Is early access still available??

Think the number is limited but it’s quite a lot, but if you want it it’s probably best to get it now as there’s no saying when it might reach the maximum number, and with no release date set it could be a while before you can get it again. 

So I’ve done the first basic tutorial tree, I have to say they’ve done a great job of explaining everything so far, very clear and concise and not overwhelming. Although the implications of each addition to your repertoire do hint at the huge depth of complexity, it’s handled in such a way that it isn’t off putting. 

Going to jump into some community creations now which will probably make me feel like a buffoon for being proud of myself for making a bridge in the tutorial!

So i’m Sold on this, I admit I was wrong. 

Having played about 30 or so community creations I can say that this has vast potential and is already realising it. 

I’m not interested in 1:1 recreations of games, impressive though they can be, and I’m glad that I’ve not been overwhelmed by them so far when playing random selections.  

I’ve played a few homages that do things in a different way, such as a 3D cuphead which shows promise. 

There are also a lot of original designs that are genuinely fun to play/experience. 
One of my favourites so far is actually a Media Molecule creation, I think it’s called ‘Please Hug me’ and features a little monster on a floating platform who tries to approach some cone like characters who just back away from you until they fall off the platform into oblivion and you’re left alone, complete with somber music. The whole thing took only about 20 seconds but it was a great realisation of a small idea. 

Theres an RPG called Slayer Scrolls, that while obviously janky, is creative and endearingly hand crafted. 

The fact there’s so many good games/creations already certainly bodes well for the future. 

I’m going to try my hand at creating tomorrow. Looking through the menus it’s easy to be overwhelmed when you get into things like logic, but MM handily include all the basic contractions you might need at first and allow you to adjust the parameters onto learn the ropes. You can also easily change the appearance of any asset so it doesn’t look like a copy and paste job in your world. 

There are already groups of people who’s sole focus is creating assets to be used by other creators, shortening time spent creating levels so you can focus on the game design aspect instead as well as making the designs as light on thermo as they can be (the limit to complexity in each world) it’s pretty astounding.  

Also going back to logic, I completed a foundation degree in electronic engineering about 7 years ago, and the level of complexity possible in this goes far beyond my knowledge at the time, let alone now. Looking in creation mode in the portal rip off game, at all the logic chips behind the portal creation and character movement is absolutely mind boggling, to be a top-tier creator in this you have to be clever (preferably with a doctorate in micro-controllers) and extremely creative. Despite that, it doesn’t mean the average joe such as myself can’t create anything worthwhile as there is a lot of help out there and a lot of shortcuts to achieve something others would want to play. 

Colour me impressed.

Can't help but feel that move controllers are pretty essential for this, after watching some videos. It's pretty cumbersome trying to manipulate stuff.

I'll perservere but..... sigh.

I’m fine with the normal controller, it’s also a learning curve but doing the tutorials has helped a lot. 

Doing certain things like editing shapes and changing colour were infuriating me to the point I thought it was designed poorly, turns out I just missed an option and did things in an incorrect sequence. 

I’m going to try my hand at building a level around platforms switching position based on a background music loop, a la SMG 2 and then add platforms that switch every time you jump, should bring together everything I’ve learned so far. 

Enjoying this but creating levels does seem off putting to me as you really have to think about it, and it can feel a bit like work, but you just have to focus on the end result being worth it, which at first is difficult as most of what I’ve made is shit.

Great to hear that some are having a great time with this, and for those that are struggling keep in mind that this is basically like the launch of a new platform, it always takes a while for things to settle and developers to make the most of the capabilities.

I'm kind of taking a back seat with the thread for now, as it's a bit disheartening to not be able to play, had to focus funds towards career opportunities and living costs and such. So if others want to post vids and blogs and stuff then go ahead, I'll probably still post stuff now and then as I come across it.

It's been amazing to see what people have been able to create in the short time during the beta, a testament to the usability of the tools. Much larger and more in depth projects will inevitably take a bit longer to put together though, as most of the users probably won't have so much of that invaluable dev experience to be able to quickly know how to put things together, pacing, level/UI design etc. It will be a great learning experience for everyone though, and I can't wait to see what comes out of it.

FranticPea wrote:

I'm thinking of making something mega simple like a mini game from warioware to get into it.

Try Tetris, actually not that difficult once you start thinking about it. I made a functional version in LBP back in the day. And should get you started with a variety of things, basic logic, emitting/spawning objects, camera control, user input control, UI.


Also regarding controller preference, the devs all seem to have different preferences for DS4/Move, some exclusively use the pad quite happily (and still make incredible things), others really like the dual Moves for the feel of sculpting.

Yeah definitely turn down the motion sensor sensitivity to at least 3, if not 2. Also make sure your controller is on a flat surface when you turn the console on as if not it’ll cause loads of issues with having to reset the centre. You still have to do that occasionally but it’s usually because you’ve adjusted seating position slightly.

It’s definitely better to focus on doing one thing until you get bored/good at it and then try something else. So try sculpting for a bit then try putting some gadgets in and playing with their settings, then try some gameplay stuff, then try and bring it all together.

There’s way too much to this to just build a good original level straight away.

But by all means you can copy stuff from other creators levels, if they allow it, and edit it all and see how it works. There are loads of characters people have made, some of which are awesome, which you can just plonk in your level as a placeholder and play around with all the settings.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-04-24-p-t-guitar-hero-rpgs-people-are-making-some-cool-games-in-dreams

Sounds like by the time of release when people have gotten to grips with it there'll be some pretty special stuff.

Boughted Early Access

Though I still can't play it

But at least I'll have it waiting for me once I get round to acquiring the console, good to see that it's still available on the store. Happy to support them anyway.

I would love to but obviously can't currently. Would be awesome to see what you guys come up with, do share any pics or vids if you wish.

Currently watching the last community highlights stream - https://www.twitch.tv/videos/416200293  Some great stuff appearing.

Is this still available? I might treat myself to this and try and get my boy to try this instead of playing Minecraft all the time.

Mind you it’s probably too much for kids to do isn’t ?

Someone’s made Minecraft in dreams so be careful what you wish for!

Kernowgaz wrote:

Mind you it’s probably too much for kids to do isn’t ?

Probably not too much for kids these days tbh. I think if you introduced it by showing a bunch of levels then saying that all of this was made in-game, then maybe demonstrating some basic sculpting or world building that might get him hooked, you never know. MM have definitely designed this with kids in mind, the tutorials are very slow from what I've watched, but perfectly in depth and assuming no prior knowledge. A good way to start perhaps would be to just build basic games by pulling in various community assets, which you can totally do. Then try doing the odd bit of custom sculpting or music and going from there.

https://www.gamesradar.com/dreams-creator-early-access/

Really worth a read