The Origins of LittleBigPlanet
If you’re in Malmö, Sweden right now, you may know that it’s day two of the Nordic Game Conference. And day two is a special one, because [shal]Media Molecule[/shal]’s [shal]Alex Evans[/shal] kicked off the day with a presentation, entitled: “Creative Gaming: Lessons Learnt from the Making of LittleBigPlanet.”
The presentation was mostly on the technical know-how for developers, but the real highlight was probably when Alex began on the origins of [shal]LittleBigPlanet[/shal], and how they pitched it to [shal]Sony[/shal].
Before LittleBigPlanet became the LittleBigPlanet we know, Media Molecule put together a short video which featured clips of popular commercials with various keywords going up on the screen. The teaser, called “People Like Fun”, didn’t really show anything LittleBigPlanet, but did show some of the components of the game, such as running, jumping, collecting, and competition. “We were just trying to get the mood of what the hell we were trying to do,” Evans said during the speech.
Another pitch they showed to Sony was a diagram, which showed charting points between users on the left side, and technical ability at the bottom. The ages ranged from 5 to 100 years old, while the technical ability started with “people who can hold rocks”. Moving up the chart, it went to operating a tea kettle, those you can use an [shal]iPod[/shal], [shal]PlayStation 3[/shal] or [shal]PSP[/shal] users, TiVo owners, and of course, nuclear scientists. Evans stated that Sony executives just stared at the diagram, and the purpose of it was to show that anyone with thumbs could play LittleBigPlanet.
Evans then moved onto the two beta tests for LittleBigPlanet, and also how Media Molecule decided to maintain the user-created content in the beta within the final release of the title. The first beta test was kept close, consisting of only team members, friends, and family. The levels in this beta were described as “largely dull and dreadful”, and Evans worried about the appeal of the creation tools. All that worry went away though, when the second beta launched, and new levels came out. These levels were so good that Evans even described them as better then Media Molecule’s retail levels.
Because of the poor initial [shal]beta test[/shal] results, Media Molecule planned to get rid of everything created in that test. But Media Molecule thought of the players who put a lot of time in their own levels, and a lot of work into them as well. The team thought about this, and also thought of people not creating online levels, because some of the fantastic beta levels created already. So when Media Molecule held a poll to see if users wanted to keep the beta levels, 90% preferred if they were kept. So, they stayed put.
Now, Evans explains that the [shal]community[/shal] has spent as much time creating levels, as playing through the pre-made ones. He also says that the 50 levels that Media Molecule created are irrelevant compared to some of the levels available online. He says that it’s important to give users such simple tools as those found in LittleBigPlanet to create their own content, “Because in the end, the more ways to interact with games, the better.”
13 Responses to “The Origins of LittleBigPlanet”
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May 21st, 2009 at 4:15 AM
“Because of the poor initial beta test results ” – If I remember right, they gave out codes in the most idiotic way possible… That could be why they had such terrible Beta results.
BTW, how is LBP doing now? Player population wise?
May 21st, 2009 at 6:34 AM
Actually Se7eN did you even read the paragraph above the quote that you mined?
” The first beta test was kept close, consisting of only team members, friends, and family. The levels in this beta were described as “largely dull and dreadful”, and Evans worried about the appeal of the creation tools. All that worry went away though, when the second beta launched, and new levels came out. These levels were so good that Evans even described them as better then Media Molecule’s retail levels.”
Now let me pick it apart.
1st beta test. Kept close and minor.
2nd Beta test, given out in the most idiotic way possible and why they had such terrible beta results, or as the creators put it “Better than the levels in the retail version”
Sorry for picking you out but I just want to explain to people how this is not something you want to do. This is an example of how you lose credibility. You are blatantly contradicted by the paragraph above you yet criticizing it. The beta levels they hate are the ones that they didn’t do in the most “idiotic way possible”
I think I know the word that may have confused you though. Here is the definition of that word.
in⋅i⋅tial [i-nish-uhl] Show IPA adjective, noun, verb, -tialed, -tial⋅ing or (especially British) -tialled, -tial⋅ling.
–adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or occurring at the beginning; first: the initial step in a process.
I.E. not the second beta test that they like but the first one that they didn’t give out in the most idiotic way possible.
Sorry everyone I just really don’t like seeing people quote mine in any way shape or form. I hate quote mining. Just because you grab a quote doesn’t mean it’s in context remember that. I have a tendancy of pounding the points in a bit. Feel free to moderate this post if deemed necessary. I believe I went a bit over the top.
May 21st, 2009 at 9:37 AM
@MakaiOokami
lol……….. its nice to know someone else throws opinions out there instead of the mindless OMG that is so great, GREAT NEWS wash rinse, repeat…
anyways, yeah the beta test were given away randomly.
May 21st, 2009 at 9:50 AM
@Se7eN – I agree with you, it was the worst possible beta to try to get into, just because everyone was giving away keys at random hours of the day, and you never knew who actually had them.
@MakaiOokami – Whats it like being a douche bag commenter that ridicules everyone else and has absolutely NOTHING to add to the topic of discussion? GTFO.
@Shadowjin – You obviously didnt read MakaiOokami’s post. Because he had no form of opinion on the subject…. He was just looking to be a dickhead.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:25 AM
@Vault Boy
i actually did. but i guess whats an opinion to you, isn’t to someone else. the dick head part was mostly the breaking of the word down..and even thats not negative in my eyes.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:17 AM
@Se7eN:
Yeah I think we all remember that. Such a dumb method of distribution.
@DanMasi:
Great article, man. Very nice information as well as a memory or two.
5/5
May 21st, 2009 at 11:38 AM
I was playing yesterday for a minute and there were quite a few people online.
“the 50 levels that Media Molecule created are irrelevant compared to some of the levels available online.” I have seen this even more now that LBP has been out for a while. It’s amazing the time and innovation some of the user put into making levels now.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:38 AM
@MakaiOokami
dont be afraid to say what you feel. i applaud your post… wish i had more that actually said something.
@shadowjin
im pretty sure at the end when MakaiOokami told us how he hated quote mining that is an opinion. lol.
@VaultBoy
nice job of riticuling someone on not contributing anything and then doing the same thing. -1 for your post.
anyway… i was in the closed beta for lbp, dont ask me how lol. it was dreadful. it really wasnt playable when you tried to play with people online. but when the game came out it was much better. it still has a few kinks in it but overall the game is really fun.
as for the talk about levels. i have found some extremely impressive levels online, some are much more impressive than the mms levels. always wanted to make my own level but am too afraid of being embarrassed lol. but i cant get enough of the concept of lbp. play, create, share… it doesnt get much better than that.
thanks massi. i enjoyed the read.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:00 PM
cool
May 21st, 2009 at 12:12 PM
@Jeneric
lol. i know.
May 21st, 2009 at 4:39 PM
pretty nice.
May 21st, 2009 at 4:55 PM
LOL,OMG that is so great, GREAT NEWS wash rinse, repeat…
May 21st, 2009 at 8:42 PM
@DGR8Mc187
lol