Archive: 18 posts

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Hey guys. After making 5 mediocre levels, I am done with creating LBP levels. I wish I could keep going, but I feel that the game has run dry. I can't think of much else that I can do gameplay-wise, and that (IMO) is the most important part of the community levels. If there is no new gameplay, then it is just like playing MM's levels over and over again. I will probably stop by every now and again to see the levels on the showcase, and I plan on trying to make a multiplayer minigame level, but other than that, I am done. Hopefully you guys keep coming up with cool stuff, I guess I'm just not cut out to do it. I want to be a level designer, but my mediocre levels aren't exactly inspiring me.

2009-03-04 04:41:00 Author: cornontheCOD Posts: 150

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Man, that's sad. And you thread did receive the shaft. Almost no feedback :/ Aren't there other games in wich you'd be inspired to make levels/maps? I mean, don't be discouraged if you had some career goals!! .

2009-03-04 05:31:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

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You could always focus on the other aspect of levels. Instead of being original gameplay wise, be original storyline wise.

2009-03-04 05:32:00 Author: Laharlsama07 Posts: 39

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Man, that's sad. And you thread did receive the shaft. Almost no feedback :/ Aren't there other games in wich you'd be inspired to make levels/maps? I mean, don't be discouraged if you had some career goals!! . I am currently making custom levels for Team Fortress 2 (PC). In fact, it's my senior project. Unfortunately, I'm not too great at level design for that game either.

2009-03-04 05:45:00 Author: cornontheCOD Posts: 150

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I am currently making custom levels for Team Fortress 2 (PC). In fact, it's my senior project. Unfortunately, I'm not too great at level design for that game either. Anyhow, I suggest you hold on and practice. I also doubt we ever can be satisfyed of our work. It's the burden of the artist really. I'm personally in the same boat as you, working my way up into level design by making tons of maps in different games. Only practice can make us better. .

2009-03-04 05:59:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

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Don't let the bad attitudes or cold shoulder you get on forums discourage you from doing something you enjoy... and don't let it affect the perception of your own work. This doesn't mean that some people haven't played your levels and loved them.... there's plenty of people on LBP that don't even post on websites. Good luck with being a game designer though - I would love to do that... and that's awesome with the Team Fortress 2 project. Mod-making is the fast track getting into the industry and learning the ropes - developers love to see that a person can do alot with a little, can work without direction, and is sometimes able to teach themselves what they need to know. Just remember that Halflife originally started as a Quake II mod by a bunch of nobodies too... and then Portal started as a Half Life 2 mod. You might end up working on something like that in the future. Who knows? Nothin' wrong with a break though , and you can't force yourself to be creative when it's just not there (not for free anyway lol). I need to o the same thing, and beat this stack of games I still have piled up from last year.

2009-03-04 06:06:00 Author: Unknown User

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Don't let the bad attitudes or cold shoulder you get on forums discourage you from doing something you enjoy... and don't let it affect the perception of your own work. This doesn't mean that some people haven't played your levels and loved them.... there's plenty of people on LBP that don't even post on websites. Good luck with being a game designer though - I would love to do that... and that's awesome with the Team Fortress 2 project. Mod-making is the fast track getting into the industry and learning the ropes - developers love to see that a person can do alot with a little, can work without direction, and is sometimes able to teach themselves what they need to know. Just remember that Halflife originally started as a Quake II mod by a bunch of nobodies too... and then Portal started as a Half Life 2 mod. You might end up working on something like that in the future. Who knows? Nothin' wrong with a break though , and you can't force yourself to be creative when it's just not there (not for free anyway lol). I need to o the same thing, and beat this stack of games I still have piled up from last year. I actually started my mapping with a map for Portal. It was fun. I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to create the cool stuff that many people in LBP make. I seem to come up with a visual theme first, when I guess I should be coming up with the gameplay first, then wrap a visual theme around it. Maybe I'll try that later, but for now I will take a break

2009-03-04 07:14:00 Author: cornontheCOD Posts: 150

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I've sort of feel like this sometimes too. Like I get intimidated from seeing all these complex levels by other people. I kinda realized its because there are some limitations to the game and that doing something complex just takes so much time to figure, let alone do. Whereas if you're using a mod or making you're own level/game from scratch, you aren't limited to pistons and magnets and a 2D plane, your power is as much as you program it to have. I wish I could put multiple switches onto a single piston, but that isn't gonna happen. I'd suggest that you still try and make levels when you have time or have some ideas, but you can do it just whenever instead of trying too hard. If you're planning to be a level designer, platformer probably isn't gonna the best choice now since there's tons of levels on LBP now. You're main focus should be doing something that will help you career wise! Just my two cents.

2009-03-04 08:47:00 Author: thedrknss48 Posts: 22

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Thats a shame cornontheCOD, I reviewed The Rift in the review league thread, and thought it was great, it only needed a better ending, and a little expanding on and it would have been an excellent level. I think you're giving up a little premature, that level had great promise.

2009-03-04 09:33:00 Author: GruntosUK Posts: 1754

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Can't you even find joy in building objects like vehicles or stuff like that? I spent about an hour making a crab which I really enjoyed.

2009-03-04 15:14:00 Author: BasketSnake Posts: 2391

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I will make that minigame multiplayer level (just thought of an idea for it), and then I will see how I feel about it. LBP level creation is a lot less technical, which I like. I find it ironic that, in theory, LBP would be my favorite game. Platformer: favorite genre 4-player co-op online and off?: check deep level creator with easy upload to servers?: check yet it is getting stale to me. I will try to think up some more stuff to do, but for now, I will just focus on that minigame level

2009-03-05 06:08:00 Author: cornontheCOD Posts: 150

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I played one of your levels before, and I didn't find it mediocre at all. Believe me, I've played my fair share of mediocre levels. Just keep practicing. Your skills will only get better with time.

2009-03-05 06:30:00 Author: DarkDedede Posts: 672

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One thing that I found keeps me interested is exploring new unique ideas, no matter how the general LBP accepts it. In Splat Invaders Saga, the idea was to get away from the side-scrolling and put the action above you. In Splat Invaders II: Caverns of Splat it was to, at least for part of the level, get rid of side scrolling all together and pilot a vehicle down into the unknown. Check out RangerZero's "Sack's in the City" if you haven't already. At least for me, it seemed so completely different than a lot of the other levels that it felt like I was playing an entirely new game. Check out Wexfordians Pinball and Fish Pond levels - TOTALLY different direction. Play some levels that explore new ground and see if you get inspired. I think there is a TON of different gameplay styles and innovations still to be explored in LBP. Just because the vast majority of people are still doing similar things doesn't mean you can't push it in a different direction.

2009-03-05 17:02:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

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Excellent suggestions there Ccubage Seriously though, I think the point is to create for ourselves first. I mean, give yourself some goals and step by step, achieve them. Nobody needs to make that new shiny level that the community will drool on, it's kinda missing the point of creating for me. Making levels is about expressing YOURSELF first. The day I won't have more ideas and I will just be making that regular level is the day I will simply stop playing this game. .

2009-03-05 18:04:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

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Absolutely. But sometimes we need to figure out what type of games we are best at making. I'm TERRIBLE with object art. But I'm a decent engineer. So I stay away from pretty platformers. In the same way, you need to kind of figure out what you're best at. All I'm suggesting is to look around at different creations for inspiration. By the way, one technique that works great for myself - I take ACTUAL photos, bring them in with the PS eye, drop them as stickers on a pieces of material, and shape my material from it. Then, I remove the sticker. So, since I can't draw I engineer the objects.

2009-03-05 18:16:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

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By the way, one technique that works great for myself - I take ACTUAL photos, bring them in with the PS eye, drop them as stickers on a pieces of material, and shape my material from it. Then, I remove the sticker. So, since I can't draw I engineer the objects. That's %$@#ing BRILLIANT!!! *takes notes...*

2009-03-05 18:32:00 Author: Boogaloo Posts: 254

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I know how you feel man. I kind of got down and out from the game even though my first real level received generally good feedback, but I didn't really work on the level enough visually, and got a few suggestions to spruce it up. Being the big baby I am, I took that really hard and now freak out if whatever I'm making isn't drop dead gorgeous and unique. Gameplay wise, just think of what's fun, what YOU want to do. All of my level creation ideas are almost entirely based on the fact that I'll be playing it with a few friends of mine. That's why my main levels are entirely co-op based, putting peoples lives in the hands of others. That's what's fun to me, that's what I wanna do so I think of fun ideas for it. Honestly, the best medicine for this tends to be just taking a break (I've been taking a huge and very satisfying Killzone 2 break ) or going into the creator and messing around with stuff, making weird machines that don't work right or big mechanical butts that shoot flaming poo. of course, don't put it into an actual level (unless it's one astounding mechanical butt) but it really just let's you sit back and remember why LBP is so great in the first place. Because you can make whatever the hell you want

2009-03-07 15:11:00 Author: superezekiel Posts: 120

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One thing that I found keeps me interested is exploring new unique ideas, no matter how the general LBP accepts it. I totally agree with this line. Honestly, I think alot of people need to take this to heart. Dont make levels based on what random people in the community want to play. Make levels based on what YOU want to play. That, I think, is one of the keys to making something truly grand. I learned that by making Rave, my big Danmaku boss of horrible doom. When I was starting on the thing's design, the point was mainly to see if I could DO it. I'd never seen anything like it before, and wanted to see if it was possible.... and I knew that if it WAS possible, it'd be exactly the type of boss fight that *I* would want to play. Which was the key. I knew full well that that monstrosity was going to be much, much too hard for many players. But *I* liked where the thing was going, and did it anyway. I'd EXPECTED it to not be very well recieved. But what ACTUALLY happened was that most people loved the thing, I got alot of great feedback, and it was Spotlighted. Which has inspired me to make more of the same (albeit very slowly, cause of how lazy I am, haha). And it's true, some of the things done in that probably REALLY tick off some players; the thing is *very* difficult, and out of, ahh, I think Im near 1000 plays by this point, I think only SEVEN people have actually defeated it; one of them being me. But it was well liked anyway..... it turns out Im not the only player that loves a crazy challenge. There's all sorts of players out there.... so you can be guaranteed that if you make something to fit your own personal style, there's gonna be plenty of others like you out there that'll agree with it. I personally dont think that LBP is ever going to reach a point where it becomes "stale"... the engine is simply too powerful, the game simply capable of too much. That being said, level design is usually fun..... but at times it CAN be *really* freaking aggravating. Just dont let it discourage you. I think this one happens to alot of us, probably fairly often. I know I've gotten completely irritated at it on a few occaisions. And just keep practicing at it. The more you do it, the better your levels will get And everyone here is always willing to help.

2009-03-12 08:45:00 Author: Bridget Posts: 334

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