Project Spark is an interesting game, or rather, simulation. This isn't just because it allows you to create games, but also in the way it teaches programming principles. It does so in a visual way, with icons instead of actual code. That's not the only thing Project Spark does though. Users have the capability to upload their projects and let others rate their creations. They can even implement improvements on original creations, this is referred to as Remixes. While Project Spark isn't necessarily a game, it does offer something significantly different to anything else available at the moment.

Learn to code, without codingYou'll start off by learning basic principles of what makes a game work. This includes a level, player model, controller mapping, failure states (do you win or not) as well as text handling. As far as tutorials go Project Spark's is quite comprehensive. It probably has the most comprehensive teaching lesson in a game, and for good reason. Understanding how a page change works for example takes a fair amount of thought. Each component of a play mechanic gets broken down into steps.

Walking to a flag activates a sensor, which in turn start counting down and ends with a fadeout, which also has its own countdown. Project Spark makes use of Brains. These are the routine and behaviour storage libraries that Project Spark uses. You can either create one or use a preset.

Goblins have behaviour routines that have already been set up. They activate according to your distance to them, and will move toward you when you're in sight. Once within attack range they attack.

These are things we're used to seeing in our games, and it's fascinating to see how they work. Once you have a preset, these can get modified to your needs.

You can specify a delay in reaction, for example, or change the way they react to you. You learn that coding is a selection of rules that constrict how an object acts and reacts. When done well, this can result in clever game design - and this is what Project Spark does well.Controller-optimised sculptingAnother area that impressed me is how easy it was to sculpt levels. Various shapes are used to change the shape of terrain. You can use primitive shapes like boxes or spheres with modifiers. Intensity (controls just how much changes when manipulating the land) can be changed or perhaps scale, which controls how large your changes are. You paint textures like most modellers do, only, these are limited to what Project Spark provides.

I found no way of creating or modifying these.What this game also succeeds in is how it allows collaboration. Actual game assets exist on your hard disk, and only Project Spark's code downloads. This results in less bandwidth being used, along with fast downloads of other creators' games.

What is also great is how small the installation of Project Spark is. The base game takes up 2.58gb. This is in part because the game doesn't have high texture resolution or high polygon counts. Models in the game are sparsely detailed, so are the environments you create.Collaboration and modding, perfectedBrowsing through the game's collaboration portal, I found many fun and interesting games that have been created already. Among them was R.T., a user's clone of Hideo Kojima's frightening P.T. I also happened to find clones of Little Big Planet and Portal.

There were other interesting creations like a skydiving simulator with somewhat accurate falling physics. I felt that Project Spark was more about giving players a platform to understand how a game is created than one to be played. There is nothing wrong with this since it's a huge paradigm shift over prepackaged titles we're used to. My only reservation is that unless you're a creative type, Project Spark isn't going to be enjoyable.

In just a month, P.T. Was downloaded over one million times, and fans began remaking the already iconic hallway in everything from Minecraft to Project Spark. The reaction to P.T. Was a testament to the immense popularity of a franchise in dire need of revival. A New Silent Hills Teaser Terrifies. Oh i just used his line from his reaction to him in project spark then i walked away came back & completely forgot what i was originaly talking about XD (i like nuts.

It favours tinkerers above players.It controls like a game, but is it really?Project Spark exists as a tool for creativity. This is further reinforced by sparse graphics and lacking reflecting from liquids and metals. It's not unexpected then, that this game runs smooth as butter. 3d carpet cleaning and restoration. The textures that Project Spark let's you create with are also lacking. While creating a game from a blank template I wanted to mix different environments like Ice and Grass. I was restricted to one type, and it felt a little stifling. Since Project Spark is such a different approach to a game, it needs to be judged differently.

Player model animations are stiff, and movement needs to customisation to be effective. Controller mapping works just fine, just you're not given as much fine-tuning as you'd like. A pet peeve of mine while playing was being unable to easily adjust jumping height, instead, I got forced to dig around for the height and speed variables. In that way Project Spark feels like a stripped-down development simulator, as opposed to game. While you can create in different genres, you're restricted to third person adventures, 2D scrollers and first person games.

I'm sure that with time we'll see more interesting things happen with Project Spark. I just don't see it being anything exceptional or flexible just yet.

It doesn't help that texture sets are limited, and that movements as well as animations are a pain to change. Tinkerers will enjoy the creative experience though, and will find the mix of tools available fun to use.ConclusionProject Spark is the sandbox game for the Xbox One. You'll tinker, customise and create amazing things if you're so inclined.

Even with a limited set of tools I have yet to see a game that offers as much flexibility and creativity potential. Even if you can't call Project Spark a game, it's a very good exercise in teaching game development principles. That in itself makes it unique in a space where many games we play could be lacking in innovation. Project Spark is intended for a niche audience: people looking lo make and explore. For that demographic alone, it's a game worth looking at.(Please note: The Xbox One can't take screenshots, so images were pulled from the Internet.) Latest GameZone Reviews.Zubayr's MWEB GameZone.

Kids can learn a lot about game design and programming in this highly creative build-your-own-game experience. Using tools similar to those employed by professional game makers, players can sculpt and paint environments, create stories and game objectives, and program objects and characters by creating instructions that govern their behavior in an array of situations. Kids will end up learning about how a wide variety of games are made, from action/adventure games to sports games. Project Spark is close enough to real video game design that it gives kids an authentic taste of what a career in game-making might be like. Parents need to know that Project Spark provides all the tools kids need to build a virtual world and create the rules that govern it, letting them explore their imaginations while having fun learning about game design and programming.

Keep in mind that user-generated content can be unpredictable. The designers have kept the violence relatively tame and included no strong language or references to sexuality, alcohol, or drugs. But some content creators might generate worlds, objects, and dialogue that get around these restrictions in creative ways - such as sculpting letters into the environment that spell a curse word. Parents worried about what their kids might stumble upon online can change a setting to ensure kids access only developer-moderated content. PROJECT SPARK is less a game and more a user-friendly platform for building your own game. It comes with its own set of pre-built adventures, including a traditional fantasy quest, but the premade games are really meant to showcase what you can do using Project's Spark's powerful game-building tools.

Players can sculpt and paint three-dimensional environments; create complex logic governing the behavior of characters and objects; script their own stories filled with drama, motives, and purpose; and even use the Kinect sensor to capture voice dialogue and animations that can be assigned to game characters. Once complete, kids' games can be uploaded for other users to play and 'remix.' The starter kit comes with a wide variety of game objects and themes for players to use in their creative activities. More are available in the game's marketplace, and these content packs can be purchased either with real money or virtual currency, which is slowly accumulated by completing various tasks within the game.

Project Spark is a blank canvas for creation. Presented with an empty virtual expanse, players can craft nearly any sort of interactive experience they choose. Virtual Frisbee, pinball tables, run-to-the-right platformers, tower defense games, multilevel action role-playing games - all of these and more can be made using the game's robust and surprisingly accessible creation tools. It takes a while to master more complex tools, such as programming the 'brains' of characters and objects to make them do what you need them to do, but it's all done using an accessible logic language that simply asks what a thing should do when another thing happens. All it takes is a little patience and a good idea to create something well worth sharing with the rest of the game's community.Admittedly, it's a bit rough around the edges in places. The Crossroads mode, which lets players shape a lightly preprogrammed adventure as they play it - crashes occasionally.

Plus, it would've been nice if the developers provided a few more themes and object packs in the starter kit rather than forcing players to earn or buy new ones. But kids who get into this deeply imaginative and rewarding digital creation experience likely will spend enough time playing to be able to purchase plenty of extra content without resorting to spending any real money. Kids with any interest in learning how games are made and how to make games themselves really can't go wrong with Project Spark.