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MediaMocule's Dreams - Why isn't this everyone's #1 most wanted?

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
So the same concept as with the LBP and Trials editor. "You can now make games in games!"... And look what that ended up as. I doubt Dreams will end up being anything close to what people want it to be. It will flower a few outstanding experiments but I doubt it will net to anything huge. Most gamers probably won't even buy the game simply by the fact that it does not offer any really interesting content to play out of the box and most people won't bother with creating their own content. I say it's a good idea but it will be received mediocre.

No. Dreams is a fully fledged creation tool that enables you to make a variety of creative things ... not just games. It's not a game within a game, it's a tool that enables you to create but they've made a campaign with those tools that ships with Dreams. There will eventually be millions of things to watch, play or listen to.

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SOME NEW FOOTAGE:

 
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Dreams have a huge potential to help people open up to creativeness or learn things about themselves they might didn't knew existed..
Potentially dreams could be deployed at public libraries, activation centers and other centers for people with a lot of time at hand. ..
It could encourage people to start thinking and creating in lot of topics... being it architecture, music, colors, logic, programming.

For that reason alone i am deeply excited for what opportunities it will open up to people all around the globe.
"Also first post on this forum have at me :p"
 

OldBoyGamer

Banned
I'm struggling to see the difference between this and Spark tbh. And the problem with Spark was that it required a lot of time and effort to do anything half decent.

I also think it includes the major flaw that Spark had - the creation part of it is seperate from the game.

If you look at minecraft, I believe one of the reasons it is so successful is because the creation side is built into the main game - you literally have to use the world manipulation tools in order to survive. If you don't, you die.

This is Minecrafts most powerful mechanic imo. It sets players up on the path to creation whether they like it or not.

With Spark - and now Dreams - I can't understand why they didn't just release a really good game using the tool and then a month later release the tool for free.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
I'm struggling to see the difference between this and Spark tbh. And the problem with Spark was that it required a lot of time and effort to do anything half decent.

I also think it includes the major flaw that Spark had - the creation part of it is seperate from the game.

If you look at minecraft, I believe one of the reasons it is so successful is because the creation side is built into the main game - you literally have to use the world manipulation tools in order to survive. If you don't, you die.

This is Minecrafts most powerful mechanic imo. It sets players up on the path to creation whether they like it or not.

With Spark - and now Dreams - I can't understand why they didn't just release a really good game using the tool and then a month later release the tool for free.

It's nothing like Spark. It's like LBP and LBP Karting which came out before Spark. Spark was MSs attempts at jumping on the Play/Create/Share bandwagon but it lacked heart and imagination. That's why it failed. You couldn't create the things you can create in Dreams in Spark.
 
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Alx

Member
It's nothing like Spark. It's like LBP and LBP Karting which came out before Spark. Spark was MSs attempts at jumping on the Play/Create/Share bandwagon but it lacked heart and imagination. That's why it failed. You couldn't create the things you can create in Dreams in Spark.

Or vice versa. I think Spark had its own goal, since unlike what I know of LBP and Dreams, it's more a programmation language than a level/object editor. You can literally do any game logic in Spark that you could do with any "real" language, you have arrays, allocations, loops, tests, operators etc. It goes deeper than simple logical gates. (now obviously the performance isn't as good as a low level language)

4MAdhdh.png
 

thelawof4

Member
Dreams is one of the reasons I'll buy a PS4. It looks awesome!

- very good interface IMO
- advanced tools for creators
- no minimum hardware requirements for users
- conceptualize, create and test with friends or alone (without ever switching to another program)

Creators with enough time will do some great things with this. Obviously some talented creators will simply make games.

But here applications for Dreams i thought of:

- simple outlet for creativity
- education
- party games 100% (create or just play)
- virtual reality chatrooms
- prototyping for actual games
- dream diaries
- real time puppeteering
- short films
- music videos
- presentations

All of that can be interactive or not i presume. The possibilities are endless!

I want to know what some you think about the applications for Dreams or your planned projects.
 
Oh man, i didnt see any videos of this game up until now. Yeahhh, it still isn't my number 1 wanted game (Resident Evil 2 for me), but I will say I'll definitely check it out. I enjoyed the original Little big planet, so i can see a lot of it here.
 

OldBoyGamer

Banned
It's nothing like Spark. It's like LBP and LBP Karting which came out before Spark. Spark was MSs attempts at jumping on the Play/Create/Share bandwagon but it lacked heart and imagination. That's why it failed. You couldn't create the things you can create in Dreams in Spark.

In what way isn't it like Spark? Because other than simply having a different set of complex systems, it looks very similar to me.
 

Dontero

Banned
In what way isn't it like Spark? Because other than simply having a different set of complex systems, it looks very similar to me.

Spark was mostly editor. This is more like LBP where you have agame and in addition to that at any point you can go into editor.

This is why LBP sold 7mln while Spark failed.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
In what way isn't it like Spark? Because other than simply having a different set of complex systems, it looks very similar to me.

Project Spark was just putting lego bricks together, Dreams is making lego bricks and then putting them together. In Spark you were a building using set assets, in Dreams you are a developer making your own assets.
 
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Alx

Member
Project Spark was just putting lego bricks together, Dreams is making lego bricks and then putting them together. In Spark you were a building using set assets, in Dreams you are a developer making your own assets.

See my post above. In Project Spark you had limited action on the assets, but full freedom on the game code. Dreams seem to be the opposite (or at least LBP was, but I haven't seen much coding in Dreams). Spark is for developers, Dreams for 3D artists.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
See my post above. In Project Spark you had limited action on the assets, but full freedom on the game code. Dreams seem to be the opposite (or at least LBP was, but I haven't seen much coding in Dreams). Spark is for developers, Dreams for 3D artists.

LBP had a deeper coding system than Spark and Dreams has a deeper coding system than LBP. The fact you've posted the bolded shows me you are completely ignorant of what Dreams is and delusional about what Spark is.

I'll tell you what. Post me a vid of Spark doing these and I'll post you a vid of Dreams doing these:

Making your own unique character with your own unique mechanics
Building assets to use in your own unique games that represent your own unique art style
Making your own unique music using your own unique sounds
For logic, I'll just post LBP stuff.

Off you go!
 
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Alx

Member
I'll tell you what. Post me a vid of Spark doing these and I'll post you a vid of Dreams doing these:

Making your own unique character with your own unique mechanics
Building assets to use in your own unique games that represent your own unique art style
Making your own unique music using your own unique sounds

Those three examples are about assets, which is my point. Dreams lets you create your own models, music, visuals, which is the part where Spark used pre-defined items (except for the voxel-based terrain). But can you really create your own AI or inverse kinematics from scratch in those games ? From what I gather LBP and Dreams use customizable logical bricks, while Spark lets you code your own logic, with raw values, operators and functions. Hence the reversed equivalence, just like Sparke use predefined assets and Dreams lets you create your own, Dreams uses predefined logic and Spark lets you create your own.
I can't find the video right now because it's probably three years old, but I got ranked in a small Sparks gamejam for coding a game of Abalone with its own AI. It's not something I could have done with simple trigger-blocks, I needed the code flexibility to explore all possible moves, estimate a performance score for each one, plus add some randomization for better balance. Not even mentioning the game rules of which balls can be pushed and which can't.
*e - found it :
 
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Fbh

Member
As someone who isn't into the whole creating aspect of these games I still have my doubts.
I played a lot of the top rated levels in LBP2 and the vast majority of them were like "it's impressive someone managed to make this ...but it isn't really fun". It's like yeah it's cool someone made a FPS and it's crazy someone remade the first dungeon of the original Zelda but neither of these levels are fun enough that I'd rather play them instead of another actual game.

With that said. What the Easy Allies people had to say about the game sounded so good it made me want to try this out. It even made me want to maybe create a few things.
But I still have my doubts if any of the things that will come out of this will actually be good.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I've always felt that creating my own game play in these kinds of games is tedious. If that's a large part of the experience than its probably not something that I'm interested in.
 

DZ_b_EZ

Member
After the gameplay I've seen, DREAMS are the only thing I will be experiencing on the couch if I tried to play this game.
 

mneuro

Member
I'm glad this game has a following, but I have absolutely no interest in what it is trying to be. This is a niche idea for a niche audience most likely. Hopefully it executes well for those people.
 

Alx

Member
I played a lot of the top rated levels in LBP2 and the vast majority of them were like "it's impressive someone managed to make this ...but it isn't really fun". It's like yeah it's cool someone made a FPS and it's crazy someone remade the first dungeon of the original Zelda but neither of these levels are fun enough that I'd rather play them instead of another actual game.

Yeah it's another common issue with such games, the first (and sometimes only) thing people do is try and reproduce existing games, which is a lot of fun to do since you don't have to focus on design and content, but not so fun to play. And because those are the most common creations, they can overshadow more unique and creative stuff (visibility is another major hurdle).
 

McCheese

Member
As a tool, both Dreams, and Little Big Planet before it are super impressive. But the underlying concept just seems flawed given the entry barrier for game development on PC is already incredibly low these days.

The control scheme for LBP was fine for dropping down platforms, but when it came to scripting and trying to tie everything together. I often felt that the contorted button combinations and menus made the process of creating more difficult than say, a traditional PC based IDE.

If you are talented or intend to pour a large chunk of time into a project, you can learn something like Unity over a weekend which will then open a ton of doors in terms of commercial distribution and cross-platform availability, plus due to the aforementioned mouse & keyboard, you'll likely be more productive in the long run. So Dreams just feels like a poor time investment for dedicated content creators.

It seems like they are at least self-aware of this, they are definitely targetting the hobbyists more and talking about short dream sequences rather than promising full-blown games made in Dreams. But like with LBP, there is going to be so much crud content to wade through. Maybe the creation itself is fun and users will find value in that, but as a pure consumer of gaming, until I actually see some amazing user-generated content. I'm not interested. And even then I'm skeptical that somebody is going to create something in this which can compete with other AAA titles in terms of my £ investment.
 
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GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
Those three examples are about assets, which is my point. Dreams lets you create your own models, music, visuals, which is the part where Spark used pre-defined items (except for the voxel-based terrain). But can you really create your own AI or inverse kinematics from scratch in those games ? From what I gather LBP and Dreams use customizable logical bricks, while Spark lets you code your own logic, with raw values, operators and functions. Hence the reversed equivalence, just like Sparke use predefined assets and Dreams lets you create your own, Dreams uses predefined logic and Spark lets you create your own.
I can't find the video right now because it's probably three years old, but I got ranked in a small Sparks gamejam for coding a game of Abalone with its own AI. It's not something I could have done with simple trigger-blocks, I needed the code flexibility to explore all possible moves, estimate a performance score for each one, plus add some randomization for better balance. Not even mentioning the game rules of which balls can be pushed and which can't.
*e - found it :


What are you talking about? That is exactly what you do with LBP logic and Dreams goes much deeper. I can't fathom how someone can be this ignorant of the logic in LBP and Dreams. Dreams does not use predefined logic. I'll give you a simple example from LBP and bare in mind Dreams has far more complexity:

1454014847183.jpg


It takes a bit of working out because it's not set in blocks. You have to wire and code it yourself.
 
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GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
I've always felt that creating my own game play in these kinds of games is tedious. If that's a large part of the experience than its probably not something that I'm interested in.

Do you not watch Youtube because you don't make content? I just don't understand this thinking at all.
 
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Tripolygon

Banned
Those three examples are about assets, which is my point. Dreams lets you create your own models, music, visuals, which is the part where Spark used pre-defined items (except for the voxel-based terrain). But can you really create your own AI or inverse kinematics from scratch in those games ? From what I gather LBP and Dreams use customizable logical bricks, while Spark lets you code your own logic, with raw values, operators and functions. Hence the reversed equivalence, just like Sparke use predefined assets and Dreams lets you create your own, Dreams uses predefined logic and Spark lets you create your own.
I can't find the video right now because it's probably three years old, but I got ranked in a small Sparks gamejam for coding a game of Abalone with its own AI. It's not something I could have done with simple trigger-blocks, I needed the code flexibility to explore all possible moves, estimate a performance score for each one, plus add some randomization for better balance. Not even mentioning the game rules of which balls can be pushed and which can't.
*e - found it :

LBP does not use predefined logic, you can create your own logic in LBP. People have been able to create games of checkers and chess with A.I that scale with difficulty in LBP. Project Sparks is similar to LBP in that you cannot really create your own art but people have been able to create some very unique looking things in LBP using the limited art creation tools available. Dreams takes that a gigantic step further than both LBP and Project Sparks.
 
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Alx

Member
LBP does not use predefined logic, you can create your own logic in LBP. People have been able to create games of checkers and chess with A.I that scale with difficulty in LBP.

I know you can build your own logic in LBP, but you do it with using predefined logical blocks. I don't deny you can do a lot of things that way (after all in theory you could build anything using only AND and XOR gates), but it's not the same thing as using programming code (I mean, there's a reason we invented programming languages rather than just wiring electronic components together, which is basically the LBP design philosophy). The picture GribbleGrunger posted actually proves that point.
Maybe I underestimated what some skilled creators can do with enough time and thinking, but originally my point was stressing out that Sparks was doing its own thing and not just following a trend, and as such has its own interest and potential (and I'm not yet convinced you can realistically do anything with block wiring… for example how would you handle a simple dynamic array ? (list of objects of variable size)). We're talking of a true object-oriented language there.
Anyway I didn't intend to turn the discussion in a Sparks vs LBP/Dreams discussion, neither did I want to diss either of those games.
 
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Tripolygon

Banned
I know you can build your own logic in LBP, but you do it with using predefined logical blocks. I don't deny you can do a lot of things that way (after all in theory you could build anything using only AND and XOR gates), but it's not the same thing as using programming code (I mean, there's a reason we invented programming languages rather than just wiring electronic components together, which is basically the LBP design philosophy). The picture GribbleGrunger posted actually proves that point.
Maybe I underestimated what some skilled creators can do with enough time and thinking, but originally my point was stressing out that Sparks was doing its own thing and not just following a trend, and as such has its own interest and potential (and I'm not yet convinced you can realistically do anything with block wiring… for example how would you handle a simple dynamic array ? (list of objects of variable size)). We're talking of a true object-oriented language there.
Anyway I didn't intend to turn the discussion in a Sparks vs LBP/Dreams discussion, neither did I want to diss either of those games.
We invented programming languages to communicate instructions to computers. We started from using punch cards to now most programming becoming partially automated and in some cases entirely automated. Visual programming language which Project Sparks, LBP and Dreams use are real programming languages made to make things approachable, fast and easy to understand, that does not mean they lack depth as you insinuate in the case of LBP and Dreams. Most game engines and development tools nowadays have node based visual programming. Naughty Dog's shader programming tool is node based since Uncharted 3 iirc, Guerrilla games gameplay programming tool used in Horizon ZD is node based. Media Molecule in LBP gave users what most game engines and development tools are starting to implement now. Also see unreal engine blueprints visual scripting and unity shader graph etc. It just keeps getting better.
You are right though, Dreams node based programming is not the same thing as writing lines of code, it is a way to abstract and simplify the task of writing lines of codes and properly organizing the syntax of said lines. Super easy and simple on the surface but can get very complex if you have the patience to understand it.
 
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Alx

Member
We invented programming languages to communicate instructions to computers. We started from using punch cards to now most programming becoming partially automated and in some cases entirely automated. Visual programming language which Project Sparks, LBP and Dreams use are real programming languages made to make things approachable, fast and easy to understand, that does not mean they lack depth as you insinuate in the case of LBP and Dreams. Most game engines and development tools nowadays have node based visual programming. Naughty Dog's shader programming tool is node based since Uncharted 3 iirc, Guerrilla games gameplay programming tool used in Horizon ZD is node based. Media Molecule in LBP gave users what most game engines and development tools are starting to implement now. Also see unreal engine blueprints visual scripting and unity shader graph etc. It just keeps getting better.

You are right though, Dreams node based programming is not the same thing as writing lines of code, it is a way to abstract and simplify the task of writing lines of codes and properly organizing the syntax of said lines. Super easy and simple on the surface but can get very complex if you have the patience to understand it.

The goal of visual scripting isn't to replace regular coding. Its first purpose is to let the game designers do their work without requiring to rebuild the whole game each time they want to add a tree or try a different value for a parameter. The blocks themselves are meant to implement higher level features and hide all of the logic implementation, if anything it targets specifically the non-developer. It's a great way to share efficiently the work within a team, but it's not some kind of evolution of programming that would replace regular languages, just a way of encapsulating stuff so that developers aren't required at all steps of the production any more.
The thing with LBP is that without a direct access to a programming language, you can only create logic using complex networks of links and boxes. I don't doubt it's fun to do as a general puzzle, but it's not the most versatile nor efficient (imagine having to debug such a network, or improve on it, adapt it to another context,...).
 

Neolombax

Member
I've tried my hand at LBP and LBP 2 to create some simple levels, and found out I'm not that talented to be honest. The ideas just don't translate as well as I would like. Haha. I think this is why I'm not hyped about Dreams. It looks great, sounds great, but not for me.
 
We invented programming languages to communicate instructions to computers. We started from using punch cards to now most programming becoming partially automated and in some cases entirely automated. Visual programming language which Project Sparks, LBP and Dreams use are real programming languages made to make things approachable, fast and easy to understand, that does not mean they lack depth as you insinuate in the case of LBP and Dreams. Most game engines and development tools nowadays have node based visual programming. Naughty Dog's shader programming tool is node based since Uncharted 3 iirc, Guerrilla games gameplay programming tool used in Horizon ZD is node based. Media Molecule in LBP gave users what most game engines and development tools are starting to implement now. Also see unreal engine blueprints visual scripting and unity shader graph etc. It just keeps getting better.

You are right though, Dreams node based programming is not the same thing as writing lines of code, it is a way to abstract and simplify the task of writing lines of codes and properly organizing the syntax of said lines. Super easy and simple on the surface but can get very complex if you have the patience to understand it.
I'm a programmer. I've written raw code, and I've written interpreters to allow a script to modify how the code operated. The two are not the same. Writing raw code give you maximum flexibility and efficiency at the expense of increased complexity and development time. Scripts let you quickly do things similar to what your raw code was already set up to do. However, if you want to do something the underlying code was not designed to do it is far harder to do, if not impossible, than to code it directly at a low level.

That is relevant to this discussion because while it looks like the raw code for Dreams was designed to be wide, it will not be deep. That is understandable. The developers of Dreams did not code the base logic of every major game into itself. Instead they lightly touched on the major components of a large variety of genres, with extra detail likely devoted to platformers like LBP. I have continually been amazed at the way users of programs I've written have found ways to do things I never originally intended, but that creativity was often pretty crude hacks and still had strict limits. If the base code simply didn't allow something to be done, then it couldn't be done.

For Dreams this means that the games created with it will be shackled by the capabilities of the underlying base logic. That doesn't mean fun games won't be created, in fact the opposite is likely true. What it does mean however is that the games created will be inferior to custom created games. That is the answer to the primary question of this thread. People aren't more interested in Dreams because even if a Dreams game can look pretty good, if that same game was shown outside the Dreams framework, it would get a 'meh' reaction. The main exception to this appears to be artists and those who like art for art sake. That is a significant, but niche, audience.

The difference between a Dreams games and custom created games will be like the difference between a filler missions in an open world game and a CD Projekt Red custom mission in the Witcher 3. While it would be great if a game like Dreams allowed the creation of a generic open world game, few people would be excited to play it over the Witcher 3.
 
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Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I'm a programmer. I've written raw code, and I've written interpreters to allow a script to modify how the code operated. The two are not the same. Writing raw code give you maximum flexibility and efficiency at the expense of increased complexity and development time. Scripts let you quickly do things similar to what your raw code was already set up to do. However, if you want to do something the underlying code was not designed to do it is far harder to do, if not impossible, than to code it directly at a low level.

That is relevant to this discussion because while it looks like the raw code for Dreams was designed to be wide, it will not be deep. That is understandable. The developers of Dreams did not code the base logic of every major game into itself. Instead they lightly touched on the major components of a large variety of genres, with extra detail likely devoted to platformers like LBP. I have continually been amazed at the way users of programs I've written have found ways to do things I never originally intended, but that creativity was often pretty crude hacks and still had strict limits. If the base code simply didn't allow something to be done, then it couldn't be done.

For Dreams this means that the games created with it will be shackled by the capabilities of the underlying base logic. That doesn't mean fun games won't be created, in fact the opposite is likely true. What it does mean however is that the games created will be inferior to custom created games. That is the answer to the primary question of this thread. People aren't more interested in Dreams because even if a Dreams game can look pretty good, if that same game was shown outside the Dreams framework, it would get a 'meh' reaction. The main exception to this appears to be artists and those who like art for art sake. That is a significant, but niche, audience.

The difference between a Dreams games and custom created games will be like the difference between a filler missions in an open world game and a CD Projekt Red custom mission in the Witcher 3. While it would be great if a game like Dreams allowed the creation of a generic open world game, few people would be excited to play it over the Witcher 3.
I think anyone who has ever even dabbled in game creation understands this. People claiming that you "can do or make anything" are just fooling themselves. That said, I think it will be a great tool and will facilitate the creation of many unique and amazing things. But if you want to actually make a game, you should probably just start using Unity.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/20/17588224/dreams-ps4-preview

Media Molecule’s Dreams makes me wonder if there’s anything it won’t let you create

Dreams is similar to Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet series, which the British studio created in the PlayStation 3 days, in that it’s as much about creating as it is playing. Along with a single-player campaign of stages authored by Media Molecule, Dreams offers a mind-bogglingly expansive suite of level creation tools for budding game designers out there. But where the LittleBigPlanet games were limited to a side-scrolling 2.5D perspective, Dreamson PlayStation 4 lets you build in full 3D, which vastly increases both the possibilities and the complexity of the game.

More in the link.
 

Arkage

Banned
They should just market this as a game creation tool/store front, essentially creating it's own marketplace for non-coders to create games. Release it on PC. Let creators sell their products, Sony takes a cut. Instant profit.
 
Two days ago (September 7) Media Mocule made a tweet that they are looking for a programmer and sound designer:

This game have been in development for 5 years, the fact that they are searching for people after all this time does not look good.
 
Two days ago (September 7) Media Mocule made a tweet that they are looking for a programmer and sound designer:

This game have been in development for 5 years, the fact that they are searching for people after all this time does not look good.


I have a feeling we won't be seeing this now until PS5. Hopefully, it will be a launch title at least.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
I have a feeling we won't be seeing this now until PS5. Hopefully, it will be a launch title at least.

And yet the beta for the PS4 is coming later this year.

MM have a ten year plan for Dreams an are going to be adding new stuff constantly. I'd imagine that's why they want more programmers.
 
And yet the beta for the PS4 is coming later this year.

Well, I know they are planning to release the beta. I'm hoping it happens - I was super excited when this was first announced, and I'm still looking forward to giving it a shot. It does seem like it has been having some developmental issues based on the length of time between real updates.

I guess we'll see what happens later this year. As time went on, I expected it to end up being released on both PS4 and PS5 (hopefully it will be compat with both and not two different purchases) - the question for me is just when will it come out.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
For me my lack of interest is down to three things:

1. I don’t have a creative bone in my body.

2. I tend to OT enjoy playing user-created content much as I prefer cohesive, longer games.

3. I hate sorting through all the crap content to find the stuff I enjoy.
 

Tripolygon

Banned
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TakM8On.gif

SMH at people who were underestimating this tool. Like i said earlier Project Sparks has nothing on dreams.
 
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haxan7

Banned
LittleBigPlanet -> Tearaway Unfolded -> Dreams

I want this to be cool. I really do. But honestly what is the precedent for going from big series, to mediocre games, to a massive mind blowing game that lives up to Peter Molyneux levels of hype? The odds are stacked against them...

Stay tuned.
 
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