Spore Editor Available June 17th

Dr. Eggman writes "Ars Technica heralds the coming of the creature editor for the highly anticipated Spore. A previously promised downloadable demo of the creature editor from the game, due on September 7th, will be available June 17th. Furthermore, a full version of the creature editor will appear as a standalone product at the same time for $10. According to EA: 'The demo lets players shape, paint and play with an unlimited number of creatures, using 25 percent of the creature-making parts from Spore. Gamers can then share these creations with their friends, including seamless uploads to YouTube.'"

money off the full game?

[cliffski]

No mention of it, so it sounds like you will be paying this as a premium just to try out the editor before the game is finished, which doesn't appeal.

Sounds like a great deal to me, personally

[patio11]

No offense to the starving college students in the audience, I was one once and I've been there, but: $10 is far, far below my care threshold these days. I'm a grown-up, I earn a salary, and $10 for an oodles-of-enjoyment toy is an absolute no-brainer for me even if it doesn't come with a discount for the actual game. Typically, nothing I buy for $10 is intended to last, anyhow. That doesn't even cover a sandwitch or movie ticket these days, and I can virtually guarantee that I will get more child-like glee out of that critter editor than I did out of seeing, e.g., Jumper.

(Maybe I can mock up that Anakin Skywalker guy, just so I can feed him to hungry predators.)

Re:Hmm, let me guess...

[Talderas]

Conspiracy theory #2 is that they don't want to pay artists to create the models of things for the final launch, better to sell the useless editor and make people do the work for them.

Am I right? Or am I right?

I would assume that Maxis is going to pick and choose from the user-generated creatures to put in release. I suspect there will also be some sort of method to identify you to your submission so if they end up using it in the game your name gets plastered on the credits. Heck, if you're really good with submissions, Maxis might come out and ask you to work for them.

People talk about how great OSS is, yet when the very same premise is put out there to develop content for game (albeit at $10 a participant), people bitch and moan about it. It's brilliant on Maxis's part. The developers and the team can focus on testing the game rather than creating content for it. It's a win-win situation for the end users.

Re:Hmm, let me guess...

[Snowmit]

Well, you're something.

From day 1 Will Wright has been saying that the content would be user generated, it's kind of the point of the whole 'procedural world' game play. Whenever people connect to the Internet with the game it will pull creatures that fit into your environment from a database of created creatures.

So where you see a conspiracy theory, I see a chance to mess around with the editor before the game comes out and for my creations to be some of the early creatures that are populated across the network.

Who wants to play with the editor? Me and people like me who really enjoy the creation half of video game play. We're the same people who spent hours customizing CJ in GTA:SA despite that fact that no one but us would ever see him.

We're not all of the players, to be sure. But we're enough of the players that this is probably a really great business move. EA gets more cash and I get something I want.

No arguments here!

My big concern

[rAiNsT0rm]

I have been awaiting Spore for quite a number of years, since I saw it demoed the first time in person, even though it really isn't a game I would normally enjoy. Since then I have had one massive concern which is already proving out... that I am going to be totally brought out of the experience with stupid/inappropriate user generated creatures.

Sure they can be marked offensive and eventually removed, but I will still have to play against boob-shaped creatures, and flying butts. Leave it to nerds to instantly go for the juvenile garbage. Even national gaming mags have pieces where they state they can't wait to make crap like that.

Ugh, I've lost my interest. Sorry EA this is going to be the downfall. Guaranteed.

Re:money off the full game?

[OzRoy]

I hope they are moderating it then. Otherwise I'll probably load up the game and the first creature I meet will look like a mouse with a penis grafted onto its back.

Re:My big concern

[Liquidrage]

Oh noes! Flying butts. The horror.

Seriously, who taught you to be so offended by such trivial things? It's not something you're just born being offended by, it's a learned behavior. And one we'd be better off without.

Re:money off the full game?

[CogDissident]

Its always easier to moderate than to create the content yourself... (+3 insightful)