Distribution
Greetings to the Telltale team. First I would like to say thank-you for taking an interest in my fav genre and I hope all the best to you and your new game. 
Having said that, I have some questions.
I recently heard on another forum that you have chosen to distribute the game in episodic format online via download purchases. This is where my problem lies. I am someone who likes to have a physical CD/DVD with my purchase. I also like to have a manual etc but those are less important than having a physical disc.
The reason? Well why am I buying your game? Logically there would be no difference between me paying and downloading as opposed to me pirating the game. I am in no way advocating piracy however I do not like the idea of downloading my purchase instead of walking in a store and getting a box cd the old fashioned way.
Is it because you are in fear of getting screwed by a big game publisher? I would just like to know your reasoning because you have already lost me as a customer
I was looking forward to this game but now I am not so sure. There are probably hundreds more people with the same opinion as me and is it worth loosing that business? I would have bought one but because I do not get anything physical I have changed my mind. Doesn't this bother the dev team? How many others have been alienated by this type of distribution?
I post here only because I care about the future of the adventure game genre. Ever since the selling of sierra and the (practical) death of lucasarts I have awaited a classic point and click style game. It is a shame that you have decided to choose a type of distribution that I am fully against...
Having said that, I have some questions.
I recently heard on another forum that you have chosen to distribute the game in episodic format online via download purchases. This is where my problem lies. I am someone who likes to have a physical CD/DVD with my purchase. I also like to have a manual etc but those are less important than having a physical disc.
The reason? Well why am I buying your game? Logically there would be no difference between me paying and downloading as opposed to me pirating the game. I am in no way advocating piracy however I do not like the idea of downloading my purchase instead of walking in a store and getting a box cd the old fashioned way.
Is it because you are in fear of getting screwed by a big game publisher? I would just like to know your reasoning because you have already lost me as a customer
I was looking forward to this game but now I am not so sure. There are probably hundreds more people with the same opinion as me and is it worth loosing that business? I would have bought one but because I do not get anything physical I have changed my mind. Doesn't this bother the dev team? How many others have been alienated by this type of distribution?I post here only because I care about the future of the adventure game genre. Ever since the selling of sierra and the (practical) death of lucasarts I have awaited a classic point and click style game. It is a shame that you have decided to choose a type of distribution that I am fully against...
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So whine all you want about them losing you as a customer, but because of the way they are distributing games, for every one customer that doesn't buy the game because their isn't a CD or manual, 5 more will buy it because it because of it's convenience.
I dare say the game (as the demo is integrated into the main game, main game unlocked on purchase) will be put on a number of magazine coverdiscs too, saving the download hassle.
As for credit card payments, that can be an issue for some - especially the younger teen market, but hopefully Telltale will work out some other payment methods (paypal etc).
If this is where PC gaming is headed I feel sorry for the gamer's of tomorrow. At least with consoles we still get physical discs.
Of course, since this is a public forum, you are going to get other peoples' opinions. If you wanted this to be completely private between TTG and you then you ought to have emailed them.
When I heard what they were doing with distribution I thought: Wow, cool These guys are trying something new. I'll probably have an easier time getting hold of the game, it'll probably come cheaper and I know more of my money spent on it go directly back to the people who actually made it.
Of course you're entitled to feel differently about it, but I honestly think Telltale have thought this through more thoroughly than any of us...
Totally. I hope they add Paypal support, but apart from that, the service rocks. You're buying a game straight from the developers, so all the money goes to them. Not to the publishers, not to the people who make the boxes, not to the truck drivers, it all goes to Telltale (which they then use to make a Mac version, right?
Edit: oops. Attempt failed. I guess that's what I get for upping my daily caffeine regimen.
Read this instead.
I think people that are stubborn will have a hard time adapting to the way things change so quickly with technology these days. Of course it's nice to have a physical disc and case, but honestly, when was the last time anyone looked through their CD collection, went through the booklets, and looked at the case? I haven't bought a physical CD since iTunes launched a few years ago, and I havent missed anything. I still get my music, I still enjoy it because in the end, it's the art that I care about, not all the fluff wrapped around it
Well either way I really don't like this style of distribution and probably won't be getting the games I guess. I like to have something physical from my purchase and I don't know why that gets everyone up in arms here...I'm simply telling you my feelings.
*sigh*
I barely even like buying anything online really, because of the many hassles I've had in the past and its utter hell to get a refund. (How will you be doing that I wonder?)
One thing I am worried about is kids who want to buy a game. A lot of kids love Bone; very few kids have a credit card or can even ask their parents to use it. There should be a route that such people could take. Even something as stone age as allowing people to mail in money could do wonders (as soon as Telltale receives the cash/check/money order they could update that user's online account to allow for activation). I think there are some creative ways Telltale could reach out to an audience that usually doesn't buy stuff online.
I know that thus far with TelltaleTexas Hold'Em I think only Visa and Mastercard were accepted (not sure if it was a monetary thing or not). Since not everyone uses those two types, I would hope that in the future more card types would be accepted.
Another thing: phone orders. I don't know if I'm the only one who has encountered someone like this, but I know that for example my Mom never felt comfortable ordering stuff online when it became normal, but she never had or does have a problem ordering by phone, even though it's still giving out your credit card number to somebody (and as far as I know no more secure). I just think there are a lot of people with weird reasons for not ordering online or who have never done it before who could be enticed by a bunch of options. The end result is the same: Telltale gets the money and the customer gets to activate the game. Making their ordering process as a approachable as possible to as many people as possible is key to Telltale's success.
Okay I'm just thinkin' out loud here , and I dont know the first thing about bussines etc' , but I really don't like this hole 'Telltale Now' concept .
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear about online game marketing is mediocrity and unprofessionalism.
I realy don't know how many "copies" of the game u need to sell in order to make a soficient profit , that will allow you to make some more great games, but I realy don't see who would buy the game online who isn't a Bone fan or an adventure games fan - and we all know those are rare in our days .
I'm just saying this because I realy want this company to be succesfull .
But again my main concern is that it all looks very unprofessional .
and sorry for my bad english ....
Well, talking about the distribution, I understand that you want something physical, but... nowadays lots of people buy things by internet, just see Amazon, eBay, iTunes (about 500.000.000 songs in two years), thats progress in technology. If this game is sell in physical stores i'm sure it wouldn't appear here in Europe, and in Spain... where i live, impossible. And that makes that everyone in the world can find this game. And that makes the game cheaper too, because they don't put money in distribution or in virgin cds to be burn or in paper or anything else. The game will be yours directly from the brain of Jeff Smith and Telltale Team without any stupid step between, that's is good for telltale because they can do the games they really want.
But if you insist in something physical... when the game will be released, burn it into a cd and if Telltale makes a manual in PDF print them and put all of this in a case.
See you everyone.
Sorry for my english.
Consider that now no important publisher believe in graphic adventure despite number of fans out there.
But you know, players (the mass) like only shooting, killing, cutting up and only war-games (strategy fps) sell very well (together with those stupid sport games, imho).
Yes of course it can exist also an exception but it's always an exception.
Maybe this post will flame other members but here is the point.
In order to gain a lot of money, publishers support mainly violent-sex based games not games with funny puppets.
I will support TTG by buying Bone; that's for sure.
The intention of this post is to criticize game-market.
I am fed up to enter a store only to see Doom clones, Warcraft clones, Sport games clones and only two or three good graphic adventures (creating a good and balanced graphic adventure is EXTREMELY difficult).
My final words go to TTG (and AMEGames): continue creating BIG games (possibly graphic adventure!
Ciao a tutti!
However, Telltale Now allows Telltale to get every cent, penny, frank (spelling?), rupee, yen, or whatever from this game. It gives them freedom to do what they want, as well. And most importantly, you'll notice that many (probably most) adventure fans are overseas from the U.S., mostly in Europe. Telltale Now lets them buy the game, too, so Telltale makes even more cash (which they can use to port it to Mac and make even MORE cash, we hope). Also, Bone is also big in the non-U.S. areas (just look at the awards it has won).
OVerall, Telltale Now is the best way. I just want a nice 300 dpi print out for a CD case (I don't have any spare DVD cases) and a Mac version (even if I don't get a Mac copy, at least I'll know that Telltale did want to do one, but financially they couldn't).
I propose a toast to Telltale's prosperity, and the true future of adventures (let's face it, Bad-Brain seems really unproffesional)!
I love this guy
I be loved!
How many customers did Valve lose because of Steam? Thousands? They could afford it. Can TellTale?
I have a fast computer, but I don't have a CD writer and if I have to download anything over 200Mb it will take several hours. What happens if I want to Uninstall the game? I don't have a CD, so I'd have to spend hours downloading it again. And what happens if the game needs a lot of space?
Why can't TellTale just burn the game onto a CD and mail it off? I'd pay for that.
Face it people - online distribution is still years off being practical for most people. Even the committed few adventurers & Bone fans in this forum are still torn 50/50 over this - can TellTale really afford to lose their custom? Especially when all they have to is buy a cheap CD and a padded envelope and charge the customer for it - just have the option!
I had this argument at HL2's release and at least they still released a boxed copy.
I WON'T be playing this adventure, even though I really want to, if TellTale don't offer a mail-order option. Because I CAN'T.
You made one good point (the fact that it is still not entirely practical), but the rest, I apologize for saying this, seemed like whining. Telltale almost certainly won't find a publisher for an adventure game, and can't afford to publish it themselves.
Face it, Telltale Now is what we have, at least at first. Telltale have said they would like to release Bone in other ways (and for other platforms), but will obviously need some money before they can do that.
At least you can play Bone when it comes out, unlike us Mac users.
Ciao!
To say that the followers here are split 50/50 on the issue of online distribution seems very wrong to me. Most of the posts are positive and manage to see this from TellTales point of view.
Your worries over the lack of a CD, Tingler, is probably without reason. I can't see the game installing directly over the net - I bet most of it will be downloaded to oyour computer and yours to keep. Then you'll have to activate it over the net if you reinstall.
a) The info was removed because it was wrong
or (more likely)
b) I dreamt it.
I'm not suggesting that TellTale look for a publisher to sell it in the shops (that's not practical), I just want them to stick the install on a CD and mail it out! A jewel case would do, just buy it online, pay an additional shipping charge, stick it in a padded envelope and get it mailed out to anywhere on Earth. Really, is it that hard?
(sigh)
I guess I'll be okay, as long as the files aren't too big and TellTale aren't as paranoid about security as Valve are. Could I download the install file to a different computer, burn it on to a CD there, take it home and validate it here?
I'm pretty sure the install file will be able to be burned & archived & used to install the game on all your friends PCs.
Also, seeing it sounds like the game is free for a set portion, and you then unlock the rest of the game via internet validation (one time only) I could easily see magazine coverdiscs & DVDs being used to distribute the file.
What I'm hoping for is Scholastic ships the install file on a 'coverdisc' with copies of the colour comic reprint.
If you haven't read it before, this is a very, very good read. It deals directly with niche markets and online distribution.
Personally, I used to be a manual / cd whore. Then I realized one day all they ever do is sit on a shelf, take up space and collect dust.
I'd rather take immediate gratification and lower prices over a cardboard box I won't think twice about.
I will say however that there needs to be a standard. There needs to be an iTMS like service for games, all run under the same banner and make uniform. It's going to be a problem when consumers need seperate installers / distro methods depending on who's delivering the product whether it be Steam or Telltale Now or whatever.
(Edited for rampant noun redundancy)
You rock. And I'm not insane!
Hooray!
For example, if you compare the video quality of the cutscenes in Runaway CD and the special edition on DVD, you really DO notice a great difference!
I mean, dealing with two quality sets is common practice when putting trailers on the web, why not do the same with the game?
cu,
LGH
If that's the case, there's no high / low video compression to be had.
If they're using MP3 (which they are hopefully not!), they need to pay a licence for each copy sold, which leads to less money.
I think they're paying for the Bone licence as well, like LucasArts did on Sam & Max.