LBP Showcase / Reviews / Recommendations #1
LittleBig Lumines
Archive: 8 posts
| LittleBig LuminesXarioSo http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18262Have you always wanted to play Lumines in LittleBigPlanet? Now you can! Welcome to my first level showcase here at LBPC! It presents my second published level in LBP in which, you've guessed it, one really can play Lumines. I am a bit proud of it because I actually think it plays quite smoothly. What's Lumines? Lumines is a puzzle reaction videogame, not unlike Tetris. So you move and rotate stuff that falls from top to bottom. If you arange it properly, it vanishs, thus preventing the play area (grid) from filling up. Unlike Tetris, which I find a bit...frumpy, Lumines has a few modern characteristics that I find rather elegant. With that said, I see this level as an homage, neither as ad nor as fraud. Why in LBP? I was up for the challenge in create, I wanted to see if I was going to get it to work and boy, have I learned a lot through this. It's the first one out there  The first Tetris levels have been published pretty early but I always had a problem with them. This: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18259 It just doesn't feel quite like playing Tetris. No pun intended So that's why I came up with the question, wheather a game interface, that I'd perceive as more fitting for this kind of game, is possible in LBP. It is! Quick tour http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18257 You spawn into the level, notice the nice music box, walk to the right and enter the tutorial hub. You can skip it or choose between general explanation and handling. They are interconnected and link to a third area, that lists all the differences to a real Lumines. But even if you skip it, you are introduced to: "Pink = Grab me!". http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18261 The game starts on your command as soon as you enter the main area. Drag boxes around composed of 2*2 squares, each showing one of two colours. You position them over the grid, so that two lights are on (it has some tolerance) and then: Grab the Pink! The block falls down and you get a new one. If the grid contains a 2*2 square in one colour (or any bigger shape), the vertical, periodically passing timeline that moves from left to right will erase them, thus letting squares above fall down. You get the more points (orange) the bigger the shape is. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18260 Play time is between seven and eight minutes. This neat little hourglas gives some suggestion on the remaining time. During those eight minutes you're going to play through three skins, that change the overall appearance of the level, but not any speed settings. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18258 Though you may do with the jetpack whatever you want, I prefer to handle the blocks without. A 180? in one swift motion is pretty slick  The exit Pink will be unlocked after time's up. Exiting this way is the only chance for some bonus points. Anything else to mention? Let points accumulate for closely three time sweeps It is much more relaxed than your typical Lumines session: Everything is slower, blocks only drop on your command and stacking upon a full column won't result in game over. Dispose useless blocks at the side! The grid is one quater its original size, therefor it has a backup row. Open questions More than two players usually result in multiplayer chaos anyway But actually, even with two players, the Pink sponges move too fast on grabbing, so that the second player is left behind... I'll put some thought into this, but I really like them to move so fast....any ideas how to manullay emulate a setting on grab switches for "requires all"?The game interface is realized through "Drag the boxes with Sackperson". Is that actually fun or would a more abstract interface be more interesting/fun/better play experience? Behind the scene tour One of the elegant elements of Lumines I mentioned above, is that the probabilities that are assigned to blocks, come in so naturally: For each of the four squares that form a block, one of two colours is independently equiprobable chosen. That's 2*2*2*2 = 16 configurations, that all occur with the same probability of 1/16. However, through rotating, they condense into only six shapes: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18256 Luckily, this made the implementation of a randomizer rather easy, even though it's ugly designed: It just throws a cube (dice?, well four possible outcomes), if it lands on 1,2 or 3, the corresponding emitter on the left side activates (see picture above). http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18263 If it lands on 4, an (unsynchronized) copy will throw an equal cube, two sides assigned to the checker shape which leaves two outcomes for two remaining shapes, the one coloured blocks. The throwing (say emitting) of a cube is erratic enough, because of the two wobble bolts in un-sync. And frequent player input finally makes it random enough. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18264 I love this! The hourglas was a late addition, because a friend whom I showed the level in an earlier stage, always wanted to know how much time remains. It looks quite convincing from the play stage, but it's just two carefully shaped blocks that move in sync. Well, I hope it's been an interesting read and that you gonna enjoy the level, any feedback or question is greatly appreciated. | 2010-06-18 21:14:00 Author: Xario  Posts: 238 |
| very difficult to understand BUT! very fun when you get it! I had fun playing this level and I know it must've been challenging to make it so good job! I gave it 4/5 stars one problem, and one suggestion -when you grab the sponge thingies, it moves too fast for other players to grab onto (if more than one player is playing) -maybe change it to a teleporter? great level Xario!  | 2010-06-20 22:21:00 Author: wolverine_2008  Posts: 304 |
| Thanks a lot for playtesting! -when you grab the sponge thingies, it moves too fast for other players to grab onto (if more than one player is playing) I just realized that yesterday, for 2player it's almost impossible to go through the tutorial together. The scoreboard also didn't register and we had to leave via pause...very dissapointing... -maybe change it to a teleporter? That would have quite a different look and feel... I don't know...I'm thinkin about some way, but maybe I just gonna change the description: "It's 1 player optimized!" Too bad there is no setting on grab switches like "requires all"...  very difficult to understand ... Could you elaborate a little on this? Cause that's one thing I really don't (can't!) see anymore. Did you know Lumines before? And what part exactly was not so easy to understand (I consider improvement of problems in this direction as very important). | 2010-06-21 14:57:00 Author: Xario Posts: 238 |
| I liked it! | 2010-06-21 14:59:00 Author: Unknown User  |
| Yeah, Rag thx, even though you definitely experienced the worst play session with this level that I witnessed so far?!? (Meaning: If you play it on your own, it will probably be much smoother, thus more fun) | 2010-06-21 16:55:00 Author: Xario Posts: 238 |
| Great tribute to one of my favorite blockbusting games of the PSP. You did a good job making the blocks act like the one from Lumines and the usage of music [New Dawli Dawn, Atlas, and Battle on the Ice] really gives this level a music rhythm while playing it. Not sure what's with the jetpack in this level but it looks like you want us to give us ideas of how you made this level. Great job. 5 stars and a heart. | 2010-06-23 00:03:00 Author: JustinArt  Posts: 1314 |
| Very kind words, I'm glad you like it and thanks a lot for playtesting and feedbacking. The jetpack is just an alternative for block handling (if one prefers) while the idea of roaming the level and being able to fly back to the tutorial (for whatever reason) is also certainly a part of it. | 2010-06-23 02:08:00 Author: Xario Posts: 238 |
| Very kind words, I'm glad you like it and thanks a lot for playtesting and feedbacking. The jetpack is just an alternative for block handling (if one prefers) while the idea of roaming the level and being able to fly back to the tutorial (for whatever reason) is also certainly a part of it. Oh that's what a jetpack is for. Funny that I only rotated the blocks by grabbing the top corner and drop. By the way, since there's a jetpack, you should considered surrounding the level area with dark matter or horrible gas so that people won't get lost while flying. | 2010-06-23 22:14:00 Author: JustinArt Posts: 1314 |
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