The Walking Dead features direct control, and you play as Lee throughout the game. We want you to experience the types of choices and conflict, and the extended fallout from those choices, that Rick experiences in the comics and the show -- hence you playing as the same character throughout the season -- but everyone involved agreed that literally putting you in Rick's shoes would defeat the point, because you'd already know what he would do in every key moment of his post-coma life.
The game has action moments and times when a split second decision or reaction is required, but by and large we're working to make sure there is a 1:1 correlation between what you're doing with the controller or keyboard/mouse, and the action on screen, as opposed to the one-step-removed abstracted feeling you can get with quick-time events.
As for Clementine's role: I don't think a Telltale game has ever had an escort mission, and I doubt one ever will.
We're getting very close to talking about the game more formally, which is something I'm looking forward to! As people probably know, I love reading and participating in the forums (maybe too much), and it will be nice to finally have some public stuff out there to talk about and discuss with folks more openly and often. I'm psyched.
Sweet! Thanks for answering, though I'm not sure if you can elobarate on what it will effect, can you? To make things easier to explain I will reffer to every choice you make/come across as a 'Moral Point' and choices you have to solve(problem-solving, puzzles, etc.) as 'Moral Problems'
I don't know if we can go into the detail of how that stuff works yet. There are bigger more obvious points in the game where you know to some degree what your actions will do ("do I save person A or person B?") at the top, but the choices scale down all the way to how you respond in dialog with a character being remembered. There are big moments for sure, but there are also small moments and choices whose repercussions fester for a while and make things interesting and unique for you (read: bite you in the ass) later.
3.) Zombies. Do we see the at all? Are they a factor to how and why we make/solve A Moral Point?
4.) On the subject of Zombies, is there a way to die in The Walking Dead? Similar to the death system in Jurassic Park will there be alot of that here?
There are zombies and they have an impact on things... it's The Walking Dead. Because it's The Walking Dead, zombies are a little different than they are in other zombie games -- they can mean something personal to people, and over time they almost fade into being something like the weather, a natural disaster which can sweep up and catch you unawares. The zombies in The Walking Dead are never just a horde of faceless video game enemies for you to kill and feel super stoked about, though.
5.) Will the game be released episodically? I know it's rather simple question, but... the more you know.
Yep, episodic.
6.) Can you say what systems you planning to release it on? (PC/Mac, PS3, 360, iPad) Can you say what systems it will be released on at first launch?
One of my major questions is the soundtrack, will the game feature a soundtrack or will it be more like the TV series, where there is less soundtrack and more suspenseful silence?
The game has an original score by Jared Emerson-Johnson, but it is probably going to end up feeling more musically sparse than Telltale's usual games. We're not as quiet as the TV show, but sometimes, especially with stories like this, leaving the mood up to the soundscape and the world itself is the way to go.
I don't know how much more I should be answering right now, so I'm probably going to take a breather from the thread for the time being.
We're getting very close to talking about the game more formally, which is something I'm looking forward to! As people probably know, I love reading and participating in the forums (maybe too much), and it will be nice to finally have some public stuff out there to talk about and discuss with folks more openly and often. I'm psyched.
I have been reading these forums about this game for some time now .. and I just have to say please do not change this.
It is very refreshing to see someone actually from the company a game is made participating with their fans/customers.
I wish other titles had that kind of support and openness to discussion.
keep up the great work and can't wait to see this game.
You might have it in-game, but it might be one of those things that don't really have a purpose. Sam's gun, for instance. It's there, do you ever shoot anyone? Rarely. It's there for the occasional gun-required puzzle solving
Just some fun questions for you (feel free to answer the ones you like ):
1) Will the cliffhangers at the episode endings be different based upon all the different choices the player makes?
2) There will also be different ways to solve puzzles?
3) Can the player die?
4) I think that testing all the possible different combinations of decisions the player can make it's a hell... did you develope a different code just to manage the branching and to easy the testing?
5) Writing the game weren't you always afraid that something slipped out of your mind with all these different paths? Expecially in dialogues?
6) Will you use a lot of motion capture, or the "comics" style required you to use more handmade animation?
7) Will the game save after an important choice automatically or you will able to load a previous savegame and change it in any moment?
8) Which new writing or editing tecniques you invented for this project? Expecially to explain exactely which decision the alter ego will take.
9) Is this game also philosophically meaningful in some way? Or it's more like a "just turn off your brain and enjoy the story"?
10) Working with zombies leads you to have nightmares during sleep?
Ohhh, fun questions!!! I'll throw in my two cents, feel free to answer the ones you like as well.
1.) What would you say would be the gore factor in the game is on a scale of 1-10? 1 being as low and happy-dappy as Candy Land to 10 being as high and having as much gore as Al Gore... (Ok bad example. Gore as in sweaty, ozooy, drozzy, icky, yucky, slimy, mucky, greasy, and BLOODY as say... pretty much any zombie game/movie ever made.)
2.) Will there be ANY humor in this game at all? Like even something thrown in for a chuckle to fans of the sereis or us newcomers?
3.) I haven't really gone over this, mainly because I don't care that much about how realistic graphics are in-game,but... Visual style! I know photos were released at E3 of last year put has anything changed? Upon choosing a visual style for the game, were you interested in making it look more like the comics or have a bit more realism to them? (Or somewhere in-between?)
4.) Going back to the good ol' 'Moral Points' topic! (Which I've hounded about more than anyother subject in these sub-forums.) Though I just want to have a good idea what it is, (because what I've been reading about it is making the game sound so fucking awesome!!!) During episode 5.. er I mean the last episode, keeping in mind of the moral points I've made along the way; how much different will my game be from someone elses who has made the exact opposite choice from me?
Thanks again for answering these, I really appreciate it and I can't wait for the game!
I think answers to a number of these questions will be appearing more formally in the near future. Here are elusive, mini-answers.
Danney:
Thanks!
Eugene:
1) sometimes
2) sometimes
3) sometimes
4) yes
5) yes, but hopefully we're on it!
6) all animation made for WD is handmade by character animators
7) TBD
8) please clarify this!
9) hopefully it's meaningful in some way!
10) of course
nintendo boy:
1) that's a pretty subjective scale -- for some people, seeing a little blood and guts is 'totally gross!' while for some horror fans its nothing until an eyeball falls out and flaps around on the stalk or something, so i don't know where you'll personally be satisfied - but there is gore in the game.
2) yes
3) somewhere inbetween. the game is 3D, and doesn't try to hide that with a cel shader or something, but as far as how the game is stylized, we're going for the handmade, inky, rough but expressive feeling of the comics.
4) it's hard to give a short answer to this! youre playing the same season as everyone else so there are big beats everyone has in common, but the way situations play out within those can be pretty drastically different depending on what you've been up to throughout the season.
Masta:
1) before, then parallel. we start during that month when Rick's in a coma, but the game's story takes place over longer than a month, so we cross into the comic/TV timeline as it goes.
I think what Eugene is trying to ask is that what kind of techniques did you use to write multiple branching storylines that intertwine with what I'm assuming there is a main-story. I'm sure you just didn't use the same writing format you would use for say, Sam and Max, did you?
Also is possibble you could give us info on who's doing what in the episodes? Like who's directing for this episode, writing for this one, etc. Or is it still classified?
Oh and of course, Thank-you for taking the time to answer all these. I really do appreciate it.
I think what Eugene is trying to ask is that what kind of techniques did you use to write multiple branching storylines that intertwine with what I'm assuming there is a main-story. I'm sure you just didn't use the same writing format you would use for say, Sam and Max, did you?
This. And can I add: it's more difficult to write valid and engaging story branches or to make them entwine the main story without feeling them like some sort of "secondary missions"?
I think what Eugene is trying to ask is that what kind of techniques did you use to write multiple branching storylines that intertwine with what I'm assuming there is a main-story. I'm sure you just didn't use the same writing format you would use for say, Sam and Max, did you?
I think that's something people will actually dive into in more detail at some point so I'll leave that for now!
Also is possibble you could give us info on who's doing what in the episodes? Like who's directing for this episode, writing for this one, etc. Or is it still classified?
The season-wide story arc was initially built out by Sean Vanaman and myself, with Chuck Jordan helping us out especially for the first half of the season. We've then been refining and adding to it as other designers come on and get assigned specific episodes to flesh out.
I don't know if I can list out specific roles by episode right now but I can say that our designers/writers include people you may recognize from across Telltale's history and lineup, including Sean Vanaman, myself, Chuck Jordan, Harrison Pink (who you probably only recognize from the forums 'cause he's a new guy!), Joe Pinney, Mark Darin, and Andrew Langley with other names we have yet to talk about. Our directors include Dennis Lenart (directed Sam & Max 304, BTTF 101, 105), Eric Parsons (directed BTTF 103), Nick Herman (directed Sam & Max 301, 303, JP 104), Sean Vanaman (directed Wallace & Gromit 103) and me (directed Tales of MI 103, 105, Sam & Max 305).
Oh and of course, Thank-you for taking the time to answer all these. I really do appreciate it.
Comments
When can I preorder?:D
There are zombies and they have an impact on things... it's The Walking Dead. Because it's The Walking Dead, zombies are a little different than they are in other zombie games -- they can mean something personal to people, and over time they almost fade into being something like the weather, a natural disaster which can sweep up and catch you unawares. The zombies in The Walking Dead are never just a horde of faceless video game enemies for you to kill and feel super stoked about, though.
Yep, episodic.
I can't say, sorry!
I don't think it would be the Walking Dead if there was no horror.
I don't know if this is announced yet or anything so I can't say. It will be an unsurprising number, though.
The game has an original score by Jared Emerson-Johnson, but it is probably going to end up feeling more musically sparse than Telltale's usual games. We're not as quiet as the TV show, but sometimes, especially with stories like this, leaving the mood up to the soundscape and the world itself is the way to go.
I don't know how much more I should be answering right now, so I'm probably going to take a breather from the thread for the time being.
Sales will depend on this.
The concept that image actually represented is in fact in the game at this point, so yes, fat guy confirmed.
Great. My money is now yours.
I have been reading these forums about this game for some time now .. and I just have to say please do not change this.
It is very refreshing to see someone actually from the company a game is made participating with their fans/customers.
I wish other titles had that kind of support and openness to discussion.
keep up the great work and can't wait to see this game.
Best TV series of all time bar none.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT5bH86y-c8
You might have it in-game, but it might be one of those things that don't really have a purpose. Sam's gun, for instance. It's there, do you ever shoot anyone? Rarely. It's there for the occasional gun-required puzzle solving
1) Will the cliffhangers at the episode endings be different based upon all the different choices the player makes?
2) There will also be different ways to solve puzzles?
3) Can the player die?
4) I think that testing all the possible different combinations of decisions the player can make it's a hell... did you develope a different code just to manage the branching and to easy the testing?
5) Writing the game weren't you always afraid that something slipped out of your mind with all these different paths? Expecially in dialogues?
6) Will you use a lot of motion capture, or the "comics" style required you to use more handmade animation?
7) Will the game save after an important choice automatically or you will able to load a previous savegame and change it in any moment?
8) Which new writing or editing tecniques you invented for this project? Expecially to explain exactely which decision the alter ego will take.
9) Is this game also philosophically meaningful in some way? Or it's more like a "just turn off your brain and enjoy the story"?
10) Working with zombies leads you to have nightmares during sleep?
1.) What would you say would be the gore factor in the game is on a scale of 1-10? 1 being as low and happy-dappy as Candy Land to 10 being as high and having as much gore as Al Gore... (Ok bad example. Gore as in sweaty, ozooy, drozzy, icky, yucky, slimy, mucky, greasy, and BLOODY as say... pretty much any zombie game/movie ever made.)
2.) Will there be ANY humor in this game at all? Like even something thrown in for a chuckle to fans of the sereis or us newcomers?
3.) I haven't really gone over this, mainly because I don't care that much about how realistic graphics are in-game,but... Visual style! I know photos were released at E3 of last year put has anything changed? Upon choosing a visual style for the game, were you interested in making it look more like the comics or have a bit more realism to them? (Or somewhere in-between?)
4.) Going back to the good ol' 'Moral Points' topic! (Which I've hounded about more than anyother subject in these sub-forums.) Though I just want to have a good idea what it is, (because what I've been reading about it is making the game sound so fucking awesome!!!) During episode 5.. er I mean the last episode, keeping in mind of the moral points I've made along the way; how much different will my game be from someone elses who has made the exact opposite choice from me?
Thanks again for answering these, I really appreciate it and I can't wait for the game!
Danney:
Thanks!
Eugene:
1) sometimes
2) sometimes
3) sometimes
4) yes
5) yes, but hopefully we're on it!
6) all animation made for WD is handmade by character animators
7) TBD
8) please clarify this!
9) hopefully it's meaningful in some way!
10) of course
nintendo boy:
1) that's a pretty subjective scale -- for some people, seeing a little blood and guts is 'totally gross!' while for some horror fans its nothing until an eyeball falls out and flaps around on the stalk or something, so i don't know where you'll personally be satisfied - but there is gore in the game.
2) yes
3) somewhere inbetween. the game is 3D, and doesn't try to hide that with a cel shader or something, but as far as how the game is stylized, we're going for the handmade, inky, rough but expressive feeling of the comics.
4) it's hard to give a short answer to this! youre playing the same season as everyone else so there are big beats everyone has in common, but the way situations play out within those can be pretty drastically different depending on what you've been up to throughout the season.
Masta:
1) before, then parallel. we start during that month when Rick's in a coma, but the game's story takes place over longer than a month, so we cross into the comic/TV timeline as it goes.
Also is possibble you could give us info on who's doing what in the episodes? Like who's directing for this episode, writing for this one, etc. Or is it still classified?
Oh and of course, Thank-you for taking the time to answer all these. I really do appreciate it.
This. And can I add: it's more difficult to write valid and engaging story branches or to make them entwine the main story without feeling them like some sort of "secondary missions"?
I think that's something people will actually dive into in more detail at some point so I'll leave that for now!
The season-wide story arc was initially built out by Sean Vanaman and myself, with Chuck Jordan helping us out especially for the first half of the season. We've then been refining and adding to it as other designers come on and get assigned specific episodes to flesh out.
I don't know if I can list out specific roles by episode right now but I can say that our designers/writers include people you may recognize from across Telltale's history and lineup, including Sean Vanaman, myself, Chuck Jordan, Harrison Pink (who you probably only recognize from the forums 'cause he's a new guy!), Joe Pinney, Mark Darin, and Andrew Langley with other names we have yet to talk about. Our directors include Dennis Lenart (directed Sam & Max 304, BTTF 101, 105), Eric Parsons (directed BTTF 103), Nick Herman (directed Sam & Max 301, 303, JP 104), Sean Vanaman (directed Wallace & Gromit 103) and me (directed Tales of MI 103, 105, Sam & Max 305).
Sure thing!