caleb9731 wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:caleb9731 wrote:1Do you have any tips for developing a good story and it's world?
2I would probably recommend building the world first, because that will give you an idea of what kinds of characters would live there, what their problems might be, etc. At LEGO Company, we often have artwork done first before we start really going into detail on characters.
3Thank you! Another question: How did you feel when Bionicle was discontinued?
4Disappointed, naturally. But I also knew LEGO had to have a good reason for what they did, because the people who run our company are very smart. And I guess I would rather it had been cancelled while a lot of people still liked it and it was still selling okay than to wait and have it just die on its own.This way, at least there is a chance it could come back someday, maybe. If it had been left to just get old and fail, then it would be much harder to even think about bringing it back.
)11. Why did LEGO change the brown color to yellow/orange/tan in Bionicle?
22. You said that LEGO is not trying to "be violent". I understand that, too much violence is bad, but I also don't think that it's a completely good idea - it makes some of the new LEGO series look really childish and it doesn't appeal to older fans. Bionicle was kinda different, it had that feeling and action that was appealing to younger kids, as well as to older kids. It wasn't really violent (at least the movies or online animations), but it still had more violence than, for example, Hero Factory or Chima. Plus, there are toy brands that put a lot more violence than LEGO in their series, and yet their toys are selling well (like Hasbro's Transformers series).
ScribeGT6817 wrote:Firox555 wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:11) I would expect them to continue to be pains in the neck.
22) No, not in general. I've tried to do that sometimes, but then if you aren't still friends with the person when the book comes out, it gets awkward.
33) Actually, it was because (in part) it had so few characters. With the comics, especially, I had to cram so many characters and sets in that it could get in the way of the story. TT was a clean story, plus it gave me the chance to do Makuta the way I wanted to.
4And one more question, if you don't mind: If Velika wants to eliminate powerful beings in the universe, would he end up going after Tobduck and the Alternate Teridax?
5I am not sure if alternate Teridax would be at the power level necessary for Velika to worry about him. He might be. But Velika seems more concerned with "wild card" characters than with characters who are all about imposing some kind of order on the universe.
6I see - thanks a bunch for returning! 
7Just one more thing, then I'll let the topic rest for a bit:
8I've been developing a theory for a while, and I'd like to hear what you think - is this possible or not?
9Currently, we don't know much about exactly how the Matoran gained their sentience. We just know that, at some point or another, they began to be able to think freely and feel emotion.I've been turning possibilities over in my head, and this discussion gave me an interesting idea:
10What if it was Velika who gave them their sentience? Would Velika want to mess with the system created by the other GBs? I might make sense, considering that they're at odds...
11Another possibility is Tren Krom. He might have had the power to somehow "glitch" the Matoran into sentience, yes?
ScribeGT6817 wrote:Akuumo wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:Akuumo wrote:1Do members of Vortixx species have teeth?
2Can I ask what inspired the question? (I would hate to say "no" and find out you had a really good reason for thinking they did
3Erm, this is question from my friend, I don't know, why he want to know it. :v Maybe, because he's curious, that Vortixx can eat fodd, just like people.
4No MU species eats like humans. MU species absorb energy directly through physical contact with certain items, but they do not need to chew and swallow. They don't have organic digestive systems
5I know that I wasn't going to ask any more questions for a bit, but I feel that I can't let this by... 
6I have always wondered - if the inhabitants of the MU "eat" by simply absorbing the energy - do they actually "taste" anything?
7It is evident that they can smell - at least, I am pretty sure. Smell being essential to taste as it is...
8For example, would there be a reason why a Matoran would, say, prefer a berry over a roasted insect Rahi? I'd choose the berry, but only because it sounds like it would taste better. The insect actually might have more nutrition or energy. Do Matoran and other MU inhabitants consider this when choosing food sources?
Voxovan wrote:11. Why did LEGO change the brown color to yellow/orange/tan in Bionicle?
22. You said that LEGO is not trying to "be violent". I understand that, too much violence is bad, but I also don't think that it's a completely good idea - it makes some of the new LEGO series look really childish and it doesn't appeal to older fans. Bionicle was kinda different, it had that feeling and action that was appealing to younger kids, as well as to older kids. It wasn't really violent (at least the movies or online animations), but it still had more violence than, for example, Hero Factory or Chima. Plus, there are toy brands that put a lot more violence than LEGO in their series, and yet their toys are selling well (like Hasbro's Transformers series).
3I would say that TLC does a good job of staying out of violence, or at least non-cartoon violence. As for the childishness - take the Chima sets for example. Although, in the story, they try to tone the violence down for young kids, the option for an all out fight, if you want one, is still there. Plenty of missiles and canons and suchlike are present.
4And as for the other brands: They might sell well enough, but none of them have anywhere near the reputation that TLC has. LEGO has had a long-standing reputation for being child-friendly, and they maintain that reputation pretty well. That's one reason why they're far larger than Hasbro, Mega Bloks, and others...
Voxovan wrote:11. Why did LEGO change the brown color to yellow/orange/tan in Bionicle?
22. You said that LEGO is not trying to "be violent". I understand that, too much violence is bad, but I also don't think that it's a completely good idea - it makes some of the new LEGO series look really childish and it doesn't appeal to older fans. Bionicle was kinda different, it had that feeling and action that was appealing to younger kids, as well as to older kids. It wasn't really violent (at least the movies or online animations), but it still had more violence than, for example, Hero Factory or Chima. Plus, there are toy brands that put a lot more violence than LEGO in their series, and yet their toys are selling well (like Hasbro's Transformers series).
31) Well, I know brown never sold well. Of the six Toa, brown consistently sold the worst.
42) You make good points. BIONICLE, though, was almost a magician's trick -- it LOOKED way more violent than it ever was. If you actually analyzed what was going on in the comics, there really wasn't that much violence, but it looked like there was, and it's actually pretty equivalent to the violence we have had in the Hero Factory comics we have done. And yes, there are toy companies that choose to do things TLC might not -- but every company has their own image they want to maintain and their own values, and LEGO simply has their own approach that they take to products. They aren't going to sacrifice what the company is about to keep up with some other company. And considering LEGO is now the #2 toy company in the world, it seems to be working.
Firox555 wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:Firox555 wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:11) I would expect them to continue to be pains in the neck.
22) No, not in general. I've tried to do that sometimes, but then if you aren't still friends with the person when the book comes out, it gets awkward.
33) Actually, it was because (in part) it had so few characters. With the comics, especially, I had to cram so many characters and sets in that it could get in the way of the story. TT was a clean story, plus it gave me the chance to do Makuta the way I wanted to.
4And one more question, if you don't mind: If Velika wants to eliminate powerful beings in the universe, would he end up going after Tobduck and the Alternate Teridax?
5I am not sure if alternate Teridax would be at the power level necessary for Velika to worry about him. He might be. But Velika seems more concerned with "wild card" characters than with characters who are all about imposing some kind of order on the universe.
6I see - thanks a bunch for returning!
7Just one more thing, then I'll let the topic rest for a bit:
8I've been developing a theory for a while, and I'd like to hear what you think - is this possible or not?
9Currently, we don't know much about exactly how the Matoran gained their sentience. We just know that, at some point or another, they began to be able to think freely and feel emotion.I've been turning possibilities over in my head, and this discussion gave me an interesting idea:
10What if it was Velika who gave them their sentience? Would Velika want to mess with the system created by the other GBs? I might make sense, considering that they're at odds...
11Another possibility is Tren Krom. He might have had the power to somehow "glitch" the Matoran into sentience, yes?
12Oh, the Velika theory is REALLY interesting, Firox ... heck, we could talk for days on that one.
Firox555 wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:Akuumo wrote:ScribeGT6817 wrote:Akuumo wrote:1Do members of Vortixx species have teeth?
2Can I ask what inspired the question? (I would hate to say "no" and find out you had a really good reason for thinking they did
3Erm, this is question from my friend, I don't know, why he want to know it. :v Maybe, because he's curious, that Vortixx can eat fodd, just like people.
4No MU species eats like humans. MU species absorb energy directly through physical contact with certain items, but they do not need to chew and swallow. They don't have organic digestive systems
5I know that I wasn't going to ask any more questions for a bit, but I feel that I can't let this by...
6I have always wondered - if the inhabitants of the MU "eat" by simply absorbing the energy - do they actually "taste" anything?
7It is evident that they can smell - at least, I am pretty sure. Smell being essential to taste as it is...
8For example, would there be a reason why a Matoran would, say, prefer a berry over a roasted insect Rahi? I'd choose the berry, but only because it sounds like it would taste better. The insect actually might have more nutrition or energy. Do Matoran and other MU inhabitants consider this when choosing food sources?
9My guess is the energy would have a unique "taste" to it.