3-what are your response to the big youtubers criticisms?
From Alyssa: I think they make good points. There’s lessons to be learned… more from this season.
And I agree, too!
7-do you regret doing something about this season?
As with any artistic endeavors, there are always things you wish you’d done differently. So long as you have more things you’re proud of than things you regret, that’s the best you can ask for. And that’s how I feel about this season for sure.
And that's it....hopefully my questions weren't offensive and if so I apologize I'm just an angry fan wanting the best for its company and thank u guys for making this AMA
No need to apologize. Believe me, I've read worse. ;-)
I was a Telltale fan for a lot longer than I've been a writer for them. Believe me when I say I understand where you guys are coming from. I love these games just as much as all of you: that's why I worked so hard to get to… [view original content]
Even though it appears to be over, I wanna leave this here on the off chance one of you guys get a chance to answer it:
What did Max and Joan do before the apocalypse? Joan's friendly front makes me think she might have worked in customer service or something-- a cashier at a store, a secretary, or something like that.
And I have a last final question that I would really like answered. Perhaps more aimed at Creative Director @Alyssa_TTG, since you're likely… more to be the one in charge of such things. Is there any chance, that Season 2's episode presentation scheme comes back in future installments? And what I mean by episode presentation scheme is S2's widescreen slides each with their own tracks (tracks which I loved), color schemes, main menu images, settings menu symbolic images and episode credit songs. It made each episode so damn unique and added, especially to the last 3, this eerie, horror feeling about them (even if the episodes themselves didn't end up delivering such feeling (which, to be honest, I actually think they did)), it was such a beautiful and cool menu to play around with (since you could even use an episode's color scheme onto another episode's menu image) and I would love it was brought back since this new generic menu Telltale has been u… [view original content]
Wow, thank you for taking your time to answer! Honestly, I wasn't sure you were going to respond, I'm glad you did This is very interesting, I'll take some notes for my own future proyects! Thank you!
Lot of questions here and thank you for asking them! I'll try to answer a couple.
If Javier was raised by cuban parents, why doesn't h… moree have cuban accent, yet randomly speaks spanish sometimes?
As someone who was also raised by a Cuban parent, I don’t have an accent. And amongst family we will occasionally throw Spanish in here and there. Just writin’ what I knew...
How do you develop your characters? Not trying to be mean, I'm just really curious. How does the character chart looks like? What is the minimum of pages you dedicate to each character?
From Alyssa: We track plans/development for characters within each episode, and characters across the whole season. (It’s a spreadsheet, not a document, but it does have lots of pages and columns! And sometimes we use white boards, too!). What we try to do is understand where the characters should be at the beginning, middle, and end of their story for each episode … [view original content]
She could feel strongly enough based on some existing choices that she’ll make a declaration on his deathbed of what they might have been -- but the difference between might have been, and what will be, remains to be seen.
That's pretty much my thought as well. Doesn't change my issues with the entire scene existing, but that's not important.
This is something that Clem will need to decide for herself. There’s some factors in her history that could make it more or less likely fo… morer her to open up to someone like Gabe, but at the end of the day, they really haven’t known each other all that long. She could feel strongly enough based on some existing choices that she’ll make a declaration on his deathbed of what they might have been -- but the difference between might have been, and what will be, remains to be seen.
I know you probably can't say anything regarding this, but I and many others really hope Joan/Clint weren't completely forgotten by you guys… more since they weren't in ep. 5 at all (not counting the pictures). It would be such a waste to not see them again.
They are not forgotten. The decision that Javi made in Episode 4 will have long term consequences.
So what was the order of the Richmond council finding each other? AKA who found who first?
We know that Joan and Clint met and were traveling together before they ran into David and Lingard at the Shenandoah orchard. It wasn’t until their time at the orchard that they became a council, but that council was strong and held up even when the New Frontier group migrated to Richmond proper, joining with the existing community there to become New Richmond.
Also, on a less critical note, who was your favorite character this season and why?
Too many to list. Javi, Conrad, Clem, Kate, Dav… moreid, Salvador, Mariana, and, of course, Tripp. Son of a goddamn do I love my Tripp! And Gabe! Yeah, that’s right, you heard me! Him, too!
As to why? Each character offered such great challenges as a writer that it was a really thrilling and enlightening journey finding their voice.
Who was YOUR favorite character this season and why?
What part of A New Frontier are you most proud of? Personally I applaud you guys on how you handled Conrad!
The dominoes scene with Javier, David, and their father. The confrontation between Javi and David at the water tower. The haircutting scene with Clem. Tripp and Javi talking about love and what a mess it can be. Standing on the ledge with David. The many gifs/shoutouts I’ve seen for one of my favorite series of lines I’ve ever written that I NEVER tho… [view original content]
Oh, it's sad to hear that they got cut. Ideas that you had to do with those items sound very cool. I'm looking forward to see Kenny's hat and I hope that's something that will define AJ's appearance in the future seasons.
Thank you for answering so many questions in such short time. You're pulling all the weight it seems and I like the way you answer the questions. Hopefully you will participate in further AMA's. Keep it up
What was the point of keeping/not keeping those items: Chocolate bar, Medicine, Marianna's casette player, Kenny's hat?
Unfortunatel… morey, the in-game payoff for keeping some of these items ended up on the cutting room floor. It would have been a really nice moment in Ep 1 if Javi had handed over that candy bar; we had intended for Javi to be able to give the cassette player to David and to potentially use the medicine in the post-wall breach fray. But for various production reasons, we didn’t end up shipping that content. We are keeping track of Kenny’s hat, and have a plan for where it will be found for those players who kept it.
What was Tripp's exact job description in Prescott and what did he do before the outbreak?
Tripp is a former dock worker, not well e… moreducated, but street smart. Post-apocalypse, he’s killed his share of people, and it eats him up inside at night. He’s the most effective defender of the Prescott community, and had taken responsibility for the town’s “perimeter” at the time when Javi met him.
We did think about this quite a bit. There was a (cut) choice where Javi could offer to go along and help out, but Clem refused that offer -- it was something she wanted to do on her own.
Throughout the whole season Clementine has put herself in danger to help Javier and his family despite owing them nothing.
Now it is the … moreend of the season, Javier is safe, Clem helped him and his family. Javier still didn't get her a car.
Now Clem goes to find AJ and instead of helping her, Javier just kinda "ok good luck bye bring him back." No offer to help her find AJ despite her helping him this whole time.
I am ALL FOR a 100% Clem season 4, but how does it make any sense that Javier wouldn't help Clementine?
We cut content for a lot of reasons. Sometimes because an idea works on paper but falls flat interactively -- the first playable version of our episode tells us a LOT about what we need to hone and polish, but generally the time we have to do that is limited once production has started. Sometimes we'll have a great idea too late to be able to realize it -- if it requires a custom art asset or a custom animation, it may not fit in the schedule for those teams. Or, sometimes we cut things because of player feedback -- it's just not working for people, it feels off tone or off license, or it causes more confusion than enjoyment.
What was Tripp's exact job description in Prescott and what did he do before the outbreak?
Tripp is a former dock worker, not well e… moreducated, but street smart. Post-apocalypse, he’s killed his share of people, and it eats him up inside at night. He’s the most effective defender of the Prescott community, and had taken responsibility for the town’s “perimeter” at the time when Javi met him.
I answered this elsewhere, so apologies for the copypasta.
After Max confesses that he and Lonnie were conspiring with Joan looting other settlements, given what we know about how the Richmond council approaches justice, they were put in a holding cell awaiting the herd to clear, so they could be exiled from Richmond (but given a fair shot to survive). Given what we learned about Clint in Episode 5, he definitely wouldn’t have agreed to any outcome for Max and Lonnie that was harsher than exile -- and likely wanted to dig in and get more details before going that far.
Joan was a divorced single mother, a driven child of immigrants, who worked her way up to COO of her furniture manufacturing company, running the factory as both den mother and disciplinarian. She knew every employee’s name, but also everyone’s weak spots.
Even though it appears to be over, I wanna leave this here on the off chance one of you guys get a chance to answer it:
What did Max and … moreJoan do before the apocalypse? Joan's friendly front makes me think she might have worked in customer service or something-- a cashier at a store, a secretary, or something like that.
Mariana died in different ways over the course of rewrites, but she always had a finite lifespan in the story. There was an earlier version of the story where Javi came upon a turned Mariana behind the trailer upon returning to the junkyard in Episode 1, and had to decide whether to put her down or let someone else do it.
Huh, that's interesting to learn. Kinda feel bad for the thing.
The determinate scene where there's a New Frontier member that turned in the junkyard wouldn't happen to be a remnant of that idea, would it?
Pre-apocalypse, he owned a small town restaurant and was an avid baseball fan.
Was Mariana always supposed to die? Or did you have plans for her character?
Mariana died in different ways over the course of rewri… moretes, but she always had a finite lifespan in the story. There was an earlier version of the story where Javi came upon a turned Mariana behind the trailer upon returning to the junkyard in Episode 1, and had to decide whether to put her down or let someone else do it. We had fully built that scene out, and seeing Zombie Mariana was tragic and horrible -- but it didn’t feel right for the story to lose her and never have a chance to talk to her again. Part of the rework of Episode 1 was to give the player more time with Mariana, and the family, before she died.
What did Conrad do before the outbreak? How did he meet Tripp and Eleanor?
Pre-apocalypse, he owned a small town restaurant and was an avid baseball fan. His family was all brutally killed in the first months after the fall, but… [view original content]
Is there any way you would make a post with ALL of the hidden backstory for these characters? This is all really interesting and people wish we could have learned more about the characters during this season.
Joan was a divorced single mother, a driven child of immigrants, who worked her way up to COO of her furniture manufacturing company, runnin… moreg the factory as both den mother and disciplinarian. She knew every employee’s name, but also everyone’s weak spots.
We felt strongly that the story of Clem finding AJ needed to be told from Clem’s perspective -- and there wasn’t enough room in the finale episode, with everything else going on, to do that story justice.
I get it but did you guys really have to cut the Slaughterhouse scene out? You posted this screenshot for nothing. It's like you already made up your mind.
We cut content for a lot of reasons. Sometimes because an idea works on paper but falls flat interactively -- the first playable version of… more our episode tells us a LOT about what we need to hone and polish, but generally the time we have to do that is limited once production has started. Sometimes we'll have a great idea too late to be able to realize it -- if it requires a custom art asset or a custom animation, it may not fit in the schedule for those teams. Or, sometimes we cut things because of player feedback -- it's just not working for people, it feels off tone or off license, or it causes more confusion than enjoyment.
Awesome. Thanks for the response. I've always liked seeing how outfits/wardrobes play into stories. There always seem like cool bits to add to atmosphere and emotion.
Also, "Hero Clem"... Red leather jacket... Supergirl has a red cape... CLEM HAS SUPERPOWERS CONFIRMED!!!
From our art director, Tara Rueping:
From day 1 of development, the team wanted to give Clem an evolving look over the course of the flas… morehbacks and the season to accompany her growth as a survivor in the The Walking Dead Universe. We wanted this look to show she is growing up into adulthood and that she is becoming a stronger individual. Internally we labeled this final look as "Hero Clem." We felt a red leather jacket was both striking and a practical clothing item for the times as well. Leather is pretty hard to bite through, but most importantly it gave the powerful look we wanted for her continued journey. For hair styles we played with many and ended up feeling the short asymmetric cut was perfect for our target goal. We also had to pick a shorter style since she is getting a hair cut. Ultimately hair is an item that can grow, so who knows how Clem's hair will appear in her continued story.
Overall I enjoyed this season. Worth the full price buy. Feel free to answer any or all of these. I'd prefer all lol
* I've heard that … morethe story was rewritten after the first two episodes released. Is this true and if so, why?
* Officially, how many variations of the ending are there?
* You may not be able to answer this one, but regarding Season 4, will Javi and his surviving family suffer the same fate as Kenny and Jane? That is to say, killed off (in less than satisfying ways) for the sake of course correcting the story into a single season starting narrative? (Please don't do that again. Regardless of why, it came across as lazy)
* Why are we pigeonholed into certain situations with no way to avoid them? For example, all the conflict with Badger and Max etc in episodes 1 and 2 and then being made into the bad guy in episode 3 when meeting Joan and Clint. No matter if Javi did everything the best possible way, he's still pain… [view original content]
I know I've already asked somethings, but this just came to mind: Was there any particular reason Ava was designed to be dwarfish? I was originally of the mindset that she was to be important to Clementine and/or Gabe's arcs and that just made it even more likely.
Pardon me for asking another question (and you can ignore this until everyone else has theirs answered) but I heard that Telltale stated at one point that 400 days would have an impact on season 3. What did they mean by this?
All of them, really. It's fun, and it's also hard, but ultimately, the best day is the day an episode hits the street and we can see how people react to it, and learn from that.
Alyssa_TTG could you post all of the character backstories, like the ones you gave for Joan, Conrad, and Tripp? Many fans would be grateful, myself included.
There may have been model reuse in the Wellington flashback that may have implied that New Frontier was involved in destroying Wellington, but storywise, we never intended the New Frontier to have been a part of that destruction.
There may have been model reuse in the Wellington flashback that may have implied that New Frontier was involved in destroying Wellington, but storywise, we never intended the New Frontier to have been a part of that destruction.
I'm sure you're well aware of the many criticisms The New Frontier has faced. Does the creative team plan to take these criticisms into acco… moreunt moving forward, and try and put a better focus on what made us enjoy season one and (for most of us, at least) season two so much? I personally didn't think ANF was bad, but there were definitely conflicting ideas and creative decisions made too late which led to some poor scenes (especially Ava's death) and strange character decisions (Gabe basically telling Javier he's more of a father to him than David, then siding with David anyway just minutes later). Will upcoming seasons be more planned out with a definitive vision before full development starts so something like this doesn't happen again in the future? I would love to feel the magic of season one again, and I'm sure it can happen!
Comments
why no luv 4 rhys
Even though it appears to be over, I wanna leave this here on the off chance one of you guys get a chance to answer it:
What did Max and Joan do before the apocalypse? Joan's friendly front makes me think she might have worked in customer service or something-- a cashier at a store, a secretary, or something like that.
Thanks for this feedback. I can't promise, but I can say that I'll make sure this request is part of the conversation for next time around
Wow, thank you for taking your time to answer! Honestly, I wasn't sure you were going to respond, I'm glad you did
This is very interesting, I'll take some notes for my own future proyects! Thank you!
NEVERMIND!!!! I got the answer, surprisingly.
Mine neither bud
That's pretty much my thought as well. Doesn't change my issues with the entire scene existing, but that's not important.
Same. But maybe give them some time.
Ah, so you are responsible for that cake line?
Thank you.
bc love for rhys is understood
Yes, though indoors and playable, not raccoon-based. The call would have been a little later in the timeline (but before the phone messages).
Oh, it's sad to hear that they got cut. Ideas that you had to do with those items sound very cool. I'm looking forward to see Kenny's hat and I hope that's something that will define AJ's appearance in the future seasons.
Thank you for answering so many questions in such short time. You're pulling all the weight it seems and I like the way you answer the questions. Hopefully you will participate in further AMA's. Keep it up
Best day ever!
Former dock worker, eh? He really was the new Kenny
We did think about this quite a bit. There was a (cut) choice where Javi could offer to go along and help out, but Clem refused that offer -- it was something she wanted to do on her own.
Did Tripp and Conrad know each other pre apocalypse?
We cut content for a lot of reasons. Sometimes because an idea works on paper but falls flat interactively -- the first playable version of our episode tells us a LOT about what we need to hone and polish, but generally the time we have to do that is limited once production has started. Sometimes we'll have a great idea too late to be able to realize it -- if it requires a custom art asset or a custom animation, it may not fit in the schedule for those teams. Or, sometimes we cut things because of player feedback -- it's just not working for people, it feels off tone or off license, or it causes more confusion than enjoyment.
Huh. That actually explains a fair bit, such as the context of his memorial photo.
Thanks!
Ugh.
I answered this elsewhere, so apologies for the copypasta.
After Max confesses that he and Lonnie were conspiring with Joan looting other settlements, given what we know about how the Richmond council approaches justice, they were put in a holding cell awaiting the herd to clear, so they could be exiled from Richmond (but given a fair shot to survive). Given what we learned about Clint in Episode 5, he definitely wouldn’t have agreed to any outcome for Max and Lonnie that was harsher than exile -- and likely wanted to dig in and get more details before going that far.
Joan was a divorced single mother, a driven child of immigrants, who worked her way up to COO of her furniture manufacturing company, running the factory as both den mother and disciplinarian. She knew every employee’s name, but also everyone’s weak spots.
There's hope it appears.
Huh, that's interesting to learn. Kinda feel bad for the thing.
The determinate scene where there's a New Frontier member that turned in the junkyard wouldn't happen to be a remnant of that idea, would it?
Conrad=Cleveland Brown confirmed?
Is there any way you would make a post with ALL of the hidden backstory for these characters? This is all really interesting and people wish we could have learned more about the characters during this season.
Sounds like a Zuko's mom situation.
I get it but did you guys really have to cut the Slaughterhouse scene out? You posted this screenshot for nothing. It's like you already made up your mind.
Anyway, thanks for the answer.
The hat shall not be forgotten.
Is there a possibility of more s2 flashbacks in the next installment?
what was badger's backstory?
Awesome. Thanks for the response. I've always liked seeing how outfits/wardrobes play into stories. There always seem like cool bits to add to atmosphere and emotion.
Also, "Hero Clem"... Red leather jacket... Supergirl has a red cape... CLEM HAS SUPERPOWERS CONFIRMED!!!
And yes, as a matter of fact we are hiring writers
https://telltale.com/jobs/
I know I've already asked somethings, but this just came to mind: Was there any particular reason Ava was designed to be dwarfish? I was originally of the mindset that she was to be important to Clementine and/or Gabe's arcs and that just made it even more likely.
Pardon me for asking another question (and you can ignore this until everyone else has theirs answered) but I heard that Telltale stated at one point that 400 days would have an impact on season 3. What did they mean by this?
(Should've asked this question earlier. Aargh!)
All of them, really. It's fun, and it's also hard, but ultimately, the best day is the day an episode hits the street and we can see how people react to it, and learn from that.
Alyssa_TTG could you post all of the character backstories, like the ones you gave for Joan, Conrad, and Tripp? Many fans would be grateful, myself included.
There may have been model reuse in the Wellington flashback that may have implied that New Frontier was involved in destroying Wellington, but storywise, we never intended the New Frontier to have been a part of that destruction.
It was raining a lot there around the time of Episode 5.
I knew it
Thanks for your faith. We will do our best