Spore!

[Sky]

We need a translator.

[Hutch]

Gaming Steve (site currently broken) made some videos of the "Procedural Music in Spore" talk at GDC.

From the creature editor, spaceship editor, and city editor:

(Warning! Video quality = hand-held pointed at a projection screen.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEfr8GO4uBg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bc2VRe89Ho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHCRzAcGS0Y

[Mrbloodworth]

[Sky]

Gaming Steve (site currently broken) made some videos of the "Procedural Music in Spore" talk at GDC.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

[Azazel]

September release? I'll start caring in late August, then.

[TripleDES]

Having skimmed over the screenshots over at GamingSteve, it appears, while the latest videos suggest something different, the editor's far from gimped towards creating cartoony shit only.

http://www.gamingsteve.com/images/2008/02/gamingsteve_spore_gdc_08_26-thumb-500x375.jpg

[SnakeCharmer]

I just can't get excited over Spore.

What's the hook for you guys?  What am I missing that you see in it?

[TripleDES]

I'm sure you hated Lego as a child, too.

[Morat20]

I just can't get excited over Spore.

What's the hook for you guys?  What am I missing that you see in it?

Everything.

Frankly, it's the creativity. Being able to basically mold and create these creatures -- such a huge range -- and then release them out into the wild, so to speak? To be able to play with these little simulators on a huge scale (the galaxy game).

It's the sort of unfettered (well, mostly unfettered) creativity and sandbox-ness I've been looking for in games for a LONG time.

[Venkman]

I just can't get excited over Spore.

What's the hook for you guys?  What am I missing that you see in it?

The sheer scope of it. Almost every other game is some sort of central mechanic tweaked a zillion ways, fitting genres that were ironically retrofitted to categorize the games that created them. Spore is trying to be all of it. No idea if they'll pull it off, but it's worth checking out for the attempt alone.

I do like that they'll players jump straight into segments of the game. I plan to sfart from scratch to see how well the whole thing ties together.

[Kageru]

I think there's a lot of people heading for disappointment when they find the game has less freedom than they thought. At the same time finding that large sandboxes with procedural content and emergent game play actually ends up feeling repetitive, undirected and less satisfying because it can't actually tell a story. Not to mention that players will find the optimal approaches quickly and trivialize the game. I see a lot of nice editors which is nice an all.

I'd be happy to be wrong, but I'm certainly not buying it on launch.

[Venkman]

Here I agree. This isn't a clay molding world from what's been made public. It seems to be more a collection of games strapped together under a meta goal, with loads of customization in parts of it.

Going that route I think make it's more casual friendly. Second Life could use the Crytek2 Engine and it'd still never have mass appeal, simply for what it is (even putting aside the other players).

[TripleDES]

Talking about that, Project Entropia is moving to the CryENGINE 2...

[Samwise]

I think there's a lot of people heading for disappointment when they find the game has less freedom than they thought. At the same time finding that large sandboxes with procedural content and emergent game play actually ends up feeling repetitive, undirected and less satisfying because it can't actually tell a story.

I got to play the DS version at GDC; it's very story/quest/collection-driven.  I'd go so far as to put it into the RPG genre, as it's got character "levelling" and customization to go with the main story and side quests.

The full game will probably be much more sandboxy, but I have seen snippets of story elements in there too, particularly once you start encountering other intelligent species.  Not that I care because I've learned from games like Black & White that I don't need a story to enjoy a sandbox (I had the most fun with those games when I ignored the story and just stayed on one level to play around).

[Sky]

At the same time finding that large sandboxes with procedural content and emergent game play actually ends up feeling repetitive, undirected and less satisfying because it can't actually tell a story. Not to mention that players will find the optimal approaches quickly and trivialize the game.

Large sandboxes with procedural content and emergent gameplay = use your imagination to make stories. Players who find optimal approaches and trivialize their experience = broken toys. If you're an unimaginative min/maxer (ie: modern gamer), yes, you will probably not enjoy this type of game.

Sam, I also played a single level of B&W and disliked it when it tried to be more than a sandbox to play in. My main fears about Spore is that they dumb the science down to much and try to make it too much of a game for the aforementioned unimaginative short-attention span crowd that need a story spoon-fed to them in a /game/ (reminds me of the great plot of the aforementioned Legos or the gripping adventure of the shoe in Monopoly).

[Morat20]

I think there's a lot of people heading for disappointment when they find the game has less freedom than they thought. At the same time finding that large sandboxes with procedural content and emergent game play actually ends up feeling repetitive, undirected and less satisfying because it can't actually tell a story.

I got to play the DS version at GDC; it's very story/quest/collection-driven.  I'd go so far as to put it into the RPG genre, as it's got character "levelling" and customization to go with the main story and side quests.

The full game will probably be much more sandboxy, but I have seen snippets of story elements in there too, particularly once you start encountering other intelligent species.  Not that I care because I've learned from games like Black & White that I don't need a story to enjoy a sandbox (I had the most fun with those games when I ignored the story and just stayed on one level to play around).

From what I've heard of the design (and it may have changed since), it's T-shaped. Early play is far more guided, with "endgame" being a total sandbox.

[K9]

From what I've heard of the design (and it may have changed since), it's T-shaped. Early play is far more guided, with "endgame" being a total sandbox.

This isn't a huge issue for me, after all... how much gameplay is there to be had in an amoeba?

[Yegolev]

EQ2 crafting + mitosis =

[Azazel]

Spore Creature Creator to be made available before game's release
Bring your own creatures to life.

While the full version of this virtual life-form creating title won't hit stores until September, Maxis has announced that the creature creation toolset for Spore will be made available to PC owners across the world from June 17.

This demo version of the Spore Creature Creator will give players the chance to dabble in the creation of their very own species, using 25% of the creature parts that will be available in the retail title.

As well as letting you play Frankenstein on your PC, the Spore Creature Creator will allow you to directly import your creature into the game upon release as well as upload videos of your handiwork onto YouTube for all to see.

For those of you that aren't content with playing with only part of the game's creature creating power, a full version of the toolset will be available to buy from participating stores, which will unlock all of the creation parts that are set to be available within the retail title. The full version of the Spore Creature Creator is said to retail for around the $10 price point.

http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=11259&sid=4606147c3228279bc95d9e91de6cc002&title=Spore+Creature+Creator+to+be+made+available+before+game%27s+release

==========================

Interesting move, there...

[Morat20]

I always said that CoH would do well to offer their character creation bit as a free demo. :)

[TripleDES]

June 17 can't come fast enough. All the goddamn blue balling is getting annoying.

[Paelos]

As long as I can create a race of super-intelligent baboons bent on galactic domination, then I will buy this game.

[MrHat]

Isn't the game dated for release in like October?

This feels a bit early to be releasing a 'demo'.

[Sky]

September. The creature editor is done. Not a demo.

[Hellinar]

Long time since I checked this discussion:

We need a translator.

I guess you are referring to the local maximum stuff. That roughly translates as “make the game the best it can be and its hard to compete”.

But Will Wright’s description is I think more precise.  Thinking in terms of local maximums in a design space is a different way of looking at the process than “making the best product”.

I get the impression one of the drivers for Will Wright in producing Spore is to give people the experience of exploring a design space. One in which there are lots of local maximums but no “best” answer.

I think the world would be a better place if more people thought about complex systems that way.