Blog Comments

Go with a smaller number. :P Next time, I won't use the first episode of BSG as an inspiration.

I think it's awesome that you did this, and I might give it a shot myself

Awesome work coyote_blue. Indeed you have a pretty good grasp of how spotlighters have to approach levels now. Takes a lot of commitment and discipline too.

Wish more folks took your example and set their own personal goals for giving feedback. The community would be better for it.

Very good points. I think your second choice for a Title is more in line with what you are trying to say...maybe can the first and start a new one, and see what type of responses you illicit.

And to your earlier point, I agree we should care about what others think--it can be beneficial to our development. But we shouldn't let the negativity destroy our joy. It's quite possible, those who say we shouldn't care, are unable to seperate their emotions from their responses, which should be logical if their true desire is to become better at what they do. If they can't apply logic, they will never be able to see through the pain...but that's probably another topic for further understanding human behavior.

It's also very difficult to have heavier discussions like this when the audience is so broad. I made a separate blog post on this topic ("In Defense of Caring About What Others Think") and the only comment I've received is from someone who agrees with me...that we SHOULDN'T care about what others think. Maybe my post should have been called, "Learning WHEN to Care About What Others Think".

Mm's got itself painted into a corner, here. Its appeal to everyone means that many people are going to try to claim that only they or their group is playing it right.

John Beech is a perfect example of an adult who isn't the "target demographic" for sackboy...but what other major release can channel creativity in this way? Where else was Johnee going to build giant robots without prior access to C++? How do we give everybody a share of the pool, when the pool's only one disc title wide?

I'm actually stating the opposite, KR. I'm saying that we should seek out the opinions of others. Yes, it also means that we have to learn to identify people who aren't being helpful, and ignore them.

We have to have the courage to live in a world with trolls, if we're going to be heroes.

An excellent perspective, coyote, to view this issue from. I would agree that LBP is an under utilized tool in this regard, and could provide a perfect opportunity for aspiring artists to gain understanding of how others perceive their work. It can also be a cruel lesson in reality. Artists are probably the most prone to internalizing negative opinions regarding their creations, and considering the ages of some of the LBP creators, any expressed negativity should be done with extreme caution and consideration. We are obviously both mature enough to handle it, but, for example, I do deal differently with my 9 year old daughter when it comes to constructive feedback. Finding the "right" words to say will go far to ensure the fragile self esteem of children remains intact, and improving ones self will always be presented in a positive light. But when you consider the emotional detachment that is prevalent in this electronic age and online environments, the most powerful personas are often the worst examples of human behavior. It's for this reason I make every effort to shield my daughter, who is tinkering with create mode and publishing what she thinks is good, from that element in LBP, and I'm compelled to do so until she has solidly establsihed her self worth. If there were parental controls and Parent Alliances in LBP, designed specifically to support parents, such as my wife and myself, I could see LBP being used as a positive developmental tool for our youth, without the fear of intrusion by those whose sole purpose is to beat down those who desire to rise above.

hi i had the same problem no one plays my levels


then i deleted all my very nice levels made even better ones and AND STILL NO ONE PLAYED IT

and if they did they'd ether say to me you suck or horrible BUT IT WAS VERY WELL LIGHTED DETAIL LOGIC A LOT OF MICROCHIPS SACKBOTS GOOD GRAMMAR EVERYTHING


then i realized who cares what they say about YOUR levels flaws sure its important
but its YOUR LEVEL NOT THERE'S if they say you make horrible levels stop making them IGNORE THEM


hope this helps signed killerbrainbow

I think we're on the same page. I think we run the risk, these days, of going in the opposite direction - every art is good art - because we're afraid of stifling or alienating people. The problem with having only praise or silence in your critique toolbox is that you're missing an opportunity to try to improve things.

I'd say that the coin has two sides, and fledgling creative people need to learn how to process and evaluate incoming criticism. I'll go ya one further, and say that this is an experience that LBP can provide more effectively than any other game ever made, and we're missing an awesome opportunity to help people grow up.

That's easy for me to say, though. Creating systems for channeling negative feedback into something constructive is difficult, and requires maturity to use without abusing.

I hope you don't mind me sharing my thoughts with you here. If so, just let me know. I do enjoy discussing matters that go beyond the superficial.

I would like to clarify my last sentence posted above. If you publish your work, you do in fact share...not only your creation, but a part of yourself that no one could see otherwise. I did not mean to imply we should create something and then keep it to ourselves. The only reason to do that is if the creation does not pass the standards we impose upon ourselves...or worse, the artist is selfish and feels the audience is not worthy of experiencing their masterful skills--the mindset of art as a means to categorize people into classes based on a single perspective of who is cultured or not. This mindset continues to thrive even today, because there are those who continue to feed it.

I hear this opinion a lot, Rick. And if that were really all that mattered, it would only be "Play, Create..." with no Share.

That said, I will agree that accolades aren't worth much by themselves. We all think we want to receive approval, but what we really want is to earn it. Maybe that's a good topic for But I Digress 2.

Hi coyote_blue. Some very good points there. Tribute or not, any level unleashed on the hordes of Rip-n-Goers is subject to ridicule...many creators at this site have experienced that pain at it's darkest levels (speaking of COD ). So when everything comes full cycle, you are left with what you derived during the creation, and kudos scattered among the debris of pointless comments. I say, do what you will for yourself, and have fun doing it.

19/33. Grapple Slingshot demo by LightoftheFuture. It's been taken down since I played it, but the machines are cool. Hopefully, the thread just got moved to "Objects."
20/33. A new creator stepped into the ring with a noble attempt at Call of Duty. After meeting Johnee in person and having a chastening conversation with him on the subject, I've softened my position on "tribute" levels somewhat - everyone's gotta start somewhere. But there's a lot of good reasons not to try to build a shooter first...in this case, the poor guy's guns are pretty busted. But I don't mean to steal this guy's Christmas with a larger discussion of game design, in general... Keep at it, dude. It comes together eventually.
21/33. An X-Men movie. Great homage to the corny epic dialogue of most Marvel stories - but I think reading the comics in ALL CAPS might make a reader CAPS-happy when trying to emulate the style.
22/33. "Dead End" zombie level. I think this creator's got a great handle on what makes zombie levels fun. He just needs to do more of everything, and he'll be golden.

omg, now I know why You found the way to my level! That makes me smile :-)
A self-assigned mission, You are a really interesting, awesome person!

I hope You get back all the nice things You do for other people :-)

AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT. If your username is casually offensive, I am not going to acknowledge you exist.

Listen: Coyote Oldman's been swearing like a sailor since many of you were a twinkle in your fathers' eyes. He enjoys a good off-color joke, and mocking people. But here's the rules:

1. Don't hit people who can't hit back.
2. A joke based on an observation is funny. A joke based on an assumption or a stereotype is just weaksauce.
3. Defending your lack of social skills by assuming others need to "grow a sense of humor" is weakersauce.
4. Always be available for counterattack.

So, there's a guy here whose username is awful, and he's gotten zero replies to his level posting. I elect not to report him: his crassness is punishing itself. That said, if you wonder if it's you...YOU SHOULDN'T BE WONDERING.

The internet is not anonymous. It's the NEW PUBLIC. Act like your parents didn't raise wild animals.

I feel for you CB! I've just had to judge a multiplayer contest so I appreciate all the problems that entails - especially as these days online multiplayer is almost essential given the need for individual cameras. I couldn't have survived if I hadn't been able to rely on the other judges being willing to play the levels with me. Dive in is just such a lottery! If you ever need a non-stranger to play multiplayer levels with just give me a shout and, time zones allowing, I'd be happy to help out!

9/33. lost soul. Short, solid horror theme with great visuals and a balanced boss fight.

7/33. Mission to ACI-6522. An obvious first attempt that screams with potential. I sense a budding writer-director in here. Don't leave this guy hanging.

6/33. Minecraft tribute. Very impressive technical implementation of creating and destroying blocks.

That's the point, tanrockstan. I really don't care what your skill level is. I'll find SOMETHING to have fun about.