Q&A With the Design Team

[Jake]

Originally Posted by TheHutt

Question: Why the logo change?

The original logo was sleek, elegant, cool. Personally, I find the added serifs at the bottom ends of "A" quite distracting and falling out of style.

We wanted it to be a bit more angular and chunky to go with the Devils Playhouse logo.

Originally Posted by TheHutt

However, considering the ampersand specifically - the left side of it looks like it was cut off inaccurately.

That's just bad resizing/antialiasing. In real life there is a curve there.

Originally Posted by Rather Dashing

I really hope they don't give us a cover that's like the Wii or retail PC releases. I was really not impressed with Save the World, and while Beyond Time and Space was a good deal better...it just doesn't compare to the Steve Purcell cover.

We put some work into making sure you in particular wouldn't like those covers, so job well done on us I guess.

The 3D rendered covers are usually done at the request of our retail publisher (The Adventure Company and Atari both passed on using Steve's box paintings for the retail versions, preferring upres'd, re-lit game art renders), but we love the painted covers, so expect Steve's art to continue to grace the Telltale Store DVDs.

[borgtrek7]

hello im wondering if its going to be open world and how sick is the humor im

[Remolay]

Not open world, no plans for an open world sam and max game as stated earlier.

It will likely be just as bad as the other 2 seasons, so hopefully nothing worse than "Would you like to rub my unicorn?"

[Hassat Hunter]

Originally Posted by Molokov

The "Did You Try?" lists here just give some of the pointers to things that are funny in the games that aren't required to complete the puzzles, but they're worth doing for the humour value. They're not really 'achievements' as such, and don't change the outcome of the story, they're just cool little things the designers, writers etc put in the game to make it a richer world, funnier and worthwhile playing the games for a second or third time.

Yeah... I agree. But have you take a look at "achievements" for most games nowadays. Would easily fit in, not to mention I used the intentionally vague "pseudo-achievements".
Reasoning behind it is if it's ingame, it would be a lot more 'open' to gamers, not all of them finding those lists and stuff on the site here. Get the broadest audience for the effort spend and such. Atleast, that's what I would think it's a good for. Get them to know they missed out on stuff and replay it once again. And then, maybe, purchase more games and stuff too if they notice the amount of detail that went into the game!
And most games spoil parts by just telling clearly what to do for some achievements, even if they are spoilery in nature, so obviously they would be hidden for your first game, unlocked as you gain them, and unhidden after first completion, so you can nicely see how you did in thoroughness the first game and what you should look out for 2nd/3rd game.
And yeah... I thought all that up just yesterday playing the first 2 episodes of Sam and Max and reading the lists of "did you try"...

Originally Posted by Jake

The Adventure Company and Atari both passed on using Steve's box paintings for the retail versions, preferring upres'd, re-lit game art renders

...

[Secret Fawful]

Originally Posted by Hassat Hunter

...

I had basically the same reaction. It's like what were they thinking!?

[pwblaine]

Thank you guys for keeping up the responses long after my questions have stopped being interesting, truly. Speaking of which, I was a big fan of the old point and click mechanic of seasons one and two, any specific reason the old mouse driven control has been switched to a more keyboard driven approach for moving the character? Every now and then in TOMI, I'll find myself still clickin the edge of the screen.

[LittleRena]

What are the odds of a Bosco spin off series?

Is Jurgen the cutest villian, if not, who is?

Also, how many doors will Agent Superball be guarding this time?

[freelancehero]

I try not to spoil the board here (even though this is an exclusive Freelance Police Dispatch and I not know how to cover up spoilers but pretty much this board is like a spoiler in a way), but ask the strongest question that may relate to season 2 foreshadow events.

1. Sal was not real?! Why did Girl Stinky stated in the final episode saying who Sal when she kept calling his name. Is it some twisted plot twist that we not foresee that would disturb our mind (because when Sam talk to Girl Stinky about Sal and there that dramatic scene movement where something is stroke of mystery and creepy horror stuff do in a shadowy event) or just some joke there. One thing must be clear first, are both Stinky (or Stinkies) are major enemies that our Freelance duos must face?

2. Is it really Sam and Max future in Chariots of the Dogs where they finally put their career to rest? I don't believe much of it unless their something your not telling us and could relate to this season 3? After all, the animated series show one episode where Sam and Max got turned to old geezers after a failed attempt to work out the two Greek entities to work out which surprising work out in the end after giving Zeus the medusa ring and manage to escape from his rage after Max made an bad comment and turn to a Scottish golf statue. Matter of fact how did Sam got Max back to normal?

3. Is Satan involved with season 3 oh wait he spoiled it in the end of season 2.

4. Is it painful where Max put his stuff? ...............Wait why am I'm answering that question?

5. *Magical* (Hugh Bliss style and saying)

6. Will there be trophy for the PS3 version? And so, will our preorder can be pick from either side?

7.*staring around* ............................huh wait what?! I lost track there.

8. So how the graphic is revamp

9. Is the Desoto still possess? I am still trying to get rid of my phobia with it since my previous encounter with it. I still have the roach stain, snake goo, and burn rubber smell from the last time.

10. Is there the "Do you have any....." joke in season 3

11. Did the mechanical monkey from Sam and Max season 1 Machinima Short #3 - A Painstaking Search, have any involvement to season 3. I swear that monkey is puuuuureee eeeeeeevvillllllllll. I know as Bosco paranoid mind.

12 (and last). Can you ask Max to help promote Krispy Cream doughnut shop since there glaze doughnut is like tasting heaven in a good way. He is still president right?

[Sciz]

Originally Posted by Chuck

Almost half the office plays Team Fortress 2, and that got my vote for game of the year whenever it came out (2 years ago? Longer?)

So my dream of Valve and Telltale collaborating on a TF2 series is more plausible than I expected? :O

[freelancehero]

13 PS. What will happen to Bluster Blaster? will he survive his death clock since with the experiment with SOL? I hope he pop out somewhere in the season since he's a funny arcade who make us laugh of danger................ That made no sense at all, but acceptable. And any cross over characters?

PS again: oh wait the DeSoto still possess huh? Well I guess I could get some fancy sports car from Germany so it will be distracted by it sexy look (it's a female right?).

[Amaterasu]

Originally Posted by ttg_Stemmle

You know, if Sybil does return, it's all your fault now, right?

Anyone wanna dare us to bring back the Soda Poppers?

Mike "easily goaded into foolish actions" Stemmle

OMGOD! Now there's a chance Sybil will be 3rd season's main BAD GUY!?

WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!

I'm so sorry everyone... T,T!

[Andorxor]

Darth Sybil
Will season4 show us how Max ended in Jedi Knight?

[SHODANFreeman]

Originally Posted by Jake

We put some work into making sure you in particular wouldn't like those covers, so job well done on us I guess.

I have a suggestion for a cover that Rather Dashing would dislike. The retail releases of TMI should feature character art similar to Curse of Monkey Island with a little button you can push on the front that will feature a sales pitch from Stan, as voiced by Patrick Pinney. Also, a big cartoony version of LeChuck smiling and hugging a teddy bear.

I believe this to be the perfect formula to cause Rather Dashing to dislike the TMI cover the most of all.

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Pale Man

Also, a big cartoony version of LeChuck smiling and hugging a teddy bear while slipping on a banana peel.

Here, I improved it.

[Icedhope]

Originally Posted by Sciz

So my dream of Valve and Telltale collaborating on a TF2 series is more plausible than I expected? :O

Use heavy with sammich

Use spy with scouts mother.

[Rather Dashing]

Originally Posted by Jake

We put some work into making sure you in particular wouldn't like those covers, so job well done on us I guess.

Ouch.

[TheHutt]

The lip sync is all auto-generated.

Some more of the technical stuff that fascinates me:

So you're saying that the lip sync is auto generated depending on the voices, thus playing a game in a localized version would cause the animation to change?
How are the changes in emotions of characters controlled in the middle of a line?

[Vainamoinen]

1.) I loved the music in previous seasons. Come "Tales of Monkey Island", I was disappointed that MZL's music bits were so incredibly short, while JEJ could create such wonderful, lengthy cues even exceeding five minutes. Will we get such long pieces again? Hopefully, it's all-new and none of the older pieces, although awesome, will be reused!

2.) The new inventory looks very fancy - it also looks as if not much stuff fits in. That's OK, I gather the puzzles center more on psychic powers, nonetheless: What's the maximum inventory items on one page?

3.) Is Majus somehow involved in the design of this game? If yes, what should I look for in the final episodes? How can the "I wonder what happens"-series continue if Majus has so much insight into the games?

...oh, and I for one would really WANT Sybil to return. Liked her!!

[Kroms]

Aiyee. Why bring back someone if they're not necessary to what you're doing?

I'm personally a little more excited about meeting new characters. Crazy Sam and Max could be as big and diverse and cool as The Simpsons, if they wanted to be - except without the second half of The Simpsons, which sucked like a hungry calf at his momma cow's belly.

[light_rises]

Yeah. I actually like Sybil quite a bit, but if her presence wouldn't serve a real purpose in whatever the season's story happens to be, why bring her back? Just look at Murray in EMI.

Besides, the way Beyond Time and Space ended left Sybil's story at a good stopping point. I'll miss her if she doesn't show up this season, but I can more than live with where Telltale left her off. ( ... Weeeeell, except for the whole Sybil/Abe coupling, but, eh, de gustibus non est disputandum and all that.)

EDIT to add a question for Telltale while we're on the subject: When it comes to deciding which characters you are or aren't going to bring back for a new season, have you ever felt constrained -- or at least pressured -- by fan response to any of them, despite your own plans? For example, do you feel you have more freedom to use (or not use, as it were) characters whose fan feedback was more tepid than not? And, conversely, less freedom if the characters were widely popular or disliked?