Just curious

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Since I've known that the n-episode will be like the n-part of the game, I was wondering: will every episode start with an empty inventory, as like if the game just started, or will there be objects picked up during previous parts?
I mean, in a Monkey Island game, Guybrush often carries some objects for most of the game, but I don't know if this would work with episodes.
A player who starts playing from episode 2 (ok, he would surely be stupid not to play the game from the first episode, but let's pass) would find in his inventory objects took during episode 1?
Really, just curious

[turingmachine604]

Originally Posted by Guybrush_Threepwood

Since I've known that the n-episode will be like the n-part of the game, I was wondering: will every episode start with an empty inventory, as like if the game just started, or will there be objects picked up during previous parts?
I mean, in a Monkey Island game, Guybrush often carries some objects for most of the game, but I don't know if this would work with episodes.
A player who starts playing from episode 2 (ok, he would surely be stupid not to play the game from the first episode, but let's pass) would find in his inventory objects took during episode 1?
Really, just curious

I assume it'll work the same way it did in Sam and Max. Basically, yes, with every episode your inventory is reset. However, in Sam and Max sometimes you'd start with an item from the previous episode as they built new puzzles around it. So the starting inventory is pre-set and independent of having actually played the previous episode.

[yugge]

Originally Posted by turingmachine604

I assume it'll work the same way it did in Sam and Max. Basically, yes, with every episode your inventory is reset. However, in Sam and Max sometimes you'd start with an item from the previous episode as they built new puzzles around it. So the starting inventory is pre-set and independent of having actually played the previous episode.

I disagree. This is taken from Adventure Gamers Preview: ( http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1024 )

If you’ve played some of Telltale’s other episodic adventures, whether Sam & Max Seasons 1 and 2, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, or Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, you may think you know what to expect from Tales of Monkey Island, but there are a few major differences that make this a very exciting project. One is that the episodes are not standalone “tales”, as the title might seem to imply, but actually “chapters” in a greater story. “Epic” was definitely the word of the day throughout our conversation.

So I would think that you start of with a set of items you've picked up throughout the game.

EDIT: Sorry, I clearly didn't read your comment all the way through. Yeah, I guess preset is the way it would be since it's episodic. That means I wont be carrying pamplets throughout the whole game tho

[turingmachine604]

I know, I actually like it better when you stay carrying everything around the entire game.

Plus, it actually made it harder as then you never knew if you had to use one of those random items later (unlike in the episodes, if they make you start with something you know you're going to use it for a puzzle so you think about using it, instead of looking at the puzzle then your inventory).

Frankly, they should make you start each episode with every item you had to use in the previous episode, even if you don't use it in the current episode. It'd be a nice compromise, still I'll miss those leaflets.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Originally Posted by turingmachine604

Frankly, they should make you start each episode with every item you had to use in the previous episode, even if you don't use it in the current episode. It'd be a nice compromise, still I'll miss those leaflets.

I'm absolutely with you. It would even give the player the illusion to play a full game instead of episodes, at least once every episode will be released.

[Xocrates]

Quite frankly, I think that is a bad idea. The law of conservation of detail is as important here as it is anywhere else. Having stuff on your inventory that you don't need can be downright confusing.

Syberia did something similar. Anything that you picked up during any particular chapter of the game would be used in that same chapter. I a way, it was refreshing not carrying around a bunch of crap you would never need ever again.

Even EMI did something similar, as you often lost items you wouldn't need again. Not to mention the near complete inventory swipe once you reached monkey island (except for the organs. I was walking around with enough stuff to make a zombie army )

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Originally Posted by Xocrates

Quite frankly, I think that is a bad idea. The law of conservation of detail is as important here as it is anywhere else. Having stuff on your inventory that you don't need can be downright confusing.

Syberia did something similar. Anything that you picked up during any particular chapter of the game would be used in that same chapter. I a way, it was refreshing not carrying around a bunch of crap you would never need ever again.

Even EMI did something similar, as you often lost items you wouldn't need again. Not to mention the near complete inventory swipe once you reached monkey island (except for the organs. I was walking around with enough stuff to make a zombie army )

The fact is that there are plenty of old LucasArts classic where you carry useless items for all the game, just think of Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis: the mayonnaise jar.
Although it is sometimes frustrating, to me it increases the game difficulty, as the player's got more objects he can interact with, not knowing they're not useful anymore and trying to find a way to use them.
Even in Monkey 2, it was really fun to see how much junk Guybrush had within his pockets. To me, it's a pro. I understand that for others is a con.

[Xocrates]

Don't get me wrong, I kind of like watching the huge pile of crap I was carrying around. But to actually force you to do so between episodes (especially in the off chance you didn't play the ones where the items were actually needed) only comes across as silly.

[RockNRoll]

Originally Posted by Guybrush_Threepwood

The fact is that there are plenty of old LucasArts classic where you carry useless items for all the game, just think of Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis: the mayonnaise jar.
Although it is sometimes frustrating, to me it increases the game difficulty, as the player's got more objects he can interact with, not knowing they're not useful anymore and trying to find a way to use them.
Even in Monkey 2, it was really fun to see how much junk Guybrush had within his pockets. To me, it's a pro. I understand that for others is a con.

yeah anything like that that increases the difficulty and decreases the hand holding is good to me.

it seems like people have sort of forgotten about the old attitude of adventure games, of really being placed in a situation given a bunch of seemingly random objects throughout the game and figuring out wtf to do. that was the core appeal of the games to me, like being macguyver or something. now everyone demands this cut & dry logic and linearity to it all, you can't dare have a really clever wacky solution to something, or find an object and then not use it for a long time. i like a certain degree of logic, but an adventure isn't an adventure to me if i don't get really stuck at some points.

[turingmachine604]

Thing is, they don't need to start you with every possible inventory item each episode, just all the ones you had to use in the previous episodes puzzles. This eliminates random pamphlets and stuff you used to get and never use, but in the same time not only inadvertently increases the difficulty but increases the feeling of continuity between episodes.

Though I did love seeing how much crap I had by the end of some old adventure games.

Besides, I remember a few games where a random item I picked up at the beginning didn't get used to the very end, and it makes lugging it around all that time worthwhile.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

@RockNRoll: yeah, they forgot the real deal! Ok, I've (painfully) accepted the fact that adventures became easier and easier, but it's nice to see people that miss that kind of contest! The best solution, imo, would be same difficulty as before, but with an intelligent hint system which would help impatient players (I'd never use it, I love being stuck and think for a while ). Pixel hunting was annoying sometimes, anyway.
Oh, nice nick!

@turingmachine604: yes, it wasn't sporadic to pick up objects that were totally useless and to think "NOW WHAT THE F@#k am I gonna do with this crap?!?!?".
Good ol' times
Oh, nice nerdy nick, you too! Makes me think of my Formal Languages exam.

[Jake]

You'll be carrying some items from episode to episode. Probably not many superfluous ones, because that would be hard to track (impossible on the Wii, since we can't easily read save data from one episode in another), but there will be situations where you pick something up in an episode and don't end up needing it until an episode or two down the line, or it has multiple uses which come into play far later.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Originally Posted by Jake

You'll be carrying some items from episode to episode. Probably not many superfluous ones, because that would be hard to track (impossible on the Wii, since we can't easily read save data from one episode in another), but there will be situations where you pick something up in an episode and don't end up needing it until an episode or two down the line, or it has multiple uses which come into play far later.

Absolutely GREAT!

[GuyMontague]

Originally Posted by Jake

[...] but there will be situations where you pick something up in an episode and don't end up needing it until an episode or two down the line [... ]

That is going to be both very confusing and rewarding.

[turingmachine604]

Originally Posted by Jake

You'll be carrying some items from episode to episode. Probably not many superfluous ones, because that would be hard to track (impossible on the Wii, since we can't easily read save data from one episode in another), but there will be situations where you pick something up in an episode and don't end up needing it until an episode or two down the line, or it has multiple uses which come into play far later.

Yay! One of my fears have been alleviated of the episodic format now. I would still love old-school carry everything, but I gladly accept this compromise.