BabyDoll1970

Yesterday I locked my 'Art Vandals!' level because I was so angry at the recurring GLITCHES!!

"What can I do?!" I exclaimed to the TV - and, not surprisingly - it didn't offer me a single helpful suggestion. Probably because it's a Samsung. I'm sure people are unable to finish my level because the stupid paint guns keep glitching and refusing to fire - and you need them in order to progress to the next section. And if that happens, then half my plasma alarms stop working - as do some of the prize and point bubble emitters!!! Sometimes it all works but mostly it doesn't

Is it because I've overloaded it and tweaked it into oblivion and now it's rebelling? I don't know... and for now I give up!

However - I didn't start today's blog to gripe (school holidays started yesterday and so we're all feeling pretty loose here this morning and I don't want to spoil it) BUT I was interested to ask this question... which to me is related to the above dilemma:

Are the best levels planned or do they evolve?

If I could read the minds of all good LBP creators, the answer to this is what I'd look for. So, I'm asking you - do you nut out your level basics before committing it to screen, or do you just start something on a vague notion and see where it goes?

I find that without exception I begin with a basic (usually very bague) notion - like vandalising stuff in a gallery/museum - and then get in there and start creating the visual environment -then consider possible story elements and then finally how to fit gameplay into it. Many times I'm well into a section when a good idea will occur to me and I think "drat! I can't do that now without having to rework this whole section...." whereas, if I'd just taken a bit of contemplation time, I would've probably still come up with the idea but could've planned for it. And is it my imagination, or does the thermo sometimes NOT lower when you delete things, simply because it's registered so many 'processes'? Hmmmmmmm...

Even if I planned it mostly on paper or in my mind beforehand, there will obviously be some evolving as I tweak, simplify or improve things 'post-production'. But I can't help hoping that if I can discipline myself to plan more, I might avoid some of these glitch horrors

So if you feel like answering my question (Q: do you plan the majority of it or do you simply 'plant a seed' and see how it grows?), I'd love to have your answer.
Cheers and thanks for reading : )

P.S. Any advice on glitch neutralisation is also welcome.