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LittleBigPlanet - 'Catch-All' Hype & Information Thread (UK beta codes gogogo)

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
1ibk9x.jpg


This is a pre-release thread designed to act as a 'catch-all' for news, information etc. until closer to release when an official thread can be made. I got a request from another member to do this - there have been lots of LittleBigPlanet threads lately, and some expressed confusion, so I hope this thread can consolidate things together in one place. Lots of other upcoming Fall games are getting hype threads now too, so it's probably about time LBP did! The OP will update as we go along, and will probably see some more spit and polish.

LittleBigPlanet is a product with lots of layers, and this thread will try to reflect that, starting with the simple, the 'Little', and building up to the 'Big', a fuller understanding of LittleBigPlanet as a whole.

Latest Updates

Awesome vids from the Parsons LBP 24hr Jam, including the winner 'littlebigcolossus' - must see!

LBP has gone Gold!

It's also been announced that two new costumes will be available to download for free on the Playstation Store in the first week only:

2869844158_375b24c1a9.jpg


2869844186_e3d18a5ee7.jpg



TEH BETA!!

JP Playstation site has published details of a LBP beta!

http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/lbp/betainfo.html

Translation:

SolidSnakex said:
- Beta applications start on the 17th and run through the 23rd.
- Beta play starts on the 29th and runs through October 12th.
- 60k users will be picked (20k per region).
- Story mode and Create mode will be available for play.
- 950mb file.


News (in descending order)

Videos


The 'Little'

Basics

Developer: Media Molecule (and you)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS3
Players: 1-4
Release Date: 21 Oct (North America), 29 Oct (Europe), 30 Oct (Japan)​

Manual

If you wish to view it ahead of release, a PDF of the manual is available here.


Core Premise

Creative Gameplay. Multiplayer 2D side-scrolling platform/action/adventure/puzzle game carved in a craft-world aesthetic. 1-4 players locally or online or any combination in between. 50+ levels designed by Media Molecule for 'LittleBigStory'.

Some videos from LittleBigStory levels:

'Wheel of Doom' Pt 1
'Wheel of Doom' Pt 2
Elephant Temple
Tramampoline!
CES Fire Level Pt 1
CES Fire Level Pt 2
The Tundra Base
Edinburgh Gameplay with dissolving/spawning platforms
Tutorial Level
Garden & Cave Level
Dangerous Descent & The Construction Yard (With Boss)
The Wedding Reception
Meerkat Kingdom
'Japan' Level
'Skulldozer'

Controls

You control Sackboy. Sackboy is a burlap-skinned, button-eyed avatar that's both the star of game, and a game designer himself.

Left-stick - Move
Right-stick - Arm Movement (hold L2 and R2 for individual arm movement with both sticks)
X - Jump (tap for hop, hold for longer jump)
R1 - Grab
Tilt - Head Movement
D-Pad - Emotions (up: happy, right: angry, down: sad, left: nervous - press multiple times for more intense emotion)
Square - Show Popit

Though LittleBigPlanet is a 2D game, there are multiple depth layers in the world. 3 such layers can be navigated by Sackboy. Several other layers can be used for purely decorative purposes. Sackboy can move between layers by pushing up and down on the left stick to push in and out of the screen.


The 'Big'

LittleBigPlanet is not only a wonderful-looking standalone game. It is also a simple, but powerful creative tool and platform, aimed at providing an optimum tradeoff between accessibility and creative flexibility.

A tap of the square button reveals Popit - half thought-bubble, half kite, with which Sackboy can manipulate and design the world around him. He can place objects, resize them, reorientate them, reshape them, paint them, stamp them with stickers, design costumes and more. He can start with existing premade objects, or create new ones from scratch from fundamental shapes and building blocks. Dynamic behaviour and logic are added to objects via connectors and switches (see below for more).

Players can share their creations - whatever they may be - with the rest of the userbase via a system heavily influenced by 'Web 2.0' creative communities such as YouTube and Flickr. Players will be able to play with each others creations, 'heart' them if they like them, tag them, flag them for moderation if inappropriate and so on. Players will also be able to take and share in-game screenshots, that will automatically be tagged with players present in the shots. Media Molecule has talked about making these screenshots viewable online via a website, and shareable with RSS feeds. A reward system will highlight players' strengths in the areas of playing, creating and sharing, along with Trophy support. Media Molecule views LittleBigPlanet's release as just the beginning of a long-lived platform for user creativity, and they plan to fully support it and add to it based on community feedback.

The range of options in terms of what to create are entirely left to the player to choose. Some players may simply make new stickers, some might tinker with machines and contraptions, others with mini-games or whole levels and games. Some may indeed not make anything game related at all, and use LittleBigPlanet as a kind of physical website or space.

Popit

290ty7c.jpg


Popit is the menu system Sackboy uses to create things. There are two versions - a full version for the game's Create mode, and a more limited version for Play mode. In Play mode you can only customise your character and use stickers and decorations - this to avoid players using the more extensive editing and create tools to cheat in levels :)

To give you an idea of creative possibilities, the latest version of Popit includes the following building blocks to play with. The list is by no means exhaustive. Everything you use is mapped to physical objects in the world to aid with understanding and accessibility.

Materials

In your Goodie Bag is a section for Materials. A variety of materials to build with, from cardboard, to stone, to glass, to metal etc. You carve your materials using a range or provided shapes (such as circle, square, triangle, heart, cross, arrow etc.), a long with a cutting tool for deleting from your material.

Different materials have different physical properties. Some might be heavy, for example, and require multiple Sackboys to move. Materials can be glued to surfaces to prevent movement, or can use a special 'Dark Matter' material to hover. They can also have other properties applied to them (see Functions).

From the latest build, Quaz51 counts 137 different types of material, each with 20 shapes for modeling.

Stickers & Decorations

A plethora of images and decorative items to stick on object surfaces. This category also includes functionality to capture images from the Playstation Eye and embed them as stickers in your creations.

Costume Pieces

A wide variety of bits and bobs to attach to every part of your Sackboy, from hats to glasses to teeth to wigs and so on. In the latest videos there is mention of over 500 different costume pieces.

Backgrounds

Players can swap in and out different backgrounds, e.g. garden, street-scene and so on. Players can also adjust things like lighting and fog.

Connectors

String
Elastic
Spring
Piston
Motorised Bolt
Bolt
Rod
Winch
..

Explosives

Do what they say on the tin. Some materials are destructable.

Switches

Button - simple switch, press to activate
Two-way - a two position switch (e.g. a light switch)
Three-way - as two-way, but with a central position it springs back to when not in use (i.e. a lever)
Magnetic - a pair of switches, which act as lock and key. When brought together, it activates. Pairs are colour coded, you have to bring the right corresponding key to the switch to activate
Sticker - a switch which activates when stickers defined by you are applied to a surface
Proximity - a switch with customisable range that activates when Sackboy is within range
Grab - a switch that activates when grabbed

Switches are linked to the objects they are intended to activate by wires, which disappear when you switch from edit to play mode.

Functions

Fire - puts a material on fire. Fire doesn't spread from material to material, if you were wondering. Will singe a Sackboy..if in contact for too long will kill him.
Electricity - electrifies a material, electrocuting any wayward Sackboy
Ice - turns material to ice. With prolonged exposure can freeze and kill Sackboy.
Gas - turns material to poisonous gas
Dissolve - makes a material dissolve after a defined period.

Gameplay Kits

These include objects for defining the beginning of a level, the end of a level, start and end points for races, end-of-level leaderboards, respawn points and so forth.9

Audio Speakers

Want audio in your level? Then just add some speakers. Speakers can emit provided music or sound effects. They can be tied to switches to activate only under certain conditions. Multiple speakers can be used, each emitting a different part of a piece of music, allowing the player to control instruments used in the piece, for example.

Quaz51 has provided this snapshot of the Music Settings menu in the Popit, from the latest build:

2j177yh.jpg


It shows 22 songs, 8 pieces of interactive music (editable as described above), and 9 sound effects or type of sound effect.

Text Bubbles

You can pop up notes to players, or have NPCs 'talk' using text bubbles to which you can add..text.

Object System

When you create an object, you can package it up as a template to share with other users. You could embed the object in your level as a reward for players. This system scales from stickers to individual objects to whole levels. The idea here is to help people create things without having to reinvent the wheel. Some people might become well known for their vehicle mechanisms, for example, that others can take and build upon rather than starting themselves from scratch. A whole range of commonly useful mechanisms and contraptions are likely to spread throughout the community like this. Your Popit has a swag bag for storing all the stuff you collect.

Tweak Tool

This tool can be applied to a variety of things to give more detailed control over the properties of an object. For example, when applied to a motor-bolt it gives you options to adjust speed, strength, direction. Or when applied to rope, it allows you to adjust elasticisty, minimum and maximum length, strength (rope can break) and so forth.

Misc

Some things worth noting that don't neatly fit in to the above:

Spawning objects. It seems there is a way to set up an emitter for objects, including some level of randomisation. Videos have shown explosive bullets being spawned from 'cannons' in one level, and apparently random platforms spawning to create a path in another level.

Various other objects are available for use via Popit that fall under various categories, including cogs, wheels, rockets, helium baloons and lots more.

Some videos of various creations from the developers, the beta and showfloor players:

Leipzig Time-Lapse Vid Of People Making Stuff
More Leipzig Time-Lapse
Moving, Jumping, Firing Tank
Binary Machine
Flipper Tower
Music Machine
Rocket Car
Edinburgh Creation Pt 1
Edinburgh Creation Pt 2


Frequently Asked Questions

Can I chain levels together to form my own story?

Yes. When you create a level you are given a key for that level. You could embed it at the end of another level so that players who finish your level can then access the next. This system could also be used to make a hub for different levels, for example for a collection of levels in one 'game' or as a aggregator for levels you like etc.

Can Sackboy die?

Yes. Dangerous materials, like fire and electricity can kill Sackboy. Sackboy can also be squashed, or killed by other objects such as spikes. Sackboy will respawn at the nearest respawn point, which will count down remaining lives. When Sackboy is on his last life, the respawn point will flash red. If you die then, you'll have to start the level from scratch. In their own levels, players will be able to place respawn points where they wish and control number of spawns to manipulate difficulty.

What happens if someone puts penises in their levels? (And other nasties)

When published, a level is available immediately. However, if but one person flags a level as inappropriate it is temporarily taken offline while it is checked by moderators at Sony who have tools to do a quick scan of level elements.

Is there a limit to how many levels I can publish?

Yes. Each user will have limited server space. 'Really good' creators can be rewarded with more space.

Are there enemies?

Yes. MediaMolecule has revealed A.I. brains, a mechanism for imbuing objects with behaviour and the capacity to die. When Sackboy captures an enemy's brain, it dies. Examples of brains mentioned so far include a simple patrolling enemy brain, and a multi-brain enemy that requires all brains to be captured before the enemy dies. The game will ship with several types of brain, and of course, more will be added over time. Between brains and the other components available, some very sophisticated enemies and boss type enemies are possible.

Can I embed my own music in my levels?

Currently no. You can however manipulate provided audio. Music and sound effects are output via speakers you place in your level. You can control which speakers emit which instruments, have music kick in at certain points and so on.

Can I use my own pictures from my hard drive?

Currently no. The only confirmed way to get your own images into LBP is via Playstation Eye.

Can't I cheat my way through levels by using Popit?

No. It seems in play mode that the Popit is restricted to things like Stickers. You can't start modifying the level to make it easier for you or whatnot. There's been mention that a level creator can designate areas in their level where a player is allowed free use of Popit.

Will I be able to get a Sackboy plushie?

Yes. Sony has said there will be LBP merchandise. Update - See the Latest News section below for some new details.

Is there going to be a beta?

Apparently so. There will be a limited public beta in September. More details to follow.

Can you copy a level to a Memory Stick or USB drive and share it with a friend or copy it to a PC for upload to the Internet?
Currently no, but maybe down the line.

Can everyone on one PS3 log into their own PSN account profiles? And if so will everyone get trophies?
Yes and Yes

Can users make their own videos to embed into levels, like with the game's tutorial videos?
No. But Youtube uploading remains a possibility for the future.

Media

A selection of cool videos:

'Adventures of Sackboy'
Leipzig 2008 'Sackzilla'
E3 2008 'Dream' Trailer
The First Trailer
The GDC '07 Stage Presentation
'Craftworld' Prototype Video
Gamestop 'Laws of Motion' Trailer
Walmart 'King's Garden' Trailer
Amazon 'Mr. Postman' Trailer

Latest Screenshots (Click for large map of screenshots):




Previous Threads

There's been loads, but here's a couple:

Design your own LittleBigPlanet character contest. m0dus get in here!
LittleBigIDEAS - Share your ideas and concepts for LittleBigPlanet!!
Official Phil Harrison Keynote @ GDC Thread.


Retail & Marketing Plans

North America
Release: 21 Oct
Box-Art:
2wlrdpf.jpg

Pre-order Bonuses:
Amazon - 'LittleBigPlanet Creator' Digital Mini-Guide
Gamestop - Downloadable Kratos Costume For Sackboy
Best Buy - Downloadable Nariko Costume For Sackboy/(girl!)
Circuit City - LittleBigPlanet Stickerbook
GameCrazy - LittleBigPlanet Burlap Pouch

Sony had earlier announced plans to scatter a thousand miniature billboards for LittleBigPlanet across North America as part of their campaign there. These little billboards have now started to sprout up:

2823014600_f1f6f69f38.jpg


Europe
Release: 24 Oct (Ireland & UK), 22 Oct (everywhere else)
Box-Art:
LittleBigPlanet_PEGI_WM0001.jpg


Bundle:
Seemingly confirmed for France at least. 80GB bundle with LittleBigPlanet and DS3 for €399
21czic7.jpg


Pre-order Bonuses:
TBA, but we know of this one:
Play.com - Downloadable Nariko Costume For Sackboy/(girl!)

Promotion:

A super awesome 'pop-up' LittleBigPlanet store has opened in Manchester, England! Workshops and various other fun things will be going on there. It'll be open until Oct 4.

2860100618_ceb7794289.jpg


Japan
Release: 30 Oct

From Zoe:

Some marketing plans in Japan:

3 commercials:
- One in the beginning of October
- One in the middle of October
- Christmas

Christmas campaign:
- winter themed packaging and characters
- media tie-ups
- present campaign


Official Sites

http://www.littlebigplanet.com/
http://www.mediamolecule.com/
http://littlebigplanet.us.playstation.com/
http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/lbp/ (Now has a cool 'planet' of photos from the recent LBP Exhibition in Tokyo)

Thanks

To Quaz51, Cartman86, Rapping Granny, Son of Godzilla, jiggle, Loud Ninja - for corrections/additions/etc.

If there are questions or additions you'd like to see in the OP, let me know!
 

Shadow780

Member
Thanks for this awesome thread.

Can't believe myself for going to buy 5 copies of this game just to get all the bonuses.:lol
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Shadow780 said:
Thanks for this awesome thread.

Can't believe myself for going to buy 5 copies of this game just to get all the bonuses.:lol
WATTTTTT
 

Shadow780

Member
Seiken said:

Amazon - 'LittleBigPlanet Creator' Digital Mini-Guide
Gamestop - Downloadable Kratos Costume For Sackboy
Best Buy - Downloadable Nariko Costume For Sackboy/(girl!)
Circuit City - LittleBigPlanet Stickerbook
GameCrazy - LittleBigPlanet Burlap Pouch

Fuck me.:lol
 

No_Style

Member
Shadow780 said:
Amazon - 'LittleBigPlanet Creator' Digital Mini-Guide
Gamestop - Downloadable Kratos Costume For Sackboy
Best Buy - Downloadable Nariko Costume For Sackboy/(girl!)
Circuit City - LittleBigPlanet Stickerbook
GameCrazy - LittleBigPlanet Burlap Pouch

Fuck me.:lol

And then return four, right? If I'm not mistakened, they won't ask for the pre-order stuff back.
 

Shadow780

Member
No_Style said:
And then return four, right? If I'm not mistakened, they won't ask for the pre-order stuff back.

Hopefully they all give out bonuses beforehand, so I'll just have to cancel the reservation.:lol

I'll keep two copies tho. This game is too awesome to just own one copy.

PS: What's the situation on BB pre-order bonus? Is it in form of a small card like GS?
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Wow...I really didn't realize that creation was that deep. The most surprising part is the enemy A.I.

I remember in an interview the devs were talking about 'logic' to include in your levels...is there any information on that?
 

Owensboro

Member
Man, I don't know what it is, but I just can't get psyched for this game. I own a PS3, and from all the love EVERYONE talks about it I know I am going to actually buy it, but I just can't get all giddy excited for it like everyone else seems to be.

Perhaps this is just going to be another one of those "you have to play it" kind of games for me. Boom Blox was that way, as was Zack and Wiki. I wasn't to excited about buying either of those, but after spending an hour with them I was hooked.

Please LBP, please don't make me regret buying you.
 

andycapps

Member
Great OP, nice to have a thread that brings all the information together. Can't wait for this game, will be spending way too much time with it, as will my wife.
 

cluto

Member
Does anyone know if Amazon is doing the release-date shipping thing? If they are then I think I'll get it there rather than from Gamestop. But the Kratos Sackboy sure looks neat; and so does the Nariko one. Fuck.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
TheExodu5 said:
I remember in an interview the devs were talking about 'logic' to include in your levels...is there any information on that?

I would cast the various switch types as the 'logic' part of the puzzle.

They basically provide various if - then statements.

if sackboy grabs, do this
if sackboy is within proximity, do this
if sackboy sticks the right sticker(s) on this surface, do this
if sackboy presses this button, do this
if sackboy brings these two bits together, do this

etc.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
gofreak said:
I would cast the various switch types as the 'logic' part of the puzzle.

They basically provide various if - then statements.

if sackboy grabs, do this
if sackboy is within proximity, do this
if sackboy sticks the right sticker(s) on this surface, do this
if sackboy presses this button, do this
if sackboy brings these two bits together, do this

etc.

I was hoping logic could be combined/paralleled. Let's say, if switch A activates if both lever A and lever B are pulled left. Of course, maybe you could make lever A bring one bit in, lever B bring the other one in (putting them together) therefore activating switch A.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
TheExodu5 said:
I was hoping logic could be combined/paralleled. Let's say, if switch A activates if both lever A and lever B are pulled left. Of course, maybe you could make lever A bring one bit in, lever B bring the other one in (putting them together) therefore activating switch A.

You could combine switches using the connectors.

For example, if I have two levers and a magnetic switch

Each lever might bring the two bits of a magnetic switch together. To activate the magnetic switch which controls something else.

With everything in LBP, the base components are simple..it's when you start combining them all together that you can get really complex systems and so on.
 

Zoe

Member
Posting this here cause it would likely get lost in the seas of bitter tears in the other thread:
http://xs231.xs.to/xs231/08363/h435.jpg

It's really hard to read (somebody else can fill in all the kanji), but at the bottom it's talking about the different campaigns scheduled for Japan. The summer event has already passed, but for the other stuff...

3 commercials:
- One in the beginning of October
- One in the middle of October
- Christmas

Christmas campaign:
- winter themed packaging and characters
- media tie-ups
- present campaign
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Have updated the OP with PAX vids and Zoe's info - ta very much.

Are the PAX videos loading slowly for anyone else?

Love the cyclops sackboy though :D
 

dejay

Banned
Ahh, no more searching multiple threads - this will give me something to read until the game drops.

*subscribes to thread*
 

womfalcs3

Banned
First PAX walkthrough. :lol

He strips them down to naked sackboys and sackgirls, then he randomizes the costumes. He stares at it for a second and says, "Looks like I'm a lion cat mustache dude with sunglasses."
 

MNC

Member
SO AWESOME. By the by, I see people sometimes moving limbs or heads in the game, can we do that manually somehow or is waving and having a cleverly scripted sequence :lol
 

Farnack

Banned
MNC said:
SO AWESOME. By the by, I see people sometimes moving limbs or heads in the game, can we do that manually somehow or is waving and having a cleverly scripted sequence :lol
From that PAX GT walkthrough... seems like the controls are...

Left Analog - Move
Square - Popit
X - jump
Dpad - Emote Faces
Tilt - Head movement
L3 + Tilt - Body movement
R1 - Grab
Hold L2 or R2 and analogstick - Arm movement
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Oops! Square is Popit? I've fixed the OP in that case.

Added a latest news and video section too.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
What's a Popit?
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Seiken said:
What's a Popit?

I guess I started to explain it without even saying initially what it is :p

'Popit is the menu system Sackboy uses to create things.'

It actually started out as Poppet - a variant on 'puppet', but with reference to the fact that it 'pops' out of Sackboy. More recently the spelling seemed to change to Popit.

edit - good catch, Quaz, I'll roll that into the OP.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Nice find man.
 

Quaz51

Member
i count 137 material on this build, it's good!

- 12 Basic material
- 8 Cardboard
- 17 Metal
- 1 Polystyrene
- 38 sponge
- 22 stone
- 34 wood
- 5 Glass

and 20 shapes for modeling
and hundreds objects, stickers, decorations...
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Quaz51 said:
i count 137 material on this build, it's good!

- 12 Basic material
- 8 Cardboard
- 17 Metal
- 1 Polystyrene
- 38 sponge
- 22 stone
- 34 wood
- 5 Glass

and 20 shapes for modeling
and hundreds objects, stickers, decorations...
NICE man!
 
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