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LEGO Universe Previews: First Look Preview
MMORPG.com's Dana Massey recently traveled to the NetDevil offices to take a preliminary look at their upcoming MMO based on everyone's favorite stackable blocks from Denmark.
By Dana Massey on October 26, 2009
Gameplay
Actual gameplay outside of the tutorial is fast paced. Players run through areas smashing bad guys quickly in only a few hits using a combat system that is very simple and easy to learn. Basically, pieces players equip have abilities associated with them. At any given time, the player has one of these selected and when they click on the enemy, they use it.
So, for example, a player with just regular fists can smack enemy creatures. A player with a sword equipped can smash them with the sword, while someone who is wearing a Ninja mask might have some kind of other special attack related to that theme.
When enemies die, they can fall into piles of LEGO blocks that players can reassemble into other objects. In the demo, when they took down a robot, they were able to rebuild it into a turret that helped them out.
Later on, some of these situations have multiple possible uses for players to choose from as part of a larger puzzle. In one, there were three piles of bricks; each could be a different sized platform. The player had to arrange the platforms correctly in order to advance through the area.
;)
Death in LEGO Universe is explained through the "creative spark." Your LEGO character can get smashed, but the creative spark lives on. It's just a matter of putting him back together. Early in the demo, they intentionally - or so they claim - failed a jumping puzzle and got their minifig electrocuted. He exploded, but the spark then rematerializes back at a safe location. It's the same mechanic as in all MMOs, but it's nice to see a game make sense of death and rebirth so neatly.
One strange thing about LEGO Universe is that on one hand, it is a game that encourages creativity, but on the other, it tracks "imagination" as an actual stat on the character.
This is important, as that gates what players can do. For example, if they had not accumulated enough imagination, they would not have been able to reassemble the robot as a turret (a process that is automatic and does not actually require any block building).
Then, on the other hand, the game also encourages real creativity. In the demo, they took us into a cave where there was a free build area. This area suggested players build a bat using the pieces they'd accumulated. In this area they could literally use their pieces to build whatever they wanted and call it a bat.
The game employs a lot of back end technology to support the free build areas. The first is an internal review process for all models players create that is applied before they can be seen by other players. This is, after all, a game aimed at kids. They check to make sure they catch offensive or copyright infringing models.
The second is one that takes the individual models people create and physically optimizes the created 3D object so that the game runs smoothly. There are a shocking number of faces and sides on a LEGO brick and if the game had to render them all, even the ones where faces were hidden, it would slow down. So the server takes what the player has created from individual blocks and boils it down to one model before it is displayed. It's optimization on the fly.
;)
Beside each of the open build areas are showcases that display highly rated models other people have created in those areas. One thing they said is that while the demo just showed ones they'd pre-selected, the ultimate plan is to have them show models that people's friends have created as well as really popular ones from the world in general. Theoretically, if you created the absolute best bat, your creation might be seen by people from all over.
Players also have their own home area where they're free to play with their blocks, assemble totally new creations and, of course, invite their friends over to see what they've come up with.
While combat is the primary way that people progress through the game, there is more to do than just fight and build things. Later in the robot level, they came to a ruined set of bridges on a construction site. The player was challenged to find their way to the top. This was a jumping puzzle with multiple paths to victory. Content like this in LEGO universe is built to be repeatable so, once completed for the first time, it sets up a race game where players can get a time and compete against their friends.
Throughout the world, sometimes in plain sight and sometimes a bit hidden, there are enclaves of LEGO animals milling about. These are pets to be tamed. Each one has its own set of wants that players need to learn to win one over, and they can be used for lots of different things. A pet can help dig up treasure, or stand on a special pad that activates something for the player. Some of the possible pets I saw included elephants, dogs and monkeys.
It's still extremely early, but so far NetDevil has answered all of the skeptics who wondered how LEGO would be made into an MMO. If they can stick to their goals and pull off this combination of free-form LEGO building, traditional MMO experiences and the best bits of the Traveler's Tales style LEGO gameplay, this should be a lot of fun for fans of the little bumpy blocks.
I've always loved Legos. I can't wait to give this game a shot.
This just looks fun! Be nice to see something different.
Yep, this looks like something worth giving a shot. I'm glad they're gearing it for a younger audience - I'd like to have something my daughter could (attempt to) play - but it still looks a lot of fun for me. Jumping platform puzzles are great, and she doesn't have decades of Mario experience. >:)
Absolutely! This looks really fun and I can imagine introducing it to my nieces and nephews one Christmas, and playing it too on the odd occasion.
I cannot imagine it replacing my "main" MMO (FE) though... as much as I love LEGO this game will not be aimed at me... it will just be nice to watch its progress and very likely success. I hope it pwns WoW lol.
I really hope the combat isn't the same point and click like every other MMO, though I do like the concept of having puzzles and other activities too.
I concur. There is a lot of creative potential here.
IF it's done right, this game could be huge.
I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on this one!
It is on my radar as well. would like to see them implement some free-form space or area you can go to that is completly put together by players. Sort of a player build housing area or something like that.
Either way, sounds interesting and fun.
I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from this title, but the info in this article somehow left me disapointed. I sort of had this "build my own castle out in the world" idea in my head. Then other lego guys would come and chuck blocks at it from their lego catapaults. Then me and my guild would go kill some lego dragons , collecting epic "blocks" that I could add to my castle............................or something.
Smashing stuff as i walk by it kind of fails to compare to what I imagined :(
That sounds like a good expansion for lego universe. :)
I loved legos when I was younger. This game looks like fun for me and my nephew and it's kinda nice not to have to worry about letting the kids see half naked mages that look like prostitutes running around in game. Or the cantinas in SWG for example looking like a topless bar lol. Not exactly kid friendly.
The cool thing is that the on the fly optimization technology can be used in other mmo's ND makes to easily achieve a high lvl of customization. I would love to see a build your own space ship system with tons of possible configurations in a space mmo or the same in a mech mmo or just have really crazy sci-fi armor on characters.
What's funny I guess, is that I still look for the type of make anything customization that I enjoyed while building with legos in every mmo I try.
I'm excited for the Puzzles they incorporate into the game, regardless of how much Freedom players have available to them, creating the game will require tons of imagination as well, and I expect that to show in the puzzles they make for players to do.
Hopefully this will convince other games to incorporate more puzzles as well, and not just gimicks on how to beat a boss...
The game sounds kind of how I imagined it after playing Lego Star Wars. It sounds pretty fun. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one. I'm not really concerned about it being geared toward kids, I played Wizard 101 and had a lot of fun. Sometimes these games geared toward kids are more fun than the "adult" ones.
I have very happy childhood memories of playing and creating with Lego... I can't help but feel a need to try this game out of nostalgia.
yeah still waiting. Truly the only MMO im looking forward too. everything else just looks cookie cutter nonsense.
F U N !!
I'm a little embarrassed at how excited I am for this game
It's a kids game lol what do you want? 40 man raids? yeah I see my 5 year old digging that! ;)
The game is going to be good, simple fun. Even a hardened Nerdarager as myself knows that this is a special game for a younger generation that we oldies will play too. A great idea for a family based MMO game.
I have to say being in the fourms there since last year, the game is going to rape my wallet via my kids re-enactment of Oliver! Not to mention the better half, she spends more time on mmo's than I do, abliet their casual ones.
.................Please Sir, can I have some more MT/Sub money? Please sir.......Oo
You know, you make a good point. Too bad - a cash shop is a deal-breaker for me. On principle.
Man I love legos, I can't wait to get my hands on this game.
I used to build legos for days, it was great, could create anything you could think up. Best toy for children in my opinion. Lets them be creative and use their imagination.
Yeah I mean I am not going to play this game when I could be playing FFXIV or GW2 but that said it does look very appealing and I might buy it or use the free trial just to check it out :)