Why TTG finales are short.
A lot of people around here complain about the length of the final episode for any given game/season. I understand where they're coming from, as we all love the content... But in my opinion, the basis behind their complaints is very flawed.
Telltale games makes story games. Each one has a beautifully constructed plot, with dynamic characters and fabulous performances by the VAs. For all intents and purposes, any given TTG game pulls the same weight for me as any given narrative TV show or novel. When you look at both the TV show and novel, they both follow this plot trend - almost without fail:
After the vast majority of the book or TV season is spent building the action, the penultimate chapter serves to deliver a climax that leaves the purveyor on the edge of their seat. The final stretch of any given narrative, therefore, is going to be much shorter than any of the other parts. Why? Because over the course of thousands of years, storytellers have come to realize that there is only a certain amount of road a story has after its climax. Falling action, resolution and denouement are all that remain (that wasn't intentional, by the way) after that. A TTG story doesn't have a lot of denouement if it has any at all - considering just how character based it is, it would break a lot of immersion to pull of a "where are they now?" sequence - so we're left with just falling action and resolution.
"But internet guy, why don't they just extend it with another climax?"
Because it would lessen the impact of the first one. The deaths of Rebecca, Sarah, and Nick would - by the end - be made almost completely insignificant. They would feel like Pete's death by now. Any narrative series (ie., Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones... I'm not talking your Family Guy or The Simpsons cases) needs a season finale that serves as a finite end with a previously established rising action and climax, otherwise they drag on waaaaaaaaaaay too long for anybody to care about them anymore (sorry, but Glee). Falling action and resolution have to be short, otherwise the entire narrative flow will be compromised. It can be maddening, yes... But the writers are paid thousands upon thousands of dollars to do this. They know exactly what they're doing, and it's up to us to put our trust in them to tell a good, impacting story.
I am surprised no one has responded to those comments with a plot graph yet, but I feel it's necessary to tell you all straight up. It's maddening to me whenever someone writes another complaint (or Shame On You, Telltale) regarding the finale's inevitable episode length. It's like complaining that the whole milk I buy from Wal Mart isn't going to be lactose-free.
TL;DR - Stop complaining about the length the finale will be. Every single successful story ever written has the exact same narrative structure, and if you think that you are smarter than the last few millenia of storytellers... Then you're wrong.
Comments
Somehow I doubt it lol
I posted this same thread a few months ago. I hope users like your thread better than they did mine.
this part was enough to justify... you could haave skipped the boasting part
The episode hasn't even released though lol no one knows how long it is
Take my up vote
Which part was boasting? I try not to come off as high-and-mighty... I'll fix.
Idc how long an episode is, as long as the story is satisfying. A story only needs to be as long as it needs to be in order to finish it. Adding extra tid bits to add fifteen minutes is pointless. People asked me how many chapters my story will have, I said, "as long as it needs to be. If it needs fifty, I do fifty. If it needs twenty, I do twenty."
Well damn, then.
That was a bit harsh... Sorry.
i think it's just me that doesn't like when someone doesn't skip right to the point and i have to read other unnecessary parts
that's what TL;DR is for.
Pretty sure at this point people are irritated by the length of every episode. The precise problem is that they haven't built a beautifully constructed plot this time around. They haven't given themselves enough time to do so, nor have they done very well with the time they do have.
That the finale is likely to be the shortest episode of all is just salt in the wound. Episode 5 of season 1 was shorter, but that was acceptable because what was there was great and provided a perfect ending to the season. Given what I'm come to expect of the modern Telltale, the shortness won't feel natural to the plot so much as a rush to the finish line so they can get straight to churning out another series.
Maybe change it to tone it down a bit?
The length has never bothered me, as long as the writing is good im fine with it!
TeamSarah
NotTheCrawfordWay
it's true though. I have seen some people's ideas of the next episode and none of them were good.
Because they're very crude writers who have had very little experience in writing professionally.
Uh... LOL They were insignificant. Are you kidding me? There was nothing for any of their deaths, they had absolutely no meaning. They may as well of not existed in the first place, other than a small distraction.
Politicians are paid enormous amounts of money, does that mean we should openly trust them without thought?
People seriously shop at Walmart? Gross.