The reason to own a mailbox (and a right big toe)

When and if the August issue of PlayStation:The Official Magazine hits the shelves near you,it’s definitely worth a read.

Best quote:

VERONICA BELMONT:I’ve been sucked into the whole LittleBigPlanet phenomenon. I would pretty much give my right big toe to try it out at this point.

Other things of interest:

[...] I really believe that every PS3 will try LBP,try the “single-”player experience,download the demo,and discover the core fun of its co-operative play format.

This is being touted by the forums as confirmation of a demo,but I wouldn’t read too much into it;the press seems to assume a demo unless they’re told that there isn’t one.

In a new addition,signposts will indicate where you will need at least two,three,or four players to access a particular area. These locations won’t be necessary to complete the level,but they will store special bonuses that you’ll want to collect,like mini-games and objects for use in your own levels.

[about the story mode:] What’s clear is that you start in your sack character’s pod [...] and look out at CraftEarth,the home of all the levels set in regions around the world. Up to three levels will be open for you to try. [...] Then,from one to three new levels will open up for you to try,potentially in different regions. [...] After completing a few levels,an intriguing new option will be available:the ability to choose a Player or Creator path. The Player path is designed to take you through the levels that reveal the storyline. The Creator path will direct you down levels that let you unlock new items and objects [...]

Jumping in to join a game is as simple as hitting the PS button. If a friend comes over mid-level,just hit PS and you’ll be working co-operatively right away.

To help you out,a number of the in-game levels will be available for you to tweak. Simply copy the level,then paste it to your LittleBigMoon (the location of all your levels-in-progress). Each save file is just 200k to 400k in size,so space shouldn’t be an issue (unless you use the PS Eye to snap and import a huge number of your own photos). [...] video tutorials scattered around various levels will show you how to create what you’re seeing on the screen. [...] you’ll be able to copy particular elements out of these levels,and save them in your Pop-It (the interface that gives you access to all the menu options of customization and create tools). Though again it has yet to be determined,the number of save slots in your Pop-It will be limited [...] you can always save your level,open another,swap out your save slot items and objects,and bring them with you into the new creation. Expect expert creators to have a level that’s a pure object gallery —all the pieces they’ve created or copied,stored in one mishmash place as a toolbox. [...] you’ll be able to place whiteboards with text details on your level [...] you’ll be able to publish your levels for friends to beta test,and lock any or all parts of it so that other users can’t manipulate it.

The edit mode box (top left) tracks how many objects and textures your level is using to gauge if you’re approaching memory capacity. Larger levels and imported textures will eat into your alloted space footprint.

Use your own images in levels sparingly as each upload has a 5MB size cap.

Note the use of “each upload”;can we have much larger levels on our LittleBigMoons,and then trim them down for publishing?

But to ensure objectionable material is not freely available to all users,any player will be able to “grief”a level,instantly removing it from download and flagging it for assessment by SCEA’s customer service team. Only one person needs to grief a level to have it removed,but serial griefers will also be flagged,and their ability to grief can be removed by the moderators.