If BTTF is a hit, Quantum Leap next?

[Vainamoinen]

As you can see, I invested a lot of thought into the idea as evidenced in the thread I just merged your topic with.

Keep the dream alive (or something)...

[Vainamoinen]

Been thinking about this again since this morning.

I've written the old stuff shortly before BTTF's episode 1 release. Since then, my visions as to what franchises TTG could handle in an acceptable way have seriously narrowed. Looking back on Quantum Leap, this might actually not be the worst franchise to pick up:

• Shortness of exposition process: QL's characters were broad stereotypes, introducing themselves in seconds and sticking with the information that was given when they are introduced. Their story is finished after 45 minutes.
• Sam always acts: Far more than Marty, Sam is forced to immediately react and act as this new character he's thrown into. While Marty has ample time to stumble around in a new time period just feeling seriously overwhelmed, Sam can't be. That's even less exposition.
• Marty's acting, Sam's investigating: I find that Sam's attempts at unraveling social problems and his "own" identity give far more opportunity to implement puzzles.
• Sam decides: While Marty is often told what he is supposed to do, Sam decides for himself. I can imagine that TTG would even give us several options for a decision/ several endings; as Sam jumps at the end of each episode, TTG would not have to worry at all about consequences to carry into the next story. Perfect for episodic gaming, yet a little unsatisfactory.
• Immediacy of the time period: Sam acts in different time periods which are known to us and do not need that much introduction. We just get reminded when we are and what the social/political problem is that affects the episode, and we could go on and concentrate on the story. Quite a difference to BTTF!!
• New characters in every episode: As mentioned above, characters are introduced fast; but also, no "old characters" to worry about! No need to go through every new time period talking to Lorraine, Biff, George, Doc and whoever until we finally know where all of them are in this new society.

I'm still thinking about this. Might come back later.

[Victory63]

Originally Posted by Vainamoinen

Been thinking about this again since this morning.

I've written the old stuff shortly before BTTF's episode 1 release. Since then, my visions as to what franchises TTG could handle in an acceptable way have seriously narrowed. Looking back on Quantum Leap, this might actually not be the worst franchise to pick up:

• Shortness of exposition process: QL's characters were broad stereotypes, introducing themselves in seconds and sticking with the information that was given when they are introduced. Their story is finished after 45 minutes.
• Sam always acts: Far more than Marty, Sam is forced to immediately react and act as this new character he's thrown into. While Marty has ample time to stumble around in a new time period just feeling seriously overwhelmed, Sam can't be. That's even less exposition.
• Marty's acting, Sam's investigating: I find that Sam's attempts at unraveling social problems and his "own" identity give far more opportunity to implement puzzles.
• Sam decides: While Marty is often told what he is supposed to do, Sam decides for himself. I can imagine that TTG would even give us several options for a decision/ several endings; as Sam jumps at the end of each episode, TTG would not have to worry at all about consequences to carry into the next story. Perfect for episodic gaming, yet a little unsatisfactory.
• Immediacy of the time period: Sam acts in different time periods which are known to us and do not need that much introduction. We just get reminded when we are and what the social/political problem is that affects the episode, and we could go on and concentrate on the story. Quite a difference to BTTF!!
• New characters in every episode: As mentioned above, characters are introduced fast; but also, no "old characters" to worry about! No need to go through every new time period talking to Lorraine, Biff, George, Doc and whoever until we finally know where all of them are in this new society.

I'm still thinking about this. Might come back later.

It just sounds so perfect. Just imagining it makes me wish Telltale would make it real right now.

[Avistew]

While I think a Quantum Leap adventure game would be awesome, I honestly don't think Telltale would be the best people to work on one.

As you have said, they work with short deadlines, so they need to be able to reuse environments and characters. They can't recreate all the environments and characters for each individual episode and still keep with the monthly schedule.

The kind of puzzles they've shown in BttF wouldn't work very well since Quantum Leap is pretty much 100% about interaction. Also, as a result, it's hard to imagine a game where you would have all the time in the world and be able to do the wrong things or do things out of order. It would make much sense if you make a serious mistake to be send back to the beginning of that Leap and have to start over, this time making the correct decisions.
In short, the game is more likely, in my opinion, to "work" if it works in a Groundhog day way, in which there is a right way to do things, an okay way that can still be fixed but won't be ideal, and every wrong way gets you back to the beginning.

All of that though sounds like it would require a lot of work, because it's less linear. And a linear Quantum Leap game just completely destructs the whole concept that you can affect lives and change things and fix things, which is the whole point of the show.

I disagree though with the idea that Sam couldn't be told what to do. He could very easily be told by Al that Ziggy says he needs to do X or Y. Al could even be the hint system as well.

I honestly think I wouldn't enjoy a Quantum Leap game so much if made by Telltale under the current conditions, because it most likely wouldn't fit my expectations. I'd much rather have one episode a year and have them more to my taste, but of course that's less profitable for telltale unless they charge more per episode.

EDIT: in other words, I think a Quantum Leap game would work better with mechanics similar to the Last Express, and I don't see it feasible by Telltale.

EDIT2: I feel like talking a bit more about things...

I think the characters should be expected to do specific things (the characters who aren't Sam). Al could tell you about it and focus on them and things like that so you know when specific events happen, since I think it would be better to be able to win on the first play.
However when you start over, which shouldn't be compulsory, but would happen if you lose, it shouldn't be like you actually started over. The game should retain which information you have gathered and have Sam be in their possession, and Al be aware of them too.

So if you leap and then a woman arrives and your dialogue options were "who are you?" and "erm, hi." (or something) and later you learn it's your wife Sarah, the second time you get there, there should be an option that goes "Oh, Sarah, darling, here you are!" or something.
Because now Sam knows who that person is relating to him. He also shouldn't be shocked to see himself in the mirror so that cutscene could be skipped (or different).

But all of that would obviously require a lot more work and time than Telltale's deadlines provide them with in their current format.

[Victory63]

Originally Posted by Avistew

While I think a Quantum Leap adventure game would be awesome, I honestly don't think Telltale would be the best people to work on one.

As you have said, they work with short deadlines, so they need to be able to reuse environments and characters. They can't recreate all the environments and characters for each individual episode and still keep with the monthly schedule.

The kind of puzzles they've shown in BttF wouldn't work very well since Quantum Leap is pretty much 100% about interaction. Also, as a result, it's hard to imagine a game where you would have all the time in the world and be able to do the wrong things or do things out of order. It would make much sense if you make a serious mistake to be send back to the beginning of that Leap and have to start over, this time making the correct decisions.
In short, the game is more likely, in my opinion, to "work" if it works in a Groundhog day way, in which there is a right way to do things, an okay way that can still be fixed but won't be ideal, and every wrong way gets you back to the beginning.

All of that though sounds like it would require a lot of work, because it's less linear. And a linear Quantum Leap game just completely destructs the whole concept that you can affect lives and change things and fix things, which is the whole point of the show.

I disagree though with the idea that Sam couldn't be told what to do. He could very easily be told by Al that Ziggy says he needs to do X or Y. Al could even be the hint system as well.

I honestly think I wouldn't enjoy a Quantum Leap game so much if made by Telltale under the current conditions, because it most likely wouldn't fit my expectations. I'd much rather have one episode a year and have them more to my taste, but of course that's less profitable for telltale unless they charge more per episode.

EDIT: in other words, I think a Quantum Leap game would work better with mechanics similar to the Last Express, and I don't see it feasible by Telltale.

EDIT2: I feel like talking a bit more about things...

I think the characters should be expected to do specific things (the characters who aren't Sam). Al could tell you about it and focus on them and things like that so you know when specific events happen, since I think it would be better to be able to win on the first play.
However when you start over, which shouldn't be compulsory, but would happen if you lose, it shouldn't be like you actually started over. The game should retain which information you have gathered and have Sam be in their possession, and Al be aware of them too.

So if you leap and then a woman arrives and your dialogue options were "who are you?" and "erm, hi." (or something) and later you learn it's your wife Sarah, the second time you get there, there should be an option that goes "Oh, Sarah, darling, here you are!" or something.
Because now Sam knows who that person is relating to him. He also shouldn't be shocked to see himself in the mirror so that cutscene could be skipped (or different).

But all of that would obviously require a lot more work and time than Telltale's deadlines provide them with in their current format.

Well a "Quantum Leap" game could be Telltale's first game where the choices you make can alter the outcome (however there could be the same ending as always). As well a season could just be 2 or 3 episodes instead of a full 5, but I'd assume they could be long episodes.

[Vainamoinen]

Originally Posted by Avistew

As you have said, they work with short deadlines, so they need to be able to reuse environments and characters. They can't recreate all the environments and characters for each individual episode and still keep with the monthly schedule.

There's a problem with characters maybe, but we've been shown that the environments are not the problem. Before BTTF, which re-used environments heavily, Telltale was actively striving away from re-using places, as demonstrated rather impressively with the "Devil's Playhouse" episodes 2 and 3, and of course the "Tales" episodes 1, 2, 3 and 5, where these instances were very scarce.

Originally Posted by Avistew

In short, the game is more likely, in my opinion, to "work" if it works in a Groundhog day way, in which there is a right way to do things, an okay way that can still be fixed but won't be ideal, and every wrong way gets you back to the beginning.

"Starting over" always makes for gruesome gameplay - even more if you'd have to replay an entire episode! Thankfully, Sam seldom had to "start over". In most cases, things did not play out as planned, but very well nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Avistew

All of that though sounds like it would require a lot of work, because it's less linear. And a linear Quantum Leap game just completely destructs the whole concept that you can affect lives and change things and fix things, which is the whole point of the show.

Less linearity is always more work, but Back to the Future was far more linear than previous Telltale games. More freedom of decision is necessarily the way to go... because I just won't deal with equal or even less amounts.

[PedsterUK]

Loved Quantum Leap, have the box set. Was sad when it ended, had so much potential - suppose Donald said "quit while you're ahead".

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Vainamoinen

"Starting over" always makes for gruesome gameplay - even more if you'd have to replay an entire episode! Thankfully, Sam seldom had to "start over". In most cases, things did not play out as planned, but very well nonetheless.

Yeah, that's kind of the difference between a game and a movie :P
My point is that while adventure games often are completely linear with only one way for things to happen, it would defeat the whole "you can change things" concept. Things aren't "going wrong" when you play the game if it's the only possible thing you can do.

[tarasis]

I'd love for QL to carry on in some form or other before Dean Stockwell gets too old

Maybe do one or two series to finally bring Sam home, after all it was Sam Becket that never got home, not Sam Beckett

.
.
.

To this day I can't believe they let that typo on air, never mind get rebroadcast in the UK without fixing it first.

[tredlow]

I don't really like Telltale doing bigger, more popular franchises. I dunno, maybe because the BTTF games had been a disappointment to me, and I think it's because Telltale was trying to please a bigger audience.

Also, I never watched Quantum Leap, so I wouldn't know if it'll be good for Telltale.

[Vainamoinen]

Originally Posted by tredlow

I don't really like Telltale doing bigger, more popular franchises.

I agree - and I'll add that the strictness of the canon and the fans' devotion to the franchise and its established "rules" has dampened TTG's creativity a lot in Back to the Future. But Quantum Leap definitely has less fans (or "leapers" ), less "canon" and less "rules" to follow.

If you follow the general theme of the show - change the future of loveable individuals for the better, but explicitly not the historical "big picture" - you'll succeed in telling a "Quantum Leap story", and fans will probably love it. I think it's far easier to hit the mark in that franchise, and there are far less "fanatic" followers.

[tredlow]

I saw a show once where a group of people ended up in an alternate universe where ancient Egypt is in the present time or something. Also, there was an episode about a giant shopping mall. Was that Quantum Leap?

EDIT: Never mind. The show that I thought all these years was Quantum Leap turned out to be a show called Sliders.

[Friar]

I've never seen quantum leap before.

Now, Doctor who would be perfect, and we're all used to terrible games, so Telltale won't be able to disappoint us with it! The fans don't have high expectations, so anything half-way decent would be amazing. Plus there's a backlog of main actors to delve into, if the more recent ones are too expensive/don't comply.

Heck, they could even do a Torchwood game based on the CSi series, but that's probably too niché.

[Davies]

I've stated this before and I'll say it again...

Sliders is a far more suitable show for Telltale to adapt than Quantum Leap, due to the sliders remaining in the same area from episode to episode (no need to create brand new locations but rather to alter previous locations to reflect the universe the team have slid into. Also, to an extent there would be the same secondary characters each episode (e.g. the Mallory family, Conrad Bennish etc.) but again, with differences depending on the universe their in.

Also, for those who don't know; Quantum Leap is supposedly set in the same canon as Sliders (see here for details).

[PimPamPet]

QL >>>>>>>>>>>> Sliders.

[Hero1]

I loved Quantum Leap. Would love to see the story continued.

[Davies]

It's such a shame that Quantum Leap was cancelled when it was. Donald Bellisario has stated that he planned for season 6 to represent a big change in the leaps that Sam would encounter (the barman in the last episode says something to the effect of "things are going to get a lot tougher from here on out).

Sam was going to start leaping to the distant past (for example, the Wild West and Medieval Times), Bellisario also talked of an episode where Sam would strangely leap into a cartoon. It could have been amazing, though I imagine the budget would have had to be increased considerably.

[occono]

I'd just like to throw in a resounding "YES" vote and I'm very happy to see someone propose this/ :P

[pompey71]

Hey all,

I've been watching Quantum Leap recently and remembered that according to the last episode "Sam never returned home". Now I remember people didn't like this. Sam was a nice guy and deserved to return home.

Now a game might be a good idea to allow him to do so. He fixed Al's life so you could have a new Hologram Assistant and you could leap at the end of each "Episode" into a new one. Each leap could be in a different location and time to avoid it feeling too same-y and he could slowly change things that allow him to return home.

I would love to see this happen and maybe even if you didn't leap as Sam but his son or something and had to find Sam somewhere in time to bring him home.

Just a thought. Any fans that agree?

Cheers for reading.

[tredlow]

Thread exists already.