PlasmaJaller

Some have shared the thought in another topic that, if constraction was to make a return, it should be as a new IP that has no tie to Bionicle or Hero Factory. How would you pitch a new constraction IP, be it in terms of narrative, distribution or building? While a new IP should obviously be its own thing, it doesn't mean it cannot borrow from previous toylines. My idea borrows from Bionicle in that the character are biomechanical beings, and from HF with its sci-fi setting and its characters receiving upgrades through mechanical means. It would be a sort of Transformers but on a larger scale than one planet (be it Earth or Cybertron), with two factions (one good, one evil) fighting over the planets of a solar system. The toyline could adopt a model similar to Bionicle's 2008 and HF's Breakout by having an equal amount of heroes and villains per wave, each set having its respective rival. A war on different planets would also mean different settings, so each wave could themed around a specific environment, like Bionicle did between 2007 and 2009. As for the sets, I wish they went back to pre-CCBS pieces, but Bionicle G2 proved you could still have interesting sets with it, so maybe I wouldn't mind that much.

- Von Nebula should have been given an actual motivation in the show. - Thunder and Meltdown should have done more. - Stringer had the best design of the first wave's Heroes and he deserved to appear more. He should also have been a large set instead of a small one during Breakout. - There wasn't much saving the Breakout episode, but the main Hero cast should have been Rocka, Breeze, Bulk, Surge, Stormer and Stringer (with a better villain) - I'd actually be willing to remove Stringer and/or Surge if it meant a more focused story with a smaller cast. - They should have explored that villain factory concept instead of Brain Attacks and IFB. - If IFB had to happen, at least they should have had the episode end on a pacifist note and not make Breeze's heartwarming moment with the queen pointless. - Speaking of her, Breeze deserved the same amount of prominence as Furno and Rocka. She seems like someone you could trust to lead a team.

He what?

That's a very cool initiative on Lego's part. Hopefully actual projects will come out of this. I'd gladly submit a few ideas, but it's not like I'm that good at drawing and I haven't MOCed in years - or even a master at it. EDIT: Here's my idea for an original constraction world. I tried to make the setting stand out from Bionicle and HF while still borrowing a bit. Feel free to contribute if what I've put so far inspires you!

On that day Vakama learned it was okay for a Toa to think with his tool once in his life. Describe the Great Beings in one line.

A goldfish the Mask of Life put on steroid. Describe Onewa in a line.

I always found human constractions to be a travesty (save for Lego Knights Kingdom, those were the ), but you made these MOCs very appealing! The color schemes are balanced and the design convey their personalities to the boot. I call it a 10!

In 2010, William Furno was introduced as the face of Hero Franchise, starring in its very first teaser and being a major character along with the Stormer in the four first episodes of the series. Then came Wave 2 of 2011, which introduced Rocka as a pretty big deal, basically taking over the hero title from Furno. He had a XL set and, the next year, he was the face of the Breakout year. After 2012, Furno and Rocka seemed to share the spotlight while still having their high lights: Furno was the largest set of all the heroes and Rocka had a Jetpack to fare with a dragon. Which one did you prefer overall, be it toy-wise or character-wise? As a red supremacist in Bionicle, I liked Furno the moment he was introduced, but I have to hand it to Rocka, he simply had the coolest toys: he stood out with his lion helmet in 2011, he had a whole arsenal on him in 2012 and I recently got his Jet for my birthday cos I had a nostalgia surge and it was the only past-2012 set I ever wanted. Gotta say though, I would have liked Breez to have more prominence and stand on the level of these two. She really felt like the protagonist at the end of the Invasion from Below episode, when she convinced the queen to stop fighting them... but we know how that turned out. If I was to revive HF, I would either have her or Furno leading their own team.

I didn't care for it either as a kid. It had the advantage of making it easy to tell which set were male or female. Still, I remember Roodaka was the set I wanted the most from 2005 because of how her "sex" and figure made her stand out among others. And it's still a solid and creative set. Nowadays, while I admit it was practical and logical for a toyline aimed at boys, I think it was all very limiting creatively-speaking, for both the creators and the fans. I wish we had had more cases like Gorast (and later Korgot) back in the day: sets that didn't let color define what sex they should have and made the most out of it to offer new memorable characters. Still, I fully agree those matters are the least of the franchise's problems. Contrary to what many would want people to believe, diversity does not equal quality writing, and we've had amazing works starring males only - you mentioned The Hobbit, I'm personally thinking of Twelve Angry Men and The Thing. In the end, I'm not losing sleep over that. What keeps me awake at night, however, was a Titan female Skakdi set that would make the Piraka cower in fear.

I still think 2008 had one of the smartest waves to go about it: just have three heroes and three villain sets for each wave, that way each character has a rival assigned to them. Now, it wouldn't have worked for G2 since each wave had a narrative focus in which all Toa were involved: Wave 1 if 2015 was finding their masks of power, Wave 2 was about finding Ekimu and battling the Skeletons. Another problem is the fact that both factions are split and they never appear together in promotional arts. 2009 also intruded a verse where basically all the characters could fight, since you had good guys, neutral guys and evil guys. The closest source of conflict G2 (and early G1) had conflict to Wave 1 by having the Skull Spiders (Kraana for G1) that could take control the Toa, forcing the other heroes to fight them to free them of the spider. But you probably want a full-fledged set with the same amount of pieces as the heroes and with a name, like the Piraka or the Barraki. The problem in separating heroes and villains in two separate waves is the fact that they don't feel like they belong in the same real, like you don't see them clash in promos. The Barraki were nowhere to be found in the Mahri short film and the best the Piraka had was Vezok's face on a signal in the Inika commercial. The best we ever had was the Breakout year of Hero Factory: in each wave, you had the same number of heroes and villain sets, which means you could play out several conflicts that didn't rely on plot devices such as mind control in the same wave. It's probably also due to heroes going solo on each villain, which parts from the concept of unity found in Bionicle. I've only got three sets from G2, so I'm no expert on the subject, but I'm interested in the different ways you can introduce conflicts in a limited wave.

I'm glad to hear everything seems solid so far! Although, I have to correct you on one point: the story is not set in G2, but in its own verse that borrows concepts an ideas from both continuities. Although English is not my native tongue, I guess I could maybe try my hand at it someday. Anyway thanks! I'll have to finish reading your current fic!

The future of constraction is uncertain, I can tell you that much. The focus of this topic is not whether or not it will come back but in what shape you would want it to come back. Would it work best as a continuation or a reboot of Bionicle or Hero Factory, or is it time for a brand new verse for constraction? I got to say I am a bit mixed in all this. G2 was a bomb due to a lack of advertising, so maybe a revival with the right amount of attention would work this time. I'm afraid Bionicle's days have been long over, but if it was to be brought back, I believe it would work best as either a "soft reboot" kid of continuation of G1: introduce us to a different cast of characters in a new fresh setting that acknowledges the previous lore without diving too much into it for the sake of accessibility. Considering the mixed to downright poor reception G2 got for its more "kiddie" tone, bringing G1 back would be a way to appeal to veterans all while making it easy for newcomers to get into. Hero Factory, while it was never near as popular as Bionicle, definitely deserves a second chance and a more focused direction in terms of storyline. You could have it be a reboot, or make it a continuation with new faces to freshen things up. G1 of HF only ever had three new heroes when it could have explored other teams ; maybe have a familiar face like Furno part with Alpha team and lead his own gang of new, original heroes. I don't see why either options wouldn't work. Another option that is still worth consideration would be a brand new IP, free of all established lore and more freedom. It might not be such a bad option, as you can pick ideas from both Bionicle and HF to appeal to their fans while still making it its own thing. Although it would definitely have to star mechanical beings. Constraction works on armor, but definitely not on humans and other fleshies - those heads from the Star Wars contractions are cringe-inducing. I see potential in all these possibilities, but I'm not set on which I'd prefer. Maybe you know what you would prefer though.

Nice MOC with some pretty nice ideas. It has better proportions than the winner of the TTV tournament, I'll tell you that. Some parts are very creative in how the pieces are used, especially the hands, the feet and the hammer. If I can make a few remarks, though, the marks on the mask really sticks out from the rest of the color scheme. I don't know whether another color would have been better or if the mask was better left unaltered. Still, it clearly came from a good idea. I also am not fond of the torso. I feel like it is too short and, while I do appreciate the nod to the Mata torsos, with the two side cylinders, it creates an upsetting gap in the middle. I guess it works better for Karzahni since his waist is much thinner than Arthaka's thicker build. Not a winner for TTV, but definitely a cool concept. You do feel the connection with Karzhanni, who also looks great!

Here are the bios for the Champions I got figured out. I'm still hesitating on Koru's element and I, while I have concepts for the Champions of Stone and Water, I still need to write them down to fully flesh them out. I had a first concept for Lagna but I ended up scrapping it because it felt like a far cry from what blue sets were characterized as. For now, enjoy Oda, Netek and Tanika: Oda - Champion of Fire Oda never conceived he would one day be Champion of Fire, and if there was a way to resign, he would have done so long ago. Magmosians are either skeptical, worried or infuriated about his graduation, and for reasons he cannot deny. There were plenty of warriors the former Champion had personally trained to chose from, but the Mask of Fire inexplicably chose a young scribe who had never left his village or been formed in combat as its next wielder. All Oda ever aspired to was writing the memories of a Champion and being remembered for it, but now he doesn't know whether he will make history through acts of heroism or be quietly swept under the rug as a mediocre Champion. Despite feeling like an Impostor, Oda is conscious of his duties and will persevere trying to protect his tribe from external threats. As Champion of Fire, Oda is armed with lava claws that can slice and melt through the strongest metal and absorb the heat in the air to create fire ball or spray flames from his palms. He still is trying to figure out how to huge his flames as thrusters to jet into the air. Netek - Champion of Air If Netek liked people as much as he loved nature, he would probably be the most sociable Champion. Once ostracized by his entire village when he was child, Netek gave up on civilization and decided to go into the jungles of Veralen, where no one dared to venture, to find and live with the Champion of Air, a mysterious hermit who was known to appear when people needed her help. The recluse woman accepted to take him under her wing and, during the rest of his childhood, he was taught the ways of nature and air. When the boy who had come to her so long ago became a man, the Champion decided her time had come and offered Netek the Mask of Air, asking her to watch over Veralen and all its living things. Despite his misanthropic nature, Netek honors his master's wishes by aiding his kind, but he disappears as quickly as they arrived and considers himself a protector of nature first and foremost. Netek wields two boomerangs that he uses to glide from tree to tree when he is no hitching a ride from the many beasts he is friend with. Tanika - Champion of Ice Tanika is the most skilled and composed Champion of them all. She lets nothing perturb her out of fulfilling her duty and she will make quick work of her opponent in a matter of seconds...That's how she'd like it to be when she falls to another of her mistakes or blunders. Tanika trained with her sister for years under the care of her father, who was already the captain of Tundris' elite guard before becoming Champion Ice. As skilled as she was, there was still a gap between her and her sister she had been in rivalry with since they first started training and, even though she never admitted it, she could feel it. Her insecurities were exacerbated when her father died in action and the Mask of Ice chose her shortly after. She assumes the stoic and confident attitude that is expected from a Champion of Ice, but she is till marked by the loss of her father and burdened by the legacy she has to carry. If she opened up to others on her doubts, the burden on her mind and heart might get a little lighter. Tanika wields an ice labrys that splits into a pair of ice hammers for when she feels like dual-wielding or needs to climb ice walls.

Sorry for missing what those songs meant to you. I hope I didn't come off as harsh.

For sharing opinions probably not a lot of other fans share. As a kid, I was pretty used to fire guys being the front and center of Bionicle. Vakama was my first fire Toa and I rooted for him in his two movies, while Takua was not always conceived as an Av-Matoran. To me, a Bionicle protagonist had to be red and wield the element of fire, cos those were symbols of courage and passion. I was pretty much a red supremacist and I kinda still am, in a way. That's why I was extremely upset when Jaller was put on the side in promotional arts of 2006. Putting the focus of an ice Toa, the very opposite of a fire Toa, was a travesty for me - where is the warmth in ice? I also had no connection with Matoro since I knew Jaller better from watching TMoL. The conclusion of the 2007 storyline didn't help kiddie me either. It was a big thing for me back then and, while I have matured out of this state of mind long ago, it has affected my brain so bad I can't get into Matoro like the fandom does. That makes me pretty sad cos poor guy never did anything wrong to get my ire, he only did what was right.

A lot of them strike me more as AMV material and others, I can hardly imagine them being associated with Bionicle. I also doubt Lego would validate song that contain swearing or direct mention of "contact" like kissing for their toys for kids. Not to mention reaching popular singers or bands like Nicki Minaj would be a great money investment I'm not sure they would even consider it. I do like 5 (reminds me of Move Along), 9 and 10 though. Imagine Dragons is the one group in all these artists I think would work best with Bionicle, with songs like Demons and Warriors. And I can see Need You Now as part of the credits for a movie that would wrap up the Bionicle storyline.

Playing as the Matoran as they try to protect their Koro and fight back against the Bohrok, now that is golden.

I think a shooter could work but only for 2007. I've once read about an idea for a survival-like game where you play as one of the Toa Mahri who has been isolated from the rest of the team following an intro cutscene similar to the commercial - up until Matoro fights with Gadunka. From then on you'd have to find a way to rejoin the group, find the mask of life and, most of all, survive the creeps that are lurking in the shadow. A first person view, on top of a vision limited to a flash light, would add to feeling of vulnerability and isolation Mahri Nui had. Survival horror sounds just as odd a choice for Bionicle, but clearly LEGO pushed the "creep" factor pretty hard when promoting the Barraki. Also yeah, games that don't have a jump button are a goddamn travesty.

Hero, Caught in a Dream, Crashed, Move Along, Face Me, Gravity Hurts, Closer to the Truth, Bye Bye Babylon... There was always something so distinct about these songs. Maybe it's simply their association to Bionicle, but I feel like you can't can't take any song, put it on top of Bionicle content and call it a day. I went through a lot of rock songs on Youtube typing key words like "heroic", "inspirational" and it's seriously quite hard to find something you can imagine LEGO using to promote a wave. The best I've found is this, which I think could work for a commercial in the second half of the franchise, but it's not even a song, so... What about you? You know a song or two that remind you of bands like All Insane Kids or Cryoshell?

Looks like a femme Transformers finger gunning. Am I right or am I right?

I started playing it a few minutes yesterday night. It's too soon to judge but Vakama suggesting they leave Nokama to die is all kinds of wrong. This project has been looking really promising, but I have some reserves, my main issues being that I'm not too fond of the Dark Souls approach to combat (although I guess it's always better than 2003's) and that the levels look like a bunch of corridors that are easy to get lost in. Still, I'm glad LEGO is enthusiastic about it and gave them guidelines to follow, instead of trying to get them to cease and decease. I do hope there will be resolutions settings low enough to keep my laptop from setting my house on fire though.

What genre think do you think worked or would have worked best for Bionicle games? To start with console games, platforming was an obvious choice for the 2003 game. Mata Nui is such a fascinating island and diverse in its landscapes, you would want to explore it. Only, the game suffered from pretty interchangeable characters. Aside from Lewa's flying and Gali's swimming (and those weren't really much), none of the other Toa stood out - Kopaka and Tahu Nuva wouldn't really count in terms of platforming since their games only consisted in sliding down a mountain or surfing on lava. There was also no strategy when it came to combat, which was another missed opportunity to exploit the Toa's elemental power. As for Heroes, shooter always struck me as an odd choice for Bionicle. Toa would generally fight using melee weapons and their powers. Weapons like Zamor spheres or Cordak Blasters were an addition but never the core of the sets. One of the most disappointing aspects was how the game drastically diverted from the story by having you play a nameless protagonist using the Inika's masks as basically armors for him to wear - among many other things. At least the 2003 tried to tell two whole years of the franchise in one game, even though it was rushed and half-assed. When I think of Bionicle, I think of the following: unique heroes with distinct weapons and elemental powers, action, exploration, storytelling and most, of all, unity. If I was put in charge of a Bionicle game, I would see two possible genres that would fit those themes best: A platformer, preferably a side-scroller, in the vein of Trine. You have your set of characters with different attacks and abilities and you switch between them depending on the circumstances. In the case of the Toa Metru, for instance, you would use Vakama to hit distant targets with his disk launcher, use Nokama to swim underwater at high speed, use Onewa's Proton Piton's to swing to hooks and other objects etc. Each character having their distinct level is a way to go, but unlocking new characters throughout the story and going back to previous level to access areas that were inaccessible before is much more interesting, adds replayability and provides motivation for completionists. Think Bionicle Heroes with platforming instead of shooting and an actual plot where the Toa are their own individuals. The second option would be a turned-based RPG similar to the Persona franchise. With its team of six members and its elements, Bionicle could easily use Persona's expanding party system and weak points. Each enemy would be weak and resistant to different elements and other type of attacks, so you would have to switch between party members for the best strategies. Combined attacks would also be a given, whether it takes two party members or the entire party, to inflict greater damages to enemies, to emphasize unity. Equipment and experience would also be a given, but I am not fond of the classic leveling system that tends to be broken by grinding or adaptive leveling of enemies. I much prefer alternative like Star Renegades where experience (or, in this instance, "ADN") is used as currency to level up the party members of your choice. Obviously, those aren't the only ways to go about a franchise like Bionicle. Clearly, you don't even need play as Toa. You can also have a fun time playing a Matoran. But that's what I would propose if they asked me to pitch them an idea for a game.

Topic to share the past misconceptions you had about Bionicle. My two first Bionicle were Kopaka Nuva and Nuvhok Kal. I was pretty young and not as invested in the story as I am today, so I found the Bohrok Kal so cute I went in and assumed they were the goods guys while the Toa Nuva were villains who were after them.

Whenua