Sam and Max 2

[Tomsess]

Hi. We are a small Hungarian adventure website http://www.adventuregames.hu and want to ask some questions about your prepairing games. Sorry for my english!

[Tomsess]

When can we see pictures from the second part of Sam and Max?

Is it sure that the new Sam and Max will be published after the long delays? In about how much time?

Could you let us know anything about the story of Sam and Max 2? Does it go back to the first part or will there be a totally new turning?

How modern will the graphics of Sam and Max be, or are you using the cartoon-like 2D-style that worked so well?

[HeatherLee]

Pictures from the new Sam and Max -- It'll probably be a little while still.

Yes it is ABSOLUTELY positive that there will be a new Sam and Max game this time. As for when? You may have to wait longer than you want to.

We have alot of options open to us about what the story for the new Sam and Max game will be, and we are exploring and working with Steve Purcell to make sure we present something that will be really great for the fans.

Sam and Max will appear in glorious 3D.

HLL

[rincewind]

When will Steve Purcell starts working on his homepage?

[HeatherLee]

As much as we'd like nothing better than to chain Steve to his desk and make him do our bidding, he is a pretty busy guy. Unfortunately, we have little to no control over the man. If we did, he'd probably just stay in a darkened room drinking Dr. Pepper and drawing us new comics that we could pass around the office to occasionally lighten the mood.

That was a very long-winded way to say "I don't know".

HLL

[tom23]

Hi Heather!!!! Nice meeting you here!

For me a very important question about S&M2 is: Is it for sure that Sam and Max 2 will be published episodicly? Hopefully not. I really would love to get it as a full time reteail version! Bone is very cool - but for Sam and Max - please rethink it! We talked already to Anaconda-Publishing and they said we have to convince you first!

This game WILL sell!!! And I'm sure that there are publishers out there worldwide who will publish this game! I mean the cancelled S&M game was one of the most awaited titles in this times...

[Udvarnoky]

In the Adventure Gamers interview that was posted a few days ago Dan Connors mentioned that you guys were hoping to track down some members of the previous Sam & Max team(s). If it's not too early to say, has any progress been made with that and can you mention any names in particular that you guys are attempting to lure back into S&M development (i.e. Mike Stemmle, Joe White, etc.)?

[artwking4]

I must be the only person who doesn't like calling the game "Sam and Max 2", given that it's going to be released episodically. Because I'm sure you're all going to release so many episodes, we'll get tongue-tied saying Sam & Max 18379. None of Steve Purcells comics are labeled that way (oh, if only he had that many comics drawn). So come on. Give us a title. ;D

[HeatherLee]

Nice to meet you too, Tom23 (if that is your real name).

Anaconda Publishing can always contact us. We are still open to possibilities regarding the game.

But you know what? I as a designer like episodic games. Here we get to produce little chunks of love and get them to the customer so they can enjoy them. We don't have to spend three years bogged down on something, getting sick of it and eventually wishing we could throw the whole thing out the window. We get to craft something new and exciting every several months. We get to imbibe the feedback from our fans and try to figure out how to do things better next time. Best of all, since it only take 4 - 6 months to make an episode, the whole company isn't riding on every single game. This means that we designer types are given more leeway to try new things without the money folks shaking their heads and saying "ooh...I dunno...that sounds pretty risky.." It's great to work on these games, and I honestly think its better for the fans as well, in terms of the game experience that they get out of it.

I must admit that I still don't quite get the resistance to episodic games. I'd be happy if you would tell me what you don't like about the concept.

HLL

[rincewind]

Well, I hope episodicly publishing will work and I love it.
It's a big chance - and maybe the last - for adventure games.
I don't like to hear all the annoying complaining about "episodical publishing".

Surely I think it would be better with shorter periods between every episode.

[mat69]

At first I did not like the idea of episodic adventures "shipped" over the Internet, but afterall I guess it is the fairest and littlest risk way. The developers get the money - not some publishers (don't take that as offense) - and the costs are cut down. The only major problem I have is my Internet connection, not everyone has unlimited access to the internet nor a good connection.

[HeatherLee]

It's true, I wish I could reach out across the world and give everyone broadband access. (And food, and peace...but anyway). I know that digital distribution is more problematic for those who have dial-up access, but I have also heard heart-warming stories of people keeping their computers down-loading all night long to get the games. So at least it is possible. Also some countries don't get to see games for months or even years after they come out in the U.S. Digital distribution lets them get the games right away, and downloading all night long doesn't seem so bad then.

REigging up old Sam and Max folks: It is too early to say. Heck, they haven't even told me their plans to this regard yet!

HLL

[Cl�mentXVII]

First of all, let me tell you that I had a lot of fun playing Bone , so thanks!

For my part, I can understand the reluctance to episodic approach with the fact that it is "episodic".

Because of that, people are going to see each game as some part of a whole, and will calculate on how expensive it will be for them. I do not agree totally with this, but this is what came out of some discussions I saw:

Take the Bone:Out from Boneville. Most adventurers agree that this game was short. Really short. The length was maybe OK for occasional games, but for us, adventurers, who were kept in the dark for a few years, without any light, very likely to be eaten by a grue... it was so good in terms of immersion that the game was finished in a few hours, and that was it.

So then you'll start counting: 12 episodes at 20$ each, that's 240$, but if every episode is that short, do I really want to spend that much on it? Neverwinter Nights has these premium modules (good for about 5-7 hours of gameplay) that you can buy for approximatively 15$.

Furthermore, adventure gamers are used to full games. True, in the early space quest / Monkey Island days, you had one disk per location, and had to switch disks when you got to a new location. On a sierra game, you'd go spare after noticing you forgot to take the cartridge with you, and knowing you couldn't fly back... it could maybe be seen as some kind of 'episodic playing', but these games could be played in one go!

On the other hand, the Bone comic book being split in several parts, it seems logical for me to have this episodic writing. There are a lot of Comics in europe that follow this episodic format (Lanfeust de Troy, Largo Winch, La nef des Fous, De Cape et de Crocs), and fitting all of them into one game would be spoiling the original!

[papapichu]

Also some countries don't get to see games for months or even years after they come out in the U.S. Digital distribution lets them get the games right away, and downloading all night long doesn't seem so bad then.

With adventure games it seems to be the other way round most of the times. ;D
I can't remember waiting for an adventure hit from the US coming to Europe. Must have happened in the mid-90s once in a while. But now... love for adventure games seems to be a good reason for living in Germany.
As long as there are lots of good adventures around (and this seems to be the case nowadays) I don't mind waiting for one or two games that have to make their way across the Atlantic ocean and take their time.

[rincewind]

Well Cl�mentXVII i've read "BONE" in one - all the 1300 pages.
But guess what: I've enjoyed playing the first Bone-Episode either -
make me thursty for more, much more.
I think the price may be a question for future episodes, esspacialy for those gamers, who have allready purchased the first episode.
It would be nice to make it cheaper for them - let us say 10$ or something? Could be this way: you pay the engine once, then you have only to buy the next episode. Well, I think this would be a nice and fair model.

[Tomsess]

Will be a box edition of the game, or it will be sold like Bone?

[axelkothe]

I think the price may be a question for future episodes, esspacialy for those gamers, who have allready purchased the first episode.
It would be nice to make it cheaper for them - let us say 10$ or something?

I definitely agree, but I don't think 10$ would work for Telltale. But a small discount for buyers of the first game would be nice (maybe 2$ discount for every bone game you bought before)

[Terramax]

I don't understand - will the 'Sam and Max' game be episodic as in one major story dragged out through a series of downloads or each one being a full mini-story?

I hope it's the latter - after all, as good as watching Family Guy, The Simpsons or indeed the Sam and Max, the companies behind them are well aware that you can have too much of a good thing.

I believe it depends on the quality. I wouldn't mind if the game is episodic as long as there are plenty of puzzles and people to talk to.

And with episodes and, hopefully new stories, this will mean more locations to go to every episode. Also, long comical games often drag jokes for too long in full games and go stale. This shouldn't happen with episodic games.

I don't think many have thought about the benefits of this. Sure this new way of making games new but, in due time we will understand what the great significances of this is, as long as we trust the games company. And this game has Steve P behind it! f he likes it this way, surely it stands for something?

[HeatherLee]

So then you'll start counting: 12 episodes at 20$ each, that's 240$, but if every episode is that short, do I really want to spend that much on it? Neverwinter Nights has these premium modules (good for about 5-7 hours of gameplay) that you can buy for approximatively 15$.

Furthermore, adventure gamers are used to full games. True, in the early space quest / Monkey Island days, you had one disk per location, and had to switch disks when you got to a new location. On a sierra game, you'd go spare after noticing you forgot to take the cartridge with you, and knowing you couldn't fly back... it could maybe be seen as some kind of 'episodic playing', but these games could be played in one go!

Right, I have seen these concerns brought up elsewhere. I think both of them have to do with people setting their own expectations. Is it certain that every game will cost $20? Or that there will be 12 of them? I myself can honestly not answer that, so others are jumping to conclusions with even less information than myself.

As for the second point, this is again what the adventure gamers expect. They expect a company to make a big long game every few years. I respect the desire to sit and become immersed in a new world for hours on end. While we would like to make our games take longer than just a few hours to play, they are always going to be shorter than something like The Longest Journey (the episodic games). I think that people will enjoy the episodic games once they get used to the concept and see it in action. When you get to play Bone 2 next Spring, and the next Bone game comes out 5 - 6 months after that, I think it will start feeling much cooler than it does now.

HLL

[HeatherLee]

With adventure games it seems to be the other way round most of the times. ;D
I can't remember waiting for an adventure hit from the US coming to Europe. Must have happened in the mid-90s once in a while. But now... love for adventure games seems to be a good reason for living in Germany.
As long as there are lots of good adventures around (and this seems to be the case nowadays) I don't mind waiting for one or two games that have to make their way across the Atlantic ocean and take their time.

Yes, but then you have the good fortune to live in a haven of adventure gaming. Gamers in some other countries are not so lucky. 8)