Telltale: The lack of interaction is troubling.
No, not in the game, but on these very forums.
Telltale, on one hand I don't want to say these things because of the quality of the games you put out, but here I feel something needs to be said.
To begin with, we have all noticed the delay of episode 2. This, while annoying, is manageable. We appreciate that, especially at the beginning of a series, you need to put in extra work to bring everything to the incredibly high standard of episode one. This is, in my opinion, fine.
Something that isn't fine, however, is the lack of interaction with your fans about this issue. Instead of discussing it with us, telling us what the problem was or - heck - maybe even apologising, you have barely shed any light on the issue since one blog post, and even that just said when we will get new information and didn't state 1) Why there was a delay or 2) Whether this same wait can be expected for other episodes.
Instead we were treated to two images seemingly intended to induce speculation or hype, but really just felt like a slap in the face. Two pictures after a two month wait.
A two-month wait during which even then you didn't communicate with us and give us even a rough eta or progress update.
Let me re-iterate that delaying your game is absolutely fine, but refusing to talk about it with your customer base, a portion of which purchased Season passes, I might add, and almost ignoring that it is a problem is never going to sort things out. You've seen how many 'dislikes' you got on that blog post, you know that the community isn't thrilled about these events. Even the moderators have expressed surprise that you haven't explained things or apologised.
So come talk to us
Simply seeing a human face from Telltale explain what exactly has happened would put a lot of minds at ease, especially minds who already bought episode 2 with the season pass.
Thanks for reading, and have a happy New Year! 
Comments
I do feel like Telltale should be in touch with their fans a little bit better. Maybe a weekly blog post? I'm doing to take ideas from Halo Waypoint here, with their weekly bulletin, and I'd love to see Telltale do the same. Maybe an ETA or progress update on whichever project is further along, some community Q&A's every so often, and hell, maybe some screenshots of the new episodes. I'd love to see this, because it's what keeps me coming back to the Halo community. 343 is really good about communicating with their fans (for the most part) and Telltale should really take a page from their book. Does anyone know if they have a "Community Manager?"
Well the problem isn't telltale. It's the lack of patience and respect some of you have for this company. Let them take their time. I guarantee you it's well worth the wait if they perfect their game before releasing details to us. They will release details when they are sure they have a finished product. Telltale isn't just fucking with us-- yes it's been a long time since the first episode-- yes, I expected a little information by now-- but I knew full and well the implication of an episodic game. Especially one which contains more variables than even TWD.
Just be patient and stop attacking the telltale staff. Rest assured they're doing everything they can to please the people that are giving them money.
I understand this is worth the wait (that's why I continuously said that I understand fully why they took the extra time).
In fact... I don't actually say anything about the delay being bad in my entire post, so I'm wondering if you actually read it? You seem to be jumping to conclusions about my view.
I don't think the wait is too bad, I've had worse. However, this is the longest Telltale have taken for quite some time, and we haven't been informed much about what's going on.
I can understand being upset about such a long wait where there is no news about The Wolf Among Us. But I don't know what exactly Telltale can say, besides we are still working on it, but we can't say when it's going to come out. There really isn't any information other than that they can really give us and them just constantly repeating it to this community is likely just to rile people up. I mean everyone got mad every time Coming soon was the only real information given about the Walking Dead Season 2 why would you think that doing that more often would help this situation for anyone?
I also don't think Telltale should have to explain themselves or apologize to people who of their own free will decided to buy a game that wasn't finished and didn't even have an estimated time of completion. I can understand being frustrated at not getting the game as quick as expected but I don't think we are owed anything but a quality product and I personally am willing to wait longer than three months for that. I know that not everyone sees things the same way I do but as I said before any news that isn't the news the community wants to hear is unlikely to be received well or even be a benefit to anyone.
You even brought up how many dislikes they got when they did try talking to us and didn't give the information people wanted, why should Telltale subject themselves to that just because they decided to give what's being asked for but not what anyone really wants.
I was going to elaborate on this further but I thought you'd catch on quicker. This is why I said, revealing details to us is useless. It would only serve to build up false beliefs on the episode, as they will likely change it in the future, Let them take their time on it.
"Coming Soon" is not information. That's not what we're asking for. We're asking for a "Here's why...". Why is the episode being delayed? I understand that Telltale can't give us an exact date, but surely they have some idea of what is completed and what isn't? If the voice acting is done for the episode, then surely it can't be too hard to say "Hey, we're finished with the voice acting!" If there's still a part of the story to do, I don't see what's stopping them from saying "Hey, we thought a scene near the end of the episode would be better off written differently, so we're working on redoing that."
People didn't get mad because it "didn't have information people wanted". People got mad because it didn't have information period. Aside from the fact that one of the screenshots contains a character we haven't seen yet, there was not a single bit of information in that post that explained anything we didn't already know from the teaser at the end of Episode 1.
The post essentially said "The episode isn't out yet, and we have literally no fucking idea when it will be complete, but we might in a month. Have a screenshot showing things you already knew." That's not information, that's a giant middle finger. And I absolutely refuse to believe that Telltale does not know enough about their own project to say something as simple as "This part of the episode is finished", or "This part needs some work", or "We're not entirely sure if this part will make it into the game, so we may or may not need to work on it more".
I love Telltale, genuinely, but if even they don't have the vaguest clue regarding anything about the episode at all (which, again, I find highly unlikely), then they need to seriously rethink their strategy for this one.
i feel like for the most part they do. they also have a life believe it or not. puzzlebox comes down to our level and talks to us, and there on a break from what ive been hearing so just let them rest. they are probably really packed in with having 4 games with a small team of peolpe. just let them rest.
The blog post was filled with information just not what people wanted. We learn Jack is going to be in the game, our interaction with the pimp is likely to be violent and that the company is working on finalizing the game, hell it even says there will be a new update on the game "very soon after the holidays". The entire thing reads like a PR message but there is information there. The fact that you take all of that as Telltale giving you a middle finger says to me that it might be better for Telltale to keep quiet until the game has a release date.
And the problem with telling people they finished voice acting or they took extra time rewriting something is it will create expectations. Most everyone on this forum have only the vaguest ideas of how video games are actually made let alone how Telltale goes about making theirs so if they come out and say something is done or needs work a lot of people are going to draw conclusions on how close to release the actual game is, which is likely to be false and it will only cause more issues between Telltale and the community.
Besides that I am unaware of any game company that comes out and gives their fans the kind of detail you are asking for.
The one valid piece of information we've gotten in months, yes, even if it is only one that matters to those who have read the comics.
I actually sort of assumed there would be violence in Episode 2 even before the screenshot. I guess I'm just super analytic like that, given the complete lack of violence in Episode 1 and the teaser for Episode 2. I'm glad that Telltale confirmed my suspicions by putting a cricket bat into one of the screenshots. That's how we really know there's going to be violence.
You seem to be implying here that we needed reassurance that Telltale is indeed working on the game they're supposed to be working on. I think this says something about how they've been acting lately.
The "update" could just as easily be another "Hey, the game isn't out yet and we have no idea when it will be, so sit tight!" Saying "We have no information, but we may or may not have some in a month" is not in and of itself very helpful information.
Any conclusions drawn by an individual fan when Telltale gives out a legitimate piece of information, regardless of the validity of the conclusion, falls to the individual. When Telltale refuses to give out any information at all, however, the blame falls upon them.
Telltale Games. Or, at least, they used to be one such company. I kinda thought that was, you know, the point of having episodic content, so that the fans and developers could swap feedback to make for a more enjoyable experience all around. Telltale used to be good at that, but since the release of TWAU they've gone damn near completely silent, save for the occasional "Coming Whenever!"
If they don't have anything new to say what do you want? It's still in production is the only news a game that isn't finished really has to give especially a two hour story driven game unless you want spoilers. Even if they announced every time the finished as scene how helpful is it really for them to make a post saying "we finished this cool scene we think you'll enjoy, but you can't play it yet and we won't give you an idea as to when you will either."?
All the useful feedback from fans has probably already been taken in by Telltale. Most of what I see here on the Wolf Among Us forum is basically everyone being angry with and taking anything that isn't concrete information as an insult to them.
Anyway I'm tired of this argument so I'll just end with saying Telltale is making a game and it's taking longer than most would have anticipated and no matter what they say or do short of releasing it is unlikely to please the people here.
All I know is that both Wolf and Walking Dead S2 will be released sometime in Q1 (first quarter) of 2014. So sometime between the beginning of January to the end of March. Hope it's January. Then again they would've said something already.
I think a majority of their data got erased and they had no back up. If it happened to Toy Story 2, it could probably happen here... That's really the only legitimate reason I could think that it's taking so long.
That or somebody died.
You said exactly what I was thinking. People want too much, including wanting to know all the inner workings of how the game is put together and a detailed timeline of every process. They're not satisfied with the bits of information we do get. Telltale cant win with some fans.
Their games are basically visual and auditory crack. That's the only reason why I will continue to entertain doing business with them despite the unreliable server connections (darn DRM) and delayed episodes; I was never good with delayed gratification, but the content put out definitely makes it worth it. I only actually became aware of the TWD game series a few weeks ago (and played through it in a few days!), so I'm at somewhat of an advantage here.
You can bet that I'll keep coming back to get my fix, but certainly not for the company's technological prowess or tendency to post frequent updates.
I am finding that, while I enjoy the episodic games, I MUCH prefer to download the whole enchilada and play through it at my own pace. And at least in part based on these delays, I'm gonna stop buying in advance and instead just wait for the whole package to be done and then jump in. The pre-season prices are not as good as the after-season prices anyway so there is no legit $$$ incentive.
You just signed up on Dec, 21. I'm not sure about the rest of everyone. Most of us have been waiting..months..
One Question
How do you build a game based on feedback from fans. If you don't even talk to them.
What does me signing up to this site have to do with how long I've been waiting for the release? I've had TWaU longer than I've had TWD. Since its release actually. I bought it on steam so I never needed to make an account here. Actually, I signed up for this account when I purchased S1 and S2 of TWD.
The very point of my previous post was explaining how they must have something new to say, unless they have literally no idea what's going on with their own project.
More helpful than giving zero information at all, because it at least gives us some idea of how far the episode is in production.
Except we actually have no idea, because Telltale has been completely silent.
A valid response after almost three months of silence.
I'm glad you clarified that for me.
Yes, there are people that are going to be angry no matter what Telltale does. But the sure-fire way to piss the most people off is for them to remain completely silent, save for a few empty "Coming Eventually!" posts.
Which is exactly what Telltale has been doing.
I agree that the lack of communication is horrible!
I don't mind having to wait, delays can happen. Both TWD and TWAU are amazing games that I gladly wait for.
But, and this is the problem, Telltale isn't talking to us about why there is a delay,if they would have just said something like; sorry, we've run in to some diffuculty and ep2 will be delayed, it would be okay, 'cus then we would know.
Why won't you talk to me Telltale, have I done something wrong?
Chill out, guys. Don't downvote her, because she is making some good points. We all just need to be a little more patient for a bit longer, and I guarantee we will not be let down.
The traditional reason why Telltale doesn't share many details in advance is that they try to avoid situations where someone suggests something that had already been planned, then gets mad when they see their suggestion in the game without any credit for it.
If all they do is announce a specific date without any other details, everyone gets furious when they miss the date.
If they push to get it out by the announced specific date and it has bugs in it, everyone gets furious about that, too.
They could announce some general status like "Episode 2 is currently in beta testing" or "Episode 2 is currently awaiting approval from Microsoft/Apple/etc." I'm sure someone would find some reason to get mad at that.
They could put little Vine teasers out to keep people interested, but I don't think that would pacify the crowd that wants their episode NOW! And they can only tease so much without revealing important plot points.
It seems "Coming Soon" is the least infuriating tactic.
It's fine. The down-votes mean they took the time to read it and disagreed, which I'm fine with. I just wanted to throw my point across. Hopefully, even if they disagreed with me; they'll calm down with the complaining.
You don't get the point of this thread, clearly. Almost everyone on the forums of TWAU has wanted just communication, yet they stay silent. Coming Soon, is the dumbest thing they can say, pulling the Blizzard tactic is and never will be a good one.
As a community thats all we've wanted this whole time, silence is the killer.
"Episode is currently awaiting approval from Microsoft/Apple/etc."
You really think that would make people more mad then "Coming Soon," Seriously?
I'd much rather know the episode is in Beta or is waiting approval then the "We are going to update you in a month, possibly with another update. Don't worry TWAU Episode 2 is coming soon!"
Give me a break.
I agree but I don't want Telltale to be like BIoware either so IMO it's good they keep things under wraps and don't try to over-satisfy players all the time with reassurings and in worst case scenarios rushing stuff or bringing in immersion-breaking nods to fan-feedback for the sake of fan-service. Okay I already got waay ahead of myself there, but I don't honestly get why I deserve the special right to know everything about what Telltale is keeping under wraps along with you guys. There's probably a very good reason they don't signal too much.
And don't you guys love that surprise when you randomly go to IGN/Kotaku/Twitter/Steam and see that the next episode of your favorite game is coming out in two days? Maybe give us a couple of more news updates, Telltale but don't try to please us by tightening your release schedules!
Yes they should tighten release schedules if 3 months for an episode becomes an issue. Its probably an anomaly but this shouldn't happen again.
it really shouldn't matter just as long as it's coming
people who get angry over this just need to chill and create their own stories and art and stuff while they wait.
I still agree with author of this thread. There games are more interactive then they are.
No gaming company that prides itself on feedback from fans should ignore them during their biggest games coming out. We were not aware when Season 2 of the Walking Dead was released till the day it came out. Steam told us in advance, they even put down a countdown clock and everything.
I've seen many people say, "Give them time"...is three months, going on four not enough time to release one ep. They could at least, inform their paying customers why there is such a delay. It's not as if we're asking for much, a tiny bit of communication.
I have to admit that I'm a bit leery about this whole delay too, which surprises me as I've played through almost every episodic game they've ever released (skipped L&O). I'm very used to how the timeline works out, I know the second episode always takes about double the time as all following episodes, but I cannot be a lurker this time around. Is this just a growing pains issue? Did everyone jump to creating mock-ups for Borderlands or Game of Thrones? Was TWD S02 needing extra help to get out the door on time? The lack of response from TTG has not added to any mystery/suspense for us fans, only frustration. It's very hard to sit there waiting on the next release because we want to remember every moment of the story and not have to sit there and say, "wait, who was that guy again?" Or even worse, "what decision did I make?" It kills the immersion, and for the story telling style of TWAU, we need to stay "in" the game world.
TTG, I had faith in you back when you starting doing episodes with Sam & Max, don't allow "Faith" be what kills my faith.
It's ridiculous that they haven't even commented on the delay. Especially when there are people who bought season passes.
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You've got me all figured out
1 season of Walking dead is piece of art but i played whole in two days. I played 1 episode of 2 season and i am already sorry. Its bullshit. They should have steady interval of relasing or just make a whole season. Thats why now i am going to wait for a whole season to come out. They are ruining our experience of their great amazing piece of art.
Yeah especially the bit about you being male....(sarcasm
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But seriously Jesus dude she is clearly a woman
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@Prince_Charming
Actually, I don't generally walk around with pig tails. Those were for comicon when I went as Harley Quinn. But thanks for insulting me for no reason. Also, I'm 19... I didn't know that was considered old.
Time on my hands? You mean the 20 seconds it took? You would kill yourself for the 20 seconds it took to post that? Then why are you still responding to me? You obviously have more than enough time and nothing to do be degrade someone you don't know.
They released episode 1 of season 2 literally 10 days ago... if you thought it would come within 10 days you are the one who didn't get informed before purchasing.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhh my gosh, kissing ass? Have you SEEN my other comments to her on threads? I've told her to 'shut the fuck up' multiple times.
It's just her profile picture is of a woman,. And the same woman appears in all her different profile pictures. Thus we can assume quite safely that she is, indeed, a woman. Google image search the photo if you are that desperate to find out if they are real or not.
Also, calling someone ugly like that is simply not cool. Insulting people's private lives on the internet is just fucking stupid.