Spore: Creature Creator
Platform: Mac, Windows
In case you haven't heard, there's an exciting new game on the horizon called Spore, and it is set to release this September. The game is the brainchild of Will Wright, the father of SimCity and the Sims, and judging from what we've seen of this game so far, we're in for one heck of a ride. One of Spore's most touted and talked about features is how it leverages user-created content to populate the countless planets within the Spore universe. The Spore team accomplishes this by putting powerful and easy-to-use tools to create elements of the Spore universe in the hands of the masses. That's you.
One of those tools is being released today, the Spore Creature Creator, and it can be yours for about 10 bucks. There is a demo available that is free, but it comes with only a small subset of what's available in the full version. With the Creature Creator you can, of course, create and edit new creatures, and you can save them and share them with others, too. Creatures are embedded into a 32KB image (PNG) of the creature that contains all of the data necessary to load it back into the editor. Sharing creatures is therefore exceptionally easy, and brilliantly implemented.
You can also take pictures of your creatures within the "Test Drive" portion of the editor (screenshots included here), or take movies and upload your movies directly to YouTube from within the Creature Creator(!) Your creatures are automatically animated based on the spine and appendages you've given it. You can even make them dance, too.
I was fortunate enough to be selected to try out the creature creator ahead of time, and I spent the entire weekend last week making creatures with it (warning: it's highly addictive). Playing with the Creature Creator was one of the most amazing play experiences I have ever had, and I'm looking forward to playing with it some more. It is extremely easy to make something that looks good with the tool, and seeing your creature come to life as you add elements to it is both exciting and immediately rewarding.
The game hasn't even been released yet and we are already seeing the fruits of this thing called user-created content as it applies to Spore. I highly recommend participating in this sensation, and the sooner the better so you don't feel left out. And when Spore finally ships this September after 3 months and millions of creatures later, you'll know where to find me. ;)
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Hooray for spore!
I have the trial version, will be getting the full version as soon as I can mug a relative with a credit card!
(potential first post!)
Hmm, my casual gameplay account doesnt work :(
Been messing around with the trial version and its brilliant, love some of those creatures Jay :)
I've now ordered the full version and looking forward to getting to play it once they "officially" make it available
I'm going to have to buy a new computer for Spore. Just like I did for Neverwinter Nights so many years ago.
Sadly all the videos I can find on YouTube are of people making penises (or creatures sporting huge penises). The flagging system is going to get a work out.
Very fun, can't wait for the full thing to be released. When is that, by the way? I can't find a definite time.
Sorry for double post: front page of the EA Spore website says it's out, inside says pre-order. So confused. :(
This game was almost vaporware for how many years? Selling a creation engine sounds more like a last ditch effort to retrieve some R&D money back.
Have been waiting for this game for about 4 years... I thought it was going the way of Duke Nukem... but happily not! I'm looking forward to this creature creator... but I also will need a new computer to be able to run... there goes my bonus.
Actually I just had a look on the site - for anyone interested, the spec is not that high:
# FOR WINDOWS XP
# * 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
# * 512 MB RAM
# * A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
# * At least 6 GB of hard drive space
# FOR WINDOWS VISTA
# * 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
# * 768 MB RAM
# * A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
# * At least 6 GB of hard drive space
So maybe more people than I expected will be able to run it - it's certainly not age of conan!
Oh, so it's Windows only? That's too bad...
This game wins the award of the century for the most hyped game ever.
Will the 10 dollars take 10 dollars off of your (my) purchase of Spore? I really don't want to buy somthing if I will have to buy it again later.
Yeah, what is it, 5 years?
Actually, there is a Mac version as well. It only works on Intel-based Macs, though.
Cayal: bet you someone will make a wine configuration for it pretty quickly.
To Mac-incompatibility-fearers: It runs, but only on Leapord. So that's either a "Phew, I can run it!" or a "Crap, now I have to mug somebody who has Leapord".
Sadly, I am in the latter. D:
I thought the write-up was a little unclear as to when the demo is coming out--you can at least download the trial version of the demo right now.
# FOR MAC
# Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard or higher
# Intel Core Duo Processor
# 1024 MB RAM
# ATI X1600 or NVidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100
# At least 4.7GB of hard drive space for installation, plus additional space for creations.*
# This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems (PowerMac).
# For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:
# * Intel Integrated Chipset GMA X3100
# * Dual 2.0GHz CPUs, or 1.7GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
# Supported Video Cards
# ATI Radeon(TM) series
# X1600, X1900, HD 2400, HD 2600
# NVIDIA GeForce series
# 7300, 7600, 8600, 8800
# Intel(R) Extreme Graphics
# GMA X3100
# This game will not run on the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.
As quoted from the Spore web page.
Note, the Creature Creator specs are roughly the same, except for the space requirements (the game only needs roughly 400 MB
...guess it's about time for me to upgrade to Leopard!
Wakka - I've fixed the entry so it's a little more clear about availability.
As for giving money off the game, I do think they are providing a discount if you pre-order the game when you buy the creature creator. But terms and specifics are unknown to me at this time.
I do know that they are making Creature Creators for all the major platforms, even the DS and iPhone.
Corona - Spore is definitely not vaporware, I've seen live demos of the game. I'll go out on a limb and suggest that it will be one of the most (if not THE most) awesome game ever released come September. Spore-mania is about to take the world by storm.
I think you'll understand the reason why it's been in development so long when you finally see it. Just try out creature demo and I'm sure you'll see the genius that went into it.
"""This game wins the award of the century for the most hyped game ever."""
Well the century is still too young to say. But so far it is certainly true! :-)
hmmm, I have a question about Mac capability.
I want to run it on my Mac, but I don't know if my Mac can run it.
It is a Macbook, the higher priced white Macbook.
I don't have leopard, but I do have the money to get it.
So, I need to know if my Macbook can even run it because I don't want to waste money to get leopard to run a program that I can't run.
Julian - yes the Mac version will run on your computer with Leopard installed.
Even with those specs, I'll still have to buy a new machine. Starcraft II and all.
OK, I need some advice from the technologically inclined out there. I am super excited about "Spore" and have been for quite some time. Unfortunately, my current Mac isn't up to the task of running "Spore". (It's not really a gaming machine beyond WoW.) It's a Mac Mini, so I can't upgrade it and it's Power PC based so it probably wouldn't matter anyways. Regardless, I REALLY want to play "Spore" and I'm not confident enough in a comparable console release of the game coming any time soon to just wait and play it on my Wii or 360 (or PS2, unlikely as that is). So my question is, if I were crazy enough to actually get a new computer so that I could play "Spore", what am I looking at spending? It doesn't have to be a Mac, since I'm looking at the cheapest possible option, given that this idea is nute to begin with. Any help is much appreciated.
Demon - Since a Mac can run all 3 operating systems, you just can't make a better choice these days when buying a computer.
You can get a brand new iMac (20" display) for about $1200, or a smaller MacBook (13.3") for about $1100. Both meet the minimum specs for Spore.
My advice: save your money until you can afford a Mac.
yea having a few problems when i start the game i try and click on the galaxy and it takes me to ea games sight anyone got advice
matt, the 'galaxy' mode isn't available. The only thing you can do with this demo is create a creature.
You have to close the 'buy it now, preorder the full game' popup first, though.
A question for the community. Has it ever before happened that someone tried to sell a part of a soon to be released game as seperate thing? Or is it the first time? Its not a "Betha" or a "Demo" per se. Its pre-selling a part of an upcoming thing..
Although the Creature Creator can be seen as an integral component of Spore, it can also exist as a standalone product. In fact, I am certain you will see a variety of releases on a wide range of platforms that augment the Spore experience.
There are plenty of gamers out there that spend all their time customizing their avatar and never actually spend time playing the game in which it was designed for.
And it makes a lot of sense getting the tool out in the hands of the many so there is a countless variety of species available when the game finally ships.
I think we'll see the total Spore experience break from the norm of what we're used to seeing with games, and frankly I am very excited about it. I believe that it will also change the way we look at and what we expect from games, in general.
To clear it up for those confused, the Creature Creator functions as a standalone creation toy in it's own right, and according to the masses who downloaded a leaked version over the last several days, a very entertaining one...
A sandbox combining procedural generation of textures and animation with near-total freedom to assemble any bilaterally symmetrical vertebrateous beastie you can imagine.
It costs less than most shareware titles of far less merit as entertainment, and offers almost infinite replayability - as long as you enjoy the process of making strange creatures and making them run around in circles and dance. And who doesn't?
Furthermore, by creating creatures and submitting them to the Sporepedia, you contribute to what will rapidly become a truly massive library of hand-made creatures who will then automatically populate the large galaxy of the full game, providing players with an almost inexhaustible bestiary of creatures to discover and interact with.
We get a very entertaining toy several months in advance of the full package for a surprisingly low price, and improve the final product in the process of enjoying it.
I hope they are capable of dealing with the ungodly mass of giant penis monsters the trialplayers will no doubt continue to create...
I truly respect that they've released the game is such a free and open state that we -can- make such perversions. The alternative of trying to limit such abilities would have crippled the game's creative potential.
My first post on JiG after some years watching, by the way. Glad to be here =)
Well said, Jakkar. Much better than I could do.
And welcome! ^_^
Grr. I hate my computers. My Windows XP is on the fritz & won't boot up, and my Mac really isn't all that great (and is PowerPC based, so it can't run a lot of things.) Oh well. MGS4 will hold me off for a little while at least.
My first spore creatureI love the little ones, so CUTE
My friend found a hidden thing:
If you hold the turn button in the main screen, and move it, it will turn. Turn the galaxy so you're looking on top, then spin the view really fast. a face appears!
The question was not if the creature create can work on its on, and if its fun or not. The question was if it ever has happened before someone sold integral part of an upcoming before? that excludes betas or demos.
Demon, in my opinion Jay has given you terrible advice. If you surf over to Dell and click on the "small business" section, you'll find that you can get a plenty capable windows/linux laptop for ~$500. Macs are slicker but you pay through the nose for it.
AP - Of course you're entitled to your opinion, and I take no offense.
However, just because there are cheaper cars on the lot doesn't mean they are the best value for your dollar.
Frankly it sounds like you don't know much about Macs other than their price tag.
In our household we have 3 Windows-based computers, and none of them get much use anymore since we have slowly replaced them with Macs.
We've been switching because of all the quirky OS and networking issues, viruses, and security concerns that come with Windows. I'm a software engineer and still I was continually challenged, frustrated and irritated by an OS that just doesn't work well when you need it most. And you say "plenty capable?" I say BARELY CAPABLE.
Mac OS X is well worth any premium.
At what price productivity? Say what you will, I stand by my advice as I've learned from experience.
In my office we are switching from PCs to Mac minis. Well actually most are using only Windows on the Macs... but they are really silent(!), small form factor, and look good. The silince is in a work where you need to concentrate a lot really a premium value.
I agree that Macs are particularly well-refined machines. I just want to make sure that our friend here knows that there are *much* cheaper alternatives that will give you a) the ability to do what he's asking and b) the ability to do everything else too (with perhaps a bit of extra effort).
Cheers.
Fair enough. ^_^
(but don't call me with your computer troubles when they happen!)
Mac OS X is definitely worth the premium. Can't say the same for the premium $$ for their hardware versus what you would pay to a PC manufacturer. (Not merely comparable hardware... the exact same components, albeit in a sexier form factor). Apple loses a lot of credit with me for that business decision.
On the topic of Spore though =) The CC is a fun little toy, but I wonder how exactly the creations fit into the actual game. The whole point of Spore, I thought, is the creatures all begin as the eponymous Spore, and you play them up to the types of creatures we see in this toy (and beyond to a galactic-scale). I hope that EA makes some differentiation between species evolved through the game-play mechanics, and these pre-fab ones -- particularly when it comes to me deciding what user-created content I wish to allow into my game. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
-Bryan (happily dual-booting Leopard+XP on a shiny new Dell)
*sigh*
My graphics card is a Radeon 9200, still in the Stone Age. I downloaded the game and installed just to see if maybe I could get it to run anyway, but no. I guess when they say you need a graphics card that supports Pixel Shader 2.0, they really mean it. :(
I suppose I could upgrade just my graphics card come Spore-time, but I'll most likely end up getting a new computer before then. It's been upgrade time for a while now anyway...
Hey all, just wanted to clarify something: the program being offered right now is a demo, EVEN THE ONE YOU PAY FOR. If you're willing to hold on until September, the full program will come bundled with the game itself absolutely free. All you're paying for is a better demo for the next few months. Still, if you can't wait, $10 isn't much, and it's also free if you preorder Spore at Direct2Drive. That's all!
I find it highly amusing that you can pre-order your Spore game 3 months before it is due to be released.
What I understand about the game from what I've seen, the creature creator is integrated into the game as you play.
For example, achieving goals in the game earns you money, which can be spent on upgrading your creature as it evolves.
I think it's safe to assume you won't have unlimited resources and parts available to you from the start.
So, while the creature editor is indeed part of the game, the way everyone is using it now is just a little bit different. Using it in this way will help populate the various worlds with creatures that you will come across during some of the later stages of play. This is important to ensure there are many different species available so there is always something new to discover as you conquer the galaxies.
Having some experience with the editor before playing the game should help hone your skills at making an adept creature capable of survival on hostile planets. It is also a way of easing you into what is likely to be a very rich and layered game play experience.
But should you just want to sit all day creating new creatures, then you can still do that.
I understand that there will be many different ways to play in and enjoy the Spore universe, and we're getting our first taste of that with this creature creator.
By the way, there are editors for buildings and vehicles, too, but not yet available at this time.
When the video demonstration of this game first hit the internet, I sat completely captivated watching them show off its features for over an hour with my mouth hanging open.
This game will most likely change the way we define computer games. And from the looks of it... all games thus far will seem like mini-games by comparison. If that doesn't deserve hype, what does?
Blah, I bought the creature creator yesterday, but the version I bought is STILL in Preorder. On the other hand, the other version is out and downloadable for everyone else to have fun with. =(
Oh well, maybe posting will take care of the problem. *crosses fingers*
This game looks great but it's not installing properly on my computer. Every time I try to run it, it tells me "d3dx9_27.dll was not found" I've reinstalled it several times, but get the same error. Does anyone have any idea how to fix this?
I greatly appreciate the computer advice and I think in this case I can actually say "You're both right" without it just being waffling response.
We are currently a 2 Mac household (or 3, if you count the old tower that my husband now uses as a storage drive) and we're very happy with our Macs. The only PC in our house at the moment is a likely dead laptop from my college days, which hasn't got a chance of even thinking about "Spore" without blowing up. If I was in need of a new all purpose computer, I probably wouldn't even be asking for advice; I'd be getting another Mac. The problem is that my current Mac Mini is in fine working condition and the only thing remotely wrong with it is that it can't handle "Spore." So unless I pour orange juice on it and try to convince my husband that it just spontaneously died and started smelling like oranges, I can't really justify getting a replacement machine. But I actually want to play "Spore" badly enough that I'm considering getting an additional computer for very little reason other than that. And considering that this idea is already insane, I'd like to at least try to minimize the stress on my wallet. Which is why I'm thinking of going with a PC.
Fortunately I do have until September to consider my options. Thanks for the help.
Good luck with it, Demon. ^_^
Gelignite - You need Directx 9.0c installed for this to run. You can find it by following that link.
This creature creator is so awesome. I can't wait until the whole game comes out. Hopefully EA will be smart and decide to not have a monthly fee be made to use the internet for spore.
macs are pcs goddamnit, linux machines are pcs goddamnit
they don't even have different architecture any more
Crab, don't get crabby. :)
(and please don't swear)
The "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" commercial doesn't help your cause I'm sorry to say. Better just to go with the flow. ;)
I have Windows. I try to play the game but it says "the graphic card dosen't meet the min. spec". I'm just a kid. What do I do to fix it?
[Edit: "Fixing" the problem would mean getting a new graphics card for your computer with 128 MB RAM and support for Pixel Shader 2.0. Check out this site for full specs: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53076 -Jay]
I would love to download the full version. I have paid for the full version. It claims I can download the full version.
The EAstore servers are so overloaded, the help files so fond of referring you to imaginary links and the download manager so supremely worthless, I cannot download the full version.
Crab - do you have the download manager installed?
If so, are you logged into it? If so, you should see the Creature Creator in the download manager.
If not, you might want to contact EA support.
So, does anyone have any idea when the other download for the SCC will start working? Cause it's not. I'm about where Crab is, but the version I chose is saying it's still in preorder. =(
Also, the trial version isn't working for me. It goes up normally to the ERSB page, then crashes with no error message. My brother on his computer can get up the the EA symbol page before it crashing, but it does the same thing there. Any ideas?
jay: really, that's swearing to you? I'm increasingly convinced that americans are far more concerned about swearing than we are.
it just really bugs me that 'personal computer' has come to be used to refer to windows only... it just linguistically reinforces this idea that Windows Is The Computer Thing.
In a stunning display of my own selective perception, it also bugs me when people complain that man has come to be both the race of man and the masculine form of man (reduced from werman) is sexist, but what can you do.
So... awesome... It won't let me sleep!
The full one for mac isn't out yet... I need it so I can make Trogdor properly. :(
Crab - would you allow your pre-adolescent child to run around the house saying: "goddamnit"?
If no, then it's not appropriate language here on a site that tries very hard to be acceptable to visitors of all ages.
It's not an American thing (oh lordy, no).
Neonaxus - Are you sure your computer meets the minimum specs? Have you tried looking for an error log anywhere that might explain why it crashed? I'd try looking in the directory that houses the creature app.
I hope that helps.
...I hate EA.
Ok, still working on getting the trial version working, and now that I check the EA store and go to the Order History, it's no longer showing my game purchase for the full version. So, either I've missed something, or it just forgot that I paid 10 bucks for a game that I've been waiting hours to download.
Once again, I hate EA.
Ok, first off, sorry for the double post. Secondly, Ignore my last post, it has my game again. Also, I managed to get an error message out of my game, though I can't get it to repeat it: "Unknown HTTP Error."...Not all that helpful, but maybe someone here knows what it means. =)
PS: My brother randomly got his trial version to work, it has even less parts than I expected! =P
yep, I've got the manager, and there's nothing up at all (I'm thinking it's probably a problem with server overload.)
And you know, I probably would. Well, not run around saying it. That'd get annoying.
Neonaxus - HTTP is the protocol of the Internet, so it's likely that your app ran into a problem connecting to the Spore servers.
This could have been due to a variety of reasons, to name just a couple: a very high volume of traffic, or perhaps your own firewall settings.
I'm having problems getting the trial version to run. I have installed the latest version of Direct X (I've tried redownloading and I have rebooted, so it's nothing so simple), but I get the following error message:
"Could not create the Graphics Device. Direct X is unavailable. [1002]"
Jen - does your graphics card meet minimum specifications?
That should have been the first thing checked before installing the app.
Not sure if Spore: Creature Creator will run on your Windows computer?
Go to this site, select spore from the drop down list, and poof! This handy website will tell you if you computer can run it, and in the possibility that it can't, it will tell you what you're missing! (Does not work for Macs, sorry!)
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
OMG! Harukio for president!!! \o/
Huh, it is my video card causing it, according to the above site, probably in conjunction with the possible internet connection problem. Well, at least I have a good idea of what I need here...however, it appears that its only just barely failing by a tiny margin, so maybe theres a chance of it working and the problem is just busy servers...or maybe it doesn't work that way and I have no idea what I'm talking about. =P
Well, if it is a busy server thing, what should I do to try and fix the problem?
Neonaxus - first, what does that site say about your graphics card?
You're right, it was the video card.
Anyway, thanks for all the help. This site really does have a great community.
It would be funny to see Harukio go up against Obama and McClane. But he'd have my vote for sure! Now if only I was an American citizen...
Thanks for that link, Harukio, that should prove useful quite a few times in the future. ^^
This is what it says fails:
Video Card
Minimum: A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900+ / ATI Radeon 9500+ / Intel GMA 950 [Requires Dual 2.0GHz CPUs, or 1.7GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent])
You Have: ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series (ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series (0x5954))
And these down here all pass the tests:
Video Card Features - Minimum attributes of your Video Card
Video RAM: Required - 128 MB , You have - 256 MB
Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required - Yes , You have - Yes
Video HW Transform & Lighting: Required - Yes , You have - Yes
Vertex Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , You have - 2.0
Pixel Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , You have - 2.0
So yeah... All those tests on the bottom pass, so I'm not really sure whats wrong with the card. Oh well, anyone here understand this stuff?
This game is like... something very addictive...
For those of you w/ the Mac PC conflict... it mainly depends on what you will be using it for...
Its about preference and how accustomed to each system you are as well...
And for those people who want to play spore and...
(A) cant/would rather not buy a new computer to play it and/or
(B) cant/would rather not upgrade your current computer (which could cause some problems if you dont do it correctly)
...there is still hope!!
EA & Maxis are making a version for the Nintendo Wii!!! (if you dont have one of these... then good luck with your computer)
I was reading an article the other day and near the end I noticed the game developers said that they will be making a version of the game for the Wii that will be diffrent to the extent of some controls and menus but i do believe the game will still follow the same basic concept of Cell -> Universe gameplay.
They say that instead of making an exact copy of the pc/mac version, they are going to take the concept and build from the base up for the Wii version, which will also push back the release date for a few months but it could possibly be better than the pc/mac versions because the could point out possible flaws in the september releases and aim to fix them...
This will create a slightly diffret experence but I do believe that playing one or the other wont seem like a very different game...
Concerning Xbox 360/PS3 owners... (no Wii, Xbox 360, or PS3? Then eithier get one or stick to the cpu...)
The companies had set a definate yes for the Wii but a very inprobable maybe for the other two top consoles... There is no hope for a PS2 or PSP versions and there never will be... The problem they were talking about for those is the trickiness in building that may be involved with those two systems controlers...
Sorry for the super long post but I just wanted to point out it is not only going to release for the pc/mac systems...
(Side note... coming out soon is a ds version on a 2-D scale i believe and a cell phone/iphone/ipod touch version of the cell stage, but it cant be transfered to your computer files when the full game comes out (not sure on the mobile release)
I appoligize for any really crappy grammer or any misspelled words that trip people up...
Help me...
I've downloaded the trial version, it works fine except for the registering part :(
every time I try to register it says some unknown error occurred and i have to try again...ive tried 'bout ten times.. im sick of trying!
If anybody knows how to help me please do so...
Kojacko
Neonaxus - although I do not know the minutia of differences between all the graphics cards on the market these days, my guess is your ATI Radeon Xpress 200 series card does not meet the minimum requires that the ATI Radeon 9500+ represents.
Perhaps you can find a cheap (and newer) graphics card for your computer?
Kojacko - my guess is your registration problem is due to server load or firewall issues. Try again, or try again later?
I am certain there are hundreds of thousands of people all doing the same thing as you right now.
Or, could be your firewall that is preventing the connection??
Umm, i'll just wait 'till it's on the DS.
I have TERRIBLE problem. I downloaded the trial and installed it but when I go to open it, it says "DirectX" unavailable. I've downloaded directx several times and done the same with the game but it's not working! Any advice?
Thank you!
[Edit: This problem has already been asked and answered above. -Jay]
jeez Jay, you should be getting paid for this. Yer practically running a Spore support page here... I think the sporn (new term i discovered on youtube) is funny and probably inevitable. Some of the penis creatures aren't too indecent and are pretty hilarious. After all the game is said to have sex scenes in it (albeit pixel teddy bear sex).
Oh and sure your mac kicks ass for applications, but what kind of gamer owns a mac? crazy.
neonarxis - you have a dell or a laptop? my guess is you have an integrated video card and your computer is set up to steal its ram. Its a fairly common "feature" of big box integrated computers.
okay i just bought the full version as in i preorder it at Gamestop went there and got the disc. and i cant find the registration key. as in the annoying code u have to put in every time u install a sims game.
[Edit: Call Gamestop. -Jay]
My sympathies, Jay. Publishing an article about a game with hardware requirements on a site known for browser-based casuals was asking for trouble, but I salute your bravery.
To add emphasis, and for any readers just getting to this part of the page:
Registration issues would best be solved by checking if your Firewalls is requesting, or blocking access to the program automatically, in which case your registration data would be unable to leave your computer/the response unable to return. If there appears no problem with your firewall, then simply wait for a few minutes, or until later in the day, and try again when the registration server may be less overloaded.
Crash/startup issues with any reference to 'DX', Direct X, or graphics requirements are the result of your computer hardware or software being outdated to run the game. Ensure you have the latest version of Direct X (9.0c), freely available online from a wealth of sources, and if that fails to work, or does not solve your problem, it's likely you're using a very old, or unsuitable system. This is a light and fairly casual game, and by modern standards very easy to run, but it remains a visually attractive mainstream game that will be released at full retail price, using an engine competitive with it's peer titles.
An upgrade, or system sufficient to run Spore and it's editors should be relatively cheap, compared to that required by the most modern games, and would be a good investment for any PC user, for their system is at that age quite possibly among the Undead, and will soon attempt to consume your brain.
Hope it helps,
Jakk.
AGH! Listen, I downloaded it, but then it asked for a product code, since I didn't have it, it shut down. We just found the product code in an email, and they said I could download it again, but after it starts it just says
ERROR: File Not Found in URL (404) Error.
What does it want me to do!? How do I fix this? Please help!
I downloaded the demo, but when I try to play it, it says "Graphics card does not meet minimum specs." What card do I need?
[Edit: Read through the comments here, you'll find your answer. -Jay]
I don't mean to repost, but I just realized that my last comment might have sounded like I stole it, which I didn't. I paid $10.50 to download it (it started at 9.99 I forget out it got there) and that's why I'm so mad I can't use it. We didn't know that an email was coming about the product code because it finished downloading before it came...so now I don't know what to do. I better not have wasted 10 bucks.
Srry for reposting, but I did pay, if anyone knows what to do please help.
Thank you.
Has anyone found any specific info on the details re: getting a discount on the full game if you buy the CC? I've inquired at the EA Store, but they haven't responded (so much for "within 24 hours"). I'd love to play with the full set of parts, but frankly if I don't get a discount, I'll wait until Sept. to do so.
Spider, don't panic. If you haven't already, contact the people you bought the game from -- it may take them a while to respond, but you are a paying customer. While the JiG community is friendly and helpful, it is not customer service for EA or whichever distributor you purchased from.
You shouldn't need to download the game again. Find the file that you originally downloaded, double-click it, and you should be able to enter your code and all will be well.
If you can't find the file you downloaded, you surely can download it again, you should contact the people you bought it for help with the 404 error. (aside: you really should put files that you paid for someplace where you can find them)
Right after I posted my previous message, I got a reply from EA. It's a form letter that doesn't even come close to addressing the question I asked. =( On the positive side, apparently all their purchased downloads were broken but are now fixed (So Spider -- if you bought from the EA store, just try again now).
Thank you Bryan, and srry, I realize this isn't a customer service, but you know how slow customer service can be.
The file wasn't working because it relied on the URL but you are right, the website has been fixed, thnx for informing me.
SPORE RULZ! I CANNOT WAIT FOR ITS RELEASE!
Thnx
Actually for those of us who play tabletop roleplaying games, the Creature Creator is an cheap and incredible resource for creating images of self made creatures for the other players to see. Create your creature, take a screenshot, print it out, and take it to the table to give the players a visual image of the creature you created that they're fighting or talking to.
Ah yes, the long awaited Spore has arrived and in my excitement I jump the gun and download it without looking at the minimum specs. I am running a 2GHz AMD Athlon Processor with 1 GB RAM and a ATI Radeon 9600 X1050 Seruies graphics card. Oh, and its on Vista 32 bit home version (sigh, Unbunto why haven't I come to you?). Anyways, Vista has been giving my graphics card trouble, but thanks to Spore I checked for updates (Spore was fragged before) for it and by golly they finally released one on June 18th.
So I stasr up Spore create a creature, a cute little guy with four arms and four legs, and try to paint him: CRASH!
Create another, try to save him: CRASH!
Create another try to dance with him: CRASH!
Is this a problem with my graphics card, or am I short on RAM? I shouldn't have downloaded it, cuz now I'm hooked. For now I'll keep creating and crashing as the creation is still truly wonderous to behold!
Hey Jay,
on a lighter note, whats your spore name so we can look up your creatures or sporepedia? If anyone wants to see mine they are under Fattywads. Is there going to be a Jayisgames spore group?
I'm Jayisgames :D
I am, once again, SO SORRY (!!!) for posting again, and YES, I KNOW THIS IS NOT A CUSTOMER SUPPORT, but who wants to wait for them. This is my last post I promise (because after this I better not have anymore problems!!!) But I got this NEW ERROR!!! AGH! This is sooo frustrating, am I the only one having this much trouble on something that should be soo simple!!! JEEZ!
Has anybody else got this? Does anyone know what to do?
Error Code: -5005 : 0x80070002
Error Information:
>Kernel\KernelMedia.cpp (95)
>SetupNew\setup.cpp (836)
PAPP:SPORE(tm)
PVENDOR:Electronic Arts (http://www.ea.com)
PGUID:ECEE0279-785F-4CB3-9F28-E69813234BF8
$14.0.0.162
@Windows Vista Service Pack 0 (6000) IE 7.0.6000.16681
My laptop almost can play this but my graphics card doesn't support Video HW Transform & Lighting or Vertex Shader 2.0
Spider- I don't know if this will help or not, but this is what came up in a search for the error code. I hope this site helps you.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310794
Hello everyone.
I see some others are having the same problem as me. I downloaded the trial of Spore creature creator, I updated my DirectX, and video driver, ran my computer through the "Can you run it?" website (Passed all around over the mark) Yet..
When I go to play the game, it loads the white ESRB page, then directly back to the desktop. If anyone has found a culprit in this, Id be grateful.
~Shar
Sorry for posting again so close, But I have found out why it crashes, and hope this may be beneficial to the rest of you who experienced the same thing I did.
It was the nasty EA Downloader. Here is a link from the Spore website detailing how to fix it.
http://easpore.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easpore.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19866&p_created=1213824223&p_sid=x_MOdK6j&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTAsMTAmcF9wcm9kcz03LDYyMjAsNTU0MyZwX2NhdHM9NTY2LDU4NjYmcF9wdj0zLjU1NDMmcF9jdj0yLjU4NjYmcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=&p_topview=1
~Shar
I seriously suck at this. All my creatures turn out like mentally challenged dinosaurs overdosed on sugar puffs.
Oh my god, this is awesome! I love making little guys! This is one heck of a demo.
Say, I registered a screen name for sporepedia, but I can't figure out how to view other peoples' nifty creations. Am I missing something obvious, or is that feature just not available in the trial version?
This game's been hyped into near-godhood. I've messed about with the creature creator and I KNOW that it's probably unique, but all I can see is the limitations.
What, no invertebrates?
I want jellyfish and slugs, dammit!
To all of you with the problem of the game crashing without an error message on the ESRB / EA logo...
I had the same problem, and actually got in touch with EA Tech support. (That's what they're there for.)
Remove the DMCmdPortalClient.dll file from your Sporebin folder... (save it somewhere else) or uninstall the download manager. (How to can be found on the troubleshoot page for spore.) http://easpore.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easpore.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=11090&p_created=1131581764&p_sid=zypzCL6j&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD03Miw3MiZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9JnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1kb3dubG9hZCBtYW5hZ2Vy&p_li=&p_topview=1
that page is only for the download manager that comes with the demo, not the full version.
re-locating the DLL fixed it for me.
@ JonMW
If you want a slug, just drag the spine to the floor, make it flat, and don't use legs or feet. It will move like a slug / worm. As for jellyfish... how would those move over land?? they'd be squashed flat on the ground due to gravity!
Also, you can create multi limbs... I.E. use Ctrl to drag off the foot, or lower limb from something.. then use alt to copy the upper limb... use Ctrl to stick the copied limp onto the already attached limb... and keep going. I made a creature with a 2 bone body, 1 limb coming out of it, and then branching out into 3 legs, 3 arms, and 2 heads.
Wow! Thanks Deadl0ck, now I know what I have to do. But whenever I try to delete the core of the EA Download Manager it tells me I need permission, how do I get around that. I tried completing all the other steps, and they worked, but I still can't get rid of the CORE. Do you know anythin bout that?
@ Spider
I think you don't have admistrator rights, and you need to remove it as an admin. Not sure about that though.
Hi everyone, I just found this site and I LOVE CREATURE CREATOR! And I love Spore allready and I havn't even played it! I can with 100% assurancy say I WILL love this game. Lol, anyhow just wanted to know if someone could answer me a question.
I downloaded the trial of CC and it works perfectly on my DV1000 Laptop, (except the shaders for the skin that make them shiny and such dont come so it doesnt look QUITE as nice as it should but thats fine), I'v got 2 gbs of ram, 2100 Mhz speed, a 1000 gb hard drive, and so that should all run it fine. Unfortunately, the DV1000 only came with an Intel 915 GML express chip, so that worries me, will that keep spore from running? Like I said, the CC works, but it DOES take a minute for the textures on the creatures to load in paint mode, but It does that on my Moms laptop too which has a better video card, it just loads a tad bit faster. Can someone tell me if Spore will work on my comp?
...well I'm the only one who uses this computer, there are no other accounts, I thought I was the admistrator...
*sigh* I tried again after doing all that, the same error popped up and customer support hasn't gotten back to me. I'm SO MAD!!!
Welcome to Windows, enjoy your stay.
Jay goes back to being productive on his Mac.
O.H. goes back to reading these entertaining comments on his Mac.
Actually, we're not even limited to bilateralism here. You can make a creature with radial symmetry as well:
Start with a two-vertibrate body, then increase the size of one of the bones (with the mouse-wheel) and decrease the size of the other. This makes something akin to a sphere.
Now add a mouth part to either the very top or very bottom. (OR, you could use the auto-symmetry to create mouths on either side, then go and add two more mouths to the front and back!)
Now proceed to fill up the body with legs and arms along its y-axis! You can even have odd-numbers like 5 (if you want a star fish look, for instance) as long as one of the legs is exactly linked to the front or back end.
Of course, the program is only going to interperet one end of your creature as the front, but it's still a near-exact facsimile of the form.
What I noticed it was lacking was the ability to connect legs to other legs. I distinctly remember that from one of the previews Will Wright released. Hmph :\
To beeble:
Simply hold control and target any joint to adjoin two limbs!
please help me I really dont know what to do!
ive been trying to register for four days and it doesnt work. Ive tried it in the middle of the night,6am, 3am etc.
Ive shut down my firewall and THEN tried it it STILL doesnt work:(
help me...
kojacko
Couple notes on download issues:
1) Can take a few days for it to get through - have patience!
2) If you're using firefox - don't. The download link often doesn't appear. I'd suggest reasons for this, but I doubt Jay would take kindly to them.
To Jay- I looked at your creatures and they looked cool. But I have one question about them. Why do you have two jiggolpuses (is that spelled right). But they still are both very good and better then mine.
To anyone- I have been creating creatures with no problem and the computer acknowledges how many creatures I have but it will only shows three of them. Has anyone else had this problem.
About duplicates in my creatures, I edited some of them, and others I recreated and saved again because they had disappeared from my "My Creatures" page in the Sporepedia section of the Creator app.
I think there is a bug in that because it continues to happen for no reason that I can tell.
Not sure how to delete the dupes, so, meh, whatever. =/
I have a mac, and I downloaded the trial version, but I can't get away from the galaxy. When I start the program, it takes me to the galaxy, and when I click on ANYTHING, it takes me out of the program. HELP!!
Ugh, the full version keeps crashing the windows half of my mac. 10$ spent on a game that crashes, any suggestions?
[Edit: Did you read the comments above about the crashes? Have you followed the advice there? -Jay]
HELP! I intalled the game on my pc but it won't work. I have all the system requirements. When I start the game it lodes to the EA logo, then exits back to the desk top. Anyone have any suggestions?
Every time i try to register I get this message
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk228/natecoaly/SporeError.jpg
For everyone getting the "Could not create the Graphics Device. Direct X is unavailable. [1002]" error, the problem is probably not your graphics card. If it was, you'd get a very clear error saying your card is not up to their specs.
Try making sure your hardware acceleration is on.
(Go to Properties from the desktop, then click Settings, Advanced, Troubleshoot, and slide the Hardware Acceleration bar all the way up to full.)
Hope that helps!
ahahahahaha!
@Ruka: The little ones are indeed cute, but i think the one on the right needs to be booted. he's far behind any of the others.
can't wait for the game! woo
@ Josh:
Gah! You're a genius! :p
Seriously though, that one piece of advice is going to tack on ten more hours of game time for me.
As i made some creatures i came across a funny little phenomenon. just about all the parts that i add except the eyes end up turning very dark or even black. this isn't entirely a bad thing, it makes my creatures look more ominous. but even still, it can kind of mess up the color scheme that i originally had in mind. i think that it might have something to do with complexity, because it seems as though less comlex creatures have lighter colors. i've tried changing the first, second, and third layers, and it really doesn't do much. anyway, i was wondering if someone could tell me how to stop it from happening.
first of all, i'm sorry about answering my own question.
anyway, it turns out that higher complexity equals darker parts, excluding eyes and mouth. it also seems to affect random(?) parts of skin, like arms and legs.
Cayal: if you look closely, the game says it is made for Windows and Mac.
There are thirty to forty dollar video cards at tigerdirect.com . Two that I liked were http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1723243&CatId=28
and http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1892479&CatId=28
Both would run Spore. Just trying to help those with a limited budget out.
Ive Downloaded the trial version from the "spore" website. When i try to install it i get this:
>SetupNew\setup.cpp(135)
PAPP:
PVENDOR:
PGUID:
$14.0.0.162
@Windows XP Service Pack 2 (2600) IE 7.0.5730.13
Plz HELP!!
@ cOdy
I'm having a similar problem w/ the full version!!! I've contact everybody, and they finally told me to go to EA. Then they just gave me an automated response about Spore. Hey! That's not what I want. idk what to tell you to do, cause EA (or anybody else) has been no help with this:
Error Code: -5005 : 0x80070002
Error Information:
>Kernel\KernelMedia.cpp (95)
>SetupNew\setup.cpp (836)
PAPP:SPORE(tm)
PVENDOR:Electronic Arts (http://www.ea.com)
PGUID:ECEE0279-785F-4CB3-9F28-E69813234BF8
$14.0.0.162
@Windows Vista Service Pack 0 (6000) IE 7.0.6000.16681
It looks like ur 'cept ur dont' have all the info filled in.
ANYWAYS: if anybody (or cOdy) finds out how to fix these things plz help.
something that annoys me is the inability to rotate the spine or choose where the front of your creature is. other than that its really fun. I probably wont buy the whole game but making you own creatures is still fun
Hey check out my creatures on Spore.com, username Exodia. I have some really great ones, one only had 6 dna points left.
@cthuluz:
http://easpore.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easpore.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19907
Should help. Unless it is something different. I will need to see screenshots.
Spore won't start because d3dx9_27.dll wasn't found. What do I do to fix this? Can any one help?
Download activeX 10
i was wondering if there is a way to play SCC without having an internet connection? i just bought it at Best Buy today and my only computer that can run it is not currently connected. thanks for the help.
Yes, you should be able to run it without trouble, you just won't be able to create a Spore account and share your creations with others.
yes that is also what i thought, but after i downloaded it onto my computer and tried to run it, an error message came up saying that i need to have a connection to the internet to like, "verify ownership of the game".
so i went back to Best Buy and bought a wireless USB internet adapter (we have DSL) but i can't download the driver for it because i can't connect to the internet!
i have been trying to download the driver to a flash drive in this computer then intall it on my other one but with no luck...any tips??
thanks.
I keep getting an error like this: Could not create the Graphics device. Direct X is unavailable. [1002]
Does anyone know what's wrong?
I am having problems starting Spore Creature Creator. A message saying 'Could not create the Graphics Device. Direct X is unavailable.[1002]'
[Edit: Sounds like you need the DirectX drivers. Find them here. -Jay]
I'm going to get it once I move :P Think i'm going to buy it.
Considering the spec's.
I bought this game hoping it would run on my underperformed laptop. And it did!!
The requirments for the game being 1.8GHz for duel-core with build in card.
I bought my laptop last year as a school computer and the spec's were 1.6ghz duel-core and about 1G of ram -With windows Vista- and yes it runs like crap and I curse Vista almost every day. However, Spore runs fine during the game play. I get no lag, no chopped frames. I can even turn the graphics up to the mid-range level without a big decrease in frame-rate.
However it takes a few tricks to get the game to work on my system.
Let me explain; When opening the game, the intro part plays fine. I can get into the main game screen. As I move my mouse over the planet I wish to "spore" out , the game freezes. Well, the mouse still moves; however, nothing will be displayed as you move over the options or planets. The first time this happened I thought, great, I wasted my money.
However as most people would, I Control, alt , deleted the problem and noticed before starting task manager the sound of the game came back into play. Thinking for a minute I cancelled the "control, alt delete screen" and Spore was up and running again.
I have now played the game up to the 5th stage.
And everything seems to be working fine. However, there are many times when the game freezes as described above and I control, alt, delete the freeze, and re-enter the game. I have noticed the amount of time you must "control" the freeze reduces as you play the game for longer. I have also noted you will NEVER freeze on content you have already "controlled". To sum up, if the game freezes loading a certain part of the game (like the creator, planets, mission logs, etc.) you will have to "control" the freeze once and only once. Meaning if you were to return to that part of the game were the freeze happened it will not happen again during this time.
On a another note , the 5th stage being a lot more detailed, you may be "controlling" the freeze often, but after about 10 minutes of game play I maybe "control" the freeze once every 15-20 minutes, if that.
Here are a few side notes:
- During the load screen on any stage it may or may not load without having to "control" it. If you notice it's taking a long time to load try "controlling" it. Should work fine.
- Yhe 5th stage loading screen will NEED to be "controlled" a lot. You may not even see the loading screen at all. I "control" around 4-6 times during this time.
-And finally, when visiting a new planet for the first time. you MUST wait - do nothing!!!- for about 30 secondss after you have entered the planet. I found if you do not wait it will freeze up and you CANNOT "control" the problem, meaning you need to restart the game and start the "control" process over. Trust me this sucks. Better to wait the 30 secondss. However, as stated before, once the planet (or any aspect of the game) is loaded, you will not need to wait the 30 seconds to re-enter the planet and the game will run fine (without "controlling"). I also found once I visited about 5-6 planets -during 1 session- the "wait-time" on a new planet is very low maybe 1-10 secs. I hope this helps.
I maybe lose 5-10 minutes of game play "controlling" the freeze from stages 1-5
I'm curious, Jay, after all the hype and your immense expectations if the finished product is living up to your predictions?
Predictions? I'm not sure that I made any predictions about Spore, but in terms of expectations, no. It doesn't quite live up to the lofty expectations I had.
That being said, it IS a ground-breaking game in many ways, and is exceptionally well-done.
I have downloaded the creature creature trial, but I get this every time i try to install:
Error Code: -5001 : 0xffffec75
Error Information:
>SetupNew\setup.cpp (211)
PAPP:SPORE(tm)
PVENDOR:Electronic Arts (http://www.ea.com)
PGUID:ECEE0279-785F-4CB3-9F28-E69813234BF8
$14.0.0.162PAK
@Windows XP Service Pack 2 (2600) IE 7.0.6000.16705
Can anyone help?
having had zero expectations except for will wright's ted talk, my boyfriend and i have been playing the full version for about a week straight now. the less-pirates patch helped, also.
out of curiosity, is spore going to get its own post, or has it got one already that i just can't find?
Hey, can anyone help?
Whenever I start it up it says "Could not create the Graphics Device. Direct X is unavailable. [1002]" So confusing. I have Direct X 10, and just installed No. 9 to be on the safe side. What should I do?
[Edit: You should contact EA customer support. -Jay]
Hello,
Guys I have a problem and I can't find the answer. Maybe one of you knows it. I want to reinstall spore creature creator and I have removed everything else from the normal spore game. But somehow the game won't install.
I come till the bit that you have to putt in the code from your book. I fill it in and pres on install. Then just nothing happens, and the install screen disappears.
Can anyone help me please?
Thansk alot.
A gamer.
Update