Yes, that's generally the case. Mike and Mark have sort of set the tone and vision for the series, as well as the major over-arching story, but each designer owns their own episode's design and script.
In the case of 103, Joe Pinney and I co-designed it and because he's headed off to China for a couple weeks vacation, I'm writing the script (right this second, in fact.)
103? I hope this means you guys are planning ahead, just in case:D (Go Team Monkey!)
It'll be our first survival horror title. Hey, little dude, you look lost. My, what big teeth you have....
Perhaps, "The Dawn of Spectacle" - You play Razor (The Punk Rocker from the first game) and you need to lead her band Razor and the Scummettes through their extravagant world tour
This question is for Dave Grossman. If you had been the lead designer on Escape from Monkey Island, what would you have done differently? I am currently replaying this leviathan of a game, and can think of a few things, but I want to hear your unbridled thoughts.
Oh, and no offense to Mike Stemmle. I am certain that design decisions were made for a good reason.
Actually, I do. I love the way Schafer was able "simulate" action in an adventure game, and I totally admire the way he brings emotional moments to the story. I often find myself reflecting upon these things when designing.
Whenever there's a moment that calls for someone to whip out a witty one-liner put-down, I try to imagine Tim writing it. He was always the sharpest at those.
Thanks for answering.
As a follow up, I always liked (what I perceive to be) Tim Schafer's knack for conciseness. A lot of adventure games are way too over-explanatory with everything, and they put in way too much effort to make a big convoluted joke, or make you read big paragraphs of dialogue. The Monkey Islands, particularly the first two, never suffered from that, yet they're still considered to be the height of game comedy. Full Throttle was also great in that respect. I just finished replaying MI2 for the gazillionth time and I was struck by just how little is said, even with the jokes sometimes they're not even voiced or explained. You either see the funny thing or you don't. It made the game feel very well paced and you didn't get tired. Not only that, but even while someone was speaking you can move around and interact with stuff.
My question is, is there a deliberate effort to keep things brief and to the point in this tradition?
Was the decision to go to 5 episodes for Tales(as opposed to W&G's 4) series-specific due to the demands of the series, or because you decided that as an overall rule 5 episodes works better?
My PayPal money finally got transferred from my bank account so I've finally been able to preorder! I'm psyched! I've just been reading through a couple threads already and will eagerly be fine-tooth-combing through the others soon afterwards. Just want to express my heartfelt thanks for continuing Monkey Island once again!
I've just been reading through a couple threads already and will eagerly be fine-tooth-combing through the others soon afterwards.
Just imagine when "Questions for Ron Gilbert" appears. I think that we all know what the first question will be. Those folks that don't pre-order before July 7th will really be missing out on the fun.
I think Dave Grossman has just been making fake sequel jokes for years and years.
Mostly while I was still at LucasArts. I remember suggesting various sequels which were anagrams of "Day of the Tentacle." My favorite was "Lacy Hat of Detente," about four chatty English ladies who control international relations over tea.
But I doubt any of those would ever have been taken seriously enough to start a rumor. Maybe there WAS a Maniac 3 planned - but nobody ever told me about it.
I'd just like to express how freakin cool it is to be able to talk to one of the original creators of Monkey Island, which has been such a huge part of my life growing up. Sometimes I still marvel at the Internet.
a question for dave.. How would you explain your role in the new monkey island games.. Using the tv analogy is it like a head writer or an executive producer? Do you do much writing or puzzle design? Will say sean bring his episode to you and you provide feedback? Or are you more involved in making the beats of the story at a higher level?
a question for dave.. How would you explain your role in the new monkey island games.. Using the tv analogy is it like a head writer or an executive producer? Do you do much writing or puzzle design? Will say sean bring his episode to you and you provide feedback? Or are you more involved in making the beats of the story at a higher level?
He keeps Space Pirates and Jedis from beating up the rest of the writers. (Sorry, sorry! Couldn't resist, but it is a good question.)
I'd just like to express how freakin cool it is to be able to talk to one of the original creators of Monkey Island, which has been such a huge part of my life growing up. Sometimes I still marvel at the Internet.
I totally agree...
I'm still in shock.
Dave Grossman?!?!
Oh gee I am such a fan, I should probably shut up before I embarrass myself - more.
Was the decision to go to 5 episodes for Tales(as opposed to W&G's 4) series-specific due to the demands of the series, or because you decided that as an overall rule 5 episodes works better?
I think W&G being 4 episodes is going the be the odd man out for a while yet. Five stories works well for pacing it out, and feels like the right amount of content. We did four self contained, more visually and aurally rich stories for W&G, but I think by and large we're more comfortable with a 5 episode story arc.
Wow, I just read this whole thread and I am so happy to see that the series is in such capable hands! Having Dave Grossman (along with all those other MI veterans) on-board really makes this feel like a true honest-to-goodness Monkey Island sequel (which of course it is).
The only thing that would make it better would be if Tim and Ron were on-board too. Oh and if the whole game was hand-drawn but I'm not going to nitpick.
The game looks fantastic! Really really great work Telltale! This really is the year of the Monkey! On to my questions :-
Has Tim had time to take a look at the game and give you guys any feedback? Would be great to get at least one official written by Tim Schafer joke . Especially since Ron has had some input, if Tim had a little too it would have a special blessing IMO (touched by all three of the original writers).
Will there be a purchasable soundtrack? I have always been a HUGE fan of Michael Land's music for the games.
Any chance that we will be able to purchase the Steve Purcell artwork as a poster?
And finally this isn't a question but PLEASE have an option for point and click controls! It's not a true classic Monkey Island experience if we have to move Guybrush with arrow keys! (I'm looking at you EMI! I still love you but...)
I second the request for a poster...i would much rather have a Monkey Island poster in my game room than the spiderman 3 movie poster i have hanging now.
I second the request for a poster...i would much rather have a Monkey Island poster in my game room than the spiderman 3 movie poster i have hanging now.
Oh I'll be keeping my Spider-man 3 poster up and adding Tales of Monkey Island to go along with it and the Star Wars Trilogy and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom posters that hang in my guest room :-D
This question is for Dave Grossman. If you had been the lead designer on Escape from Monkey Island, what would you have done differently? I am currently replaying this leviathan of a game, and can think of a few things, but I want to hear your unbridled thoughts.
Oh, and no offense to Mike Stemmle. I am certain that design decisions were made for a good reason.
Ha, well, sure, it's always easy to critique somebody else's work after the fact, but who knows what I would have come up with if I'd had to do it myself. And of course design decisions are ALWAYS made for good reasons. I think I said two things to Mike about that game the day he came to work here: First, I wish it had begun more gradually - I felt like I had to do too much exploration up front in order to begin accomplishing things; I like it when a game kind of ushers me across the threshhold, introduces me to a few people, and procures me a lovely beverage before turning me loose on my own. And second, I thought there was too much dialog, even for a Monkey game. Mike agreed with me, and I think you'll find ToMI quite different on both counts.
And second, I thought there was too much dialog, even for a Monkey game. Mike agreed with me, and I think you'll find ToMI quite different on both counts.
I guess that answers my last question, and I'm glad to hear it. Too much dialogue is a turn off for me. The truth is that the old Monkey Islands were almost shockingly concise with everything.
Ha, well, sure, it's always easy to critique somebody else's work after the fact, but who knows what I would have come up with if I'd had to do it myself. And of course design decisions are ALWAYS made for good reasons. I think I said two things to Mike about that game the day he came to work here: First, I wish it had begun more gradually - I felt like I had to do too much exploration up front in order to begin accomplishing things; I like it when a game kind of ushers me across the threshhold, introduces me to a few people, and procures me a lovely beverage before turning me loose on my own. And second, I thought there was too much dialog, even for a Monkey game. Mike agreed with me, and I think you'll find ToMI quite different on both counts.
How good would you say you are at writing serious versus writing comedy?
Since TMI will have both, I'm curious if you struggle with writing serious storylines versus the comedic sections.
How was it to work with Ron again on a Monkey Island game, even for a short time? And how do YOU feel about being the very head of a Monkey Island game, the very one that will bring the series back and that fans have waited for for years, "in the throne" so to speak(with nobody to blame but you and you alone if it fails miserably)?
BTW, it's kind of funny that by the time the "Q&A With Dave Grossman" topic shows up, people will have already asked you most of the TMI related questions they could have. Then all we'll have left is Day of the Tentacle questions, and questions such as "What's your favorite transformer? Can I shine your shoes? Do you know who killed Jimmy Hoffa?"
I think W&G being 4 episodes is going the be the odd man out for a while yet. Five stories works well for pacing it out, and feels like the right amount of content.
That's good news, and a big relief. I completely agree: five works very well.
I hope with five, the game can be more dynamic. The amount of acts worked well as kind of chapters in the original games, but as it went on I felt they were there just because they always had been, and the chapters in the game and the actual new-scene-cards didn't always correlate.
With five episodes, is it easier to write than with a similar size game which isn't split up into parts? How easy is it to keep an overall theme, when different people work on different episodes, as opposed to the same guys doing the same thing throughout? (If I understand the process correctly).
And second, I thought there was too much dialog, even for a Monkey game. Mike agreed with me, and I think you'll find ToMI quite different on both counts.
Yeah, we don't need to hear the life story of some no-name pirate. I am in favor of a plethora of throwaway dialogue tree options, though. Guybrush can never have enough witty one-liners.
Okay, how about a music related question. How soon can we expect to hear a sample of what is sure to be an award winning soundtrack? Do we have to wait until July 7th?
One of the employees posted in another forum that a Tex Murphy game had a big effect on their design philosophy. Which games (obscure or unobscure) impacted your game design thoughts?
I know I'm probably the only one wondering this, but is there any chance you guys could throw in a reference for "Running Wild" into season 2?
Having grown up with Monkey Island left me with a big soft spot for Pirates and resulted in me listening to a lot of Pirate Metal. I know you guys never heard of em but there is one true Pirate Metal band sailing under jolly roger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLp9rf9GRP8 It's hard to hear the lyrics in the live version. And five episodes are better than four because it's an odd number. Odd numbers are always more satisfying, so spake William Gilpin.
So... Grim Fandango next?! If anything could be episodic, Grim Fandango would be awesome. Of course, you can't use Manny Calavera but an all new adventure in that universe would be... fantastic.
BTW I heard this thing will play on Wii. Cool. Sorry if this was asked before but can you switch between PC and Game console? (Eg play on Wii one time and then maybe the PC on another?)
Thank you for bringing back Monkey Island. It was a long Long LONG wait! I had given up hope. I turned 40 this year, I consider this an awesome present to me! hehe
Oh! I've got one. Since the episodes of Tales are more closely connected than those of your previous efforts, any chance we'd maybe get some "Previously on/Next on" action? For some reason, that notion really appeals to me.
"Previously... on Tales of Monkey Island" I mean, come on. That's awesome.
"Launch of the Screaming Narwhal?" "Lair of the Leviathan?" It just occurred to me that the titles of the TMI episodes sound an awful lot like the sorts of titles the old Sam and Max comics had. But then your Sam and Max episode titles, being mostly parodies of movie titles and things, are more reminiscent of the chapter titles in CMI and EMI.
I'm not quite sure what my point is... And I used the word "titles" five times in those two sentences...
Is Ron Gilbert continuing to keep the one true Secret of Monkey Island a secret because CMI and/or EMI directly contradicted it?
Does he plan to ever reveal the Secret? Perhaps in a letter he'll be buried with, which will also contain white powder and a cheeky postscript saying that it might or might not be anthrax (because, hey, you can get away with anything when you're dead)?
Comments
103? I hope this means you guys are planning ahead, just in case:D (Go Team Monkey!)
Plus they would make great Halloween decorations! Which reminds me, "Home Botox" should be a postcard. Just a suggestion.
"Night of the Hamster"
It'll be our first survival horror title. Hey, little dude, you look lost. My, what big teeth you have....
Perhaps, "The Dawn of Spectacle" - You play Razor (The Punk Rocker from the first game) and you need to lead her band Razor and the Scummettes through their extravagant world tour
Oh, and no offense to Mike Stemmle. I am certain that design decisions were made for a good reason.
Wasn't there a third Maniac Mansion title in the works for a REALLY short time? I read that somewhere, but where I don't remember.
I think Dave Grossman has just been making fake sequel jokes for years and years.
Thanks for answering.
As a follow up, I always liked (what I perceive to be) Tim Schafer's knack for conciseness. A lot of adventure games are way too over-explanatory with everything, and they put in way too much effort to make a big convoluted joke, or make you read big paragraphs of dialogue. The Monkey Islands, particularly the first two, never suffered from that, yet they're still considered to be the height of game comedy. Full Throttle was also great in that respect. I just finished replaying MI2 for the gazillionth time and I was struck by just how little is said, even with the jokes sometimes they're not even voiced or explained. You either see the funny thing or you don't. It made the game feel very well paced and you didn't get tired. Not only that, but even while someone was speaking you can move around and interact with stuff.
My question is, is there a deliberate effort to keep things brief and to the point in this tradition?
Was the decision to go to 5 episodes for Tales(as opposed to W&G's 4) series-specific due to the demands of the series, or because you decided that as an overall rule 5 episodes works better?
Done: http://www.phrenopolis.com/schwag/
Mostly while I was still at LucasArts. I remember suggesting various sequels which were anagrams of "Day of the Tentacle." My favorite was "Lacy Hat of Detente," about four chatty English ladies who control international relations over tea.
But I doubt any of those would ever have been taken seriously enough to start a rumor. Maybe there WAS a Maniac 3 planned - but nobody ever told me about it.
Yay instant gratification!
He keeps Space Pirates and Jedis from beating up the rest of the writers. (Sorry, sorry! Couldn't resist, but it is a good question.)
I totally agree...
I'm still in shock.
Dave Grossman?!?!
Oh gee I am such a fan, I should probably shut up before I embarrass myself - more.
Wait, isn't this how things work in the real world? At least it seems that way from here. I mean think about all that porcelain in their hands...:eek:
I think W&G being 4 episodes is going the be the odd man out for a while yet. Five stories works well for pacing it out, and feels like the right amount of content. We did four self contained, more visually and aurally rich stories for W&G, but I think by and large we're more comfortable with a 5 episode story arc.
The only thing that would make it better would be if Tim and Ron were on-board too. Oh and if the whole game was hand-drawn but I'm not going to nitpick.
The game looks fantastic! Really really great work Telltale! This really is the year of the Monkey! On to my questions :-
And finally this isn't a question but PLEASE have an option for point and click controls! It's not a true classic Monkey Island experience if we have to move Guybrush with arrow keys! (I'm looking at you EMI! I still love you but...)
Oh I'll be keeping my Spider-man 3 poster up and adding Tales of Monkey Island to go along with it and the Star Wars Trilogy and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom posters that hang in my guest room :-D
Ha, well, sure, it's always easy to critique somebody else's work after the fact, but who knows what I would have come up with if I'd had to do it myself. And of course design decisions are ALWAYS made for good reasons. I think I said two things to Mike about that game the day he came to work here: First, I wish it had begun more gradually - I felt like I had to do too much exploration up front in order to begin accomplishing things; I like it when a game kind of ushers me across the threshhold, introduces me to a few people, and procures me a lovely beverage before turning me loose on my own. And second, I thought there was too much dialog, even for a Monkey game. Mike agreed with me, and I think you'll find ToMI quite different on both counts.
I guess that answers my last question, and I'm glad to hear it. Too much dialogue is a turn off for me. The truth is that the old Monkey Islands were almost shockingly concise with everything.
How good would you say you are at writing serious versus writing comedy?
Since TMI will have both, I'm curious if you struggle with writing serious storylines versus the comedic sections.
How was it to work with Ron again on a Monkey Island game, even for a short time? And how do YOU feel about being the very head of a Monkey Island game, the very one that will bring the series back and that fans have waited for for years, "in the throne" so to speak(with nobody to blame but you and you alone if it fails miserably)?
BTW, it's kind of funny that by the time the "Q&A With Dave Grossman" topic shows up, people will have already asked you most of the TMI related questions they could have. Then all we'll have left is Day of the Tentacle questions, and questions such as "What's your favorite transformer? Can I shine your shoes? Do you know who killed Jimmy Hoffa?"
That's good news, and a big relief. I completely agree: five works very well.
With five episodes, is it easier to write than with a similar size game which isn't split up into parts? How easy is it to keep an overall theme, when different people work on different episodes, as opposed to the same guys doing the same thing throughout? (If I understand the process correctly).
Okay, how about a music related question. How soon can we expect to hear a sample of what is sure to be an award winning soundtrack? Do we have to wait until July 7th?
Will any of the episodes feature the Wilhelm scream?
Though this doesn't quite answer your question, I believe we had one in every episode of SBCG4AP.
Having grown up with Monkey Island left me with a big soft spot for Pirates and resulted in me listening to a lot of Pirate Metal. I know you guys never heard of em but there is one true Pirate Metal band sailing under jolly roger
If anything, you guys working hard on the new Monkey Island could give them a listen http://www.myspace.com/runningwildmusic They are very piratey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLp9rf9GRP8 It's hard to hear the lyrics in the live version. And five episodes are better than four because it's an odd number. Odd numbers are always more satisfying, so spake William Gilpin.
and how many in jokes will beinthis game compaired to the others?
you guys rock hard
BTW I heard this thing will play on Wii. Cool. Sorry if this was asked before but can you switch between PC and Game console? (Eg play on Wii one time and then maybe the PC on another?)
Thank you for bringing back Monkey Island. It was a long Long LONG wait! I had given up hope. I turned 40 this year, I consider this an awesome present to me! hehe
sri
"Previously... on Tales of Monkey Island" I mean, come on. That's awesome.
I'm not quite sure what my point is... And I used the word "titles" five times in those two sentences...
Does he plan to ever reveal the Secret? Perhaps in a letter he'll be buried with, which will also contain white powder and a cheeky postscript saying that it might or might not be anthrax (because, hey, you can get away with anything when you're dead)?