PS3

ModNation Monday: Community Artist Spotlight, Secrets of a “Super Creator”

Posted by Ramone Russell // Community Manager, SCEA San Diego Studios

Today’s post is our first Community Artist Spotlight. Every other week or so, ModNation Monday will spotlight a community creator who is producing outstanding original content. We’re happy to introduce Myles Gordon our first ModNation “Super Creator!” Myles specializes in making unique-looking and technically sound tracks. Game Informer’s August issue features a piece on Mr. Gordon and the amazing tracks he’s created. Our focus on Myles starts with some of his tracks and a short Q&A.

MylesG Tracks

Here is an overview of some of the highlight tracks among the Tours. There are eight Tours total with four tracks each. To find them just do a text search under tracks for “P Tour”, “M Tour”, “G Tour”, “O Tour”, “N Tour”, “R Tour”, “Q Tour” or “W Tour.”

Track Name: M Tour 3: Aquatica

MylesG says: “Water and fire mix in this ocean-based Stunt Park. Aquatica is all about big air, big stunts and big speed. Skilled racers will be able to maintain max boost throughout most of this course due to long drifts and huge air time.”

Track Name: O Tour 4: Sky Fleet

MylesG says: “Take to the skies above Tek City and join the battle that rages above. Help the city’s defense airships take down the Overlord’s Dreadnought and declare yourself the Omega Champion.”

Track Name: O Tour 2: Armagna’s Forest

MylesG says: “The picturesque race through Armagna’s Forest begins with a tour of the forest floor; drifting fans are sure to be at home here. Should you not get lost once heck of a roller coaster ride through the treetops awaits you on the way to the finish.”

Track Name: G Tour 4: Tek Cityscape

Q&A with “Super Creator” Myles Gordon

How do you like creating with ModNation?

“It’s great! The tools are fun and easy to use, and you’re really given a lot of freedom with what you can make. One thing that really surprised me with the track editor is how much variety people have been able to do with only four themes.”

What do you enjoy the most about the game?

“The Track Editor is my favorite part, but gameplay wise, I love the addition of the shield — it really gets rid of the random frustration of being slammed by items that you see in other kart racers. It makes the game more skill based where you aren’t punished for being in first place.”

What would you like to see in DLC or for a possible sequel?

“Some new themes would be great (Snow, Futuristic, or Lava) as well as more props to work with, such as waterfalls, more building blocks, and a thin object with a large surface area to be used as a roof with the building blocks)”

What inspires you?

“Well I was a big fan of Mario Kart, Wipeout and F-Zero so there are probably some influences there in some of my tracks. However, when I’m planning my tracks out, I usually just sit down in front of a white board and write down any ideas that come to mind. Really all I try and do is build something fun that plays well, feels unique and looks cool.”

Who are your favorite creators and creations?

“My favorite track creators are: ArgorokX, WilsonPhillips-X and VintageOctopus. All of their tracks are unique and fun to race on.”

What advice would you give to other ModNation creators?

“1. Plan it out beforehand. Just hopping into the editor without a solid plan will probably result in something that feels generic. I usually start by writing down some ideas with the goal being to have a least 3 unique moments on the course that make it stand out. I’ll then draw out a rough plan on paper and then go into the editor and try and build it.

2. Build the track first and decorate second. Get a your layout as final as possible before starting to decorate your course with props. Its much more difficult to change the course layout after you’ve filled it with props. Also ensure your layout is fun to race on and not frustrating – keep in mind it will only get more difficult as you add in the props.

3. Test before publishing. One of the best ways to do this is to have some people that have never played your track give it a try in front of you. Watch them play and get their feedback and you’ll be able to see parts that are confusing or frustrating. Also be sure to try resetting yourself (with select) during some of the more complicated sections of your course (especially jumps) to make sure you don’t reset in weird places or get stuck.”

ModNation Creations of the Week

Amazing creations in ModNation get shared every day! If you are interested in submitting your mod, kart or track to be a future “creation” of the week be sure to visit up on the official ModNation Community site, and who knows? You might see your handiwork on the PlayStation.Blog.

Mods of the Week

Mod Name: Eek

Creator: Stitchless

Karts of the Week

Kart Name: True Lowrider

Creator: Joker_Six_T_Nine

Hot Lap Roster for this week

Continuing with the trend we started weeks ago this weeks Hot Lap roster features all new community created tracks from Super Creator MylesG.

Monday: O Tour 2: Armagna’s Forest, by MylesG

Tuesday: M Tour 3: Aquatica, by MylesG

Wednesday: P Tour 4: Murky Mine, by MylesG

Thursday: O Tour 4: Sky Fleet, by MylesG

Friday: G Tour 4: Tek Cityscape, by MylesG

Saturday: M Tour 4: Overlook Castle, by MylesG

Sunday: P Tour 1: City Circuit, by MylesG

YouTube “Show us yours” Creation Contest!

Remember we are having a “Show us yours” contest. Contest rules are simple submit a video or picture of your very best Track (original IP’s only) to ModNation@Playstation.Sony.com. One last note: be sure to subscribe for all the latest updates to ModNation’s YouTube Channel.

The winners will be announced in an ModNation Blog post in September. For more information, including prizes and complete rules, visit the News and Updates section of the ModNation community site.

More news next week! Until then… see you in the ModSpot!