An idea for the release of season 3

Dangerzone

I had an idea yesterday about season 3 of Sam and Max...

What would everyone think if this season, they released the episodes every other month for 10 months? (as opposed to every month for 5 months?)

I suggest this for 3 reasons...

#1 - With the extra time for each episode, they could effectively double the size and content of each episode.

#2 - This would also make the season last all year and spread out the releases so that it is not "S&M all the time" for 5 months (then something else for another 5 months, before coming back to this for 5 months).

#3 - If others games are released along side and in between the Sam and Max episodes, it would add some variety to telltales '09 lineup.

Also, it would be nice to see more than just one game coming out of Telltale at any one time... Mix it up a bit, you know?

P.S. I am only suggesting this for Sam and Max, the other series can remain monthly releases.

Yohmi

Yes, I really like this idea, I think, with a teltale getting bigger and bigger.
I'm sure everybody would be very happy to see bigger length episodes, even if they must wait a bit more, and in order to wait, another serie interpolated. Like this month is the wallace&gromit month, next month is the sam&max one... first it offers more diversity, more hot news, more choice for people with different tastes, a pleasant (and commercial) way to wait, it flushes away any risk of bore, accentuates replayability, and episodes could get stronger.

Oh yeah, I love this idea...
It feels like you could... like you could... take on the world

Rather Dashing

Telltale has really hammered out the monthly schedule very well, in my opinion. And look at the Penny Arcade episodic games. I'm barely interested in the idea that hte second episode MAY come out, and I love:

-Penny Arcade
-Steampunk
-Verbose descriptions
-Dark settings that aren't...well, whatever the "dark and brooding" set call themselves this decade.

Plainly, putting a lot of time between episodes causes fatigue. The IDEA of it sounds good on paper, but in practice you end up wondering if each episode is worth purchasing or playing because you simply don't REMEMBER the last one well enough.

Player fatigue needs as much consideration as development time when it comes to episodic gaming.

Yohmi

With bigger episodes, you could play more than just 3 hours at once, maybe two or three times to finish it, so then your memory could last two months instead of one

I'm not sure people buy the next sam&max to know the next steps of the plot, but more because they just love the game. Episodes are more or less linked to each other, but more less than more :P

Botap

Yohmi wrote: »

With bigger episodes, you could play more than just 3 hours at once, maybe two or three times to finish it, so then your memory could last two months instead of one.

Many people don't have three straight hours to spend on a game. Every Sam and Max episode takes me at least three or four separate sessions to complete, simply because my writing and my family take much of my time. So for me, at least, the current length of the games is just right.

Plus, by doubling the length of each game, Telltale would need to raise the price of them. It would be money well spent, but as it is I think the price per episode is much more palatable to a new buyer.

And Rather Dashing's point about player exhaustion is spot on. Add in the short attention span that's becoming more and more prevalent these days, and you risk losing the player to some new, shiny game.

Rather Dashing

I usually spend a week or two, sometimes even three, on Sam and Max episodes. If I get frustrated with a puzzle, I might stop for a bit and walk away, do other things. There's a life to be lived, as well. School, work, other forms of recreation, and sleeping can take up a lot of time. Frankly, I just don't sit down with a Sam and Max game and play it through for 3-5 hours straight. I'll play it for an hour here, half an hour there. And I'll get stuck in places, and I'll stop for a bit.

Col_Shaggy

I could handle the idea of waiting an extra month for longer episodes, I mean we kind of did that between 201 and 202. But then again the exhaustion point is well made.

So far it has taken me anywhere from 2-4 days to complete a new episode. After I know the puzzle solutions it usually drops down to no more than an hour and a half at most, so sometimes I kind of crave a little longer experience with the solutions.

However, if the wait between episodes means more complex and animated environments, even the old ones, and more intricate puzzles; then I could go for it.

Jake

Unless we did some sort of one-off special or something (we have no plans to do so, but you know, unless it was something like that), I wouldn't count on Sam & Max episodes getting longer than What's New, Beelzebub.

Hero1

Jake wrote: »

Unless we did some sort of one-off special or something (we have no plans to do so, but you know, unless it was something like that), I wouldn't count on Sam & Max episodes getting longer than What's New, Beelzebub.

That was a pretty long episode! I don't think you would need anything longer than that released in episodes

Jake

It'll probably be a cold day in hell before an episode that extreme comes around again, too. Or, if people get carried away, a season finale.

Zootch

That's true, spacing them out like that would also ostracize new players not familiar with the episodic nature of the games.

Actually with some of the titles, I can't finish them in time for the next episode release. If the casual feel to the games is taken away, I don't know if I would continue buying them.

Amaterasu

I would wait 2-3 months for longer chapters. ^^~
but when I say longer, I mean LONGER. 2 months - double the length. 3 months - triple! XD

Col_Shaggy

Col_Shaggy wrote: »

However, if the wait between episodes means more complex and animated environments, even the old ones, and more intricate puzzles; then I could go for it.

I think the Season 2 episodes have perfect lengths, especially for episodic games, both for first time plays and repeats with all the solutions. I always want more because that's the nature of being a fan.

What I'm talking about, in the quote, is that if it takes an extra month to implement an extra location for puzzles, random characters on the streets you can interactive with, or a multi-tiered\location puzzle, basically more complexity in the basic gameplay elements - then I wouldn't mind waiting an extra month.

Lena_P

I don't know, about the twice as long to wait, the twice as much content thing. Is that how it would actually play out in reality? I mean, in theory having twice as much time would mean they could make twice as much game, but I don't think it would necessarily work out that way practically. Look at it this way. A TV production company makes an half-hour TV program that show one program a week. If you had that production company work three times as long as normal could they produce a TV movie instead of just an episode? No, because the longer format would require an entirely different kind of story from the ones the writers are producing currently, not to mention bigger and better sets because if you’re going to have to stare at them 3 times as long they better look prettier, more extras than usual to fill those sets, etc.
Not to mention longer games would require more to download at a time, and if the price were doubled that means you’re shelling out almost as much as you would for a DS game so new players might not be as tempted to buy. Brain Age 4: The Brainaggedon or That Weird Looking Rabbit and Giant Dog Game? Mom chooses you, Brainaggedon!

MussKatt

I think the current lenght, process and pricing is just perfect. Any longer for an episode and the concept of each would be overplayed. Each time i finish an episode, i am satisfied.

Androu1

I think it's perfect has it currently is.

Edgy_McSpoon

I totally agree with the double the development time on the series, but not for episode length wise. I've become slightly dishearted with my Sam & Max series, as I still feel that many key parts of the episodes are rusty.

The animators definitely need to animate more, there needs to be more shot diversity and interest in the dialogue sequences, and the writing of the scripts needs to get better. If the dev teams were given twice as long as a time, it is offering them twice the "polish" that this game needs.

My interest wains when I watch dialogue sequences in Sam & Max, and I usually end up quitting the game, only to resume it later with mild interest in the storyline. I've only played up until the first 20 minutes of Night of the Raving Dead, and I really have lost interest in what is going to happen.

Hopefully Season 3 will not disappoint, and maybe Telltale people can start putting more effort into improving whatever technology they have. They all spend countless hours developing these games, so why not spend a few more on making your product better.

I'd even play a shorter S&M episode if it was chock full of great material.

bleh-

How can you play that fast?
Isn't it all about the dialoques and characters in Sam & Max?
Everyone that skips the dialoques is totally missing the point of the game i think.
Don't change the way how the episodes are released. It's just perfect as it is.
Finally a game that doesn't base on graphics. It's based on humour and ideas.
Look at all those new shit games like crysis, cod4 etc. etc. they look amazing but they are boring after 5 minutes of playing. Cause they are just a showup case for their engine and for graphic addicted players.
I wouldn't mind if sam and max will always look the same and have the same animation.
I never could wait for the next episode being released. Do not change that!

A new location and maybe a new character in every episode could help tho.

Just my opinion.