Thoughts on visual style?

[Alucard]

What does everyone think of the direction Monkey Island is taking? In a gaming industry full of sequels, I see this as another dead horse. The series really should have ended after MI2 or even MI3. MI 4 was the bastard child of the series and sadly I see more MI 4 in this game in terms of visual style than anything else. I absolutely loathed the 3d style of MI4. Does every game try and see how much they can screw up Guybrush? I absolutely hate the way he looks. I'm not sure where there was a need for another game in this series. Sure many players fondly think of the series and wish games could be made like the good old days but.... not like this... not like this?!
From the trailer I see that Dom is aboard for voice which is nice but Lechuck just seems....off.

I don't really approve of what I've seen but I'm just one person. There are countless others which are already singing praise so I'm sure you'll be able to turn a profit. Just my 2 cents.

[EwenW]

I like it. I think it looks more like the originals than the last few games. Okay, I don't mean its 2D and SCUMMy (it that makes sense) but the characters seem to fit better in this look than in previous games. I did like the feel of MI3 but this just seems perfect. I guess its just my opinion but I'm certainly in.

[dreamingchristi]

I too am a little underwhelmed by the visual style. But MI was always about the jokes for me. And I know Telltale have a sense of humour. I'm certainly going to be buying.

[Bialar]

I'll just say that the visual style fits with the rest of the Telltale games, and that the engine Telltale is using has the advantage of being an awful lot more refined than the Grim Fandango engine was when MI4 was made.

I personally like the art and visual style of MI2 the best by far, but I'm also a realist in that a for-profit company is not going to make a game in that style (from a graphics or SCUMM standpoint) again. While the visuals at first look most like MI4, just from the previews and previous Telltale games I expect it will be far superior to MI4 in pretty much every possible way.

That said, MI4 definitely had its moments...it didn't completely fall apart for me until the whole Monkey Kombat crap at the end.

[jamiehavok]

i would have preffered a slightly better 3d engine, it looks a bit i dunno .. flat. i appreciate we dont all have i7 rigs with a gtx 295 but a bigger improvement on samnmaxs gfx would have been welcome - but its monkey island so ill get over it lol.

[Alucard]

I liked the style of the sam and max games (though the whole visiting Bosco every episode got a bit monotonous after a while). I felt they were pretty close to what the old game was like.

[darkowl]

I'm wary of it. Guybrush went from a funny man to a lanky caricature in MI3, and it didn't get much better in MI4.

So, I'm wary.

One other thing I'm wary of is something that I've not seen in Telltale's Wallace and Gromit, and also way back in MI4, and that's cinematic transitions.

Remember, if you will, back when LeChuck's ship arrived in MI1. The scene was scrollable, so you came out of the bar, and walked across - giving us a cinematic reveal of the ghost ship sitting in the harbour.

In Monkey Island 2, we had the greatest transition scene of them all - the approach to the Voodoo Lady's house. The journey through the swamp as the music dynamically grew or shrank depending which way you were paddling, the in-key flair when the jaw brought you up and the cross-fade between the outer room and the inner room - amazing. No, incredible.

In Monkey Island 4, when the Scumm bar changes, we just get plonked straight at the scene - effectively blowing all its cinematic tension and reveal, because there was none.

And in Wallace & Gromit, we now just have stilted cuts again between shots, and even between locations. Travelling from West Wallaby Street to town is a jump cut - as if they're just changing camera angle, when it really needed some kind of a transition to mentally tell us that we're changing locales.

I only hope that the new Monkey Island games don't suffer this same shot cut fate.

[Kroms]

I'm pretty excited about the game, but I'm not too happy about the art direction. I can see why they did it, yet I do wish it was more CMI-ish. There's a few thoughts on why:

1. I'm not entirely sure that Guybrush looks like Guybrush, or LeChuck like LeChuck. (Elaine looks a bit too young, too.) Moreover, I'm not sure if this is possible to do on the Telltale engine.

2. Beautifully stylized artwork doesn't age. I think the Telltale engine worked really well for Strong Bad, Wallace and Gromit and Sam and Max, but I'm not sure it works for Bone or Monkey Island. I think those two particular franchises need some filter to make it more cartoony. I know 3D is much easier to work with, so if I was developing something like Monkey Island I would put some basic placeholder art (in 3D) and when the game was good enough and everything was where you needed it to be, I'd replace it with beautifully drawn 2D paintings, giving you the advantages of 3D with the power and timeless stylization of a good 2D painting. Think of a Vampyre Story, only on an episodic scale. Two examples of games that haven't aged a single day due to their stylization are Grim Fandango and Curse of Monkey Island.

3. This one is inevitable, but there's going to be that lack of freedom. What I mean is that because the games are episodic by nature and thus small in size, the feel that there's a lot going on in the world - the large islands/freedom - is going to go away. And I'm thinking you can fix that with the art style. I haven't got a single clue on whether this has happened or not (I will once the game hits the servers, ho ho!).

Anyways I'm still really, really excited for this game, but maybe (for the future) Telltale should try figuring out a way to make a small episodic game that, at the same time, has that stylized Monkey Island look without compromising size too much. I wouldn't mind experiencing Monkey Island as some sort of compromise between the staple Telltale style and CMI (Monkey 1 + 2, as beautiful as they were, just didn't have the technology to make their art-styles timeless).

Just my (somewhat baseless) thoughts.

[Masquerade]

The art direction is doing naught for me, sadly. The modeling and designs feel very generic and predictable; LeChuck embodies a zombie pirate cliche and Guybrush looks very young and very bland. Which does not really assist in granting any of them "character". While I enjoyed Sam and Max - I think the art needs to reflect the material, rather than simply using the same engine for every piece that comes your way.

[werpu]

The art direction is doing naught for me, sadly. The modeling and designs feels very generic and predictable: LeChuck looks like a zombie pirate cliche and Guybrush looks very young and very bland. Hopefully the writing makes up for what the visuals lack.

Well Guybrush looked very young and bland in the first two games, and to some part in the fourth, I did not like the beanstalk look of guybrush of the third game however.
After all guybrush is supposed to be so young that no one takes him seriously being a pirate and all. (One of the reasons why he tried to grow a beard in the second part)
Actually from what I have seen guybrush looked older in this part than in the others!

[sock-fox]

I'm not overly fond of Elaine or LeChuck, I preferred their MI3 designs. But on the other hand, I think this is the best Guybrush has ever looked.

[RockNRoll]

i'm totally uninspired by the design. i already started a thread on it though.i just don't like it, and can't imagine how a development company would not have thought of an obviously better, more fitting style.

MI1 and MI2 are the definitive monkey islands. the other two were good, but were non-Ron Gilbert and just took big liberties with the style and concept. i've never been thrilled with the tall lanky guybrush and the squatty lechuck, i wish they'd stay true to the track and proportions that the first two were clearly leading. they had obvious comedy to them, but they weren't full blown disney cartoons, there was a lot of dark atmospheric imagery and the characters and scenery were drawn with precision and detail and proportion, not big silly caricatures.

[xChri5x]

I think everyone looks fine so far although I'm not really feeling Elaine yet.

[farazrameshni]

I've been dying for any new Monkey Island games to come out for a very long time. Ever since Telltale released Sam and Max, I've been secretly pining for some Monkey Island love and now it's on the way. Thanks a lot guys, I can't wait for this!

[Masquerade]

Well Guybrush looked very young and bland in the first two games, and to some part in the fourth, I did not like the beanstalk look of guybrush of the third game however.
I do not think think you can say he looked "very young and bland" in Secret and Lechuck's Revenge when you have to take the technological limitations of the time in to consideration. However, Guybrush in Tales somehow no longer looks like Guybrush for me. Both he and Elaine look like they are 17 rather than mid 20's.

[xChri5x]

I thought Guybrush looked the oldest he's looked yet in Tales...
Not that it's a bad thing.

[Pankratz]

Someone has to say this aloud. The graphics are simply UGLY. You heard me right, Telltale.
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg

The ship in the background looks downright horrible, the lighting is plain, the colors are washed out, character models look like plastic toys. Sorry Telltale, look at other adventure games on the market, you'll notice the difference.
Even MI4 looked better, at least the backgrounds were nicely rendered.
HUGE disappointment.

[xChri5x]

Someone has to say this aloud. The graphics are simply UGLY. You heard me right, Telltale.
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg

The ship in the background looks downright horrible, the lighting is plain, the colors are washed out, character models look like plastic toys. Sorry Telltale, look at other adventure games on the market, you'll notice the difference.
Even MI4 looked better, at least the backgrounds were nicely rendered.
HUGE disappointment.

The backgrounds in EMI where still photos of a rendered environment. Difference.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Someone has to say this aloud. The graphics are simply UGLY. You heard me right, Telltale.
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg

The ship in the background looks downright horrible, the lighting is plain, the colors are washed out, character models look like plastic toys. Sorry Telltale, look at other adventure games on the market, you'll notice the difference.
Even MI4 looked better, at least the backgrounds were nicely rendered.
HUGE disappointment.

The graphics TellTale uses always had few polygons.
As a graphic adventure lover, I don't mind so much.
But, in this case, I have to consider that you're not far from the truth.
Let me explain, companies which still make graphic adventures have forgotten one important thing: when the old glories were released, they were competitive under every P.O.V. including graphics.
Now, since this is a GREAT day for me, which I will remember for a long time (thanks again TellTale!), I can't be disappointed.
But it is true that TOMI graphics already look old.
I absolutely love the character meshes (expecially Guybrush), but I admit that, as I saw the ship in the background, I thought something like "What the hell, that looks ugly."
For now, be happy for things as they are, this is a great day.
I hope they're going to improve the graphics in the future, to be competitive again.

[sock-fox]

Hmm... after looking at the design sketches, I actually love the new designs for Elaine and LeChuck too, but the 3D models don't quite match up to them somehow. Not quite sure exactly what's off between them, but those characters look amazing in 2D, but... not so good in 3D.

I still think the new Guybrush looks outstanding in both 2D and 3D, though.

[Pankratz]

The backgrounds in EMI where still photos of a rendered environment. Difference.

I know they don't use pre-rendered or drawn backgrounds, but if they're using 3D, they need to do this RIGHT. If they can't do it properly, why deliver us a mediocre-looking game? To make money on people's nostalgia and release one rushed product after another?

You know, look at games being recently released... Also made by small studios that are probably much more poor than Telltale.

For example? The Book of Unwritten Tales:
http://www.pcgames.de/aid,654761/The-Book-of-Unwritten-Tales-Neue-Screenshots-zum-skurrilen-Adventure/PC/Bildergalerie/?menu=browser&mode=normal&entity_id=-1&image_id=870998&browsersize=fullscreen

Vampyre Story:
http://www.gamershell.com/static/screenshots/7818/278329_full.jpg

So Blonde:
http://games.softpedia.com/screenshots/8-5195_2.jpg

[der_ketzer]

The "poor graphics" mean that I can play the game on my ooooooooooooooold PC. And that makes me happy.


PS: The backgrounds in the screenshots you posted really look just the same as I am used by other telltale games.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

As long as the graphics are up to Wallace & Gromit quality and detail, I'll be happy. If not, I'll be less happy. But still happy!

[RMJ1984]

I know they don't use pre-rendered or drawn backgrounds, but if they're using 3D, they need to do this RIGHT. If they can't do it properly, why deliver us a mediocre-looking game? To make money on peoples' nostalgia and release one rushed product after another?

You know, look at games being recently released... Also made by small studios that are probably much more poor than Telltale.

For example? Book of Unwritten Tales:
http://www.pcgames.de/screenshots/original/2008/08/The_Book_of_Unwritten_Tales_01.jpg

Vampyre Story:
http://www.gamershell.com/static/screenshots/7818/278329_full.jpg

So Blonde:
http://games.softpedia.com/screenshots/8-5195_2.jpg

Especially that Vampire Story is amazing, god i love that game, just that one screenshot there, it has so much detail, so much depth :D looks absolutely amazing!, really hope they do more full lenght games.

[xChri5x]

I know they don't use pre-rendered or drawn backgrounds, but if they're using 3D, they need to do this RIGHT. If they can't do it properly, why deliver us a mediocre-looking game? To make money on peoples' nostalgia and release one rushed product after another?

You know, look at games being recently released... Also made by small studios that are probably much more poor than Telltale.

For example? Book of Unwritten Tales:
http://www.pcgames.de/screenshots/original/2008/08/The_Book_of_Unwritten_Tales_01.jpg

Vampyre Story:
http://www.gamershell.com/static/screenshots/7818/278329_full.jpg

So Blonde:
http://games.softpedia.com/screenshots/8-5195_2.jpg

But, I have nothing against still backgrounds...

[derella]

I'm not crazy about the art, but I can handle it. I kinda wish they had made it toon-shaded...

[LukeSW]

Especially that Vampire Story is amazing, god i love that game, just that one screenshot there, it has so much detail, so much depth :D looks absolutely amazing!, really hope they do more full lenght games.

Agreed, but the writing and puzzle design were horrible.

[derella]

Agreed, but the writing and puzzle design were horrible.
My experience was the same. I loved the art direction in Vampyre Story, but just found the whole game to be tedious. As such, I never finished it.

[Quanta]

I too must say that I am thoroughly underwhelmed by Telltale's visual style. The freaky characters and extremely bland environments are plain ugly in my opinion, to be honest.

I mean, look at Monkey Island 4. Even that looks ten times better. Though I never liked its style the backgrounds and characters are way better designed and more detailed.

And about that hardware-demand-argument: Today even a three-year-old computer should be able to render MI4's backgrounds in real-time at a decent speed without breaking a sweat.

My recurring wet dream is a resurrection of Threepwood and LeChuck in the style of LeChuck's Revenge. Its character designs don't suffer these wacky looks - which in my eyes even lessens the impact of Monkey's wacky verbal humour - and its backgrounds create a rich spectrum of moods. Not only from wacky to wacky - but from wacky to gloomy to graceful.

[der_ketzer]

I mean, look at Monkey Island 4. Even that looks ten times better. Though I never liked its style the backgrounds and characters are way better designed and more detailed.


I see you are blind indeed good sir.

http://www.tentakelvilla.de/news/aug19/screen6.jpg

[wefeelgroove]

I like it! It makes me think of Psychonauts for some reason. :D

I really like the animation so far, too.

[Quanta]

I see what you did there.

But showing the perhaps worst set of the whole game really doesn't count.

´http://www.tentakelvilla.de/mi4/mi4.html (http://www.tentakelvilla.de/mi4/mi4.html)

[der_ketzer]

I see what you did there.

It was the first screenshot that came up in google. And it was mainly for the claim that the characters in EMI were 10 times more detailed which is undoubtly wrong.

[Alucard]

after seeing the new monkey island HD version I think this is what the monkey island games should look like not this monstrosity.

[DejectedArr]

Ah how quickly opinion goes from excitement to outright panning a game nobody has actually seen in action.

http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,135

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

You mean they should look like MI1:SE or like TOMI?

[Paintbrush]

I really like the new look. Guybrush is nice, Elaine too and i think LeChuck is the best yet. Background design looks great as well. Yes, I'd also love to see some more polygons and a few more advanced graphic options, but as a whole, i think it looks very promising.

Btw, all of you who compare ToMI graphics to MI4 should really play that game again ;)

[taumel]

Of all the different styles i like the MI2 cover art the most, so maybe i would have choosen this as a guideline. I also was fine with MI4 for a simplified 3D look. From the movie and the pictures i've watched i would say there are lights and shadows. Some screens look good, some look terribly sterile.

I really dislike this one for instance. I hope that this is not a final game screenshot.

http://www.adventuregamers.com/images/db/10150.jpg

I would have hoped for a somehow different style or more complexity&life in a scene. Is the style influenced in a way of what the Wii is able to hardware wise (polygon or texture wise)?

This is a screenshot i like.

http://www.adventuregamers.com/images/db/10147.jpg

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

I really dislike this one for instance. I hope that this is not a final game screenshot.

http://www.adventuregamers.com/images/db/10150.jpg


In this screenshot, Guybrush looks ok, but the vessel is really awful...
More polygons needed, Telltale! Smooth things up!

[taumel]

I think the lightning as well as the textures and the surfaces look terrible on Guy.. oops sorry on you. This more reminds me of some first time OpenGL Book 1.3 tryouts. Yep the boat could use some more style or polys and the textures at least on the screen look washed out.

But again the question to TTG: If this is limited due to the Wii, will there be a version for the PC with higher texture resolution for instance?

[MusicallyInspired]

Everybody really needs to just stop and realize the fact that we're getting NEW Monkey Island games! By the original designers! I mean come on!

[taumel]

You know i thought the same when i read the headline but a) no Gilbert, no Schafer, b) TTG lost some Credit over the years with all the too much casual focus, c) the steering sounds like an issue to me and i hope that contrary to the W&G thread they this time take it serious and d) you have to be somehow objective and some of those screens just really don't look this great.

[Xocrates]

Ah how quickly opinion goes from excitement to outright panning a game nobody has actually seen in action.

http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,135
So very very true.

[99X]

I think the special edition looks (as far as style) way better... I wish that new adventure games would also combine painted backdrops along with the 3d style. I really love the art style of the special edition of MI.

see it here:
http://www.lucasarts.com/games/monkeyisland/

[Pronix]

Even though I LOVE the fact a new Monkey Island is coming, I also feel that the art style is not what I was hoping for. The 2d style from MI3 or atleast cell shading was what I was hoping for. I am just hoping they stay true to the how the original monkey island felt, and don't overhaste themselves in creating that feeling.

[Jayel]

Everybody really needs to just stop and realize the fact that we're getting NEW Monkey Island games! By the original designers! I mean come on!

I agree. It's the freakin' new Monkey Island! The graphics could be a bunch of scribbles on lined paper, for all I care. I'm sure the game will be amazing.

[Pankratz]

So very very true.

Oh, really? Because after hearing "Mokey Island 5 is coming!" people finally took time to look at the screenshots and came to the conclusion this is one of the ugliest adventure games to be released this decade?
The fact it's called Monkey Island is a disgrace, I say let Telltale do the writing, but hire another studio to do the graphics.

And since we're posting adventuregamers links, why not post this one?
http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24807&page=2

Funny, people also think this game looks awful.

I agree. It's the freakin' new Monkey Island! The graphics could be a bunch of scribbles on lined paper, for all I care. I'm sure the game will be amazing.

The irony is old Mokey Islands (1 and 2), despite having pixelated graphics and 256 colors, look way better than this.

[MusicallyInspired]

You know i thought the same when i read the headline but a) no Gilbert
He was a part of the design process and he's looking forward to the games, ergo, ToMI has his blessing. That's good enough for me.

no Schafer

I don't really mind this...

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

I think the special edition looks (as far as style) way better... I wish that new adventure games would also combine painted backdrops along with the 3d style. I really love the art style of the special edition of MI.

see it here:
http://www.lucasarts.com/games/monkeyisland/

Making a game over an existing one is way easier.
I love it too, but it is obvious it HAD to be that way, while TOMI is a brand new game for which everything had to be planned.
I repeat that the visual style in general is great to me, but they really REALLY need to smooth things. I mean, look at Guybrush's sleeves or at the sword handle. They're just prisms.

[Xocrates]

Oh, really? Because after hearing "Mokey Island 5 is coming!" people finally took time to look at the screenshots and came to the conclusion this is one of the ugliest adventure games to be released this decade?
I like it how you take a purely subjective point and state it as a well known fact. It makes you look cute.

[Masquerade]

Heh, I think it is safe to say we all love Monkey Island. But users need to bear some things in mind:

Some Monkey Island fans are more apprehensive than others and reveal their apprehension in strange ways.

Those reading aforementioned strange ways or what may be "offensive" or downright ludicrous comments should do so with a pinch of salt. ;)

[Lola_Minnie]

Graphics don't bother me at all, I'd prefer that the story and characters be solid. They didn't bother me in EMI either, but I just don't pay that much attention to the way it looks if everything else is good.

[Alucard]

They made his face too narrow. It looks like a slice of pizza with hair


Monkey island 1 and 2 his head was somewhat normal.

[MusicallyInspired]

Graphics don't bother me in the least. It would be nice to see it in top-quality HD graphics with thousands of polygons and textures of the highest possible resolution with normal/specular/parallax mapping. But it's really OK if it's not. Like I said in another thread, all I'm really hoping for is believable animations, which if it's anything like their previous games (which of course it is) I have nothing to worry about. Besides, this has got to fit the 40MB(?) limit for Wiiware as well.

Man, nobody put up this much fuss about Sam & Max being revived. Why now all the sudden?

(Or did they? I wasn't here then)

[The Burninator]

I think it looks good.

[Alucard]

Just look at the beauty that is MI2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4dhSpFiB5Q
MixnMojo music video tribute that I found.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Man, nobody put up this much fuss about Sam & Max being revived. Why now all the sudden?

(Or did they? I wasn't here then)

I think there are two reasons:
1) Monkey Island is much more loved than S&M
2) The years have passed, and TT's graphics have basically remained the same. Apart from the improved textures, it's becoming all edgy and old-looking.

[taumel]

2) The years have passed, and TT's graphics have basically remained the same. Apart from the improved
Hmm i don't think so. Sam&Max, Strong Bad and W&G, all have a different kind of look.

I still like the Sam&Max look and compared to some of the MI screens it looks almost superior.

[Leak]

Graphics don't bother me in the least.
Me neither.

It's a total lack of graphics I would be upset about, unless Infocom were doing it... :p

np: The Wooden Birds - Anna Paula (Magnolia)

[der_ketzer]

They're just prisms.

Well be happy then that they are not just triangles.

2) The years have passed, and TT's graphics have basically remained the same.

Oh please. Have you ever compared The Great Cow Race with The Last Resort?

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Well be happy then that they are not just triangles.

I don't see why. Monkey Island has always been gorgeous BOTH graphically AND under any other aspect.
So, why are you being sarcastic? I don't think it's weird to wish a game that's always been graphically awesome (except maybe for EMI) to keep being that way.
So, sorry mr./ms., I won't be happy for they're prisms instead of triangles. And... ahem... they ARE triangle meshes, anyway.


Oh please. Have you ever compared The Great Cow Race with The Last Resort?

Yes, I agree, it's been improved. But not that much a Monkey Island game deserves.
And, btw, are you any of those who think a graphic adventure could graphically suck and "you don't care"?
Well, I've always thought that, but I recently changed my mind. Graphic adventures are still alive, and still sell, but NOT AS in the past. And you know why? Because you can't attract new fans if they see a game that looks already old at its release day. GA need to be more cured EVEN graphically. Or just we hardcore adventurers will buy them, and few other people.
I don't see why a graphic adventure cannot have great graphics.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

I still like the Sam&Max look and compared to some of the MI screens it looks almost superior.

(Sorry for crossing posts)
I like that look too, really.
But don't you think it's disappointing that you're liking it more than the BRAND NEW Monkey Island screens? That's just what I'm saying.
Generally, when a new game comes out, you should have the kind of "wow" effect and say "woah, telltale improved". What you're saying is "woah, cool, I prefer S&M" (which is OLDER!). That shouldn't happen, don't you think?
For a Monkey Island game, and I repeat, we're talking about a MONKEY ISLAND game, it should all look better and improved. It doesn't.

[taumel]

@Guybrush_Threepwood
Sure, i agree with you.

I played MI on the Amiga and am still fine with the graphics in ScummVM although i know that some scenes look better on the PC VGA version.

I meanwhile blame the Wii for the mediocre look. It otherwise doesn't make a lot of sense using such washed out lowres textures. It would be great if a PC version would offer higher res textures. Modelling is a different thing, as it also could be done well in lowres.

I really dislike these multiplatform experiences where games look awful on your system due to some weaker systems a game also is released for.

[der_ketzer]

And, btw, are you any of those who think a graphic adventure could graphically suck and "you don't care"?

I Am one of those that think that any Games graphics could suck and I would not care as long as the game ist great.
I have seen to many overhyped shitty games with mindblowing graphics but no real gameplay. If those games wouldn't have their graphics engine no one would buy them. Who would care for Crysis? Apart from graphics this game is just bad.

I have a lot of old games and I love them all. I don't buy them by graphics I buy them when they are good.

There are a few adventures with brilliant graphics. They still don't sell well. You know why? Because the people that actually still play such games don't have the hardware to run them.

[MusicallyInspired]

I don't care about graphics either. If Tell-Tale were creating their games in 8-bit 320x200 I'd still pay full-price for them. It's the content I care about. A good story with good gameplay and thought-provoking puzzles goes far. Games used to be about how much you could get away with with what you have not about innovating the next latest thing. I mean those games DID innovate a lot but not because they had to. Nowadays it seems if you don't keep up with the graphics race you lose. And it's not about winning or losing when it comes to graphics. It should be about accomplishing what you need to to get the look that you want. Not about what you COULD do to blow everyone else's games away merely with eye-candy. That's not what good games should be about.

We have enough technology and hardware to do anything we really need to now. Everyone should just go for a certain look they want to achieve and then do it. Whether that's next-gen or not. If you're going for a cartoony look you really don't NEED to have next-gen graphics. Really, there isn't much more innovating to do. Resolutions are capped to the point where we really don't need them to go any higher. Texture sizes are already large enough to look realistic. Even polygons don't need to be smoother anymore with the existence of normal/specular/parallax texture mapping. I think that's what we need to concentrate on now. Polishing up what we have of texture mapping and lighting technology instead of just upping the resolution. But some games really don't need that. Really if you look at Tales of Monkey Island, does it really NEED to be ultra-realistic looking? It's a cartoon! These graphics are more than fine for what they're going for. And that's my whole point.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

@der_ketzer & MusicallyInspired:
Don't misunderstand me. I'm gonna buy TOMI, and I would buy it even if it had the graphic look of MI2 (which I still love so much even nowadays). I'm NOT a gamer who cares about graphics and leaves the content alone.
You're speaking with a REALLY long time Monkey Island fan.
What I'm saying here is that a great game should have great contents and decent graphics. I don't care about photorealistc games, or games that make the graphics their force.
What I'm saying here is that the graphics for TOMI now look really outdated, I don't think you can doubt about that.
Once upon a time, when you looked at pics of upcoming games like DOTT or S&MHTR, you were seducted even by the graphics.
Those were 2D times and, you know, I'll always prefer 2D for a graphic adventure. But, since the market has changed so much, now GA are made in 3D, but it's not a well done 3D.
If companies make 3D adventure games, they should do them better.
A simple example: MI2 was full of wonderful contents, a great story, sarcasm, irony, puzzles, and gorgeous graphics.
MI3 too.
Now, what's going on? TOMI looks like a great game, full of wondeful contents (the rest I can't know), but outdated graphics.
Hope you see what I mean.

[LuigiHann]

I think it looks fine. Just stylized enough and just different enough. Not sure about those sharp cheekbones though. Guybrush looks interestingly world-weary, but Elaine looks a little odd.

[turingmachine604]

I agree, I like the stylized look and how it obviously takes some inspiration from MI2.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

It's a cartoon!

No, man, Monkey Island ISN'T a cartoon. CMI is, Monkey Island ISN'T.
Anyway, do you think I'm asking too much just because I'm asking for smoother surfaces? C'mon, I don't even complain about the low-res textures, I like them as they are.
I think it's perfectly normal to ask a VERY SMALL increase of polygons.
Like, do the sword handles with 300 polygons, instead of 80. Some like that.
I don't think I'm asking for photorealism. And I wouldn't even like that.

[Shale]

LeChuck's design looks like MI2 (which I guess follows, seeing as that's the game with Zombie Pirate LeChuck), but Guybrush and Elaine look very much like older, 3D-ized versions of their CMI selves. Fine with me.

[The_Ripper]

LeChuck's design looks like MI2 (which I guess follows, seeing as that's the game with Zombie Pirate LeChuck), but Guybrush and Elaine look very much like older, 3D-ized versions of their CMI selves. Fine with me.

That's the problem with Lechuck. He is ugly, right, but in this game almost has no face. :S And his beard is so... hard. It doesn't move like a beard should.

In addition, in each MI game LeChuck was mightier... he looks like in MI2 here. It's the first time the LeChuck's design it's not original.

[MusicallyInspired]

No, man, Monkey Island ISN'T a cartoon. CMI is, Monkey Island ISN'T.
I wasn't actually talking about Monkey Island as a whole, just ToMI, but yes it is. You can't look a the Governor of Phatt Island and tell me that's not a cartoon. You can't look at the talking masks of the cannibals of Monkey Island and tell me that they're not cartoon. They may have realistic close-up shots (and only in SoMI VGA), but so what? It's a blend. And mostly in favour of a cartoon in my opinion (which Ron Gilbert himself actually prefers).

Anyway, do you think I'm asking too much just because I'm asking for smoother surfaces? C'mon, I don't even complain about the low-res textures, I like them as they are.
I think it's perfectly normal to ask a VERY SMALL increase of polygons.
Like, do the sword handles with 300 polygons, instead of 80. Some like that.
I don't think I'm asking for photorealism. And I wouldn't even like that.

I still don't see the big deal. They look high quality enough to me. Enough to enjoy it anyway. If it were like simply triangles for heads and body torsos I'd agree with you, but it's not. It looks really nice.

[Alucard]

Yeah well George Lucas was good back in the day but he is a misguided fool now. Ron Gilbert may have lost his edge. The old style was far far superior

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

I still don't see the big deal. They look high quality enough to me. Enough to enjoy it anyway. If it were like simply triangles for heads and body torsos I'd agree with you, but it's not. It looks really nice.

Uhmm, touché. It actually IS enjoyable, I won't discuss that. It's Monkey Island! :D
But I think that, to attract more people than me, you and other old fans, it needs to be better than enjoyable.
Think about it: graphical improvements have led from the Maniac Mansion style to the CMI style. And CMI doesn't seem soulless! It just has better graphics!
So why not repeat the process again? It would be anti-historical not to do it.
That's what I think.

[MusicallyInspired]

My whole point that you seem to continuously miss is that graphics don't need to improve anymore. Back then 256-colour 320x200 graphics could certainly be enhanced. But nowadays it really doesn't. I'm happy with graphics from 4 or 5 years ago since we now have the technology to do pretty much anything we want. They didn't in the early 90s. That's why everything was innovating. There doesn't need to be any innovating now. Now everybody can choose the visual style they want to go with and do it....without the burden of having to innovate anything! And have it STILL look nice (which I still think ToMI does).

[der_ketzer]

Think about it: graphical improvements have led from the Maniac Mansion style to the CMI style. And CMI doesn't seem soulless! It just has better graphics!

Think about it: the better the graphics get the less people can play it / Will buy it.

[noknowncure]

No, man, Monkey Island ISN'T a cartoon. CMI is, Monkey Island ISN'T.

Er... it is.

[mmikkel]

I like the character designs, especially Guybrush, what I don't like is the texturing... it was what I hated about MI4 too - everything just looks plastic, it's way too shiny!

I think something cel-shaded like Wind Waker's style would've been the perfect compromise to achieve something that is cartoon-like in style yet still 3D. It'd be a great look for Monkey Island. Wind Waker is ancient, but still the best cartoon-3D game I've ever seen.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

My whole point that you seem to continuously miss is that graphics don't need to improve anymore. Back then 256-colour 320x200 graphics could certainly be enhanced. But nowadays it really doesn't. I'm happy with graphics from 4 or 5 years ago since we now have the technology to do pretty much anything we want. They didn't in the early 90s. That's why everything was innovating. There doesn't need to be any innovating now. Now everybody can choose the visual style they want to go with and do it....without the burden of having to innovate anything! And have it STILL look nice (which I still think ToMI does).

I see your point. And in part, agree with you. Just note that I'm not speaking of innovations, but just some more polygons.
If it's not going to happen, well, who cares? I'll buy it anyway, it's Monkey Island. But I still think some more polygons attract some more people who care about them.

Think about it: the better the graphics get the less people can play it / Will buy it.

Nah, unless you're speaking about super realistic shading, real time crap and all of that useless stuff. Some more polygons, just some more, is something every low/medium GPU can deal with.
Anyway, where's my Grog? Monkey Island is back!

[taumel]

He was a part of the design process and he's looking forward to the games, ergo, ToMI has his blessing. That's good enough for me.



I don't really mind this...

Well, first this isn't the same as he would be involved in the whole design process (or is he?) and secondly at least Schafer creates unique and interesting stuff. After going through quite some TTG episodes this sadly isn't something i automatically associate with TTG anymore.

[MusicallyInspired]

I like the character designs, especially Guybrush, what I don't like is the texturing... it was what I hated about MI4 too - everything just looks plastic, it's way too shiny!

I think something cel-shaded like Wind Waker's style would've been the perfect compromise to achieve something that is cartoon-like in style yet still 3D. It'd be a great look for Monkey Island. Wind Waker is ancient, but still the best cartoon-3D game I've ever seen.

Yeah, my only issue is that everything is "shiny" because of the absence of normal/specular texture mapping. Of course that would double the game's size because every texture in the game would have to have a corresponding normal and specular map. Actually that would triple the game size, wouldn't it? A way around that would be to cel-shade it like Strong Bad, but I don't know if that would totally work for MI. At the end of the day, I can live with animated plastic-looking models. It's not a huge issue.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Er... it is.

No, man, it isn't. The Curse of Monkey Island is a cartoon.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 aren't. I think the box art of those 2 games kills every doubt.

[stemot]

I know they don't use pre-rendered or drawn backgrounds, but if they're using 3D, they need to do this RIGHT. If they can't do it properly, why deliver us a mediocre-looking game? To make money on people's nostalgia and release one rushed product after another?

You know, look at games being recently released... Also made by small studios that are probably much more poor than Telltale.

For example? The Book of Unwritten Tales:
http://www.pcgames.de/aid,654761/The-Book-of-Unwritten-Tales-Neue-Screenshots-zum-skurrilen-Adventure/PC/Bildergalerie/?menu=browser&mode=normal&entity_id=-1&image_id=870998&browsersize=fullscreen

Vampyre Story:
http://www.gamershell.com/static/screenshots/7818/278329_full.jpg

So Blonde:
http://games.softpedia.com/screenshots/8-5195_2.jpg

Except all of those games were mediocre at best, sure, they used nice 2d rendered backgrounds, but that only makes the 3d characters look extremely out of place for most of the time, and the actual games were not that good at all.

[MusicallyInspired]

No, man, it isn't. The Curse of Monkey Island is a cartoon.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 aren't. I think the box art of those 2 games kills every doubt.

But, again, the games themselves look totally cartoon. I again reference you to the mask-talking cannibals of Monkey Island and the Governor of Phatt Island as well as that huge (unrealistically large) guard on Phatt Island with the beard and helmet covering his eyes. And just look at some character's proportions. Like the guy with the spin the wheel game in the alley on Phatt Island. Totally a cartoon. And what about Guybrush's eyes that constantly open as wide as saucers when he's surprised in MI2. There's no way that's not cartoon. The box art doesn't always have to represent the way the game's graphics look. Look at The Dig's box cover compared to its graphics (totally cartoon). And even Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. I don't really consider that a realistic game either, even though the cover art is even more realistic than the first to Monkey Island covers.

[Zomantic]

FIRST PROGRAMMER: WHERE'S THE GRAPHICS?

SECOND PROGRAMMER: I can't do them any more...

FIRST PROGRAMMER: 3D? WHAT, DO YOU THINK YOU'RE A SPACEMAN?

SECOND PROGRAMMER: Not really, I thought I was a graphics man.

FIRST PROGRAMMER: WELL, START ACTING LIKE ONE!

Videlectrix (http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php/Workin%27_on_the_Game): it's all about good graphics.

[Rather Dashing]

I like it.

The original Monkey Island games have always had a lot of color to them. I've always cared more about "art direction" than technical aspects of graphics when I play, or at least consider that first and the technology second.

LeChuck looks amazing to me, honestly. The rest of the characters pale in comparison, they're a bit too plastic, but the colors are nice and as far as what we've been shown they're very active and animated. Really though, they work for me and I think it'll overall be very pleasant to look at in the end.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

But, again, the games themselves look totally cartoon. I again reference you to the mask-talking cannibals of Monkey Island and the Governor of Phatt Island as well as that huge (unrealistically large) guard on Phatt Island with the beard and helmet covering his eyes. And just look at some character's proportions. Like the guy with the spin the wheel game in the alley on Phatt Island. Totally a cartoon. And what about Guybrush's eyes that constantly open as wide as saucers when he's surprised in MI2. There's no way that's not cartoon. The box art doesn't always have to represent the way the game's graphics look. Look at The Dig's box cover compared to its graphics (totally cartoon). And even Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. I don't really consider that a realistic game either, even though the cover art is even more realistic than the first to Monkey Island covers.

We have some communication issues, I think :)
In reply to your references, I reference you to the close-ups in MI1. They look EXACTLY as in the box art.
As for Atlantis, the fact that it's full of beautiful colors doesn't make it a cartoon. I understand "cartoonish", due to the colors and all of that, but Atlantis is totally realistic in his style, in no way it could be a cartoon.
Another example: Broken Sword 1 is totally cartoon styled, but it's clear that it's meant to have a realistic style which fits better a movie than a cartoon.
That's exactly the way I see Monkey Island, and that's why I don't like the deformated characters of CMI.

[MusicallyInspired]

I mentioned in a previous post that the close-ups from MI1 are like the box covers (but only for the VGA version) but the rest of the game really isn't.

Either way we can just agree to disagree lol.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Lol :p
Nice nick, anyway! :D

[noknowncure]

No, man, it isn't. The Curse of Monkey Island is a cartoon.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 aren't. I think the box art of those 2 games kills every doubt.

No, the covers are cartoons too. Fairly realistic cartoons in style, but cartoons all the same.

They are cartoons.

I think it's great that each game has a style of it's own.

[fajerkaos]

Wow. This forum sure has become hostile. (poor Jake and Emelie :))

I just wanted to pop in and say that I like almost everything, exept maybe the lightning in a few of the shots. And as they just seem to be quick rendetions, I don't think we should analyze them too much.

The design of Guybrush is fabulous. A very awesome mix of Curse and Revenge, and he seems to be able to both look silly and quite serious, which makes me really happy inside.

I think your biggest mistake was to anounce the game a month before release as it seems to have made a lot of people here nervous :p

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

No, the covers are cartoons too. Fairly realistic cartoons in style, but cartoons all the same.

They are cartoons.

I think it's great that each game has a style of it's own.

Oh, man, you can say that about the in-game characters (and I wouldn't agree, but I'd understand), but NOT about the box covers!
C'mon, it's A DRAWING, not A CARTOON.
Lemme ask you something: do you think Mona Lisa looks like a cartoon? Really, I wanna know

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Oh, I forgot one thing: so you think even hand-drawn Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis box cover looks like a cartoon?

[fhqwhgads]

Man, how we've come from basically all believing the franchise is dead and rotting somewhere in the LucasArts vault, sighing and saying "I wish someone would just take the franchise and do SOMETHING" and moved on toe "What? That's not enough polygons for MY Guybrush."

Art and art direction are always going to be something people won't agree on. I wasn't too fond of the new looks either. Personally I'm just glad I'm getting a new game with good writing behind it (and I don't even mean puzzles). The fact that it is Monkey Island themed just makes it sweeter.

And to those who's trying to tell me MI4 looked better, I just replayed it a month ago and, uhm, yeah... no.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Hehe man, we're all extremely happy, believe me :D
It's just fun to speak again with an alive all new Monkey Island community!
One or two years ago I've filled this very forum with MI threads, and it was almost like speaking alone.
Sharing ideas ain't being ungrateful, or nervous, or cold reactive.
MONKEY ISLAND IS BACK!

[The_Ripper]

Don't you think that LeChuck is very bad designed in this game? It's awful, I don't like it at all...

The other characters are cool... very cool. This Guybrush inspired in MI2 kicks ass!!! :D

[Bagge]

I love the new art style, including the Guybrush and LeChuck-designs, but if this (http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg) screenshot is indicative of the final product, the Telltale engine needs a serious graphical upgrade.

[Phalic0192]

I think the graphics are just fine. They have lots of color and the designs are distinct. People must realize that PC gaming is not done on desktops anymore. I myself love Telltale's games because they actually run on my three year old laptop, which has an intel gma. In fact nearly all computers sold don't have an integrated graphics card. The intel cards do not have transform and lighting, meaning DirectX 8 technology. Companies are smart enough nowadays to realize that if the game won't run on normal computers then the game will not sell. I think Telltale does a great job on style and character.

Remember the game is not released yet. They probably still have a majority of placeholder textures.

[Kaldire]

not to down with the visual look of the lead char... what is that on his face? something died! scrape it off!!!

next he should get bongos and act like chester cheeto..chill chill daddy ooo..

[Pronix]

Remember the game is not released yet. They probably still have a majority of placeholder textures.

Probably not as this game is only a month away, with a episode every month they probably already finished the first episode.

[MusicallyInspired]

A lot can get done in a month.

[pilouuuu]

While I agree that the game doesn't look next gen I think it looks OK and better than Escape. We must consider that it is full 3d, not a game with static backdrops.

I even think that animation will make it or break it and S&M had brilliant animation. Also keep in mind that this must be an alpha or beta version. So please Telltale, just add a few more textures to the polygon and it will be better.

And I think that there's more to it that TT doesn't want to spoil us. There must be some creepy places like those of MI2. Also S&M got better art design with each episode, so it must be the same here.

[pilouuuu]

Well, I just saw the trailer again and the game looks much better thanks to the character's animation.

We should just wait for more videos before we decide if it looks bad, but right now I think it looks OK.

The sea could look much better if it had sun reflections like the recently released The Sims 3. That's how the sea should look.

A few more detailed textures wouldn't make harm either.

But the most important thing for me is script and gameplay.

[RockNRoll]

I know they don't use pre-rendered or drawn backgrounds, but if they're using 3D, they need to do this RIGHT. If they can't do it properly, why deliver us a mediocre-looking game? To make money on people's nostalgia and release one rushed product after another?

You know, look at games being recently released... Also made by small studios that are probably much more poor than Telltale.

For example? The Book of Unwritten Tales:
http://www.pcgames.de/aid,654761/The-Book-of-Unwritten-Tales-Neue-Screenshots-zum-skurrilen-Adventure/PC/Bildergalerie/?menu=browser&mode=normal&entity_id=-1&image_id=870998&browsersize=fullscreen

Vampyre Story:
http://www.gamershell.com/static/screenshots/7818/278329_full.jpg

So Blonde:
http://games.softpedia.com/screenshots/8-5195_2.jpg

This post is dead on. the first linked pic is amazing, if that's how this game looked i'd be ecstatic 100% zero complaints. look how much more ART is in that one scene than in any MI5 scenes we've seen. you can just sit back and stare at it and discover things for a long time. with MI5 it's like a few plastic props strewn around with no details. Monkey Island should be teaching those games how it's done. Instead it's the other way around, there's just no excuse. People are saying "well graphics aren't that big a deal, i'd rather have a good game" well that's true, but i'd rather have BOTH which is what monkey island deserves.

i just really hope telltale and lucasarts is reading this stuff.

[xChri5x]

Wow, that book of unwritten tales screenshot is unbelievable. Those backgrounds have to be pre-rendered.

[Argbeil]

As I've played games like Jack Keane, Ankh and Sam&Max I know that these kind of games will work using a 3D Engine (at least they work better than the stupid Grim Fandango oder MI4 Games did) - but I don't like the new MI-Graphic Style too.

Guybrush doesn´t look like Guybrush anymore and his look doesn´t fit to Elaines or LeChucks apperance. Please - dear Telltale Designers - change that!

[LuigiHann]

Probably not as this game is only a month away, with a episode every month they probably already finished the first episode.

Nah they've said in a couple of places that the finished game will look a bit better than the screenshots, due to lighting and effects

[Nightshadow]

I agree the graphics engine could use an upgrade.

The character models feel a bit "toyish", but it's the horrendous backgrounds that are getting on my nerves.

They are just too bland, too plain, without any of the atmosphere that is characteristic to the Monkey Island series.

I have already pre-ordered it, but Monkey Island was much about the atmosphere, and there is little to none in the "Tales" :(

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

People are happy 'cause the game looks "better than EMI"...
C'mon guys, EMI was released 9 years ago...
I don't think it's a great merit, if it didn't look better after 9 years then it would have been a shame. Looking better is really the least they could do.

[der_ketzer]

People are happy 'cause the game looks "better than EMI"...
Actually I am happy it looks the way it does.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Actually I am happy it looks the way it does.

I'm not. I don't like the backgrounds. You already know it.
Anyway when I said "people" I wasn't referring to you, you've never told anything about EMI.

[der_ketzer]

I'm not. I don't like the backgrounds. You already know it.
Anyway when I said "people" I wasn't referring to you, you've never told anything about EMI.
Well that might be because I try to forget it ever existed.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Well that might be because I try to forget it ever existed.

Don't bee too tough with EMI, it's Monkey Island anyway.
I hope you won't have to try forgetting other chapters in the series.

[EeK85]

I'm not crazy about the art, but I can handle it. I kinda wish they had made it toon-shaded...

I still wonder why adventure game companies just don't go with cel-shading for their creations. It always seemed like a perfect match to me. Oh, well...

As for the visuals of Tales..., it's been a mixed bag, so far. Some of the images are pretty (http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090722138.jpg) good (http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090740826.jpg), but some are just plain (http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090719482.jpg) horrible (http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090726545.jpg). Even the trailer looks just half-decent. I hope this disparity issue is resolved when the game is released (less than a month from now).

The game's artwork does look great, btw. The problem (for me, at least) has been the transition from 2D to 3D.

[Armakuni]

To be perfectly honest, the graphics don't look all that great - BUT they don't look that bad, either. They look alright.

I don't see this is a big issue at all, I'm sure I would still enjoy the games very much, even if the graphics aren't 'cutting edge'. Graphics never mattered that much to me.

[rincewind01]

I dont mind it, i prefer the different art styles in every game.

[der_ketzer]

I hope you won't have to try forgetting other chapters in the series.

I am also working on forgetting the look of Guybrush on the artworks for the remake from Lucas Arts.

The reason I try to forget EMI is the controls. The rest is fine. I don't think there will be another MI I will have to try to forget.

[Fulvio75]

just to post my first message...
i've signed up and pre-buyed this 5-episodes game. I'm sure excited to play a new Guybrush's adventure but i simply don't expect too much from this game.
I'm an old adventures player since AV Games had a text area where to type commands into (that made me learn english :D or so hehehe).
in all of my life i've never seen a 3D adventure with a winning style user interface. Simply i don't think that 3d is suitable for adventures unless you have 360° sphere-shape monitor and even in that case i'm still in doubt.
So, why people feels the need to switch to a 3D engine for such games i don't really know. The only thing i can think of is to "enroll" newbies. There will be other reasons, maybe.
Quoting "Armakuni" graphics is the last factor for a good adventure. Using 3D it's just the thing now.

Of course this is just my opinion.
Ciaoooo!!!

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

I am also working on forgetting the look of Guybrush on the artworks for the remake from Lucas Arts.

Lol, we seem to disagree on everything :p
I like the SE Guybrush, except maybe for that strange hair.
Oh, and I like TOMI Guybrush a lot as well.

[Armakuni]

I also dislike the way Guybrush looks in the remake. I prefer the look you have in your avatar :)

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

just to post my first message...
i've signed up and pre-buyed this 5-episodes game. I'm sure excited to play a new Guybrush's adventure but i simply don't expect too much from this game.
I'm an old adventures player since AV Games had a text area where to type commands into (that made me learn english :D or so hehehe).
in all of my life i've never seen a 3D adventure with a winning style user interface. Simply i don't think that 3d is suitable for adventures unless you have 360° sphere-shape monitor and even in that case i'm still in doubt.
So, why people feels the need to switch to a 3D engine for such games i don't really know. The only thing i can think of is to "enroll" newbies. There will be other reasons, maybe.
Quoting "Armakuni" graphics is the last factor for a good adventure. Using 3D it's just the thing now.

Of course this is just my opinion.
Ciaoooo!!!

Hi latin pal, and welcome to the forums!
The fact that 3D is preferred to 2D, which is a painful thing to me, is not only due to the fact that market requires it. It's cheaper.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

I also dislike the way Guybrush looks in the remake. I prefer the look you have in your avatar :)

That's the best possible look, I think :p
The one in my avatar, I mean!

[Quanta]

Well, nowadays you could easily create a game in 3D and let it look like a beautifully painted picture (with all the advantages of 3d, like real-time lighting, dynamic camera positioning etc.). For example: with today's hardware you could easily create a 3d-real-time-image of the MI2 front cover at a decent framerate (and with "today's hardware" I mean a gaming capable pc for not more than 800 US-Dollar maximum - http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3563&p=4 / http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3563&p=5).

But then all the people with their computers ante Christum natum would complain about the oh-so-high system requirements.

You can't make everybody happy. I - unfortunately - am one who isn't happy. :(

[doodo!]

I think they should aim for and go for a clone wars type look, I believe they may have been inspired in that direction. Sam and Max season two made advances in graphics as well as A Vamprye Story part 2. People, don't forget that this company TellTAle is proud, and bold, but also a dog eats dog company just starting its career . Show some mercy, respect, understanding . To get where they have as a company shows how truly special they are. They are from the ground up, and now working with Lucas Arts . Show some damn respect, and understanding you monkeys ! Politely state your complaints after playing the game, and they will know where to improve , being a jerk now doesn't help anything but for TellTale sleep loss .

[Fulvio75]

Hi latin pal, and welcome to the forums!
The fact that 3D is preferred to 2D, which is a painful thing to me, is not only due to the fact that market requires it. It's cheaper.


Grazie Guybrush and thank's to all of course.
Yes you're right, i agree with you that, today, it's cheaper to build games using 3D engines (even too much cheaper and quicker).
ps. i really like your avatar too ;)

@doodo: i show them respect buying their game as i already did. They show respect to their customers building good stuff that doesn't need to have a famous name to be sold.
I'm happy that there still are SWHouses like this one and for sure i will wait to play and finish the 5th episode before taking a definitive position regarding this game.

[werpu]

Well, nowadays you could easily create a game in 3D and let it look like a beautifully painted picture (with all the advantages of 3d, like real-time lighting, dynamic camera positioning etc.). For example: with today's hardware you could easily create a 3d-real-time-image of the MI2 front cover at a decent framerate (and with "today's hardware" I mean a gaming capable pc for not more than 800 US-Dollar maximum - http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3563&p=4 / http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3563&p=5).

But then all the people with their computers ante Christum natum would complain about the oh-so-high system requirements.

You can't make everybody happy. I - unfortunately - am one who isn't happy. :(

If you go for the bare minimum to get a gaming rig running the current game generation you probably will end up with 400 dollars if at all (given you have a valid windows license)
with way less dollars for upgrading (for the next 5-6 years it probably will be one switch of the graphics card)

But yes the complaints would be there, even worse than with the controls!
But the main issue is that most laptops have the slow as molasses Intel chipsets as standard graphics chipsets and laptop computers are predominant nowadays in the PC gaming market.
I personally think that Intel did more to kill of PC gaming than the entire
console propaganda machine was able to do (since Microsoft joined the console club). Selling crappy chipsets which are not able to run decent games in millions definitely kills the entire 3d gaming market as we know it on the PC. Have in mind most people are casual gamers who dont know the difference between Intel/NVidia/ATI and they try a handful of games, they wont run and give up entirely on PC gaming and buy a console instead!

[VagrantWulf]

What Telltale are doing excites me so much more than even the upcoming Monkey Island remake, and I shall reveal why...

It looks like their thought processes in regards to the art direction was as follows:

"Monkey Island 1 & 2 were great!"
"Yeah!"
"...not so fond of the creepy, lanky blond-turban kid in CMI, though."
"No, not so much, that was supposed to be Guybrush?"
"Shall we use that? Why not, eh? Yeaahhno."
"Let's look at Monkey Island 1 & 2 and do our own version of what Guybrush would look like, were he updated to a modern, cartoony 3D engine!"
"Yes!"

And am I ever glad of that, because to me, the character has the feel of Guybrush, and part of that is in the appearance.

Now I've seen points about him looking youngish and a bit bland, but... isn't that Guybrush? Maybe not CMI Guybrush, but Gilbert Guybrush.

In MI 1 he looked about in his late teens, in MI 2 he was just old enough to grow a beard (which he was proud of). In MI 1 he was accused of looking like a flooring inspector, in MI 2 he wore a rather colourful jacket but it still didn't do much for him. Take that and put it into 3D and you have pretty much what Telltale come up with, it's not the CMI Guybrush and... I'm sorry, but thank goodness for that. <.<

And... curly clouds!

To me, this looks like the continuation I wanted CMI to be, and you have a huge burden resting on your shoulders now Telltale because you've decided to continue with a more MI 2 kind of feel as opposed to a CMI feel. But if you can pull it off... well, you'll have a huge fan here.

I'm already pleased by the trailer, the sea-hag and frosty carbonated maker lines are very true to the feel of Gilbert's Guybrush, and that's the kind of humour I want to see, rather than the direction CMI went in, wherein the humour was funny but it had no flair (well, okay, none beyond the singing pirate scene, I'll give it that).

Also: "Hot monkey vengeance!"

Yes, I'm quite looking forward to this, and as such, I've preordered!

[Leak]

People must realize that PC gaming is not done on desktops anymore.
That of course explains all those graphics heavy first person shooters...

I think you really should realize that PC gaming is done on all kinds of PCs.

np: Sin Fang Bous - Lies (Clangour)

[Wicked]

Someone has to say this aloud. The graphics are simply UGLY. You heard me right, Telltale.
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg

The ship in the background looks downright horrible, the lighting is plain, the colors are washed out, character models look like plastic toys. Sorry Telltale, look at other adventure games on the market, you'll notice the difference.
Even MI4 looked better, at least the backgrounds were nicely rendered.
HUGE disappointment.


I have to agree.
When I first saw the trailer, the first thing that came to my mind was - "YUCK!!"
The graphics looks like it was ment to be played on an IPHONE rather than on a pc. I regret to say but even MI4 looks better, and it was designed like 10 years ago.
Nevertheless i pre-ordered the game. After all, we are talking about MI game :)

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

"Let's look at Monkey Island 1 & 2 and do our own version of what Guybrush would look like, were he updated to a modern, cartoony 3D engine!"

3D engine: yes.
cartoony: yes.
modern: no.

[Shanksworthy]

I just want to say that TTG's Guybrush looks like Conan O'Brien :-). Not that that's necessarily a bad thing...

Actually I'm just happy there's a new MI game. However if I had my choice, I would have preferred the Guybrush from MI 2. I remember being a little disappointed with the cartoonish direction from CMI, and it got worse with EMI. EMI's Guybrush looked like Erkel, and he was rendered like that Dire Straights video from the 80's. TTG's Guybrush is a step in the right direction, but unfortunately the backgrounds/sets/environments aren't.

I really hope the finished game will look better than the screen shots they've released. Although humor is a big part of the MI games, one thing people keep forgetting is that a lot of the charm of SoMI & MI2 came from the quaint and beautiful settings. When it comes to escapism, don't you want to play in a world that you wish you could actually jump into? I mean, the graphics from the first 3 games looked like candy to me -- just so vivid and compelling. Even to this day when I'm visiting some quaint foresty Maratime town (like certain areas in Eastern Canada -- Nova Scotia comes to mind), I compare it with areas from MI 1&2.

So far the screenshots I've seen from TMI do not have that "romanticism" or allure, or "pop". They look rather sparse and bland, and way too over-the-top cartoony. Realistically in order to make it economically viable to produce adventure games in this economic climate, no company can spend the $$ or time to do graphics like they did in the olden days. Too bad... in any case, this doesn't mean that there will *never* be another MI game with great environments (wait for MI 5!), and in the mean time I'm just glad to be able to enter that world again -- even if it is slightly overly simple and cartoonish.

[onemanandhisdroid]

I think it's serviceable. Some of it looks real good even, and Telltale has always been good at animations, which is important. It's probably a bit too clean for it's low polygon count self. Some filtering effects or something might go a long way in making everything looking more vibrant and less edgy.

I've recently played the demo of this new Simon The Sorcerer game, and while the humor fell totally flat to me, some of the character art and models look real good. Granted, the devs were given the benefit of unlimited disc space and thus texture size and all, but just applying the right lighting or a cel shading effect for instance can work wonders on even rather edgy cartoony models: See this rabbit (http://www.the-games-company.com/de/site_uploads_de/1233859970_image003.jpg) for instance. Simon himself (http://mediang.gameswelt.net/public/images/200902/e5224ed6d881f7ce1173c36a149f7d51.jpg) doesn't look all bad either.

edit: There's a GTA San Andreas mod out there that shows pretty well how simple filters can affect the visuals of a game. Never mind the added car reflections for now, but this isn't GTA IV (http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1596/oi6svq6eyl.jpg), this is indeed 2004's GTA San Andreas which originally looks like this. (http://www.spieletipps.de/dyn/pub/picture_img/000/000/254/438/254438.jpg) All that is needed is a file that weighs in at less than 100kb (yes, kilobytes, not megabytes) to make the game look like that, by the way...

Wallace&Gromit looks pretty ace, while we're at it. Good job!

[youmaycallmemurray]

One thing that looks very odd is how pale some of the characters are (glassblower, nose guy and Nipperkin look almost silverish) on a tropical island, and how dark Winslow is (without having a black voice)?
I can't say I'm impressed by the graphics, especially the jungle looks... bad. But I guess it's the best they can do given the requierment to scale things down for the Wii.

[pleeyer wan]

I think the looks for the game are well balanced for the audience they're aiming at.
And that's the people who Buy Sam and Max nowadays... Not us game-veterans... But the new kids on the block!
It really wouldn't sell as much if it would look like a cartoon (like in the MOST BEAUTIFUL Mi: Curse), and it wouldn't even exist outside the utmost fanbase as the 3-pixel-man in 256 colours like the old days...

They have to go with the flow of things, and that is going 3D.
It started with Mi4, which is an abomination in polygon counts, but boasted beautiful backgrounds.
It works with sam and max, so why wouldn't it work with monkey island?
It'll never be like the old days, we have to accept that, and it isn't THAT ugly, is it?
OK, there are more beautiful games, I really like how S&M looks like, and feels. but somehow this game breaths Monkey island.
It will probably grow on us... so i'll be prepared to give it the much deserved chance, and just look past the polygon counts....

Accept for the French advesary... he doesn't work at all.... SISSY!:p

[jortlaban]

I think the looks for the game are well balanced for the audience they're aiming at.
And that's the people who Buy Sam and Max nowadays... Not us game-veterans... But the new kids on the block!
It really wouldn't sell as much if it would look like a cartoon (like in the MOST BEAUTIFUL Mi: Curse), and it wouldn't even exist outside the utmost fanbase as the 3-pixel-man in 256 colours like the old days...

They have to go with the flow of things, and that is going 3D.
It started with Mi4, which is an abomination in polygon counts, but boasted beautiful backgrounds.
It works with sam and max, so why wouldn't it work with monkey island?
It'll never be like the old days, we have to accept that, and it isn't THAT ugly, is it?
OK, there are more beautiful games, I really like how S&M looks like, and feels. but somehow this game breaths Monkey island.
It will probably grow on us... so i'll be prepared to give it the much deserved chance, and just look past the polygon counts....

Accept for the French advesary... he doesn't work at all.... SISSY!:p
Good point...
I actually like the looks of TOMI, but there is one minor thing that bugs me about this game engine... I have 3D games that are FAR more complicated in graphics that actually run far better (as in perfect) than this one...

This game needs an update to DX9 (or better DX10 or DX11) since it still uses DX8.1

[SHODANFreeman]

Agh, thread archaeologists strike again.

[Toothless Gibbon]

Agh, thread archaeologists strike again.

The thread paradox: If you search for an existing thread about the subject you wanna discuss it's "thread archaeology" but if you don't you get flamed for it! :)

[WedgeWalker]

I like the visual style. For Guybrush in particular, I think it's a nice blend of ALL previous designs. He's blonde, like SMI, CMI, and EMI (MI:2 is the odd one out here). He's lanky like CMI, and EMI. He's got facial hair like MI:2. He's got a coat like the one he had in MI:2.

I like the style. It's not super fancy. But it's pleasing, and it works.

Love TMI so far.

[MusicallyInspired]

Good point...
I actually like the looks of TOMI, but there is one minor thing that bugs me about this game engine... I have 3D games that are FAR more complicated in graphics that actually run far better (as in perfect) than this one...

This game needs an update to DX9 (or better DX10 or DX11) since it still uses DX8.1

Maybe DX9 but not 10 or 11. Some of us still use WinXP and intend to for a while at least until Windows 7 comes out.

[jortlaban]

Maybe DX9 but not 10 or 11. Some of us still use WinXP and intend to for a while at least until Windows 7 comes out.
DX10 is fully backwards compatible with DX9c, so no problem in them using DX10.

[vicbear]

I think the characters don't look piratey enough. The characters in the first episode looked and acted more like the reformed pirates in MI4 than stranded pirates. Everyone's too friendly/goofy looking and there isn't enough grit.

[MusicallyInspired]

DX10 is fully backwards compatible with DX9c, so no problem in them using DX10.

As long as you don't need DX10 to play it. DX10 is unavailable for WinXP.

[Avistew]

I'm getting used to Guybrush's new look.
I think it's always weird when the characters are restyled. I remember for instance when Link's look was shown before the windwaker came out, I thought it must have been a joke, it looked to ugly to me. Then it grew on me.

I really like the way the voodoo lady looks, I find Guybrush a bit weird due to the marks under his eyes (get some sleep, man) but overall I think the main characters are ok.

I was more annoyed by how in the first episode there seemed to be only 2 templates for other characters, the short ones and the tall ones. I mixed characters thinking they were one another, I hope it's less of an issue later.

I also need to get used to the voiced as I've only played the other games in French. Guybrush's voice is pretty much the same as in French, but Lechuck sounds very weird to me. I like Elaine's voice although I have a hard time understanding what she's saying due to her accent (yay for subtitles!)
The voodoo Lady's voice is also pretty much the same as in French.
So, voice-wise, smooth transition for me apart for Lechuck (I prefer his French voice).

And yes, I realise the English voices are the original ones, but that doesn't mean I'm used to them :P

[Loz]

I think the characters don't look piratey enough. The characters in the first episode looked and acted more like the reformed pirates in MI4 than stranded pirates. Everyone's too friendly/goofy looking and there isn't enough grit.

Agreed. Hopefully that's just because Flotsam was a sleepy sort of place. Hopefully this will change as the season goes on. I hope that the character design and personalities get as far away as possible from EMI, because some of the design choices in that were awful. So far, ToMI hasn't reached CoMI levels of awesome, but it's also a massive improvement over EMI.