Dear Telltale, you got this.
Longtime fan VengefulKenny here, just wanted to reassure any Telltale employees (and fans) that are reading this to relax, focus, and deliver the best final season you can possibly muster. Things have gotten rather toxic around the fanbase since the PAX teaser, but I want you to know that the majority of players want to see you and TFS meet and succeed expectations.
There were several instances during the PAX panel that confirmed that Telltale is listening to fan feedback. They are going back to the dark/comic book-esque art style, as ANF's waxy and realistic art style had mixed reception. They are bringing back hubs and environment exploration, as ANF had very few hubs you could explore and interact with your group in and this turned out to be a big complaint. The gameplay interface seems more fluid, with seamless transitions between hubs, cutscenes, and QTE's. And I for one am excited to see the dynamics of a group that is largely comprised of teenagers and children. We have seen children within adult groups, but never a group of children on their own. Adults who have lost everything is an overdone trope in this universe, this new concept is fresh and has heaps of potential.
Telltale is clearly listening to fan feedback, and their most recent season of Batman showed an immense leap in terms of quality and choices mattering. A lot of people are being critical already but this is largely due to how ANF was received. Prove them wrong. A lot of people, the critics included, want nothing more than for TFS to be a rousing success. You guys got this. I can't wait to see what is in store for Clementine and AJ.
Comments
It is good to see some positivity around here. Telltale, stick to your plan and trust in your creativity. Just remember that not everyone will like it but be proud knowing that there will certainly be people that will continue to show support and love for the hard work that you have put in to give us great games. People are skeptical and doubtful.... Show them what you guys are capable of. Blow Season One out of the water. Do your best and know that although there is people who may not like the Final Product there are people who will continue to show support for The Final Season until the Episode 5 Credits. Telltale I love what you guys do. Now do what you do best!
Genuine question Venge.
Do you think saying you don't like the way something looks, in a forum, equals toxicity?
I have almost all the Telltale games. And I love all of them. Telltale has my heart. Too many good moments and GREAT entertainment to be a jerk with the company because of one failure or two.
I'm with you, guys! Keep the good work!
I think people have some legitimate concerns. But what I've seen lately are not legitimate concerns being addressed in a respectful and positive way. I've seen people going to the writer's twitter pages and saying how much they hate it. People likening the teaser to a teenage dating simulator. People saying it looks like shit and that it can't possibly be good because the writer's are "so inexperienced".
I'm all for constructive criticism that may result in us getting an even better final season than is currently planned. But throwing a fit and generating a ton of negativity is not going to do anybody any favors, employees and fans alike.
@emilybuckshot @Alyssa_TTG just wanted to make sure you guys don't miss out on @VengefulKenny ‘s words of wisdom. There are more people who are intrigued and excited about this new route you guys are taking than it may initially seem. These new characters and community look very interesting and have a lot of potential. A group of adults who have lost everything is a trope that is often explored in TWD but a group of children that have been abandoned, lost their parents, etc. isn’t explored as often and is uncharted territory. We are lucky to have such good writers exploring this territory for us. A story about how the apocalypse has affected all of these children in different ways is a really interesting concept to explore. Don’t let the toxic words of fans who are already hating something that hasn’t even been released yet ruin the potential of this new story you guys are trying to tell.
I appreciate the fact that you're doing your best to be reasonable and moderate.
I, as well, would rather criticism be presented constructively, or at the very least that it doesn't deliberately attempt to undermine people. But I have another question: would you say that people—who might be just as much of a fan as anyone else—comparing the new footage to a teenage dating simulator and similar stuff, should be censored and/or banned?
I don't think any speech that technically follows the community rules should be censored or banned. But I do believe that we as a community should cultivate a more positive community culture where positive/constructive criticism is fostered and completely toxic/negative criticism is less tolerated and not made into a meme of sorts.
I'm 100% on board with that; as long as it emerges organically.
I'm not sure I get why people keep saying this is immediately going to be a teenage dating simulator. I mean, I get that, after what happened with Gabe and how that "romance" came off as forced, they're hesitant to have more romances involving Clem, and that a group of kids her own age being the main characters could lead some to speculate, but to immediately write it off and say romance is clearly going to be a major story point this season is jumping to conclusions.
I've said it before, but this group is not going to be a bunch of Gabe's, these are kids that are going to be more like Clem in mindset and maturity than Gabe ever was or could ever dream to be. Plus, since it does appear that they are looking at some of the criticisms and looking to rectify them, I'm sure one of them was "less focus on romance, more on survival and hard hitting choices." Plus, now that we're back in control of Clem again, if there is romance, it will more than likely be through a result of player choices, not like what happened with Clem and Gabe.
Thank you for this!
Telltale I and many others will always stand by you and I LOVE YOU?
Dear Telltale,
You don’t got this. Step up your game.
Sincerely
Plan_R
@Plan_R we would all like to see Telltale step up their game and blow us out the water with the final season. Let's encourage them to do so with positivity instead of doubt and toxicity, yeah?
Yeah, I think it's time to move on to Plan S
...you know, because S comes after R, and his name's Plan_R and this joke was sounding so much better in my head someone please stop me before it's too late
BLAM
Telltale, you’ve got this. Just believe in yourselves and ride the raptor of motivation
we gotcha back bros! So go whoop some ass!
Yes. One Hundred Times yes.
Haven’t we tried positive reinforcement enough? It hasn’t yielded the best results, I think it’s time to give negative reinforcement a shot.
You’ll never be good enough for me Telltale, and I skipped out early from all of your recitals while you were growing up.
Can’t use Plan_S anymore, lost it in a bet.
Well said my dude. I'm positive about this Season as well after seeing what they did with Batman Enemy Within. It's clear that Telltale is trying to get back on its feet after the recent critizism, and I think they're on the right track
Great post!
I genuinely love these games and I really want The Final Season to end the series on a high note. While I'm not going to say I'm completely confident in the design choices shown at PAX it really does seem like they're trying to listen to the feedback we gave. I'll trust Telltale on this one.
Finally, a wholesome thread about TFS. Telltale, you really do got this. Don’t let all the negativity get to you. People are just still hurt over ANF and most likely will keep bringing it up whenever they have the chance to. Don’t forget about the silent majority that are rooting for this season.
You're damn right they got this.
S2 of Batman was amazing,and The Final Season already looks better than A New Frontier
to me.
I'm excited to see how this is gonna end.
Yes because 4 years of people saying how garbage things have become since season 1 equals positive reinforcement. Give me a break. More importantly give Telltale a break. Their latest games saw great improvement in nearly every aspect that was criticized in ANF. Have you played Batman S2? That game was fucking amazing, if the final season is anything like that, it will be a major success. You're not going to achieve anything by constantly bashing them, especially in that snide sarcastic manner, you're just going to cause them to do the opposite of everything you say. There's no improvement waiting for you on that path.
I saw the new comments and just had to come back to say that I am extremely happy seeing the support that people are showing! I do hope that those who are skeptical or doubt the Talents of Telltale and their writers may eventually show support and encouragement to Telltale. Maybe after Episode 1 or the Officials reveal Trailer. Anyways Telltale you guys got this
I’m all for and have always supported positivity.
My thoughts exactly. Great Thread!
People weren't doing that unfortunately, they were actually naming and shaming telltale staff members so yes that is a bit toxic.
Constructive criticism is good. Senseless toxicity and negativity does nothing good or productive.
THHHIIISSSS
hands Melton a box of tissues
Positive reinforcement ftw! I'm really rooting for you guys not to mess this up!
Ok but if they ever get any praise out of me they’ll know they have earned it, and that is a sweeter prize. I have no problem eating crow if this thing works out... it’s most likely not going to.
I'll have a nice tasty crow waiting for you just in case
You are generalizing here. Different people have said different things. Multiple people did say they simply don’t like the way it looks.
Apparently it's toxic to voice your opinion if it's negative and it's not if you constantly undermine/belittle other people's opinion
Violet aside, you can't suck anymore than you already have!
Well then maybe we should all reserve judgment until after the actual game comes out and not decide whether it's good or shit based on a few concept art pictures.
The direction the story is going has me intrigued and I think it's got a lot of potential. So best of luck with it.
So you are against people saying the footage looks good, too?