I know you guys can't outright say it, but is there a chance that unknown characters from Season 1 and 2 can make a return in future installments?
There’s a chance.
Was there ever something that was cut from the game that you wish was left in?
So. Many. Things. But part of the creative process is being able to balance the competing needs of schedule, scope, and cost -- and not every idea that we loved fit within the team's means to bring to life effectively.
Favorite moment from ANF?
There were a lot, over the course of the season. Personally, I fell in love with scenes in every episode as we made them, but the most recent one for me was the Water Tower scene in episode 5, where the conflict between David and Kate comes to a head, pulling Javi right into the middle of it.
* I know you guys can't outright say it, but is there a chance that unknown characters from Season 1 and 2 can make a return in future insta… morellments?
* Can we expect to see the comics incorporated into the game more in the future?
* Was there ever something that was cut from the game that you wish was left in?
* Favorite moment from ANF?
* With so many different endings to From the Gallows, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about how they will be handled in the future. Don't get me wrong, I love having multiple endings. It adds a ton of replay value and makes me feel like choices actually matter. However, as I'm sure you guys are well aware of, the handling of the multiple Season 2 endings this season garnered some negative feedback. Will our endings this season affect the future in a meaningful way? Also, thank you for keeping Conrad alive!
* Finally, on behalf of the community, I just need to know....What can yo… [view original content]
Thanks for taking the time to write this. I agree that Season 1 was something really special, and that anyone working on the Walking Dead should constantly strive to capture that same magic.
In your honest opinion, what's the biggest regret/missed opportunity you guys had for this season? Is there anything that you wish had been … moredone better/differently?
Also, feel free to not respond to this next part, but it's something I would personally like to get out there and hope you guys at least see this:
Many people fell in love with this series because of all the great characters and wonderful development during Season One. I feel like some involved with the newer installments don't understand that the thing that makes people care about this franchise is its heart, something that seems to keep slowly drifting away. I know that I am far from an expert when it comes to game development, but I truly think that Telltale has to rediscover some heart for future seasons/episodes of TWD. When you watch a playthrough of Season One on YouTube, the players are clearly attached to the characters and when presented with certain scenarios or c… [view original content]
I've heard that the story was rewritten after the first two episodes released. Is this true and if so, why?
Once we saw the critical and fan reactions to episodes 1 and 2, we did adjust the story to lean into the things that seemed to be resonating with fans.
You may not be able to answer this one, but regarding Season 4, will Javi and his surviving family suffer the same fate as Kenny and Jane? That is to say, killed off (in less than satisfying ways) for the sake of course correcting the story into a single season starting narrative? (Please don't do that again. Regardless of why, it came across as lazy)
No.
Who was Hector to David and Javi? The wiki says he was their uncle, their father's brother, but there's nothing in game to indicate what his actual relation was and he didn't really look old enough to be their uncle.
Hector was David and Javi’s uncle -- baby brother to Salvador.
Overall I enjoyed this season. Worth the full price buy. Feel free to answer any or all of these. I'd prefer all lol
* I've heard that … morethe story was rewritten after the first two episodes released. Is this true and if so, why?
* Officially, how many variations of the ending are there?
* You may not be able to answer this one, but regarding Season 4, will Javi and his surviving family suffer the same fate as Kenny and Jane? That is to say, killed off (in less than satisfying ways) for the sake of course correcting the story into a single season starting narrative? (Please don't do that again. Regardless of why, it came across as lazy)
* Why are we pigeonholed into certain situations with no way to avoid them? For example, all the conflict with Badger and Max etc in episodes 1 and 2 and then being made into the bad guy in episode 3 when meeting Joan and Clint. No matter if Javi did everything the best possible way, he's still pain… [view original content]
What we do know is that these stories aren’t over, and the future of the Richmond folks will develop based on the starting point that the player created in this season.
How do you feel this season was received by the fandom? Do you feel the fans overall liked it? Do you think you met their expectations?
… more
I think all y’alls are better suited to answer this than we are.
Do you feel like the final product ended up being just what you guys idealized or do you think there was room for improvement? If so to what extent?
I’ve never finished a creative endeavor that I thought was perfect. Over the course of the creative process, we have to make choices on a daily basis about what chances to take and where to play it safe; where to invest and where to cut and run. There’s so many versions of every story, and one of our key jobs is to find the version that will resonate best and get it onscreen. Every day we make choices, and we see the results of those choices pay off via the hard work of a large team -- in order to bring a scene online, so many people (artists, programmers, audio/music, QA)… [view original content]
* In the very final scene of episode 5 we see Clementine backtracking to the episode 2's pit stop location where we meet Jesus, how close is… more she to getting to Mcarroll's Ranch?
* Do you think AJ has changed in any way from his time away from Clementine?, approximately long have they been separated exactly?
* For those that took Kenny's hat from Wellington and still have it, where exactly is it? in a bag? back pocket? left behind at Richmond?
* Is there a possibility of Clementine ever meeting Negan?
When we answered that question, we were trying to be consistent with the information about Clem’s family that had been shared in a previous interview (from an earlier season) -- specifically, that one of Clem’s parents as seen in the picture from Season 1 might not actually be her biological parent -- while answering a question that was more about how we believe it’s important and authentic to have protagonists of color. But what we didn’t intend to imply was that Clem’s parentage or last name was going to play a major role in the season moving forward -- it wasn’t, and it didn’t, and I know that disappointed people who thought we brought it up as foreshadowing.
* What was the whole reason behind the forced love triangle?
* Are we ever gonna see Javi again? I'd love to see more of him, even as an NP… moreC.
* Are you guys gonna treat Gabe and Kate like you guys did with Kenny and Jane?
* I love Javier, but I'm wondering: What was the process with creating his character? Was there anything that was changed about him before release?
EDIT: I forgot the big question! Can you tell us who Clementine's father is or will we see him in a future season? (Based on the fact you guys kinda alluded to Ed not being her dad in the last AMA)
1.1 R-E-S-P-E-C-T! We're all here to have fun, so be cool to each other. Always behave respectfully towards other community members, moderators and Telltale team members - even in passing. Insults, hate speech, platform wars… leave it out. Criticism of someone's actions or opinions is OK, but avoid personal attacks. If you feel especially slighted by another forum member, use the "Flag" button to report their comments to moderators instead of shooting back!
And on that note, you may want to edit this comment above.
Is Luke dead 100%? (I would like this confirmed so I can put away my conspiracy theories)
Are you serious? Stop pretending you didn'… moret see him die. He is 100% dead. This is a reason why he was nowhere to be found in ANF and will never be in the future installments.
How do you think it's possible to write a coherent story when some very large parts of it are going to be determinant? Do I need to expect a much shorter game with more choice carried over from the previous game or is that "no" simply saying that it won't be done as randomly as for Jane and Kenny? Resources are limited if I'm reading correctly and writing a bunch of different storylines in one game seems like a huge drain on resources which could be used on other (more important) things instead.
I've heard that the story was rewritten after the first two episodes released. Is this true and if so, why?
Once we saw the critical… more and fan reactions to episodes 1 and 2, we did adjust the story to lean into the things that seemed to be resonating with fans.
You may not be able to answer this one, but regarding Season 4, will Javi and his surviving family suffer the same fate as Kenny and Jane? That is to say, killed off (in less than satisfying ways) for the sake of course correcting the story into a single season starting narrative? (Please don't do that again. Regardless of why, it came across as lazy)
No.
Who was Hector to David and Javi? The wiki says he was their uncle, their father's brother, but there's nothing in game to indicate what his actual relation was and he didn't really look old enough to be their uncle.
Hector was David and Javi’s uncle -- baby brother to Salvador.
There was a big hub in Episode 5 where Javi had to solve the problem of how to get off the roof, while also having the opportunity to talk t… moreo each character about your relationship and what was on their mind, including Clem trying to cheer up a very sad Gabe after having been knocked back by David in the scene in the apartments.
From day 1 of development, the team wanted to give Clem an evolving look over the course of the flashbacks and the season to accompany her growth as a survivor in the The Walking Dead Universe. We wanted this look to show she is growing up into adulthood and that she is becoming a stronger individual. Internally we labeled this final look as "Hero Clem." We felt a red leather jacket was both striking and a practical clothing item for the times as well. Leather is pretty hard to bite through, but most importantly it gave the powerful look we wanted for her continued journey. For hair styles we played with many and ended up feeling the short asymmetric cut was perfect for our target goal. We also had to pick a shorter style since she is getting a hair cut. Ultimately hair is an item that can grow, so who knows how Clem's hair will appear in her continued story.
Can you guys go a bit more in depth with regards to Clementine's new look: the inspiration, reasoning, and maybe describe some styles/concep… morets that were on the table before you reached your conclusion? Thanks in advance and thanks for the new season!
He’s clean-shaven in the flashbacks, as well as the opening scene!
I'm just sad I haven't seen more fan-art with Javi trying out different facial hairs. You know the dude could rock the Magnum PI no problem.
Also, on a less critical note, who was your favorite character this season and why?
Too many to list. Javi, Conrad, Clem, Kate, David, Salvador, Mariana, and, of course, Tripp. Son of a goddamn do I love my Tripp! And Gabe! Yeah, that’s right, you heard me! Him, too!
As to why? Each character offered such great challenges as a writer that it was a really thrilling and enlightening journey finding their voice.
Who was YOUR favorite character this season and why?
What part of A New Frontier are you most proud of? Personally I applaud you guys on how you handled Conrad!
The dominoes scene with Javier, David, and their father. The confrontation between Javi and David at the water tower. The haircutting scene with Clem. Tripp and Javi talking about love and what a mess it can be. Standing on the ledge with David. The many gifs/shoutouts I’ve seen for one of my favorite series of lines I’ve ever written that I NEVER thought would make it into the game: “I hope you choke on your fucking cake! It looked like shit, by the way.” And plenty of others.
And thanks! I'm really happy with how we handled Conrad, too!
* What happened to the supposed multiple starting points for the game?
* Why was it decided to kill off Kenny, Jane and Edith (along with t… morehe entirety of Wellington) in the first Clementine flashback? Did you not intend to show more of our endings and why didn't you just make these characters' fates unknown if you wanted to get rid of them, instead of killing them like all the fans were hoping you wouldn't do?
* Why is the only decision that affects Clementine's behavior the Season 2 Ending decision?
* Why do you continue to toss aside determinant characters despite making a great one?
* How exactly do the choices from previous seasons affect the game and what are the reasons behind them?
* Why do people with the Wellington ending lack a flashback in Episode 4 and a moment with Gabe and why does Edith not get any form of development?
* Was Episode really 1 that huge that it had to be split into two? Because many pointed out that the com… [view original content]
Do you think having somewhere between 7-8 writers on an episode can be detrimental or beneficial to the episode's development and quality?
When set up with good communication, clear goals, and sensible timeframes, sometimes the work of a team can be greater than the sum of its parts.
One of the things that we did in ANF was to credit writers who made a substantial contribution to a version of the script for the episode, even if that version didn’t make it on screen. Over the course of the early episodes, we did have some complete rewrites; generally, the number of people who contributed to the shipping version of an episode was much smaller than the total number of people listed, but I can understand the confusion that came from that policy.
Why was there no playable Clem segment in Episode 5, especially considering how you had a S1 flashback planned for the episode?
We did have a cut flashback that originally appeared in episode 1 that happened before Clem met Lee in Season 1. That flashback was never intended for ep 5, though. In general, we tried to use the Clem flashbacks to both explain how her story and Javi’s story became intertwined and to get player input on some key decisions that would help determine Clem’s character in Episode 5.
Why is there not a way for Conrad to determinantly die in Episode 5?
We talked about it, but we didn’t have the bandwidth to build it out properly given the scope of the other things we were trying to do in the episode.
God I always hate these AMA's. Not because of the responses we get, but because I can never come up with a good question to ask, and any tha… moret I can think of have already been asked by someone else. Alright, let's give this a try:
* Do you think having somewhere between 7-8 writers on an episode can be detrimental or beneficial to the episode's development and quality?
* Why was there no playable Clem segment in Episode 5, especially considering how you had a S1 flashback planned for the episode?
* Was there ever a moment where Telltale's upper management struck down some of your creative decisions that may have caused some big changes to the game itself?
* Were you expecting the type of backlash that you got from how you handled the S2 endings?
* Why appeal to newcomers with your third entry in the series, especially when S2 pretty much required you to play S1?
* Many people say that, with ANF, you strayed too far away from your roo… [view original content]
From our art director, Tara Rueping:
From day 1 of development, the team wanted to give Clem an evolving look over the course of the flas… morehbacks and the season to accompany her growth as a survivor in the The Walking Dead Universe. We wanted this look to show she is growing up into adulthood and that she is becoming a stronger individual. Internally we labeled this final look as "Hero Clem." We felt a red leather jacket was both striking and a practical clothing item for the times as well. Leather is pretty hard to bite through, but most importantly it gave the powerful look we wanted for her continued journey. For hair styles we played with many and ended up feeling the short asymmetric cut was perfect for our target goal. We also had to pick a shorter style since she is getting a hair cut. Ultimately hair is an item that can grow, so who knows how Clem's hair will appear in her continued story.
What was Tripp's exact job description in Prescott and what did he do before the outbreak?
Tripp is a former dock worker, not well educated, but street smart. Post-apocalypse, he’s killed his share of people, and it eats him up inside at night. He’s the most effective defender of the Prescott community, and had taken responsibility for the town’s “perimeter” at the time when Javi met him.
Hello there, Mr. Adam and Ms. Alyssa. This is actually my 2nd AMA(What does that even mean?), tho I'm not quite sure what to say. But I'll t… morery to come up with a few things:
What was Kate's life like before marrying David?
What was Tripp's exact job description in Prescott and what did he do before the outbreak?
What happened to Conrad's kid and is she someone we know?
Did Huh-chick(the woman on the bar stairway) have any notable relation to Eli?
Did Dr. Lingard have his own soldiers/underlings like David, Clint, and Joan did?
If you don't mind me asking, how many major rewrites did this Installment undergo before we wrapped up with From the Gallows?
1)Where did Clem learn how to drive a motorcycle? Did Kenny / Jane teach her?
2) Was Tripp the leader of Prescott or was he some sort of sc… moreeriff?
3) In episode 3, did Conrad apologize to Clem off-screen in the quarantine zone for what he did earlier in the tunnel? Is that why Clem isn't so mad about it with him or Javier?
Thank you for this season, and for this AMA , I've made you some fanarts to show you my gratitude!
Do you guys like it?
And here's Clementine. Let me know what you think and thanks again for the AMA
Ever been caught in the middle of someone else’s fight? I feel like that’s what happened in Episode 5 -- Kate had certain feelings, which Javi could choose whether or not he reciprocated; David finally realized that things with Kate weren’t the same as they were when they were separated all those years ago; and when he did, he blew up. The heart is a complicated, and not always rational, thing.
Why was David handled so poorly in episode 5?
I supported David throughout the game and i always rejected Kate but he fights you no matte… morer what. It really makes it feel like there's ZERO reward for being his bro so you might as well just romance Kate since it doesn't change the outcome at all.
Overall i thought the season was okay but I'm disappointed with the last episode. I think you can do better.
Was Mariana always supposed to die? Or did you have plans for her character?
Mariana died in different ways over the course of rewrites, but she always had a finite lifespan in the story. There was an earlier version of the story where Javi came upon a turned Mariana behind the trailer upon returning to the junkyard in Episode 1, and had to decide whether to put her down or let someone else do it. We had fully built that scene out, and seeing Zombie Mariana was tragic and horrible -- but it didn’t feel right for the story to lose her and never have a chance to talk to her again. Part of the rework of Episode 1 was to give the player more time with Mariana, and the family, before she died.
What did Conrad do before the outbreak? How did he meet Tripp and Eleanor?
Pre-apocalypse, he owned a small town restaurant and was an avid baseball fan. His family was all brutally killed in the first months after the fall, but Conrad still managed to keep a group of people safe by leading them to the Prescott airfield, and helping to build it up from nothing.
Was Mariana always supposed to die? Or did you have plans for her character?
Why was Eleanor's redemption arc scrapped? Can you tell us m… moreore about her past?
What did Conrad do before the outbreak? How did he meet Tripp and Eleanor?
Javier has the New Frontier mark on his neck in the first trailer. Was he supposed to be a New Frontier member in early stages or he was going to receive the mark at some point?
Will there be an extra episode that shows us what happens during the 3 day timeskip?
What was the game's original plot/story?
I know you probably can't say anything regarding this, but I and many others really hope Joan/Clint weren't completely forgotten by you guys since they weren't in ep. 5 at all (not counting the pictures). It would be such a waste to not see them again.
They are not forgotten. The decision that Javi made in Episode 4 will have long term consequences.
So what was the order of the Richmond council finding each other? AKA who found who first?
We know that Joan and Clint met and were traveling together before they ran into David and Lingard at the Shenandoah orchard. It wasn’t until their time at the orchard that they became a council, but that council was strong and held up even when the New Frontier group migrated to Richmond proper, joining with the existing community there to become New Richmond.
First of all, i just want to say thanks for not killing Lingard off in ep. 5 and that we got to briefly talk to him! I was afraid we wouldn'… moret see him or, even worse, that he would randomly get killed. Also, I personally liked ANF more than s2! Plus, I don't know how you guys did it, but despite me hating David 100% I still somehow cried the most at his death this season. Weird how that happened, huh?
Does/did Dr. Lingard have a crush on David at all? I and many others on another site think so. I mean, he's one of the very few people that 100% had David's back and the way he talked about him in ep. 4.... If yes, did David know? If he did, how did he react?
To expand upon my last AMA question, you guys said David was Lingard's sponsor for his drug problem, but in order to be a sponsor that person had to be an ex-addict themselves, according to the definition. So, is it true then that David is an ex-addict? What was it?
What happened be… [view original content]
We felt strongly that the story of Clem finding AJ needed to be told from Clem’s perspective -- and there wasn’t enough room in the finale episode, with everything else going on, to do that story justice.
The choices screen is buggy. Me and I believe other people have problem in seeing their Clementine. I can't find it anywhere on the choices screen. I've scrolled all episodes and possible screens. Why don't you address issues like this?
What I’ve heard from our support is that in cases where choices are missing from previous episodes/savegames for some reason, the final choice screen won’t appear. So if you look at the My Choices screen, and any of the episodes (or choices within any of the episodes) are missing, that might explain why.
I get it it's hard to keep determinant characters alive, but why did you do this cheap death to Ava? I know, not everyone get to die heroic … morebut it felt stupid. And the others after seeing her die were just like "Meh, k... She was a great soldier. Lets move on".
Why we didn't see what happened to Max if we spare him, to Joan/Clint?
The choices screen is buggy. Me and I believe other people have problem in seeing their Clementine. I can't find it anywhere on the choices screen. I've scrolled all episodes and possible screens. Why don't you address issues like this?
And for the next seasons/DLC or whatevers, please take your time, don't rush it. I would like to wait a month more and have 30 minutes more of playtime, than having 60-70 minutes long episodes.
What was Tripp's exact job description in Prescott and what did he do before the outbreak?
Tripp is a former dock worker, not well e… moreducated, but street smart. Post-apocalypse, he’s killed his share of people, and it eats him up inside at night. He’s the most effective defender of the Prescott community, and had taken responsibility for the town’s “perimeter” at the time when Javi met him.
Why did who Clem goes with in the finale (and by extension how much she trusted Javier) depend on flashbacks that Javier took no part in?
The decisions the player made playing as Clementine, in the past, shape some aspects of Clementine’s character in present day when she’s with Javier. Her decision at the Water Tower demonstrates how that determinant philosophy affects her actions - she tells Javi her plan so he can make his own choice with the most possible information. (Sometimes it’s about trust, but sometimes her decision is informed by pure pragmatism -- the Steadfast Survivor Clementine, for example, decided to assist Kate in sealing the breached wall, strategizing that she or AJ might need shelter or resources from Richmond in the future.)
One of the things that was tricky about writing the Clem flashbacks in this season is that in order for the choices to not have a “right” answer, the outcome felt predetermined. Whether Clem took Ava’s offer or not, she eventually joined the New Frontier. Lingard’s advice about injecting AJ being pointless was correct -- as David reported, AJ lived whether she did or not. And in the face of the extreme adversity of being thrown out of the New Frontier camp, without AJ, Clementine’s reaction (spit or say goodbye) says a whole lot about what kind of person she is. We wanted to reflect the importance of those choices, among others, in shaping what kind of a person Clementine turned out to be.
What was the point of throwing Rufus into the finale? Or having us decide whether or not to cut off his arm? Who was he that players should have been emotionally invested in his or his wife's plight (beyond general sympathy)? Do you see how that might have been seen as pandering?
We wanted (determinate) Rufus and Fern to be in the finale to remind Javi (and the player) of the consequences of their actions on the people of Richmond. Neither of them had any beef with Javi when they met him, but their lives were significantly disrupted by the results of his actions.
What made you guys think that the majority of people wouldn't shoot Conrad? We barely knew anything about him then and now vs. knowing Clementine for 2 seasons. Both options saved Gabe (saying that he might have missed is absurd since most of the gameplay is qte that you either win or lose) but only one option carried any emotional weight. Most players couldn't stand the thought of betraying Clem while shooting Conrad was easy to justify and meant next to nothing. Who was he that players should have cared whether he lived or died? At least Gabe had the "nephew" title so people felt a perfunctory obligation to protect him.
As a player, I have a very hard time killing people without extreme provocation. When we approached designing that Conrad scene in episode 2, it seemed like a reasonable premise that it’d be harder to convince a player to murder someone than to spare them, so we spent a LOT of time brainstorming scenarios of what could have happened that offered the player two interesting choices -- hoping to reach something much closer to a 50/50 split than what we achieved.
One thing we definitely underestimated was the power of actions vs. words -- we were careful to write Conrad as making a genuine attempt to offer what he saw as a reasonable plan based on what he understood of the situation, but I think the action he took ended up speaking much louder than those words. I’ve seen a lot of people cite the fact that Conrad shoots Gabe if you don’t make a call as a reason that killing Conrad was justified -- which in retrospect, makes a ton of sense -- and if I had anything to do over again, it might be adjusting how that timeout scene plays out to make it much more ambiguous.
Sorry, not responding to you but for some reason, the site won't let me post my questions.
What made you guys think that you could tell a… more compelling family drama in five 75 minute episodes?
Why weren't the Garcias (aside from David and Javier) more developed as people beyond their titles of "niece" "nephew" and "sister-in-law"?
Why did you guys kill Mariana? Because she wouldn't have created drama? Why not have her be this season's Piggy, the voice of reason vs. Gabe's Jack imitation with Javier as Ralph trying to balance it out?
Why did who Clem goes with in the finale (and by extension how much she trusted Javier) depend on flashbacks that Javier took no part in?
What was the point of throwing Rufus into the finale? Or having us decide whether or not to cut off his arm? Who was he that players should have been emotionally invested in his or his wife's plight (beyond general sympathy)? Do you see how that might have been seen… [view original content]
I notice there wasn't a no to Tripp possibly surviving the fall. Here's hoping he survived and will turn up in the next season, though it would be a repeat of the Kenny situation but I'll allow it since Tripp is awesome lol.
1: After pistol whipping Lonnie, why did Javier just throw gun?
From Alyssa: Javi knew that the rest of the group was likely to retu… morern, and didn’t want to get into a shootout trapped in a tiny trailer. His thinking was that he had a better chance of talking his way out of the situation if he WASN’T holding a gun.
2: Do you hate David? He's only alive in one ending, and even he can be kicked out. Even if he isn't, he doesn't show up at the END.
From Alyssa: No, not at all. David embarked on dangerous action in From the Gallows, and it took both luck and choice to save him. But just because he’s saved, doesn’t mean he’s reconciled his feelings about the family -- and I think him not showing up at the end is an indication of him working his way through that process.
And I don't hate David, either. In fact, he was one of my favorite characters to write.
3: How come episode 1, 4, and 5, (maybe more) were rewrit… [view original content]
To expand upon my last AMA question, you guys said David was Lingard's sponsor for his drug problem, but in order to be a sponsor that person had to be an ex-addict themselves, according to the definition. So, is it true then that David is an ex-addict? What was it?
When we answered that question "sponsor" probably wasn't the best word to use. Basically David helped Lingard get sober and, perhaps more importantly, stay sober. There was no intention to make it so that David was in recovery, as well. David was Lingard's rock, his voice of reason, his ally in his war against his inner demons.
Lot of questions here and thank you for asking them! I'll try to answer a couple.
If Javier was raised by cuban parents, why doesn't h… moree have cuban accent, yet randomly speaks spanish sometimes?
As someone who was also raised by a Cuban parent, I don’t have an accent. And amongst family we will occasionally throw Spanish in here and there. Just writin’ what I knew...
How do you develop your characters? Not trying to be mean, I'm just really curious. How does the character chart looks like? What is the minimum of pages you dedicate to each character?
From Alyssa: We track plans/development for characters within each episode, and characters across the whole season. (It’s a spreadsheet, not a document, but it does have lots of pages and columns! And sometimes we use white boards, too!). What we try to do is understand where the characters should be at the beginning, middle, and end of their story for each episode … [view original content]
Do you think you guys will ever consider going back to season1/2 graphics style? If updated, I really think it would look amazing. The style to me was always it's signature look you know?
From our art director, Tara Rueping:
For Seasons 1 and 2 we internally labeled the styles as the interior of a comic book. For Season 3 we wanted to stay true to the roots, but also wanted to push for a higher fidelity. The most important thing to us was not losing line work since that is the history of the franchise. So we aimed for a hybrid that kept the linework and married it with higher fidelity. Internally we referred to the style as a playable exterior of a comic book cover.
Do you think you guys will ever consider going back to season1/2 graphics style? If updated, I really think it would look amazing. The style… more to me was always it's signature look you know?
Another question is why does this season have the shaky camera/camera zooms so much?
Last question is why is there barely any hubs/controll over javi? I think there was an okay amount in ep1 but after that we barely got any. Why do certain games, like Guardians for example, get all these good hubs but yet ANF barely gets any?
Who thought it was a good idea to make Clem fall head over heels for Gabe after knowing him for, like, 3 days?
Have you ever had a crush on someone before really getting to know them?
PLEASE TELL ME this means you're taking requests because I now want:
Mirror-Universe Javi
Mutton-Chops Javi
Salvador Dali Javi
You've opened the flood gates of facial hair!
Comments
Heck yeah!
There’s a chance.
So. Many. Things. But part of the creative process is being able to balance the competing needs of schedule, scope, and cost -- and not every idea that we loved fit within the team's means to bring to life effectively.
There were a lot, over the course of the season. Personally, I fell in love with scenes in every episode as we made them, but the most recent one for me was the Water Tower scene in episode 5, where the conflict between David and Kate comes to a head, pulling Javi right into the middle of it.
Thanks for taking the time to write this. I agree that Season 1 was something really special, and that anyone working on the Walking Dead should constantly strive to capture that same magic.
[removed]
Once we saw the critical and fan reactions to episodes 1 and 2, we did adjust the story to lean into the things that seemed to be resonating with fans.
No.
Hector was David and Javi’s uncle -- baby brother to Salvador.
I mean, they're basically the same thing, right?
If you're dead, that just means you got demoted from life
I knew it.
Kids at that age grow and change quickly, so I’d have to say yes, he certainly has.
When we answered that question, we were trying to be consistent with the information about Clem’s family that had been shared in a previous interview (from an earlier season) -- specifically, that one of Clem’s parents as seen in the picture from Season 1 might not actually be her biological parent -- while answering a question that was more about how we believe it’s important and authentic to have protagonists of color. But what we didn’t intend to imply was that Clem’s parentage or last name was going to play a major role in the season moving forward -- it wasn’t, and it didn’t, and I know that disappointed people who thought we brought it up as foreshadowing.
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Perhaps he'll return as a mermaid.
Now I simply need to respond.
How do you think it's possible to write a coherent story when some very large parts of it are going to be determinant? Do I need to expect a much shorter game with more choice carried over from the previous game or is that "no" simply saying that it won't be done as randomly as for Jane and Kenny? Resources are limited if I'm reading correctly and writing a bunch of different storylines in one game seems like a huge drain on resources which could be used on other (more important) things instead.
Shame it didn't make it
From our art director, Tara Rueping:
From day 1 of development, the team wanted to give Clem an evolving look over the course of the flashbacks and the season to accompany her growth as a survivor in the The Walking Dead Universe. We wanted this look to show she is growing up into adulthood and that she is becoming a stronger individual. Internally we labeled this final look as "Hero Clem." We felt a red leather jacket was both striking and a practical clothing item for the times as well. Leather is pretty hard to bite through, but most importantly it gave the powerful look we wanted for her continued journey. For hair styles we played with many and ended up feeling the short asymmetric cut was perfect for our target goal. We also had to pick a shorter style since she is getting a hair cut. Ultimately hair is an item that can grow, so who knows how Clem's hair will appear in her continued story.
I don't know man... He looks like he belongs on the cover of a menu for a Mexican restaurant.
Too many to list. Javi, Conrad, Clem, Kate, David, Salvador, Mariana, and, of course, Tripp. Son of a goddamn do I love my Tripp! And Gabe! Yeah, that’s right, you heard me! Him, too!
As to why? Each character offered such great challenges as a writer that it was a really thrilling and enlightening journey finding their voice.
Who was YOUR favorite character this season and why?
The dominoes scene with Javier, David, and their father. The confrontation between Javi and David at the water tower. The haircutting scene with Clem. Tripp and Javi talking about love and what a mess it can be. Standing on the ledge with David. The many gifs/shoutouts I’ve seen for one of my favorite series of lines I’ve ever written that I NEVER thought would make it into the game: “I hope you choke on your fucking cake! It looked like shit, by the way.” And plenty of others.
And thanks! I'm really happy with how we handled Conrad, too!
When set up with good communication, clear goals, and sensible timeframes, sometimes the work of a team can be greater than the sum of its parts.
One of the things that we did in ANF was to credit writers who made a substantial contribution to a version of the script for the episode, even if that version didn’t make it on screen. Over the course of the early episodes, we did have some complete rewrites; generally, the number of people who contributed to the shipping version of an episode was much smaller than the total number of people listed, but I can understand the confusion that came from that policy.
We did have a cut flashback that originally appeared in episode 1 that happened before Clem met Lee in Season 1. That flashback was never intended for ep 5, though. In general, we tried to use the Clem flashbacks to both explain how her story and Javi’s story became intertwined and to get player input on some key decisions that would help determine Clem’s character in Episode 5.
We talked about it, but we didn’t have the bandwidth to build it out properly given the scope of the other things we were trying to do in the episode.
That last part, thank you
Tripp is a former dock worker, not well educated, but street smart. Post-apocalypse, he’s killed his share of people, and it eats him up inside at night. He’s the most effective defender of the Prescott community, and had taken responsibility for the town’s “perimeter” at the time when Javi met him.
Awesome fanart! I want more! :-)
Ever been caught in the middle of someone else’s fight? I feel like that’s what happened in Episode 5 -- Kate had certain feelings, which Javi could choose whether or not he reciprocated; David finally realized that things with Kate weren’t the same as they were when they were separated all those years ago; and when he did, he blew up. The heart is a complicated, and not always rational, thing.
Mariana died in different ways over the course of rewrites, but she always had a finite lifespan in the story. There was an earlier version of the story where Javi came upon a turned Mariana behind the trailer upon returning to the junkyard in Episode 1, and had to decide whether to put her down or let someone else do it. We had fully built that scene out, and seeing Zombie Mariana was tragic and horrible -- but it didn’t feel right for the story to lose her and never have a chance to talk to her again. Part of the rework of Episode 1 was to give the player more time with Mariana, and the family, before she died.
Pre-apocalypse, he owned a small town restaurant and was an avid baseball fan. His family was all brutally killed in the first months after the fall, but Conrad still managed to keep a group of people safe by leading them to the Prescott airfield, and helping to build it up from nothing.
They are not forgotten. The decision that Javi made in Episode 4 will have long term consequences.
We know that Joan and Clint met and were traveling together before they ran into David and Lingard at the Shenandoah orchard. It wasn’t until their time at the orchard that they became a council, but that council was strong and held up even when the New Frontier group migrated to Richmond proper, joining with the existing community there to become New Richmond.
We felt strongly that the story of Clem finding AJ needed to be told from Clem’s perspective -- and there wasn’t enough room in the finale episode, with everything else going on, to do that story justice.
What I’ve heard from our support is that in cases where choices are missing from previous episodes/savegames for some reason, the final choice screen won’t appear. So if you look at the My Choices screen, and any of the episodes (or choices within any of the episodes) are missing, that might explain why.
I guess it couldn't be answered lol
Don't disrespect my man Tripp like that lol
The decisions the player made playing as Clementine, in the past, shape some aspects of Clementine’s character in present day when she’s with Javier. Her decision at the Water Tower demonstrates how that determinant philosophy affects her actions - she tells Javi her plan so he can make his own choice with the most possible information. (Sometimes it’s about trust, but sometimes her decision is informed by pure pragmatism -- the Steadfast Survivor Clementine, for example, decided to assist Kate in sealing the breached wall, strategizing that she or AJ might need shelter or resources from Richmond in the future.)
One of the things that was tricky about writing the Clem flashbacks in this season is that in order for the choices to not have a “right” answer, the outcome felt predetermined. Whether Clem took Ava’s offer or not, she eventually joined the New Frontier. Lingard’s advice about injecting AJ being pointless was correct -- as David reported, AJ lived whether she did or not. And in the face of the extreme adversity of being thrown out of the New Frontier camp, without AJ, Clementine’s reaction (spit or say goodbye) says a whole lot about what kind of person she is. We wanted to reflect the importance of those choices, among others, in shaping what kind of a person Clementine turned out to be.
We wanted (determinate) Rufus and Fern to be in the finale to remind Javi (and the player) of the consequences of their actions on the people of Richmond. Neither of them had any beef with Javi when they met him, but their lives were significantly disrupted by the results of his actions.
As a player, I have a very hard time killing people without extreme provocation. When we approached designing that Conrad scene in episode 2, it seemed like a reasonable premise that it’d be harder to convince a player to murder someone than to spare them, so we spent a LOT of time brainstorming scenarios of what could have happened that offered the player two interesting choices -- hoping to reach something much closer to a 50/50 split than what we achieved.
One thing we definitely underestimated was the power of actions vs. words -- we were careful to write Conrad as making a genuine attempt to offer what he saw as a reasonable plan based on what he understood of the situation, but I think the action he took ended up speaking much louder than those words. I’ve seen a lot of people cite the fact that Conrad shoots Gabe if you don’t make a call as a reason that killing Conrad was justified -- which in retrospect, makes a ton of sense -- and if I had anything to do over again, it might be adjusting how that timeout scene plays out to make it much more ambiguous.
I notice there wasn't a no to Tripp possibly surviving the fall. Here's hoping he survived and will turn up in the next season, though it would be a repeat of the Kenny situation but I'll allow it since Tripp is awesome lol.
When we answered that question "sponsor" probably wasn't the best word to use. Basically David helped Lingard get sober and, perhaps more importantly, stay sober. There was no intention to make it so that David was in recovery, as well. David was Lingard's rock, his voice of reason, his ally in his war against his inner demons.
We’ll do our best.
PLEASE TELL ME this means you're taking requests because I now want:
Mirror-Universe Javi
Mutton-Chops Javi
Salvador Dali Javi
You've opened the flood gates of facial hair!
Hey, folks!
Gotta get back to writing these wacky games of ours! I'll try to peek in and answer when I can!
Thanks for the great questions, let's do this again sometime!
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Indeed. David may have been an ASSHOLE but he was still Gabe's father nonetheless. I KNEW IT. I knew Gabe was a good guy.
From our art director, Tara Rueping:
For Seasons 1 and 2 we internally labeled the styles as the interior of a comic book. For Season 3 we wanted to stay true to the roots, but also wanted to push for a higher fidelity. The most important thing to us was not losing line work since that is the history of the franchise. So we aimed for a hybrid that kept the linework and married it with higher fidelity. Internally we referred to the style as a playable exterior of a comic book cover.
Wait normal people get crushes in people they don't know what the heck
Alright, I'll get on it lol.
Handle bar mustache! Do a handle bar mustache!