Maps

[Gryffalio]

Am I the only one who gets a little twitch when he sees such blatant disregard of the way things are as was seen in MI4?

We have some brilliant islands in MI. Monkey Island was great in the original two games, and for me somewhat disappointing with the hotch-potch reproduction in MI4. Melee Island was also crucified by MI4. But there are some beautiful islands we haven't revisited. Monkey Island 2's Scabb, Booty and Phatt Island really helped make that period of MI2 one of my favourite in the MI-series. MI3 got Plunder Island looking nice and Blood Island was, in my opinion, one of the best islands in the game. And then MI4, even MI4 had a nice Lucre Island (which those who hated the property-developer story will vehemently deny).

But do we want to revisit these places? Part of me wants a new story allowing me to wander through these streets, but then part of me is scared that MI4-style trampling of my memories of these islands will take place.

This leads me to the title. What do you guys think about the maps changing in a way which couldn't be explained by time etc? I know there's another thread gathering dust on this topic, but what do we think about revisiting islands?

Most of all, are Telltale in any position to make a kind of definitive map of the islands? I know i'm a little unusual in my like for maps (though some of the original guys from the MI franchise shared this little quirk) but I really do think "setting the scene" as my old teachers would have said can only be done with reference to where we are. Islands such as Knuttin Atoll in MI4 could have been really immersive if Jambalya hadn't been sitting just off it (and obviously if there was't a school and rather over-the-top feel in general) but because of their situ, simply seemed subjugated (which, granted is what the MI4 guys wanted). Equally, there is a difference in feeling if Lucre is either just to the right of Melee (as in MI4) or at the other end of the map (as in Paco Vinc's fan-map). A poster of what has irritaningly become known as the "tri-island area" (monkey island universe) would be quite nice and possibly sell a bit; what do we think?

Anyway, i'll try to keep this post short and end it there so people might actually read this to the end :P

[Arodin]

I really would love to see TT do a take on a place like Scabb Island, but on the other hand if it is changed drastically from MI2 the way MI4 drastically changed Melee, I would not be pleased. Basically I think it's worth TT considering revisiting an old island, especially those from MI2, but it isn't worth it if they realize that they would have to make significant changes to the locale in order to fit it into their story. I don't NEED to revisit old locations, so unless they feel they can do a really good job of recreating them, I'd say stick with new islands.

As for a map showing of all of the islands -- I could take it or leave it.

[Sheepbrush]

Sure, they're all great islands, but I feel it would be a little repetitive if there was more then one old island in TMI.

[Secret Fawful]

Originally Posted by Sheepbrush

Sure, they're all great islands, but I feel it would be a little repetitive if there was more then one old island in TMI.

The only old island we need is Monkey Island.

[Todesreiter]

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

The only old island we need is Monkey Island.

oh no no... i find it`s funny to meet some places
of the good ol` adventure time again ;-)

[onlyamonkey]

pirate maps are exact.

[LuigiHann]

oh say say say
OH SAY SAY SAY

[Mataku]

I donno. on the one hand, I think there are TOO many islands already, and their names are getting weirder and weirder, but on the other hand, going back to places i've already seen on other games is only fun to look at in new graphics, but after that, there's no more point. CMI didn't have any old islands (except monkey, but that hardly counts), and it managed to make a good story. I say - ONE ISLAND THROUGH THE WHOLE EFFING GAME! that would be a nice change.

[LuigiHann]

Originally Posted by Mataku

I say - ONE ISLAND THROUGH THE WHOLE EFFING GAME! that would be a nice change.

We're apparently going to be looking at roughly one island per episode in the Telltale series, so that should be nice for you (and I don't mind it either way).

[Edward VanHelgen]

no, travelling from one island to another is a trademark of Monkey Island, along with a drawn line of voyage in Indiana Jones style.

Also, it would be great to see maps of islands in a typical style

[PariahKing]

Honestly I wouldn't mind if we didn't go back to Monkey Island in Tales.

[LuigiHann]

Yeah, the only game where there was any extensive revisiting of familiar islands was EMI. While it can be nostalgic and fun to see old places from a new perspective, I don't think it's necessary in this series, especially with the original game being remade in hand-painted HD 2D...

Anyay, as far as the main topic of the first post, I do like the overhead maps for navigation within an island. That would be very nice and nostalgic. If we do revisit any islands from earlier games, I'd expect them to be mostly accurate to the original layout, but I wouldn't mind if they tweaked it, if the gameplay or puzzles required something to be in a different spot.

I don't know about a series-wide overmap... in CMI it made a nice logo screen, but I think the world of the games is a bit too large and nebulous, plus seeing unvisitable islands in-game made me kind of sad in EMI. I do agree it'd make a fun poster.

[Edward VanHelgen]

LuigiHann i agree, but there is nothing wrong in revisiting old islands, if the designers know how to use the already known potential of islands and make it interesting both for those who already visited them and for new players. So, its really more of a pressure for designers to cope with all of that, and so i guess its easier for them to introduce new islands. I think they should do both revisits and new islands, in a good balance.

[Gryffalio]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

I don't know about a series-wide overmap... in CoMI it made a nice logo screen, but I think the world of the games is a bit too large and nebulous, plus seeing unvisitable islands in-game made me kind of sad in EfMI. I do agree it'd make a fun poster.

I know what you mean with the world being quite large already. The EfMI thing kinda annoyed me, too. Wonder if they wanted to visit those islands in a next game, or perhaps they just thought it would be nice for there to be places on a map Guybrush hasn't visited yet?

Either way, if we get 7 "new" games overall, (for a basic 'what-if' scenario) we could have over 25 islands and that would make a proper map quite hard to make, but also get a little tedious in my view.

The islands were great earlier on in the series, including MI3, but then with MI4 it just felt like after Lucre, it was getting a little rushed. Then again, to me, the entire game seemed rushed, or at least missing inspiration. As the game goes on further, though, it feels like each island is less and less important.

I guess this could just be down to how small and limited the islands seem. There was a lot to do on Blood Island, Plunder Island, and in MI4 on Lucre Island, but then places like Jambalya just seemed tiny. There's three shops, a beach, a diving rock, and Stan's desk. It didn't really portray the huge landscape that an island will usually have. Where's the forests? the jungles? This is an adventure-game afterall, and it just seems like less of an adventure when the places to visit are small. Just as an example, look at the island-style for Booty Island, and then at the style of Blood Island, and then at Jambalya.

I know this is partially down to the style that MI4 adopted, but then ToMI has adopted a similar (if much improved) graphical style.

[HoppyDragon]

Since we won't get to see multiple islands per episode, they're bound to at least have the overview map of the island.. it's a major symbol of the Monkey Island games. I have faith in the designers though.

[Toothless Gibbon]

I'm we are using direct control in the game, I hope at least the areas on the map will be clickable. I am finding it tricky to walk around the islands in MI4.

[Ash735]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

oh say say say
OH SAY SAY SAY

WAIT! ...They don't love you like I love you!



On topic, As long as they don't butcher the Tri-Island map like they did in Monkey Island 4, If you get a screenshot of the map used in the opening sequence of MI3 you can see that they've map the maps of previous games apply. in MI4 they just shuffled the Islands around.

Infact, here:
Monkey Island 3
Monkey Island 4

If that's not another reason to ignore MI4 then I don't know what is!

[Irishmile]

maybe its like lost? JK I wonder why they shifted the islands around....

[LuigiHann]

Originally Posted by Gryffalio

I know this is partially down to the style that MI4 adopted, but then ToMI has adopted a similar (if much improved) graphical style.

I'd sort of like an overhead map that's more map-looking. Not necessarily the brown monochrome pirate map, but at least something that looks like a map you'd find in an atlas.

[serweet]

Perhaps it's time for Guybrush to update to a Sat Nav.