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#1

To the Moon and Beyond

Archive: 20 posts

Hey everyone! Been wondering why I've been so quiet lately? Well, I've been going non stop on my latest project for the DML competition that was announced in January. We're hoping to get some comments from the public about our project idea and would love to hear from you. Here's an early teaser.


Here's a direct link to our project and where to comment.

http://dmlcompetition.net/pligg/story.php?title=449

And our teaser...better quality soon to come.


http://www.youtube.com/user/V1nc3Vega#p/a/u/0/p03gPVc-JOM		2010-02-17 08:11:00

Author:
Jaeyden
Posts: 564

OOOH!!

FOR ME??

THANK YOU!!

Love the mass effect music, very appropriate.
Everything awesome. I want lots of this. I'm assuming you're holding back on showing shots from the surface of the moon itself, unless that's in there and I missed it - but I saw what appeared to be a lot of sci-fi ship style stuff, and I just can't wait to see what you guys cook up for this. The flying ship is amazing. Everything looks incredible.

EDIT: Just visited the link and read up about it, answering a bit of my own questions. I think the summary deserves a bit of a copy-and-paste, no? But everyone visit the site as well!


To the Moon and Beyond is a series of levels within LittleBigPlanet aiming to educate players in regards to science, technology, engineering, and math, while engaging them through a compelling science-fiction story. The player assumes the role of a student enrolled in the futuristic Alpha Centauri Space Program aspiring to become an elite space explorer. Many lessons taught to the player occur within the "Holoroom", a place capable of simulating any possible scenario. The holoroom introduces the player to an array of important scientific figures and paradigm changing human events. Utilizing the powerful physics engine of the game itself it teaches scientific principals, mathematics and the practical applications of these concepts and ideas through innovative gameplay mechanics. Stunning visuals and amazing storytelling takes the player from the very beginnings of human science through the 1960's moon landing and beyond to the future of human space exploration.

But seriously, I didn't imagine for a second that this was SO AMBITIOUS! Covering the history of space flight, being educational, looking ahead to the future and imagining our endeavors-to-come...

I recently had an Apollo dream, in which I was in a command module on the way to the moon, when I got derailed and ended up marooned in some hellacious part of deep, deep space. Coming out of it I thought much of how cool a realistic space-flight LBP level would be, one that sought to recreate the LEM interior and perhaps even something of orbital mechanics, trans-lunar injections, and a basic step-by-step of how the astronauts get to and onto and off of the moon. With detailed LM and command module interiors, this could be just so, so, so cool.

And then I see this thing? You're my dream boat.

EDIT Numbro dos: Now all I'm doing is thinking of how cool this could be and all sorts of different set-pieces (the kind of crap I'D put in - in other words, big on setting, small on gameplay). I'll bug you with them later. Look forward to it/dread it, whichever you prefer, but it's coming.		2010-02-17 08:30:00

Author:
Teebonesy
Posts: 1937

Wow at 16 seconds on the video, you've got set pieces moving in the front layers? Thats crazy! This project looks amazing btw.2010-02-17 08:53:00

Author:
ladylyn1
Posts: 836

Look forward to it/dread it, whichever you prefer, but it's coming.

Definitely the former! We are glad you are so into the idea And we definitely aim to combine realistic/modern space flight with futuristic/theoretical kind. A huge draw for me with this project was the idea of the holoroom and its ability to put the player in any simulated situation within the context of a story. And at the same time, when outside of the holoroom and in the story's present time (the future relative to us) we get to contrast the past with fun and interesting theoretical concepts and technology to keep things interesting. We get to play with sci-fi and modern science at the same time.		2010-02-17 09:17:00

Author:
Leonidas2123
Posts: 4

Definitely the former! We are glad you are so into the idea And we definitely aim to combine realistic/modern space flight with futuristic/theoretical kind. A huge draw for me with this project was the idea of the holoroom and its ability to put the player in any simulated situation within the context of a story. And at the same time, when outside of the holoroom and in the story's present time (the future relative to us) we get to contrast the past with fun and interesting theoretical concepts and technology to keep things interesting. We get to play with sci-fi and modern science at the same time.

I love the idea. If I tried to tackle something like this, I don't think I'd be clever enough to come up with a device like the holoroom. It sounds solid because you can keep your levels streamlined and keep the player from being lost in the massive scope of the thing. Plus it gives you an explanation for having educational text popping up during the holoroom sims giving context and information.

How "educational" are you planning for this to be? How much do you want people to learn, and is it history-centric or engineering-centric? I understand the trick is obviously balancing fun and gameplay with the educational stuff. I think an Apollo 11 segment would be absolutely fantastic. A surprising number of people, especially in the younger set, have no idea how the moon landings actually happened, how we technically achieved it. You could create a playable segment, with a minimum amount of textual information, that SHOWS exactly what happened, with some basic gameplay along the way, giving the player the control (or at least the illusion of control). There'd be a crapload of mechanics to animate, but considering it's essentially big solid chunky blocks, it wouldn't be too bad.

Taking off on the Saturn-V with the CSM at the tip - burning through the 2 stages - getting into orbit and initiating the trans-lunar injection burn - the CSM detaching and spinning around to dock with the LM, and then taking off into lunar orbit - the LM detaching and setting down - and then taking off, detaching from the descent stage - rejoining with the CSM which then releases the LM to its orbital grave - taking off for Earth orbit - ejecting the service module - and then, the tiniest piece of the entire original machinery, nothing more than the command module, a tiny fraction of a single percent of the entire apparatus that blasted off, finally lands in the sea. It would be a fantastic visual to reveal how this massive, 5-story machine gets stripped away, piece by piece, until only the tiniest piece, barely bigger than the 3 astronauts, returns.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VvfTY-tVzI

Plus you could have the moon segment itself which could be a lot of fun - moon levels have been done a million times, but that means there's a great deal of room to totally reinvent it with something visually spectacular and possibly even realistic in terms of what you're tasked with doing. Collect rocks - put up the flag - and, most importantly, be on TV!

I think my favorite thing to do with that holoroom is to show a worldly context. Show what regular people, Americans especially, were experiencing during that time. 1957, in a suburban family's back yard, would be a great scene. the neighbors are all out. There are some burgers sizzling on the grill. A radio's been dragged out to broadcast the transmission of what's about to fly overhead - Sputnik. "Meep... meep... meep", as an ominous little light drifts precariously in the sky above.

this would be a bit of an eccentric scene to put in an LBP level, I don't know if it's really appropriate for what you guys are doing, as there's no gameplay in it. But this is something I would NOT be able to resist, my tastes being what they are. If I were doing any kind of educational space travel level, American suburbia's experience of sputnik would be a must.

A really funny image would be something of a montage of the early "space race". It's a twilight kind of scene, you can see the stars above - off from the right, Russia's ships launch overhead in an arc, followed by America's replies from the far left. A russian satellite with a canine cosmonaut flies overhead. An American rocket answers on the left, exploding in mid-air. The russians launch a man overhead. The Americans launch a monkey. Hell, you could make it playable - each ship strings along some point bubbles you can jump for (or whatever - "gameplay" is your department, not mine!)

You could also get across how much the astronauts (at least until apollo 11) were seen as heroes. Show the apollo 11 crew in a tickertape parade through the city, lavish and ridiculous. Just a big, colorful, over the top parade sequence. Lots of gameplay potential there, maybe jumping from float to float through all the exploding confetti and fireworks.

A lunar rover driving sequence could be amazingly cool as well.

An early holoroom scene could go back to Galileo looking through his telescope. One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about where we are technologically is that we are now, at last, achieving the dreams of humans going back hundreds and thousands of years. And the work and dreams of great people like Galileo, who were so constrained by their times, are now being realized, and you and I are alive to witness it. If you could pull off that context, it'd be a really amazing achievement. That there is a solid line drawn from Galileo's telescope through Apollo 17 and Voyager and on.
From a gameplay perspective, putting a very early Galileo sequence would be a great "precursor" of things to come, a teaser of the fantasy of the stars that you know you'll get to reach later in the levels.

http://imgur.com/9B24Z.gif

I'm going off on so many tangents here that if anything I'm just inventing my own wild ideas of what my own version of this project could be, but it is an amazing and bewilderingly ambitious plan with great potential. My biggest advice and request would be, going in, to throw out the LBP rules and to push the boundaries and really try to create something indelible. But this is, of course, because I'm passionate about the subject matter to a silly degree. So, take THAT into consideration and smoke it.

I'm sure this will continue to sizzle in my brains. I don't expect you to USE any of my ideas, but simply because it's fun for me to imagine them, I'm sure I will continue to pour them all over this lovely thread of yours, whether you like it or not.		2010-02-17 10:40:00

Author:
Teebonesy
Posts: 1937

Wow, you are really going all out man! Those are all intriguing ideas that I'm sure Jaeyden and I will go over and consider. I can tell you that we have already definitely talked about pursuing a lunar landing in a realistic fashion along with tackling the space race among other things, but the amount of detail you are getting into is astounding and I know that we'd definitely intend to make the lunar landing scenario feel as authentic as possible (as far as LittleBigPlanet levels go).

You've really put a lot of thought into many of those ideas and I REALLY appreciate everything you're sharing with us and hope you continue to participate in this thread. I hope I'm not being too forward if I ask if you could possibly take a moment to share some of these ideas in the comments section in the "Game Changers" link that Jaeyden provided in the OP? It requires that you register, so I understand if you don't feel like going through the motions of creating a username/password etc., but if you are interested in seeing this project succeed we are in a contest on that website and the more comments we have sharing thoughts on our project/ideas to help improve it, the better chance we have at getting our project proposal chosen by the judges. (We currently have 0 comments).

Edit: That video is awesome and a great reference. Thanks a million!		2010-02-17 11:35:00

Author:
Leonidas2123
Posts: 4

Sure, I'd be more than happy to throw you a bone on the site. And don't worry, I know where I and my ideas properly belong: on a shelf of jarred curiosities. You guys seem to have done so much work on this as it is, I'm sure there's going to be a great outcome. But this is also just an excuse for me to pour out some of my patented space blabber.

EDIT: okay, I copy-and-pasted a bit, and then just basically rewrote a briefer comment. your page lives!		2010-02-18 01:15:00

Author:
Teebonesy
Posts: 1937

I want to say something but I can't find the words right now... it looks breathtaking Jaeyden.... I recall some of that from a quick visit but had no idea how epic you were going.... wow, just wow.2010-02-18 04:00:00

Author:
Morgana25
Posts: 5983

Just the two of you, huh? Expect a few sleepless weeks, then!

In seriousness, it looks great. The sci-fi feel (sci-feel, if you will) is excellent.		2010-02-18 04:22:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

hey guys i have just seen this on the media molecule website and wow i am amazed, this is a really big project but im sure you can pull it off oh and btw i was going to make a space themed level a while ago but i scrapped the idea as i found it too hard anyway i kept the spaceshuttle that i made just in case something LIKE THIS popped up, so i would like to give it to you... maybe you could use it in your level here are some pictures of it..... i also make really realistic looking vehicles planes etc these pictures show a space shuttle and a f22 raptor2010-02-18 23:29:00

Author:
geddez12
Posts: 338

Ahhh yes. A new boundary stretching project giving new meaning to LBP. I'll be looking forward to this.2010-02-20 01:53:00

Author:
Arctos13
Posts: 258

YES!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyqUj3PGHv4)

This is gonna revolutionize LBP; I just know it!

Keep us all updated on this, will ya?		2010-02-20 05:21:00

Author:
Outlaw-Jack
Posts: 5757

looks uber awesome!2010-02-21 01:45:00

Author:
tomodon246
Posts: 624

Jaeyden and I regret to inform everyone that our DML contest entry To the Moon and Beyond was not chosen to move on to the next round in the Game Changers competition.

After Media Molecule and Sony featured our initial teaser and project proposal on their blogs, we worked tirelessly on the project in preparation for the next round. We created a three minute machinima/demo/trailer for the contest - finished and ready to be submitted - and although it's unfortunate and disappointing that we're unable to submit it, we nonetheless present you with our final trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-v9i1Qf1fE		2010-04-01 20:39:00

Author:
Leonidas2123
Posts: 4

Well, that's garbage. I assure you that the content the 'professionals' will make is bound to much less impressive.

I hope that you guys at least finish what you have and release it to the world. Any word on why you guys were not chosen to move on?		2010-04-01 21:48:00

Author:
comphermc
Posts: 5338

Wow... so sorry to hear that.

The trailer was a zillion miles that side of amazing!! I hope we can see some of this stuff someday in LBP! I hear that much awesomeness is dangerous left on a moon all lonely and such. 		2010-04-01 21:51:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

how come you got cancelled ? that trailer looked awesome ...2010-04-01 22:33:00

Author:
hiphopliveson
Posts: 47

So... No release? At all? Oh... So it's discontinued. =(

But I thought you could release it and I'd give you 50$ =D

...Or more...		2010-04-02 16:13:00

Author:
Richasackboy
Posts: 619

$50,000...

Oh well: Unfortunate. I hope you don't lose the spirit though. You have done a good job guys so far and I know you deserve to go further.		2010-04-02 16:32:00

Author:
KQuinn94Z
Posts: 1758

Well, it's disappointing to say the least. I guess we just had some false hopes about round two of selection after MM and Sony decided to use our teaser trailer for publicity on their blogs. We received a lot of feedback from people and had a huge list of ideas for the series and the integration of educational mechanics but alas, we're not going to pursue that avenue any more. Whether we do anything with what we built is up in the air. We are kind of feeling like the wind has dropped out of our sails. We appreciate all the comments and ideas from people but for now this project is dead and will not even get beyond "My Moon".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-v9i1Qf1fE		2010-04-02 20:09:00

Author:
Jaeyden
Posts: 564


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