Archive: 12 posts

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DVLC1: "Sand in Your Boots" Creator Interview: KomodoBrothers (http://lbp.me/u/KomodoBrothers) 1. Alright, so I'd like to start off and just say congratulations for winning. How did it feel competing with the four other creators, especially with such diversity between each entry? Are there certain thoughts you'd like to share regarding the ones you've played? I wish I could tell you all about the other levels and what I thought, but most were too difficult for me to even finish! You'd think I'd develop some platforming skills after playing this game so much (although I'm a champ at versus levels). But I'll share my thoughts on each one, and why their levels are probably more deserving than mine. Kasperi6's "Planetary Lifter" is a real treat. This is the only level I was able to finish (sorry!). Always nice to see some classic creature-brain enemies. There are some puzzles and sponge wall jumping that I was really impressed with. Another thing that I always appreciate is the structure, it goes all directions! You can tell he planned his level out and didn't just whip something up. xxMATEOSxx's A Hard Place had me pretty stressed out. My first thought was, "Oh, a race. I don't care about high scores. I'll take my time." Oh, how wrong I was. The walls began to cave in and I lost what little platforming skills I had. I think the whole idea of a level that destroys itself is genius and puts the pressure on the player. It was something I've never seen before, and I might return to conquer that beast of a level. One day... DawnBreaker_23's Temple Exploration! is one of the levels I barely got anywhere with. Dawn's temple was beautiful, I must say. It's just that those 3D RPG thingies are a pain for me. I said this in my review, I end up running everywhere pressing the "Interact" button until something happens. You have to walk me through that level so I can see the rest of it, Dawn! Darkcloudrepeat's Flowers Crown: Desert Lily - also had me rage-quitting, but it is great from what I heard. The platforming was much too difficult for stupid, stupid me. The detail in the buildings and pillars that I saw were awesome, though. Just another level that I will never see because I suck. Overall, I was impressed with my competition. There were no "duds" to speak of, everyone had a good chance to win. They should be incredibly proud of what they made. Kasperi6 and DawnBreaker_23 are friends of mine so I always play what they publish, brilliant creators and friends the both of you. xxMATEOSxx and Darkcloudrepeat I've never heard of before, but after playing your levels, I'll be sure to sneak a peek at your planets every once in a while. I queued some of your levels up (hopefully they won't be lost in that mess of a queue). http://i8.lbp.me/img/ft/08862b5b97b9c3c291acbac71578947d788bec20.jpg (DVLC1 Winner) "Living in Ruins" (http://lbp.me/v/qq66tec) 2. Lot of great things said there, Komodo. How about the work on your entry, "Living in Ruins?" Were there any notable problems you faced when creating it, or perhaps some noteworthy experiences and/or lessons learned? Besides my own laziness, everything went pretty smoothly. I knew exactly what kind of gameplay I was going for. Although I do feel a bit conceded for making my temple creatures silhouette versions of myself The design was meant to be very organized and neat, then as you progress you'll see the temple beginning to crumble. I think it's a nice touch when levels change as you play, keeps the player interested. This was the first time I tried 3D stuff, there are hills and clouds in the far back layers. There's something charming about a simple hand-made background that really tickles my fancies. I'll be doing more of that in future projects. My only problem with the is it's a bit unpolished. That's my own fault, I have to make levels quickly or I lose interest. Also, when I make a level I never plan anything, and I hate myself for that. I'll have a general idea for gameplay then I just make it up as I go along. Sometimes it's obvious when it doesn't flow very well. I'd like to thank a few friends who helped with the level. First is the Arabian sticker that my friend actio1_618 painted for me. The faded red and green really put it all together. Also, another friend xTrilexx who made some beautiful temple music specifically for my level. Thanks guys 3. Let's talk about the friends who helped you with your entry for a second. Where can we find more beautiful paintings from actio1_618 and more stunning works of music from xTrilexx? Actio's gallery of portraits http://lbp.me/v/qqjd8qw Day of the Dead {Paint tool sticker giveaway} http://lbp.me/v/qp9n5yx Tril's Music Hub 2 http://lbp.me/v/qpf8qq1 I recommend (demand) everyone to check out their levels, both are the best creators in their field in my opinion. 4. Great, I'll have to queue them up, and I look forward to seeing what those two will hopefully continue to bring to the LBP community. Switching back to your entry for a second, I remember hearing from you that you were going to enter this contest not long at all after Create Marathon 4 was over. How did it feel switching from rushing to help make a level with eleven other creators in such a short time to having a month to commandeer your very own work again? Hard hitting questions. I like your moxie. Create Marathon 4 was a crazy experience. I didn't even expect it, someone on their team was having connection issues so they called me up as a replacement. My group was TheMonkeyBlade, P-I-M-P-I, and dolphins-R-lame. It was a lot of fun seeing how our ideas clashed until we came up with compromises. This was a perfect event for me, making a level in 24 hours, because like I said I lose interest quickly. I think the fastest I've made a level is two days. Not sure if that's a problem or not. If there will be a Create Marathon 5, I will definitely be signing up. Oh right, the actual question you asked... Transitioning from Create Marathon back to my own work was a breeze. In fact, I learned some techniques with structure, architecture, and lighting that I incorporated in my recent levels. My contest entry wasn't even my next level after the marathon. I made one in between those two, honestly I just pop them out. Our super sexy oriental theme in the marathon is what inspired it. "Soaring For More" http://lbp.me/v/qqyfp22 (Shameless advertisement) So yeah, I gained a lot from participating in that. Friends, creating tips, and inspiration. I loved it. http://i8.lbp.me/img/ft/e886b07590fa7255042c22b4eca0ef9ead66859d.jpg "Soaring for More" (http://lbp.me/v/qqyfp22) 5. New lighting/structural techniques, eh? Care to share what some of these are? It's always great hearing some tips and tricks from fellow creators, and with fifteen levels published, I'm sure you've picked up a thing or two you'd like to share (Not just "sticking with it" and "practice makes perfect" though, I want to hear the good stuff, the nitty gritty creating details). Ah, here we go. *snaps fingers* *Sits with hands on keyboard for fifteen minutes* It's hard to put creating into words for me. This would be so much better if this were a podcast and I could show you For lighting, it was mostly utilizing spotlights and the Fire Flakes material from the DC pack. If you place one large spotlight above a level and several smaller ones after, then combine it with Fire Flakes coming down in the same direction, it creates a cool sunlight effect. The flakes are used to look like dust or flower petals, depending on the level. I don't know who used this trick in my Create Marathon team, but I use it a lot now. So thanks to that guy/gal. As for structure in general, I learned some corner editing styles that were useful. I like that in the level some areas are very clean and straight, while some are a bit sloppy (but in a good way). It's important to have that balance because if a level is made completely in grid, it's noticeable. In my opinion, grid levels are blocky and it makes me think that the creator doesn't know how to corner edit. I find that when you create as long as I have and with as many levels as I've created (even if they're god awful), you start to notice these types of things and it bothers the hell out of you. 6. Visuals certainly seem to be important to you, but I've also noticed how levels like "Dino-mite!" and "Bomb Voyage!" weave in some very standout gameplay (while also still looking good, of course). So what I'm curious about is, does your visual-focused ideas for levels ever clash with your gameplay-focused ones? Most of the time I have an awesome gameplay idea or an awesome visual idea. Very few of my levels have both (in my opinion). "Gabbagoo and You" and "Midnight Calling" are levels that I had sketched and were made for visuals only. I made up the gameplay without even thinking about it. That's the reason why I stare at that pink ribbon and hate it more every day. Especially when it's surrounded by levels that are far more enjoyable. If I have a gameplay idea, the theme is usually thrown together and unpolished. Like "Ribbit-Ribbit Racing" for example, where does that level take place? Why are there frogs there? I don't even know. When I'm playing a level and I don't know where I am, it bothers me. Yes, some of my levels annoy me but I guess they're decent. I'd like to get a bit off topic and say that most of my levels that have outstanding gameplay are because of SharpShot925. You'll see he is credited in my best levels like "Dino-mite!" and "Ribbit-Ribbit Racing". I'm dreadful when it comes to that stuff, so I'm very grateful that he's been there to help me out. Now that I think about it, my levels would be crappy without my friends. Someone's usually there to throw in some visual ideas or gameplay motifs. That's why I enjoy creating while friends are with me, it's more fun than creating in silence (except for the irritating sound of the corner edit tool). http://i5.lbp.me/img/ft/d95ce0ddc632fd2fc9971dfd943cdb585b1e88cf.jpg "Ribbit-Ribbit Racing" (http://lbp.me/v/kwqs15) 7. I agree, having others with you in create mode can be incredibly helpful. Well, if you could take the pink ribbon off that level, which of yours would you move it over to? Which level would you be more happy with being team picked? Also, have you heard of other team picked creators having similar issues? It's not even about moving the team pick. I could care less about the reward aspect of it all, I create for fun (except when a certain opportunity presents itself for $20 and a creator interview). It's just that when it's there, it's like it's being labeled as my best level. People come to my planet for the first time, see the ribbon, play that with the mindset of "This is the peak of this creator's talent. The best this person can do." Which is not true at all. Other creators have this same problem. Some delete their levels because of this. I've only seen it happen once though, my friend who created a Christmas level became ashamed of it being picked and deleted it. I guess he realized that he created it solely for a seasonal pick instead of creating for fun. I won't give the username because his motives for deleting may be different. ANYWAY. My personal favorite level of mine (after some thought) is ""Ribbit-Ribbit Racing". Not the most popular one, but I just love this level. First, the visuals. I paid close attention to the color scheme when I created this. Mostly using brown and gray colors, then with splashes of red designs scattered around. The color really stands out here and I love it. As for the design, I made straight shapes with some curvy arches in the back layers. This is that balance of shapes I mentioned earlier. The gameplay, while it doesn't make any sense, is so much fun. It starts introducing the mechanic that will be used (using R2 to use brain cranes) and immediately starts a race, this intro is incredibly charming to me whenever I play it. The race is what gives the level replay value, for those high score hunters. I had some people play the level over a hundred times, which surprised me. I still don't understand why people care that much. (Off topic again but I feel like sharing this) The funny thing about the level is that it was created because I'm cheap. I bought the Move pack and played one of those giveaway levels to get all the stuff in it. I don't own a PS Move or PS Eye. And I sure as hell wasn't going to buy those things just to make a brain crane level. So I asked SharpShot925 if it was possible to do it without a Move. He did some logic and voila! Brain crane frogs were born. 8. Aa, I see. I guess what I meant about the team pick was which of your levels would simply be your favorite. Good to see a humble perspective towards it though, I'll make sure to give "Ribbit Ribbit Racing" a play when I get the chance. So then, going from there, I did notice that your DVLC1 entry was actually your fifteenth level published on LBP2. So with only five slots left before you hit the 20-level publishing limit, do you already know what you might do when it arrives? Perhaps you'll archive links to older levels in one big hub, or would you be willing to "pull a shookie_monster " and start creating on a second account? You ask this question as I create my big project I'm literally working on it now, but I haven't decided if this will be something for a new account or close up the account I have now. Quite a dilemma. Although, I have been wanting to create a "world" with an account. Where every level that is published is in the same place, focuses on the same characters, etc. Like one big series. If I do this, and create another account, I won't tell anyone. I'd rather start fresh and leave my "Komodo Bird" character behind. But if some randomer publishes an entry for DVLC2, some people might get suspicious And technically, I have 17 levels published. "Deep Trouble" is something that has been finished for a long time, but it's still locked on my planet. I had friends test it and some really didn't like it. I don't know if I will publish it, haven't decided. http://i4.lbp.me/img/ft/664cbb7bcf127ac94a98a2bb849ec198c116a638.jpg "Oakey Pokey" (http://lbp.me/v/krrewd) 9. Well then, if you don't mind me asking (as it's sort of customary to ask this sort of question in creator interviews), can you drop any sort of info. or hints about this "big project" you've got in the works? Or any other levels in the making even? *puts on paparazzi cap* I wish I could give you a bunch of information but I would have to know what I'm doing first. I might have said this earlier, I don't really plan anything. I can tell you that RainbowT-Rex is co-creating it, he's been a big help so far. But where I'm at right now, there's not much else I can tell you. I just know there will be a story, maybe even a movie intro. Oh! There will be birds, I can promise that. I've always had a fascination with birds but never included them in a level (besides my contest entry). So I think it would be appropriate to close up my account with something I always wanted to do. 10. I see. Well, I think that's a good place to close the interview at. Good luck in moving forward as a creator, and I look forward to the alluded DVLC2 entry, hehe. Finally, are there any other people you'd like to mention that you haven't already? It was my pleasure, and yes I'd like to just throw some names out there. I promised I would give a shout out to dolphins-R-lame in this interview so there it is #unpauseforwhat Also here's a list of people that I think are under-appreciated and deserve some attention. adamaniac987 MikoCO26 idgowans Porkyfern Flat_Pormer Kempenn- MrLIJOOL I'll catch you cats later, more stuff coming in the near future! Stay royal! MWUAH! <3 http://if.lbp.me/img/ft/56f9bda73729ae59385efb4f7f51e3edf172c8b1.jpg (http://lbp.me/v/fspd-w)

2014-04-06 00:58:00 Author: Dragonvarsity Posts: 5208

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Oh man this contest was so good you guys, and this interview was..too long for me to finish. But the stuff I read was also good. This comp is really nicely sized, not too big nor too small. Hearts across the board or whatever!

2014-04-06 01:26:00 Author: Mnniska Posts: 531

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Awesome interview, I want to see another contest! -hyper

2014-04-06 02:02:00 Author: hyperdude95 Posts: 1793

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Great interview! Congrats Komodo, you deserved it!

2014-04-06 02:47:00 Author: theIronHorse Posts: 279

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Nice interview. Good stuff in there. Congrats again Komodo and great job on organizing this whole thing Drago.

2014-04-06 03:44:00 Author: xxMATEOSxx Posts: 1787

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Oh man this contest was so good you guys, and this interview was..too long for me to finish. But the stuff I read was also good. This comp is really nicely sized, not too big nor too small. Hearts across the board or whatever! I have nasty habit of over-answering questions. It's an essay and shall be graded accordingly!

2014-04-06 04:34:00 Author: KomodoBrothers Posts: 89

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Im lazy! Stoped right after two sentences. But congradulation Komo

2014-04-06 11:09:00 Author: Sandro8708 Posts: 625

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Excellent! Great interview.

2014-04-06 15:03:00 Author: biorogue Posts: 8424

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I'm glad you guys enjoyed the interview, and thanks for the in-depth answering, Komodo. Maybe if I can someday get a capture card that works with my odd PS3, I can get some higher quality pictures going and hey, maybe even some recording too. ^^ Having interviewed a bunch before, it was interesting actually asking questions one by one with Komodo, and I think it made the interview much more conversational. Hopefully DVLC2 can run just as smoothly!

2014-04-07 12:39:00 Author: Dragonvarsity Posts: 5208

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Great work Dragon with the contest and interview. Congrats to the Komodo and thanks for sharing some insight on your lack of process…curse you! I’m kidding, it’s always great to hear a little about how others create and their thought process on different things. I’m going to give the essay an A-.

2014-04-08 15:45:00 Author: peoriaspitfire Posts: 359

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Welp, I managed to pick up a capture card that works with my PS3, and so I decided to go ahead and do a recording for Komodo's winning level. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-A24jHDZw0 I'll try to get the other four entries recorded too, hopefully it won't detract people away from still giving them all a go. :3 Also, DVLC2's release date has already been announced over twitter. It's set to start next wednesday, April 16th. See you all there!

2014-04-11 13:22:00 Author: Dragonvarsity Posts: 5208

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Ooo I love hearing that song in HD Thanks for recording it!

2014-04-13 21:39:00 Author: KomodoBrothers Posts: 89

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