TT releases an episode every month. That's all they promise, and they have not missed a month yet. When they miss a month, then you can complain.
Yep, and as for myself, I won't complain even then. Based on the quality of Episode 3, they can take all the time they need on Ep4 if it makes the game similarly good to LotL.
Are you implying that it takes longer to write, program, and animate several hours of gameplay than it does to write and tape 22 minutes of television? :eek:
Are you implying that it takes longer to write, program, and animate several hours of gameplay than it does to write and tape 22 minutes of television? :eek:
that's what you said not me. What i'm saying is that they manage to make an episode each week and they tell you the date. As i said i wouldn't care if the date for the 4th episode of TMI would be the 20th of december. I just hate the fact that they don't tell us when it'll come out. If they knew the date the game was coming out we would have found out sooner or later. I can conclude that they don't want to risk and set a date beacuse they don't know when the game would come out.
that's what you said not me. What i'm saying is that they manage to make an episode each week and they tell you the date. As i said i wouldn't care if the date for the 4th episode of TMI would be the 20th of december. I just hate the fact that they don't tell us when it'll come out. If they knew the date the game was coming out we would have found out sooner or later. I can conclude that they don't want to risk and set a date beacuse they don't know when the game would come out.
They did give us a date, for every chapter. July, August, September, October, November. They aren't yet able to accurately predict down to the day, but they are pioneers of the business model, and if they figure out a way to do it reliably without sacrificing quality, I can guarantee they would do it. As of now, they have no way of ensuring they can hit a date unless they are sure they're finished with the product in time.
They aren't yet able to accurately predict down to the day, but they are pioneers of the business model, and if they figure out a way to do it reliably without sacrificing quality, I can guarantee they would do it.
They aren't able now, but they have been: I distinctly remember writing down on my calendar all the release dates for Sam & Max Season One back in 2006. Somehow I miss that feeling: waiting was easier then. They had the whole schedule ready from the first day, and the players too. I guess it had something to do with the Gametap platform, but I also think that many other factors may have changed: the company got bigger and its production model kept evolving.
that's what you said not me. What i'm saying is that they manage to make an episode each week and they tell you the date. As i said i wouldn't care if the date for the 4th episode of TMI would be the 20th of december. I just hate the fact that they don't tell us when it'll come out. If they knew the date the game was coming out we would have found out sooner or later. I can conclude that they don't want to risk and set a date beacuse they don't know when the game would come out.
Gamemaking and TV-production are two different beasts. While TV takes time to make too, it being rushed rarely results in errors rendering it unwatchable*. A videogame being rushed through production can, and usually will, result in terrible bugs. An average episode of a TV show will not have to be watched by a dozen or two volunteers to check for errors before it goes out and those errors corrected by the crew. To say that a sit-com and a videogame works from the same model, that is borderline stupid.
They aren't able now, but they have been: I distinctly remember writing down on my calendar all the release dates for Sam & Max Season One back in 2006. Somehow I miss that feeling: waiting was easier then. They had the whole schedule ready from the first day, and the players too. I guess it had something to do with the Gametap platform, but I also think that many other factors may have changed: the company got bigger and its production model kept evolving.
That was because Gametap was calling the shots, not them. They probably ended up doing things they don't want to do, like cutting things, finishing episodes far in advance without any customer feedback, etc.
They want our feedback, that's almost the entire point of their business model.
Are you implying that it takes longer to write, program, and animate several hours of gameplay than it does to write and tape 22 minutes of television? :eek:
Well, tv shows aren't film just the week before. If you look at the most recent season of Mythbusters, Kari is still pregnant in the first episodes of the season, but she actually had the baby back in June. So the show was filmed sometime over the summer if not earlier.
All television series I know are written, recorded and shipped to the broadcaster long before it's aired. The reason a series isn't broadcast in one go is because the broadcaster has an obligation to include other shows on that channel in order to balance their books.
Computer games, on the other hand, are made and released these days in one of two ways:
1) in a full package, delivered complete to the publisher. This is similar to the TV series model in that it's ready long before the customer sees it and it's up to the distributor when it is released, to fit in with other games they publish.
2) in episodic format, by way of digital download (for simplicity, I'm cutting it to downloading the PC version straight off TT's purchases page). This is within minutes to two days of completion & polish. This is a cheaper method nowadays and is not as predictable in schedule due to the freshness of content (if you know what I mean).
1. Geypi has a point and that is just a bit more interaction between TTG and the fans. Just a post saying: Well, next episode will probably be later in the month blablabla.
2. How I met your mother is utter rubbish btw. I can predict the one-liners like clockwork. It's absolutely disgusting. And the comparison between MI and that crapshow is just dumb. MI is produced while we speak, the pile of dung isn't. And TV is easier. A lot easier.
I doubt its legally binding... it would just piss off fans... tons of game and movie makers put dates on their websites only to blow the date...
I actually think Fury may be right here, the difference is that you have signed a contract with telltale giving them money in exchange for one episode a month. At least over here you could sue for that, but the only thing you'd get out of it is your money back, so to me it seems a bit pointless
Legal, Shmeegal... The guys at Telltale are working their butts off and we know that. Patience is a virtue... or patients are a virtue... I don't remember exactly...
It's more important that the game has as less bugs and glitches as possible rather than keeping the "one per month" - promise by all means. Also, I would prefer if they spend more time on the finale episode so that we have a long episode released during Christmas instead.
Hoping for this release plan: (so far the release dates have all been Tuesdays, right?)
4th episode: 3th of November
5th episode: 29th of December
I'm not a fan of deadlines actually, they don't ensure better quality or anything like that, most projects using agile development (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development) do not have traditional deadlines (they are there to some extent but they generally use other controlls methods) and generally finishs faster and with higher quality I love working agile
Out of interest, has Telltale actually missed a month with any of their series? Why do people keep bringing up the whole late issue as if it's a regular occurrence?
No Telltale are not the ones being irresponsible. They outline how their system works so it's your responsibility as a buyer whether you choose to invest your money in them or not.
They probably think that just because the chapters have turned up later each month, one month would eventually have to be skipped if the pattern keeps up.
I'm gonna go ahead and use the same odd logic and say that because chapter 4 will be the first one to reuse areas (except for Voodoo Lady's hut in chapter 3), it will not take as much time. Go me!
The "How I met your mother"-comparison (or any other sitcom) is a poorly chosen example: only 22 minutes per episode, no special effects and MASSIVE recycling of locations and characters.
Do we want that for ToMI?
Perhaps some other tv-series would have been a better comparison... something like "24". But successful tv-series have a much bigger budget and totally different working processes than an adventure game.
Some of you said, a tv-season is produced completely before the start of the season, others said, they have one week to produce each episode. Neither of them is completely true. In most tv-productions there are a few episodes finished at the start of a season, but not all of them... you could see that at the writers strike two years ago.
Out of interest, has Telltale actually missed a month with any of their series? Why do people keep bringing up the whole late issue as if it's a regular occurrence?
Release date EP 1: July 7th
Release date EP 2: August 20th
Release date EP 3: September 29th
So, no, they haven't, but so far they have moved forward to the end of the month with each new episode.
I doubt EP4 will be out next week for the simple reason that up until now (afaik), TTG has announced each new episode's release date like a fortnight in advance (which might indeed make EP4's release date move into November).
Stop bringing up the fact that the dates have been later each month so far as though it matters. There are multiple documented examples of their previous episodic series releasing episodes LESS THAN four weeks apart, do some research before making assumptions.
Stop bringing up the fact that the dates have been later each month so far as though it matters. There are multiple documented examples of their previous episodic series releasing episodes LESS THAN four weeks apart, do some research before making assumptions.
Just so you know: my post was just to answer a question - no TTG criticism or whatever in there.
The longer you wait, the better it will be. For multiple reasons of course.
They'll have time to improve the great game.
They'll have time to correct airers errors.
The tension.......................................builds.
The joy of it's release is multiplied 10x.
And many other reasons!
The longer you wait, the better it will be. For multiple reasons of course.
They'll have time to improve the great game.
They'll have time to correct airers errors.
The tension.......................................builds.
The joy of it's release is multiplied 10x.
And many other reasons!
Or they're unorganized, as with the team behind Duke Nukem Forever. I've played games that have been delayed for ages that were HORRIBLE. I've played games that never faced a single delay that were WONDERFUL. Gamers these days seem to have a fetishistic perspective on waiting. There's something to be said for a person or a company that can set a date and meet it without issue.
This is not to say I'm impatient about the games, far from it. I honestly can deal with a nebulous release of "This calendar month". But I'd be pretty impressed if I could expect something more streamlined, like "The 15th of every month".
damn i feel really bad for saying those things about TTG. The truth is i really didn't mean it like that. It's because I'm sad a little angry the whole week because of a girl. I guess i just kinda let that out on TTG.
In reality i really think they are a good team. And the only reason they didn't want to make the episodes before that is that they didn't want to let us fans wait for the games so they just started making it. I still don't think they have dead lines but they are trying really hard to make an episode every month.
I mean this wouldn't be hard for a normal game. But this is MI we're talking about. Make new riddles, new puzzles, a lot of options, interesting facts, add humor, add a story, make animations,... and all that in one month. Look at every episode. They made new characters, it was funny as hell, we had a looot of fun in it... and all that in one month. I really think this is a brilliant team.
Comments
You're telling your opinion of how you want things to work. I'm sorry to be the one who tells you, but the world doesn't revolve around you.
TT releases an episode every month. That's all they promise, and they have not missed a month yet. When they miss a month, then you can complain.
Yep, and as for myself, I won't complain even then. Based on the quality of Episode 3, they can take all the time they need on Ep4 if it makes the game similarly good to LotL.
Except during the Mid-season break. Either way, the businesses are so completely different as is the work, you can hardly draw a comparison.
Looks like my former boss' workbench..
/Daniel
that's what you said not me. What i'm saying is that they manage to make an episode each week and they tell you the date. As i said i wouldn't care if the date for the 4th episode of TMI would be the 20th of december. I just hate the fact that they don't tell us when it'll come out. If they knew the date the game was coming out we would have found out sooner or later. I can conclude that they don't want to risk and set a date beacuse they don't know when the game would come out.
They did give us a date, for every chapter. July, August, September, October, November. They aren't yet able to accurately predict down to the day, but they are pioneers of the business model, and if they figure out a way to do it reliably without sacrificing quality, I can guarantee they would do it. As of now, they have no way of ensuring they can hit a date unless they are sure they're finished with the product in time.
They aren't able now, but they have been: I distinctly remember writing down on my calendar all the release dates for Sam & Max Season One back in 2006. Somehow I miss that feeling: waiting was easier then. They had the whole schedule ready from the first day, and the players too. I guess it had something to do with the Gametap platform, but I also think that many other factors may have changed: the company got bigger and its production model kept evolving.
Gamemaking and TV-production are two different beasts. While TV takes time to make too, it being rushed rarely results in errors rendering it unwatchable*. A videogame being rushed through production can, and usually will, result in terrible bugs. An average episode of a TV show will not have to be watched by a dozen or two volunteers to check for errors before it goes out and those errors corrected by the crew. To say that a sit-com and a videogame works from the same model, that is borderline stupid.
*According to Jim not withstanding.
That is freaking awesome.
Telltale's watchin' you:
T_T
That was because Gametap was calling the shots, not them. They probably ended up doing things they don't want to do, like cutting things, finishing episodes far in advance without any customer feedback, etc.
They want our feedback, that's almost the entire point of their business model.
Well, tv shows aren't film just the week before. If you look at the most recent season of Mythbusters, Kari is still pregnant in the first episodes of the season, but she actually had the baby back in June. So the show was filmed sometime over the summer if not earlier.
They promised one a month, and they'll deliver. Otherwise they're in legal shit.
So don't panic, it's coming this month.
So don't worry, it's coming this month.
Computer games, on the other hand, are made and released these days in one of two ways:
1) in a full package, delivered complete to the publisher. This is similar to the TV series model in that it's ready long before the customer sees it and it's up to the distributor when it is released, to fit in with other games they publish.
2) in episodic format, by way of digital download (for simplicity, I'm cutting it to downloading the PC version straight off TT's purchases page). This is within minutes to two days of completion & polish. This is a cheaper method nowadays and is not as predictable in schedule due to the freshness of content (if you know what I mean).
2. How I met your mother is utter rubbish btw. I can predict the one-liners like clockwork. It's absolutely disgusting. And the comparison between MI and that crapshow is just dumb. MI is produced while we speak, the pile of dung isn't. And TV is easier. A lot easier.
I actually think Fury may be right here, the difference is that you have signed a contract with telltale giving them money in exchange for one episode a month. At least over here you could sue for that, but the only thing you'd get out of it is your money back, so to me it seems a bit pointless
And why are we discussing this anyway?
And my bet is E4 will be relesed in first half of November.
It won't be though, and that's why legal stuff came up.
Hoping for this release plan: (so far the release dates have all been Tuesdays, right?)
4th episode: 3th of November
5th episode: 29th of December
Isn't the Club 41 treasure and the info coming next week some kind of sign to you that it might be time purty dang soon?
Not to derail the thread, but HOW DARE YOU, SIR.
No Telltale are not the ones being irresponsible. They outline how their system works so it's your responsibility as a buyer whether you choose to invest your money in them or not.
I'm gonna go ahead and use the same odd logic and say that because chapter 4 will be the first one to reuse areas (except for Voodoo Lady's hut in chapter 3), it will not take as much time. Go me!
Do we want that for ToMI?
Perhaps some other tv-series would have been a better comparison... something like "24". But successful tv-series have a much bigger budget and totally different working processes than an adventure game.
Some of you said, a tv-season is produced completely before the start of the season, others said, they have one week to produce each episode. Neither of them is completely true. In most tv-productions there are a few episodes finished at the start of a season, but not all of them... you could see that at the writers strike two years ago.
Release date EP 1: July 7th
Release date EP 2: August 20th
Release date EP 3: September 29th
So, no, they haven't, but so far they have moved forward to the end of the month with each new episode.
I doubt EP4 will be out next week for the simple reason that up until now (afaik), TTG has announced each new episode's release date like a fortnight in advance (which might indeed make EP4's release date move into November).
Just so you know: my post was just to answer a question - no TTG criticism or whatever in there.
They'll have time to improve the great game.
They'll have time to correct airers errors.
The tension.......................................builds.
The joy of it's release is multiplied 10x.
And many other reasons!
This is not to say I'm impatient about the games, far from it. I honestly can deal with a nebulous release of "This calendar month". But I'd be pretty impressed if I could expect something more streamlined, like "The 15th of every month".
... Or that.
In reality i really think they are a good team. And the only reason they didn't want to make the episodes before that is that they didn't want to let us fans wait for the games so they just started making it. I still don't think they have dead lines but they are trying really hard to make an episode every month.
I mean this wouldn't be hard for a normal game. But this is MI we're talking about. Make new riddles, new puzzles, a lot of options, interesting facts, add humor, add a story, make animations,... and all that in one month. Look at every episode. They made new characters, it was funny as hell, we had a looot of fun in it... and all that in one month. I really think this is a brilliant team.