Garth Hugh, Lead Designer from Cambridge Studio, continues to fill us in on Sackboy's continued adventures on PSP!

PUZZLES!
By Gareth Hughes- Lead Designer

After having resolved an Egg based relationship issue in The Orient and freeing up The Emperor to attend the Carnival of Creators, Sackboy jets off on Dragon Airlines for an exciting new destination.

Word has it that a creative Genie-ous is to be found in The Bazaar, a place renown for its architectural beauty, fantastic markets and crazy carpets!

On arriving at The Bazaar, Sackboy witnesses a scene of brazen simian stealing; a notorious Monkey Thief snatching the Sultan’s lamp. Not just any lamp, but a lamp that happens to be home to the Curator Creator of the realm, the Genie!

After a sack-race through the Sultan’s Palace grounds, the Monkey Thief gives Sackboy the slip and button-holes up in the Thieves Den, a place of puzzles, traps and some rather fetching curtains!

Now, Thieves’ Dens aren’t the easiest of places to get into, but with a bit of thought and a Pizza based distraction, Sackboy manages to sneak in and track down the Monkey Thief. Following a rather fun game of Grab and Swing, Sackboy proves a worthy adversary and retrieves the stolen lamp, setting the Genie free!


As a reward for putting an end to all the recent monkey business, the Genie furnishes Sackboy with a rather more portable version of the lamp, in sticker form. This sticker will prove to be a very useful addition to Sackboy’s puzzle solving Popit.


Returning the lamp to the Sultan proves no easy task, but with a little help from the Genie and his magic carpet, Sackboy makes it back to the palace in good time. Delighted to have his lamp back, the Sultan grants Sackboy’s wish and allows the Genie to attend the Carnival!


Hitching a carpet ride to the next location on his Curator Creator gathering quest, Sackboy touches down on Golden Sands.

Prince Funubis, the Curator Creator of this sandy space, is having some camel related complications and is in need of some Hessian based help!

After lending Prince Funubis a hand to drive his camel train across the scorching desert, Sackboy is employed at the docks to sort and transport cargo destined for the Prince’s latest, spectacular project. This is no easy task; Sackboy will need to put on his thinking cap in order to operate the lifting, sorting and carrying machines.


Can Sackboy help Prince Funubis finish his project? I’ve heard there are some health and safety issues that need ironing out like a particularly stubborn crease! More entries to come!  Stay tuned!

The next LBP PSP Diary entry from the creative folks at Cambridge Studio.

What Makes LittleBigPlanet Tick
Jon Torrens - Designer

What's unique about LBP is that all the behind-the-scenes machines that make the game work are actually created using the tools available to players in edit mode, and are in the level somewhere (just not where you can see them). For example, in the mini-games we have things that have to get faster and faster, like the giant wheel you run on in the China mini-game. The best way for us to do this is to have a little vehicle that moves slowly towards a switch that uses the speed setting. Need something to happen faster? We just speed up the motor bolts on the vehicle. Need something to happen halfway through the game? Stick a magnetic key on the vehicle and a magnetic key switch on its track. The brilliant thing about this is that you have a really simple diagram of what happens in the game. You don't have to think 'Well, the time for the wheel to reach top speed is 90 seconds, and I want the player to have to deal with bombs at increasing amounts, so I'll put bombs dropping on the player at 40, 70, 85 and 90 seconds, you can just place key switches along the track.

A technique we used for repeating sequences was simply having a big disc with a magnetic key on it that rotated past magnetic key switches on a static block behind it. We could move the magnetic key switches into any sequence without having to calculate the exact values required, and to change the overall speed of the sequence we just changed the speed of the motor bolt that made the disc rotate. This might sound technical, but if you're making a slightly more sophisticated level - like, for example, one with emitting blocks that Sackboy has to run across, or a series of sound effects that plays a tune - then comfort yourself with the knowledge that you have exactly the same tools that we had, and with which we managed to make all those lovely story levels you've been playing. Okay, there are quite a few of us, and we had a fair amount of time, but it's all there for you to use. Aren't we generous?

 

Hey LBP'ers!  Wondering what new adventures are in store for Sackboy on the PSP? Check out this sneak peek from Cambridge Studio!

Sackboy's next adventure!
By Gareth Hughes- Lead Designer

Having completed his PS3 adventure, Sackboy thought it was about time he took a well deserved holiday. Even a Sack person needs a bit of relaxation time!

Having visited so many wondrous locations across the LittleBigPlanet already, Sackboy decided it was time to go portable and experience a Walkabout. What better way to unwind his threads than the piece and quiet of Down Under.

After a warm and fuzzy welcome from the locals, it was time to head out into the Outback. Oh my, So much to see and do! A veritable fabric based feast of new Stickers, Costumes and Materials.

Sackboy’s Walkabout had not gone unnoticed! Impressed with Sackboy’s exemplarily, exploratory endeavours, the Mystic summoned Sackboy to the Cave of Dreams. A place no LittleBigPlanetian should miss visiting!

Exploring deep into the cave, Sackboy was soon having a great time swinging through ancient caverns, solving devious puzzles and bagging himself plenty of new Prizes. However, this was no time for such silken shenanigans! A hop skip and a jump later, Sackboy was before the Mystic.


The mystical events that followed this meeting are now the stuffing of legends, best you experience this yourself when you visit LittleBigPlanet on the PSP.

What’s that, don’t leave you hanging?

Oh very well, perhaps there are a few more threads of this story that I can weave together for you!  After being shown a wonderful vision known as the Dreamtime, it was revealed that a new quest awaited Sackboy; to make sure that all the Creator Curators can attend the upcoming Carnival of Creators!


The first of the Creator Curators to be invited is the Emperor of The Orient; a pint sized Pima-Donna who is having trouble with a fire breathing behemoth.  Can Sackboy free the Emperor from this unwanted distraction and get him to attend the Carnival? That’s a question only a PSP owning player such as you can answer!

 

Excited about LBP PSP?  Check out new LBP PSP Diary entries from our friends at Cambridge Studio.

Prize Possessions - Getting Gifts From LittleBigPlanet
by Jon Torrens - Designer

In LittleBigPlanet, there are lots of score bubbles, and then there are PRIZE bubbles. Now, these prize-filled popping spheres - as well as giving you fifty points instead of the score bubble's measly ten - each contain something special. Burst one of these shiny beauties and you might get a sticker, costume, character, music, background, an object such as a lemon or a boomerang, or even a vehicle to place in your levels. Prize bubbles are scattered throughout each level; some are easy to find, and others not quite so easy. And that's not all: when you reach the scoreboard, as well as seeing your score, you get prizes for finishing the level. If you get there without dying, then here you go, more prizes. And if you collect all the prize bubbles in a level, do you know what you get? That's right, even more prizes. Altogether in LittleBigPlanet on the PSP there are several hundred cool things to find, keep, and use however you like. My favourite's the flying saucer costume. Or possibly the rocket bike vehicle. Or the giant beach ball.

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Smash and Grab - The Physics of LittleBigPlanet

 

'Real physics'. The phrase makes a designer's face light up like a child who's just got a big noisy toy at Christmas, and a programmer hold his head in his hands like the parent who's going to have to deal with the following audio torture. LBP has real physics, which is fantastic for the player because it's a little bit like real life: that stack of objects you've built is going to fall apart in a clatter of unpredictability. However, it's a nightmare for a programmer because it's a little bit like real life: that stack of objects you've built is going to fall apart in a clatter of unpredictability, and that's something that in a video game can cause some very nasty problems (or as we say in the technical lingo, make the game 'pop').

 

What LBP has managed to do is allow players to create all manner of amazing things without any problems (within reason. You've got a thermometer on the side of the screen that tells you how close you are to overloading the game and, basically, getting a little big for your physics boots). Make great piles of bricks, cylinders and stars. Or even better, add some collected objects - fruit, enemies, vehicles, bubbles, and then go into play mode and watch it fall, collide, crash and finally come to rest. Then go and get Sackboy to jump up and down on it a bit. Then throw some bombs into the mix. And then set up an emitter that chucks out more bombs. We did this sort of thing a lot when testing LBP, and trust me, it never gets old.

 

The big deal with LBP on the PSP is edit mode, which features a real physics system. It's a part of the game that you can actually play with indefinitely, and discover new things every time you do. Other games have a few objects that you can knock over, but LittleBigPlanet has a lot of them, all waiting to be smashed against each other. Have fun, and enjoy the physics. Please Note: No programmers were harmed in the making of this game. Well, not seriously hurt anyway, nothing that won’t heal...eventually.

 

Dear Workshop community,

As you noticed yesterday with the new post (outside of Sack-it-to-me), we're trying something new to balance out the posts between the LBP Workshop and the PlayStation Blog.  So expect more goodness from the News site like community spotlights, more workshop highlights, LBP stories, and other things you want to hear (feel free to tell us what you want).  And stay tuned for some really big changes too.

For today, check out the latest SITM post on the PS Blog with some really cool community finds, crazy fun, and LBP travel notes.

Check out the latest LBP Diary from SCEE Cambridge's Martin Binfield, Senior Artist for LBP PSP...

"Covering up..."

So you're a little sack person, happily hopping your way through one of LittleBigPlanet's many wonderous environments when you suddenly realize that you're completely naked. Hey, that's cool dude! There are no rules here about covering up so if you want to be running free and easy, we can dig. But spare a thought for the poor costume designers who have slaved away over a hot costume-machine to create custom bits of designer kit with which to get done up like a cat's whisker.

They've taken it upon themselves to construct a pair of themed costumes for each of the Creators' domains on LittleBigPlanet - so when you visit Down Under you'll find a delightfully manly set of shorts, shirt, boots and hat (As with all the best forms of artistic expression, you are positively enouraged to wear a hat), or for the more feminine sack person there's a rather nifty set of glasses, necklace, dress, shoes handbag and, er, wig.

They have even furnished you with a myriad unthemed costume items which you can mix and match to create stunning new ensembles. So you think that hair would go with this dress and those boots? Go ahead! or this nose with that jacket? Mmm, that's suave! Or how about that sword, this bikini, that hair style, those pants, these eyes, that cape, those boots, this hat and that zebra tail? Well, sure, but I think it may be a bit much...

And those who like to surf on the cutting edge of fashion might like to keep their eyes on the preorder incentives and upcoming DLC packs because there's a whole new style coming. And who would say no to a Moon Buggy... or a tank?

Forgive us for the second Sack it to Me this week, but we’re getting back on the Friday schedule and wanted to start fresh today. This week we have a ton of videos so we hope you’re in the ‘watching’ mood:

 

TIPS GALORE!!!

With a new batch of gamers getting the Game of the Year Edition and getting their feet wet into LBP’s create tools, Mm just introduced a new Tips video on their site to help you maintain your Thermometer:

And for those of you that missed it, here are links to the previous two tips videos:

Switches

Survival Challenges

 

COMMUNITY LEVELS!!!

First off, apologies to a few people for miscredits on Monday’s SITM:

- PSN ID: CuzFeeshe deserves proper credit for his brilliant level highlighted on the last post – If you haven’t checked out “Destiny!” yet, do so now.

- Also, last Monday’s level highlights were provided by our community at LBPCentral! Thanks again guys for Monday’s (and now today’s new) levels.

This week’s levels come from our friends at LBPForum.net.

Lightbringer by Trindall

“Lightbringer! a wonderous adventure level set in a bygone epoch. From the moment you wash up on the strange haunting shore, right through to your final confrontation with the Nemisis that has ravaged this once picturesque land, you will be enthralled and intrigued. Great atmospheric design, evocative inspiring dialogue combined with accessible puzzles and a unique gameplay mechanism wherein you advance by relaying the light to combat the forces of darkness and desolation….this level will stay with you forever.” – EnochRoot.

Lightbringer part 1.

Lightbringer part 2 and part 3.

PS3 GAME OF THE YEAR – USER SPOTLIGHT

Now that the Game of the Year Edition is available, many of you are discovering the amazing levels that are created and shared by users just like you. Over the past few weeks, we spent some time with a few of the users (whose levels are featured in the GOTY edition) and wanted to start spotlighting them. Here’s the first:

Thanks Tony (for both the level and the interview time)

LBP PSP UPDATES

• IGN: PSP Games of Fall 2009
• Kotaku LittleBigPlanet PSP Preview: PSP Platforming At Its Cutest
• Destructoid Preview: LittleBigPlanet PSP
• IGN: LittleBigPlanet PSP Character Design School

 

SACKBOY IN THE NEWS!

TGS 2009:

• PSX Extreme: “29 Years” Required To Complete All LBP Content
• Examiner: LittleBigPlanet to Support New Motion Controller

 

GOT FREE DLC???

Our friends at Sony Wonder are celebrating the launch of their new website highlighting hundreds of entertainment options including new movie trailers, info on the latest Blu-ray and DVD releases and fun games and activities for the whole family. As part of the celebration, they’re giving away FREE voucher codes for the LittleBigPlanet Norse Mythology Pack.

When you get a chance, check out what’s new over at Sony Wonder and get your hands on some new Sackboy Costumes. Sorry World, these codes only work on the North American PlayStation Store (US + CA).

Enjoy!!!

 

ATTN: North American WATER BETA PARTICIPANTS

Finally, for all you lucky North Americans that were accepted into the Online Water Beta and eagerly waiting for your invite….check your mailbox early next week, we had to settle a few technical issues, but its sorted out and we can’t wait for your participation.

Sackboy in the News:

Since it’s been a while since our last “Sack it to Me,” here’s a list of links of the latest news around the web:

• New York Launches Public School Curriculum Base on Playing Games
• LittleBigPlanet team wants to work with Studio Ghibli
• LittleBigPlanet Demo Live
• Adorable New LBP PSP Screenshots
• Origins of LittleBigPlanet

@ the PlayStation Store

Over at the PlayStation Store, the LittleBigPlanet Demo (FREE) has been a big hit, and the new LBP Dynamic PS3 Theme ($2.99) continues to find new homes. I love the idea of Sackboy running all day, everyday. Don’t forget to check these out when you get a chance.

 

 

Community Picks

Our friends at LBPCentral.com! have a new round of Community Picks. Have fun playing these GEMS:

Up & Away in Sky Town by jump_button

 

 

My thoughts: From a great gameplay hook (involving a single red helium balloon) to a visual style that can only be described as “beautiful,” this is definitely one of the best levels LittleBigPlanet has to offer. Don’t miss it.

Lafarge’s Request by Keldur

 

 

Part 2 is here.

My thoughts: Reminiscent of “The Islands”, “Lafarge’s Request” is a platforming level at heart, but it comes with enough creative innovation to keep you on your toes. Definitely a must-play.

Destiny! by CuzFeeshe

 

 

My thoughts: The premise of this level is simple: a cosmic storm is tearing apart your ship, and you’re the only one left who can save it! You’ll love the creative, fastpaced puzzles, and for those of you who can’t keep up, you can still move on (albeit with less points than you would have if you beat it). Give this level a shot – you’ll be glad you did.

Workshop of the Week

Ever want your Sackboy to teleport? Chaotictails put together a great tutorial here (even in the LBP presentation theme) to show you how. Great stuff!

Mm.com Goodies

Media Molecule has a new DevFace podcast focused on their teams designers. Get to know Mark and Danny and what they love about designing levels in LBP.

Hope you guys had a great extended weekend.  We sure did - we were in Seattle at this years PAX 09 showing off some of our PlayStation games.  We had LittleBigPlanet in the booth on both the PSP and PS3, ran a few fun multi-player competitions, lots of giveaways - and we ran into some amazing LittleBigPlanet fans too.

One fan in particular is b-coli, one of the main contributors to LBPForum.net.  He was a regular at the booth, walked away with a ton of swag and we had some great conversations about LBP.  In fact, he told me he was doing a PAX recap for all things PlayStation (with emphasis on LBP, of course), so we wanted to share his post with lots of preview footage of LBP on the PSP and some of the Year's bonus levels.

DAY 1
http://www.lbpforum.net/showthread.php?t=3861

DAY 2
http://www.lbpforum.net/showthread.php?p=73995#post73995

DAY 3
http://www.lbpforum.net/showthread.php?p=74417#post74417

Great recap and thanks.

DEMO and GOTY in-stores next week
Sept 10 – For those of you who haven’t “jumped in the sack” with LBP yet, head over to the PS Store on Sept 10, and you’ll be able to download a free playable demo of LittleBigPlanet.

The demo is filled with – PLAY: a hand full of in-game levels and mini-games by yourself or with 3 of your friends, CREATE: Customize your Sackboy and plaster levels with a variety of stickers and objects, SHARE: a few community levels picked from the over 125MM levels created online.

Hopefully, you’ll get hooked just in time for the release of the Game of the Year Edition (coincidentally next week as well :) ). If your just getting your hands on a new PlayStation 3, check out the Examiner.com’s “Top five games to purchase along with your new PS3” – which just happens to have LBP #1…and conveniently just arrived in our offices!

GOTY Q&A
A few weeks ago, when we announced the Game of the Year edition, we saw a ton of questions, and wanted to address what we could, so we decided to create a quick FAQ:

“Will my old game save work with the Game of the Year edition?” – Yes, so long as you have the latest LBP online update.

“Are there new trophies” – Sorry, there are no new trophies in the GOTY edition.

“Will existing owners get a chance to play the bonus levels?” – Nothing has been planned yet, but stay tuned over the next few weeks as we’ll be highlighting our ’super users’ so you’ll be able to search and play their other masterpieces online.

“Is there any other way to get the Modnation beta?” – Currently, this is the only way to guarantee entry. As we get closer to the ModNation Racers Beta, we’ll update if this changes.

“How will the bonus levels be shown in game?” – I took a few shots for you to see.

First, you’d see the “Bonus” call-out beside “Story”.

Then you’d see the Planet filled with all your free DLC and Level packs.

Finally, after selecting the Community Level pack, you’ll see all 18 community levels to select. :)

PSP ROUND UP
Ever since Gamescom, lots more details have been revealed for the PSP version (available 11/17). Check out the below news and catch up on the latest and greatest:

• PlayStation Blog – Chris Morell’s LBP PSP dev interview
• IGN – CREATE mode impressions
• Joystiq – A big batch of LittleBigPlanet PSP screens
• TheSixthAxis – Europe Cover revealed

COMMUNITY PICKS (from LittleBigLand.com)

Paying the Bill! by Mnniska

 

Bludhound’s Comments (PSN: marquise126ace) :
This is an absolutly great platforming level. The author of this level has put the John Burgerman stickers to great use, making the scenery a real treat for your eyes. You will also find some very unique obstacles and a
unique x2 section in this level. Overall it’s a very fun level that you will want to play again and again.

amazingflyingpoo’s Comments:
Mnniska has managed to create a wonderful “feel-good” platformer. Instead of sticking to just tried-and-true platforming mechanics, he creates some original scenarios which helps to make a great experience into an outstanding one. On top of that, the story is so wacky that you just have to love it!

The Ultimate Puzzle Challenge by Werehare

 

Bludhound’s Comments (PSN: marquise126ace) :
Want to test your self with some mind boggling puzzles? Then this level is for you. The author of this level has done amazing work in coming up with puzzles that you don’t see too often in lbp. the design and scenery is absolutely beautiful, if you appreciate great design (that looks like it took hours just to think of) and puzzles that will test your mind then give this level a try.

amazingflyingpoo’s Comments:
This level has impressed me more than just about any other level I have ever played. Most authors struggle to come up with one good originalpuzzle, but somehow werehare has come up with a level composed of a large number of incredible puzzles.

WORKSHOP of the WEEK

Over on LittleBigWorkshop.com, dextroyer4u has created a new tutorial for those of you inspiring to make an “Earthquake” level. Good stuff, keep them coming.

NEW LBP stuff on the PlayStation Store

STICKER PACK = VERA BEE

Check out the latest downloadable Sticker Pack on the PlayStation Network. We love how Vera’s stickers look in LBP and hope to see lots of levels influenced by her style. Mm.com has a great interview with Vera along with a full site takeover.

LBP DYNAMIC THEME

As announced with the 3.0 PS3 Firmware announcement (thanks Eric), the LittleBigPlanet Dynamic Theme hit the store earlier this week for $2.99. Check out SirHypnotoad youtube clip for a sneak peek of the Sackboy Dynamic Theme in motion.

LittleBigPlanet @PAX

Yes, LittleBigPlanet will be at PAX. Drop by the PlayStation booth and check out LittleBigPlanet on both PlayStation 3 and PSP – and if you have something Sack-specific, we may just hook you up with a little sumptin-sumptin…