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LEGO Minifigures Online game update

by Thita (admin) on July 12, 2015

LEGO Minifigures Online is a massively multiplayer online game for LEGO fans of all ages where you get to collect Minifigures, explore awesome worlds and play with friends from all over the world. The game was developed by Funcom and released in 2014. The game is based on the LEGO Collectible Minifigures theme, allowing players to unlock and play as the various characters from the theme. In addition to unlocking new minifigures through normal gameplay, players are able to unlock minifigs by purchasing physical LEGO Collectible Minifigure blind bags, which contain special codes that allows the character to be unlocked within the game. LEGO Minifigures Online has been a free-to-play game, however recently Funcom switched over to a paid version. So let’s see how this works. 🙂

I got the following email from Funcom just a few days ago: “LEGO Minifigures Online has just been greatly improved. The game now has an all new story told by a narrator, talking characters, improved content, special in-game events and much more! The game is no longer free-to-play. If you want to continue playing the game, you can pay once to buy the full game and get access to all of its content (iOS and Android users buy each world separately). All your progress has been saved, so you can pick up where you left off! As a player of LEGO Minifigures Online we wish to give you a special offer: Buy the game and use the special key below within two weeks to play the awesome Rock Star Minifigure and blast your enemies with epic power chords!”

This has been quite a surprise for those who have been enjoying the game for free, however Funcom emphasizes that they drastically improved the game since the beta version, including new gameplay and content, featuring unique events, cinematics, voice acting, a fun and engaging story and more. “LEGO Minifigures Online is designed for LEGO fans of all ages; for those who love online games, and those who have never played one before,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais in a recent press-release. “To make it even easier for friends to play together, the game is playable seamlessly on a large number of platforms and devices, and everyone plays together in the same online world. No matter whether you are playing on a smartphone, tablet or desktop, you will all be playing the same game – together.”

In addition, in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Funcom Executive Producer Lawrence Poe said: “It became clear to us that free-to-play business model wasn’t working as well as we had hoped for with the intended audience, and it was detrimental to the gameplay experience and the players’ enjoyment of the game. At the end of the day we just came to the conclusion that switching to buy-to-play would allow us to create a more compelling product that would be more enjoyable for our players and that we would be happier developing. We went back and overhauled large parts of the game and made significant changes to the overall flow. The entire reward and progression system was reworked, and we also made significant additions and improvements to content and gameplay across the board. We didn’t just want to change business model and call it a day, we wanted to make sure this would be an awesome experience. So we introduced things like a new story, voiced narration, voiced dialogue, cinematics, unique world events, and much, much more.” Below is the trailer for the new version of the game with more details:

LEGO Minifigures Online is available for PC and Mac, as well as Steam (which also offers a Linux version) for $29.99 and includes all content. The iOS and Android versions are available in the App Store and on Google Play respectively for $4.99, which will include the first world. Players on iOS devices can purchase additional worlds for $3.99 right away, while Android users will be able to purchase more worlds later this summer. The game is available in English, German, French and Spanish. The supported iOS devices are iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. On the Android platform, the game supports a limited selection of Intel x86 based tablets, with more devices planned to be supported during later in 2015. See at: PlayMinifigures.com

So what do you think? Have you been playing the LEGO Minifigures Online game? Are you planning to get the paid version? Or have already done so? How do you like it? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Brick Breakdown: LEGO Hulk Buster Smash

by Thita (admin) on July 11, 2015

in LEGO Super Heroes

(Written by William)

In this Brick Breakdown series I review official LEGO sets, from the perspective of looking at interesting building techniques we can all learn from. Today we will be looking at the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash set. You can also check out the previously discussed LEGO techniques found in official LEGO sets at the end of this article. 🙂

If you are a fan of Marvel Comics, chances are you know of the Hulk Buster Iron Man suit. Like Batman in the DC Comics universe, Iron Man is just as paranoid of his allies as he is of the villains he fights, so he created the Hulk Buster to protect him from both sides. The Hulk Buster is also prominently featured in the recently released Avengers: Age of Ultron film – which is what this LEGO set is based on. The armor is big, bulky, and looks awesome both in the film and in the LEGO set. In fact, the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash is worth it just for the Hulk Buster itself. If you are planning to get any of the 2015 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes sets, I would recommend this one. Cool factor aside, the question remains; what types of techniques are worth looking at in this set? There are two that I would like to bring your attention to.

➡ ACTION POSE MIXED WITH PLAY FEATURE

One of the main play-features in the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash is that the Hulk is being kept under control by Scarlet Witch and Iron Man is trying to rescue him. Scarlet Witch flying over the Hulk is achieved by attaching her to a clear rod. In the meantime the Iron Man minifig can be attached to a super-jumper, and if you launch him correctly, he should be able to knock off Scarlet Witch. (You can see how all of this works in the video-review below.)

You mostly see LEGO sets in action poses when they are meant for display. For example in the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series sets. In the case of a LEGO Star Wars spaceship, it would be posed in an angle that captures a very intense moment from the film. However in the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash, the posing of Scarlet Witch is taken further by combining it with a play-feature. The rod she is attached to is not just there to make her look like she is flying, but it also facilitates the play-feature of knocking her off. This is achieved by a hinge that is attached to the base of the rod that easily makes her fall over. This is a rare, but very interesting concept, since posing a set for display and play-features are usually considered very different styles of building.

If we study the design, we can understand why all of this works. An action pose that does not move is all about being static – freezing that pose in time. A play-feature is typically all about putting something in motion, which commonly means you have to give up stability. As you can see, they represent opposite concepts. However in this set the small size of Scarlet Witch does help. The less you have to support, the less you need to worry about losing stability. And even if Scarlet Witch falls over, it fits exactly with the action feature. So at least in this set, the lack of stability for the action pose is an asset instead of a problem to overcome. The end result is a design that manages to capture two things at once; there is the floating in midair effect, and the crash and burn from the action. The problem with this technique is that it has a very narrow application. Imagine combining an action pose with play-features in a large LEGO Star Wars set!

➡ FIXED VS. BUILT MOUNTINGS WITH LEGO

Before discussing these options, it would help to explain what I’m referring to. A fixed mounting is typically a single piece that provides a point of connection that is special. An example of this is the ball-joints in the shoulders of the Hulk Buster. It is a 2×2 brick with a ball. A built mounting is anything that provides a special point of connection that is made up of multiple parts. In this set the Hulk Buster’s hips are an example of a built mounting. Because the Hulk Buster includes both techniques, and both use ball-connectors to achieve the same purpose, it is an excellent model to study.

Fixed mountings often have clear range of movement that is easy to figure out, even if you are looking at someone else’s LEGO creation. They are also simpler to build into a LEGO model. Basically using fixed mountings is the most user-friendly method to work with. Built mountings – on the other hand – take a bit more creativity. Which mostly means that you will need to consider structural integrity while creating a mount. And the upside is that you have nearly an unlimited amount of flexibility in how you might want to alter the mounting. Note that in the Hulk Buster each ball-joint is on an axle. This does restrict the legs from doing the splits, and it also gives you the freedom to line the legs up on a horizontal level. In this case, the legs are just a little farther away from the body which makes the legs fit better and gives the suit a little more stability.

➡ APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN

Up to the point of building the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash, I never considered using an action pose technique for a play-feature. However this set has shown me that there can be times when this is possible. You might consider using this technique for some clever effects. When it comes to mountings, my advice is simple; fixed mountings are best if they do exactly what you want. When that is no longer the case, consider building your own. Keep in mind that having a visually appealing look is just as important as functionality when deciding whether or not to build your own mount.

So what do you think? How do you like the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash set? Do you have it already? And did you learn from the interesting building techniques used in the sets? Feel free to share your own experiences and tips, or ask questions in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the other reviews in this series:

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LEGO Minifigures Online game update

Brick Breakdown: LEGO Hulk Buster Smash

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