Spore Creature Editor for Windows

Background and release window

After changing the videogame landscape with The Sims, Maxis and designer Will Wright are preparing a new title: Spore. The project has been in development for several years and is slated to arrive on store shelves on September 7. Anticipation has built steadily, and the wait is being eased by an early peek: the Spore Creature Editor.

What the creature studio includes

This download is a standalone editor rather than the full game. It concentrates on the design tools you’ll use to build the beings that will later appear throughout Spore’s progression. Even as a demo, the Creature Editor is entertaining and surprisingly deep.

Capabilities:

• Customize fine details like eyes, horns and other facial features.
• Change overall coloring and patterning to suit any look.
• Modify appendages such as arms and legs, and reshape the main body.
• Combine parts to produce creatures of any scale, silhouette or texture.

Note: the demo does not contain every item and option that will be present in the final release, but it demonstrates the core creative possibilities.

How you can test creations

Once a creature is complete, you can immediately put it through a set of animations and previews to evaluate performance and personality.

Test features:

• Generate a miniature, baby-sized version to preview offspring appearance.
• Trigger emotional expressions (for example: happy, scared or angry) to see how mood affects posture and face.
• Watch how the creature moves and walks across terrain.
• Play different musical styles to observe distinct dance animations.

Saving and sharing your work

The editor lets you save creations locally and upload them to the broader Spore community via the Sporepedia. Uploading and browsing user-created creatures requires a free registration, after which you can exchange designs with other players and explore their galleries.