Checkpoints



Checkpoints are areas where a player begins with in a level after losing a life. The number of remaining lives are indicated by a glowing ring around the edge. Except on infinite-life checkpoints, when a checkpoint is used to respawn, part of the ring will dim when it is used to respawn. Lives are shared among all players. Once all but one of the restarts are used, the ring will glow red and an annoying warning buzz will sound until another checkpoint is activated, or all players are killed. Checkpoints can be glued to surfaces, attached to vehicles, or left loose.

In multi-player games, players will only respawn if the last activated checkpoint is on the screen. Sometimes it is easier to have one player pass an obstacle and activate the next checkpoint so that other players can die and respawn without having to complete the obstacle themselves. It is also possible to backtrack to a prior checkpoint if the current checkpoint runs out of lives.

The number of lives a standard checkpoint has when passed is decided by the equation (p + 2) - d = l, where p is the total number of players, d is the number of players that are dead when the checkpoint is passed (respawning dead players from a checkpoint when it is passed costs its lives), and l is the number of lives. Except in entrances, joining players contribute to d. In a double-life checkpoint, the number of lives is 2(p + 2) - d = l.

When a checkpoint is inactive, it is "unlocked" and will change its life count based on the total number of players. When it is active or has been passed in its lifetime, however, it gets "locked" and will not change the life count if players join or leave (though joining players do count as dead for a checkpoint). This can be exploited by players by logging in a guest profile (or more) to "hold" a checkpoint up so it has more lives. This means that with 3 extra controllers for guest accounts, a single checkpoint can hold up to 6 lives, and double-life checkpoints can hold 12.

Types of Checkpoints
There are four types of checkpoints for a level. They all can be found in the Tools Bag in Create Mode.
 * Entrance - A special checkpoint; this is where you start out in a level. Other than that, it works just like an ordinary checkpoint.
 * Checkpoints - This is the standard checkpoint. It provides three extra lives when playing alone, and pulses red when there is no extra lives.
 * Double Life Checkpoints - This checkpoint has two rings which provide a total of six extra lives when playing alone, or twice the normal amount for multiple players. Useful for tricky challenges and before Boss Fights.
 * Infinite Lives Checkpoint - The white activation ring never depletes. It was originally released in the downloadable Creator Pack 1, and comes automatically with games starting with LittleBigPlanet PSP.
 * Scoreboard - The Scoreboard is a different type of checkpoint, which also acts as the ending point of a level. Like other checkpoints, if there are no checkpoints in a level, and there is only one scoreboard, the scoreboard acts like the only checkpoint in the level and cannot be deleted normally.

In Create Mode, you can add any of the four types of checkpoints, although only the first Entrance (or if no Entrances exist then the first other checkpoint) will be used per level. * Where m is dependent on the checkpoint type, p is the number of players playing when the checkpoint was passed, and l is the total number of lives provided.

** Where l is the number of lives and p is the number of players playing when the checkpoint was passed.

*** Only this many players may respawn at the last release.

Trivia

 * In LittleBigPlanet (PSP) all checkpoints and entrances are infinite.
 * It is possible to shrink/enlarge a Checkpoint. If you capture a Checkpoint as an object and Emmit it at a larger/smaller size, you can then capture the emitted, larger/smaller checkpoint and use it in your level.
 * If you were to destroy the only entrance in the game and change to play mode, the game will inform you that you have lost all your lives, and you are given an option to return to your pod or replay the level. If you choose to replay the level, you will return to find the same banner. Similarly, if the currently activated checkpoint gets destroyed, the game will act as if the checkpoint has no lives.
 * The original entrance is unable to be deleted before another checkpoint is placed, but having more than one checkpoint allows you to delete all but one, which you can still destroy manually using a heavy object.
 * In LittleBigPlanet Karting, all of the Spawn Points (especially the Arena & Cinematic ones) have a similar style to the Entrance.