2020-02-19T11:42:38 01:00

Dreams Editor Guide: The most important functions explained

In this guide to Dreams you will learn how to..

make the best use of the camera
Place, scale, clone and groupelements
Change overlays, styles and effects
add simple animations and gameplay logic

In Dream Shapes mode, you can create just about anything in Dreams (). Before you can do that, however, you need to learn the basics of the editor. This article will tell you what they are.

In addition, we strongly recommend that you carefully work through the numerous beginner tutorials in the Dreams Workshop section. This way you can deepen the topics mentioned here. Only then should you continue with the advanced tutorials. You want to see top creations of other dreamers? Then check out our special Dreams : The best community levels.

Dreams: The basics of camera control

In Media Molecule 's Dreams, you create your artwork and games on a three-dimensional drawing board. Before you get started, you should familiarize yourself with the camera controls. The basics are simple. The left stick controls your movement in space, while the right rotates your view around its own axis. If you want to raise or lower the camera position, you simply hold down the L1 key and then move the left stick forward or back.

In addition, Dreams offers various camera comfort functions. The most important one is the fixed camera. Place the cursor over an object and hold down the R1 key. You can then zoom the camera in and out effortlessly with the left stick.

The right stick, on the other hand, rotates the camera in a circle around the targeted object. This is especially useful when you want to quickly check already placed objects from all directions. Pro tip: If you select an object by holding down L1 and then press the R1 key, the camera will rush there in no time.

If you still get lost, camera bookmarks can help. The camera immediately jumps back to a position you have specified. To create a camera bookmark, align the camera as desired and move the cursor over the puzzle symbol in the upper left corner. Finally, click on "Add camera bookmark".

Dreams: Place, move, scale, delete objects

To fill an empty Dreams scene with initial content, you usually follow the same procedure. Use the square key to open the assembly menu at the top of the screen. Use the menu item "Browse" to search for an element that you want to use in your creation. Basic level building blocks such as cuboids and walls can be found in the Mm Models collection, while characters can be found in Mm Characters. The names of the collections are self-explanatory.

Once you have chosen an object, you can place it in the room as often as you like by pressing the X key. In Dreams, this is called stamping. If you swipe your finger on the touchpad of the DualShock 4 controller (), you rotate the currently selected object around its own axis.

The top and bottom of the D-pad are responsible for scaling. If you want to make an element smaller, hold down the lower D-Pad key. If you want to make it bigger, press the upper button.

Also remember the triangle key. It aligns the currently selected element to the next best horizontal or vertical axis. This is an extremely important function, especially if you place a lot of value on straight lines.

Removing wrongly placed objects is also a piece of cake. Just hover the cursor over the problem element and press the triangle key. Very important: You can undo wrongly performed actions at any time by pressing D-Pad left. Pressing right on the D-pad will undo the last undo step.

Dreams: Cloning and repeated cloning

A standard function that is always needed is cloning. To duplicate an already placed object on the drawing board, move the cursor over it, hold down the L1 key and then press the R2 key. The selected object will now appear a second time. As long as you hold down R2 after cloning, you can move the cloned object directly to the desired location. What you clone does not matter.

Repeated cloning is almost more practical. With this you create copies of an object in no time and arrange them in even distances to each other. An example: You want to connect the floor of a level with a higher platform by a staircase. Normally you would have to arrange several floor tiles one after the other so that they form a staircase.

It's much easier and faster with repeated cloning. To do this, first place a floor plate slightly offset above the floor so that your hero can still reach it with a jump. Then hold down the L1 key, followed by R2. The floor plate will be cloned and can be moved into position. Important: Don't let go of R2, but only L1. As a result, the option "Insert clone" now appears in the menu.

If you now press left on the D-pad, Dreams will insert another clone of the plate between the original and the cloned floor plate. If you press D-Pad left several times, more floor plate clones will be added. D-Pad right, on the other hand, reduces the number of clones. Admittedly, this technique needs some training. But once you get the hang of it, stairs and much more are ready in no time.

Dreams: Group objects; approach function

Another essential editor function is grouping. Here you can add several objects to a group. The grouped objects behave like a single element that can be moved, cloned or deleted. Creating a group is as easy as pie. Move the pixie over the first object to be added to a group and press the X key.

The object will then be outlined by a dashed line. Repeat this step until all the objects you want to add to the group also have a border. Finally, click on the circular plus sign on the right side of the screen and Dreams will define the selected objects as a group. Don't worry: The grouping can be undone at any time.

If you want to rearrange the objects within a group, you need the Move to function. The appropriate symbol is an arrow pointing to the right in a circle. Click it while a group is selected and Dreams will hide everything except the elements of the group. Now you can rearrange the group elements as you like or remove unneeded objects from the group. Finished? With L1 circle key you leave the approach mode.

How do I color objects & adjust details? - Overlay, style & effect mode

The default editor objects are a bit boring in places. To spice them up, you have many options. The first one is tinting - represented here by the symbol of an airbrush gun. You can find it in the assembly menu under Modes. Now select a color, focus on the desired object and hold down R2.

You do this until the intended color intensity is reached. To reduce the intensitysimply press the triangle. The pixie becomes transparent and you can remove color by pressing R2.

Next is the Style mode - found in the Modes menu right next to the Overlay mode. This adjusts the level of detail of the patches that ultimately make up every object in Dreams. Once smooth surfaces become more uneven, which looks quite interesting.

Combing is also quite important. For example, if you stroke animated water from left to right, the cool water will flow in the direction you specify.

Now to the effect modes. With their help, you can add effects to selected spots in your creation. Boil" makes them bubble like boiling water. "Flow" makes them flow like a river. With "Waves" they blow like blades of grass in the wind, and with "Evaporate" the spots rise like steam into the air. "Pulsate", on the other hand, does exactly what the name implies.

How do I animate objects in Dreams?

If you build games with Dreams, you don't have to write a line of program code. Instead, you often solve problems in a playful way. A nice example of this is moving level objects. Let's say you need an elevator that constantly moves up and down between platforms. To do this, first open the animate menu marked by a movie flap. Then click on the leftmost menu item, which adds a recorder to the scene.

As soon as it is placed, a red circle with the letters REC appears on the right side of the screen. At the top of the screen you can see the progress bar. Now start recording, grab the lift platform and slowly move it from the start location to the destination. This is how the lift should move in the end in your level. After that, click on "Finish recording" in the context menu and your first animation is in the box. To see it in action, simply press the right stick (R3).

If you are not satisfied, you can restart the recording at any time. The "Adjust Animation" menu offers further fine-tuning options. Call it up by moving the cursor over the recorder and then pressing L1 square. To make the lift move smoothly from A to B and back, the "Ping Pong" playback mode is recommended. Changing the playback speed is also possible here.

Gameplay logics explained: trigger zones and movers

There are many ways to make a scene interesting in Dreams. In any case, you will need gameplay logics. A good introduction to this matter are trigger zones and movers. Let's say you want a floating platform to start rotating when your character reaches a certain area in the level.

To define the sensitive area, you first place a trigger zone there. You can find it in the assembly menu under Devices > Sensors & Input > Trigger Zone. Click with the X-key on the placed trigger zone symbol and you will see a green glowing sphere. Move it so that the character can walk through it later.

Afterwards you link a rotator to the platform that should rotate in a circle. Rotators can be found under Devices > Movers & Output. Use the context sensitive function "Snap to surface" when placing the rotator. This way, the rotator will be directly connected to the desired object when stamping.

Finally, establish a logical link between the trigger zone and the rotator. This is the only way to set the mechanism in motion. To do this, click on the "Tracked down" output of the trigger zone and attach the cable to the power input of the rotator symbol. Test the result in the game mode afterwards. Does it work? Very good, because now you have created your first logical link.

Strictly speaking, however, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, experiment with the countless other logic mechanisms and internalize the detailed tutorials of Dreams. Also, don't be afraid to remix other people's creations. This way you can see what methods they used to overcome challenges.