The End of Episodic Gaming at Telltale?
(DISCLAIMER: I do not work for Telltale, or anywhere else in the gaming industry. Everything I say here is pure speculation, so please don't take it as anything official. Kthx.)
There have been two pieces of Telltale-related news lately that interested me. I think it might be possible they're leading into something bigger.
The first is that Jurassic Park won't be released episodically (unless you're on the iPad). The game will still be divided into separate episodes, yes, but all of them will be released at once.
Now, I don't believe Telltale's doing this because they're tired of episodic gaming. If you recall, JP was originally going to be released in April for the PC, but in fall for consoles. Apparently Microsoft demanded every version be released at the same time, pushing the PC version back and forcing Telltale to develop all the episodes before they can be finished. Even if Telltale isn't doing this to avoid episodic gaming, though, the fact stands that they're making a full-length non-episodic game, and I'm sure they're taking advantage of the opportunity to test how people receive it.
The second is that, in addition to Telltale's previously announced publishing deal with Microsoft, they've signed similar deals with Nintendo and Sony. (Their previous publishing deal with Sony only allowed them to publish downloadable games, but now they can publish retail games too.) So if Telltale wanted to, they could give their games disc releases on all three consoles. They'd no longer have to deal with the constraints PSN/XBLA/WiiWare force on games. Not to mention that, as far as consoles go, retail games get more exposure than downloadable titles.
Now, I admire Telltale for having more success with the episodic format than any other developer's managed, but the fact is that episodic gaming carries a lot of inherent problems. The games have to be small (a big issue for an adventure game, since so much of the appeal lies in exploration!). The demanding release schedule means you either rush the episodes' development or fail to release them on time. It's next to impossible to pull off on consoles. If you're doing a more open-ended series, like The Walking Dead is supposed to be, it could be difficult implementing proper continuity between the episodes. (Look at all the reports of Marty getting called by the wrong alias in BttF, and that was just a single choice!) I get a feeling that some people at Telltale have been debating if it's worth sticking to episodic games.
So, as I said before, I suspect Telltale is treating Jurassic Park as a big experiment to see how making a game the normal way turns out for them. If it goes well...who knows what they'll decide in the future? I wouldn't be surprised if The Walking Dead ends up being Telltale's last episodic game. (And even then, it might only be episodic in the same way that Jurassic Park is.)
So...do you think Telltale should stick to episodic gaming or not? And do you think it's likely they'll make the switch? Discuss and whatnot.
There have been two pieces of Telltale-related news lately that interested me. I think it might be possible they're leading into something bigger.
The first is that Jurassic Park won't be released episodically (unless you're on the iPad). The game will still be divided into separate episodes, yes, but all of them will be released at once.
Now, I don't believe Telltale's doing this because they're tired of episodic gaming. If you recall, JP was originally going to be released in April for the PC, but in fall for consoles. Apparently Microsoft demanded every version be released at the same time, pushing the PC version back and forcing Telltale to develop all the episodes before they can be finished. Even if Telltale isn't doing this to avoid episodic gaming, though, the fact stands that they're making a full-length non-episodic game, and I'm sure they're taking advantage of the opportunity to test how people receive it.
The second is that, in addition to Telltale's previously announced publishing deal with Microsoft, they've signed similar deals with Nintendo and Sony. (Their previous publishing deal with Sony only allowed them to publish downloadable games, but now they can publish retail games too.) So if Telltale wanted to, they could give their games disc releases on all three consoles. They'd no longer have to deal with the constraints PSN/XBLA/WiiWare force on games. Not to mention that, as far as consoles go, retail games get more exposure than downloadable titles.
Now, I admire Telltale for having more success with the episodic format than any other developer's managed, but the fact is that episodic gaming carries a lot of inherent problems. The games have to be small (a big issue for an adventure game, since so much of the appeal lies in exploration!). The demanding release schedule means you either rush the episodes' development or fail to release them on time. It's next to impossible to pull off on consoles. If you're doing a more open-ended series, like The Walking Dead is supposed to be, it could be difficult implementing proper continuity between the episodes. (Look at all the reports of Marty getting called by the wrong alias in BttF, and that was just a single choice!) I get a feeling that some people at Telltale have been debating if it's worth sticking to episodic games.
So, as I said before, I suspect Telltale is treating Jurassic Park as a big experiment to see how making a game the normal way turns out for them. If it goes well...who knows what they'll decide in the future? I wouldn't be surprised if The Walking Dead ends up being Telltale's last episodic game. (And even then, it might only be episodic in the same way that Jurassic Park is.)
So...do you think Telltale should stick to episodic gaming or not? And do you think it's likely they'll make the switch? Discuss and whatnot.
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Granted, however, I do think that abandoning the episodic model would have it's benefits, as various traits of the episodic games such as reusing character models for multiple characters, small locations, and a somewhat lack of depth compared to old adventure games would hopefully make way for better, more in depth games with more time in the oven so to speak. (I still do like the current model however, I'm just saying both have their ups and downs.)
If I had to choose, I'd like them to continue the episodic route. It lets them incorporate feedback into later episodes (the new dialogue lines in Sam & Max for example, or getting LeChuck back) and makes the whole thing feel more epic having to wait for the conclusion of the cliffhangers, much like a TV show.
But hey ho. We'll have to see.
You have small locations as opposed to a large game world to explore.
You can't have multiple endings or a story that branches depending on the choices you make in-game.
Non-episodic games make for larger games with more opportunities.
But stuff like this article has me a little concerned as I'm not sure if Microsoft are just really concerned with titles released first on the Playstation or if PC first releases are also part of it.
Just as long as the pre-order period isn't too long, (as it would drive me crazy).
I think being able to work on all episodes before they go live would benefit Telltale quite a bit.
It means the storyline can be tweaked to be more coherent, bugs in the earlier episodes can be fixed, and maybe more dynamic things can be implemented!
We're absolutely not moving away from the episodic model at all! We're committed to it 100%!
Ah. Thanks for giving us an official word on the matter.
But that is our fear.
Isn't it more like 80 or 90 percent committed if you're releasing even one game non-episodically?
Quoted for truth.
A game is still episodic in nature if it's still made up of separate episodes even if they are all released at the same time.
I think for games like S&M S3 and ToMI the episodic format was forced, It wasn't really necessary.
S&M S2 was something in between. Both episodic & non-episodic formats would work. Maybe that's why it's still the best game from TellTale ... Or at least the best S&M game from Telltale so-far ...
yes but the way that the storys dont connect anymore well bttf has a way because martys adventures in time r ment to be like this i mean they do got a cliffhanger but in the movies marty has no idea wat will happen to the different timelines socthe story cant connect because in the movies its like this also because doc makes a plan while marty looks around to see wat has changed so how exactly can this story connect well telltale made this connect same with sam and max season 3 it all connected actally all of telltales games i played save for puzzle agent 1 and 2 because i played puzzle agent 1 and didnt play 2 yet all have connected up with one and other
I think you've missed what I said. I said so far, their games have been connected all the way through, due to having a single plot. In order for the potential of episodic gaming to be utilised in the future, I think the episodes should not be one big game forcibly broken down.
Yes, yes, smooth talk.
Keep up illusion of promise until suckers have given money.
That's exactly the way I prefer it, though. It's the closest we get to getting a full complete game from Telltale.
Wouldn't you rather see (not every time) what the episodic model can do exclusively? Atm it's imitating the one feature-length game model, being better in some ways, worse in others.
Now granted I do enjoy chapter-based storytelling in games, so I'm not really complaining that they're sticking with that format. I just think it's a bit of an oddity here
Forced? How?! Don't you remember those fantastic cliffhangers? THEY STOLE MAX'S BRAIN! UNHOLY THIS!
I'm still kicking myself that I didn't see it coming.
I mean.... he... four games.... how did I miss that?
And then the wait full of anticipation for the next part? Yeah, that was hard! (That's what she said. She lied.)
So yeah, needless to say, if this is what TTG continues to do I'm all for it!
So what's the next game coming out? Jurassic Park?
I watched the end for Episode 4 every day until Episode 5 was released. It was epic.
Agreed. In fact, it was a better ending than 305.
Agreed. I'd happily wipe my memory of 305 altogether. I liked the music, what they did to the lighting in the inner brain, Sybil's entrance and that's about it.
That doesn't argue against episodes in general, though, only against one particular episode!