There's times when LittleBigPlanet's controls annoy Mark Healey

by Alan Tsang on Oct 7th 2008 10:00AM

Last week during an interview with Eurogamer TV, Media Molecule co-founder Mark Healey confessed that he was a little annoyed with the controls of LittleBigPlanet, namely the way Sackboy moves between the different planes of perspective. "The Z [axis] movement is an incredibly hard thing for us to get right. There's times when it annoys me actually, but we can work on that if we want, and refine it."

Healey assures fans that the problem can be corrected. "There's definitely room for improvement and we've got the channel to be able to do that as well ... I'd really love to be able to do backflips and all kinds of things with my Sackboy, and there's no reason why we can't add that and refine that." Thought we haven't had any major problems with the controls of LBP, we are more than glad to see the guys at Media Molecule are such perfectionists. How about those of you out there who are also in the beta? Are you experiencing the same problem Healey is describing?

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Tags: littlebigplanet, mark-healey, media-molecule

Reader Comments (65)

Yeah, the z-axis is a little tricky; I spent a long time trying to jump down between layers last night. Awesome game, but it can be a little touchy at times; good level design can help with the problem.

Exactly. If you design a level right, then the way sack boy jumps between layers and such becomes transparent. But it is kind of annoying sometimes, especially for non-hardcore gamers who don't really understand what's happening. They always want to push an object by just running into it, but sack boy will just run around it. So I have to explain that R1 is like the grab/push button and it has to be held down before you run against the object.

its very annoying, add me on psn KBEE-HAZE

The problem is definitely there, but it's not that bad. That being said, I'd definitely be open to improved controls if Media Molecule wants to work on that.

Since how many times that this game was promoting?

I don't know why does everyone talks about this game that much, and because of that which makes me want to buy this game. But one thing for sure this game better be a very good game when it come out

This game, it looks like a kids game, things that the student can go on learn somethings new

No, it's worth it, the game is THAT good.

the beta really is that good...and the final release will be so much better, can't wait :D

(I hope english is your second language)

Jake, if you liked Super Mario World you will love this game.

It's there, but not too bad.

I find when you run into an object to push it etc. you run around it to easily.

If you want to push an object, hold the "grab" button. The sackboy will push the object when you approach it.

That works IF it's a grabable item, not everything is (EG the big skateboard). It's also not just things I want to push, sometimes things like ramps do it too.

A good example is the Snail shell in the second garden level (where you learn how to grab). You can't pull it forwards, you have to jump behind it to get it away from the wall and push.

I've experienced this as well and I think a lot of it is down to level design, a good level won't have this problem but in some levels the number of times I've ran around an object I wanted to push or jump on is quite amazing. Still, its an awesome game and I'll definately buy it once its out :)

I found that thats most annoying when you're building a level. personally i have a tendency to forget about the z-axis and then i have to go back and fix it, but with the sack boys i thinks its kind of negligible since he auto jumps between the planes.

That has been my main issue with the z-axis as well. Can be a pain when designing a level. I have been designing things like ramps and such to take up each of the 3 planes so that the girlfriend CAN'T mess it up hehe. Only done 1 level so far.

If the create mode would just let you tilt the damn camera from a top-down mode it'd be way easier. Half the time you have to grab something and shove it in and out of Z just to see how things are lining up.

I had some issues when the path is narrow on the Z-axis and you have to zig zag around it. I kept falling into the pit going left, rather than backward or forward like I intended.

I noticed it a bit but not too bad, you notice it alot when you are trying to push an object more than any other time. Back flips would be great. Or maybe even to be able to jump from a grip, like when swinging or holding onto an edge of something.

The controls are actually one of my few gripes with the game. Overall, they feel way to "loose" and the Z-axis issues are especially annoying. It might help if there were an option to grab onto and climb up edges.

I was going to comment on the same issue. I'd like climb up after grabbing a ledge as well. So many times I just let go of the wall and dropped, sometimes killing myself when I wished instead I could have pulled myself up.

i have definitely noticed this problem too although its not that bad once you get used to the way the game plays. i also agree with the climb up option after grabbing an edge before falling to your death.

That plane switching drives me crazy. They shouldn't have made it automatic. Another thing that's really bad is the way you can't zoom in when you're manipulating an object in creation mode. It makes it impossible to make fine adjustments to a large object unless you go by trial and error.

You can zoom in on objects. That would be silly not to include. Make sure you're in hover mode and use the right analog stick to zoom in and out.

That's what I'm saying, you have to be in hover mode, but not directly manipulating the object, to be able to zoom in. Unless I'm missing something, which I don't think I am. I was trying to rotate this huge slide by just a few mm to line it up with something else and it insisted on zooming all the way out to show the entire slide. The R stick didn't help.

The sixasis is fine for me the problem is when running. The sackboy keeps on chaging lane by itself instead of running straight, it gets a little bit frustrating. The control is a little bit sensitive on the up and down analog stick >.>

Yep, the controls frustrate me too, especially when editing, as others have said. Mark's comments about additional moves are the most interesting though - there have been many times when I've wanted to do something a little bit more than just run and jump, and have hankered after more sophisticated options. I've also yearned for some kind of weapon too of course!

The only problem with adding new abilities will be that they could make existing levels too easy, although I guess they could be disabled until certain items are collected.

Steve

The Z-axis is a bit tricky in some levels, especially if its a close jump. I do agree with others that good level design can fix this issue, I'm actually building my level with this specifically in mind as to not annoy people. All in all though, the game is amazingly fun. I really wish the beta had coop level creation though, it'd be nice to bang out some levels real quick with a few people.

My actual biggest issue with it is the lag that occurs sometimes in multiplayer games... I've heard its due to the beta being an old build so I'm staying hopeful.

However, like the few above me, it'd be very nice if the sackpeople were able to climb up on a ledge that you've grabbed hold of. Not only would it make the control a little more fluid, it would add yet another dynamic to level design.

What I would like is an option to turn off the auto move on Z-axis. It is very annoying that he always tries to jump back one space if there is room. Would be much better if I had the control to choose when he should do it.

Would be quite easy to just have so that I need to push up when jumping to swith plane.

the z-axis takes some getting used to and can get in the way sometimes but i think they did do a pretty good job with it...we could say there's always room for improvement but with a game this good it almost doesn't need any improvement (not saying that they should forget about it though!)

yeah i have that issue all the time. I miss jumps alot of the time because its hard to switch different planes of perspective. They should add a duck and a super jump also. Would be nice if you could duck under objects.

They need to sort out that jetpack thing, where you have to shake the controller to take it off, hardly ever works properly.

Slowly getting used to it.

It does seem random how sackboy will automatically move to a different plane and other times you have to force him to move to it. It is also annoying that you can't climb on material that you grab onto. There have been times where I haven't been able to drag a fabric cube to a different plane. Why can't I have ladders to climb?

As far as I've seen (please correct me if I'm wrong), you can't move objects on the Z axis at all. At least, it has never worked for me. The depth aspect is certainly the most awkward part of the game and I agree with the idea of having an option to switch-off the automatic jumping-back mechanism.

All that said, it's a great game and the fact that the developer is still looking for ways to improve it is definitely a good sign.

On the ghost section, I thought I was able to push fabric cubes to a different plane to jump up on the platforms. Maybe you aren't allowed to pull them towards you? Aside from that, LBP is an impressive achievement in user created input. Although I'm still not sure why I don't have access to bolts, pistons, buttons, etc. Do I need to complete a certain task to get access to them?

i've mostly gotten used to the jumps, but flips or double jumps would be great additions to help speed through jumping levels.

Yes a zoom feature while editing your levels is a must have feature. Although there are ways to tinker it around and make the camera zoom it's not a full zoom control to look into the tight spots. A rotation feature would be nice as well so I can see around my obstacles.

I do agree that when designing a level you have to be conscious of this control issue. I hesitate to call it an issue because it is in no way game breaking but just a minor annoyance at some points. The MM designed levels control this problem well you can tell they were conscious of it.

Either way this game is freaking fantastic.

By z-asix do you mean the control pad? B/c with the pad, I always accidently hit the rewind button or fast forward button, and its literally impossible to stop going in reverse or fast forward without getting lucky pressing a few buttons. Anyone else have problems with this?

Nothing to do with those features.
And as the beta connects online to do EVERYTHING, it will slow down if you use the rewind controls (or their server is slow).

and no, i never accidently press the D pad cos all they do is control the undo and redo and pause...

Some more actions for Sackboy would be nice: sliding, backflip... anything you can expect from a 2D platformer.

Z-Axis control should simply be controlled by Up and Down. Up and Down don't do anything. There are no ladders in the game, you can't climb, you can't move objects up or down.

Using L1 and L2 works better than automatic, but I like the option of automatic, so long as its AN OPTION.

Either way, it really shouldnt even be an issue. It should have just been controlled by Up and Down and whoever made that decision to leave Up and Down unmapped to anything should be fired.

That said: AMAZING GAME!!!!!

I take it you never played the beta because up and down control the Z-axis..........

I've gotten this problem a lot, sometimes when I jump it'll randomly switch between layers and it's really annoying.

Honestly it's the standout problem I've noticed so far, so it brightens my day to know the developers have noticed the issue.

Gotta say though, the way I see it, the problem needs more than good level design. When we have to work around a game's poor design there's a problem.

This is a problem and I think it could be an easy fix if we could toggle the auto swith off.

I just hate when I jump and there is this little "window" in the background and he jumps into it. Like someone said, up and down isnt used for anything so let us control it ourself.

the person who submitted this post should be ashamed of his/her grammer/writing skills... The title should be:

There are times when LittleBigPlanet's controls annoy Mark Healey

not

There's times when LittleBigPlanet's controls annoy Mark Healey

I was trying to quote Mark directly, but I guess that was a bad editorial choice on my part: "There's times when it annoys me actually, but we can work on that if we want, and refine it."

dang, mr. grammar. go back to school. haven't you heard of slang? an acceptable form of language outside of fascist institutions?

there's times when people came to converse without the threat of your constant corrections. alliteration added at no extra cost.

So glad I got into the beta as its £40.00 saved for me , its a platformer and absolutely nothing more .
I know i'm in the minority here but not everyone is the same and I prefer Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner these have to be the best platformers ever made ( that was the golden age of platforming and should never be re-visited) .
Regards the controls I also thought that the jumping is not too clever compared to say Mario or Manic Miner , adding a "cling on to ledges option " is a great suggestion.
I think I have found that the creative side just didn't appeal to me and i quickly tired of other peoples creations basically because they are all the same , run, jump, drive from left of screen to the right .. finish.
Played some clever ones like the Space Invaders level and Greenhill Zone act 1 etc .
Gave this a good week and haven't sadly had the urge to play again despite really really wanting to like this.
In a way im glad that this is one less game to buy as the PS3 has such great games coming in next month or so.

In defense of the game (which I admittedly haven't had the chance to play yet).

You were playing a beta, not a demo.
It was an old build.
The user-created levels you played couldn't have been more than a week old. Give people a chance to really learn the design mode. I'm sure many levels were simply proof of concepts rather than complete.

Its fine if you don't like it, like I said I haven't even played it so what do I know, but at least give the demo a chance when it is released.

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There's times when LittleBigPlanet's controls annoy Mark Healey

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