Jake

Its closer to the comic book the game, yeah. The Walking Dead the universe is centered around the comic. If the comic is the hub, the TV show is a spoke off of that hub, and the game is its own other unique spoke. If you take this image and imagine a third axis coming off that zombie in the middle being "the game," thats probably the most accurate way to look at it. That said, specifically: comic continuity is the blueprint, not show continuity. Its not on itunes yet, though you can drag the file into itunes and put it on your ipod. If we do more I'll formalize that sort of thing.

This recording shows absolutely no proof of skills, but you are encouraged to listen anyway.

Oh haha yeah that happened. Sorry, really confused there.

Huh?

I am looking forward to finishing co-op mode (Vanaman and I played through the first two and a half series of rooms, so like ~18-20 chambers so far), and I know that stuff more challenge focused than the Portal 2 single player campaign for sure... but the feeling of going it alone is different than with a friend, and that's what I'd like some more of. Fortunately, the community is good at making good content.

I think I'm going to replay the single player campaign sooner rather than later. It's really stuck with me and I want to see/do it all again. (Also, there were times in there where I feel like I was too hasty to run ahead because I wanted to see new stuff, where skulking around, or just hanging out and listening to the AI talk, would have been worthwhile. I did quite a lot of that the first time through, but an even more leisurely/exploratory playthrough seems in order.) I didn't play any of the "advanced chamber" stuff in Portal 1, but after completing Portal 2 I was really wishing there were some supremely challenge-oriented chambers using the new mechanics. Portal 2, probably correctly, had very little dexterity-centric content in the end game. I don't mind that at all and can totally understand it -- I know a few non gamers who absolutely loved Portal 1, but who had to hand the controller or mouse over to their core gamer friend to complete parts of test chambers 17-19 -- but I felt like, as a result, the game only scratched the surface of the true madness that all the new Aperture inventions could provide when used in concert. I hope that some fans put together a ridiculous, overwrought challenge-focused test chamber campaign pack like they did with Portal 1.

I loved all that stuff as well. I just didn't like that 's narration turned into a personal audio diary without any narrative reason is all. You didn't end up to hear that stuff, nor did you flip a switch on the PA system to change over the broadcast to start emitting his private files or anything -- no story reason explains the change -- but somehow you still end up broadcast publicly, and presumably on loop, to any test subject wandering the halls of Aperture. Again, not the end of the world. It was super entertaining through and through, but that stood out for me.

I'll happily help work on a central station with others. It might be fun to build it above ground? Even if most of the tracks delve into the earth eventually (or quickly), it could be kind of cool to build the central hub as a spire shooting out of a near-spawn area (versus the old server's subway station type design). Alternatively (or, in combination with the above), doing a glass arched roof over a lot of platforms like a proper old train station would also be fun.

Yeah. A lot more story was written for Scoggins than made it into the first game and thats what is told in the 2nd game. If more happen after PA2 I dont know where they'll be located, though. Trailer is here: KHkLBR7DSH4

That's weird. Did that quote/sentiment come from Gabe?* * Kasavin

Yeah it's announced. (not very cool) Official site at http://www.telltalegames.com/puzzleagent2

Vanaman pointed this out and I didn't notice it but in retrospect it bums me out a little -- 's dialog eventually entirely broke the fourth wall, without really having any contextual reason to. It started with him talking to "you" as in "the Aperture Science test subject," but by the end he was just talking to "you, the player." There's no narrative reason why he would be blaring audio diaries over the PA system about . That dialog was also weird just for how on the nose it was. I imagine most everyone had already figured that plot point out on their own through the preceding dialog, but then suddenly showed up on the PA and blared out a very personal, exposition-laden note across his lab. It felt like Valve suddenly got worried that their audience was super dumb. I know that is the tiniest nitpick ever, but whatever. Also, the load screens bummed me out. I've always liked that Valve single player games are (when played perfectly) a single long take. There are loads, yes, but they happen over a still frame, and then continue perfectly after that. Portal 2, fading out between each elevator (and worse, right in the middle of random hallways) to load felt like a series of vignettes instead, which is a very different experience. It didn't really ruin anything, but it was a definite change in the player experience, and not one that I preferred over their previous games. But, to be clear, I guess: I loved Portal 2. It's by no means perfect, and I think I liked the first game more in the grand scheme of things, but Portal 2 was an incredible and weird experience, unlike anything I've played. It felt very much like a project during which the team just said "fuck it," and went completely bananas with every weird idea that came along. That's usually a disastrous plan (especially on a sequel), but Portal 2 kept it together and was the better for it. The way the insanity just kept stacking until the final moment of the game , and still somehow held together, was so good, and completely rare. Nobody does that. The co-op sitting around on the side being a more traditional Portal 1-style experience is nice as well.

The cruelest.

The server's pretty busy today! I wandered through Erwin's life size replica of de_dust, and was surprised (and a but unnerved) to discover that after all these years, and even in new cube form, I still know my way around the place. I also took this vacation photo:

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Completing 3 2 1 Kick It apparently took a whopping 30 minutes off the launch clock.

http://cpucount.zapto.org/ This chart is doing the best I've seen at tracking the acceleration of progress and using it to estimate an unlock time. I'm also following http://hasportal2launchedyet.com/ as well, but it doesn't seem to be taking the average potato based acceleration curve into account. I'm happy that I got to type the last half of that last sentence.

PORTAL TWO Made me wonder if "Potato" / "Portal Two" was an inside reference (code name?) or something before the promo, or if someone came up with playing off that similarity just for the indie game pack.

I love the nether.™ It was such a crazy surprise to see. It successfully feels super different from the above ground world. I love it.

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http://vimeo.com/21781232 Video

MURRRDER

This exists. The Idle Thumbs Conf Grenade 2011: Hold On To Your B.U.T.T.O.N. Game developers confer, and we are there. Chris, Jake, and Sean discuss video games in these dynamics cast. Things Discussed: Nidhogg, Flywrench, Bastion, Clint Hocking, Far Cry 2, B.U.T.T.O.N., Nintendo 3DS, chrome demons, You Don't Know Jack, Kangaroo Jack, The Great Gatsby

Who is going to PAX East? I know a handful of Thumbs will be there. Sean (Famous Vanaman) and I are doing a panel with a couple other Telltale guys, about Poker Night. It's called "The Citizen Kane of Poker Games," at 3pm, Sunday in the Wyvern theater. So, that's happening. There aren't any formal plans for a Thumbs get-together, but there could easily be informal plans for one. (Hint!)

Only the people hosting the event will be allowed to start fires, but they will happily start one for you if they're around.