What is your opinion about TellTale at this point?

1356711

Comments

  • edited July 2012
    But it's not just the bugs that are a problem, it's the lack of gameplay. In The Walking Dead there are moments where, literally, all you are asked to do is to walk forward, not to mention the times when there is only a single possible thing to on the screen to click in order to progress to the next cut scene.

    Telltale don't make real games any more, just interactive movies that sell on the strength of their licence.
  • edited July 2012
    Woodsyblue wrote: »
    Telltale don't make real games any more, just interactive movies that sell on the strength of their licence.

    Let's not be too hasty with declaring that Telltale no longer makes "real" games. Remember that we are only a year removed from the "Back to the Future" game which was pretty much a classic adventure game in terms of player interactivity. I have a hard time believing that the upcoming "King's Quest" game won't done in a classic adventure game style as well.
  • CapnJayCapnJay Banned
    edited July 2012
    and then just to spite woodsyblue TTG makes a true adventure game

    TEXT adventure game that is
  • edited July 2012
    SteveG wrote: »
    Remember that we are only a year removed from the "Back to the Future" game which was pretty much a classic adventure game in terms of player interactivity.

    This is sarcasm, right? I mean you are aware that any legitimate player interactivity in Back to the Future is just an illusion and that it had the most non-existent gameplay of any supposed adventure game I've ever played. BttF:TG is where this whole interactive movie train started. To be honest, in my opinion, Jurassic Park and The Walking Dead are better games because at least they aren't pretending to be adventure games. I mean the puzzles are just as weak but at least that's not what the games are based around anymore.

    Edit: If you don't want to read that entire post I think this quote sums it up best:
    It becomes quickly apparent that the idea of an open area is simply a visual illusion that quickly falls apart if the player decides to do anything unexpected. The entire town is a thin hallway, and Marty can essentially only walk in circles along that thin path, with one hallway branching off near the soup restaurant. Exploring this section for the first time gives an impression that the rule is "Look, don't touch". Marty can't walk on the grass. Marty can't walk on the street. Marty can't touch or pick up anything, only look and observe. What interaction there is take pains to inform the player that, no, they do not actually matter.
  • edited July 2012
    Woodsyblue wrote: »
    This is sarcasm, right? I mean you are aware that any legitimate player interactivity in Back to the Future is just an illusion and that it had the most non-existent gameplay of any supposed adventure game I've ever played. BttF:TG is where this whole interactive movie train started. To be honest, in my opinion, Jurassic Park and The Walking Dead are better games because at least they aren't pretending to be adventure games. I mean the puzzles are just as weak but at least that's not what the games are based around anymore.

    Edit: If you don't want to read that entire post I think this quote sums it up best:

    Interesting. Most of it is valid, but I disagree anyway. I think all adventure games are pretty rail-roaded, but play them anyway. You just need a lot of distractions and sidestuff to click on as you do so. Monkey Island 2 and Sam and Max season 1 come to mind. The story doesn't change, events are largely movies, and there's only the right answers and time-wasters, but that's what I buy.

    I'd prefer more time put into every release so I can spend nine hours replaying and clicking new stuff, but I've never really been disappointed by anything they've made. Except Strongbad.
  • edited July 2012
    I believe a core component of adventure games is the puzzles. It's something that's really hard to get right, too easy and people complain there isn't enough to it, too hard and people say it's illogical, but when an adventure game finds that perfect balance it's bliss. The problem is Telltale isn't even trying anymore, they are too worried about leaving people behind that they end up punishing those that don't need their assistance.

    Another major part of adventure games is interactivity. How many things can you interact with on the screen and how large can your inventory get (hopefully without getting unnecessarily bloated). Sadly, this portion of the latest Telltale games have been flat-out lacking too, no matter which way you look at it. There is just nothing to do but go where they tell you to go and engage cut scenes. And don't say the lack of interactivity is because of their episodic size, because the older Telltale games like Sam & Max and ToMI were plenty more interactive than this!
  • edited July 2012
    Classic adventure games with bottomless inventories, tons of objects and characters to interact with, and a bevy of inessential dialog, are fun. But do you really see that formula applying to TWD? My suspension of disbelief is already nosediving every time Lee's axe disappears in his pants, or wherever, but I guess that's none of my damn business.

    When Tim Schafer made Full Throttle, he said that the puzzles should be consistent with the character you're playing, the game world, and the story. Comparing the game to DOTT, he said Bernard and Ben have only a sandwich in their inventory and are trying to get through a looked door. Bernard is going to jimmy the lock with the toothpick, and slide the mayo'd bread underneath to catch the key on the other side. Ben is going to kick the door down and eat the sandwich.
  • edited July 2012
    But I'm not asking for games like BttF and TWD to be old-school adventure games like DotT, I'm merely saying that they should incorporate actual gameplay, not just the illusion of gameplay. It has to be more than 'click the only hotspot on the screen' or 'walk forward until you get to the next cut scene.'

    It's easy not to see how shallow these games really are, if you do what they tell you to do and click on what they tell you to click without trying anything else it can actually feel like you are playing a game. But this is a lie. The experience is on rails and the player has no freedom. It's all cut scenes wrapped around dialogue-trees and one-dimensional scripted events with the occasional insultingly easy puzzle thrown in for good measure. The player doesn't participate, only observe.
  • edited July 2012
    woodsy i think you're missing the 'point' of point and click games....

    and twd was never mean't to be a 'puzzle game'
  • edited July 2012
    Woodsyblue wrote: »
    It's easy not to see how shallow these games really are, if you do what they tell you to do and click on what they tell you to click without trying anything else it can actually feel like you are playing a game. But this is a lie. The experience is on rails and the player has no freedom. It's all cut scenes wrapped around dialogue-trees and one-dimensional scripted events with the occasional insultingly easy puzzle thrown in for good measure. The player doesn't participate, only observe.

    That's because the dialogues are the essential part. The freedom lies in the interactions with the game characters and the ability to shape the narrative. It is a railroad to a certain extent, but one with a large number of switches where you get to decide which direction to take – do you support character A over character B, do you save C or D, etc.

    I would even say that this is actually a more participatory game experience than in a conventional adventure game where you absolutely have to give the red herring to the troll guarding the bridge in order to advance, because there the story is fixed in advance. It's just an illusion of freedom.
  • edited July 2012
    I thought Telltale was amazing when they first came into relevance, releasing the first two Sam and Max seasons with Gametap. The Strong Bad game was great too, but after that they slowly started going downhill until they hit rock bottom with the Jurassic Park game. The Walking Dead might be their most well made game, but I'd like to see a return to the pure point and click games.
  • edited July 2012
    When Tim Schafer made Full Throttle, he said that the puzzles should be consistent with the character you're playing, the game world, and the story. Comparing the game to DOTT, he said Bernard and Ben have only a sandwich in their inventory and are trying to get through a looked door. Bernard is going to jimmy the lock with the toothpick, and slide the mayo'd bread underneath to catch the key on the other side. Ben is going to kick the door down and eat the sandwich.

    My favorite games have puzzles relevant to the character. The way you solve puzzles as Guybrush or Sam versus Agent Tethers or Lowe from The Dig should really matter. I think they did a good job with Marty not being as Adventure game-ish as other properties, and - despite how limited the playability was - I wasn't disappointed.
    Woodsyblue wrote: »
    But I'm not asking for games like BttF and TWD to be old-school adventure games like DotT, I'm merely saying that they should incorporate actual gameplay, not just the illusion of gameplay. It has to be more than 'click the only hotspot on the screen' or 'walk forward until you get to the next cut scene.'

    I really see both sides of this argument and am in favor of Telltale making both styles of games: "cash-ins" which are fun, have limited gameplay, cater to the LCD and are based on popular licenses; and classic games, which are more like Sam and Max and Monkey Island.

    On what Woodsyblue said though: the only time I was disappointed with a TTG adventure game was when I played Sam and Max S3E1. Every puzzle had the same solution and I really felt like I was just following a movie. But even during Jurassic Park I never felt railroaded. Weird, I know.
  • edited July 2012
    Lanfranc wrote: »
    That's because the dialogues are the essential part. The freedom lies in the interactions with the game characters and the ability to shape the narrative. It is a railroad to a certain extent, but one with a large number of switches where you get to decide which direction to take – do you support character A over character B, do you save C or D, etc.

    I would even say that this is actually a more participatory game experience than in a conventional adventure game where you absolutely have to give the red herring to the troll guarding the bridge in order to advance, because there the story is fixed in advance. It's just an illusion of freedom.

    ^super true. The "puzzles" in this game are really the choices. Dialogue, food distribution, the saving of lives. Unlike a puzzle solution, there's no wrong answer, but there's no real right one either. The more we play the game, the more unforseen consequences pile up from past decisions. Thus, we agonize over how to progress in the game, but emotionally rather than intellectually. I believe one's appraisal of TWD as a "game" is directly proportionate to one's ability to empathize with it's characters. If one deems TWD "not a game," I think there's an interesting and worthwhile debate to be had in whose hands that perceived failure's blame lies: designer or player?
  • edited July 2012
    Adell135 wrote: »
    I'm sure the community has varying opinions about TellTale at this point. What do you, the player, have to say regarding their execution of the Walking Dead Game so far?

    The gameplay has gone to hell completely. But at least this is the first game that has writing that keeps me playing. Unlike Jurassic Dildo I actually like the characters & story in this game.
  • edited July 2012
    *Woman uses one Jurassic Dildo.*
    *Another appears at her side*
    Clever girl.
    *Woman is torn apart*
  • edited July 2012
    woodsy i think you're missing the 'point' of point and click games....

    and twd was never mean't to be a 'puzzle game'

    You are right, TWD is not a point and click adventure game, and it was never meant to be a puzzle game, but I've never said anything to the contrary. What I'm trying to say is that when you do get to the gameplay segments they are extremely weak and contain little interaction. Clickable hotspots are few and far between and the puzzles which are in there are so easy you can solve them without even paying attention.

    You say I am missing the 'point' of point and click games, would you care to tell me what the point is then, because it seems like you are just being snide. I've been playing adventure games for the last 20 years, if I actually am missing the point of them I would be rather shocked.
  • edited July 2012
    Woodsy, I can't speak for Milo, but it seems like you have a perfectly valid opinion about what constitutes good adventure gaming. I think you're missing the point of TWD. This game shouldn't be judged by hotspot density or puzzle complexity, because that's not what it's about. Those things would only serve to bog down the narrative and rob it of any immediacy. The "difficulty" or "challenge" of this game lies in the emotionally, morally fraught decisions forced upon the player. If you don't see it that way, you're either playing it wrong or the designer has failed to engage you emotionally.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited July 2012
    If The Walking Dead game actually is a new kind of genre, it is at its very beginning. The first baby steps in unknown territory, so to speak.

    TWD is close to the traditional adventure in its storytelling focus and narrative mechanisms mostly. It adheres to some puzzle traditions in a very rudimentary form also, but as everyone has already perceived, that's hardly what the game is about. If I had to coin a new genre name for TWD, I'd get dangerously close to the "interactive movie". But it would fall short of explaining the definitive merits the game has.

    The main question for TTG at the moment seems to be to test different approaches to player immersion into a more complex story. The QTEs in Jurassic Park have worked to that effect for some players, but for me they absolutely didn't. On the contrary, TWD generates immersion through choice in dialogue (definitely a feature also borrowed from the adventure game tradition by the way), and this kind of "social activity" works surprisingly well for me considering the as of yet doubtlessly imperfect implementation of the technique, the lack of other engaging gameplay elements in the series and my general dislike of the zombie genre.

    I will never be satisfied with TWD because of the above mentioned flaws alone, but I am convinced that Telltale is on a very interesting path for the future. Possibly even the future of adventure gaming: If I had to attribute an existing genre name on TWD, it would be exactly that, and I have pleaded elsewhere to treat TWD as an exemplary adventure game even. After all, should the pinnacle of the adventure genre only be the story of some guy who solves ancient machinery puzzles and has a knack for macgyvery item combinations? The adventure can do more.

    That said, Telltale must reevaluate interactivity in their games yet again, especially scene exploration mechanisms and rewards, and the player's influence on pacing. The shortcomings of these elements in TWD are obvious, and I think they were definitely aimed at during game design.
  • edited July 2012
    what they said..

    twd is a new beast compared to existing titles it is similar to point and click but adds to it, for me vain nails it and agree with him mostly i think he was being bit harsh but valid

    just cos a game is point and click/qte doesn't make it that type of game.

    look at brutal legend an rpg/3 person slasher/ rts game/music sim yeah it sucked cos it tried to everything and not very well and the demo was actually alot more fun than the game it's self.

    ttg are trying new things with twd as with all 'public' testing of a concept its going to have problems bttf and jp where forebears to twd and mistakes have been learned from when ttg make season 2 most of these problems should be addressed.
  • edited July 2012
    This game shouldn't be judged by hotspot density or puzzle complexity, because that's not what it's about. Those things would only serve to bog down the narrative and rob it of any immediacy. The "difficulty" or "challenge" of this game lies in the emotionally, morally fraught decisions forced upon the player.

    Oh, I admit the choices in the game are the most compelling part. I will give credit where credit is due, the story so far is fantastic. The second episode in particular was quite gripping and engaging. But I believe a game like this needs to balance good storytelling with good gameplay and while TWD got the storytelling part down I just find the gameplay lacking. Like Vainamoinen, I remain unsatisfied. I am aware that a game like this needs a faster pulse, to use the Hollywood action film term, but Telltale's answer to this is to patronise the player. The game doesn't trust that the player has a brain. The moments where you actually get to control Lee are so restrictive and un-interactive that they may as well be cut scenes.

    Without strong, or at the very least decent, gameplay, these games are really just interactive movies. I know that's what a lot of people want, just the story, but I don't think it's enough.

    Edit:
    ttg are trying new things with twd as with all 'public' testing of a concept its going to have problems bttf and jp where forebears to twd and mistakes have been learned from when ttg make season 2 most of these problems should be addressed.

    I wouldn't count on it.
  • edited July 2012
    good post woodsyblue. I couldn't agree more. Great story, lacks gameplay element. I never really feel like my decesions change the story THAT dramatically. If it was my choice we would have gotten the hell off that farm as soon as the electric fence "accidently" turned back on.
  • edited July 2012
    Wood: Do you have any thoughts on the progress of Quantic Dream v. the path of Telltale Games?
  • edited July 2012
    Wood: Do you have any thoughts on the progress of Quantic Dream v. the path of Telltale Games?

    I've never actually played a Quantic Dream game. I'd love to try Heavy Rain but I don't own a ps3. I do have Indigo Prophecy on PC, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.
  • edited July 2012
    Woodsyblue wrote: »
    I've never actually played a Quantic Dream game. I'd love to try Heavy Rain but I don't own a ps3. I do have Indigo Prophecy on PC, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

    Indigo Prophecy sucks, but it's useful to see what they were thinking of in development, then playing Heavy Rain. You should play Heavy Rain (or watch a Let's Play) and then tell me what you think of both approaches to "interactive storytelling".
  • edited July 2012
    Let's see...TT doesn't seem to be doing anything for its mac users, so I thought I would just join up with the 360 users...then out of nowhere TT announces the iOS release date...which just happens to be within two days from now. Let's hope they don't screw this up.
  • edited July 2012
    I have nothing with TTG right now. I have played Back To The Future and Jurassic Park and liked both games and is loving the Walking Dead. I am not mad about being late with games since I know making a game is hard from the start because I have technical background and understand what it takes to make the games.
  • CapnJayCapnJay Banned
    edited July 2012
    If someone gives me a new Xbox harddrive that actually can play Originals game {because mine got the internal emulator formatted } Then i'd love to chime in with Indigo Prophecy
  • HazlHazl Banned
    edited July 2012
    Not to good, i wonder what the fanbois breaking point for waiting is, a year, two years, three years?

    I didnt set up the schulde, TT did, montly episodes they said, not every other month, or whenever its ready, montly episodes.

    This whole episodic gaming thing, is a load of crap.
  • HazlHazl Banned
    edited July 2012
    zenstrata wrote: »
    People are silly getting angry about an episodic release schedule. If they are not happy with it, then they should just purchase the games which are already finished. Or they should wait until all the episodes are finished and released, then buy them all at once.

    Why would i buy another game from TT, i bought this game because it was TWD, i could care less about TT and their craptaistic episodic gaming bullshit.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited July 2012
    Learn to edit your posts. Double posting is annoying.

    Also, if you don't have anything new to say...
  • edited July 2012
    What's telltale's record been like on the previous episodic games?
  • edited July 2012
    Hazl wrote: »
    Why would i buy another game from TT, i bought this game because it was TWD, i could care less about TT and their craptaistic episodic gaming bullshit.

    Fight the power!
    fanganga wrote: »
    What's telltale's record been like on the previous episodic games?
    I would be really interested to know.
  • edited July 2012
    TWD is defiantly a point and click adventure game, it's not an interactive film, i have played an interactive D&D film and in that they had different scenes for each decision tree in different locations, but the interaction was only at the end of each scene and feels totally different to TWD game.

    TWD game feels like a point and click adventure game accept you dont combine found items to solve a puzzle, you combine dialogue(and some other) choices instead to get the out come YOU want, i do think they should try and match interactive films in decision making impact, like a location that you only go if you make certain choices, it wouldn't be a waste of resources to make parts of a game that most people wont see, i believe its is a fundamental part of a game to have parts everyone wont see if the game has decisions in it
  • edited July 2012
    I don't really care enough to wait for the next episode.

    I've said my piece about TTG, & will continue to as the months pass. Whenever they come up in video games; I explain the situation with the walking dead, & the dissapointments with their release format.

    Not only will I never; but NO-one I know will likely ever purchase anything from them again.
  • edited July 2012
    Hazl wrote: »
    Not to good, i wonder what the fanbois breaking point for waiting is, a year, two years, three years?

    I didnt set up the schulde, TT did, montly episodes they said, not every other month, or whenever its ready, montly episodes.

    This whole episodic gaming thing, is a load of crap.

    Ayup...what he said. Shoulda read through the posts & just "liked" that comment.
  • edited July 2012
    Hazl wrote: »
    Why would i buy another game from TT, i bought this game because it was TWD, i could care less about TT and their craptaistic episodic gaming bullshit.

    What do you want, a handout? I got sixty cents in my pocket....
  • edited July 2012
    ozzmann wrote: »
    What do you want, a handout? I got sixty cents in my pocket....

    *smashes his head with a salt lick*
  • edited August 2012
    TWD is defiantly a point and click adventure game, it's not an interactive film, i have played an interactive D&D film and in that they had different scenes for each decision tree in different locations, but the interaction was only at the end of each scene and feels totally different to TWD game.

    TWD game feels like a point and click adventure game accept you dont combine found items to solve a puzzle, you combine dialogue(and some other) choices instead to get the out come YOU want, i do think they should try and match interactive films in decision making impact, like a location that you only go if you make certain choices, it wouldn't be a waste of resources to make parts of a game that most people wont see, i believe its is a fundamental part of a game to have parts everyone wont see if the game has decisions in it
    I've played pretty much all the ways you can in 1 and 2 the changes are actually quite minimal, save these people or spare them, piss of this guy and he saves you/doesn't, it's great storytelling, but it's definately doesn't have as many choices as first hoped, but it's early days so :)
  • edited August 2012
    My opinion about TT at the moment? think it can be summed up in 4 words "The honeymoon Is Over"
  • CapnJayCapnJay Banned
    edited August 2012
    My opinion about TT at the moment? think it can be summed up in 4 words "The honeymoon Is Over"

    So your finally able to get out of bed and get some work done?
This discussion has been closed.