I'll be honest: I don't love LittleBigPlanet. I respect my game-reviewing brethren, but there are so many small issues (like control, jump precision, boring levels, terrible music) that keep me from loving it. It's more of a mild like for me. One thing I do love, though, is playing through user-created levels. It's like ever forum kiddie out there made a level about something they hated, and I find myself laughing out loud at some of the designs.
Unfortunately, some of the most "expressive" levels are being deleted, and from the way I look at it, Sony is deleting the only part of the game I like. So, in a selfish manner, I'm going to share these guidelines (found on CVG) for LBP level creation, so I'll actually have something to enjoy in the game.
Sony Computer Entertainment are committed to continually improving our moderation procedure and the methods of communication we use, in particular regarding the reasons that user complaints are upheld. In the meantime, here are some suggestions for all of our creators:
- Ensure that the content you share with other users is suitable for all ages - everybody has access to your level if you publish it
- Please respect other people's intellectual property rights. For example, don't use images, brands or logos that you're not entitled to use.
- If you come across any content that you feel the need to report, then please do it responsibly. Hoax reports will be considered inappropriate behaviour.
Ugh. I totally hate that this game is regulated so tightly, though I can appreciate the decision to do so. I don't know any 12-year-old PS3 owners, but I'm sure they're out there. Too bad there isn't some kind of age gate. As for using brands or logos, they're just covering their ass. Understandable. It's also too bad you can't just send levels privately between each other.
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site
Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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Contest:
9:44 AM on 11.13.2008
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If anything, this may well encourage more creativity. Folks loudly complaining that "I'M GONNA SELL MY COPY NOW" would do well to wait a bit, and perhaps be willing to take the plunge on a level that ISN'T another simple-minded attempt to make something they find familiar.
Apparently, there is private level sharing. From what I've heard, the levels with the locks on them are for private use only.
And yeah, the best levels are the ones Takeshi, ponyboy, Hapuken, and I can break and wreak havoc on.
Yeah I agree. I know people really like the levels based on other games but if that was all that was getting churned out by users, it would just come down to people trying to think of the next game they're gonna copy. It would be boring as hell.
It may encourage more creativity, but it betrays the 'build anything' mindset that the game is based upon.
But I guess this is a lesson for community based games, when you make the creation tools the selling point of the product and invest in supporting an online community for people to share those creations, expect to be censored and moderated by your lawyer fearing benefactors.
As someone who has been modding and mapping for computer games as a side hobby, I suppose this vindicates the much higher barrier of entry for that type of content creation.
The tools are often unpolished, difficult to learn and use, and offer no means of distribution beyond map sites and message boards, but at least you're utterly free to do whatever you want and infringe to your heart's delight, because the companies claim no investment or responsibility.
I still don't like this, but I guess you can't have it perfect either way.
Exactly. I like my LittleBig GameILove as much as the next guy, but simply allowing users to just churn out whatever it is they felt like remaking might actually stifle creativity in the long run, especially as the level counts reach the hundreds of thousands (over 84000 levels have been uploaded as of the above update). With every level a LittleBig Soul Calibur or a LittleBig Star Wars, people might not even bother looking up levels that AREN'T a remake.
Still love the game and the incredible creativity it allows (though I'll admit it's not for everyone--as is every game ever made) but I am a bit disappointed that more funds weren't devoted to smooth execution of the online aspects.
I'd remove it. Given the fact that they are actively deleting levels for branding, all it takes is one mod to see it and flag it for deletion and all your efforts are for naught.
I think it's really a shame that they want this user created content to be out there, and yet they knew this would happen. I think they should've made a judgment call long ago and removed PS-eye support for the game and just not done image support at all. It would've dealt a blow to the "creativity" of the game, but it would've kept a lot of this legal gray area from rearing it's ugly head.
If anything, this is going to make MS think long and hard about doing their own user created content game if this much infighting between users and moderators is the end result.
I can always count on you to give it to us straight. I felt the same way, that awkward jumping in LBP was a total buzzkill.
On a separate note, I'm happy to hear about your reservations about LBP in large Dale. I feel like too many people are ingnoring the fundamental flaws to extoll the larger picture. I dislike the jumping mechanics too, and find myself ONLY pulling LBP out when I have non-gamer company to entertain as a result of it.
What bugs me is things like colour palette, which is limited to an unacceptable degree. As evidence of this, I challenge anybody to create an item which is dark blue, without resorting to using the camera to create a dark blue sticker. It's not like I'm asking for some unusual colour like mauve or lilac - I'm talking about DARK BLUE, ffs! They don't want us to use copyrighted material? Fair enough - but why restrict us to about 5 different colours then? In this day and age, when most people are at least vaguely familiar with things like MS Paint, the lack of variety in the palette is astonishing. I'm also stunned that they don't have a "fill" tool - you know that one with the symbol which looks like a tin of paint, and allows you to fill a set area with a single colour? Not having an option like that in 2008 is absolutely pathetic....
Deleting 'age inappropriate' content because they didn't bother including age restrictions? Awesome.
Really, though, what place is there for "age restrictions" on content? It's solely out of people's desires to paste nudity based pictures and create levels that look like giant genitals. Big whoop. What's the appeal after playing Little Big Penis for the 12th time?
If there was some appeal to create more age restricted content through some other means than juvenile attempts at putting boobs in the game, I can see the benefit. As it is, you can't make the game gorier, you can't make the mood darker, you can't create much of an "adult" themed story since there really isn't one at all.
That pretty much leaves all the "adult" content squarely in the whole sex/nudity theme, which is rarely anything more than jokey levels and designs.
I challenge someone to create an "adult" themed level in this game that isn't reliant on creating a giant cock or pasting up PS-Eye pics of their GF in the level.
@brainderailment
Sounds awesome!
I was mainly thinking about Spore, last time I read anything about it, EA managed to give people a way to deal with penis monsters without a blanket ban on anything that might upset little Johnny and Jane.
And yes, when a towering, 80 foot tall dong comes wobbling over the horizon it does ellicit a chuckle, no matter how crude it might be :P
"I'll be honest: I don't love LittleBigPlanet. I respect my game-reviewing brethren, but there are so many small issues (like control, jump precision, boring levels, terrible music)"
boring levels? terrible music? are we playing the same game? Are there not enough space marines for you?
My anticipation for this game has weaned, and although i thought i would be spending tons of time playing it, i've only ended up mildly liking it and playing it once a week occasionally.
Parody levels probably would have been the most amusing. It's gameplay isn't that fantastic & it seems like its strongest selling point, creativity, is being squashed. I thought parody was protected from IP laws anyway.