The first thing I discovered was that, while the interface isn't perfect, I could put even the smallest pieces where ever they needed to go. Another thing I didn't miss from building real Lego was the accidental application of too much pressure resulting in the explosion of the entire Lego set, or AAoTMPRitEotELS. In less than 90 minutes I built this:
Wanna build it for yourself? [http://thepete.com/uploads/ThePetePlane_I_bl.pdf|download the brick list for this set in PDF format]. Alas, the app doesn't let you print out instructions on exactly how to build your set. However, if you have even more time on your hands than I did, you can save snapshots of the set as it is automatically built in front of your eyes by the app. Pretty sweet, huh?
Now, like I said, the app isn't perfect. It's a little tricky to get used to the way the app handles depth and I did find myself misplacing pieces from time-to-time. Also, when it does the auto-build thing it sometimes puts the pieces together so they don't make any physical sense. For instance, while watching ThePetePlane I being built, random pieces would just appear, floating in space, waiting to be secured to the rest of the model. It was kind of cool to look at, but a little difficult to mimmick with real Lego pieces.
It's also odd that you don't have an infinate supply of pieces. However, I think that's because of their website. See, this is the coolest part. They've got a site that allows you to upload your Lego creations for others to see and, this is the best part, you can also buy them to build on your own. The set you design comes with a proper Lego box (with your design on the outside) and instructions! SWEET! When you upload your design to their site, they tell you what other things you can build with the same pieces. There were hundreds of other things built with the same pieces I used. So, if they just let people have an infinite number of pieces, they will have fewer sets designed by other folks that are in common with yours. Sorta makes sense. But I'm sort of getting ahead of myself.
What happens when you upload your creation is this. You have a choice to upload it to the gallery or buy your set. I was curious just how much my 90-piece Lego set would set me back and alas it's pretty expensive for just 90 pieces, coming in at $10.77. I'm not sure how they work out the prices, but still, if you're a fan of Lego, as I am, this is still a reasonable deal. From there, I decided to not buy my set, so I back up to the decision-making page and entered it in the gallery. Once it's in the gallery I still have the option to buy it if I want to, which is nice. Before it can be seen by other Lego DD users it has to be approved by staff. This makes sense since I could be some dickhead who decides to be cute and build a virtual naked man out of Lego and upload it to a website thousands of kids around the world visit.
Another weird thing about the LDD is that the sets that it comes with each say they expire on December 31, 2005. What the hell does that mean? The site doesn't say. I guess it's a ploy to get users to download more sets to vary this cash cow they now have going. I just hope they don't expect us to pay for virtual Lego sets. That would be ultra lame.
Ultimately, this is cool as hell. I have a bad feeling that I'll be spending a lot of time and money on my own Lego creations. Oh yeah--and you can, too!
[http://shop.lego.com/Product/?p=LFH001&mid=D05417A6-01BC-4565-9A60-03041BF1E186|Click here to buy ThePetePlane I]. :D
UPDATE 4:28am: OK, I get it now. They charge you the same for every set no matter how many pieces you use. I saw this cool little ship this one dude designed that used just 22 piece, yet, the set was still priced at $10.77. All right, so it's not as cool as I thought. Still, it is fun and served as some much needed therapy after the absolute craziness of the past couple weeks (that continues on this week).
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