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Buying Chapter 1 alone?

Kal JenkoKal Jenko
edited July 2009 in Tales of Monkey Island
Can anyone tell me if it will/is be possible to just purchase the chapters separately then in one bundle like other Telltale game?

Thanks in advance

Comments

  • DanteDante
    edited July 2009
    I'd also like to know that. There are about 12 bucks left on my Paypal account, if I knew you'd had to buy the whole pack I would've filled it up in time for the release.
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2009
    I think due to the more serial/less episodic nature they're not selling them separately. Though I imagine the Wii version will be stand-alone. I haven't heard anything definitive on this either way though.
  • DanteDante
    edited July 2009
    Damn this is going to take at least 2 days, no quick ME fix for me.:p
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited July 2009
    What is the point of calling it episodes if you do not have the choice of just getting one "episode" WHY NOT JUST MAKE A WHOLE GAME, and release it all at once?
  • Kal JenkoKal Jenko
    edited July 2009
    Damn... was really looking forward to playing this as well, but due to money issues I can't afford the whole bundle anytime soon. Buying them in parts looked to be the answer, but this doesn't seem the case now :(
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited July 2009
    It really does seem odd that they are not allowing single episode purchases, seems like they are missing the whole point of episodes.

    But I guess at least we can try the demo

    http://www.telltalegames.com/demo/launchofthescreamingnarwhal
  • RadogolRadogol
    edited July 2009
    You can buy just the first episode on Steam, I think.
  • Kal JenkoKal Jenko
    edited July 2009
    Radogol wrote: »
    You can buy just the first episode on Steam, I think.

    Just checked and its the same, you can only buy the bundle from Stream, bad times
  • heartsauceheartsauce
    edited July 2009
    This is a total bummer, I was planning on using my "free game" code to gift the first MI episode to a friend. Oh well.
  • RMJ1984RMJ1984
    edited July 2009
    i think its just a mistake, you can do it with all the others ofc :) im sure this will get fixed asap, ofc telltale doesnt want to force people to buy the whole season, they are not like that *wink* *wink* hehe
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2009
    Irishmile wrote: »
    What is the point of calling it episodes if you do not have the choice of just getting one "episode" WHY NOT JUST MAKE A WHOLE GAME, and release it all at once?
    Because it's kind of fun to get a game delivered to you once a month, I suppose. Playing just one chapter of a game like Tales of Monkey Island seems silly to me, but I guess some people want to try before they buy.

    I don't really think "the whole point of episodes" is buying them a la carte. Except for Bone (obviously) I've gotten all Telltale's games with season passes. Never even occured to me to just get one 3-4 hour thing.
  • SardukarSardukar
    edited July 2009
    the whole point of episodes

    The whole point of episodes is so you can buy them individually and the developer gets paid as they develop the game rather than when the season is finished. I suppose MI is not an episodic game, which is a shame really.
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited July 2009
    I want to buy the single episode not because I want to try it.... I tried it already, I played the demo I want to buy it.... But at the moment I do not have the extra money to drop $35 on the entire season but I could get the single episode.... I intend on getting the rest later. If they intend the game to be one big single game and not episodes making people wait a month to play the game in chunks is not a fun charming thing its annoying..... but at the end of the day.... come on they ARE episodes.... They should let us buy it in pieces like the other games.... You would think with people downloading games illegally all the time they would make it as painless for fans who actually want to give them their money to do so.
  • SonataFanaticaSonataFanatica
    edited July 2009
    Now this is actually really crap! :mad:
    I didn't buy the pre-order special because I'm quite short of money so I thought I'd rather buy the first episode alone - that'll do for now. So now I can't buy it? I'm forced to buy the whole bunch?

    If I had known that I would have definitely bought the pre-order deal because of the extras. :mad:

    Thanks a lot guys... :(
  • SpookyySpookyy
    edited July 2009
    Tell me about it!

    Waited all day to get a chance to buy chapter 1 because i am short on cash.

    Suddenly they change business model and force you to pay for the whole game but only give you the first 20% ..... smooth.

    Anyways, i got some extra cash now so i will buy it now. To bad i missed the preorder deal then.
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2009
    Sardukar wrote: »
    The whole point of episodes is so you can buy them individually and the developer gets paid as they develop the game rather than when the season is finished.
    This perception (by developers more than consumers) is why episodic series almost never get finished (except for Telltale's because they don't operate like that). First episodes don't sell enough and later ones never materialize.
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2009
    Irishmile wrote: »
    I want to buy the single episode not because I want to try it.... I tried it already, I played the demo I want to buy it.... But at the moment I do not have the extra money to drop $35 on the entire season but I could get the single episode.... I intend on getting the rest later. If they intend the game to be one big single game and not episodes making people wait a month to play the game in chunks is not a fun charming thing its annoying..... but at the end of the day.... come on they ARE episodes.... They should let us buy it in pieces like the other games.... You would think with people downloading games illegally all the time they would make it as painless for fans who actually want to give them their money to do so.
    The main reason for this change is that they don't want people to buy, say, just Chapter Two or Three. That'd be confusing and disorienting in a way it wasn't with their other games. I understand that when there's only only one episode out, there doesn't seem to be a conflict, but they're just thinking ahead. It really is going to be more like one big game this time.

    I don't think $35 merits a second mortgage or anything. But you're right, the episodic thing doesn't appeal to everyone and if you don't find the idea of getting a game each month charming, then you're welcome to wait until it's complete and buy the whole thing like a normal game.
  • jp-30jp-30
    edited July 2009
    Wallace & Gromit was initially only sold as a bundle, but not long after launch Telltale offered individual episodes. So maybe it will happen here too?
  • Mad MageMad Mage
    edited July 2009
    I find little merit in the actual sales format of episodic gaming. What I do like about it, is it is heading in the direction of games being smaller and cheaper, something which I feel encourages good game design over huge budget games which may not be all the special.

    On a side not, hey Frogacuda. Always knew ya had great taste in games.
  • MarillMarill
    edited July 2009
    I hope so. How long does the demo last for, I tested it when I got it before I went to bed and all I know is that saving isn't allowed on it.

    I'll just have to continue waiting until Tuesday when I have the right money in my paypal account :P Shame. Hopefully the demo will keep me going (playing it tonight).
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2009
    Hey Mad Mage, welcome aboard.
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited July 2009
    I know $35 is a bargain... BUT I have a wife, three kids, bills, 2 cats and all sorts of other money worries... and sometimes dropping $35 on a game is not a huge priority..... Especially when it would start a fight with the wife... These last few months have not been too kind especially because my wife got into a minor fender bender that is going to cost me money...

    So all I am saying is it would be nice for people like me to be able to drop an easy to come up with $9 when things are not exactly going their way.

    Its not that im going to lose sleep or anything I just like being able to play the game and talk about it places like here when people are talking about it.
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2009
    You get what I'm saying about every episode after 1 not working without the previous though, right? That's different from Telltale's other games, so I can see why they'd want to do it differently.
  • SonataFanaticaSonataFanatica
    edited July 2009
    Irishmile wrote: »
    ... and sometimes dropping $35 on a game is not a huge priority..... Especially when it would start a fight with the wife...
    Exactly my feelings here...
    Frogacuda wrote: »
    (...) about every episode after 1 not working without the previous though, right?
    What, the other episodes won't work technically? They don't have executables or what?
  • SardukarSardukar
    edited July 2009
    This perception (by developers more than consumers) is why episodic series almost never get finished (except for Telltale's because they don't operate like that). First episodes don't sell enough and later ones never materialize.

    If first episodes dont sell enough then the developer was never going to make enough money anyway on the final release, simple as that. So they would just be delaying the inevitable and costing publisher and financial backers money. Episodes can work, just very few developers are reluctant because it means they have to actually put out a good game.
  • onemanandhisdroidonemanandhisdroid
    edited July 2009
    In the meantime, Germany's most popular gaming mag and site has caught up on this and posted a news calling Telltale's sales model "cocky", saying that Telltale would want people to sign a deal on products that aren't made yet, let alone reviewed or guaranteed to be of similar quality as the first episode - the only part of the deal gamers can inform themselves about so far.

    They've since lessened their choice in words a bit, but the article itself is still there, collecting user commenty by the minute or something.

    http://www.gamestar.de/index.cfm?pid=1261&pk=1957397&sortorder=asc&fp=6#liststart


    Might be a good idea to clear this issue up as I doubt this is was Telltale's intention for the current deal to come off this way.
  • faemirfaemir
    edited July 2009
    Well you could view it as an early release for those willing to pay up front in faith I guess, and the normal release of single episodes is later (or in this case, the entire thing in 5 months time the normal release)
  • SurplusGamerSurplusGamer
    edited July 2009
    The point of releasing it as episodes is that Telltale are an episodic game developer who design episodic games, using an episodic development/release process. If they've decided to bundle the episodes together this time around that doesn't suddenly make it a non-episodic game... it's still designed and developed that way!
  • doodo!doodo!
    edited July 2009
    Kind of underhanded to be honest... I wont pay that ,I can't ...
  • adventureaddictadventureaddict
    edited July 2009
    I'm sure Telltale will release them individually eventually, it'd be silly for them not too. Any TTG guys who can let everyone know if this will happen?
  • SlanzingerSlanzinger
    edited July 2009
    SonataFanatica wrote: »
    Exactly my feelings here...


    What, the other episodes won't work technically? They don't have executables or what?
    Not that, just the story. Things like Sam&Max Season 1, apart from probably the last chapter (and maybe the one before it, not sure) worked as standalone games, with a subplot that merely arched over the whole season. The subplot wasn't all that important.
    Here, on the other hand, the plot is written as if it were one game - as Monkey Island games always have been with their different Acts. And playing Act II of Secret of Monkey Island wouldn't really make much sense without knowing what transpired in the first. That sort of thing.

    They should release the episodes individually, yes, but as this is far more story-driven than some other of Telltale's episodic games, you really shouldn't play them in the wrong order.

    It seems that the store page for it is in place, but empty *at the moment*.(little URL-trickery was required for this)
    http://www.telltalegames.com/store/launchofthescreamingnarwhal
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