Petition: Save Sam!
In the recent episode of The Walking Dead released by Telltale, there was a tense scene involving Clementine and her newly discovered dog companion, Sam. Sam and Clementine became friends for a short time (depending on how you played through), but eventually Sam turns on Clementine and bites her. Although this may be a realistic approach, and it also helped move the rest of the episode's plot forward, it was not the way to move the plot forward, and actually hindered it. Sam could have been a loyal companion and friend for much longer, but that was changed.
One of the main reasons that the first season of The Walking Dead by Telltale Games was so successful was that it urged the player to take care of and teach Clementine, helping her to survive and vice versa. Several of the most interesting parts included Lee first meeting and taking Clementine in, Lee and Duck as Batman and Robin, and of course the final scene when Lee teaches Clementine how to survive. Now, what would be more interesting than the apprentice becoming the master? That is why I created this "Petition" (Known as "Save Sam"), which is actually simply urging fans of the game to let their voice be heard by Telltale. If you want Telltale to incorporate a dog similar to Sam as a lead character and side-kick to Clementine in Season 2, please post below.
If you oppose this or have anything other to say regarding this, please post elsewhere. This discussion is meant solely for those who agree with what is being said and wish for a dog as the deuteragonist of the second season of The Walking Dead.
Comments
this sounds good "Save Sam"!
another dog would be cool to have as a companion to Clem, but 2 years into the apocalypse, I don't think there are many dogs that haven't gone wild or feral like Sam
sam is just meant to die in every zombie game..its how it is... Sam dies in The last of us.. sam reincarnates into an aggressive dog and dies in the walking dead.
maybe clem can rescue the dog after the owner dies! if sam survived that long then other dogs must still be alive, so she's bound to find another... and then maybe people can choose to kill it or not because they are worried the dog would do the same thing like sam
Only if Clem keeps it well fed. I don't want another scar
She would have to find a new dog though....
haha yeah but that could be another choice because choices are the point of the whole game!
You should start a petition to save the entire season instead.
True my brother. But then again I died no matter what
RIP Omid
haahahahah thats genius
well in the next episode they head into the mountains (where it is snowing) so maybe she finds a sled dog or anything up there... if Telltale wanted to then they could work it in
Um, yeah. A heartwarming tale about a little girl and her dog is the last thing we need.
So in other words, you don't want to see criticism for your idea.
Telltale created this story, it is their story to tell and not our place to say 'this would be better' and it is not our place to try pressuring them to change the story they have written. I'm reminded of the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy; people didn't like how the game ended and demanded that Bioware change it. The same thing also happened with Fallout 3. This was not the right way to go about it, but that is a discussion for another time.
Telltale wanted us to think we would have a dog companion for an extended period of time. That whole scene with the attack was all about how the world Clem lives in is cruel and unforgiving and I'm fairly certain Telltale got the feedback they were looking for. A lot of this episode was about making the player feel uncomfortable, disturbed and helpless. I suspect the whole season will be like this and that's how it should be, because this is The Walking Dead. No one gets a free pass. No one is safe.
dude um this is the walking dead not some movie on TLC, this would add to the tone. there would be a shimmer of light, but the dog would constantly consider doing terrible things not to mention the dog would rip people's throats out... have you ever heard of "a Boy and his dog"? It is about (shocker) a boy and his dog but the dog is telepathic and he helps the boy find women to have sex with in exchange for food. its set in an apocalyptic world and its depressing but it involves a boy and a dog, so why not clem and a dog?
wut r u stupid? THIS IS ABOUT A PART OF THE GAME, NOT THE ENDING! and also this episode had bad writing, just like the Walking Dead show season 2-3 (and the early parts of 4). the characters are just not interesting. i liked Duck, but his ending was perfect. Same with Lee, same with Carley, same with a TON of people. its just their endings fit in the story! this didn't. it was just a crutch for continuing the story and was stupid. remember season 1? the plot worked. the characters pissed you off, but you couldn't bring yourself to kill them! in season 2 i have literally no emotions for anyone (Save Sam and Omid)
Exactly. This is TWD. Do we really need another cliche doggy drama in this franchise? The way Telltale did it was just what i wanted.
Sorry, but I would like to simply point out the title to this thread. I greatly believe that you read it, and I highly recommend that you reread the title as well as the description. This thread was intended as a way for people with a shared opinion's voice to be heard, and is not meant to stifle the thoughts of others. I referred people with varying views to direct themselves toward threads that were originally conceptualized for a diverse purpose. Everyone found on this planet has an opinion, and everyone deserves to share it, but of course there is a time and place for everything.
yeah what he said!
i was talking about the book not the movie. so how do you like season 2 so far? because i dont like it as much as season 1 for all the reasons stated here... i mean whats the point of playing without a goal other than survive, especially if you lose your humanity and have to hang out with a bunch of fucking lame characters who share facial models with people from a previous season....
I've Seen A Boy & His Dog. I've seen a lot of movies where our hero has an animal companion and they have adventures. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, I just think it would be a mistake to turn the TWD game into something like that. Trying to pull a "clever" (read: not clever) role reversal with Clem in the old Lee role and a dog in the old Clem role would be nonsense. And, of course, the dog would die at some point, and much "coming of age" melodrama will be had. It's fucking boring.
Now, if we gave her a tiger named Shiva on the other hand...
Yea TTG shouldn't have killed the dog. Owners of Dogs get very sensitive. We just met the dog, and now kill it. I understand it bit her, but that don't mean kill it. we should have a choice to save it too...
P.S
How the hell did the dog get an arrow in it? Was there someone in the camp? That got me confused...
I said reminded, I realise this is not the ending you guys are talking about. It doesn't change the fact that you're trying to have something changed because you didn't like it. How does Sam's death not fit the story? His instincts took over when Clem tried to take the food from him and he attacked. I hear that's pretty realistic for a starved dog.
It wasn't a crutch to move the story forward either. I'm fairly certain Luke and Pete would have taken Clementine in whether or not she was injured. The bite made taking her in a more complicated problem and gave us a good introduction to the other characters. We knew for certain the Nick and Rebecca were assholes, we found out that Pete could keep cool despite everyone else's reactions, those of us with basic medical knowledge knew Carlos was a bad doctor, we also knew Luke still has a moral compass, if a bit shaky. We also met Sarah because they didn't help Clem.
Sam was a realistic character and the bite was a plot device. I don't see the problem.
yeah well, there you go. you just proved my point. everyone in the world is an asshole, but there is reasoning behind it. sure, Lee calls Lilly a bitch maybe but that's for a good reason. kenny didn't save Shawn like an asshole, but thats because he panicked and saved his son. Lilly was an asshole for killing Carley, but she panicked and was trying to protect the group as a whole. all of these characters are generic and uninteresting. also, this guy was saying they should have a NEW dog, not reincarnate sam. and they give clem the option to kill it. that way, we can see if she is giving up her humanity to stay alive, or if she is still a compassionate person but she risks her life. if they added that in, then it would be way better and give the whole thing a good arc
what did you like about it? and how would you compare it to season 1?
Loving it so far, can't wait for more.
Believe me, Telltale is watching very closely. You don't need to worry about not being heard. If you haven't seen the Playing Dead series I suggest you watch it because it gives you an idea of just how closely they listened to fan feedback during Season 1. We have no reason to believe they have changed in that respect.
I get what you're saying, you want to make sure your opinion is heard. I have a different opinion, I think your opinion is wrong and I want to make it clear that there are fans on both sides. Every opinion should be heard, and if yours gets drowned out then you should consider that you might be in the minority.
I couldn't agree more.
I'm not sure you understand how an open forum system works. You should probably link to an online petition or your own forums where you can moderate all the "disagreements"
But regardless, Sam is dead, whether you mercy killed him or left him to suffer. And, as much as I love dogs, bringing back another one just feels like a boring cop out. There are plenty of humans left in this world to have more meaningful interactions with.
haha yeah man. you should consider you are in the minority
ME3's ending really was shit, though. Fallout 3's, too.
I didn't like the endings to those games either. It doesn't change the fact that the developers chose to have those endings. Demanding that the games be changed was wrong.
You didn't answer my question so I'll ask again: How does Sam's death, or anything in that scene, not fit the story?
The likes vs dislikes of the original post seem to favor my opinion, or something close to it.
Might I humbly admonish you that I declared my sentiment that I desired a new dog character, rather than for Telltale to change what they already wrote and published.
Sorry, but I would like to simply point out the title to this thread. I greatly believe that you read it, and I highly recommend that you reread the title as well as the description. This thread was intended as a way for people with a shared opinion's voice to be heard, and is not meant to stifle the thoughts of others. I referred people with varying views to direct themselves toward threads that were originally conceptualized for a diverse purpose. Everyone found on this planet has an opinion, and everyone deserves to share it, but of course there is a time and place for everything. I also would like to bring to your attention that there are at least 50 million dogs in the United States, and that their survival instinct is far more prevalent than that of a human.
it fits the story but it isnt good with the plot because it removes every glimmer of hope and removes the purpose of playing the game. lets just stop here and say that a new dog would help with the plot, because it would allow the player to choose if they want Clem to survive or to keep her moral compass. doesn't that sound good?
Just about everything. Like I said before, this is the big leagues now.
My least favorite part about these kinds of stories are the beginnings, when you know more than the characters do about the threat but still have to wait for them to figure it all out, and you know the ultimate goal they're working for is going to be for naught (ugh, Kenny and his fucking boat obsession) but still have to go through the motions. Don't get me wrong, I loved Season 1, but that's because Lee and Clementine made the journey worth it.
And now Clem is on her own and I'm feeling much more vulnerable and less self-assured playing as her than I ever did as Lee, which is great. I love that you can decide how and to what extent she's been forced to grow up. I love how unsure everything is at this point. I love how the "welcome to the zombie apocalypse" season-long tutorial is finally over and the safety net is gone. I like how I can't instantly gauge everyone in the new group the way I could in Season 1.
Now everyone's much less of a caricature and where you'll stand with them is still up in the air. There's no obvious "this character is going be your bro," "this character is going to unreasonably hate you forever," "this character is the bitchy foil to your bromance," "this character is the endearing geek." I think it was necessary to start with broad archetypes like that at first, to put you on equal terms with the new group you were forming in S1, but I'm a lot more interested in what happens when you're the stranger to a group that has already been long established and no one is really bothering to acclimate you. How do you insert yourself into that? Clem's age and physical weakness makes it all even more compelling.
For the record, I am a big fan of 400 Days and S2 seems more like its approach to characters and leaping headlong into tough situations. I'm excited to do this with a Clementine who's grown up just enough, and who's seen what she's seen and knows what she knows, and is now ultimately on her own.
As much as you want to not believe it: telltale actually does not read these forums and does not care at all what any player says. The only feedback they actually take into account is technical improvements. Sorry to disappoint, you can thumbs me down for saying it but they don't care. A virtual petition won't make a difference. Although apart from that I do wish Sam lived a little longer or at least "ran away" and not suffered that kind of death.
OMG guys, TT is not gonna magically make Sam come back to life. As much as I liked the dog, This is how The Walking Dead is, and it's the way it will stay.
I understand that, and I admit I misinterpreted your original post when I made my first comment here. I'm having a lot of trouble wording this correctly so bear with me.
As I understand it, Telltale usually map out the story for their games before they release the first episode. Adding a whole new character to be with Clementine would require changing a lot in the story if they plan to keep it around longer than Sam. That's doable, but I'm not sure it would be worth it.
There is another problem. Many players would be jaded by their experience with Sam. I think a lot of people would have trouble connecting to a new dog because they would have the memory of Sam brutally attacking Clem when she tried to take the food.