Intelligent Design Confirmed!
Now you too can intelligently design your own creatures!

Ok, first things first. If you haven't already done so, download the Spore Creature Creator here (it's free). Go ahead. I'll wait. This blog post isn't going anywhere. It'll still be here when you get back. Come on, why are you still reading this and not downloading? No excuses, go download it.

Mmkay, all set? Good. You can finish reading this while it downloads. I just had a few short thoughts to share.

1) This demo is giving EA/Maxis the type of publicity money can't buy. Three of the top gaming webcomics have all mentioned the creature creator since it dropped (Penny Arcade, PvP, Ctrl+Alt+Del), some of them posting images of creatures from their comics that had been recreated using the creator. That and the incredibly fun and creative nature of this demo make sure Spore will sell when it launches this fall, heinous DRM aside.

2) From a programming perspective, this is amazing. What Maxis has essentially done is create a dumbed-down version of 3D Studio Max that anyone can use easily, then made a completely automated Maya, that procedurally animates whatever you build. The fact that the program can even figure out how to animate a 5-legged creature walking is incredible.

3) Also brilliant is the fact that your creature's save files are simply png images. They used the hidden layers of the images to store all the creation information. This makes it incredibly easy to share creature with your friends. All you need to do is send them the image of your creature, and they can just drag and drop it into the creator to duplicate it on their end. Also, if you have a website on which you can post .png images, you simply post pictures of your creatures to share them with others.

4) The thing is easy-to-use, addictive, and most of all FUN! The Murloc and I have spent most of the weekend creating all sorts of creatures. (She was having so much fun, in fact, that she broke down and purchased the full version (only $10).) Here are a few samples of mine:



You really don't have to have any ideas for what you want to build when you start. Whenever I do start building with something in mind, what comes out is something completely different, but no less creative. Things just take on a life of their own.