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Sound Shapes |OT| A Game For Vita (and PS3)

Lissar

Reluctant Member
I made up a small Things to Know about the Sound Shapes Level Editor:

- If you want to test parts of your level, just move the spawn point around to the screen(s) you want to test. (This is incredibly obvious but apparently some people don't consider this so I've included it.)

- Clicking R2 allows you to change the form of a shape, continuing to click R2 will allow you to select different corners.

- The directional pad can be used for more precise placement of objects.

- You can cut screens and paste them multiple times, but be careful there isn't any bleed over from another screen or else it will get caught in the cut!

- Boxes can be sent through elevators but this may destroy gravity on them. (Not a reliable error.) Also, a box trigger does not have to be on the same screen as the box. Door triggers are not the only thing that can interact with boxes, a box can also be used to bash someone in the head.

- If you are creating a level music first don't forget that many objects include sounds of their own that you will have to incorporate into your song.

- Sounds will appear two screens on all sides of a screen. If your level requires someone to go back a few screens you will have to take the new notes into account.

- When creating a level, don't forget to block off the screens that you don't want people to go to with well placed blocks. (There may be better ways of cutting people off, but I haven't found any.) You can also put death traps or something like that if you want to get creative. Just remember that players are going to try anything and everything in your level and you don't want to see some of the awkwardness that might lay outside the areas you've worked on.

- Some objects will always be on top of others. The order of normal surfaces is sticky > normal > death trap. Some other surfaces will always lay on top of normal surfaces, like vines. Others usually go beneath them. Otherwise, objects prefer the order they've been placed in. Newer background objects will cover older ones, and flowers will chime in the order you put them on the screen.

- Undo is select + L1, Redo is select + R1. This is in the help menu but not in the tutorial so is NOT READILY APPARENT.

- Creatures cannot stand on all surfaces. (Things fall through vines, etc.) They also have difficulty standing on angled surfaces (which sometimes creates hilarious situations.)

- Some objects contain MULTIPLE TYPES of object that you can get to by "stretching" it. For example, the poster background decoration in Corporeal has posters with several different types of images on them. The moons in D-Cade are not simply moons.


Some of this stuff might be obvious to you or irrelevant, but these were things I've discovered when playing around with the editor that wasn't obvious at first and that I think are important or interesting.
 

daoster

Member
So is the music in this game like actual tunes from these artists, remixed, or are these exclusive tunes to this game? I like some of the tunes, and wouldn't mind buying one or two of em.
 

OmegaZero

Member
I made up a small Things to Know about the Sound Shapes Level Editor:




Some of this stuff might be obvious to you or irrelevant, but these were things I've discovered when playing around with the editor that wasn't obvious at first and that I think are important or interesting.

Yes.

Thank you very much. Now things are making sense.

Less important but still notable: Certain enemies and hazards will not work when the blob is in a vehicle. You'll either be invincible or they won't trigger.
I discovered this while trying to make my shooter stage.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Finally. Got the Platinum!
Fuck you Death Mode!

When this happened, I was particularly enraged.
Did the old NES Mario trick and hit the last note at the same time as I got killed by something.

7769777892_84cbf74a7b_b_d.jpg


I'm going to convert the Youtube video of Spiral Staircase to a mp3 and add it to my playlist! :)
Yeah, are these Beck songs exclusive the game?
They're so good. I want a soundtrack.
 
The first weekend is extremely critical for game communities.

I feel like, regardless of how things work out from here, this game is never going to have the community it could have had if things worked for the first seven days.

That said, I made another level last night, but I haven't been able to even show off my first one.
 

ryushe

Member
If this entire game had the overall quality of the Beck album, Sound Shapes would've been on another level... no, in another world and it easily would have been the best game involving music I have ever played... but unfortunately it isn't, and while it certainly does shine at times (The Superbrothers album was another good one, especially the last set), I can't help bit feel a but disappointed by the majority of the campaign.

The music tools and community aspect however are easily worth the price of admission. So here's hoping for some incredible community made/DLC levels for the future.

On a sidenote, I absolutely hate that I cannot download fan-made levels and save them onto my memory card. Having to resort to always being online to play them, as we've all seen, has been working fantastically.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Other than the first few hours after launch. No connection.
The first weekend is extremely critical for game communities.

I feel like, regardless of how things work out from here, this game is never going to have the community it could have had if things worked for the first seven days.

That said, I made another level last night, but I haven't been able to even show off my first one.
Eh, people waited for LBP and Borderlands PS3 which has horrible online starts. People who are really into making levels and this kind if stuff will wait and keep designing in the meantime.
 

VanWinkle

Member
I really liked all of the albums. Cities may have been my favorite, but then I think about the D-Cade album and that was a blast to play, although it wasn't my favorite music. Corporeal album was just awesome; loved the puzzle element to it. I'd say the only one I was slightly disappointed about was Hello, World, but that's probably only because I was most excited for it (love Capybara); they were still really good. The Beyonder album was awesome, but not cohesive enough compared to the others. It did have one of my favorite levels/songs, though: Hypoglacia.

Oh, and I can't connect. Stinks.
 

Skyzard

Banned
Could someone please briefly explain how placing enemies works in the level editor? Still not released here yet, but soon!

Yes - another +1 for downloading levels for local storage, in a future patch please.

About the enemies, I know there are a going to be a few different ones but is it possible to path them in any way? I saw various clips of really awesome movement patterns such as going in circles acting as a death trap...or was that an invisible circular deathtrap? Also with some platform pieces going upwards - can you recreate things like that but in your own way with the level editor?

--path them...trigger them at certain places/conditions..?
 

distrbnce

Banned
I made up a small Things to Know about the Sound Shapes Level Editor:




Some of this stuff might be obvious to you or irrelevant, but these were things I've discovered when playing around with the editor that wasn't obvious at first and that I think are important or interesting.

You can hold X to make a selection box, great for when you make an intricate object, then you can copy, stamp, resize, etc.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
I was able to connect once.

Is there anyway to transfer your savefile from Vita to PS3 besides the cloud save?
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
I've been able to connect once with my main account after the troubles began and that was with quite some effort.

Could someone please briefly explain how placing enemies works in the level editor? Still not released here yet, but soon!

Yes - another +1 for downloading levels for local storage, in a future patch please.

About the enemies, I know there are a going to be a few different ones but is it possible to path them in any way? I saw various clips of really awesome movement patterns such as going in circles acting as a death trap...or was that an invisible circular deathtrap? Also with some platform pieces going upwards - can you recreate things like that but in your own way with the level editor?

--path them...trigger them at certain places/conditions..?

As far as I know (I haven't used enemies too much in my levels) you place enemies at where you want them to start and then they execute their preset pattern when you are on the screen. For example, one enemy will chase after you, while another just walks until he bumps into something and then goes in the other direction.

With platforms you set it down along with the platform trigger, and you can reposition them as you like. You can set the path of the platform, but nothing overly complicated (straight lines only.)

You can hold X to make a selection box, great for when you make an intricate object, then you can copy, stamp, resize, etc.

I hadn't realized that, thanks for the heads-up!
 
I searched the thread but can't find this answer. Is there a way to transfer the save data from my vita to my ps3 and continue that saved game on my PS3, then back to vita? Thanks in advance.
 

Skyzard

Banned
As far as I know (I haven't used enemies too much in my levels) you place enemies at where you want them to start and then they execute their preset pattern when you are on the screen. For example, one enemy will chase after you, while another just walks until he bumps into something and then goes in the other direction.

With platforms you set it down along with the platform trigger, and you can reposition them as you like. You can set the path of the platform, but nothing overly complicated (straight lines only.)

Thanks for the information, I also nabbed a screenshot about the custom enemy patterns: [having them rotate and fire like this]


I've also seen one which is basically a circle of those same enemies packed together..

Were the campaign levels created using the level editor?

Thanks again - [sorry didn't realise you covered what I meant about the moving platforms (removed the second shot) - btw straight lines as in up-d/L-right or diagonals too?
 

Lissar

Reluctant Member
Thanks for the information, I also nabbed a screenshot about the custom enemy patterns: [having them rotate and fire like this]



I've also seen one which is basically a circle of those same enemies packed together..

Were the campaign levels created using the level editor?

Thanks again - [sorry didn't realise you covered what I meant about the moving platforms (removed the second shot) - btw straight lines as in up-d/L-right or diagonals too?

I checked it out for you in the editor. Platforms can move at any angle, but they can't do weird stuff like curves or anything like that. The enemies you mention have set patterns. Looking it up I see that enemy type has one that moves in a circle pattern, one in a straight line, and another in a square. You can resize their movement pattern circles/boxes (and the one with the line can move at any angle much like the platform) but you can't do anything other than those three types (for example, I don't see a way to make it move in a figure 8.)
 

Skyzard

Banned
I checked it out for you in the editor. Platforms can move at any angle, but they can't do weird stuff like curves or anything like that. The enemies you mention have set patterns. Looking it up I see that enemy type has one that moves in a circle pattern, one in a straight line, and another in a square. You can resize their movement pattern circles/boxes (and the one with the line can move at any angle much like the platform) but you can't do anything other than those three types (for example, I don't see a way to make it move in a figure 8.)

Ok that is still pretty great on both accounts! Not such a limited builder at all and I could see myself spending so much time with this even before klaypex lands in dlc ... ;)

Thanks again Lissar, above and beyond, really!
 

TheGrue

Member
Yes I purchased it on the Vita.

But on the PSN store for the PS3, it shows that I purchased it, but the only download available is for the Vita version and I can't seem to find the PS3 version.

One thing I noticed is that the one that just says Game on it on the icon is the PS3 version. I bought the game on PS3 and when I went to actually download it, they both said Sound Shapes PS Vita in the title, but I think one had Vita on the icon and the other had Game and so I went with the one that said Game and it was the PS3 version.

Edit - One more thing...if you go to your download list, does it show up twice? This is what I am talking about.
 

Toki767

Member
The PS3 version is just a little over 1GB whereas the Vita version is like 900 something if that helps you in distinguishing which version to get off the store.
 

James Sawyer Ford

Gold Member
One thing I noticed is that the one that just says Game on it on the icon is the PS3 version. I bought the game on PS3 and when I went to actually download it, they both said Sound Shapes PS Vita in the title, but I think one had Vita on the icon and the other had Game and so I went with the one that said Game and it was the PS3 version.

Edit - One more thing...if you go to your download list, does it show up twice? This is what I am talking about.


Yes, ok, I'll try downloading the other version...

that's really confusing. they should not both say "Vita"
 
Finally tried out the Beck levels and a few others to give the game another go today. Throughout the entire city one I had a big smile on my face. I really liked when the "aaaahhhh"s started coming in. But to be perfectly honest I still don't like how the game controls, and I am not feeling the synesthesia that I was expecting from the audio and my actions. I hope to check out some of the user created content later, but as it stands now the game is a miss for me.
 
This is probably my favorite game on the Vita at this point, I just can't stop messing around with the level editor even after picking up the platinum. I'm really looking forward to getting some feedback on a level I made last night, hopefully I'll be able to upload it this evening.
 

Oni Jazar

Member
This is the first level editor that I have ever really gotten into. The flat 2d nature definitely makes this much easier then something like LBP and being able to create music out of it makes it so damn fun. I love making a simple tune in loop and adding more and more to it.

Also the Vita makes it so easy. You can tap around the screen to get a feel for what sound you like and can use the sticks and buttons to fine tune your placements. Very awesome.

Now if only we could CONNECT!
 

Xenon

Member
On a sidenote, I absolutely hate that I cannot download fan-made levels and save them onto my memory card. Having to resort to always being online to play them, as we've all seen, has been working fantastically.

Thanks for saving me some cash. I rarely have a connection when I play the vita.
 
I love the editor in this. Get sucked into it for hours but I have a question: if I get far enough away from some notes they don't play anymore- is there a way to increase the range? Right now it seems like two tiles away and notes stop playin.
 

Oni Jazar

Member
I love the editor in this. Get sucked into it for hours but I have a question: if I get far enough away from some notes they don't play anymore- is there a way to increase the range? Right now it seems like two tiles away and notes stop playin.

No I believe that's hard coded. You can make levels snake around the tune you want to keep instead of just keep making the level go forward.
 
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