LittleBigPlanet Karting GameJam 2012

[Taffey]

Article by Tom Ross
(aka Taffey, PSN tsr13)


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In June 2012, a small collection of lucky folks from around the community were invited to Sony's San Diego Studio for a week to get an early look at LittleBigPlanet Karting, a brand new game that features Sackboy behind the wheel of his very own ride. We spent five days in the very heart of the PlayStation universe and had a lot of incredible experiences; this is a chronicle of those events.

It was an average Thursday morning. I rolled out of bed, made some coffee, and sat down to check my email. A quick glance over the list of subject lines revealed nothing out of the ordinary: U ARE LOTTERY WINER... invitation to visit Sony... PlayStation Blog update... Wait, wait. Go back one. What was that again??

Yep, it was an email from the LittleBigPlanet Karting team, and they wanted me to fly to southern California and spend a week playing games! I carefully pondered my decision – a process that took about four seconds – and promptly rearranged my schedule.

 I was shocked. I sent a couple messages to confirm they contacted the right guy! Then I saw codibear8383 and Crazy_S on the list and quickly contacted them so we could all share in the excitement.

 My jaw seriously dropped. I jumped up and down like a kangaroo.

 I was actually checking my email for a Vita Beta code. Sadly I didn't find it but once I opened my invitation a wide grin spread across my face and I didn't care at all about the Vita Beta anymore.

 I was really excited. I've done stuff like this before, but I still love it so much that I take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.

 I was definitely shocked and awed. I have no words to describe how I felt to be honest haha

 I was really surprised that I was invited to the event and had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming. I also did jump up and down a couple of times.

Day 1 was a whirlwind of events. I arrived at San Diego airport bright and early in the morning and immediately encountered ConfusedCartman at the baggage carousel. We exchanged hellos, grabbed our bags, and embarked on what would become the most terrifying taxi ride of our lives. Pedal-to-the-metal acceleration was occasionally interrupted with screeching stops while the "driver" typed things into a GPS. After what seemed like an eternity of white-knuckle car chase action, we paid our ransom of $53 and were set free vaguely near our hotel.

No sooner had we landed on the pavement in a heap than one of the hosts from Sony showed up to greet us. We were led to the lobby of the hotel and introduced the other invitees: JustinArt, LamboLover4898, codibear8383, Spider-Jew, and Crazy_S. I also spotted none other than LittleBigPlanet Community Manager Steven Isbell hiding behind a potted fern. Once we had said our hellos, we went on a short walk down the road to San Diego Studio, a place I like to call Gamer Wonderland. Walking inside was like visiting Santa's workshop – I've played an awful lot of games that were produced in that very building. Resisting the urge to hug a Patapon 3 poster on the wall, I followed the group down a hallway and into a large room that would be our home for the week. A huge LittleBigPlanet Karting graphic covered one of the walls; around the perimeter of the room were arranged many flatscreen TVs and PlayStation 3 consoles. This was going to be a great week.

 I was extremely nervous and excited at the same time. I was thinking "I'm actually going to test out LBPK!!!" It's hard to explain meeting people I only know from PSN's and great levels. I now know all these great people by their first names of their PSN's.

 Walking over to the studio was an exercise in restraint. I was so full of nervous energy, I don't know how I just didn't break out into a sprint heading over there. Hanging out with other people from the community was like we had been friends for a while. There's something about getting everyone from a similar community together in one place - you don't have to really get to know each other very much. The conversation just flows.

 I was excited. Being inside a Sony game studio is like being in a really fun job. I was in an amazing group to hang out with. This was my first time being part of a LBP meeting.

 I felt a little nervous and anxious to see the studio and meet everyone. It was awesome being in the studio and getting to see the environment the developers work in. Everyone from sony was awesome and made me feel like I was home and everyone from the community was really cool and had great personalities.

 I was more excited than anything. I just wanted to go to every cubicle and office to ask each person what they were working on and find an empty cubicle I could convert into a fort so I could live there forever! It was fun hanging out with people from the community and putting faces to PSN names. It is nice to talk with a person in real life about games and they actually know what you are talking about.

 I was extremely nervous and excited at the same time, because I didn't really know what to expect since I hadn't done anything like this in the past. It was incredible being in the studio. I felt like I couldn't touch anything, like it was a sacred area haha .. Meeting the Sony guys was awesome. They were all very welcoming and hospitable. They really did want our opinion on the game without it being sugar-coated, because in the grand scheme of things, we were a representation of the community.

In the calmest fashion possible, we each picked a workstation and settled in for a day of LittleBigPlanet Karting. The development team requested that we play a few of the story mode levels to get a feel for what the game was all about, and we happily obliged. First impressions were very positive. The game looks and feels exactly like LittleBigPlanet, except of course for the fact that Sackboy is driving a kart instead of running. We enjoyed a few different Gardens-themed tracks and arenas, as well as one on Huge Spaceship – it was all comfortingly familiar and excitingly new all at the same time. The arena-based gameplay was a blast (literally!) and the minigames we played were all very entertaining as well. Overall this game is just plain fun. We were all quite impressed.

With a taste of play mode (and a bit of lunch) under our belts, our attention was called to the front of the room. We were given a rundown on some of the new tools, watched a few tutorials, and set loose on create mode.

This was the moment we'd been waiting for.

None of us really knew what to expect. Create mode loaded up, and there's Sackboy hovering in the air just like always with a nice background stretching into the distance. So far so ordinary. I began flying around the level left and right, up and down, and..... in and out!? Now hold on just a dang minute. I had thought create mode would be fairly restrictive but no - a quick turn of the analog stick swung the camera around in directions it never used to go before, and right then I realized: This was a fully three-dimensional sandbox to create in. Whoa.

I had some trouble thinking in three dimensions at first – it's a degree of freedom I am simply not used to, and my brain just didn't want to work that way. I created a chunk of material and began scaling and rotating it around in different directions simply to get a feel for what could be done, and it didn't take me long to realize you could do anything. Ouch, brain cramp. I needed to give myself more time to let the concept of that Z-axis sink in a bit more, so I started scrolling through some of the logic objects. I was assaulted with tools, tools, and more new tools, so many in fact that I couldn't possibly imagine what you might need them all for. Yep, this was a LittleBigPlanet game alright. The development team had definitely done their homework.

Experiencing create mode in LBP Karting for the first time is difficult to describe, but it's something like this: Imagine coming home at the end of the day and discovering that someone has installed a brand new refrigerator for you, stocked full of your favorite drinks. They've also added a soft serve ice cream maker, a home theater, a swimming pool, a machine that dispenses free pizza, and a roller coaster. It's still the home you know and love, only now it's way cooler than before.

Day 1 was over before we knew it, and of course none of us actually wanted to leave. We were lured away with the promise of a tasty meal (they finally got my attention with the words "mac & cheese") and sometime afterwards we all ended up in the lobby of the hotel, discussing the events of the day. All of us were impressed with the huge world available to create in and astounded at the new tool set. And, as it turns out, all of us were having a little trouble trying to come up with ideas that utilized that elusive third dimension. We were excited to give it a try on Day 2 though, so we headed to our rooms to get some rest.

 I think my first feeling was one of bewilderment. I don't think any of us - me especially - expected the game to support as much as it does. It really does support essentially everything LBP2 supports, plus an entire third dimension.

 The tools were amazing. I can do a lot more than what I expected. I was eager to start creating on day 1.

 Seeing the game for the first time made my brain explode because all the tools gave me millions of ideas. I was a bit nervous about creating in a 3D world, as I had not done this before and wasn't sure I would be any good. After messing around the with the tools for the first day and coming back for Day 2, I was very comfortable with the game and confident I could create an enjoyable experience for everyone to play.

 I remember when I first started LBP that I never thought I'd be good at creating just simply because there was so much that the tools were capable of. I felt the exact same way for this game.. However this game takes it to a completely different level.

 I was a little bit overwhelmed because of the 3d but was really impressed on how well the tools were implemented.

 I was overwhelmed and extremely excited to get my hands dirty with a 3D LBP editor and the editor went way above my expectations!

Day 2 started much the same as Day 1, only this time we knew what was in store for us. I sat down at my station, loaded up create mode, and just like that I knew exactly what to do. The actions and objects that seemed so strange in concept the previous day appeared effortlessly on my screen, and I could barely keep up with all the ideas that were popping into my head. Hmm, maybe I'll make a skyscraper... and there it was just a few minutes later. Well now I need a city to put it in, don't I? Roads, intersections, sidewalks, parks – they all magically came to life at the end of my popit cursor without so much as a second thought. A quick survey of the room revealed similar processes going on with the rest of the group. Apparently all one needs to get a handle on this sort of thing is a healthy intake of pasta and a night's rest.

We were given free reign for the entire day to create whatever we wanted, and we went nuts with our newfound freedom. Around the room appeared tracks, arenas, desert landscapes, futuristic cities, circuit boards jammed full of wires, weapons, custom karts... the list went on. Our attention was drawn to a table full of delicious Hawaiian barbecue that somehow appeared in the center of the room, and we all suddenly realized we were starving. A short lunch break later and I was back at work on my top-down city adventure, struggling to decide between gameplay ideas. Should I be running from the cops or perhaps picking up garbage dumpsters in a race against the clock? I could make a checkpoint time trial, or maybe a post-apocalyptic eight-player war. Just when thought I had made my mind up, Steven would pay a visit to discuss gameplay options, and I would be set off excitedly in a whole new direction I hadn't even thought of before. (I suspect Steven relished in my creative agony, or perhaps he just wanted some cool levels to play.) Other creations around the room were coming to life at a frantic pace as well, and before we knew what was happening it was 5pm and time to head out. This day had been nothing short of amazing.

 On the first day it was extremely difficult. Our brains, coming from LBP2, are used to creating in 2D. Which makes it hard to start thinking in the 3D perspective. However on the second day, I think I can speak for everyone when saying, that it all of a sudden it just clicked. Our muscle memory from the day before kicked in. We understood it and started creating our lovely masterpieces. I jumped right into trying to figure out how to lay track down and experimenting with the terrain and new decorations and objects.

 It was a bit overwhelming at first. Once you spent time working in the 3D space, everything just clicked and it felt as natural as creating in LBP2. All I could see in this 3D space was endless possibilities! I spent time trying out the track creator at first. I took a break from that to check out creating a battle arena and quickly realized you could do virtually anything with this and spent the rest of my time working on a few different games; the best being a game about Mad Cow Disease!

 Creating in a 3D environment was a blast. My favorite thing I created all week were the flying cars circling around my metropolis track.

 At first I was frustrated but by Day 2 I got the hang of it. It has so much potential and I can't wait to see what the community does with it. I basically made the equivalent of a Nürburgring difficulty track in LBPK where if you blow one corner you're done for the rest of the race. "Sponsored by NOM Brand Almonds"

 It all took some time to adjust to. The first day was the most difficult, because it required me to consider the 3rd dimension with every Creative decision. After the first day though, it was much easier because my brain had integrated that consideration into its Creative processes. It essentially became muscle memory. I'm not the best when it comes to making cool things from scratch, so the track creator really sped up the process for me. It gave me a solid basis to work from so I could then spend more time on fine tuning the gameplay. Eventually my track had multiple branching paths with custom grapple swings and some risk/reward gameplay decisions.

 I really liked creating in the 3D environment because it got a lot easier to create and position your creations a lot easier. I think anyone can pickup this game and create something really awesome because the 3D makes it easier to create and lets your imagination run wild. I ended up creating a race track that was on a motherboard type terrain and I created little computer chips throughout the track. I also made the track have a lot of neon lights and very colorful which made the track look really cool when I set the environment to be dark.

One of the very best things about our time in San Diego was hanging out with all the people working behind the scenes to make LittleBigPlanet Karting a reality. From the first minute of the first day it was clear that this was a seriously awesome group of guys. It really did seem like we had been invited into their home, given the last Diet Coke in the fridge, and told it was cool to put our feet up on the table. The energy and the passion these guys have was infectious – all of us invitees felt like we wanted to do them proud. They were genuinely interested in our opinions and our feedback, and they checked in with us regularly. We weren't just some detached focus group filling out questionnaires. They made us feel like we were actually part of the team and that we were working as peers towards the same goals, and that was a great feeling indeed.

As our working relationships developed and we grew more comfortable in each other's presence, the goofiness began to ramp up. This, of course, is a sign of success and productivity in a team... or at least that's what we kept telling ourselves. More than anything, we learned many valuable lessons as part of this relationship building process. We learned that porta-potties belong in every creation, we learned that it is folly to challenge seasoned testers in Gran Turismo 5, and we learned that one must either freestyle rap or sing along in Japanese if one is to roll in a dev's ride. We also found out that, no matter what the nice man says, you should NOT go into the van to see if there are Smarties. Finally, and most importantly, we discovered that there was an invisible entity that watched over us throughout the week, summoning magical candy rainbows that protected our creations. Remember: The Save Fairy is not only here to watch over you, but also to teach you.

Enjoying a delicious meal with some of the crew.

 I think I would go in the van to see if there is smarties in the van.

 I was inside the van, but I didn't see any Smarties.

 Meeting the guys at Sony was very cool. It was great to see how much they cared about the game and making it something that fans of the LittleBigPlanet series could enjoy and gladly add to their collection. I think the best part of working with the team was that they did a great job at making us feel like we were on their level. They did not talk down to us and appreciated all the feedback we gave them. I also really hope Save Fairy is somehow incorporated into the full game. That would be almost as amazing as bacon.

 Of course the Save Fairy is real!

 Game developers are the weirdest most bestest people. Talking to them (and listening to them talk) is almost never uninteresting. Remember, the van has no windows.

 *Ahem*.... Porto-Potties. Lights. Mad-Cow Disease. Vans with no windows. Piggy Bank Mac and Cheese. Sparkles.... Almonds.... BACONNN

By the time Day 3 rolled around, we were all feeling very comfortable with the new tools. We were having a great time creating and playtesting, and we did quite a bit of collaboration as well. It was great to leverage each other's specialties, and the results were seriously fun to play around with. To switch things up, the dev team asked us to open up a new, empty level and start work on a couple of specific things: a battle arena and a custom weapon. I was reluctant to delay construction on my city but hey, it's always fun to start on something new.

I pulled up a new level, picked the Gardens background, and began messing around with the landscape. I found the terrain deforming and sculpting tools to be intuitive and easy to work with, and it wasn't long before I had something that looked a bit like a construction site. That inspired me to try my hand at creating some vehicles, and before long I had a half-decent dump truck and a crane in the middle of my site. Some random piles of explosives here and there, a few warning signs and presto! Instant industrial-themed battle arena. (Honestly though, it didn't look quite right until the porta-potties went in.)

With that done and Day 4 rolling around, it was time to try out a custom weapon. I put together a 1950's styled rocket, stickered it up, and began messing with some of the weaponizer logic objects. Holy smoley there are a lot of options! I spent at least half a day just messing around with different settings and came up with a few different versions of my rocket that I liked, including a manually guided cruise missile and rapid-fire mini nukes. The crowd favorite, however, (and I'm pretty sure Steven's as well) was a beautiful pink and purple affair that spiraled gleefully across the battlefield, leaving a trail of lovely sparkles in its wake and exploding in a super-cute pink starburst. Kill them with kindness, as I always say.

 The biggest surprise for me was that the game has the same great tools as LBP2. I think the single best thing about this game is the new pathfinder tools.

 My favorite single feature of this game is the 3D creating. Soooo many possibilities.

 YOU CAN DO ANYTHING with a battle arena. Battle Arena is going to allow people to go in and create any game genre. I worked on a set of mini games where you go from playing basketball, to ice hockey, and then to mountain climbing. You could have Capture The Flag, Base Defense, recreate your favorite game world to explore, create a city filled with mini games/missions, create fun movies...and of course, throw a cow in someone's base to earn points and give the other team a disease which turns them into cows that run backwards and 'moo' constantly! Seriously though, if you want to make any kind of gameplay besides a race, the battle arena mode and all the tools have you covered!

 I was surprised to see how much logic the game had. Which made me wonder what the community is going to do when they get their hands on the game. I did not expect to see the option and details you were given to create your own weapons.

 My two favorite things about the game are the Controlinator and the Kartinator. These allow the Creator to define custom controls for custom objects and Karts, and switch between those controls, all in their own 3D space. This basically means custom levels in LBP Karting don't have to involve Karting at all. I'm excited to see where people much smarter than me are capable of taking this insane toolset.

 Actually I remember creating an object with the materials and starting to turn it and being completely shocked at the fact that there literally is no limit. You can flip it, tilt it, turn it, all in a complete 360 degrees.

By the end of the week we had all settled into a nice routine. Wake up, grab something caffeinated, head down to the hotel lobby... and get filmed by a camera crew? Oh yeah, they had warned us about that. I did my best to converse normally and not be nervous, and before long I hardly noticed the cameras at all. It was still a bit unnerving, however, to look up from my workstation and discover a giant lens staring at me from less than a foot away. Weird, but also kind of flattering.

After hours and hours of filming us doing pretty much everything, we were called out of the room one by one for in-depth interviews. I was hoping they would somehow forget about me, but no luck – I was dragged outside, mic'ed up, and interviewed face-to-face. This actually turned out to be a very fun experience, and the camera crew deserves a lot of credit for making me feel relaxed and at ease. We talked a while, they asked me some questions, and just like that we were done. Ok ok, I admit. I felt a tiny little bit like a rock star.

 It was pretty cool having people following us around and filming us. I was nervous I was not doing anything worthy of being recorded, but I stopped worrying about it soon after and just kept working. It was fun being interviewed. It gave us a chance to let everyone know how great LittleBigPlanet Karting is going to be. I think my hands moved around too much though!

 It felt like we're celebrities. Being interviewed is a nerve-wrecker, but in a humorous way.

 At first it was a little odd (I'd always look at the camera on accident) but I easily got used to it. It was extremely weird having somebody actually care about what I create AND want to interview me about it!

 For me personally, it didn't bother me at all. I have a little bit of history working around and in front of cameras though, so that's probably a big part of the reason it didn't affect me much. I know it definitely made some of the other participants a little uncomfortable, and understandably so - cameras are not easy to get used to.

 It was definitely different. Made me feel like a movie star haha. It wasn't too bad being interviewed.. However during the interview I was answering every question well, then they asked me to list my own LBP2 levels and I totally blanked. haha Now that's a bit pitiful.

 It felt really awkward being filmed with a big camera in your face but I got used to it after a while. I didn't feel nervous at first for the interview until I was actually doing the interview.

By some cruel trick of time, the week was over almost as soon as it had started. It was hard to believe it had been a full five days since we first stepped foot in San Diego Studio. We had all grown to know each other so well, it seemed strange to be leaving. I considered simply showing up again the following Monday morning to see if anyone noticed, but Steven mentioned something about calling the police so I decided against it. We finished the week the much the same way we started it: hanging out with the LittleBigPlanet Karting team and goofing around in create mode.

We did our best to pretend like this whole thing wasn't coming to an end, but eventually we had to face reality. Our gracious hosts showed their hospitality once again and started handing out the swag. Once we were loaded down with as much loot as we could carry, we went around the room and said our goodbyes. The social network adding and hand shaking went on for quite a while, but the clock told us it was time to go. Reluctantly we shuffled out of the door and left Gamer Wonderland behind us.

This scene repeated itself back at the hotel as the remaining eight of us met in the lobby one last time before parting ways. Steven wished us all safe travels and vowed to figure out what that green paper is used for. JustinArt treated us to a perfectly timed quote from Uncharted 2 that made us all laugh until our sides hurt, and codibear8383 made sure nobody left without a proper hug. Spider-Jew and Crazy_S piled into their clown car and headed off down the road, and LamboLover4898 drove into the sunset holding a fresh bag of almonds. ConfusedCartman and I were lucky enough to hitch a ride to the airport with the one and only Save Fairy and yes, we did rock the mic like vandals on the way. Once at the terminal we enjoyed a couple plates of fried stuff, talked about how awesome the week had been, and hurried off to catch our flights. It was over.

There really is no easy way to summarize the past five days, but I can say without a doubt it is a week I will remember forever. The hospitality, the excitement of getting an early peek at an anticipated new game, making new friends, enjoying more than a few laughs... it's all a blur, but a it's a very very good blur. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who was involved in the event this past week, especially to the amazing group of guys working on LittleBigPlanet Karting. You guys are incredible.

 It was a bittersweet moment. It's sad to leave the studio and the rest of the group but I still felt satisfied.

 I was extremely exhausted. I still enjoyed it all immensely though, and I'm happy I got to meet everyone. It was a fantastic week. I'll never forget it.

 I felt super bummed that we were leaving. I just wanted to sit in the studio and create forever! LOL. When we left, I felt like we might actually have an impact on this game, that the things we did during the week could have an actual effect on the retail version of LittleBigPlanet Karting. That is a great feeling.

 I was extremely tired, but felt accomplished knowing that we helped Sony make an already amazing game even more fantastic.

 I felt sad because we had to leave and I enjoyed meeting everyone and had a blast. This is an experience I will never forget.

 I felt happy, because I was really excited to be part of the Sony community.

 LBPK is a lot more than what people should expect. I think everything from the event was memorable.

 The developers at the studio were just awesome. They made it feel like they actually wanted me there for some reason. It can't be stressed enough how awesome the developers were.

 One memorable moment for me was when me, Spider-Jew, ConfusedCartman, codibear8383, and Steven were hanging out really late and Steven said "Booooo!" That was the funniest thing to hear Steven say.

 I just want to thank all the great people from Sony and UFG that we had the pleasure to meet and talk to. Brandon, Reggie, Coker, Dennis, Frank, Bryce, and everyone else: You guys are awesome! I appreciate the opportunity that we were given and can't wait for the release of LittleBigPlanet Karting. Go out and pre-order the game right now, people! What are you waiting for?

 I'm just glad Sony understands the importance of LBP's community. It's clear they're investing a ton of time and effort into ensuring it remains vibrant and active, and that's a very good sign. I'm excited to see where they take things from here.

 If you haven't signed up for the Beta, do it now. If you're an LBP fan, you will not be disappointed with this game. I'm super excited to be able to create with it again. I can't wait! Huge thanks to Sony San Diego for letting me come on this little venture! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Thanks to jeffcu28 for the excellent section banners (again!), and thanks also to the fellow attendees for putting up with my endless flurry of emails. I hope to see you all again soon!

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UPDATE:

Still can't get enough LittleBigPlanet Karting? We also recorded a podcast while we were in San Diego. It's almost 3 hours long, so pack a lunch!

The LittleBigPlanet Karting Game Jam Episode

Overall podcast length: 174 minutes

Day 1 wrapup - 10:40

Awesomesauce - 38:45

Radio PlayStation Simulcast - 50:13

Day 2 wrapup - 138

Day 3 wrapup - 1:59:53

Day 4 wrapup - 2:12:53

Forum Soup - 232

[Spider-Jew]

Finally! So excited we can talk about this now!

[ConfusedCartman]

Same Feel free to drop questions, we'll answer as many as we can!

[Taffey]

*braces for impact*

[StevenI]

 This event was awesome!

[CodiBear]

YAYYYY! Finally!!

[Tynamite]

I hate you guys so much! I live so close to Cali! Wait, no I don't .... Florida suuuuuucks.


You need to add a tl;dr paragraph at the end of this thing :P I've only skimmed it.

[Taffey]

You need to add a tl;dr paragraph at the end of this thing :P I've only skimmed it.

Here it is: We went to San Diego, and it was awesome.

[tanrockstan34]

On a scale of one to oreos how amazing is the third dimension?

[Spider-Jew]

on a scale of one to oreos how amazing is the third dimension?

bacon!!!!!

[Syroc]

Great write-up once again, Taffy!

Sounds like you all had a blast. Game Jams are always awesome.

Now, question time! Can you build proper caves? And is there water?

(I haven't had time to keep a close eye on all the footage that's been released so far...)

[b-coli]

flippin awesome!!!! so jealous!!!

haha i knew something was up when a bunch of people i know suddenly are on "vacation" at the same time

so now you are believers right? i always had faith it was going to be a good game

[Spider-Jew]

Great write-up once again, Taffy!

Sounds like you all had a blast. Game Jams are always awesome.

Now, question time! Can you build proper caves? And is there water?

(I haven't had time to keep a close eye on all the footage that's been released so far...)

Yes, there is water. As far as the cave. I don't recall being able to build it into the landscape, but you could always geo-paint a cave. Unless you can do it in the landscape...then nevermind

[Valeview]

I am so jealous!
Lambo looks tiny though, but for some reason I keep thinking that's an illusion, and that he's standing next to people who are 8ft tall.
Must be a great year for you so far Taffey, Two game jams, awesome sauce pin, and I can only assume a lot more :B

Hope you all had fun.
Glad I can put a face to people I've known through the forums etc.

[Syroc]

Yes, there is water. As far as the cave. I don't recall being able to build it into the landscape, but you could always geo-paint a cave. Unless you can do it in the landscape...then nevermind

Nice. I'm happy to geo-paint it, if it's not doable through landscaping.