Hmmm, here's a quick one: How about having Stan selling different stuff in each episode? Sort of like Bosco, dressing up in different ways.
I hope it's happening that way. Can't await the comments on a "Why did you give up your last business?" - dialogue option. He always had good reasons except for CMI, there he got lots of time to create a brandnew business.
Ok so my other questions were not answered so I have another, this is for Dave.
Hi Dave, huge fan :-D
QUESTION: How involved are you in the writing process? I have always found anything you were involved in as a writer to be very funny. And I was a little disappointed to discover you were not being credited as a writer on Tales, so I would be very happy to know you were at least looking over the script and adding some of the Dave Grossman funny where you can.
THANKS!
Thanks for the compliment! Although the bulk of the dialog for Tales is being written by Misters Stemmle, Darin, and Vanaman (all very funny people in my opinion), I do take an intimate editorial pass on the scripts, at which point it's typical for me to give back twenty pages or so of notes to help make things punchier and Monkeyer. I don't like to simply re-write other people's work, but I do suggest lines, plenty of which wind up in the games. So ideally the result is Monkey Island goodness, episodes that have individual character as a result of having been written by different people, and a bit of my sensibility in the mix as well. Think of me as... salt. (This sort of recipe has worked pretty well on our last few series - as much as I enjoy doing it, the last time I personally wrote more than a small amount of dialog for an episode was the first season of Sam & Max.)
(It's also true that I have a small writing assignment on the episode that's currently in script phase, but that's not normally the case.)
I'd rather they not repeat stuff as much as they did in Sam and Max season one.
I reckon the Bosco thing was quite good in Season 1. Stan could work in a similar way, but i'm not sure people would review such similar uses between the two characters very well, even though it'd work.
I think it'd be fine if Stan was only in one episode. No real need for him to be in all of them.
Also, to the staff: Just curious, do you guys keep in touch at all with LucasArts regarding casting? For instance, if you were bringing back a character from SoMI that didn't appear in CMI or EMI, would you be getting the same actor as the Special Edition remake, or at least someone intended to convey the same delivery? Outside of that, do you consult with LA at all regarding casting, in the sense that they'd have to approve your choices for the characters that they own? Or do you have full freedom in that area?
So, do you guys think you've come up with any situations, gags, or characters that will go down as being as famous as some of the most famous moments in MI history? Any that you're still chuckling at or can't get out of your heads? (No spoilers)
Also, do you plan to release a soundtrack/music sample before release? (I think this has been asked before, but I forgot where or which topic.)
How big is the writing team and how do they go through writing the dialog and actions that the player can take?
Well, Mike Stemmle and I spent a couple of months outlining the entire season story. When we were satisfied that we had created an exciting and epic tale that felt like a Monkey Island story, we then begin work writing the puzzles and dialog for the individual episodes. Typically there is one writer per episode, Mike got to write the script for the first episode and I did the second. Sean V. is working on the third episode right now! Then it's back to me and Mike to write the final episodes.
We really need to overlap the writing duties like this to be able to keep pumping out episodes each month, and it works really well. Dave Grossman oversees ll of this to make sure no one is getting overwhelmed and to insure that the writing stays sharp and witty!
Figuring out what actions and choices the player can make is usually just a matter of imagining yourself in this fantastic pirate world and asking yourself, "Ok, what would I do now?"
Is Lechuck's original voice actor (Earl Boen) the only not involved in "Tales"?
I've been playing through CMI and just listened to the whole dialog tree near the end, when LeChuck is explaining the Amusement Park of the Damned. A lot of Boen's skill is in doing a pretty good Robert Newton (as Long John Silver) voice.
If the LeChuck voice actor has really been cast, I hope he takes note... because the bit we hear in the trailer for TMI just ain't LeChuck.
I'd ask the LA guys the same thing if I had the chance. It appears that they have replaced the statue resembling our favorite pair of dog and rabbity thing for one of the equally beloved Purple Tentacle, at the entrance to the giant Monkey Head in SOMI:SE (due to their S&M license being expired and all).
Is the Robot Monkey from Escape from Monkey Island something that exists in Tales of Monkey Island, or is that considered a sidetrack of the overall story arch of the series, that you won´t make any references to?
Is the Robot Monkey from Escape from Monkey Island something that exists in Tales of Monkey Island, or is that considered a sidetrack of the overall story arch of the series, that you won´t make any references to?
Please, giant robot monkeys are so last week. We've moved on to psychosomatic nitrogen-based open-source Facebonk YouTooTube monkeys.
Howdy there, any chance you can wrangle us an audience with the illustrious Michael Land on one of these private forum threads?!?! His CMI music was a great influence to me when I was starting to get into composition!
FWIW, I didn't know much about Telltale before I happened to do my routine once-a-year-check-around-to-see-if-there's-any-sign-of-a-new-Monkey-Island, but from what I've seen and heard from you guys... you seem absolutely perfect for it! Just bought S&M S1 too. I'm totally stoked and looking forward to the game, big ups to ya for just being such a cool company!
Howdy there, any chance you can wrangle us an audience with the illustrious Michael Land on one of these private forum threads?!?! His CMI music was a great influence to me when I was starting to get into composition!
Yes, I too wish to ask Mr. Land some questions. Me iz compozeer too!
I've really enjoyed the games Telltale has released so far, but a large drawback has always been the terrible sound quality. Would it be possible to have an option with TOMI on the PC for an alternate, larger download with less compression? That would solve this problem for those of us who care about sound quality, and yet not affect the download size for those who don't.
Do you still keep an uncompressed copy of the audio for your older games around...to leave a chance that better quality versions could be released in the future?
Please, giant robot monkeys are so last week. We've moved on to psychosomatic nitrogen-based open-source Facebonk YouTooTube monkeys.
Oh, thanks for that....answer.
I asked the question because I´m interested in wheter Tales of Monkey Island is a continuation of Monkey Island 1&2, or a continuation of Escape from Monkey Island. Since the ending in the fourth game with the Monkey Robot and Hermans relationship with Elaine rewrites quite a lot of what was going in the first two game, I really can´t be a continuation of both. And since Mike Stemmle one hand says that takes place a few years after Escape, and one another says its a continutation of Monkey Island 2......well I´m a bit confused.
Do you think will see the return of Largo LaGrande as it was never mentioned what happened to him after LeChuck's Fortress was destroyed in MI 2, is he dead or has he been in hiding waiting to get revenge on our lovable wannabe pirate hero???
Heres another question: Can we have another forum thread that noone can post in which you can compile some answers to? I'm reading thru 50 pages of posts trying to find answers for some important questions in the first 10 pages which dont appear to be answered. but because its 50 pages i have probably forgot the questions!! God help me if i have to insult sword fight again!!
I asked the question because I´m interested in wheter Tales of Monkey Island is a continuation of Monkey Island 1&2, or a continuation of Escape from Monkey Island. Since the ending in the fourth game with the Monkey Robot and Hermans relationship with Elaine rewrites quite a lot of what was going in the first two game, I really can´t be a continuation of both. And since Mike Stemmle one hand says that takes place a few years after Escape, and one another says its a continutation of Monkey Island 2......well I´m a bit confused.
It's a continuation of the series as a whole. It accepts all four games' events as canon. My guess, though, is that they won't feature Herman Toothrot or the Giant Monkey Head/Robot. I could be wrong, but if I were in their shoes, I'd stay well away from anything with that much baggage.
I asked the question because I´m interested in wheter Tales of Monkey Island is a continuation of Monkey Island 1&2, or a continuation of Escape from Monkey Island. Since the ending in the fourth game with the Monkey Robot and Hermans relationship with Elaine rewrites quite a lot of what was going in the first two game, I really can´t be a continuation of both. And since Mike Stemmle one hand says that takes place a few years after Escape, and one another says its a continutation of Monkey Island 2......well I´m a bit confused.
I kinda saw it as a "Yes... it happend... we will speak no more of it."
Then again, it could be a good joke to annoy fans, or make them happy. (Ah yes, that Monkey Robot blew up in outer space.) Or ("Get ready for MOOOOONKY KOMBAAAAT" *MI fan at computer* "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" "Just kidding" *MI fan laughs at reference*)
Are you guys planning on tailoring the different episodes together to one whole game so we can play the episodes back2back MI style from start to the end credits, or will it be separate episodes selectable at the main menu like S&M?
Comments
I hope it's happening that way. Can't await the comments on a "Why did you give up your last business?" - dialogue option. He always had good reasons except for CMI, there he got lots of time to create a brandnew business.
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS HIDING?
np: Fink - See It All (Sort Of Revolution)
I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN TELLTALE PEOPLE!!! *fist in the air*
Thanks for the compliment! Although the bulk of the dialog for Tales is being written by Misters Stemmle, Darin, and Vanaman (all very funny people in my opinion), I do take an intimate editorial pass on the scripts, at which point it's typical for me to give back twenty pages or so of notes to help make things punchier and Monkeyer. I don't like to simply re-write other people's work, but I do suggest lines, plenty of which wind up in the games. So ideally the result is Monkey Island goodness, episodes that have individual character as a result of having been written by different people, and a bit of my sensibility in the mix as well. Think of me as... salt. (This sort of recipe has worked pretty well on our last few series - as much as I enjoy doing it, the last time I personally wrote more than a small amount of dialog for an episode was the first season of Sam & Max.)
(It's also true that I have a small writing assignment on the episode that's currently in script phase, but that's not normally the case.)
Hey, give the team a break - two of those days were a weekend. And Monday was, uh... Northern California Pirate Festival Recovery Day?
I'd rather they not repeat stuff as much as they did in Sam and Max season one.
Oh no, I just want to see Stan as much as they can use his character in the game
I reckon the Bosco thing was quite good in Season 1. Stan could work in a similar way, but i'm not sure people would review such similar uses between the two characters very well, even though it'd work.
Also, to the staff: Just curious, do you guys keep in touch at all with LucasArts regarding casting? For instance, if you were bringing back a character from SoMI that didn't appear in CMI or EMI, would you be getting the same actor as the Special Edition remake, or at least someone intended to convey the same delivery? Outside of that, do you consult with LA at all regarding casting, in the sense that they'd have to approve your choices for the characters that they own? Or do you have full freedom in that area?
It should be in a cellar without lights and stairs next to a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying, "Beware of the Leopard."
He was there for the zen atmosphere and the great meditation spot. He also decided to take up teaching philosophy in his spare time.
Also, do you plan to release a soundtrack/music sample before release? (I think this has been asked before, but I forgot where or which topic.)
Well, Mike Stemmle and I spent a couple of months outlining the entire season story. When we were satisfied that we had created an exciting and epic tale that felt like a Monkey Island story, we then begin work writing the puzzles and dialog for the individual episodes. Typically there is one writer per episode, Mike got to write the script for the first episode and I did the second. Sean V. is working on the third episode right now! Then it's back to me and Mike to write the final episodes.
We really need to overlap the writing duties like this to be able to keep pumping out episodes each month, and it works really well. Dave Grossman oversees ll of this to make sure no one is getting overwhelmed and to insure that the writing stays sharp and witty!
Figuring out what actions and choices the player can make is usually just a matter of imagining yourself in this fantastic pirate world and asking yourself, "Ok, what would I do now?"
I've been playing through CMI and just listened to the whole dialog tree near the end, when LeChuck is explaining the Amusement Park of the Damned. A lot of Boen's skill is in doing a pretty good Robert Newton (as Long John Silver) voice.
If the LeChuck voice actor has really been cast, I hope he takes note... because the bit we hear in the trailer for TMI just ain't LeChuck.
Sacrilege!
Please, giant robot monkeys are so last week. We've moved on to psychosomatic nitrogen-based open-source Facebonk YouTooTube monkeys.
np: Aesop Rock - Babies With Guns (Bazooka Tooth (Headphone Science Version))
FWIW, I didn't know much about Telltale before I happened to do my routine once-a-year-check-around-to-see-if-there's-any-sign-of-a-new-Monkey-Island, but from what I've seen and heard from you guys... you seem absolutely perfect for it! Just bought S&M S1 too. I'm totally stoked and looking forward to the game, big ups to ya for just being such a cool company!
Yes, I too wish to ask Mr. Land some questions. Me iz compozeer too!
We thought that would make the games too easy.
Do you still keep an uncompressed copy of the audio for your older games around...to leave a chance that better quality versions could be released in the future?
Oh, thanks for that....answer.
I asked the question because I´m interested in wheter Tales of Monkey Island is a continuation of Monkey Island 1&2, or a continuation of Escape from Monkey Island. Since the ending in the fourth game with the Monkey Robot and Hermans relationship with Elaine rewrites quite a lot of what was going in the first two game, I really can´t be a continuation of both. And since Mike Stemmle one hand says that takes place a few years after Escape, and one another says its a continutation of Monkey Island 2......well I´m a bit confused.
Dude can you email me the ringtone?? I want to replace my TMNT one! I don't think the turtles will be too upset!
GoT
It's a continuation of the series as a whole. It accepts all four games' events as canon. My guess, though, is that they won't feature Herman Toothrot or the Giant Monkey Head/Robot. I could be wrong, but if I were in their shoes, I'd stay well away from anything with that much baggage.
That's a point!
Dave, you should put in Ctrl+W to lose the game >:-)
I kinda saw it as a "Yes... it happend... we will speak no more of it."
Then again, it could be a good joke to annoy fans, or make them happy. (Ah yes, that Monkey Robot blew up in outer space.) Or ("Get ready for MOOOOONKY KOMBAAAAT" *MI fan at computer* "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" "Just kidding" *MI fan laughs at reference*)
Are you guys planning on tailoring the different episodes together to one whole game so we can play the episodes back2back MI style from start to the end credits, or will it be separate episodes selectable at the main menu like S&M?
(Sorry if question has already been answered)
(No this isn't a serious question so don't bother answering it :P...)