybody, seeing that there's, oh, around 3,500,000 levels out there playable by LittleBigPlanet 1 and 2.  But I do know that it affects me, as I've mentioned, which means that of the five levels I started and gave an actual try with on LBP, one got actually finished and published.  And, again as I've said, it's not the best, but I'm proud of it for not only being done by me, but for the fact that it's actually helped a little in getting over this train of thought.

Whether you realize it's because there'll always be 'worse' levels, or because that you honestly don't care what anyone thinks of your level, or what have you, the thing to realize is that whatever you create has the potential to be great in someone's eyes who aren't your own.  If you find that, it makes all the anxiety and such worth it, because honestly, all we want is to have our work appreciated, right?  And I think that's pretty much the reason I'm feeling a bit more open about what I want to do with LittleBigPlanet 2, as far as level creation and hopefully will turn to this blog to offer updates and behind-the-scenes sorts of deals as I move forward.

To that effect, I will go ahead and set some goals I'd like to accomplish sometime before I put LBP2 down, not permanently, as I'll never be able to -not- find a chance to play the game, but do finally move on for other things on a more clear basis.  (The first time this will likely happen will probably be in March, where the ability to punch dudes in Yakuza 4 presents itself)  I would like to do something with Journey's Fall, not only as a level, but the series I had envisioned it as in the first place.  I've said it before, but there was a second level to complement the first, and a remake of the first in the works, both I hope to make happen, with likely a third to tie it all up.  I would also like to participate in at least two of the LBP2 competitions hosted by the new LBP2 thread over at Penny Arcade, depending on how many we actually go through.  I'm hoping quite a few, to boost the number of 'two' to a higher value.

If I can get that accomplished, I'll be satisfied.  If the end-products are actually good, I'll be happy.  So we'll see how it works out!

LittleBigThings - Bad News First

Oh noooooooo

So, as Joystiq's reported, plenty of people are suffering from an infinite loading glitch when playing online with pals.  I was hit by this earlier today, as was Kaseius, whom I was trying to play alongside.  It's a real shame, as aside from that, the netcode seemed more improved from the first game, honestly.  Hopefully they'll get that sorted out quickly, as they are aware of the problem and have a fix in the works, apparently.  The article states that a quick fix is to turn off your controller, wait for the level to load (it should, apparently, once the controller is off or shortly after) and then turn it back on and resume.

You can't stay mad at that face.

Happily, there is good news, though.  Plenty of it, in fact.  Not only, as I said, has the netcode improved from the last game, just about everything has improved over the last game.  The visuals are more striking, the characters are more defined, the levels are just that much more entertaining, and the tools, my word, the tools.  Short of some little issues with the Grappling Hook, which is a learning experience, rather than poor implementation, everything works just so well and feels so good and easy to pick up.  The problem with the Hook being that the whole of its controls are hogged onto the left-stick; you go up or down with up and down, left and right accordingly, which doesn't sound all that bad, honestly, but when mention comes up of having the shorten/lengthen inputs being changed, it's hard to not find yourself going, "Well, yeah that might work better, now that you say it."  

The past has shown us that this is just the very very beginning of LittleBigPlanet 2, no doubt MM is already hard at work with supplements to keep us all happy for a while to come.  And with what they've undoubtedly learned with the previous two games (LBP and LBPPSP), the sky is the limit on what to expect.  (Except anything from Squeenix.)

As for my personal experiences in LBP2, I've already completed the story mode, which wasn't too hard to do.  The difficulty is spot-on, so long as you're able to think things out for a moment.  Times when you contemplate going back through the level you've just finished, or that you're having difficulty with, to ace it, you may think to yourself, "Why, that's never going to happen", and then perhaps a minute later or so after thinking more, you just realize all the errors you made, and it becomes that much easier and possible.  I know that's how it happened with me at least; the last boss in the game is particularly punishing until you stop for a moment to recognize all his patterns.  (No pun intended, given the context of the game)

Do you know what's going on here?  Right, neither do I.

I'm not quite sure how far I'll get into the Create Mode.  I know I'll spend all the time in the world in it, but whether anything of worth is produced from it is the part that I'm just not convinced on.  The tools are spectacular, and perhaps it's just experience talking, but they seem a bit easier to use.  On the other hand, there's just so many, and the mere thought of me possibly understanding microchips (it's 99% intimidation, don't worry) is daunting at the very least.

That's me (In a Bomberman costume) swinging on the falling lights in my level, Journey's Fall.

If, or rather, when I do have a project in mind, I'll likely use this as an outlet to express my ideas and intents; hopefully putting it all down somewhere will help the process along a bit.  I did have quite a few levels started in the original, after all, they just simply never saw anything resembling completion.  Aside from Journey's Fall, that is.  And while I'm proud of Journey's Fall, as it was the only level that I made and published and it wasn't complete crap, quality it was not.  It was short, I didn't know much with the tools (Not that I'm some guru now, mind) so there's a lot of embarrassing little things strewn about, and the 'cool' thing of it at the end (A Jetbike) still ends up killing sackpeople about 50% of the time.  While I've begun tweaking it a bit, or at least I had, back in LBP1, I'm not sure I'm happy with putting it back out there with anything short of a full-on remake, though, which will almost be as difficult a task as any.  But it's always been an idea in my head, as has the sequel level to it.  (In fact, I had the framework of the sequel built up before I lost it, but it was not that bad of a loss)

Few games have the ability to make and keep me as excited as the LittleBigPlanet games do (note the present tense), which is why I'm happy to say that it's here to stay, on this blog and in my PS3.  My poor, poor backlog.