First screenshots & new interview

edited March 2005 in Bone
Interview at Quandry
Excerpt;
Rosemary: So can you tell us a bit about the puzzles and gameplay?

Dan: First, we have made the solemn adventure game vow that the puzzles need to make sense in the context of the story. Second, we are focused on improving our dialog system to make it more flexible and varied than what people are used to. Third, we are working on ways for the player to solve puzzles in a more active way.

Rosemary: Can you explain further what you mean by 'a more active way'?

Dan:We want our game worlds to really come alive for the players. That means that the world continues to move around them and doesn't just wait for players to interact with it. Ideally, we would like our puzzles to not only make sense within the context of the game world, but also within the pacing of the story.

Rosemary: Including younger players usually signals an arcade teaser or a mini game and this can mean frustration for some mature players. So we should expect such episodes in Bone? I managed Whack-A-Rat, so will I cope?

Dan: Action elements in the game will be mouse driven and will require more brain power then dexterity. If you managed your way through Whack-A-Rat you will be fine.

Rosemary: Going briefly back to LucasArts, I'm thinking Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island. Both keyboard controlled, presumably designed with the console market in mind. What about Bone? And after the experience of the above two games, how do you feel about keyboard controlled adventure games?

Dan: Bone will be Point and Click and if we go to console we will adapt to the console controller. As for keyboard controlled adventure games I don't think it is much fun to drive a character that is walking. Some people feel like it adds to the immersion, but to me it just makes it harder to get where you want to go.
Bone3.jpg
Bone4.jpg

Comments

  • edited March 2005
    Hey, notice how the tree looks like a face? ;)


    Anyway, I don't know if this was posted, but this is a zoomed out version (also on the Quandaryland page) of that first "screenshot" we were given.

    IntBone.jpg

    from here...
    bone_web_banner.jpg
  • edited March 2005
    This is really exciting.
  • edited March 2005
    I'm getting more and more excited about this game.
  • edited March 2005
    finally some INFO [=D>] ... really exciting... looks promising...
    he said that the game will be more dynamic then other advetures, and that the world wont wait for the chars to solve the puzzle... i wonder how they'll do that... also he said that dialog system will be more complex than what we are used to, sounds interesting..
  • edited March 2005
    I wonder how long it would be until a release date is announced.
  • edited March 2005
    Good to see someone using terrific, unlogical innovation,( I know, I don't think I even know what I'm trying to say).
  • edited March 2005
    Yay, Telltale!

    Sounds good. Rich conversation, living world, less than insane object puzzles, ehr...I mean clever thinking exercises...

    Bone is so fit to these guys and generally so fit to be adapted to an adventure game. Yay, Jeff Smith for realizing that!

    No I want more screens. Come on, can't ya give us all three cousins? Hmmm? Please? Yes? Soon? Hmmm?
  • edited March 2005
    Point and click, no action thing going farther than whak-a-rat (i.e. not LSL magna cum load) and humour.

    I ll be interested in the first previews/demos (please make them available to public not only journalists !) :P

    I have a bit more faith in the game now.
  • edited March 2005
    I have a bit more faith in the game now.

    I'm kinda curious about where you lost it in the first place. I think it looks pretty (read very) promising.
  • edited March 2005
    yeah I must say at first I wasn't crazy on the idea of bone. Now it seems like this could be a good game. I will have to wait and see some more. how soon can we get a DEMO telltale?
  • edited March 2005
    This still looks very awesome. I wonder if they've fully rendered any of the other characters yet.

    I should mention that for a few years now Whack-a-rat has been available for play on the Boneville website. Not nearly as fun as the original in Sam & Max but still...
  • edited March 2005
    Will the Bone characters be making apprearances in other Telltale games as well? Like a Max in LucasArts games?
  • edited March 2005
    Will the Bone characters be making apprearances in other Telltale games as well? Like a Max in LucasArts games?

    That would be interesting, but remember Steve Purcell worked at Lucasarts. I think Jeff Smith is just a partner or something. Really depends on the exact nature of the agreement.

    We're more likely to see Dank make numerous appearances.

    Then again I would like to see something like...
    Telltale Texas Hold 'em: BONE edition.
    That would be fun. :D
  • edited March 2005
    Cool interview
  • edited March 2005
    Nice new movie they have on the main page. It shows you a few seconds of the "tree" screen. The character follows your cursor with his head as you move it around. Interesting.
  • edited March 2005
    Nice new movie they have on the main page. It shows you a few seconds of the "tree" screen. The character follows your cursor with his head as you move it around. Interesting.

    Sweet - looks cool. Too bad you have to wait until the Texas Holdem' clip is over first.
  • edited March 2005
    Nice new movie they have on the main page. It shows you a few seconds of the "tree" screen. The character follows your cursor with his head as you move it around. Interesting.

    Yes, very nice. But I kinda hope they don't include that loud "clack" sound when the mouse is clicked. At least, I'm guessing that was a mouse click sound. I suppose it could be the sound of Fone Bone doing something or other behind the tree.
  • edited March 2005
    nah, i dont think thah "clack" sound will be in the game.... i think its only there to indicate a mouse click..

    but i wonder if his head will be moving around the cursor in the actual game too, or thats only a part of the promo???
    it could create interesting puzzles, to look at certain objects or something
  • edited March 2005
    Looks very nice and I really enjoyed seeing Bone be brought to life. In that short clip their spot on with the little guy.
  • edited March 2005
    According to a new interview with Telltale CEO Dan Connors at Computer Games magazine the first Bone game is slated for a Fall (3rd Quarter 2005) release.

    Also a bit more is revealed about any divergence between comic and game storywise;
    Dan Connors - We plan on executing the story as it is told in the comics. There will be added interactivity and we will take some license, but we are trying to stay true to the comic... For our first design meeting we just sat down and started walking through the compendium. The first book "Out From Boneville" just seemed the perfect size for our first game. It's a good introduction to the characters and the world, and has plenty of elements that make for interesting gameplay. Going forward into the rest of the story we will take the same approach
  • edited March 2005
    I wonder if his head will be moving around the cursor in the actual game too, or thats only a part of the promo???
    it could create interesting puzzles, to look at certain objects or something

    I hope so. It was a nice looking feature. It is the kind of thing that makes the game feel more interactive.
  • edited March 2005
    Out by fall, eh? I can live with that. Even Christmas will be fine by me. As an avid Bone reader I am very excited about how the story will turn out in the game and if there still will be uncertinties and twists in the story for someone how know the comics so well...
Sign in to comment in this discussion.