My 2 lonely interface complaints

1. I don't mind a click-drag method of movement, but there is a serious lack of gui feedback when doing so. When i click-drag, i feel like i lose a point of reference as to where i am actually dragging. Walking to the left and then dragging to walk to the right simply doesn't feel naturally and controlled as much as it feels like a tiny bit of guesswork as to when mr brush is actually going to do what i want. I would have much preferred a diablo-style system that keeps the mouse cursor visible. As for camera shifts when moving from one scene to another, the mouse cursor could simply be moved to its new relative position.

2. Dragging an inventory item to a combination slot results in an animation as the item settles, during which mouse interaction with the rest of the inventory is disabled. Having to wait until that animation (1 sec or so) before i can click/drag the next item into the next slot is absolutely unbearable when you're trying multiple combinations. That makes for something like 3 or 4 seconds of plain waiting for every combination you want to try. I have NO idea why this restriction is in place.

These two issues are the only things that keep me from losing myself in the game, reminding me over and over that there is a certain lack of finesse to the UI. It really drags the package down more than it has any right to.

Comments

  • edited August 2009
    Spacecat wrote: »
    2. Dragging an inventory item to a combination slot results in an animation as the item settles, during which mouse interaction with the rest of the inventory is disabled. Having to wait until that animation (1 sec or so) before i can click/drag the next item into the next slot is absolutely unbearable when you're trying multiple combinations. That makes for something like 3 or 4 seconds of plain waiting for every combination you want to try. I have NO idea why this restriction is in place.

    My guess is it discourages people who randomly combine every item in their inventory instead of thinking.
  • edited August 2009
    That's a terrible thing to do for an adventure game, where randomly trying things is always a last resort you can rely on.

    If this is the case, i feel i'm not a fan of games that decide when and how i'm allowed to have fun with them.
  • edited August 2009
    Spadge wrote: »
    My guess is it discourages people who randomly combine every item in their inventory instead of thinking.

    Sounds like Monkey Island's core audience to me. How will we know flugelherons are possible if we don't try?
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited August 2009
    Spacecat wrote: »
    2. Dragging an inventory item to a combination slot results in an animation as the item settles, during which mouse interaction with the rest of the inventory is disabled. Having to wait until that animation (1 sec or so) before i can click/drag the next item into the next slot is absolutely unbearable when you're trying multiple combinations. That makes for something like 3 or 4 seconds of plain waiting for every combination you want to try. I have NO idea why this restriction is in place.

    It may be a limitation in how our UI code is written. I'll look into it for you, though. I don't know if that stuff is too solidified for a difference to be made this late into the game, but it's worth investigating. Thanks for bringing it up.
  • edited August 2009
    Save the day, Jake.
  • edited August 2009
    Combining everything with everything was great in the original. Now we either just get a pling or dong if it works or not. In the other games, Guybrush commented on all of them, some of them with a default "that doesn't work" or "nope" - but in some cases we'd get some great responses (not just the ones you do correctly). I don't really like the dry feedback you get from combining items in this game. Much rather prefer the old method, even if you hear "that doesn't work" every five seconds.
  • edited August 2009
    Woah. Wait just a second here. This gets a "we'll look into this and see if we can fix it by the end of the series", and these threads hardly get any recognition? What the hell, Telltale?

    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11576
    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8586
    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11463
    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10140
  • edited August 2009
    I suppose this is a more general and long term problem than reencoding/redeploying all the voice files? I strongly doubt Telltale DON'T know about the messed up voice comp what with all the complaint threads.

    Great to hear that the UI stuff could be looked into. I think it would lift the inventory management quite a bit with a little bit of UI parallelism.
  • edited August 2009
    I respectfully disagree, Spacecat. The voice problem is something people have been talking about from Telltale's first Sam & Max episodes, and they've been consistently ignoring it. This is something that should have been fixed a long time ago, and shouldn't be difficult to do. I would suggest that while fixing your issue is also important, this problem is probably more serious (by the number of people experiencing it), and should have been looked at far sooner.
  • edited August 2009
    Whatever, it most definitely doesn't belong here. You can talk to the support team if you want to.
  • edited August 2009
    Spacecat wrote: »
    1. I don't mind a click-drag method of movement, but there is a serious lack of gui feedback when doing so. When i click-drag, i feel like i lose a point of reference as to where i am actually dragging. Walking to the left and then dragging to walk to the right simply doesn't feel naturally and controlled as much as it feels like a tiny bit of guesswork as to when mr brush is actually going to do what i want. I would have much preferred a diablo-style system that keeps the mouse cursor visible. As for camera shifts when moving from one scene to another, the mouse cursor could simply be moved to its new relative position.

    pssst. you can use wasd or the arrow keys instead of dragging. makes life a lot easier to use wasd with your left hand and your mouse with the right!
  • edited August 2009
    StarEye wrote: »
    Combining everything with everything was great in the original. Now we either just get a pling or dong if it works or not. In the other games, Guybrush commented on all of them, some of them with a default "that doesn't work" or "nope" - but in some cases we'd get some great responses (not just the ones you do correctly). I don't really like the dry feedback you get from combining items in this game. Much rather prefer the old method, even if you hear "that doesn't work" every five seconds.

    THIS. I miss that.
  • edited August 2009
    Woah. Wait just a second here. This gets a "we'll look into this and see if we can fix it by the end of the series", and these threads hardly get any recognition? What the hell, Telltale?

    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11576
    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8586
    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11463
    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10140

    No offense meant here, but...

    How do you know that it is NOT being looked into?
    Jake, our Main man on the MI boards, comes in and posts in one very well presented, and well thought out thread about issues with the UI, just because he doesn't respond to those other threads, doesn't mean they aren't receiving their due attention.
    It maybe that the people looking into the sound don;t have time to , or merely just don't post on the boards. It coudl be the fact of the error was on the end of the company they get to do the recording and without re-recording the dialogue they would be screwed. It could be that Jake can effect the UI and get an answer, where he doesn't know sound

    Seriously dude.
    TTG does a lot of good, and listens to the fans.
    Let them do their thing.
    Get off your soapbox for a minute and stay a while.
    repeat after me.

    "In Telltale we Trust."
  • edited August 2009
    StarEye wrote: »
    Combining everything with everything was great in the original. Now we either just get a pling or dong if it works or not. In the other games, Guybrush commented on all of them, some of them with a default "that doesn't work" or "nope" - but in some cases we'd get some great responses (not just the ones you do correctly). I don't really like the dry feedback you get from combining items in this game. Much rather prefer the old method, even if you hear "that doesn't work" every five seconds.

    that
  • edited August 2009
    No offense meant here, but...

    How do you know that it is NOT being looked into?
    Jake, our Main man on the MI boards, comes in and posts in one very well presented, and well thought out thread about issues with the UI, just because he doesn't respond to those other threads, doesn't mean they aren't receiving their due attention.
    It maybe that the people looking into the sound don;t have time to , or merely just don't post on the boards. It coudl be the fact of the error was on the end of the company they get to do the recording and without re-recording the dialogue they would be screwed. It could be that Jake can effect the UI and get an answer, where he doesn't know sound

    Seriously dude.
    TTG does a lot of good, and listens to the fans.
    Let them do their thing.
    Get off your soapbox for a minute and stay a while.
    repeat after me.

    "In Telltale we Trust."
    I think it's got a lot to do with the fact that they've probably already recorded most (if not all) of the dialogue so it's too late to do anything about it.

    But yeah, Telltale are the best games company, period. I don't even think of them as a games company. I think of Telltale as a loving old person baking lovely pies for us to enjoy. In fact, Telltale have had their fingers in all the best modern adventure game pies. I kind of just don't want to touch a pie unless it's had a good fingering from Telltale. I know I'm taking this analogy too far, I just can't seem to stop :(
  • edited August 2009
    and having spoked to the people working the TTG booth at various cons, not only are they GOOD at listening to the fans, they are PASSIONATE about it.

    They really care what we think.

    I bought Sam&Max season 1 for the Wii when it first came out as a full release.
    I didn't realise that it was TTG that had made it. I never even looked at TTG's site until ToMI. Now, because of their superb customer service, and great care and love for their product, I own nearly every game they have.. or I will own them soon.
  • edited August 2009
    Bob. I own every Telltale game ever made, and I am aware that their customer service is better than most. However this is still an issue, and has been since S&M S1E1. It should have been fixed already. If they're working on it, maybe they could say "we're working on it, we'll have it fixed by ep5", or something. Anything.
  • edited August 2009
    Bob. I own every Telltale game ever made, and I am aware that their customer service is better than most. However this is still an issue, and has been since S&M S1E1. It should have been fixed already. If they're working on it, maybe they could say "we're working on it, we'll have it fixed by ep5", or something. Anything.

    And I'm fairly sure, if you take a moment, That somewhere in EVERY thread about the sound SINCE S&M 1.1 (since you brought it up) that somewhere, some when it was noticed.

    The OP's point was about THIS game and it was something that hasn't been raised at EVERY episode, as you say. so It's fresh to the team and they can approach it.

    if you are right and it has been since the very first game, to continually Flog the dead donkey by throwing it in their faces at every turn isn't going to get it done any faster.

    Now lets just drop it and move on.
  • edited August 2009
    22 episodes.

    Not fixed yet.

    Not dropping it.

    If we stop talking about it, they'll have no reason to fix it.
  • edited August 2009
    my opinion (before loosing the whole post as often happens when i click that damn "post" button) is that people should use their brain to solve puzzles and not waste time in repetitive operations (ie combining items or walking). These are just expedients to make the game stand longer. Todays adventure games are pointing to a direction that i don't really like: low interactions, constraints for the player, the simplest puzzles i ever saw, too many cinematic scenes. all these elements makes me feel the game as a "told one" insted of "played one". AG should even be frustating sometimes. :)
    Do what you want whenever you want!

    Please note that i'm not talking about TOMI but in a more general way.
    Did someone play "Hollywood Monsters"? it is a really frustating one... but it reminds me of the good old times!
  • edited August 2009
    I agree, however telltale does have a vested interest in people passing their games in order to play the next one, and not stumping people too long. It's a difficult thing to balance.

    Oh, and puzzles should be occasionally frustrating, but always logical.
  • edited August 2009
    A wonderfully derailed thread this. Thanks for that.

    My complaint is simple; the inventory gui is unresponsive and frankly wastes time on fluff that frustrates rather than enrich. If you have to choose between a responsive UI and a cool animation, you go for the former and try to seamlessly integrate the latter.
  • edited August 2009
    Spacecat wrote: »
    A wonderfully derailed thread this.

    My fault. My apologies.
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