SEAMLESS episodes please
One thing I disliked about Sam and Max was that, once I finished an episode, I had to go and start a new one, instead of being automatically taken to it. I would have expected a short cutscene and KABOOM, we're in the next episode.
So please, for MI, please handle owners of multiple episodes a bit more gracefully. Monkey Island had Chapters in the past, can you imagine having to sit through credits AND intro between them?
If any analogy is needed: TV series on DVD have a "Play All" option. They show credits and intros, sure, but they understand people might want to keep going with the experience without further intervention.
Put as many restrictions as you feel like in order to make this easier for you:
- Only do it if someone has all 5 chapters
- Only do it if they installed them all in the default directories
- Only do it if it's Saturday and it's the French version of the game
It makes for a more compelling experience, overall.
So please, for MI, please handle owners of multiple episodes a bit more gracefully. Monkey Island had Chapters in the past, can you imagine having to sit through credits AND intro between them?
If any analogy is needed: TV series on DVD have a "Play All" option. They show credits and intros, sure, but they understand people might want to keep going with the experience without further intervention.
Put as many restrictions as you feel like in order to make this easier for you:
- Only do it if someone has all 5 chapters
- Only do it if they installed them all in the default directories
- Only do it if it's Saturday and it's the French version of the game
It makes for a more compelling experience, overall.
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I'd say both. Each episode will probably have some sort of closure, but the main story arch won't be finished until the 5th episode (based on previous Telltale games). I'd treat TOMI as one big game with 5 chapters.
With that being said, I accept it as a necessary evil as there's no way to market adventure games in the US at the moment otherwise. Episode adventure games are better than no adventure games.
This is so important that needs a reminder. Once all episodes are installed, every chapter should begin immediately after the previous one ends, creating ONE SEAMLESS game.
"Grossman explained that Telltale prefers to split a story into segments rather than have one game that is too long for people to comfortably play. However, unlike previous games, each episode is not considered a standalone tale but rather a single chapter in an ongoing narrative."
from tales of monkey island wikipedia page
I've never bought a telltale game but am going to preorder monkey island at the end of the month. Puzzle construction with episodes is definitely a worry, because 'whole' games have the advantage of the player being able to use objects found in earlier parts of the game towards the end.
How has this been done with sam and max?
It wasn't so much in Sam & Max but it has already been said that there maybe a few season long items in Tales.
But, like everyone here, I expect the Micheal Land music between each ep like in MI3.
Whats New Beelzebub had Sam with the some of the items he had at the end of Episode 204, I think, I'm pretty sure he had like an egg or something.
Also, the games are meant to be played with a month in between them so that shouldn't annoy you to much :P
True, take MI1 for example. Guybrush begins episode 3 I think it is on the ship sailing the carribean, trying to find monkey Island. There might be a few items he has that he didnt need in that episode, but even in the games, between chapters you loose items that arent needed. Most the items you would have no matter how you completed the last chapter. Take Monkey 3 when he comes to the carnival on monkey island, he only has a few items of the items he had earlier in the game. Or at least fewer items than the last chapter. I might not be remembering it right though.
So I think it could work. Still it should be more seamless than Sam n Max. They have their office to start out in, during the beginning of all episodes. In Monkey Island there would have to be new places to start every episode. At least that is the way in the previous Monkey Islands. Of course they might use some of the same locations in between episodes, just not the same starting location. Would ruin seamlessness.
But I'd hate to have to start a whole new episode when I don't have time to be at my PC all day. One of the best things about episodic game play is that you get to play a 'whole' game in a fraction of the time this would normally take then go and attend to things in real world.
I don't think I'll have time to play an entire season in 1 sitting again in my life time. I didn't even get the opportunity to play whole episodes uninterrupted. I'm quite certain many other players will be in the same position.
I recommend you play Season 2 instead of 1. Season 1 isn't bad, but Season 2 is leagues better and will give you a much better view of what the new MI will be like.
Don't worry about loosing items you need later.
Any item you gain in an early episode that you may need later will either still be with you or can be reacquired in some hilarious fashion. If you gained an item in one episode to find it in the next then you're not supposed to have that item, either because it would make things too easy or because it would mitigate the story.