Telltale Games

Udvarnoky · 05/28/2006, 12:09 am

Why is that so important? The Bone games had a streamlined interface that made it easy for beginners to play, and that got rid of a lot of unnecessary clicking. The look-at option is still available on all hotspots in Bone, including inventory objects that have yet to be picked up. If the Sam & Max games are going to be challenging, it should be because the puzzles are challenging, not because the interface has been set back fifteen years. It's not a matter of "freedom" to allow you to talk to a door, because that's not even a red herring, it's just pointless. I don't think that implementing an interface that happens to be not clumsy will limit interactivity in the slightest.

05/28/2006, 06:43 pm

I actually think that having free verbs would mean less clicking, instead of having to change to the look verb every time you go from one object to another you would just change once then look at all the stuff you can. I don’t mean for the game to be any harder because of the this as you could have the verbs animate in some way when you roll over a hot spot. I just don't like the restrictions that object only verbs creates.

05/29/2006, 07:26 am

Quote:

I actually think that having free verbs would mean less clicking, instead of having to change to the look verb every time you go from one object to another you would just change once then look at all the stuff you can.

What's wrong with left click for action, right click for look? That's even less clicking, because you wouldn't have to click the 'look' verb first.

05/29/2006, 01:11 pm

I don't want to click at all. I just want to control what happens on screen with my mind-power. Can they do that? I don't mind paying a bit extra for that...but I don't want to have to touch the mouse or keyboard at all.

Haggis · 05/29/2006, 01:44 pm

Quote:

I don't want to click at all. I just want to control what happens on screen with my mind-power. Can they do that? I don't mind paying a bit extra for that...but I don't want to have to touch the mouse or keyboard at all.

Sure they can do that. All you have to do is drill a hole in your skull where you plug in the USB cable. Be careful not to damage your brain though. Probably best to let this be done by a professional, certified carpenter.

05/29/2006, 02:57 pm

All that sounds like a lot of effort. Why don't we just get the computer to solve all the puzzles while we watch. It could be called a 'movie'.

05/29/2006, 04:05 pm

You know they *have* managed to build a computer which can read your thoughts. When you imagine moving your left arm, it moves the mouse pointer left and vice versa.

That would be cool with an adventure game.

05/29/2006, 10:36 pm

I dont know why but I've always thought the control system with Sam and Max was the best one I've used in an adventure game. It was simple and very effective. I I enjoyed not having to click on words, It was easy to scroll through the options.. and it had just the right amount.. B-)

Udvarnoky · 05/30/2006, 12:19 am

I dunno, tabbing through commands wasn't exactly fun. It was fine for the time but I don't see it happening here. I wonder if Telltale is going to carry over the odd form of dialog trees from Hit the Road?

05/30/2006, 10:04 pm

Quote:

I don't want to click at all. I just want to control what happens on screen with my mind-power. Can they do that? I don't mind paying a bit extra for that...but I don't want to have to touch the mouse or keyboard at all.

Sure they can do that. All you have to do is drill a hole in your skull where you plug in the USB cable. Be careful not to damage your brain though. Probably best to let this be done by a professional, certified carpenter.

06/06/2006, 07:57 pm

Quote:

As an aside, I worked on a really short game last winter called Christmas Quest with some of the other staff at Adventure Gamers. We were determined give the player tons to do so we put in a lot of hotspots, with unique responses for each action on each hotspot. We worked HARD on those responses... it took way more time than I thought it would. And the game only had one room! So, yeah, I can completely understand where the designers are coming from if they prefer to focus their efforts in other areas. I've also found, as I've replayed some older games, that they don't have as many unique responses for actions as I remembered them having. Even Hit the Road has some pretty bland responses when you try to do things that don't work.

After playing that game I don't think that a lot of unique responses to many hotspots is that important. Too much makes you just try everything with everything, not because you are stuck, but because you don't want to miss anything. And that can be a bit frustrating at times, if you want to go on, but have a lot of objects you haven't tried everything on. Some is great. Too much is too much. Add them where they fit. 'Use Elaine' from EMI is a great example. Don't add too many responses just to add responses, but if you see something funny about the action, just include it.

06/07/2006, 07:12 pm

Does Telltale even know what sort of challenge they're up aggains?

they're making a SEQUAL in the minds of many (don't even bother convincing us that it isn't a sequal...) and a sequal NEEDS to be BETTER than the original... now... they're making a sequal to one of the best games ever created... with 2 hour eppisodes... that isn't possible... and a warning to telltale of whitch i'm sure they're already aware: the advanture market is small... don't make it smaller by making people pay $20 for a 2 hour game...

jp-30 · 06/08/2006, 12:41 am

Quote:

don't make it smaller by making people pay $20 for a 2 hour game...

Telltale have said episodes will be cheaper than Bone, which are what, $12 or so?

06/08/2006, 04:14 am

the upside of the 2 hour game is we get a new episode every month

06/13/2006, 08:10 pm

Quote:

the upside of the 2 hour game is we get a new episode every month

Somehow I think that's just talk. I'll be MIGHTY surprised if they manage that. I'm thinking more realistically one episode per 2/3 months.

I'll even bet on it.

artwking · 06/13/2006, 10:10 pm

I would say every 1.5 to 2 months at first, and then pick up to every month once they get the hang of things fairly soon. They are planning out the entire season and writing it right now, so it's not so hard to believe that they can do it, and these are shorter episodes than Cow Race, after all. Once they have a lot of the resources done, it's not probably not so hard to stick to a schedule like that. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do get it once a month right off the bat, though.

06/14/2006, 01:21 am

I think if the games only 2 hours..once they get the first episode done they could easily bang out a new episode every month..

06/14/2006, 11:35 am

And they probably have a couple of episodes finished before they release the first one just to make sure that they can hit the promised 1 month schedule.

artwking · 06/14/2006, 07:51 pm

Quote:

And they probably have a couple of episodes finished before they release the first one just to make sure that they can hit the promised 1 month schedule.

Did Telltale actually promise it or put it in writing? I was just assuming that's what it would be since everyone else was saying it was.

Udvarnoky · 06/14/2006, 08:14 pm

No, Telltale never said that. We don't know that they will easily be able to bang one out every month either, though they might. And I'm quite sure they will be busy enough trying to make the episodes fast enough to make the deadlines, much less have a couple in the can at a time.

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05/28/2006, 12:09 am	#101
Udvarnoky Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Thibodaux, LA Posts: 855	Why is that so important? The Bone games had a streamlined interface that made it easy for beginners to play, and that got rid of a lot of unnecessary clicking. The look-at option is still available on all hotspots in Bone, including inventory objects that have yet to be picked up. If the Sam & Max games are going to be challenging, it should be because the puzzles are challenging, not because the interface has been set back fifteen years. It's not a matter of "freedom" to allow you to talk to a door, because that's not even a red herring, it's just pointless. I don't think that implementing an interface that happens to be not clumsy will limit interactivity in the slightest.

05/28/2006, 06:43 pm	#102
DoubtedEdwardo Guest Posts: n/a	I actually think that having free verbs would mean less clicking, instead of having to change to the look verb every time you go from one object to another you would just change once then look at all the stuff you can. I don’t mean for the game to be any harder because of the this as you could have the verbs animate in some way when you roll over a hot spot. I just don't like the restrictions that object only verbs creates.

05/29/2006, 01:11 pm	#104
mikdog Guest Posts: n/a	I don't want to click at all. I just want to control what happens on screen with my mind-power. Can they do that? I don't mind paying a bit extra for that...but I don't want to have to touch the mouse or keyboard at all.

05/29/2006, 02:57 pm	#106
DoubtedEdwardo Guest Posts: n/a	All that sounds like a lot of effort. Why don't we just get the computer to solve all the puzzles while we watch. It could be called a 'movie'.

05/29/2006, 04:05 pm	#107
Linque Guest Posts: n/a	You know they have managed to build a computer which can read your thoughts. When you imagine moving your left arm, it moves the mouse pointer left and vice versa. That would be cool with an adventure game.

05/29/2006, 10:36 pm	#108
HieroHero Guest Posts: n/a	I dont know why but I've always thought the control system with Sam and Max was the best one I've used in an adventure game. It was simple and very effective. I I enjoyed not having to click on words, It was easy to scroll through the options.. and it had just the right amount.. B-)

05/30/2006, 12:19 am	#109
Udvarnoky Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Thibodaux, LA Posts: 855	I dunno, tabbing through commands wasn't exactly fun. It was fine for the time but I don't see it happening here. I wonder if Telltale is going to carry over the odd form of dialog trees from Hit the Road?

06/07/2006, 07:12 pm	#112
errorage Guest Posts: n/a	Does Telltale even know what sort of challenge they're up aggains? they're making a SEQUAL in the minds of many (don't even bother convincing us that it isn't a sequal...) and a sequal NEEDS to be BETTER than the original... now... they're making a sequal to one of the best games ever created... with 2 hour eppisodes... that isn't possible... and a warning to telltale of whitch i'm sure they're already aware: the advanture market is small... don't make it smaller by making people pay $20 for a 2 hour game...

06/08/2006, 04:14 am	#114
HieroHero Guest Posts: n/a	the upside of the 2 hour game is we get a new episode every month

06/13/2006, 10:10 pm	#116
artwking My family is made of meat Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 384	I would say every 1.5 to 2 months at first, and then pick up to every month once they get the hang of things fairly soon. They are planning out the entire season and writing it right now, so it's not so hard to believe that they can do it, and these are shorter episodes than Cow Race, after all. Once they have a lot of the resources done, it's not probably not so hard to stick to a schedule like that. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do get it once a month right off the bat, though.

06/14/2006, 01:21 am	#117
HieroHero Guest Posts: n/a	I think if the games only 2 hours..once they get the first episode done they could easily bang out a new episode every month..

06/14/2006, 11:35 am	#118
Linque Guest Posts: n/a	And they probably have a couple of episodes finished before they release the first one just to make sure that they can hit the promised 1 month schedule.

06/14/2006, 08:14 pm	#120
Udvarnoky Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Thibodaux, LA Posts: 855	No, Telltale never said that. We don't know that they will easily be able to bang one out every month either, though they might. And I'm quite sure they will be busy enough trying to make the episodes fast enough to make the deadlines, much less have a couple in the can at a time.