Saving and Releasing

You’re going to want to save your creations as you work, and hopefully release them to the Dreamiverse at some point (we won’t judge if you want to keep them to yourself!). Saving and releasing go hand-in-hand, so let’s take a good look at them together.

This page will cover:

• A quick overview of basic terminology
• Making the first save
• Subsequent saves and releases
• An explanation of Lead and Latest versions
• When a PUBLIC release is blocked by a PRIVATE element

What is a creation?#

A creation is anything you make with Dreams! They will always be one of 4 types:

• Element
• Scene
• Dream
• Collection

“Creation” is a catch-all term for all these types. Learn about the four creation types here.

What is a version?#

A version is the state of a creation at the time you saved it. A creation might consist of multiple versions, any of which might be online in the Dreamiverse (in a PRIVATE, PLAYABLE or PUBLIC state) or saved on your machine (in a LOCAL state).

Versions are incredibly important and useful! You might have versions which are works-in-progress, versions that are alternate visions of your creation, versions you want folks to test, versions your collaborators can work on, versions only you can work on, versions which are currently out there in the wild being enjoyed by dreamers… you get the idea.

The point is you can always go back to a version and make it something else, or release it, or share it with your collaborators. Versions give you complete control over your creations.

Learn more about versions here.

What is a release?#

A release is a version of a creation which is out in the wonderful world of the Dreamiverse for people to interact with.

A released version can be:

• PLAYABLE: Other dreamers can play it/view it/listen to it, but not edit or remix it.
• PUBLIC: Other dreamers can play it/view it/listen to it AND they can remix it, then edit it, or stamp it into their own creations.

A release is never PRIVATE. An online PRIVATE version is simply an online save of a creation, accessible only by the owner and any collaborators on that creation.

Making the First Save#

There are two slightly different save flows - one for Elements and Scenes and another for Dreams and Collections. The latter is much simpler - we’ll address it in a moment, for now let’s assume your creation is an Element or a Scene.

STEP-BY-STEP: First Save of Element or Scene#

1 - In Edit Mode press to bring up the Options Menu.

2 - Hit the Quick Save icon.

3 - Select the creation type - Element or Scene.

4 - Select a category. Picking the right one will help folks to find it in the Dreamiverse. You can’t change the category once you’ve picked it.

5 - Give your creation a title. Press to confirm.

6 - Your creation is saved! You’ll find it in My Creations.

7 - To continue editing, press or to exit the menu. Or select Exit Creation to leave.

If your creation is a Dream or Collection, it’s as simple as…

1 - Hit the Quick Save icon.

2 - Give your creation a title. Press to confirm.

Note: Remember that a Dream needs an entrance Doorway and a starting Scene or Dream stamped in it for Quick Save to work. An error will stop you saving otherwise.

Subsequent Saves and Releases#

Once you’ve made the first save, you’ll have another option in the Options Menu - Save Version . This is only available once you’ve made that first Quick Save. Once you’ve saved a version, you’ll be able to choose between Quick Save or Save Version.

Quick Save

Once you’ve made a change to your work, however small, you’ll be given the option to Quick Save. This is best for small changes as you work, or if you’re closing down and just want to be sure something is saved. Simply hit the icon.

Save Version

Saving versions is the safest way to work, for all the reasons outlined here.

To save a version, first select Save Version . You’ll find yourself on the Save Version screen, where you are presented with three options:

• Save and release this version online*
• Save this version online as PRIVATE
• Save this version to your PS4™ system

*Note: If your creation is an Element, this will say “Save and release this version online as PUBLIC”, because Elements can only be released as PUBLIC, never PLAYABLE. If your creation is a Dream or Collection, this will say “Save and release this version online as PLAYABLE”, because Dreams and Collections can only be released as PLAYABLE, never PUBLIC.

Let’s look at those in reverse order. Ascending order of scariness, if you will. Only kidding.

STEP-BY-STEP: Save this version to your PS4™ system#

Otherwise known as saving a LOCAL version. This is a straightforward save to your own console. Only you can access this version. This is better than a Quick Save because you won’t accidentally overwrite it - it’ll always be available to use (assuming you don’t delete it of course!). Brilliant for small changes and tweaks.

1 - Select Save this version to your PS4™ system.

2 - You’ll find yourself on the Save Summary screen.

3 - Select the Version Notes box and enter anything you want to say about this version - what’s changed, reminders for yourself, etc.

4 - Select Categories & Tags if you want to add any tags or specify single or multiplayer. Bear in mind this is a LOCAL version, so you may not feel the need just yet.

5 - Hit the big green Save button and you’re done.

Bear in mind that, should something terrible happen to your console, a LOCAL save will be gone. We strongly encourage you to save versions regularly online, just to be safe.

STEP-BY-STEP: Save this version online as PRIVATE#

Saving a PRIVATE version online is better again than a LOCAL save. Not only is it safe in the cloud, but also any collaborators can access it. So it’s the best choice for saving significant changes when you’re not ready to unleash your creation, or are working with other dreamers.

1 - Select Save this version online as PRIVATE.

2 - You’ll find yourself on the Save Summary screen.

3 - Enter Version Notes if you like. As this is going online, you may want to consider notes for collaborators.

4 - Select Categories & Tags if you want to add anything there.

5 - Hit the big green Save button and you’re done. This is now your Latest Version.

STEP-BY-STEP: Save and release this version online*#

When you’re ready for the world to see what your labour hath wrought, or when you have significant changes (bugfixes, updates, etc) to release, it’s time to choose this option to let your baby make its way into the wide world of the Dreamiverse.

*Note: If your creation is an Element, this option will be “Save and release this version online as PUBLIC”, because Elements can only be released as PUBLIC, never PLAYABLE. If your creation is a Dream or Collection, this will say “Save and release this version online as PLAYABLE”, because Dreams and Collections can only be released as PLAYABLE, never PUBLIC.

1 - Select Save and release this version online.

2 - You’ll find yourself on the Release Summary screen.

3 - Depending on your creation type, you may now have two options…

• Release as PLAYABLE: This is for Scenes, Dreams and Collections. Everyone can play it, but can’t edit, remix or use it in their own creations.
• Release as PUBLIC: This is for Elements and Scenes. Everyone can play it, and they can also remix it, stamp it, edit it and use it in their own creations.

4 - If you’re releasing a creation which has a stamp of another which has only been saved as LOCAL, you’ll be asked to save related versions online. For more on this, please see here.

5 - Once you’ve selected one of the above, under Search Listings, choose whether you want your creation to be:

• Listed: The creation will appear in searches.
• Unlisted: The creation will not appear in searches, but they can be found via Collections or Dreams that contain them, or other creations that are remixes of them.

6 - If you haven’t already set up a groovy cover page, use Edit Cover Page to do so. You can rename it, change the photo, choose a font, set up a colour scheme… even randomise much of this if you’re feeling indecisive!

7 - Enter any Version Notes. Think about this carefully, as this is going out in the world now.

8 - Select Categories & Tags if you want to add anything there. This is all the more important now it’s being released.

9 - Hit the big green Save button. This is now your Lead Version.

10 - If this was a stand-alone Scene, once it’s saved you’ll be given the option to place it in a Dream, as it won’t be findable in DreamSurfing otherwise.

Explanation: Lead and Latest Version#

You’ll come across the terms Lead Version and Latest Version in many of these pages and in the game. So what do they mean?

Lead Version#

This is the latest version that is PUBLIC or PLAYABLE (not PRIVATE). It’s the version that dreamers will encounter in the Dreamiverse. If you release a new version as PUBLIC or PLAYABLE it’ll replace the original Lead Version to become the new Lead Version. You cannot delete this version.

Latest Online Version#

This is the latest saved version which is online, so it can be PRIVATE. It’s important that you have one of these if you have collaborators. You cannot delete this version.

When a PUBLIC Release Is Blocked by a PRIVATE Element#

Dreams will not allow you to release a Scene as PUBLIC which contains PRIVATE Elements that you don’t own. You can still release it as PLAYABLE.

If you really want to release your Scene as PUBLIC, you can either try to contact the owner of the PRIVATE Element(s) to change the permission to PUBLIC, or find the PRIVATE Element(s) in your Scene and delete it.

Follow these steps to delete the PRIVATE Element(s):

1 - Go into Edit Mode for the Scene which contains the PRIVATE Element(s).

2 - Open the Modes menu and select Update Mode.

3 - Under the PRIVATE Element(s) blocking your release, hit the Select Object(s) button to select the offending object(s) in the scene.

4 - Use Delete Selected in the context menu to remove the object(s).