LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Littlebigplanet promises to transform the nature of user-generated levels and content.

Let there be no doubt: Littlebigplanet is going to make waves. There's simply too much hype, too much debate, too much raw potential for this game to be anything other than one of the major gaming events of 2008. If all goes to plan, then this will be the start of the brand new franchise the PS3 owners have been waiting for; if the final release turns out to be another Lair, the resulting furore will be brutal.

To be honest, the chances of the latter possibility seem slim to non-existent. The sheer level of customisation that Media Molecule is opening up to players is nothing short of astounding, something that was reaffirmed in our recent encounter with the game in Leipzig last week. And while Sony was keen to assert the pleasures that LittleBigPlanet will hold for hermetic single-player types - it's still immediately apparent that the major boon will be the ability to share online the content you create. LBP is a like a big box of Lego, and opening that box to the rest of the world will ultimately let you play with toys that you would have never thought to make.

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As the launch date of October 29 draws ever closer, many gamers will be curious about exactly how all this user-generated content will be managed. Once acquired from the net, new levels will sit alongside Media Molecule's own stages on your planet, which essentially acts as your main server or hub for the game; quality control will therefore be a major concern if users are to avoid clogging their game with naff add-ons. "We know that there are going to be hundreds of thousands of levels," says Sony's Pete Smith. "It's really important that people can wade through the not-so-desirable levels to the desirable ones."

Rather than going for a system that relies on number-based ratings - which could result in masses of barely-played one-star rated levels - users will be able to give a heart to stages they like. Popular stages will rapidly grow a large heart-score, raising their online profile, but players won't be too put off from trying out lesser-rated content. Hearts can in fact be given to just about anything from objects to the developers themselves. It's a massive popularity contest, one that should theoretically allow the best ideas to build momentum without being too harsh on fledgling designers who are still learning the ropes. Users will also be able to tag content with keywords, in a manner not dissimilar to YouTube; following these guidelines should help people to find content matching the gameplay elements they most enjoy - whether it be racing, Mousetrap-style multi-part machinery, or more experimental fare like photo galleries and personal shrines.

This is the same jump from the first pic, but at an earlier stage of design.

But while only a comparatively small percentage of YouTube's users actually upload content, the aim with LBP is to have everyone getting involved. The key to this, says Smith, is fame. Alongside the heart system, Media Molecule have built-in a sort of basic copyright protection scheme that will help the most imaginative players to build their reputation. It works like this: all game content, as most readers will know by now, is built using the Poppet tool - a simplified set of brushes, tools and pre-set elements that streamline the creative process. Draw out a block of material, then carve it into a shape you like. Drop on a set of wheels and it becomes movable; add a brain and an eye, and it'll gain AI. Set it on fire or make it electrified, and you have yourself a ready-made bad guy.

Once you're happy with what you've made - whether it's a single object or an entire stage - you highlight what you want to share and use the bubble tool, creating a little in-level pick-up for other players to grab. When someone downloads and plays one of your stages, they'll be able to win the item you made by collecting the bubble. This in turn allows them to use the item in their own levels - but there's a catch. If you so choose, you can prevent other users from sharing your toy with their own visitors.

Consider this example: Tom creates an enormous metal penguin on wheels, and puts it in a bubble in one of his stages. Dick then downloads the level from Tom and wins the penguin. Dick puts the penguin in one of his own environments, which his friend Harry decides to play.

"Dude!" says Harry. "That penguin is teh pwnage!"
"Yes, I know," purrs Dick, quietly sipping on a glass of vermouth.
"Wer kn I get it?" enquires Harry.
"I believe I acquired it from a gentleman by the name of Tom," explains Dick, demurely.
"K thnx by!" responds Harry. "Btw ur gai LOL!!1!"

To get the penguin, Harry will have to find out where it came from and then visit one of Tom's levels. Once there, he may find other stuff he likes, which he will in turn win and show off to his pals. In this way, users across the web are drawn to the original creators of popular content. If Tom plays his cards right, he could soon develop a loyal following among LBP players far and wide.

Of course, this protection of creativity isn't "copyright" in the true sense. Everything built within the game will legally belong to Sony, but when asked Pete Smith was swift to move away from the idea that the company might directly earn from player-generated content. "Let's say there was a fantastic user and he becomes very popular... I don't think we would want to take his level and charge people for it, because it's free. That's not the way the game works. However, we will be aware of who those awesome designers are. I think we'd rather get the top ten guys and commission them to make some amazing stuff for us."

Even if you don't want to create stuff, you'll benefit from the desire of others to do so.

Smith believes that budding games developers may use LittleBigPlanet to show off their skills in interviews, much in the way that Quakeworld was used as a portfolio space for level designers in days of yore. It's an ambitious aspiration, but one that certainly sits within the realms of possibility. Most people, however, will be more concerned with the question of how the game actually plays. In the chaos of the Leipzig Convention, there was only limited time available for a proper hands on - but even a quick fifteen-minute session was enough to get us hungry for more.

As our feathered Sackboy dashed though a construction yard laden with flaming barrels, it was immediately obvious how much fun this game will be to explore with friends. The combination of delicate physics and four rampaging beanbags can lead to absolute bedlam, as we soon discovered when trying to leap from a wire-suspended beam onto a raised platform. The situation called for someone to carefully weigh down one end of the bar, allowing another player to sprint up and jump from the lifted end. It was a simple enough objective, but one that resulted in hilarious shambolics as all four Sackboys leapt aboard at once. The beam was sent flying, and seconds later our doomed quartet had slipped into a fiery abyss.

As our heroes reappeared from the nearest spawn point, we shared a grin with the random German sitting next to us. LittleBigPlanet will support a mix of local and online players, but there's no doubt that this will be one of those titles that gets everyone gathered around a TV, howling and hooting for all their worth. For all the net-based innovation, it's nice to know that the game will offer some old skool pleasures too. Roll on October.

LittleBigPlanet is due exclusively for PlayStation 3 on October 29