Tales of Monkey Island

[miffy495]

Eeep. I'm guessing that this is something new with Vista? Thank god I never upgraded. I retract my disapprobation and redirect it towards Microsoft.

Actually I remember a lot of games starting to do this around 2001 (Max Payne was the first I noticed it in) as it was something that was cropping up a lot in XP. Honestly, I don't get all the knee-jerk Vista hate. It's not really that bad. Once I turned off the UAC settings, I've had a perfectly fine experience with no problems at all since getting it two years ago.

[Jake]

Actually I remember a lot of games starting to do this around 2001 (Max Payne was the first I noticed it in) as it was something that was cropping up a lot in XP. Honestly, I don't get all the knee-jerk Vista hate. It's not really that bad. Once I turned off the UAC settings, I've had a perfectly fine experience with no problems at all since getting it two years ago.

Yeah it was an XP issue.

[thorn]

Yeah it was an XP issue.

Really? I've only ever seen it once before and that was with Bioshock. I figured it was just a wierd Steam thing in that case.

[Jayel]

Storing game saves in user dirs has its benefits: easy to backup, different user's saves are kept separate (if your pc is shared among family for eg), secure because you can prevent users from corrupting or modding programs (more of concern for PC-bang or internet cafe owners I guess).

I thought it was a wonderful idea when MS started urging developers to do this, but quite disheartened to see them resistant to change and kept doing it the DOS way. I for one am glad that TellTale is doing it right, whether they wanted to do it this way or not.

[Noyb]

I would have rather Microsoft encouraged a My Saves folder instead of letting each developer make their own separate folder in the already cluttered My Documents.

[thorn]

I suspect that Microsoft would suggest that this sort of data should be saved to the Application Data folder. That said, I know from experience that that complicates things for the Tech Support guy, what with it being a hidden folder and having to guide people to their profile in Docs&Settings and all.

[elmuerte]

Starting from Vista there is a "Saved Games" user directory. And I think it's meant for savegames, but it might also be a place for saving games.

Microsoft never got the hang of organization of files and stuff. For example the start menu is a mess. Why are programs under: "Start -> Programs -> [develop name] -> [application name] -> [application name]" or "Start -> Programs -> [developer + application name] -> [application name]"

For example, why isn't firefox under: "Start -> Internet -> Firefox" (as it is on most GNU\Linux distributions).

And starting from Vista, why should games be in "Start -> Programs -> Games -> Game Explorer => click... wait for window to open and to populate the games -> [Game name]"

Ever since Windows 98 I've placed my games in "Start -> Games -> ...", and I still do in Vista.

[thorn]

Ever since Windows 98 I've placed my games in "Start -> Games -> ..."

Ditto, when they give the option. I'm always amazed when I see someone else's Start Menu and they have three columns of shit because they put absolutely no effort in to sorting them.

[Simon]

After happily chipping away at it for the past week, I completed Launch of the Screaming Narwhal this afternoon and I'm really impressed by it and excited for the next episodes.

It is cosy and recognisable as a Monkey Island game, whilst feeling fresh and brave with its new story and characters. The puzzling is pitched smartly and I was only a little stuck once or twice. Actually, the tiny difficulties I had made it kind of nice to go away from it after a quick play and look forward to another go the next evening, rather than tear through it all at once.

The last Telltale games I played were the first Sam & Max games, and the detail and polish to the art and animation here seemed major leaps ahead and just superb to me. Touches like those

clouds circling on the island map

, and the zooming-out through the jungle to the menu, and general amount of spiffy animations in the conversations, that I didn't necessarily expect, made it especially fun to play.

I loved the music so much. So far it's quite gentle and minimal, and of course less 'live' than Michael Land's work on Curse, which I was listening to lots lately. It's got a lovely feel and it'd be cool to get the tracks out of the game. Especially impressed with the

Voodoo shack

track so far. I guess Telltale will make a CD of it when the series wraps up.

Wow, awesome. Really looking forward to all of this...

Edited July 18, 2009 by Simon

[thorn]

The last Telltale games I played were the first Sam & Max games, and the detail and polish to the art and animation here seemed major leaps ahead and just superb to me. Touches like those

clouds circling on the island map

, and the zooming-out through the jungle to the menu, and general amount of spiffy animations in the conversations, that I didn't necessarily expect, made it especially fun to play.

Yeah, I agree. I love the polish Telltale has put in to the interface stuff that most other companies ignore. The zooming out through the jungle thing - and the box that slid from left to right to confirm saving and loading - really helped set the atmosphere.

[Jake]

Yeah, I agree. I love the polish Telltale has put in to the interface stuff that most other companies ignore. The zooming out through the jungle thing - and the box that slid from left to right to confirm saving and loading - really helped set the atmosphere.

Yeaaaaah!

[James]

Actually I remember a lot of games starting to do this around 2001 (Max Payne was the first I noticed it in) as it was something that was cropping up a lot in XP.

I'm guessing most PC gamers that any of us regularly talk about PC games with probably run as administrator all the time (even though that's apparently a bad idea, security-wise), which is why it could seem to be a new thing in Vista. I have a friend whose family PC was set up by some friend of his mum that decided it was a good idea to put a password on the admin account and not tell anyone, meaning he couldn't install some stuff. Now, there's a worryingly high chance that I'm going to say one of those things that are wrong and later cause me embarrassment, but it seems to me like those things might be the sort of things that wanted to have direct access to non-user areas. Then again, maybe not. I don't know, it's just a guess.

Starting from Vista there is a "Saved Games" user directory. And I think it's meant for savegames, but it might also be a place for saving games.

Microsoft never got the hang of organization of files and stuff. For example the start menu is a mess. Why are programs under: "Start -> Programs -> [develop name] -> [application name] -> [application name]" or "Start -> Programs -> [developer + application name] -> [application name]"

For example, why isn't firefox under: "Start -> Internet -> Firefox" (as it is on most GNU\Linux distributions).

And starting from Vista, why should games be in "Start -> Programs -> Games -> Game Explorer => click... wait for window to open and to populate the games -> [Game name]"

I used to umm and ahh about that stuff quite a lot, wanting consistent structure, but also having some sort of weird innate subservience to the authority of the people providing me the software. Also, I found it kind of weird to have my "proper" games mixed in with Minesweeper and Solitaire and so on. At one point I think I gave them their own subdirectory called "Simple Games" or something equally patronizing (I actually have a category called that on my PS3). Now I pretty much just launch everything from Steam, so I don't really spend much time in the Start Menu at all.

I have returned to installing all my games in C:\Games, though, after letting it all be put in Program Files for many years. Except for Steam, which is in Program Files. I can't remember my exact reasoning for that. I think it might have been because Steam itself isn't a game. I don't know. I always end up with a slightly messy system that I'm not entirely satisfied with. I kind of wish there were stricter standards about this that everyone would stick to and I could just trust that and get on with my life.

The Linux way seems to work pretty well (I have my netbook on Ubuntu), although having been conditioned by Windows for all these years I half expect it to descent into an incomprehensible mess if I install more than a dozen programs. You know, as opposed to what happens in Windows.

SO, YEAH, TALES OF MONKEY ISLAND. I bought it but haven't played it yet. I probably won't for months. I've got about a billion other games waiting for my attention. Sorry Telltale. You have my money, though.

[Erkki]

Yeah, I loved that menu transition as well. Good work, Jake, if that was you!

[Jayel]

I simply attribute any sort of attention to detail like that to Jake. Good job!

[Sergey]

Yeah, definitely. The main menu screen is my favorite part of the game by far.

[Jake]

Were you responsible for all that? I assumed you were (that menu<->gameplay transition is fantastic), but when I saw the credits there were multiple names and I lost all ability to attribute anything specific to anyone.

Ryan Jones drew the 2D art based on a shitty wireframe and flow I provided, and then I hooked it all up and did the animations. Matt Hansen did the inventory icons and some additional elements (he made me the 3D scroll which unwinds when the inventory opens, for instance, since I am still largely incompetent at Maya). I also did a some of the map, including the 3D pull-up effect from the game. Again Ryan drew the "Flotsam Island" logo and clouds and then I built it all in around the island model provided by the art dept.

[Chris]

Ryan drew the "Flotsam Island" logo

Good job to him!

[Garple]

" Free vowels; get 'em while they're vowels!"

Finally out on the Wii! I was worried because I checked at like 11:30 and it wasn't availible yet...but it's here. A great rainy day game...hilarious so far and fun. Kudos, Jake/Telltale (maybe we could petition them for a namechange along the lines of Jake Rodkin's Telltale Games...or Jake Rodkin Presents: Telltale Games).

[Garple]

I know this is offtopic, wouldn't be great if taletale would make Monty Python game?

Wow. Who knew Slovenia was such a think-tank

I would be so dazzled if that somehow happened.

[Moosferatu]

A word of warning to anyone considering getting it on the Wii, its audio is incredibly low quality.

[toblix]

A word of warning to anyone considering getting it on the Wii, its audio is incredibly low quality.

Is it worse than the PC version? I haven't played the PC version, but I got the impression that TellTale's still using their Soviet technology device for compressing voice recordings.

[Scrobbs]

The running as admin thing isn't as bad as all that. I've been doing it for years and have had no problems. Admittedly I've got about 5 other layers of security surrounding my PC, up to and including a burly geezer in a dj with a clipboard.

[ThunderPeel2001]

The running as admin thing isn't as bad as all that. I've been doing it for years and have had no problems. Admittedly I've got about 5 other layers of security surrounding my PC, up to and including a burly geezer in a dj with a clipboard.

I'm trying to figure out what you're making reference to...

[thorn]

Maybe I'm blind, but I can't find the release date for The Siege of Spinner Cay anywhere on Telltale's website. Now that we're a month on from Narwhal, should it be appearing soon?

[Patters]

Maybe I'm blind, but I can't find the release date for The Siege of Spinner Cay anywhere on Telltale's website. Now that we're a month on from Narwhal, should it be appearing soon?

It was announced earlier today, it's the 20th.