Getting creative with EA's Create
BY GERARD CAMPBELL
EA is boarding the "User created content" train with its game Create, which the company says lets gamers create their own environments and where solutions to problems are solved by the "creativity of the player".
Offering a concept similar to that shown in Sony's LittleBigPlanet, EA says the more players explore the game, solve level-based challenges, and customise their world, the more rewards will be unlocked.
EA says creating environments will be simple thanks to "easy-to-use brushes and tools", including textures, props and animating objects.
EA's Harvey Elliot, VP and general manager at EA Bright Light, the studio behind Create, says the aim behind the game is use families' imaginations to develop new ways to play together. "We wanted to design a game where the entire family can explore, decorate, and solve challenges where no solution is wrong and the only limit is the imagination."
Create will be available on the PlayStation 3 (with Move support), Xbox 360, PC and Wii in November and users will be able to upload their creations online to a dedicated Create website, as well as download environments created by other players.
I'm all for user-generated content, but is EA over-simplifying how hard it really is to create game content? Also, how many people actually have the time and energy to devote to creating environments that are truly worth downloading and worthwhile for other people to play?
Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet came with some excellent tools for creating levels but for every great level there was probably a dozen that were sub-standard, and after several attempts at making levels I gave up: I realised I just didn't have the time, dedication or patience to produce something worth uploading.
It made me realise something I already knew: making good games is hard. That said, some game makers have been discovered after creating games and mods.
How about you, though? Are you interested in games like Create where you can create your own content and share it with the world - and do you have the time to do such resources justice?
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One of my favourite games on my C64 was EA's excellent Racing Destruction Set, which had a track editor allowing you to create tracks to challenge your mates on. Many fun times where had creating all manner of tracks with that one.
I love games that allow you to create additional content in this manner. In addition to LBP, I think ModNation Racers should get a nod for making it very easy to throw together playable new tracks with very little effort. But it also allows you to go beyond this if you want, and to craft a lot of detail into your tracks.
I think the key to having a successful game with a strong focus on user generated content, is to make it easy for the community to rate content, and provide a mechanism so you can sort content so the wheat easily stands out from the chaff.
The only game where I ever had the patience to create content was an oldie but a goodie, Stunt Driver, where you could create some ridiculous tracks to drive.
But normally these days I'd really rather just sit down and play something, I don't have the time (or patience) to invest in creating levels or whatever.
"how many people actually have the time and energy to devote to creating environments that are truly worth downloading and worthwhile for other people to play?" - I always wonder the same thing, but the truth is, they do. If you look at Microsoft Flight Simulator you can download user created scenery for almost any airport or city in the world. Some of those sceneries are incredibly complex.
Cleggy2,
I too remember Racing Destruction Set. It was how I learnt about Horsepower (HP). Looking back and now acknowledging the limitationss of the C64 it is quite remarkable the quality of the games that were made for it.
The C64 punched way above it's weight and paved the way for every further generation of games that has come since.
I have to agree with m0rph3us... Making tracks in Stunt Driver was awesome. I also spent a bit of my time creating a couple of levels in Shadow Warrior back in the day, although that was more of the fun of building them than actually playing them. These days I couldn't be bothered in the slightest given how much time it consumes!
@Morpheus - was that not one of the coolest games ever for just that feature?
Makes me wonder why the gaming industry hasn't cashed in on the reboot syndrom of hollywood - taking old classic games and remaking them with modern tech.
@ Paul
They kind of did remake Stunt Driver in a way in the form of Track Mania and all of its editions. It always felt to me as the spiritual successor to Stunt Driver and as a simple racing game it was a hell of a lot of fun......
Sorry, I think I mixed Stunt Driver up with Stunts - Loved Stunts by Brøderbund.....
I'd love to say i care but i just dont. I will give it a go though there is no harm in that
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Love the idea, sure there is a lot of rubbish out there but as shown with LBP - people have some amazing ideas and time on their hands to turn this time into something that looks very very cool. I would be keen to this but a lot comes down to how the contents is ranked etc, if quaility then i think this could be heaps of fun and well worth some coin.