Season 1 Disc Information!

[tabacco]

I just posted a blog announcing this, but since past experience suggests that some people here may not read the blog, I'm also posting this message for your comfort and convenience:

Learn About the Disc Version! (http://www.telltalegames.com/store/samandmax-season1-disc)

[Mel]

Fabulous!! I can't wait. :)

But I am pissed about something.


Jake always promises cherubs and trumpets when big announcements get made and I have yet to see any. :(





;)

[Armakuni]

Oh my God, this is GREAT!!!! Much better than I had expected! And no online activation either, I didn't even dare to hope for that (btw, you're not using Starforce I hope?).

Thanks a lot Telltale, this is awesome!!

[Haggis]

Oh wow, that looks awesome!

[LuigiHann]

I misread the bullet point about about DVD commentary at first, so for a moment I pondered what commentary on the entire game would be like :p

Overall, it looks great. The only thing missing from that page is how much it'll cost for people who haven't bought the season (i.e. people who were waiting for the "boxed set," and people like me who use GameTap). . .
Oh, I suppose I'd just buy the season, and the disc would come with it. You should probably note that on the page, so slow people like me will catch on more easily :p

[maximmortal]

Wow, this looks really good. I'm very excited now!

[ShaggE]

I misread the bullet point about about DVD commentary at first, so for a moment I pondered what commentary on the entire game would be like :p

That would've been great :P Kinda like the in-game commentary on Lost Coast.

The DVD is shaping up to be quite impressive, though!

[marsan]

I hope the final box will be in the shape of max's enormous head :)

[maximmortal]

I hope the final box will be in the shape of max's enormous head :)
That would be amazing! Like The Simpsons limited edition season box sets they have!

[Jake]

I hope the final box will be in the shape of max's enormous head :)

Hah that would be awesome, though we're being pretty modest with how this is built, as it really is a bonus disc to augment (and archive) people's downloadable episodes.

The whole point of buying the season from Telltale is so you can get to play the episodes as they come out, and be involved in the story once a month as it unfolds. The disc is nice to have on a shelf, and nice for peace of mind, (and we're having fun making it) but it's never been the focus of anything.

[Porsmond]

It sounds awesome, and I cant wait. You can certaintly put my name down to order one of these :D

Quick question - How much roughly will shipping be to england just so I know???

[Emily]

Probably around $10. The USPS shipping rates are about to change and we don't know yet how that will affect shipping in our store.

[Trixie]

For season 1 subcripers, i'd like some signatures from voice actors and/or people like steve, producers etc.

[xChri5x]

The Case Is Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kenneth]

Sam "The words "big" and "large" only begin to describe this thing"

Sam "Max you can release Mr. Game Developer now, they have agreed to our demands, of doing a grand scale DVD, of our latest cases"

Max "Ok"

Mr. Game Developer "arggg!" donk....

Sam "Max did you just Drop Mr. Game Developer out of the Window?"

Max "perhaps, what can I say my fluffy fingers are Slippery, from eating that glass of peanutt butter"

Sam "You crack me up little body"

What I meant to say is Great job Telltale Games, looking forward to it very much, Glad to see some people still holding life in the adventure games, and Sam And Max.

[SloppyJimbo]

Question: I'm a Gametap subscriber, so I technically kind of have subscribed to the season. Can I still get the bonus disk?

[xChri5x]

Not from what I've heard.

[neilka]

Is there any chance that the episodes on the disc will have the voices in better quality than the downloadable versions? To use a DVD and still only put the 50MB versions of each episode on there would be a shame to say the least...

[dunkpork]

Beautiful cover art.

All the stuff included sounds great!

Thanks for the info!

[Sir Lemming]

Sounds great. I'm glad it's on DVD. And for those without a DVD drive... Well, I managed to afford one, so it can't be THAT bad. $40 tops. The technological world is making progress... Go with the flow!

[Corvus]

Sounds great! And I'm wondering about the surprise bonus. :confused:

[Badwolf]

Sounds fantastic, can't wait!

[Trixie]

Not only was it good that i COULDN'T use gametap to play my sam and max, but beacuse i am a devout adventure game player(yes, i'm devout!) that i got season 1 collection. I just hope that sam and max says and gametap gets taken out of the deal(it's american so i'm p'ed)

[AdamG]

Hurrrrah! :)

[taumel]

Does the DVD only has to be in the drive for the installation or does it need to be there all the time you're playing it?

I hope it's not the second as this means the usual annoying procedure:

1a) Need that drive for something else and i'm still no disc jockey practicing at home
1b) or i don't want the drive to spin up because of the additional noise pollution
1c) or depending on the choosen protection i don't want my system to be infiltrated and less stable.

2) Visit gamecopyworld, ...

3) Okay, now we're there were we could have been before...

Is there any other annoying copyprotection like safedisc etc.?

[tobar]

Why does it sound like you're trying to rip stuff off taumel? Are we going to have to come after you?

[taumel]

Sorry?

No, i bought the whole season since the first episode but i really dislike the checking for a disc in a drive for the reasons i've mentioned above. I would have preferd the online registration or another check instead of the cd check if it's always needed for starting up the game.

Gimme a codewheel or let me do an online registration (the usual way like the episodes worked) or something else but please don't make me swap discs for each software when i want to use it.

This sucks...

[Jake]

Gimme a codewheel or let me do an online registration (the usual way like the episodes worked) or something else but please don't make me swap discs for each software when i want to use it.

This sucks...

As a season set holder, you get it both ways... You get the downloadable episodes which use online activation, and you get the disc version which uses disc check.

As for codewheels, they're very successful.

http://www.tropic.org.uk/~stuart/pixmap/misc/dial-a-pirate.jpg

[taumel]

That's not the same as a) the DVD is easier to handle generally as you don't have to install and register for six times and b) secondly i suspect the content is not the same: additional material, improved sound quality, fixed issues for all episodes are only on the DVD.

I stronly hope you can rethink this or rail on two routes as these are the things which put off honest customers in a lot of games.

[Hero1]

i'm blown away by the dvd commentary..never would have thought of that..and thoroughly impressed

[ShaggE]

That's not the same as a) the DVD is easier to handle generally as you don't have to install and register for six times and b) secondly i suspect the content is not the same: additional material, improved sound quality, fixed issues for all episodes are only on the DVD.

I stronly hope you can rethink this or rail on two routes as these are the things which put off honest customers in a lot of games.

I'm sure TT wouldn't mind if you use a "NO-CD" on a legit copy. Of course, I could be wrong, since it might be up to the company that makes the protection software.

[taumel]

It doesn't sound like a customer friendly solution to me were i first have to get and apply a patch in order to get rid of the cd dongle after i trusted them and bought the product in advance. I would really appreciate a more user friendly check where the vendor doesn't only sees his product.

[ShaggE]

Could be worse... it wasn't all that long ago we had to suffer trying to install games via floppy disks :P

"Insert Disk 18 into Drive A:.......reading..... ERROR: Invalid Disk. Insert Disk 1"

[Armakuni]

Come ON!! Don't complain about a simple CD check! Now you won't have to activate your game after every install.. you can install it as much as you want and never have to reset your activations or anything like that.
You can play the games on PCs without an internet connection and you won't have to worry about what will happen if Telltale ever goes out of business and the activation servers are taken offline.

A simple CD check is so much better than online activation, please don't complain about something as silly as that :(


And I'll say it again - Thank you Telltale!! This DVD seems so damn kickass.. just the removal of activation would be enough to make me very happy but you filled it with cool extras as well. You are one kickass company, I'm sorry for having complained so much about various stuff in the past. I take it all back, you rock! :D

[Zeek]

You spoil us. You really do. And I love it! Thank you!

[Hero1]

never underestimate the ability for the Internet to complain about every single thing imaginable..

[Armakuni]

I'm just waiting for someone to complain this thing isn't released on Blue-Ray :p

[OMA]

This looks pretty cool!

Will episodes have to be installed one by one or will it have a single installation procedure? If so, it would be neat if you could play them all without exiting to the desktop and then clicking in the next program icon, but that's not all that important.

BTW, I noticed that the graphics engine in Episode 6 has been optimized somehow, since the animations are smoother now and the location switch is done slightly faster, too. Will you use this engine for all previous episodes in the DVD? It would be ideal. Also, please use a higher bitrate for audio in the DVD version of the games, if possible, instead of the ultra-compressed audio found in downloadable episodes.

OMA

[Cyberlink420]

O...M...G...I'm floored, honestly. TellTale clearly put a lot of effort into making this DVD awesome, and from the look of things, they managed to pull it off. Great job, guys, and I can't wait for the release!

[ReverendTed]

DVD Commentary makes me happy, and a Blooper\Outtake reel sounds like a lot of fun.

Curious if it'll be a "scripted" bloopers and outtakes like, say, Monsters Inc, or a chain of weird development screwups like The Incredibles. (I'm hoping the former.)

Usually Trailers as extras just makes me go "Huh?" but I really love the Trailers for the Sam and Max Episodes - they're really well-done.

And I just saw a comment on the Blog that I'd like to reiterate: since it's on a DVD now and not downloadable content, could we get uncompressed speech\audio files for the episodes?

[LuigiHann]

Curious if it'll be a "scripted" bloopers and outtakes like, say, Monsters Inc, or a chain of weird development screwups like The Incredibles. (I'm hoping the former.)

I'd actually most like to see it done the way the Muppets do... it's an actual mistake made by the voice actor, but he remains in-character and so do the puppets (or in this case, the game models). They tend to be really funny.

[Armakuni]

I expect the games will be the same as the downloadable ones.. remember, this is just a bonus they're kind enough to give us.

I was expecting to get a DVD with all the episodes on in a little slipcase and nothing else.. I had no idea they would give us all this extra stuff as well. It's really awesome :D

[Soup]

I'm just waiting for someone to complain this thing isn't released on Blue-Ray :pBest one-liner in the entire thread.

The DVD looks to be fantabulous, Telltale! The CD check is a little annoying, but understandable. It used to be standard on all games, so I'm counting it as an anachronistic feature to better immerse ourselves into the roles of the C.O.P.S.

Let the great wait for the shipping date begin!

also, the release of the Season disc would be a good time to push new t-shirt/hat/poster merchandise, yes? Or do I have to drop the 1000kg weight I've named "Big Hint"?

[Jake]

We love making new Sam & Max merchandise, so yeah theres a good chance of seeing some sort of new stuff (who knows what, though).

[Armakuni]

Great! I love buying Sam & Max merch :D

[ShaggE]

We love making new Sam & Max merchandise, so yeah theres a good chance of seeing some sort of new stuff (who knows what, though).

A live-action Sam and Max feature film, directed by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Danny Devito as Max, Jim Belushi as Sam, Gary Coleman as all three Soda Poppers, and Marilyn Manson as Hugh Bliss?

[Jake]

You read our minds! The trailer was supposed to hit with Spider-Man 3, but due to a fistfight between Brendan and Tobey Maguire outside a high profile Bay Area restaurant, they've decided to hold it off and premiere it with the DVD release of Are We Done Yet?

[ShaggE]

hahahahahaha.... (warning: slight thread derailment) Am I the only one who thinks Are We Done Yet is just The Money Pit remade for the young'ns?

[taumel]

@Armakuni

Well, i do complain as it seems that each vendor does only sees his product and not the whole story in which you have to swap those disks each time you want to start a different game unless you get yourself non-cd patches who really everyone i know nowadays uses although having bought originals. This is really just a joke and there is no benefit for those who bought the software.

I've already registered an account so why can't i use this one without any further hassle? Make an online check if available and if not do the cd check for instance or come up with something more innovative (goodie copy protection, i'm sure if you think about it you can come up with something more complex than a codewheel whilst still beeing easy to use).

The CD check will be performed (if i suspect right) each time you start the game and forces you to keep this disc in the drive. My online registiation only asked me once for each install. I think it's quite obvious which way is easier to deal with...

[ken830]

Awesome! No complaints from me! But I do have a question... The same question I asked back in November... I would like to quote myself from this thread: http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1266

I already purchased Season 1, and am planning on paying for shipping for the CD of the entire season. But I also want one of those super-stylish Max crossbones caps! $16 is a good price, but almost $7 on shipping is not. Can the shipping be combined?

And I live and work in the Bay Area, so I could actually do a pick-up... It would be nice if there was a will-call window... It would be even nicer if I could get a tour of the place... *hint* *hint* :)

So? Whaddaya say?! I really want a cap, and I will definitely be getting the Season 1 DVD! Can we combine them in one order to save on shipping!? I'm sure a lot of people here would want some merchandise too... Think of all the sales! Please?

[Chuck]

The DVD looks to be fantabulous, Telltale! The CD check is a little annoying, but understandable. It used to be standard on all games, so I'm counting it as an anachronistic feature to better immerse ourselves into the roles of the C.O.P.S.
"used to be?" "anachronistic?" I don't have a single game that doesn't do the CD/DVD check. Except for Half-Life 2, I guess, but of course that's got the super-convenient, streamlined, and trouble-free Steam system running at all times.

Man, when I think of all the times I've had to take a CD out of its jewel case, put it in my drive, and push the door closed, just to play a videogame, it's amazing I even have the energy left to type. All those minutes of my life slipping through my fingers like sand through an hourglass. I look up from the drive to realize my children have already grown up and gone to college. And my son -- the baby I once held in my arms, dreaming of his potential -- is already digging through his own CD library to play an M-rated game, and I realize that the boy is just like me. The boy is just like me.

[ShaggE]

Man, when I think of all the times I've had to take a CD out of its jewel case, put it in my drive, and push the door closed, just to play a videogame, it's amazing I even have the energy left to type. All those minutes of my life slipping through my fingers like sand through an hourglass. I look up from the drive to realize my children have already grown up and gone to college. And my son -- the baby I once held in my arms, dreaming of his potential -- is already digging through his own CD library to play an M-rated game, and I realize that the boy is just like me. The boy is just like me.

Sniff... so beautiful..... :p

True, though. One of the things that make me want to have a kid is teaching them the importance of late-night LAN parties with cheeto-dust covered hands and a 6 pack of energy drinks at your side. The moral obligation to not spam MMO servers with requests for A,S, and/or L.

And most importantly,
The Gaming Commandments. (abridged for forum purposes)
Thou shalt not hax.
Thou shalt not TK, KS or SK.
Thou mustn't hype thine own console, whilst proclaiming it to be The One True Console.
Thou shalt not spam.
Honor thy classics.


There are others, but... yeah.... I'm sleep-deprived... don't mind me.

[Hero1]

"used to be?" "anachronistic?" I don't have a single game that doesn't do the CD/DVD check. Except for Half-Life 2, I guess, but of course that's got the super-convenient, streamlined, and trouble-free Steam system running at all times.

Man, when I think of all the times I've had to take a CD out of its jewel case, put it in my drive, and push the door closed, just to play a videogame, it's amazing I even have the energy left to type. All those minutes of my life slipping through my fingers like sand through an hourglass. I look up from the drive to realize my children have already grown up and gone to college. And my son -- the baby I once held in my arms, dreaming of his potential -- is already digging through his own CD library to play an M-rated game, and I realize that the boy is just like me. The boy is just like me.

The funny thing is he doesnt even have to put the cd in because he's already got the downloadable episodes sitting on his computer :)

[xChri5x]

exactly. BE happy. Telltale are amazing.

[Jennifer]

The first thing I thought when I saw the Sam & Max Season One disc information page:

"Woah. Fone Bone. By a ship. What the heck? Ooh. An image of Max as a pirate. I really want to get that disc now to find out what this is all about."

[ShaggE]

What that was about: TT decided to webcast a toy pirate that grows in water, that there screenshot is from the webcast

[Hero1]

exactly. BE happy.

hugh bliss has got to you hasn't he

[Jake]

Awesome! No complaints from me! But I do have a question... The same question I asked back in November... I would like to quote myself from this thread: http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1266

So? Whaddaya say?! I really want a cap, and I will definitely be getting the Season 1 DVD! Can we combine them in one order to save on shipping!? I'm sure a lot of people here would want some merchandise too... Think of all the sales! Please?

We'd be very happy if people took advantage of that moment to also pick up some more products from our store in one order, so barring unforseen tech-explosions, count on being able to bundle some other stuff with your season set order.

[marsan]

The CD check will be performed (if i suspect right) each time you start the game and forces you to keep this disc in the drive. My online registiation only asked me once for each install. I think it's quite obvious which way is easier to deal with...

I understand where you are coming from. Personally, I much rather want a disc check then some creepy online activation which sends my private information(without telling me exactly what it is sending) across the Internet, perhaps it is even encrypted to make sure I don't understand it is sending a list of all the files I have on my hardrive, or the name of my last girlfriend.

Even though I don't like checks of this kind at all, no matter if it's offline or online, of the two evils I think the disc check is the smallest. I always got plenty of dvd drives/cd drives lying around, and I can always find a way to put a dvd/cd drive into my computer, but there aren't always a internet connection around. Also, in many cases daemon tools and such can make it possible to stash an image on my drive instead, and keep the disc safe away from harm. I just hope they have picked a computer friendly protection, not safedisc or starforce... SecuROM would be the best, or something Jake and Mark has hacked together in the backroom :) Best of all with a disc check is that I can play the game in 10 or 20 years without an Internet connection. Of course, another issue is if it's possible to make backup copies of the DVD(in case of scratches), but at least disc checks are more longwitty than online activations.

[taumel]

But you need the online connection only once and then you're free to go. With the cd-check you'll always have to take the disc with you. Playing the game on your desktop at home, plug the disc in the drive. Wanting to play the game on your laptop when you're around. You need to take the disc with you.

As for the personal data. I understand you but you already gave your information to them so if you don't trust ttg then it's kind of to late now... ;O)

By the way why isn't the serial i already got enough to unlock the game? I guess this is a serial built on personal data?

[OnCallDoc]

This DVD is everything I dreamed it could be. Thanks Telltale.
I prefer the cd-check myself btw.

[tabacco]

But you need the online connection only once and then you're free to go. With the cd-check you'll always have to take the disc with you. Playing the game on your desktop at home, plug the disc in the drive. Wanting to play the game on your laptop when you're around. You need to take the disc with you.

Nobody's going to be stopping you from continuing to use the downloadable versions.

[xChri5x]

Nobody's going to be stopping you from continuing to use the downloadable versions.

Exactly. If you don't like it, don't get them to ship it.

[Armakuni]

But you need the online connection only once and then you're free to go.
It has to be reactivated if you make major changes to your computer.
And what if the activation servers go offline? Then what? You'll be stuck with a demo if you ever upgrade your PC.

And just use the versions you already have, I can't see why you're complaining. I'm sure the versions on the DVD will be exactly the same as the downloadable ones and I doubt any of the extra content has any CD checks.

[tabacco]

And just use the versions you already have, I can't see why you're complaining. I'm sure the versions on the DVD will be exactly the same as the downloadable ones and I doubt any of the extra content has any CD checks.

The extras are DVD-Video content, so that's sort of built-in disc checking :)

[Badwolf]

I don't think there's any real hardship in taking the disc with you wherever you want to play it. Just get a CD carry case or something, most games have that sort of protection now (Broken Sword 4 being the first game that comes to mind).

I don't mind the copy protection on the downloadable versions or the DVD version. It's not that intrusive, and stops Telltale being ripped off for their hard work.

Also, the drive shouldn't make too much noise reading the game unless it's getting old now. Mine's not top of the range or brand new, but it doesn't make much noise.

Besides, it sounds like it'll be worth getting for the extra features alone.

[taumel]

@tabacco
Do you really think that someone would be interested in playing a version which has depending on the episode different bugs and worse audio quality then the DVD version he also owns? I hope not...

[taumel]

@Armakuni
The fear to get stucked also showed up with HL2. I never experienced it but i see your point and that's the reason i've said a) why do i need anything beside of my personalised serial or another mechansim which is more fun too and b) if you are more the Fort Knoxs type then check for the serial online and if there is no connection then go for the DVD check instead.

Really there must be a better solution than implementing a copyprotection which is none and you patch instantly.

Loco...

[Barak]

This is incredibly awesome TT staff :) I couldn't be more thrilled. I will order the dics as soon as it is available, and maybe a bit of other Sam & Max stuff as well!

[purple_monkfish]

OMG! what the heck is with the complaining? TELLTALE YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I'm so excited about this disk!!
as for disk checks.. whoopdy f'n do, so the drive boots up once in a while.. oh no, my world is shattering from the shere effort of having to place a cd in a drive. Someone else said it much better than I ever could though.. lol about the strength to type.
Anyway, at least it's only one disk. I've NEVER in my life heard someone complain about something as inane as having to use a cd.. I mean wth? the only part of cds i've found annoying is multiple disks with no option to just install the lot in one go (Baldur's gate, torment, Grim fandango even). I hate disk switching but when I sit down to play a game that disk stays in the drive till i'm done playing. actually, most of the time they stay in the drive till I find a new game and realise both my disk drives already have disks in em.. oops.

speaking of disk drives and sorta off topic: Does anyone remember the days when to use a cd drive you had to place the cd in that wierd protective box thingie and then slot it into the drive? those things drove me nuts, they were like giant minidisk covers and were annoying to open.

Telltale> ok, so we have commentry which is awesome.. what about the soundtrack? There's still a lot of tracks that haven't been released like most of the end credit tracks (Ted E bear theme with lyrics, Maxmaxmaxmax world etc). Yay soundtrack!
And ooo combined shipping... curse you tempting me to buy more stuff I have no room for... mmmm s&m book... mmm posters... mmm stuffffff!

[tabacco]

taumel, it sort of sounds like we're not going to make you happy no matter what we do, here.

[taumel]

No, that's a wrong impression. Actually i'm very happy with a lot of things you guys do and i also wrote this more than once. The last time in my review about e6 and i also promote your game on different lists (game developers as gamers) and word by mouth propaganda but that doesn't mean that everything is nice.

I'm just not happy with the way the DVD protection is working, like most of the poeple who i know aren't happy with those mechanisms. It surely needs some rethinking and stats to make a meaningful decision on this one but i strongly believe that there could be a better solution. Pirated copies already include these patches out of the box. The only ones who have some etxra work with it or have to life with these limitation are those who buy an original. Does it really has to be this way?

And just doing it because the others do it as well doesn't sound convincing to me.

[xChri5x]

It sucks how I have to put DVD's into my dvd player to watch movies. Sucks, major.

I don't get it!

[Jake]

The downloadable versions will also be updated to be in sync with the versions on the DVD and the Retail release. It'll all be the same.

[ShaggE]

Think of it this way: They're not using Starforce, they're not using CD-Keys, there's no middleware (like Steam) needed, and it's much more work to redownload than it is to take the DVD out of it's case and put it in the drive. The next logical step in convienience would be to have someone play the games for you :P

[ReverendTed]

Even as much as I dislike them, a disk-check is a relative non-issue, because the first thing I do when I buy a game is download a no-cd "patch" for it.

[Armakuni]

I always thought double clicking the game icon was too much work. How about including some Windows modification that lets you start the game by only clicking on the icon once?

I would also appreciate it if Sam & Max did everything on their own except when I move the mouse to take control... sometimes I find it too much work to actually move the characters around on screen, surely this can be remedied?

Oh and opening the menu screen wears me out.. I'd like keyboard shortcuts to all the options and a keyboard layout I can put on top of my keyboard so I won't have to go through all the trouble to memorize them.

[Teilan]

Telltale, you've really outdone yourselves (again). This DVD looks to give us fans more than I ever could've expected. How many other game companies can you think of which do this for their products? You spoil us...you really do!

OMG! what the heck is with the complaining? TELLTALE YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!
Anyway, at least it's only one disk. I've NEVER in my life heard someone complain about something as inane as having to use a cd. when I sit down to play a game that disk stays in the drive till i'm done playing. actually, most of the time they stay in the drive till I find a new game and realise both my disk drives already have disks in em.. oops.

^Great stuff!
Hmm...what game should I play today...FEAR? Alright, I'll pop the DVD into my DVD-ROM and start up the game. Maybe I'll play Fable; pop the CD into my CD-ROM and play the game. Y'know, I think I'll play the super-awesome Sam & Max Season 1. I'll pop the DVD into my DVD-ROM and play the game.

How many years have PC Gamers been doing this? What is so difficult about this process?!? :rolleyes:

[Anghild]

This is the best news ever. I took me about 5 months to make up my mind before purchasing the whole season. I would have done it from day one if it weren't for the online activation.

Not that I mind activating, but I collect adventure games and my concern was that I wouldn't be able to play the games again in 6 or 7 years if the activation servers went down for some reason. I replay most of my adventure games every 3 years or so for nostalgic value.

Season one will have a special place on my shelf, right next to the kq1 remake which was the very first adv game I bought years ago. (Don't think the 9 floppies it came on work anymore, but the manual from that game is splendid)

Thank you Telltale! You'll have my support for as long as you keep the seasons rolling in.

[Hero1]

Can someone from telltale come over here and play the game for me..its too much work.. I hate these game mechanisms where you actually have to move the mouse around to play.. I just want to sit motionless and do nothing.

[marsan]

I really think you guys should stop now. This is passing over to mockery.

[LuigiHann]

The downloadable versions will also be updated to be in sync with the versions on the DVD and the Retail release. It'll all be the same.

I figured that.

Everybody wins.

[ShaggE]

I really think you guys should stop now. This is passing over to mockery.

I don't think anyone meant any malice by it, just some friendly ribbing. :)

[Armakuni]

I certainly don't mean to be hostile, don't take me seriously anyone :D

[ken830]

We'd be very happy if people took advantage of that moment to also pick up some more products from our store in one order, so barring unforseen tech-explosions, count on being able to bundle some other stuff with your season set order.

:D Perfect! Sam & Max merchandise for me! Can hardly wait!

[Armakuni]

That's a great marketing trick ;)

One that I will most definately take advantage of :D

[taumel]

Well, like it or not i don't see a real benefit in a CD check and it feels like a bad solution because:

a) It might give you the impression of a copy protection whilst there is none. The only one who might benefit from it, is the company which sells the product if you don't implement one on your own.
b) Those who pirate, copy no matter if there is such a mechanism beeing involved.
c) For the others it's easy and common to use no cd-patches since years. It's only annoying extra work you have to do on top where you ask yourself "Why does it has to be this way?!".
d) I would prefer a personalised serial with which i can unlock my content or a goodie protection. If it's personalised people could be afraid of giving away their serial because of that their name might show up somwhere, so it's kind of a stopper for those.
e) I find it a strange relationship that i'm treated like a non trusted person out of the box. I trusted you, you don't trust me.
f) ... *time out*

It's nice that the online content gets updated too. I dunno if this works on different computers but this would enable you to download the game also if your somewhere else. On the other side i still don't see this as a proper solution for the DVD as when i buy the DVD i already have this content here. So why should i download all those files again? All this redundant work just for avoiding the DVD-check? Come on...i feel like i got myself into another episode of Culture Shock...

[dloeke]

We'd be very happy if people took advantage of that moment to also pick up some more products from our store in one order, so barring unforseen tech-explosions, count on being able to bundle some other stuff with your season set order.

More S&M-merchandise, eh? *makes room for more stuff on my Sam & Max-altar*

Excellent. ;) The Season One Disc is beautiful, TT. I finished the last episode last night, and was amazed. I've always said that the Gabriel Knight-games are my favorite games, but I think I can add the first Sam & Max-season as well. I think you've outdone Hit The Road, and that deserves a whole lot of credit.

So excuse me, I'm just gonna go cry my eyes out because I'm gonna have to wait so long for another episode. :rolleyes:

[Armakuni]

I see the information page has been changed.. why is that? Well it basically says the same thing only it's not in a list like before.

[Haggis]

Sam and Max ran out of ammunition, so they took the list bullets.

[ReverendTed]

Sam and Max ran out of ammunition, so they took the list bullets.Har har

[Jake]

Well, like it or not i don't see a real benefit in a CD check and it feels like a bad solution because:

a) It might give you the impression of a copy protection whilst there is none. The only one who might benefit from it, is the company which sells the product if you don't implement one on your own.
b) Those who pirate, copy no matter if there is such a mechanism beeing involved.
c) For the others it's easy and common to use no cd-patches since years. It's only annoying extra work you have to do on top where you ask yourself "Why does it has to be this way?!".
d) I would prefer a personalised serial with which i can unlock my content or a goodie protection. If it's personalised people could be afraid of giving away their serial because of that their name might show up somwhere, so it's kind of a stopper for those.
e) I find it a strange relationship that i'm treated like a non trusted person out of the box. I trusted you, you don't trust me.
f) ... *time out*

It's nice that the online content gets updated too. I dunno if this works on different computers but this would enable you to download the game also if your somewhere else. On the other side i still don't see this as a proper solution for the DVD as when i buy the DVD i already have this content here. So why should i download all those files again? All this redundant work just for avoiding the DVD-check? Come on...i feel like i got myself into another episode of Culture Shock...

Hey taumel,

Seriously, thanks for letting us know what you think about the way we're doing the Season One disc. We're not going to change course on this particular product, because it's already almost done and out the door, but if anything hopefully the fact that we're doing it differently from our past products shows you that we're constantly looking for new ways to solve our problems. I know you're posting in hopes that your voice will be heard and your concerns addressed, so please trust me (before you repeat yourself in a slightly reformatted version of the same numbered list another time ;) ), we do listen to this stuff, and we're (possibly criminally) addicted to working towards a better customer experience, and improving on what we've got.

Maybe the way we chose for this product isn't 100% ideal to everyone (for instance, yoruself :)), but we're always looking to improve and this is one step along the way.

The idea of a single serial number or unified login to unlock a Telltale product you own regardless of format or location you install it is something we've thought about a lot, and is the type of extremely user-friendly, un-hostile solution we'd like to eventually permanently provide sometime down the line. We simply don't have the resources to build a system like that in time for this disc release, so for now we went with what is nearly the industry standard: a CD check.

Hopefully a CD check doesn't personally offend you to the point that you don't keep coming back, because if you leave you'll be missing out :) But for now: your comments are duly noted. Thanks!

[Jake]

I see the information page has been changed.. why is that? Well it basically says the same thing only it's not in a list like before.

Just made a few revisions to the text. One of the many mysteries of advertising copywriting and editing, I'm afraid.

[purple_monkfish]

Ahahahah ahahahahah the mockery ... oh man... I wish I was so lazy!

anyhoo

Yay Jake... yay replies! Yay cd checks! I'm soooo excited about my shiny shiny dvd soon to be available and in my grubby mits oh yes... mwahahahah

[Armakuni]

I can see his point about the CD checks actually.. I wasn't serious with all those comments before, I was just having a little fun coming up with silly stuff.. sorry if you took any offence, none was meant! :)

However, personally I think a CD check is far better than authentication for the reasons I've given before in this thread. And I know there are quite a few people who aren't too happy about authentication.

I think the way they're doing it now is brilliant - this gives both the people who prefer CD checks and the people who prefer authentication what they want. The authentication and DVD versions will be identical and even if you have to redownload the authentication versions (if the DVD versions are improved and the online ones are changed to mirror that), I'm sure you wouldn't be so selfish as to try to deny people who prefer CD checks this version only because you have to redownload the games?

[barchetta]

Somewhere, on some Swedish server, I found 3 episodes of S&M, with patches to strip them from their registration check. It really made me feel mad, as you don't deserve to be ripped (unlike some multi billion software company near Seattle - I don't mind half the world copying their OS). You may have spotted that yourself too, TTG.

Anyhow, what did feel a tiny bit comforting is that they never got past the 3 episodes; maybe the protection scheme has changed with ep. 4? In that case, way to go! as they probably haven't cracked that one. Or are hackers not interested in a good adventure game and lost interest? Booh!

Bottom line - well, there isn't one. But I'm happy with the way things are: I paid my 6 episodes (seperately!) and will pay for shipping and handling for my DVD, courtesy of some nice people at Tell Tale Games, and don't mind either copy protection, be it an online check or cd (dvd!) check. You won't hear me complaining!

[Cyberlink420]

Yeah, I'd much prefer a CD check over authentication. It seems like my Activation Key for Culture Shock expires every time I play it. If it means that I can play the game with no hassle, I'd be more than willing to submit to the occasional CD check.

[ShaggE]

Somewhere, on some Swedish server, I found 3 episodes of S&M, with patches to strip them from their registration check. It really made me feel mad, as you don't deserve to be ripped (unlike some multi billion software company near Seattle - I don't mind half the world copying their OS). You may have spotted that yourself too, TTG.

Anyhow, what did feel a tiny bit comforting is that they never got past the 3 episodes; maybe the protection scheme has changed with ep. 4? In that case, way to go! as they probably haven't cracked that one. Or are hackers not interested in a good adventure game and lost interest? Booh!

Bottom line - well, there isn't one. But I'm happy with the way things are: I paid my 6 episodes (seperately!) and will pay for shipping and handling for my DVD, courtesy of some nice people at Tell Tale Games, and don't mind either copy protection, be it an online check or cd (dvd!) check. You won't hear me complaining!

I was really happy to see that hackers gave up after Episode 3. It probably forced alot of people to buy the last 3 episodes :D

[Armakuni]

I think it's mainly because it's not really a huge title yet.. if this series was as popular as say.. Half Life, then I'm sure they would all be cracked by now.
But it's a great thing they aren't! I really hope Telltale will get as much money as they can out of this series.

[Mel]

Somewhere, on some Swedish server, I found 3 episodes of S&M, with patches to strip them from their registration check. It really made me feel mad, as you don't deserve to be ripped (unlike some multi billion software company near Seattle - I don't mind half the world copying their OS).

I've never gotten this logic.

1. What if Telltale became a multi billion dollar company. Would it then be OK to start ripping their stuff off?

2. That company (that you don't care if it gets ripped off) has become a faceless entity to many people. But remember that regardless of the size of the company, real human beings work there. They aren't all making millions of dollars in salary and are trying to make a living, take care of themselves and their families. Enough ripping off happens and while the big boys may survive, the little guy/gal who works there may get screwed.

You gotten to know the people behind Telltale which has changed the way you think about things. Perhaps if you were to get to know some of the people who worked at that other big company, you may not be so willing to rip them off.

/soapbox

[AdamG]

We'd be very happy if people took advantage of that moment to also pick up some more products from our store in one order, so barring unforseen tech-explosions, count on being able to bundle some other stuff with your season set order.

Oh, very well. I did want to buy something else sometime anyway, and I think you guys deserve some profit for not merely puting the six episodes on a vanilla DVD with nothing special. :) I think I'll get that Max's Skull & Bones shirt and the poster print (To be framed later.) when I request the DVD.

[marsan]

I've never gotten this logic.

1. What if Telltale became a multi billion dollar company. Would it then be OK to start ripping their stuff off?


For me, it matters more what kind of policy and actions the company has taken in the past. I don't think in theory that it is ok to rip anybody off, but I have to say that if a company has been unethical in the past(or are unethical now), I would've felt less guilty for using something from them without paying. I have read and experienced both first and second hand so many horrible and bad stories about this nameless company and other big companies which I don't care to namedrop, that I have decided to stay away from buying their products. But if I still need their products(like, it's the only product which does what I need it to do) then there really ain't no other option except either "ripping the company off" as you guys put it, or buying something from the company with the knowledge that these money might be used for something ethically horrible and awful. A third option is to get a used copy/new copy from somebody else you know(and thus not giving the money to the company), or buy it used from somebody, but this is something which is getting harder and harder, because of hardware fingerprints and such trying to force you not to activate a product too many times. That's of course another discussion, do you ever own a copy of Windows for example, when you can only activate it a number of time before you have to call around to open it up again(something which may be impossible someday)? But that's another very long discussion, so I'll stay away from it.

It kind of feels the same as buying a pair of pants you know comes from a factory that performs child labor, or buying food from a company you know exploit the farmers in asia who makes the food. It really is easy to get stuck between a rock and a hard place, where you either have to select to not get your job done, or where you have to do something illegal to get the stuff done. Even though there might be individuals in the unethical company that I decide to boycot, that loose their jobs, I have to first consider what ethical values the company are representing before buying something. Because after all, companies no longer sell products, they sell brands. It's why it's so important to get possitive representations attached to your brand.

But of course, just because a company is small doesn't mean it's ethical or unethical, so I really believe in considering each company by itself, without considering how much money they earn. A sad fact is though, that many companies have a tendency to become power crazy when they become big and earn enough money to buy practically anybody who can gain their cause. This is a sad thing, and is why the world needs good corruption laws, units who can investigate companies etc...

[ShaggE]

While I mostly agree with that, by the same logic I could say the PS3 is ridiculously overpriced, which is an unethical way to squeeze extra money from consumers, therefore I could steal a PS3 without worrying about having ripped Sony (and it's innocent individual employees) out of 600 bucks, since the money they would have gotten could have been used for building more overpriced hardware.

Or I could steal a GTA game, since it's unethical to make games involving racial stereotypes and murder sprees, and Rockstar could make more GTA sequels with the money they would have recieved.

(side note: I actually love GTA, but it was the first software related analogy I could think of :p)

[Zeek]

I only resort to piracy when it is appropriate. As of recent? I will admittingly say that I had to do some pirating in order to get my hands on some publically broadcasted copyrighted media that SHOULD have been made available to the public in an archival manner, but was not for whatever reasons those may be.

I love my VHS/DVR combo unit.:D

[taumel]

@Jake

I'm glad that you wrote this as i already felt like Sisyphus...

If you would be EA driven for instance i would never have tried to come up with this at all but as you're really looking like that you're trying to improve and making things right, i felt like don't miss the chance to tell them.

And nope i don't feel offended...yet... :O)

[Armakuni]

I think we can all agree copy protection is a pain and we can debate how useful it really is.
I respect that you prefer on-line authentication but surely you can see the danger of this approach in the long run?

Anyway, Telltale is giving us both options here so there is really nothing to complain about except perhaps having to redownload some stuff which is really no big deal.

[OnCallDoc]

Somewhere, on some Swedish server, I found 3 episodes of S&M, with patches to strip them from their registration check. It really made me feel mad, as you don't deserve to be ripped (unlike some multi billion software company near Seattle - I don't mind half the world copying their OS). You may have spotted that yourself too, TTG.

Anyhow, what did feel a tiny bit comforting is that they never got past the 3 episodes; maybe the protection scheme has changed with ep. 4? In that case, way to go! as they probably haven't cracked that one. Or are hackers not interested in a good adventure game and lost interest? Booh!

Bottom line - well, there isn't one. But I'm happy with the way things are: I paid my 6 episodes (separately!) and will pay for shipping and handling for my DVD, courtesy of some nice people at Tell Tale Games, and don't mind either copy protection, be it an online check or cd (dvd!) check. You won't hear me complaining!

Your post made me curious. I checked that certain Swedish site and found that the later episodes have been made available. Sadly, I doubt anything can stop them. Every game ends up there eventually.
It makes me wonder how cheap people can get by not paying for at least one episode. I'd understand if there were no demos available but when there are, its ridiculous.

[Zeek]

I'd understand if there were no demos available but when there are, its ridiculous.

See, that right there is the killing factor. TTG's "Demos" are actually the full game. They are just locked by a code after a certain point in the game.

If TTG did what LA did with their demos and only release the files needed for whatever part of the game you are playing as a demo, chances are we wouldn't see a crack like this.

We'd end up seeing much worse, actually.

[Candle]

looking forward to getting the disk..

[marsan]

See, that right there is the killing factor. TTG's "Demos" are actually the full game. They are just locked by a code after a certain point in the game.

If TTG did what LA did with their demos and only release the files needed for whatever part of the game you are playing as a demo, chances are we wouldn't see a crack like this.

We'd end up seeing much worse, actually.

In a traditional sense, the game hasn't been released yet. Usually the games are first cracked by the heavy duty cracking groups when they are released on DVDs and CDs. That's the only reason why not all episodes are cracked yet. If you look at the cracking groups, it's mostly small time cracking groups which nobody has heard of before. Anyway, good job on cracking them. They have spent a lot of hardworked hours on breaking those protections, and an important aspect when I bought the season was that I expected the episodes to be cracked before the season is over. The reason for that was because I don't want to depend on an online activation, and at the time TTG hadn't decided what kind of protection there would be on the final DVD/CD. For me, my user rights are very important, so this is always something I consider before buying a game. Sometimes I even will look for an illegal copy online just to find out if the game has a crack yet, so I won't have to struggle with some copy protection that gives me problems after I bought the game.

True, they might have been able to prevent it being cracked if they had only released a small part as a "demo", but this would remove the ability to activate a product without having an internet connection among other things. One could also argue that if they had made it so you had to be connected all the time to a server while playing the game, you would have practically nil illegal copies, but this would limit the availability of the product in other ways. Anyway, like I said before, I'm glad there are cracks released, because they protect my rights to copy my games, I just don't want them to be released just 3 days or a week after the game is out(like what happend with the first, second and third episode).

[ShaggE]

One could also argue that if they had made it so you had to be connected all the time to a server while playing the game, you would have practically nil illegal copies

Half Life 2 requires a connection to Steam, but there are many ways to circumvent that, at the cost of not being able to use mods. They've really thought of everything, unfortunately. (or fortunately, if your one of the many pissed-off people who hate having to rely on Steam to play a game they bought)

[BarfHappy]

Ah fantastic news ! (i ve been very busy lately, didn't see the DVD news :) )

I just have one hope, it doesn't tell me "Please remove any DVD emulation software" or something like that instead of launching the game. I do amateur DVD authoring for a video association and my best friend is the DVD emulator to play my master images.

Whatever, even if i cannot play using the DVD, i ll still be able to watch the extras and have the box sit on my shelf and that's what counts. Thanks for the hard work to please your S&M-fans-customers, much appreciated :P

[presidentmax]

Really happy with this and i must own it. :D :D :D

This is a question i've been wondering for a while but not to worried about... is there any plans for how the six episodes will be displayed. Will it be that you play as chapters? will you be able to choose which episode you want to play straight from the start? will it play as one game with no credits inbetween (most unlikely) :)

just wondering out of curiousity :cool:

[tim333]

Um, the fact that the disc is a DVD caught me off guard. I don't have a DVD-ROM drive. I have a DVD player that I could use to view all the nice video content, but as for the games... Well, I have a laptop with a DVD-ROM drive, but it doesn't run the games nearly as well as my desktop and I have to play with graphics set to low quality, which is a bummer.

Please tell me I'm not out of luck here. I subscribed way back before episode 1 partially with the idea of eventually getting the whole deal on a disc.

[marsan]

@tim333: according to http://www.telltalegames.com/store/samandmax-season1-disc you can e-mail them at info@telltalegames.com and they will do their best to find some other solution :)

[xChri5x]

....like a dirt smeered cd-r in a paper sleeve! hahaha

Jk,

[diego_pmc]

Sorry for not reading all the posts, but when is the disk going to be released?
I haven't both any of the episodes until now, only played the demos, since I was waiting for the disk. So when will it be released?

[Derwin]

@diego_pmc
Check out the page below for details. They say they are aiming for mid-June.
http://www.telltalegames.com/store/samandmax-season1-disc

@everyone else
I am concerned that so much focus is being put on the disc check and not on the fact that there is a picture of the Grow a Pirate on the DVD page. Someone mentioned it, but no one else commented upon it afterwards. Am I the only one who is worried that TTG might have included on the DVD several days of lackluster Grow A Pirate webcam footage?

[Harald B]

I am concerned that so much focus is being put on the disc check and not on the fact that there is a picture of the Grow a Pirate on the DVD page. Someone mentioned it, but no one else commented upon it afterwards. Am I the only one who is worried that TTG might have included on the DVD several days of lackluster Grow A Pirate webcam footage?
I've noticed, but why would that be a cause for worry? I'm sure that that footage won't be high-quality enough to take up a lot of diskspace. If nothing else it can't be because the recorded footage was never high-quality to begin with, the resolution being barely over half a megapixel and the framerate actually being less than 1. So it can hardly take up much more space than an hour or two of youtube-quality video.

[Jake]

@everyone else
I am concerned that so much focus is being put on the disc check and not on the fact that there is a picture of the Grow a Pirate on the DVD page. Someone mentioned it, but no one else commented upon it afterwards. Am I the only one who is worried that TTG might have included on the DVD several days of lackluster Grow A Pirate webcam footage?

You got us, the disc is in fact nothing but grow a pirate. It used up the whole disc, in fact, so we had to cut all the other content.

[fajerkaos]

* Many hours of unique video material directly from Telltales office?

Wow, I can't wait! :D

(my sense of humour seems even weirder that usual... Interesting...)

[Mel]

There will be gripping close ups of the aqua carpet with special emphasis on the weird shaped stains. :p

[Cyberlink420]

Ooh, sweet! Maybe Grow-A-Pirate should get a commentary too...

[AdamG]

Ewww, wierd shaped stains. The possibilities are endless. :(

[Emily]

Yeah, I'd much prefer a CD check over authentication. It seems like my Activation Key for Culture Shock expires every time I play it. If it means that I can play the game with no hassle, I'd be more than willing to submit to the occasional CD check.

Are you using Vista? If yes, that's why. It's a bug. ;)

If you're not using Vista... well, the system is a bit more finicky than we'd like. Which is one of the reasons we're actively looking for ways to improve it. The fact that we can't snap our fingers and make instant changes doesn't mean we're not listening to everything you guys say, and also taking what you say and extrapolating it in our minds until it's so loud and repetitious we have to hide under the desk in a fetal ball.

Hmm... too much information, maybe?

[Cyberlink420]

Actually, yes, I am using Vista.

Wow, not only does TellTale listen to their fans, their staff is made up entirely of mind readers! And not the creepy, overly cheerful space bacteria type, either!

[Emily]

We have an alternate version that works on Vista, that you can use until we fix this in the retail version. If you want it, just email support@telltalegames.com and ask.

Otherwise, we'll have the Vista bug fixed soon. :)

[Cyberlink420]

That's all right, I can wait. Take your time.

[ken830]

I've been using Vista (Vista Ultimate x64) since episode 4, and never had a problem with activation.

[presidentmax]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Really happy with this and i must own it.

This is a question i've been wondering for a while but not to worried about... is there any plans for how the six episodes will be displayed. Will it be that you play as chapters? will you be able to choose which episode you want to play straight from the start? will it play as one game with no credits inbetween (most unlikely)

just wondering out of curiousity

[Armakuni]

My guess is that it is simply the episodes put on a DVD. This is just a bonus, not something with a big budget or anything.

[keksausmainz]

I'm really wondering how high shipping and taxes will be for Germany... We've got 19% VAT on all things here (just raised from 16%).

In which countries will you deliver the DVD?

Besides:
Oh my god, a DISK CHECK!! I will be forced to USE the DVD sent to me. I can't stand it...
*irony off*
Buy yourself a second DVD drive and all your trouble are gone. There's a application named "SpeedMeter" or so, that can slow down your drive, so it doesn't make any noises.

Glad to help :)

[electronicpakrat]

I bought Episode 1 in Nov '06 and was initially put off by the activation scheme (no need to discuss it, don't want to either). However, the recent announcement of the DVD changes all that.

So, I've just upgraded to the full season and the rest is history. ;)

Thanks Telltale! :D

[tabacco]

I'm really wondering how high shipping and taxes will be for Germany... We've got 19% VAT on all things here (just raised from 16%).

In which countries will you deliver the DVD?

I can't answer the shipping/tax question, because I don't know, but we'll sell the DVD to customers in any country we're legally allowed to sell things to.

[Zeek]

I can't answer the shipping/tax question, because I don't know, but we'll sell the DVD to customers in any country we're legally allowed to sell things to.

"Legally allowed to sell?" You have a restricted shipping list too?! Dear God, I hope my state isn't on it. Nobody will ship anything to Tennessee for stupid legal reasons, forcing me to get all my online purchases from the one site I hate the most.... amazon.com...

[tabacco]

There are some countries US companies aren't legally allowed to sell to because of trade sanctions, etc. Tennessee is not a problem.

[Zeek]

Oh good. I'm happy again.:)

[ReverendTed]

There are some countries US companies aren't legally allowed to sell to because of trade sanctions, etc. Tennessee is not a problem.Kentucky, on the other hand...nothin' thar but terrerists.

[Theosis]

Hello,

Any official word on whether the DVD will have starforce or not?

Also, will you be shipping the season 1 disc to Canada? I'm only asking because some distributors (Amazon among others) won't ship videogames to Canada for some reason.

Thank you :)

[tabacco]

I just said 5 posts earlier that we'll ship to any country we're legally allowed to :p

And no, the disc won't use starforce.

[Nemisi]

A little bit of a complicated question, but I try to formulate it :)

I have bought the complete package of all 6 episodes. Now, here in Germany, Jowood will release the complete Season 1 completly localized in german...is it possible for me (and others) to get this one instead the english one for shipping only?

Thanks!

[Erwin]

Will you be shipping the disc to... Gneheheh... Sorry, just couldn't resist. :)

--Erwin

[Jake]

A little bit of a complicated question, but I try to formulate it :)

I have bought the complete package of all 6 episodes. Now, here in Germany, Jowood will release the complete Season 1 completly localized in german...is it possible for me (and others) to get this one instead the english one for shipping only?

Thanks!

The JoWood and Adventure Company retail releases are completely separate products from the downloadable Season One w/bonus disc offering that we're doing on this site - the actual disc product you'll be getting from us is a disc release produced by Telltale, not by JoWood/The Adventure Company - so the deals aren't really swappable.

[marsan]

does that mean the TTG version of the DVD won't have localization of the voices(like in german, spanish, french...)?

[Jake]

That's correct. It's patched and updated versions of the exact games you downloaded, plus a gigantic helping of extras.

[Armakuni]

Localization is evil, I hate it with a passion! Nothing worse than Norwegian text or voices in a game, I want the original text and the original voice actors! Fortunately not a lot of games are localized here.

[marsan]

same here. The only games I have bought which had localized versions (as well as the english versions) was Dreamfall and The Longest Journey. But those games were made by a norwegian company, so I think it's only fair that they released the game with languages from that country. Beside, I thought the norwegian voices were quite good. Anyway, when an american or UK based company releases games with voices in german or french I find it a bit silly. I mean, the only way to learn good english is through using it. Playing dubed games and watching dubed movies won't improve peoples ability to communicate in english(which you need to talk with very many people these days, in our global world).

I mean, in dreamfall, you could just turn the voices and text over to english, and in TLJ, you could just install another version. But on many games(at least a bit older games), the localized version only contains the game in the localized language, which can ruin the gaming experience, since the english voices sometimes say things differently than the voice speaking for the localized version does.

[Jostein]

Great work with the dvd. I wanna thank Telltale for their kindness. They really does anything for their fans to be happy:D

Localization is evil, I hate it with a passion! Nothing worse than Norwegian text or voices in a game, I want the original text and the original voice actors! Fortunately not a lot of games are localized here.

I have never experienced a single localized movie/game in Norway... (Exept cartoons for children that can't read yet, and "Kripos" that is locolized from swedish (polis) to norwegian) But there is a Norwegian game called The Longest Journey (Den Lengste Reisen) that is in Norwegian, and was in fact localized to English. Is that evil?:confused:

[Jostein]

But I agree. Localization is a bad thing...

[Jake]

Some people really really like it, and we're happy to work with JoWood/TAC to provide it, but we haven't got it for our season 1 bonus disc.

[Armakuni]

I have never experienced a single localized movie/game in Norway
The Sims games for instance :) And that PS2 game.. that gameshow thing with the custom controller.. forgotten the name.

But there is a Norwegian game called The Longest Journey (Den Lengste Reisen) that is in Norwegian, and was in fact localized to English. Is that evil?:confused:
Well.. it's a little different when we're talking about a small language like Norwegian.. it's only spoken by a few million people. But I think they should've given users the option to have it in the original language (in this case Norwegian), I always prefer that no matter what. Or they could always use the original voices and have English subtitles.


Hey, I see you're from Stavanger.. I live near Bryne :)

[Jostein]

The Sims games for instance :) And that PS2 game.. that gameshow thing with the custom controller.. forgotten the name.

Yes, of course, thank you for reminding me... But at least in the Sims you got the option to choose english, so thats ok. I've never played the PS2 game so I don't know how that works...

But I think they should've given users the option to have it in the original language (in this case Norwegian), I always prefer that no matter what. Or they could always use the original voices and have English subtitles.

I agree with you there. You should always have the option to choose the original language.

Hey, I see you're from Stavanger.. I live near Bryne

Cool... Great to meet other S&M fans around here. I'm from Vassøy outside Stavanger...:D

But maby we've run a bit off-topic here. The bonus disc isn't localized.

[marsan]

Cool... Great to meet other S&M fans around here. I'm from Vassøy outside Stavanger...:D

But maby we've run a bit off-topic here. The bonus disc isn't localized.


I'm from Sandvika, right outside of Oslo ;). Yeah, beside, I think JoWooD is a Austrian company, at least originally, so in a way they are just translating it to their own language when they make a localized version in german :) Anyway, I rather want a lot of bonus material instead of many localized versions.

[tim333]

Wait, what the hell? How on earth does anyone have such a problem with localization? Probably a good 45% of the video games I have ever played have been localized - I mean, it's not like I can speak Japanese.

Sometimes, localization teams do a really fantastic job. A good localization can really help a game...

[Armakuni]

For Japanese games, they should give you the option to have the text in either English or Japanese.. but the voices should be in Japanese. They should never replace the original voice actors, they just just sub it (in my opinion).

[Ooze33]

I've confused myself with the pricing:
Do you only pay money for shipping and handling, or do you have to pay the typical $34.95 also?

[Armakuni]

You only have to pay the shipping if already have the episodes.

[Ooze33]

I haven't gotten the episodes yet , so I'd have to pay the $34.95 right?

[tabacco]

I haven't gotten the episodes yet , so I'd have to pay the $34.95 right?

Yep, plus shipping and any applicable taxes for your country.

[Ooze33]

Yep, plus shipping and any applicable taxes for your country.

Thanks

[some nerdy guy]

This is going to rule. One question, I know there will be commentarys but will it have behind-the-scenes clips. I just love those kind of things.

PS. sam + max + me = happness

[Jake]

Nope, our disc hasn't got any behind the scenes clips. At least not any obvious ones.

[AdamG]

Hey, when is that disc going to be ready guys/girls? I wanna get some other stuff too! :p No rush though.

[Zeek]

Hey, when is that disc going to be ready guys/girls? I wanna get some other stuff too! :p No rush though.

I second this query! Mostly because I'm curious how long I can last against the TellTale Texas Hold 'Em crew.

[artwking]

How long is this bonus DVD offer going to be available after it gets released (around mid-June, apparently)? I leave for Navy boot camp next week and will be there until about August, so I won't be having any internet access to allow me to place the order for the next two months or so. I'd hate to miss out on this deal!:)

[AdamG]

If they know what's good for 'em, it'll be available for at least forever! :p Because eventually someone hundreds of years from now will want it, and they won't be able to find it on Ebay and they'll be pissed. ;) Speaking of Texas Hold 'Em, I thought the demo of it was actually pretty cool. Neat little game really.

[Emily]

Artwking, you'll still be able to get it when you get back.

Everyone else - it'll be ready when it's ready. We're working very hard on it. ;) (I actually just spent like three hours testing all the menus...)

[artwking]

Excellent! Carry on, then, and take your time!:D Test the hell out of those menus!

[Graxer]

Does anyone know if it will be possible to get this in the UK? If so, how much will it cost in pounds?

[Armakuni]

They will ship it to customers of Season 1 all over the world.

[Graxer]

They will ship it to customers of Season 1 all over the world.

Thanks for the reply! :)

[Jake]

I've heard it can cost around $10 to ship one of our games or books internationally (so what, £4-6?), but don't quote me on that!

[RabidZombie]

I've heard it can cost around $10 to ship one of our games or books internationally (so what, £4-6?), but don't quote me on that!

Yeah. Right now, £5.04.

Although, that could easily change!

[xChri5x]

http://x79.xanga.com/88fd843a43d34125835739/m91188549.bmp

This banner was on adventuregamers.com!

NEAT!

[Kraken]

I am not sure has this been asked yet, but since DVD obviously has more space can the voices/sounds come with less compression? Will other CD/DVD releases have less compression or are the identical?

[Emily]

No, we ended up making an executive decision not to do anything with the sound compression on the disc versions because it would have required a lot of backtracking and work that we didn't have the manpower for.

I've been told that tweaks are going to be made to our tools that make it easier for us to swap between low quality audio and high quality audio for future games.

[Yohmi]

No, we ended up making an executive decision not to do anything with the sound compression on the disc versions because it would have required a lot of backtracking and work that we didn't have the manpower for.

I've been told that tweaks are going to be made to our tools that make it easier for us to swap between low quality audio and high quality audio for future games.

I'm very disappointed to learn that... it's like reading "no, Season One is a game made for people who live alone and have crappy speakers, and will allways be."
I am so sad :(

[tabacco]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.

[Hero1]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.

damn you telltale!

[AdamG]

-sobs quietly-

[SupSuper]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.Because it's already taken the spot. ;)

[Hobophobic]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.

Ehh, Sam and Max will never need a prenup.

[Yohmi]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.
I was sure it was a mistake to buy this game, why didn't I listen to my eight-ball :(

[some nerdy guy]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.

No, some people are just to nerdy. It's like sam said "the horror!"

[Derwin]

It's true, Sam & Max Season One may actually prevent you from ever finding true love.

And so it happens... thousands of computer geeks hearts are crushed like a school full of tiny orphan children being told that Santa doesn't exist by a drunken ex-military school master who doesn't think twice about using the phrase "Santa is your parents."

[xChri5x]

So...

I'd say that it's "officially" considered mid June now. What happened to the page?

[ShaggE]

Tomorrow is mid-June :P

[xChri5x]

Mid june isn't one day though... It's a collection of days. So technically I'd consider it mid june. We're a good way into it!

[ShaggE]

I consider mid-June an infinitesimal fraction of a second at the very beginning of the 15th... and I hope Telltale has the quantum computer capable of putting the page up at that precise moment. :D

[Hero1]

Yeah mid june is this week.. if its not ready..lets start a picket line protest outside telltale's offices!

[Soup]

so wait, this stuff that coming out on The Summer of Sam & Max subsite page: is it included on the DVD (my guess is no)? Or shall I have to start locally archiving every new bit of info that comes out (my guess is yes)?

FOR THAT MATTER

any hints/confirmations/spoilers as to what stuff is going onto the Retail disc that won't be on the Season 1 Subscribers Disc?

[Mel]

Yeah mid june is this week.. if its not ready..lets start a picket line protest outside telltale's offices!

There might not be any room. :p Of course you could hire the throngs of guys who wait around for day jobs around there.

[Derwin]

I agree with Soup... anything that wont be on the disc :)

Anyway, is it supposed to be Mid-June European time or US time? And what time zone and/or what are we using as a reference?

[Jake]

Yeah mid june is this week.. if its not ready..lets start a picket line protest outside telltale's offices!

The disc is at the manufacturing place now. We sent the last piece of art for the packaging off yesterday.

so wait, this stuff that coming out on The Summer of Sam & Max subsite page: is it included on the DVD (my guess is no)? Or shall I have to start locally archiving every new bit of info that comes out (my guess is yes)?

FOR THAT MATTER

any hints/confirmations/spoilers as to what stuff is going onto the Retail disc that won't be on the Season 1 Subscribers Disc?

1) Summer of Sam & Max content is a lot of what's on the Season One subscriber disc, though obviously the stuff on the disc is full DVD quality, not flash video. Also on the disc you can watch the cutscene reels without the commentary if you want.

2) The retail disc and the season 1 disc have both been announced!

Telltale's Season One subscriber bonus disc focuses on a high quality presentation of all the video content the team has made during season 1, while the Retail one is a more traditional 'special edition retail' package. Both are pretty good, and pretty different.

If you buy the downloadable season from Telltale's site, you can get a bonus DVD for the cost of shopping shipping. The disc is a hybrid DVD which you can put in your PC to install and play the games - online-activation-free, or into any video DVD player to watch a bunch of video content - the 15 machinima shorts, trailers for all 6 episodes, and the cutscene reels + commentary currently being slowly doled out as part of Summer of Sam & Max, as well as a few other things like a blooper reel and concept art. It comes in a DVD snapcase (Amaray style, the standard DVD case), and features cover art by Steve Purcell.

The retail release includes a behind the scenes feature which Dreamcatcher filmed over a few days at the office. It's a wholly separate feature from the one GameTap did back when we were making Culture Shock, and includes interviews with members of the team. The disc also includes a fold out poster of one of the paintings Purcell has done for Season One, character bios, and the soundtrack MP3s and wallpapers from our site. Also, if you preorder the retail disc from many online retailers (notably GameStop or EB), you get a strategy guide included for free. It comes in a box (the now standard-size smaller PC box), and we don't yet know if it will have fold out flaps and stuff. I hope it does.

[Cyberlink420]

Aww, now I've been forced to get both. Thanks a lot for making me have to spend money.

J/K. About the sarcastic money-spending line, I mean. :P

[Molokov]

As a Season 1 customer, I'll definitely be getting that DVD, but...


The retail release includes a behind the scenes feature which Dreamcatcher filmed over a few days at the office. It's a wholly separate feature from the quick one GameTap did back when we were making Culture Shock, and includes interviews with members of the team. The disc also includes a fold out poster of one of the paintings Purcell has done for Season One, character bios, and the soundtrack MP3s and wallpapers from our site. Also, if you preorder the retail disc from many online retailers (notably GameStop or EB), you get a strategy guide included for free. It comes in a box (the now standard-size smaller PC box), and we don't yet know if it will have fold out flaps and stuff. I hope it does.


Is there any chance whatsoever of some of these bonus features being made *eventually* available on the website? The documentary would be interesting to watch...

(Ok, obviously the physical things like the poster & strategy guide may not be so easy to make physically downloadable... but doco would be nice :) )

[Jake]

That documentary is the adventure company's, not ours, so it would be up to them. I wouldn't be surprised if parts of it showed up as promotional material or something, but I don't really know anything (as many have long surmised).

[AdamG]

I dunno, they'd get awful pissed off if Telltale put up the retail extras online! :/ I'll just get both versions anyway, and I guess I better pre-order it at EB too so I can get that free strategy guide! :)

Edit: Season 1 retail set preordered! :)

[Emily]

I dunno, they'd get awful pissed off if Telltale put up the retail extras online!

Of course we wouldn't do something like that without their permission.

They are still working on the video and we haven't even seen it yet. I'm excited to see how it came out. And also a little scared, since I'm one of the people who was interviewed...

[ken830]

I consider mid-June an infinitesimal fraction of a second at the very beginning of the 15th... and I hope Telltale has the quantum computer capable of putting the page up at that precise moment. :D

Actually, with 30 days in June, the moment between the 15th and 16th would be the exact middle... :p

[ShaggE]

Actually, with 30 days in June, the moment between the 15th and 16th would be the exact middle... :p

Grrrrr, forgot to carry the 3... :p

[AdamG]

And also a little scared, since I'm one of the people who was interviewed...

Huzzah! :D

[Haggis]

http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=29017&postcount=6

[AdamG]

I'm just trying to be nice. :rolleyes:

[Soup]

That documentary is the adventure company's, not ours, so it would be up to them. I wouldn't be surprised if parts of it showed up as promotional material or something, but I don't really know anything (as many have long surmised).

drat! that documentary is mighty tempting, but it sounds like most fo the goodies are on the Season 1 Disc. I'll... just... have... to be... strong...

[Haggis]

I'm just trying to be nice. :rolleyes:
I know, I was just pushing your buttons. Sorry. :o

[AdamG]

I know, I was just pushing your buttons. Sorry. :o

Well, watch it, because my "bottons" are those unclicky type where you can't tell when you push them and it drives you nuts because it makes typing really annoying. :p

[AdamG]

drat! that documentary is mighty tempting, but it sounds like most fo the goodies are on the Season 1 Disc. I'll... just... have... to be... strong...

Well, the physical "goodies" are mostly in the retail box, and Telltale seems to be releasing the more electronic related goodies. (With exception to the TellTale employee interview!)

I think that not only does the retail version have the interview, but it also has a poster, and not only that, but if you preorder it on EBgames you also get a free strategy guide! (Printed, I think) :) Not bad, eh? There might a couple other little extras, but that's the main stuff I think.

-free TellTale advertisement mode off-

[jeremy nebraska]

i'm having trouble viewing the page after clicking on the link. what's the page about? sorry, i suck.

[fajerkaos]

Cool, they have removed the link, probably means the box is ready very soon (or at least that some updates are coming up... or just that Doug likes to mess with our fragile minds) :D

Edit, oh and Jeremy... this (http://www.mixnmojo.com/php/news/showfile.php?id=2315&category=telltale) sums it up quite well. :)

[Trixie]

it's the 17th today in england(i look at the clock) and no DVD order avalable, maybe a special feature is to be shown the day before it's released

[nextnx]

Not cool to remove the link... now I need it for ordering the disc.. :/
I bought the whole collection back then and always wanted the disc go with..

Dont tell me I miss the opportunity.. plz, just got back from my "out of country" experiences.. :)

[tabacco]

The DVD info page is back up now. It was a bug, and I was on vacation. Sorry 'bout that.

[Murray]

I hope the cd's are released soon.

I rather foolishly decided that i would not play any of the games until my shiny cd tuirns up, it's getting harder to resist.

[AdamG]

But you miss out on everything by not playing episode to episode! You should play them and visit the boards and talk about them, like we do. Which gives them valuable feedback which helps make it better, and also makes it last longer. :D

[Murray]

But you miss out on everything by not playing episode to episode! You should play them and visit the boards and talk about them, like we do. Which gives them valuable feedback which helps make it better, and also makes it last longer. :D
True but i think the whole half life 2 episode problems left me a bit distrustful of episodic release dates. I figured i would just be getting in to the game when it ended and then have a painful gap until the next release. I've been waiting around a year for hl ep 2 :( so far.

I've got to admit i expected much larger gaps between each sam n max episode and I'm amazed that telltale kept to the deadlines. I'll probably play each episode of season 2 when its released.

[AdamG]

Bah, forget about Valve. They have no idea what they're doing. They would have been better off waiting a year after Half Life 2, then starting on Half Life 3. This "episode" stuff is just making them look bad, and it's not winning them a lot of friends.

[ShaggE]

At least it's faring better than SiN Episodes...

[AdamG]

I guess so, but not by much. : /

[ShaggE]

Portal had better be absolutely head-explodingly awesome, though... :P *assuming the system reqs haven't been jacked up too high*

[jeremy nebraska]

nice. can't wait for the disc to come out. :)

[Stoney]

Nice, will order whole Season when the Disc is ready to be shipped. :) I want to have those on the shelf.

[Combustibillion]

The Case Is Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed, even if I see all of the extra content online, I'll still "buy" the DVD just to have the artwork.

[Laserschwert]

The prints look fantastic... especially the booklet (how many pages does that one get?).

Oh, and please... PLEASE keep the raw-files of the covers, since I really really hate it, when subsequent releases have misaligned logos and design-elements on their covers, and the layout varies from season to season. I know, it sounds picky, but I guess that's why one of my biggest hobbies are custom covers.

[Jake]

Haha I know! I'm extremely picky as well about that sort of thing. I'll try my hardest. One potential problem is that season 2 might not be printed at the same print house as season 1 (I'm not meaning to imply any problems with where we're printing season 1, but, you know, who knows what will happen in a year?), and every place has slightly different specs. That said, yes, its annoying as heck when places try to do what is allegedly a "series" of cases, but they dont actually match up at all.

Truth be told, if I get to design a Telltale Season Two cover, I won't be making it identical to the season 1 cover except with a swapped out cover image. I really like what Adult Swim does with their cases, where they're all totally different looking, but all also compliment each other when lined up together on a shelf. I'd like to definitely keep the badge with the season number on the spine, and the same positioning of the words "sam and max" on the spine as well, but beyond that, I'd like to mix it up. I dont like how at a glance you can't tell which Simpson's season is which, or even which CSI video game is which. You can tell Space Ghost Vol. 1 from Space Ghost Vol. 2 immediately, though.

The booklet is very small (just a single folded sheet, a quick start guide), but we put a lot of work into making it look as fun and true to Sam & Max as we possibly could. There are a few more Season One package related announcements on the way as well, so stay tuned.

[ken830]

Yay! I'm about to place my order for the DVD and a Max cap!

EDIT: Done!

[ken830]

Just got an e-mail saying the DVD is back-ordered? I'm hoping this means that the DVD is ready for ordering, but not yet ready for shipping...

[Zeek]

Just got an e-mail saying the DVD is back-ordered? I'm hoping this means that the DVD is ready for ordering, but not yet ready for shipping...

That's what it means. The DVD, Soundtrack, and Case File are being made and won't be ready to ship until later in July. The good news is that they will be ready all at the same time. It was stated in another thread somewhere.

[Quuux]

I'm not a big soundtrack fan, but i did order the case file, it sounds neat

[Mthed]

I have couple of questions about the season 1 dvd. 1. Will it have better sound quality than the downloaded episodes? 2. I bought all the episodes one by one, can i still get the DVD? (I screwed up the season orders, that's why i didn't buy the season as a whole)

Mthed, Born to be mild.

[Gunrun]

I have couple of questions about the season 1 dvd. 1. Will it have better sound quality than the downloaded episodes? 2. I bought all the episodes one by one, can i still get the DVD? (I screwed up the season orders, that's why i didn't buy the season as a whole)

Mthed, Born to be mild.

Sound quality will be the same, although some minor bug fixes will be on the disk, which will also be coming to the download versions. And another guy in another topic bought the games like you did and he had to email someone. Not sure who though.

EDIT:

I got all six eps. individualy, so i dont have a Season One order number , how do i get the disc???

Please email support@telltalegames.com and we'll help you out.

[Frogacuda]

Hah that would be awesome, though we're being pretty modest with how this is built, as it really is a bonus disc to augment (and archive) people's downloadable episodes.

The whole point of buying the season from Telltale is so you can get to play the episodes as they come out, and be involved in the story once a month as it unfolds. The disc is nice to have on a shelf, and nice for peace of mind, (and we're having fun making it) but it's never been the focus of anything.
Could have fooled me. That's a lot of stuff being tossed on that disc. It looks very nice.

I do agree that those that waited deprived themselves of a big part of the fun, which is getting an episode each month. That's the fault of companies like Ritual and Valve that have convinced everyone that episodic gaming is a series of cliffhangers with endless stretches between episodes.

[AdamG]

Valve doesn't make episodes, they make seasons, despite whatever they may tell you. ;)

[Emily]

The good news is that they will be ready all at the same time. It was stated in another thread somewhere.

Approximately the same time. They're being made in different places (and the case files actually have to be stuffed by hand :p) so they might not all come out on the same day, but late July should be about right for all three.

[Rasher]

The case files have to be stuffed by hand? That makes them even more special. You spoil us. You really do. Can't even remember the last time I got a half-decent manual, let alone feelies :D

[AdamG]

OOoooo, "Touched Edition" collector items! :p

[marsan]

Do I have to pay extra for fingerprints? ;) I bet it will pass for a large sum in 10 years or so.

[Zeek]

You know they care about their customers when they do things by hand. :D

[Mel]

Even Dave uses machinery (http://www.phrenopolis.com/ideasiphon/index.html).

I just hope they don't stuff them right after lunch. Of course, a one of a kind grease stain might be collectible one day. :p

[tabacco]

We did pitch some "Authentic Telltale Pizza Grease Stains" :)
west brooklyn pizza company is special thanked after all (I think)

[AdamG]

OMG! Grease stains, like scratch and sniff cards... Only better! :p

[Mel]

I would just have to keep it out of reach of my dog. She'd smell the pizza grease and start chewing. :D

[Frogacuda]

Valve doesn't make episodes, they make seasons, despite whatever they may tell you. ;)

Unfortunately they're like Sopranos seasons that show up when they feel like. Episode 2 has been in development since 6 months before Ep 1 shipped, which means that by the time it's out it will have been in the pipe for 2 years. 2 years for a 5 hour game with an existing engine and recycled graphics and enemies!

Telltale took them all to school, as far as I'm concerned. I guess Capcom did it well with El Dorado Gate, too, but I didn't get to play that.

[Jake]

In fairness, it's not like Valve is treading water. It sounds like (http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=333) there's a lot of new innovative stuff going into HL2 episode two.

[AdamG]

There better be, sheesh! :mad: