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#1

Duelling Desert Dragsters and more

Archive: 23 posts

Hi guys,
Just wanted to let you know I have now updated my Drag racing level.

There is an authentic Drag race at the start and I have put detailed instructions at the entrance for anyone who needs them but they are purely optional. I have tried to make it as true a Drag racing experience as possible.
The dragsters themselves have fully functional wheelie bars and parachutes.
I have also incorporated a fully functioning xmas tree light setup.
http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss273/specialagent_01/LittleBigPlanet/Duelling%20Desert%20Dragsters%20level/th_LBPDragsters3.jpg

I have now added extra races with a variety of vehicles all made by myself with the exception of the Fenrir bike which was made by capt_commando.
http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss273/specialagent_01/LittleBigPlanet/Duelling%20Desert%20Dragsters%20level/th_FenrirbikeandRed13.jpg

They include the best Dragsters in LBP ( sorry , I don't usually blow my own trumpet like that but I honestly believe they are. I haven't found better yet ), Mario Karts, VRGT racers ( my own creations inspired by tube racer ), the aforementioned Fenrir bike with a twist and last but not least the 'General Lee' from 'The Dukes of Hazzard'

http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss273/specialagent_01/LittleBigPlanet/Duelling%20Desert%20Dragsters%20level/th_MarioKart.jpg
http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss273/specialagent_01/LittleBigPlanet/Duelling%20Desert%20Dragsters%20level/th_Ranchhouse.jpg
http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss273/specialagent_01/LittleBigPlanet/Duelling%20Desert%20Dragsters%20level/th_Watertowerandbarn.jpg
http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss273/specialagent_01/LittleBigPlanet/Duelling%20Desert%20Dragsters%20level/th_GeneralLee.jpg

I hope you like it.		2009-03-27 12:50:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

I just played the level, and here's my feedback;

I liked the race it was fun and quick. Looked pretty good for two players. (I played all on my own ) I liked your stopper at the end, were that thing appears on you, and drags you back. I liked how you had the disqualification thing too. The Christmas tree light setup was great, but could of been better if it had some noises added to it.

I didn't really like the visuals that much, there wasn't anything to see, and the dragsters could have been better. Maybe add some objects in the back plane, such as trees and hills, or spectators. Also the only way to win is to have a quick finger. Try setting something up like hills or bumps, or some complex events that make it different every time.

Overall it was a pretty good level, 4 stars! (For F4F could you do my newest level, The Platformer? Thanks!)		2009-03-27 23:38:00

Author:
Kog
Posts: 2358

I played this level earlier on and it probably would be fun two player, but I was on my own. I agree with what cog said above, you've got three planes to use (I think the dragsters took up two?) it would be nice if you added a little detail in the background. I also liked the parachutes that stopped the cars, very nice touch. The christmas tree looked nice but again could use some sounds on it. I also liked the idea of revving the engine at the start, a nice authentic touch before you start the race.

I don't know if and how you could implement it but a point bubble stash would be nice if you complete the course in a certain time, also, the cars need to go a little faster I felt, it felt like they were'nt going very quickly.

Overall it was a nice level that could just use a little work here and there.

My F4F is in the sig. Thanks		2009-03-27 23:52:00

Author:
GruntosUK
Posts: 1754

Thanks for the feedback guys. I appreciate everything you say and will try to address your concerns in turn :


The Christmas tree light setup was great, but could of been better if it had some noises added to it.
As I said in my original post I tried to make it a true drag racing experience and keep it as authentic as possible and the real thing doesn't have any sounds. If they did you wouldn't hear them over the sound of the engines anyway. I only wish there were some authentic dragster engine sounds to use in the game as I would have used them.


Maybe add some objects in the back plane, such as trees and hills, or spectators.
Totally agree with you on this one. I really wanted to do just that but unfortunately due to the different parts involved each dragster takes up 1 thick layer and 2 thin layers which is why I had to use the standard background. Any custom background taking up the back layer would have obstructed the dragster.


Try setting something up like hills or bumps,
Again this is an authenticity issue as drag races only ever take place on level tracks over a quarter of a mile and even the smallest bit of debris on the track could be catastrophic


the cars need to go a little faster I felt, it felt like they were'nt going very quickly.
Yeah I agree with that aswell but there is nothing I can do about that as I have the motor bolts at their highest speed setting of 60. Don't know why they aren't going faster. I used rubber for the tyres which is supposed to be good for traction but maybe something else would be better. I'll experiment with different materials. I didn't use rockets because again they are Top Fuel Dragsters not Jet cars

I take on board all that you say and will see what I can do anyway and will take a look at your respective levels and leave feedback asap.		2009-03-28 00:53:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Totally agree with you on this one. I really wanted to do just that but unfortunately due to the different parts involved each dragster takes up 1 thick layer and 2 thin layers which is why I had to use the standard background. Any custom background taking up the back layer would have obstructed the dragster.

Are the two thin layers used on the front and back of the dragsters? If so then a thick layer on the back plane should'nt affect them. You can always use the very back thin plane for more details?		2009-03-28 00:57:00

Author:
GruntosUK
Posts: 1754

The parts take up all 4 thin layers because I tried to put a thin layer of card on the back layer with the instructions on but couldn't, that's why I had to put the stickers where they are now.

I made a mistake earlier about the speed though. I just checked again and they were only on 35. DUH! I had set them to max but with all the tweaking I kept having to do I must have rewound to before I changed the speed and not realised. Sorry about that. I have now set them to the max of 60 and republished.

By the way I have played both your levels guys and will leave detailed feedback tomorrow as it's 2:45 am here and i'm off to bed now. Is there a thread somewhere I should use for that ?		2009-03-28 03:42:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

I just played this two player with my son. We had to restart a few times before he sorted out what "blip" means. I don't think you should assume that folks speak the lingo as it's the nichest of niche "sports".

It doesn't look bad at all, and these things don't typically have a lot of scenery around them, so that's fine.

The speech bubble that tells you to use the lift to get in the car doesn't activate until you're in the car, which seemed a bit ironic, and the camera swing when it did come up was a bit annoying.

I false started once, but because I was player one, I got far enough ahead that his player popped, and I was still able to get all of the bubbles. So I won despite the fact that I lost. You could probably just kill the player who false starts. A gas emitter would do the trick.

Overall, and interesting little diversion...and pretty well executed...just needs a tune up.		2009-03-28 04:11:00

Author:
frizby
Posts: 89

Also, it's no "Cat vs. Jaguar". Now THAT is a drag racing level!2009-03-28 04:14:00

Author:
frizby
Posts: 89

Thanks frizby, I will address those issues. I don't know why the speech bubble for the hoists didn't work properly though because it's set well before you get to the dragsters and worked fine every time I tested it myself and I set the camera like that to show where they were incase people missed them but I'll alter that because they are pretty obvious anyway.
I don't know how you managed to get the points either because I spent ages tweaking that so that redlighting automatically negates that player's points emitter and activates the other player's instead. That's also why the glass divider is at the finsh to keep the points from being collected by both players.Did you run round the other side of the glass?

By the way if your'e looking for something with more to it have you tried my other level 'LittleVista Raceway'. That is a completely full level with an overheating thermometer which has several different races in it and also platforming,puzzles and paintinator action. The dragsters are also at the end of that level but without the lights, just a simple drive to the finish and you can win one as a prize.
There is also what I think is a really fun part just before them but I won't say what that is because if you haven't played it yet it comes as a nice surprise.

Thanks anyway and I'll check out your level asap.		2009-03-28 12:34:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

I got the top score. Couple of things.

- Is the race start at the drag race missing? I went through the finish line but a proper race wasn`t happening.
- Maybe draw players attention to the lights. I just jumped in and grabbed R1 as per usual and got penalised for a false start.
- All the vehicles are pretty well made.
- The last race is just an advert for another level. Which is fine if you want it to be that, but it takes away from the drag racing at the start, where you`re going for authentic.		2009-05-04 01:05:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Is the race start at the drag race missing? I went through the finish line but a proper race wasn`t happening.

The Lights are the start. I couldn't use a normal start gate aswell because that would have negated the whole point of using the lights.


Maybe draw players attention to the lights. I just jumped in and grabbed R1 as per usual and got penalised for a false start.

There are detailed instructions about the lights at the start of the level if you stand on the button as suggested.


The last race is just an advert for another level. Which is fine if you want it to be that, but it takes away from the drag racing at the start, where you`re going for authentic.

Not sure what you mean about advertising,it certainly wasn't meant to be. It's just that I had complaints originally that the level was too short so I decided to add some extra races of other types and as I am a big fan of FF7 and had the Fenrir bike made by capt_commando I thought that would be a good time to use it.

I only added the FF7 stickers I made just to add a bit of background so it wasn't too plain.

Also it isn't complete yet either because I'm working on a new level for the Youtube contest and want to get that finished before the deadline. Then i'll go back and tidy up this level and any other incomplete ones hopefully ( provided nothing else piques my interest lol )		2009-05-04 11:36:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Just played this the dragster race is nice. The starting system is cool as is the parachute. The next little carts have a speaker visible and not much decoration on the course. I enjoyed the next vehicle, felt slightly out of control. The motor bike at the end maybe needs something as it just a straight drive no race or jumps.2009-05-04 12:55:00

Author:
bindibaji
Posts: 119

yeah i'm not great at following instructions! that's cool about the race start then, was just making sure it hadn't been broken by something.

don't you have a ff level? if you don't, then i just misunderstood, but i had thought at the time that you did and that ending was to promote it. not entirely sure where i got that from then. ah just ignore me.		2009-05-04 18:25:00

Author:
Matt 82
Posts: 1096

Yeah i do have an FF7 cutouts level but i wasn't trying to promote it. I just thought because it was Cloud's Fenrir bike it would make sense to use the stuff I already had made to add a bit of decoration.
Sorry if it came across as cheap advertising, that wasn't my intention. As I say i plan to update it asap as it 's still W.I.P.		2009-05-04 20:25:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Sorry to double post but this thread isn't being viewed any more and I've done lots to the level recently to implement your suggestions aswell as adding 2 more vehicles of my own and revamping the Fenrir bike section.
I still have 2-3 bars of thermo left so will be adding more soon until it's full.

I'd appreciate your views on the update, Thanks.		2009-05-24 10:33:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Is this level still published? For some reason I could not find it and was hoping to take a look to return the favor. Sorry it took so long for me to look!

I did play another level you had out there. I think it was called Uncharted 2 that you left me a message about on one of my levels. I will post my comments on that thread here in a bit.

Thanks!		2009-05-27 15:58:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

Yeah it's still there. I republished with updates a few days ago.

You must be looking at someone else because Uncharted is not one of my levels.

Try searching my PSN : mistervista		2009-05-27 16:40:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Yeah it's still there. I republished with updates a few days ago.

You must be looking at someone else because Uncharted is not one of my levels.

Try searching my PSN : mistervista

Doh! Yeah.. it must have been a similar PSN name and I thought it was you. I am such a goof sometimes. Sorry about that... I will check this one out later today.

Thanks!		2009-05-27 17:15:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

OK... Finally got a chance to try this last night.

I must say I was pretty impressed by the functionality of the dragsters! The staging etc.. xmas tree.. all really cool. Is that last light really green though? Looked a bit more bluesh green, but then it could have looked a bit off due to the level lighting settings.

I also liked the parachutes and the helpful sack hoists, though I think I did it 3 or 4 times before I looked and wondered what the heck those things were for! ..yeah, I ignored the speech bubble.

However as authentic as the first race was, the first time I played it the others races were somewhat of a let down. Though the more I played it, I didn't really mind.. just seemed a bit strange to me the first time around. ..the level does say.. AND MORE.. I just didn't catch on that!

I did notice that the background wasn't high enough to cover the desert during the jumps on the General Lee.

All in all, a fun level for 2 players with some interesting and cool concepts. Look forward to your next submission!!		2009-05-28 17:24:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah that last light isn't green but there isn't a decent green light in the options, that's the closest i could get to it. It always amazes me the range of incredible things that are available in this game and yet MM never had the foresight to give us a range of decent normal colours, not just with lights but stickers also.

It's the same with the letter and number stickers aswell. They are quite frankly crap. Why couldn't they just provide normal looking numbers and letters instead of all weird looking things that are no use whatsoever. I'm baffled by it.		2009-05-28 19:50:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah that last light isn't green but there isn't a decent green light in the options, that's the closest i could get to it. It always amazes me the range of incredible things that are available in this game and yet MM never had the foresight to give us a range of decent normal colours, not just with lights but stickers also.

It's the same with the letter and number stickers aswell. They are quite frankly crap. Why couldn't they just provide normal looking numbers and letters instead of all weird looking things that are no use whatsoever. I'm baffled by it.

Most welcome!

There is a green... at least it looks green to me. It just doesn't seem as obvious from the selections in the list. It also may be with the yellowish cast to the level lighting from the canyons theme it doesn't really seem green if you tried that one.		2009-05-28 20:13:00

Author:
jwwphotos
Posts: 11383

Ok, heres a little review for you...

As racing levels are going these days, its lucky that you find one in which the cars, karts, cheetahs, horses, or whatever else you are jockeying, dont tip over on the starting gate. This level however, was comprised of several working races (what a novel concept) And i especially liked the drag race segment at the beginning. LBP now seems perfect for drag races as you have effectively created a semi realistic race. it could use some more automation tho as LBP players can be a bit fidgety at times (or at least I can)		2009-07-16 18:39:00

Author:
poorjack
Posts: 1806

Thanks pj.

With the 'automation' do you mean in the Drag cars ? If so then the whole idea of the original level was to have as near to the real thing as possible. At least as near as I can make it anyway. Infact this level started out as just that and nothing else.

I only added more races after getting complaints it was too short so I decided to put extra races in of different types to try and provide something for everyone. I may even add more to it yet as I have a couple of bars of thermo left.

I have some jumping frogs that I made ages ago so I might put them in at the end. I'm just struggling to come up with some decent design for that part. The problem being each frog takes up 1 thick layer and both thin layers either side so I can only put 2 frogs in and can't put any background in or any scenery on the front layer.		2009-07-16 19:03:00

Author:
mistervista
Posts: 2210


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