Concepts and Such

[Silverwolfpet]

Speaking of cleptomania... I think you all know this, but maybe you don't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXoO9JslgBk

"I take it all with me!!!"

[Skippy the Demon]

Wow thats pretty funny, its like SMI in fast forward. haha.

[Bruno83]

nnnnooo, it's lame

[Wicked Mouse]

Originally Posted by Silverwolfpet

Speaking of cleptomania... I think you all know this, but maybe you don't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXoO9JslgBk

"I take it all with me!!!"

Heheh funny =)

[Ry Guy]

Originally Posted by Silverwolfpet

What about Elaine? Do you have any concept art with her? How did she progress from 2D to 3D in ToMI?

I have some stuff for her, just need to scan it on monday..

[Silverwolfpet]

I have some stuff for her, just need to scan it on monday..

Thank you!

[MarkDarin]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

... did you initially design LeChuck as "stonesque" to provide a more direct continuity with EMI, before the decision to distance it a bit?

That was the idea behind the Stone look in the concepts. We were attempting to show that he still retained some of the aspects of his past incarnations, but had mutated or evolved past them since. But is started getting out of control and was drifting into Silly territory, so we decided to go different direction and focus on the Sicklyness that was going to have some impact on the the rest of the story.

[Fausk]

Originally Posted by MarkDarin

That was the idea behind the Stone look in the concepts. We were attempting to show that he still retained some of the aspects of his past incarnations, but had mutated or evolved past them since. But is started getting out of control and was drifting into Silly territory, so we decided to go different direction and focus on the Sicklyness that was going to have some impact on the the rest of the story.

That's kind of a shame really, I dig the stone representation of LeChuck. I'll just have to imagine he looked like that in MI5 then ;p

That and concept art! It's nice to see the development process behind the scenes! I trust this stuff will also be on the DVD when that releases, right?

[Edgy_McSpoon]

no physics engine to incorporate all of those extra animated details?

[edited by author] You don't need a 3d physics engine to make something look cool! And I don't think it would take too much effort to animate by hand. You should be lucky that your games' engine doesn't require PhysX cloth or w/e. Where is your sense of adventure to trying something new in a game. That little element might just make the game shine!

Originally Posted by LukeSW
Oh, absolutely, I agree and understand. It's easy for me to say that Guybrush should have a long, swishy coat since I'm not the one who would have to either animate it by hand or implement a physics engine to handle cloth-deformations in real time.

Never back down on your suggestions, Luke. You are the end user and you like what you know you like. Telltale should be taking note from anyone, those who are and are not artists/animators. Walt Disney and pretty much any studio worth their weight in gold, always did.

[Ry Guy]

Originally Posted by Edgy_McSpoon

no physics engine to incorporate all of those extra animated details?

News flash: YOU DON'T NEED A PHYSICS ENGINE TO MAKE SOMETHING LOOK COOL. And I don't think it would take too much effort to animate by hand. You should be lucky that your games' engine doesn't require PhysX cloth or w/e. Where is your sense of adventure to trying something new in a game. That little element might just make the game shine!



Never back down on your suggestions, Luke. You are the end user and you like what you know you like. Telltale should be taking note from anyone, those who are and are not artists/animators. Walt Disney and pretty much any studio worth their weight in gold, always did.

We all do take into account everyones thoughts and feelings about what we are working on. Thanks for the News Flash, but I know you don't need a physics engine to make something look cool, it helps, but it isn't necessary. Bold font really gets the point across. Not that I really know what I'm talking about, i just like to draw pictures. I was simply just explaining our design decisions in terms of Gee LeBrush. Yea! VIDEO GAMES!

[CalBearRJ]

Originally Posted by LukeSW

Ha. That's the thing about adventure games, isn't it? Even the most noble, moral, law-abiding protagonists turn into thieving scum-bags as soon as they embark on their adventures.

It's like:

"I will depose the King of Thieves and bring law and order back to this land! That wrench might come in handy. And what's this? A sleeping drunk with a loose gold tooth? Someone will mug him if he's not careful. I'd better take the tooth with me for safe keeping. Wait a minute. Is there a ball of string in that old lady's knitting basket? And is that underwear hanging on that washing line?"

Lol. Exactly.

The funniest thing for me is the logic that occurs in the users head. It goes like this: "Ok...so the carpenter in MI2 won't just let me steal his stuff while he's standing there. What a jerk!!! I guess I better get him out of here so I can rob him blind while he's gone."

It would never occur to me to be that devious in real life, but in an adventure game? Hell yeah I'm gonna steal his stuff!!! In fact, it's more fun if I didn't rightly earn something (ie pay for it).

[Impossible3144]

Well uh, Guybrush IS a pirate after all. Not really a law-abiding citizen.

[Skippy the Demon]

He's not just a pirate... he's a MIGHTY pirate!

[GuyMontague]

Originally Posted by Edgy_McSpoon

Never back down on your suggestions, Luke. You are the end user and you like what you know you like. Telltale should be taking note from anyone, those who are and are not artists/animators. Walt Disney and pretty much any studio worth their weight in gold, always did.

The eighties called; they want their sense of entitlement back.

[thesporkman]

Originally Posted by CalBearRJ

Lol. Exactly.

The funniest thing for me is the logic that occurs in the users head. It goes like this: "Ok...so the carpenter in MI2 won't just let me steal his stuff while he's standing there. What a jerk!!! I guess I better get him out of here so I can rob him blind while he's gone."

It would never occur to me to be that devious in real life, but in an adventure game? Hell yeah I'm gonna steal his stuff!!! In fact, it's more fun if I didn't rightly earn something (ie pay for it).

Oh, man... If adventure games do regain mainstream popularity, the people who claim that action and shooter games promote violence are going to go after adventure games for promoting theft.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Edgy_McSpoon

Never back down on your suggestions, Luke. You are the end user and you like what you know you like. Telltale should be taking note from anyone, those who are and are not artists/animators. Walt Disney and pretty much any studio worth their weight in gold, always did.

We listen to and read everything that's said in these forums. Always have and always will! It's great to hear what everyone wants to see, it's great to have a sounding board for our and your ideas, it's great to get feedback on what people think is and isn't working. That said, one of the things you're investing in, one thing you're saying when you buy the games from us is that you trust our judgment to make the game we believe in, to have a creative vision we can execute, to know what feedback is wheat and what is chaff. We're creating a product which you guys are paying for, but we're not doing work for hire for a democratic client base of thousands. Down that road lies madness, and an easily watered down project (which are two things nobody wants).

In the case of Guybrush's coat, we obviously have love for the coat since it's in the game. We even have love for the long and swishy coat, as from Ryan's concept it's very obvious that we put strong consideration into it. That said, we decided to go a different direction, for reasons aesthetic, technical, and otherwise. I like the look we landed on -- we've got a Guybrush which evokes the Monkey Island 2 look (my favorite look!) but can also be realistically and practically animated in ways which can work in many situations without having to be special cased every time Guybrush is turning right while also leaning to the left and half squatting against a wall or whatever, and without a more procedural physics or cloth system (which our engine currently doesn't have, and realistically won't have any time soon). He's also got a really nice easy to read and recognize silhouette with the shorter coat, which is important in designing your main character. I think at the end of the day we made the right decisions there.

That said, maybe next time out Guybrush will have a huge coat which trails 30 feet behind him and winds around things like Noby Noby Boy, especially now that we know how much everyone likes bringing back that style of dress for the character.

[Wicked Mouse]

I'd like to see more of that coloured stuff
So one can put things together like:

[Lena_P]

Originally Posted by MarkDarin

Yeah, we noticed that too... which is part of the reason he doesn't look like that anymore! Bunny LeChuck is not very menacing!

Oh no? Bunnies aren't menacing? What about the Rabbit of Caerbannog?! Night of the Lepus?! Max?!

I also wanted to say, I love how Elaine and the Voo Doo Lady look. It's actually one thing about Telltale I've liked from the beginning; the way you guys design the female characters so they're just as interesting as the male characters. I'm not saying every female video game character is drawn as a super-busty, cute-faced bit of eye candy with all the emotive power of a porcelain doll, but a few of them have been. I'm not against attractive characters, but it's nice when they get to have personality, too. And Voo Doo Lady's boobs look fantastic! They look like real boobs, not helium-filled water balloons! Figthers are tons of fun, but I can't play as a female character. My back starts aching just watching them.

[taumel]

I'm glad that the coat isn't this tall and weighty, at least all the time. I remember that in MI2 it sometimes felt a bit after running around like Santa Claus after you were used to the lightwight outfit Guybrush was dressed in before. Furthermore it will be summer when i'll be playing the game, hopefully. When properly lit and with a decent texture resolution i think this Guybrush looks a lot better than those we got in the last two games. I hope with the chin-beard, when watched from the side, he doesn't turn too much into a Lucky Luke. He also could have been slightly more wrecked up but all in all i'm pretty fine with him.

As for Elaine i think she is the best one we got so far.

I'm not so sure about LeChuck yet. I guess we'll have to wait until there might be some more glowing in his beard? Altough he's looking alright, my first impression was that he was thinner than i expected him to be and i could have imagined a slightly different style.

Btw i love watching all the concept art. Sometimes to such a degree that i would prefer if the whole game would share the more painted look. The more of the style makes it into 3d the better. Anyway don't hestitate posting some more! :O)

Oh and physics engines can be great if you just use them wisely. It's just another ingredient you can use for pimping the appearance like 3d itself or the camera angles and so on.

[LukeSW]

Originally Posted by taumel

I'm glad that the coat isn't this tall and weighty, at least all the time. I remember that in MI2 it sometimes felt a bit after running around like Santa Claus after you were used to the lightwight outfit Guybrush was dressed in before. Furthermore it will be summer when i'll be playing the game, hopefully. When properly lit and with a decent texture resolution i think this Guybrush looks a lot better than those we got in the last two games. I hope with the chin-beard, when watched from the side, he doesn't turn too much into a Lucky Luke. He also could have been slightly more wrecked up but all in all i'm pretty fine with him.

See, the reason that I liked Guybrush's appearance in LeChuck's Revenge was because it suggested that the character had developed. In the first game, he wants to be a MIGHTY pirate; in the sequel, he is getting closer to achieving his goal, and this is reflected in his appearance. As much as I love CMI, Guybrush's appearance felt like a step backwards, and the same is true for EMI.

What I like about Guybrush's appearance in Tales of Monkey Island is that Guybrush is clearly older - he's lived the adventurous pirate lifestyle for a while now, he's become part of the pirate community, and his appearance reflects this. It'd be nice if at some point in the upcoming series, he met a young idealistic youth who says to him "I want to be a MIGHTY pirate! Just like you!"