As you say, the Art Direction is a debatable question. But technically, we all can see that the textures in W&G are much more detailed than in ToMI. Comparing side by side, a texture of a leaf for example...
Maybe ToMI has been designed for PC, but if you have the Wii port in mind, possibly you tend to simplify the textures when you design them, to translate easier to the Wii...
Even comparing with Sam & Max, I think ToMI is technically inferior...
I could accept it with other series... With Sam & Max, with Strong Bad... But not with Monkey Island. It is a myth. It deserves to be the best Telltale game, both in terms of good plot, and technically. So it is very sad that the stupid Wii version is hurting a myth like Monkey Island... :mad:
I agree, It is sad to see the graphics in Tales suffer because of the Wii version. Especially since it is Monkey Island.
Don't get me wrong, It is a great game, I just think the graphics would have been much better if it was PC only or if the console release was for Xobx or PS3.
Well I'm hoping, as it's called Tales of Monkey Island, that this season won't be the only Tale and next time they'll give the Wii release a miss.
Not that I didn't enjoy episode 1... bring on episode 2!
Dont give the wii release a miss, it was perfect dang it. I dont see what everyone's problem is with it. I found no problems unless you press the wii menu button, which was a glitch with all telltale wii titles. Also, more tales(seasons) would be great(with a wii port, or 360 port, I dont think there's a limit there.)
Uhm, the "problem" is the existance of the Wii Version itself, as the gfx/sound and visitable locations have been lowered, because Telltale doesn´t have the manpower (yet?) to develope a seperate PC Version with enhanced gfx and sound.
I am with Diduz. I am worried that Telltale is going too fast. Before W&G, any new series was better, technically and in scope, that the last one. W&G has wonderful graphics, impressive characterizations, and is translated to a lot of languages... even the graphics! But then Tales of MI appears, and in my opinion, technically and artistically is inferior to W&G. And it is not translated!
Telltale is so popular now only because a word: QUALITY. Please, don't forget this word, Telltale. I don't mind to wait more than a month between chapters, or delay some of them a few days. But please, don't compromise the quality of your games. With an adventure, it is critical. Even more with comedy games. They have no gore, they have no action, they need to be very good to sell. An adventure with bad writing or bad puzzles or simple graphics or some bugs because you need to deliver a chapter every month, is a step forward to your tomb...
Well, I really LOVED Launch of The Screaming Narwhal, but I totally agree with Megaace and Diduz.
I don't mind if you will delay the Tales Episode 2 release, but I would like to have a game without the all-the-same model for characters, for example, and, instead, with well-cured things also in little details
So, TellTale, SLOW DOWN, and continue your great work
Guys for us is better to wait two or three months and have a great game, than wait only one for a game that is great but there is the feeling that if you would have spent a little more time on it could have been better...
Uhm, the "problem" is the existance of the Wii Version itself, as the gfx/sound and visitable locations have been lowered, because Telltale doesn´t have the manpower (yet?) to develope a seperate PC Version with enhanced gfx and sound.
The sound in the PC version is much better than the sound in the Wii version. All they did for Wii was compress it more. You could complain about the music, as the decision to use Midi instead of live instruments was related to the Wii version.
Anyway, I don't think Telltale will break their game-per-month schedule, but less projects would mean less anxiety for everybody.
How many projects are we looking at so far.
Tales of Monkey Island.
Sam and Max - Season 3.
CSI.
And even a possible secret unknown project no one has yet heard about that if we were to properly guess it swarms of thousands of ninjahs would descend on us within seconds.
So that's three, possibly four, projects all being developed together in the space of 6+ months.
Tales of Monkey Island.
Sam and Max - Season 3.
CSI.
And even a possible secret unknown project no one has yet heard about that if we were to properly guess it swarms of thousands of ninjahs would descend on us within seconds.
So that's three, possibly four, projects all being developed together in the space of 6+ months.
TMI for PC
TMI for Wii
Wallace and Gromit for 360
Sam and Max season 2 for Wii
Sam and Max season 2 for 360
Sam and Max season 3
CSI
The sound in the PC version is much better than the sound in the Wii version. All they did for Wii was compress it more. You could complain about the music, as the decision to use Midi instead of live instruments was related to the Wii version.
I like live instruments as much as the next person... but Michael Land is pretty much a god of MIDI. The MIDI guru. Or something like that. The man helped invent iMuse! If the soundtrack is going to be MIDI, it's in good hands here at least. And I loved the
The sound in the PC version is much better than the sound in the Wii version. All they did for Wii was compress it more. You could complain about the music, as the decision to use Midi instead of live instruments was related to the Wii version.
The decision tu use MIDI is not related to wii. Because the music is MP3, not MIDI. In MP3 you can record an orchestra or a MIDI and it's the same size (bitrate per second).
So, the synth music instead of orchestra maybe :
A) due to a (debatable) sound design choice due to time (create a MIDI is faster than recording orchestra)
C) due to money (MIDI is cheaper than orchestra)
Or maybe that the synth MP3 on PC version is recorded from wii real MIDI - so they earned disk space on wii. I don't know (but i don't think).
The decision tu use MIDI is not related to wii. Because the music is MP3, not MIDI. In MP3 you can record an orchestra or a MIDI and it's the same size (bitrate per second).
So, the synth music instead of orchestra maybe :
A) due to a (debatable) sound design choice due to time (create a MIDI is faster than recording orchestra)
C) due to money (MIDI is cheaper than orchestra)
Or maybe that the synth MP3 on PC version is recorded from wii real MIDI - so they earned disk space on wii. I don't know (but i don't think).
The Wii version is actually playing midi music, or so I've been told. The PC version uses mp3 "recordings" of the same midi, so it sounds a bit better.
Yes it can, you just delete the v1.0 title from your SD card or internal memory and redownload the 1.1 version. There's no charge to re-download a title you've already purchased.
TMI for PC
TMI for Wii
Wallace and Gromit for 360
Sam and Max season 2 for Wii
Sam and Max season 2 for 360
Sam and Max season 3
CSI
While there will be optimisations for each platform, I have been led to believe that basically the one Telltale Tool spits out the appropriate code for whatever the target platform is. There aren't separate developements for the same game going on for different platforms.
So they just create the game in the Tool, turn their Output dial to 'pc' and out comes the PC code, turn the dial again to Xbox, and out spits the Xbox code.... or something almost, but not quite, as oversimplified.
I'm in an odd state of mind so I'm not sure how this will come out...
While my initial reaction to ToMI was a mixed one of both joy and mild discomfort (with the controls, with the 3D graphical style, with the lack of live instruments), now that my 90s-adventurer mindset has had time to purge itself and leave me open to Telltale's work, I've (as well as really enjoying the game) realized that ToMI is actually the most promising adventure game endeavor playable right now that I'm aware of, and I have absolute faith that if we simply let Telltale continue their work in their own way and develop their art, without the anxious worrying and aggressive defense of our beloved genre, we will have great gaming experiences and achieve deeper developer\community symbiosis.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great and important for fans to be passionate and vocal (I've done my fair share of essay-length rants etc), but when fear\urgency is the motivating force behind the discussion, it's time to take a step back, relax, and realize that this whole enterprise is simply about creating and sharing enjoyable experiences, and should be freely appreciated and embraced for what it is. It's not our job to "ensure that Telltale don't screw up", or something like that - that energy is best thrown to the wind, or spent on self-betterment rather than projecting it outwards. Worry is contrary to the purpose of these games. I've come to realize that an uncomplicated and open appreciation is a much more rewarding relationship to have with them.
Blablabla. Conclusion: Thanks Telltale! Keep up the good work.
The decision tu use MIDI is not related to wii. Because the music is MP3, not MIDI. In MP3 you can record an orchestra or a MIDI and it's the same size (bitrate per second).
So, the synth music instead of orchestra maybe :
A) due to a (debatable) sound design choice due to time (create a MIDI is faster than recording orchestra)
C) due to money (MIDI is cheaper than orchestra)
Or maybe that the synth MP3 on PC version is recorded from wii real MIDI - so they earned disk space on wii. I don't know (but i don't think).
Wrong. The music is played back from MIDI on the Wii hardware, a concession made to keep the file under 40 megs. On the PC it's a higher quality render of the same MIDI, because they didn't have time to make the music twice. However Telltale does have a recording studio, and Sam & Max had very nice recorded music, so they would have gone that route if not for the Wii.
I quite agree with Diduz here. To have a new Monkey Island series was shocking for me and at the same time a bit worrying. In the end I wasn't disappointed at all, I have big faith in Telltale as a professional team and as a house full of passionate developers. What I'm noticing generally now is this lack of polishing improvements throughout the series, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. With the announcement of Tales of Monkey Island, the expectations towards TTG grew a lot in a few days and probably a lot of pressure invested the company. I hope you'll sort things out easily. Another thing I didn't like so much was the control scheme change, why so? S&M controls were perfect for a point & click PC game, would have been so hard to keep it for the other series? How much work would you need to have 2 different control schemes between different platforms?
How about the engine? How is it possible that performances really suck on a system like the Wii? I think there's something wrong with the Telltale Tool. Maybe it's too old or you hadn't enough time to optimize it, but neither Sam & Max for the 360 is so smooth. How is that possible?
Okay, these are annoying questions that probably you get everyday but I just felt the need to offer my 2 cents in this thread.
Rest assured that I will always support you until you'll stop making great adventure games. I owe you A LOT.
While there will be optimisations for each platform, I have been led to believe that basically the one Telltale Tool spits out the appropriate code for whatever the target platform is. There aren't separate developements for the same game going on for different platforms.
So they just create the game in the Tool, turn their Output dial to 'pc' and out comes the PC code, turn the dial again to Xbox, and out spits the Xbox code.... or something almost, but not quite, as oversimplified.
They still have separate teams to specifically optimize each version once the basic framework of the game is laid down.
There's no shame in releasing patches, but it can be expensive. In addition to the development cost, depending on the platform we can get charged a fee just to release the patch.
Yes, they are quality pruducts for sure.... but as time goes by they got more bugs....and more bugs.... and more bugs....
Have you seen "bogey man"? Full of bugs!!! Camera problems, cracks on characters, etc.
Or TOMI ep. 2? More bugs than puzzles!!!!
In a bugged game you don't know if you are unable to go further in the adventure because you don't find a solution to a puzzle or because there's a bug preventing from solving it!
Bugged game = Mediocre game !
Hey men, slow down and bring some beta tester to work!!!!
Looking at the looong list of problems reported in the support forum, I am really glad that I have not purchased ToMI. But the marketing folks obviously do a great job at Telltale. And as long as a majority of adventure gamers keep buying the stuff and are even willing to pre-order a complete series without having ever seen a demo, just because the name contains "Monkey Island" (or "Sam & Max" for the next release), I would not change anything either... :cool:
Yes, there are a few bugs and yes they are annoying but besides this Telltale does a very good job in my eyes. They have a very nice, fast and professional support team (that is my experience).
It happens to the best that problemes occur or that you do not see things that are obvious for other people. I have the feeling that Telltale at least tries to involve players at some point and that they care about complaints. This cannot be said about a lot of companies.
And as long as a majority of adventure gamers keep buying the stuff and are even willing to pre-order a complete series without having ever seen a demo, just because the name contains "Monkey Island" (or "Sam & Max" for the next release), I would not change anything either... :cool:
Yes, you're right.... I think I'll never pre-order any TT product again.
It's a pity because until W&G their games were totally without bugs!!!
Once I told my brother "look, they do an hard work to provide no bug at all in their games! There are only few companies that sells so refined products!!!". Now I can't say that anymore.
It's a pity!!!!!!!!!
The buggest Monkey Island ever done....
SLOW DOWN TALLTALE!!!!!!! AND WORK HARDER ON BETA-TESTING!!!!!
I haven't played ToMI episode 2 yet (waiting for my manual unlock code) but I'm a little worried by all the complaints. I mean, there's always going to be some people running into technical issues with these games, but TT seems to have released a really buggy product this time. Maybe they do need to slow their development cycle down. I wouldn't mind if they skipped next month's release and fixed some of the major issues in episode 2 and spend some extra time to make sure episode 3 gets properly tested. I'd hate for this trend to continue with this series (we've been waiting too long for another MI game).
I haven't played ToMI episode 2 yet (waiting for my manual unlock code) but I'm a little worried by all the complaints. I mean, there's always going to be some people running into technical issues with these games, but TT seems to have released a really buggy product this time. Maybe they do need to slow their development cycle down. I wouldn't mind if they skipped next month's release and fixed some of the major issues in episode 2 and spend some extra time to make sure episode 3 gets properly tested. I'd hate for this trend to continue with this series (we've been waiting too long for another MI game).
Just thought Id say, I played through and didn't notice any bugs so perhaps its not as bad as you think?
I'm really sorry, but I have to bring this up again.
Unfortunately, the "GeForce GTX-bug affair" in Nelson Tethers and the depressing bug-galore in Poker Night at the Inventory force me to repeat my desperate cry:
SLOW DOWN!
I don't understand what's the purpose of promoting your creativity through the Pilot Program, if you don't apply to these products the necessary amount of polishing. And if you can't do it because you're working hard on BTTF and Jurassic Park, just drop them altogether... or try and find external publishers for these little games, to help your team with more testers and more money.
Some of the things I talked about in my first post have been improving in the last year, but the growing carelessness of some strategies is REALLY breaking my heart. And I don't say this with sarcasm: I REALLY don't want to see you epic-failing like this.
It makes me uncomfortable and sad.
I was reminded of this topic when I read that there's not going to be a Sam & Max casefile this year and gave up hope for a soundtrack. With developments like that, I can't help but think "Is this the way it's going to be?". There's always going to be another big opportunity and another big game on the horizon. There comes a point where you have to learn to slow down and make time for things.
The only bug in ToMI EP2 I ran into was when Guybrush just teleported on Jerkbait Island just that one time.
The optimization and compatibility issues Poker Night had were reasonable since it was almost too apparent that they were basically testing out a new graphic technology. There is nothing wrong with patching your games, too, all developers do that. And now Poker Night works great, I mean, did it really worth whining just because you couldn't get that Lugermorph the first day the game released?
I know, Telltale's games wakes all our inner children up, but it's not giving us enough reason to become crybabies and bite the hand that feeds us. It's okay to tell them to test their games in a more dedicated fashion -instead of having to release patches, which is a legit workaround anyway-, but calling it an epic fail is just harsh, man.
(I can't be the only one who remembers when Telltale promised to upload the Earl Boen version of Narwhal to their website, can I? Funny how no one talks about that anymore.)
If you want them to change, don't continue buying their games anymore. It's sad but this is the often the only effective way to get a change. Oh and i agree...
The optimization and compatibility issues Poker Night had were reasonable since it was almost too apparent that they were basically testing out a new graphic technology. There is nothing wrong with patching your games, too, all developers do that. And now Poker Night works great, I mean, did it really worth whining just because you couldn't get that Lugermorph the first day the game released?
Don't focus on Poker Night alone (BTW, now Poker Night does NOT work great for me: savegames disappeared). There is nothing wrong with patching your games, but there is something wrong with patching your games after five months (Nelson Tethers). Check what I wrote at the beginning of the thread.
I know, Telltale's games wakes all our inner children up, but it's not giving us enough reason to become crybabies and bite the hand that feeds us. It's okay to tell them to test their games in a more dedicated fashion -instead of having to release patches, which is a legit workaround anyway-, but calling it an epic fail is just harsh, man.
One year ago, when I started the thread, I would have NEVER used the "epic fail" expression. I sincerely hoped that things could improve.
I'm not biting the hand that feeds me, that's the other way around: as a matter of fact I've bought EVERY SINGLE GAME Telltale made, so actually I'm one of the many hands who are feeding Telltale. Which brings me to...
If you want them to change, don't continue buying their games anymore. It's sad but this is the often the only effective way to get a change.
But I like their creativity! I'm just tired to see their creativity stuck in a constant bottleneck which I cannot really understand. I'm not seeing a downfall in their creativity: (almost) every episode of The Devil's Playhouse was absolutely lovable. I was unsure about upping this thread again, because I knew it could upset other dedicated fans, and - @Falanca - believe it or not, I don't like writing these posts. Not a tiny bit.
I've done my share of thanking them a lot for what they've done and what they keep doing for the holy sake of story games.
I just don't feel the atmosphere I felt in 2007-2008 any longer.
Don't focus on Poker Night alone (BTW, now Poker Night does NOT work great for me: savegames disappeared). There is nothing wrong with patching your games, but there is something wrong with patching your games after five months (Nelson Tethers). Check what I wrote at the beginning of the thread.
Unpatched version of Puzzle Agent worked perfectly on my sucky old computer (Unpatched Poker Night did not). Judging by this fact, I think it's still kind of reasonable. I mean, less people get the bug, the cause of the bug is even harder to figure out, they thought they had better things to do other than making the game playable for a minority... Yes, it's evil, but it's how it's done in gaming industry, even if the developer company is a small one in size.
I say your claim of "I'm the hand that feeds, not the industry" is unfair to a large, large degree. You could hand over your money to anyone, but not anyone is willing to bring you your childhood heroes. If anything, it's a deal that's profitable for both sides.
I can't agree with you wholeheartedly but I do sympathize the idea you're trying to point out, albeit for different reasons. They just work too hard these days, and the expectations have been risen unlike before. They need some vacation bro. Game making is hard. They should just spend our BTTF preorder moneyz for a tropic trip.
I was reminded of this topic when I read that there's not going to be a Sam & Max casefile this year and gave up hope for a soundtrack. With developments like that, I can't help but think "Is this the way it's going to be?". There's always going to be another big opportunity and another big game on the horizon. There comes a point where you have to learn to slow down and make time for things.
Yeah. I was already feeling like this when the really cool ads they used to do became really typical, farmed-out garbage. Telltale used to be a company that would do really incredible things for its community, and now it has grown too big for it to be considered "worth it" anymore. It's stuff like that, the little things piling up until they become a really large thing, that have caused Telltale to slip from being a "favorite video game company" to something well below that.
TTG is too much after growth and commercial success. Maybe someone beeing in charge is too greedy or got a inferiority complex from the days when adventures went down. They often build on the least common denominator which makes their games kind of flat. If you're following the bugs forum, you'll also notice a decrease in production quality. Earlier games worked out of the box, now it's common that you'll need one or two updates.
I had high hopes that the games would turn out beeing more interesting, unique and a little bit more complex, you know after the introduction blahblah, but they haven't enhanced in those aspects which make adventure games interesting (unique stories, interesting riddles, ... the usual things).
Maybe they simply aren't interested in making great adventures as average to good ones already sell good enough or they aren't capable of doing it. Trying to sell us direct control as an enhancement in my opinion was crap right from the start - consoleros. ...
Anyway when thinking of creativity i have to think of Bogan's design, earlier work from Jared, the end credits in Bone 2 or the monkey riddle in TOMI E1 . Beside of these and a few other nice examples i more sense a constant lack of creativity. If you want creativity, you better buy other games instead.
If you want creativity, you better buy other games instead.
Examples, please. If you think Telltale's games are so terrible, why don't you offer us some alternatives that you think are good, instead of just constantly tearing down Telltale all the time?
Comments
Don't get me wrong, It is a great game, I just think the graphics would have been much better if it was PC only or if the console release was for Xobx or PS3.
Dont give the wii release a miss, it was perfect dang it. I dont see what everyone's problem is with it. I found no problems unless you press the wii menu button, which was a glitch with all telltale wii titles. Also, more tales(seasons) would be great(with a wii port, or 360 port, I dont think there's a limit there.)
Well, I really LOVED Launch of The Screaming Narwhal, but I totally agree with Megaace and Diduz.
I don't mind if you will delay the Tales Episode 2 release, but I would like to have a game without the all-the-same model for characters, for example, and, instead, with well-cured things also in little details
So, TellTale, SLOW DOWN, and continue your great work
TT, use all the time you need and good work!
Anyway, I don't think Telltale will break their game-per-month schedule, but less projects would mean less anxiety for everybody.
The sound in the PC version is much better than the sound in the Wii version. All they did for Wii was compress it more. You could complain about the music, as the decision to use Midi instead of live instruments was related to the Wii version.
How many projects are we looking at so far.
Tales of Monkey Island.
Sam and Max - Season 3.
CSI.
And even a possible secret unknown project no one has yet heard about that if we were to properly guess it swarms of thousands of ninjahs would descend on us within seconds.
So that's three, possibly four, projects all being developed together in the space of 6+ months.
TMI for PC
TMI for Wii
Wallace and Gromit for 360
Sam and Max season 2 for Wii
Sam and Max season 2 for 360
Sam and Max season 3
CSI
I like live instruments as much as the next person... but Michael Land is pretty much a god of MIDI. The MIDI guru. Or something like that. The man helped invent iMuse! If the soundtrack is going to be MIDI, it's in good hands here at least. And I loved the
The decision tu use MIDI is not related to wii. Because the music is MP3, not MIDI. In MP3 you can record an orchestra or a MIDI and it's the same size (bitrate per second).
So, the synth music instead of orchestra maybe :
A) due to a (debatable) sound design choice
C) due to money (MIDI is cheaper than orchestra)
Or maybe that the synth MP3 on PC version is recorded from wii real MIDI - so they earned disk space on wii. I don't know (but i don't think).
The Wii version is actually playing midi music, or so I've been told. The PC version uses mp3 "recordings" of the same midi, so it sounds a bit better.
Yes it can, you just delete the v1.0 title from your SD card or internal memory and redownload the 1.1 version. There's no charge to re-download a title you've already purchased.
While there will be optimisations for each platform, I have been led to believe that basically the one Telltale Tool spits out the appropriate code for whatever the target platform is. There aren't separate developements for the same game going on for different platforms.
So they just create the game in the Tool, turn their Output dial to 'pc' and out comes the PC code, turn the dial again to Xbox, and out spits the Xbox code.... or something almost, but not quite, as oversimplified.
While my initial reaction to ToMI was a mixed one of both joy and mild discomfort (with the controls, with the 3D graphical style, with the lack of live instruments), now that my 90s-adventurer mindset has had time to purge itself and leave me open to Telltale's work, I've (as well as really enjoying the game) realized that ToMI is actually the most promising adventure game endeavor playable right now that I'm aware of, and I have absolute faith that if we simply let Telltale continue their work in their own way and develop their art, without the anxious worrying and aggressive defense of our beloved genre, we will have great gaming experiences and achieve deeper developer\community symbiosis.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great and important for fans to be passionate and vocal (I've done my fair share of essay-length rants etc), but when fear\urgency is the motivating force behind the discussion, it's time to take a step back, relax, and realize that this whole enterprise is simply about creating and sharing enjoyable experiences, and should be freely appreciated and embraced for what it is. It's not our job to "ensure that Telltale don't screw up", or something like that - that energy is best thrown to the wind, or spent on self-betterment rather than projecting it outwards. Worry is contrary to the purpose of these games. I've come to realize that an uncomplicated and open appreciation is a much more rewarding relationship to have with them.
Blablabla. Conclusion: Thanks Telltale! Keep up the good work.
How about the engine? How is it possible that performances really suck on a system like the Wii? I think there's something wrong with the Telltale Tool. Maybe it's too old or you hadn't enough time to optimize it, but neither Sam & Max for the 360 is so smooth. How is that possible?
Okay, these are annoying questions that probably you get everyday but I just felt the need to offer my 2 cents in this thread.
Rest assured that I will always support you until you'll stop making great adventure games. I owe you A LOT.
They still have separate teams to specifically optimize each version once the basic framework of the game is laid down.
Plus the logo printing costs.
Attachment not found.
thanks for some of the best games in recent history
Have you seen "bogey man"? Full of bugs!!! Camera problems, cracks on characters, etc.
Or TOMI ep. 2? More bugs than puzzles!!!!
In a bugged game you don't know if you are unable to go further in the adventure because you don't find a solution to a puzzle or because there's a bug preventing from solving it!
Bugged game = Mediocre game !
Hey men, slow down and bring some beta tester to work!!!!
Yes, there are a few bugs and yes they are annoying but besides this Telltale does a very good job in my eyes. They have a very nice, fast and professional support team (that is my experience).
It happens to the best that problemes occur or that you do not see things that are obvious for other people. I have the feeling that Telltale at least tries to involve players at some point and that they care about complaints. This cannot be said about a lot of companies.
Yes, you're right.... I think I'll never pre-order any TT product again.
It's a pity because until W&G their games were totally without bugs!!!
Once I told my brother "look, they do an hard work to provide no bug at all in their games! There are only few companies that sells so refined products!!!". Now I can't say that anymore.
It's a pity!!!!!!!!!
The buggest Monkey Island ever done....
SLOW DOWN TALLTALE!!!!!!! AND WORK HARDER ON BETA-TESTING!!!!!
Siege of Spinner Cay has been updated with a new sound compression. Voice quality has finally improved!
Just thought Id say, I played through and didn't notice any bugs so perhaps its not as bad as you think?
Unfortunately, the "GeForce GTX-bug affair" in Nelson Tethers and the depressing bug-galore in Poker Night at the Inventory force me to repeat my desperate cry:
SLOW DOWN!
I don't understand what's the purpose of promoting your creativity through the Pilot Program, if you don't apply to these products the necessary amount of polishing. And if you can't do it because you're working hard on BTTF and Jurassic Park, just drop them altogether... or try and find external publishers for these little games, to help your team with more testers and more money.
Some of the things I talked about in my first post have been improving in the last year, but the growing carelessness of some strategies is REALLY breaking my heart. And I don't say this with sarcasm: I REALLY don't want to see you epic-failing like this.
It makes me uncomfortable and sad.
The optimization and compatibility issues Poker Night had were reasonable since it was almost too apparent that they were basically testing out a new graphic technology. There is nothing wrong with patching your games, too, all developers do that. And now Poker Night works great, I mean, did it really worth whining just because you couldn't get that Lugermorph the first day the game released?
I know, Telltale's games wakes all our inner children up, but it's not giving us enough reason to become crybabies and bite the hand that feeds us. It's okay to tell them to test their games in a more dedicated fashion -instead of having to release patches, which is a legit workaround anyway-, but calling it an epic fail is just harsh, man.
(I can't be the only one who remembers when Telltale promised to upload the Earl Boen version of Narwhal to their website, can I? Funny how no one talks about that anymore.)
Don't focus on Poker Night alone (BTW, now Poker Night does NOT work great for me: savegames disappeared). There is nothing wrong with patching your games, but there is something wrong with patching your games after five months (Nelson Tethers). Check what I wrote at the beginning of the thread.
One year ago, when I started the thread, I would have NEVER used the "epic fail" expression. I sincerely hoped that things could improve.
I'm not biting the hand that feeds me, that's the other way around: as a matter of fact I've bought EVERY SINGLE GAME Telltale made, so actually I'm one of the many hands who are feeding Telltale. Which brings me to...
But I like their creativity! I'm just tired to see their creativity stuck in a constant bottleneck which I cannot really understand. I'm not seeing a downfall in their creativity: (almost) every episode of The Devil's Playhouse was absolutely lovable. I was unsure about upping this thread again, because I knew it could upset other dedicated fans, and - @Falanca - believe it or not, I don't like writing these posts. Not a tiny bit.
I've done my share of thanking them a lot for what they've done and what they keep doing for the holy sake of story games.
I just don't feel the atmosphere I felt in 2007-2008 any longer.
Unpatched version of Puzzle Agent worked perfectly on my sucky old computer (Unpatched Poker Night did not). Judging by this fact, I think it's still kind of reasonable. I mean, less people get the bug, the cause of the bug is even harder to figure out, they thought they had better things to do other than making the game playable for a minority... Yes, it's evil, but it's how it's done in gaming industry, even if the developer company is a small one in size.
I say your claim of "I'm the hand that feeds, not the industry" is unfair to a large, large degree. You could hand over your money to anyone, but not anyone is willing to bring you your childhood heroes. If anything, it's a deal that's profitable for both sides.
I can't agree with you wholeheartedly but I do sympathize the idea you're trying to point out, albeit for different reasons. They just work too hard these days, and the expectations have been risen unlike before. They need some vacation bro. Game making is hard. They should just spend our BTTF preorder moneyz for a tropic trip.
I had high hopes that the games would turn out beeing more interesting, unique and a little bit more complex, you know after the introduction blahblah, but they haven't enhanced in those aspects which make adventure games interesting (unique stories, interesting riddles, ... the usual things).
Maybe they simply aren't interested in making great adventures as average to good ones already sell good enough or they aren't capable of doing it. Trying to sell us direct control as an enhancement in my opinion was crap right from the start - consoleros. ...
Anyway when thinking of creativity i have to think of Bogan's design, earlier work from Jared, the end credits in Bone 2 or the monkey riddle in TOMI E1 . Beside of these and a few other nice examples i more sense a constant lack of creativity. If you want creativity, you better buy other games instead.
Dude I'm standing right here!