One Last Entry

by Ron Gilbert
Mar 18, 2017

I know you're starting to tear up like I am, but our time together is coming to a close.  It's been two years filled with joy, laughs, learning, and anxiety (mostly anxiety).

Before the game launches on the 30th, I'd like to do one more big dev blog post. Any suggestions?

And for those of you skeptical that we made any progress over the last two years, here is the first video of the game I posted.

- Ron

P.S. Just to clarify, we will continue to post on the blog after launch, but the posts will become less frequent, only when news shows up. Keeping the blog current is exhausting work.



Graeme Chicken - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:04
How about a post showing time frames from what was initially planned to how things ended up.

Like an entire review process of the whole development. How you dealt with the continued unexpected.

Krampus - Mar 20, 2017 at 11:10
Yes. This.

Carl Docto - Mar 20, 2017 at 22:10
I'd like to see this too: time frames with pictures and a review of the whole development experience (with making the game and with fans/customers).

P.S. I'd like to buy a Thimbleweed Park poster that has all the characters on it followed by your three autographs; but not expensive. This could help fund your next project!

Soong - Mar 23, 2017 at 10:28
Yes, I like that idea.  It could be a post-mortem on what went right and wrong.

Other topics that would be really great are how you do the writing, how you design puzzles (apart from dependency charts), composing the music, the new walk-box-algorithm, and how you implemented save-games in the end.

Giulio - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:04
Does this mean there will be no entries after the 30th? :'( *despair*

Rum Rogers - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:05
Aww, I may weep up openly

Rob Osinga - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:09
You asked yourself the question "what is the charm of these first 1987 point 'n click adventures"?   Explain us how you kept this question hot, during the proces and what's your final conclusion?

Vesko - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:09
"our time together is coming to a close"

Does it mean that there won't be any future projects? That should be the topic of the next dev blog post.

Justin May - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:14
Maybe this is too far in the weeds, but what's the general architecture of the engine your created? What modules do what and how do they pass events/data to each other?

I'm dying to know a tad bit less than I am to play the game.

Jonny - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:24
I vote for this one. Architecture behind the game. What modules ended up being used etc would be an interesting read. What tools were used, maybe just in an alphabetical order.

urielz - Mar 19, 2017 at 09:40
another vote for an in-depth engine discussion

Assaf - Mar 19, 2017 at 10:50
Yeah, me too. I find it very interesting, always loved these posts. Technical, engine ones. We haven't had a lot of then and I would love to read more!

indiegameprogramming@gmail.com - Mar 20, 2017 at 15:39
+1  I would love an overview of what you ended up with.  A postmortem on what went right and wrong.

mr. T - Mar 27, 2017 at 10:38
Definitely this! I would also like to hear what kind of stuff there is in the engine and was thinking about asking about that. I think a general box graph would suffice  so no sekrits would have to be shown.

Sheldon - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:17
Let's come back on the budget. I'd be really glad to learn what changed when you decided to postpone the release date and to hire a producer. Also, I'd really appreciate getting to know how things develop after twp is released. What selling did you expect? Didn't most of the potential buyers already back the kickstarter? So, I don't really think that next post really would be the last one. To be honest, I'm already addicted to it, so you should do something like this for terrible toybox, if it happens that you stay together to create another game.

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:17
Well... you have covered practically everything about thedevelopment of the game.
Animations, special case animations, sketches, parallax, UIs, talkes, translations, backgrounds, programming, options...
... oh! The options! How many options there are in the game? :-)
Jokes apart, I think there are no more topics about game development that you didn't cover yet, since 01/01/2015.
So... how about a last podcast, where there is Ron, David, Gary, and other TWP member representatives, as many as possible?
They could tell us what is the most funny thing they did and the most boring one, for instance, in their specific area (background, programming, animations, music...)
Or...
...what about a lottery for our users of this very blog? The winner could join you in the podcast.
OK, back to reality...

vivaldi - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:06
I was hoping for a blog post by Steve Kirk about the music. Or by Malcolm about the improved walk-box algorithm.

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 02:49
"what about a lottery for our users of this very blog?"
You mean they should pick random posts until they get hold of one particular author who tried to increase his odds since the beginning? So this explains it all, this was your sinister plan after all! :-)

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 23, 2017 at 09:56
Ahr! Ahr! Ahr! GROG! Ahr! Ahrrrrrrr!!!!

Barton Lynch - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:20
I'm already tearing up. I've been following you both here on the Blog and on twitter since day one and it's been magical. Not only you get to appreciate TWP to the full extent by looking back at all the hard work put into it in more than two years, but you also begin to appreciate the classic games that pioneered the industry (Maniac, Loom, Monkey) since you had no idea of the amount of effort that was also put behind them. There was no Internet back then, and magazines didn't tell the whole behind the scenes story. This experience has been a refreshing throwback to the charm of these games than unfortunately are no longer prevalent nor relevant in an industry focused on shooters and open world me too's. I am currently enjoying the game thanks to the press review copy, putting aside all the other games of this season I was currently playing (Horizon, Zelda), almost collapsing under my own joy because Thimbleweed Park was and is my most anticipated title of the year. I'm so engulfed by the game that I wish I could hear the grinding of the C64 disk drive. I have my Apple IIc on my desk so I can believe I'm playing the game through it instead of my modern Mac. Thank you Ron, thank you very very much

Brian Bagnall - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:20
On second thought, you should have gone the Robotron route.

Brian Ruff - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:22
As a music lover and musician I would love to hear about Steve Kirk's role on the game and what it was like working with him.

Christian - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:36
Why will this be the last entry?
Won't you do mobile ports, etc.? Wouldn't there be announcements from time to time about this?
Or why not have a blog post about e.g. the porting process in a few months?
Of course it can be more quite here, but why stop?

Rodrifra - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:36
I know this might be stressing but... You could use your last post to explain what will you're next project be once you have recovered from Thimbleweed park. I know you will be *beeping* rich, but you can't live without making games, right? :) becoming rich won't stop you from  making games, right? :-/

Steve - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:37
I like to play with my gravis gamepad - is this supported?

Marc - Mar 19, 2017 at 02:35
Only if you have an Ultrasound installed with the latest version of SBOS.

Ps Don't forget to screw on the center-stick on your gamepad.

Katie Parsons - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:38
Aw man, I'm sad.

As for suggestions, how about a list of the key milestones, with pictures?

Or a list of the highs and lows?

(I like lists.)

Pedro - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:38
The save files. All about them. How to save the inventory, store the machine state of the conversations and those things.

Christian Stigen Larsen - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:39
In an earlier podcast, you mentioned that with Maniac Mansion, you worked on UNIX workstations, cross-compiled to C64 machine code and uploaded to real C64 over the network, way back in the late eighties. I was amazed by it, and I'd love to hear more. And I'd love to hear how the pipeline is today. Do you use continuous integration? With what? Travis, GitLab runners, docker? Do you have a cluster of machines to test. Or do you just have some scripts running locally? I'd love to hear more about this stuff. Also about how fast it takes to compile (I think you said 5 seconds. How was that back in the day?)

Also, you used SCUMM VM earlier, but today you just use Squirrel for the same stuff. Is that correct? Do you think Squirrel works good, or would you have rather used more like a domain specific language for your engine? I'm thinking, you probably have a Squirrel library and a lot of conventions now instead of a DSL. I'd love to hear more about this. Also, how much code is in C/C++ compared to Squirrel nowadays? (Since the compile is rather fast, I'd guess you've got quite a lot of Squirrel code).

And finally, thank you *so* much for all the updates, posts and great podcast, and the game itself. I'm very excited, and I hope it'll be insanely successful. You deserve it! As for the last post, will you do a final podcast some time after release, to sum up everything?

Take care guys, and absolutely best of luck! Thank you so much!

B.M. - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:36
If you're interested in the history I recommend these links:

Ron on the creation of SCUMM with UNIX tools:
http://www.pagetable.com/?p=603#comment-9453

The Influence of the UNIX Operating System on the Development of Lucasfilm Games:
http://www.langston.com/Papers/vidgam.pdf

About the Macross assembler:
http://www.pagetable.com/?p=848

Classic Studio Postmortem - Lucasfilm Games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8AGwZ5mp_U

Lucasfilm Games/LucasArts - The Early Years (by David Fox):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqKf0Lu_EDU

Carlo Valenti - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:40
Instead of one last entry, I'd like our conversation to evolve: I think this blog has come to an end too, all good things... But everybody here will be eager to know the progress in sales, and probably you also will like to have any sort of feedback from us when  the game is out: how should you manage the infamous zero-day bug #47? Should patch #42 include real-time animated fog or real-lime intoxicated Fox? And so on.

Miguel - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:43
Having the chance to follow the process of creating a game like this is such an honour. I've missed more technicalities about the way things are put together and how the team works... If there are automatic builds, if there's a test suite to check that rooms are functional and have all the required parts, ...

I'm sure the blog will still be used to have follow ups on the DLC for uncensored Ransome, and announcing the next adventure game using the awesome engine of TWP :)

Diduz - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:43
Nah, come on! You'll have to do some updates AFTER the game ships. We want to know how many copies the game's selling, what do you think of the reactions from backers, reviewers and gamers... I know this whole Kickstarter thing forced you out of your grumpiness, but PLEASE restrain your grumpy self for some weeks more! :-)

Kevin Drum - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:45
I would be curious to know what, if any, long term plans you now have for the game engine.

Asa Carter - Mar 18, 2017 at 19:51
Can't wait until the 30th! Have you been involved with any other games since MI etc?

Someone - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:19
You know the Humongous games? Deathspank? The Cave?

Steffen - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:08
AT LEAST: Make the last entry with your first holiday photo of your coming dev vacation...
Until then please give some more little blog entries about the mobile dev and how the selling process goes on.

My question: Would you do it again and if so: how can we (the backers and the blog fans) participate. If not: how can change your mind? Seriously!

Dom - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:10
Really excited and sad at the time that it's coming to an end!

I want to say thank you for all the dev related articles you posted, they're very helpful for all indie devs, established and aspiring alike.

Here are a couple of suggestions for topics I would be interested to read about still

- How did you end up implementing save games when using a scripting language like Squirrel (assuming you were using their embedded interpreter rather than your own, I might be wrong in that regard)?

- You talked about dialogue trees and a format for them in one article, but I am also interested in the rendering of the fonts.

The common style these days is to render in a dialogue box, with some closeup art of the person speaking. This has the advantage that it provides a close up of characters and from a coding perspective, simplifies the code a bit because you don't have to worry about optimal positioning of the text, and you just have to work out the size of the box and where to line wrap.  

However my personal preference is the classic SCUMM style in MI1 and onwards, as it doesn't obscure the art as much (on a statistical basis).

It would be nice to read about how you go about arranging speech text on the screen in TWP, in terms of working out it's positioning, dimensions of the box you would render each case in, line wraps, does localisation cause problems for the dynamic nature oofthe dimensions, etc... Is there a conscious effort to stop the speech text from covering up objects on the screen or do you just rely on the law of averages or not even care at all.

I hope others would find this topic insightful too

Aubrey Alexander - Mar 21, 2017 at 19:32
Yeah.  Curious to how these systems would tie into the dialog tree format as well.

JJ - Mar 22, 2017 at 10:52
Yeah. There are a lot of systems around dialog.  Font positioning, dialog puzzles, lip sync.  I've also seen squirrel code with the sayDialog command as well as a interpreted text file.  How do all of these systems work together without duplicating work?

Andrew Hanson - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:11
It is sad to be coming to the end of this entire development process. I've been following this project since right after the Kickstarter ended. I never heard of the Kickstarter, but vowed to buy the game immediately when I learned of the project and who was behind it.

I feel as though I'm saying goodbye to cousins after hanging out for a couple weeks during the summer. The notion of playing this game is so exciting! There's something about the way we've been involved from the beginning that makes it extra special. Sadness mixed with anticipation.

Thanks for a great show of consistency and commitment! Your work is inspirational. The only thing I would love to hear talked about is an in depth look at the potential market you believe is out there, if you're able to assess from the reception you've experienced from those who weren't fans of your work before.

Can't wait to play this game. It's seriously the number one thing I've been looking forward to for the past few months. Call me sensational. Call me addicted. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS.

Someone - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:17
Write a (short) "Post Mortem". What went well and what did not?

"... but our time together is coming to a close."

As the other blog readers said: That makes me sad too. I would recommend to do (less frequent) blog posts. Because here you have a community that could be useful for your next games (even if you won't do another kickstarter).

Thanks for the blog, the podcasts and your answers, Ron! I can't remeber that any other Kickstarter project has done this before.

P.S.: My "bet" about the coin interface vs. verb interface is still valid... ;-)

Dominik - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:22
As others already have said: I hope "last" refers to the "last development blog entry", not the last overall. There are some topics I hope will be addressed in this blog: Launch party, Final thoughts, The future of Terrible Toybox and so on.

For a last dev post I suggest this:

A screencast showing a typical dev session of you fixing a bug or improving something. I would be really interesting to see you at work. You could blurr out parts of the code you are not comfortable showing. I think this would be a valuable insight!

Thanks for the ride this far! Really looking forward to the launch!

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 02:47
Yep, last development blog entry, then switching to software maintenance blog posts.

I'm not sure about this type of screencast. Fixing a bug is normally boring to watch and involves just following activities (in differing order and occurrence):
- Staring at the screen for seconds to minutes.
- Hacking away so viewers will get dizzy watching.
- Cussing
- Bashing the keyboard or whatever else is in reach
- Marking the bug as wontfix

Natalija - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:23
My suggestion is to to mention my name in your last blog (Natalija Radnjic) because I'm a huge fan and all and it would mean world to me.. You can also thank your fans who were with you as a support and say their names also.. But my name has to be first, pleaseeeeeee Ron it would meant world to me

Ema - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:46
"you know, italians...." ;-)

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 19, 2017 at 07:13
Ema: http://www.marcelacuevas.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Italian-Gesture-275x300.jpg
Nowadays, it seems that we are doing this gesture for everything. It's like "42", the answer to the Ultimate Question.

Ema - Mar 19, 2017 at 09:15
:-D  
I was referring to your support to NatalIja... it reminded me of this:

https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/munch_event#comment

Look for our dialogue, about at 3/4 of the scrolling bar.
;-)

Anyway, 42 2 U 2, my friend!

Ema - Mar 19, 2017 at 09:23
For non-italian users: that's a typical italian gesture. But it's not so common like in american movies, where it used in every situation!
It has a specific meaning, which is "what do you mean/need/want/ask for"?

Anyway it is not a bad gesture, nonetheless it is not considered elegant to use it.

Ignacio - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:25
Hi,
How about a summary of the process, the tools used, the one discarded, what was out because doesn't work, etc...

Thanks!!

e - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:46
I think it would be great to get a blog post devoted to the sound design and music of the game. It's something you've written very little about so far.

Overall, it's been really fun to follow this blog and to see the game evolve. While I understand perfectly that you may not want to have this level of transparency with your next project(s), this blog has been truly exemplary in many ways.

Miguel - Mar 18, 2017 at 20:47
I wonder how hard would it be to release a version with the original graphics before Octavi joined the team. I'm not sure how complete they were or if there were objects and/or rooms... but it'd be interesting to play the game looking like this: https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/walkbox_video

Dom - Mar 19, 2017 at 01:55
Mark Ferrari probably also had a big impact on the graphics, especially the backgrounds, so would need to be pre-Ferrari too.

I was wondering if there will be an "Art of TWP" additional content that ppl who missed out on backing can buy, I would be keen to see more of the backgrounds that Mark did using dithering before that idea was abandoned

Big Red Button - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:29
The room screens which were used before Mark Ferrari and Octavi Navarro joined the team were never supposed to be used in the final game. The team has called these screens wireframe art, because they were placeholders for the final art. When you develop an adventure game, you first have to figure out which rooms are actually needed for your game. By using wireframe art for this stage, your artists don't spend costly time on creating room screens which would get omitted eventually. That's the purpose of wireframe art.

DZ-Jay - Mar 20, 2017 at 05:14
That's not quite true.  It is well known that the art direction of the game changed over time from a "looks like C=64 graphics" to a "looks awesome with modern pixel art."  Even the fonts changed over time to match the new style.

Having Mark Ferrari join the team may have been Ron's wish, but was not really part of the plan, so when he joined, the art was influenced by his style.

      -dZ.

Big Red Button - Mar 20, 2017 at 05:49
You're right, but, to my knowledge, the artworks were nonetheless wireframe art and they also would have been enhanced subsequently. Even if they aspired to a C64 style, inspired by MM.
For example, they showed an early version of the Quickie Pal in the Kickstarter teaser which already looked more enhanced than the wireframe art from some early screenshots or videos on this blog. I assume that Gary and Octavi would have created less animations in order to enhance all room screens, if Mark Ferrari hadn't joined the team.
Anyway, I'm so happy about Mark Ferrari's involvement for different reasons!

Mister T - Mar 19, 2017 at 07:07
I guess as the geometry has changed, it would involve a lot of scripting work. But I'd really like a commented playthrough à la Blackwell, which then could allow to replace the background graphics (at least for a quick comparison) commenting the changes. Such a feature adds so much value to the game and pretty much doubles the playtime.

Then again this is not a question for features, but for blog entries. So I guess I just failed to answer it correctly and will disappear into the corner with my dunce cap...

Dom - Apr 03, 2017 at 09:49
Think you kinda got your wish

Dom - Apr 03, 2017 at 09:50
(Miguel I mean)

Maurizio - Mar 18, 2017 at 21:25
I just want to say that today I bought Freddy Fish 2 on Steam and had my 4 year old girl play with it. Well, she followed with interest, totally sucked in the story. And to my astonishment she solved the "use scissors with helmet" puzzle in a snap. It's the best time I ever had with her. It's not true that these games are not for today's kids. Thanks for all you've done through these years.

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 02:57
That sounds great!

Jeepika - Mar 18, 2017 at 21:43
I hope won't have to wait long years for the next point-n-click adventure after T.P.

Jammet - Mar 18, 2017 at 21:53
Hey Ron :).

Will the grumpy gamer blog still talk about things unrelated to Timbleweed Park?
Will everybody join one last time for a podcast about Timbleweed Park in several months?
Where do you go from here?
And will you guys continue to be the Terrible Toybox?

bobdeniro - Mar 20, 2017 at 05:58
+1

Darkstorm - Mar 18, 2017 at 22:14
A blog detailing the many ways Mark Ferrari managed to get out of doing a blog post for the last two years. :)

Farooq - Mar 19, 2017 at 05:25
The art of Mark Ferrari's 40 getaways. :D I understand he's a busy man.

Big Red Button - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:40
This one and a half hour long video is so comprehensive that I don't miss a blog entry from Mark Ferrari:
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023586/8-Bit-8-Bitish-Graphics
Starting at 15:30, he describes his work on TWP.

Mr. Stuff - Mar 22, 2017 at 00:28
Yeah, that was disappointing. I was about to complain about him not being able to take one hour or so out of his time to write one, but I'm ten times worse at procrastinating so I'm not one to judge! But I'm glad he did the podcast at least  :)

Speaking of the podcast, are we ever going to get the 'lost' recording (#46?)

JackAttack - Mar 18, 2017 at 22:39
Instead of a blogpost

You guys should have a podcast, but not a stand up meeting, and not a Friday questions.

Instead you should have a lengthy discussion, on the project and how it developed, what goals you guys aimed for, which you reached and which failed miserably, what changed over the course of the project, your happiest and saddest memories, what you would change if anything and finally whether or not you guys achieved what you set out to do in the first place. All while shooting the breeze and having a fairly impromptu chat about the future of terribletoy box and the dozens of games you will make for us in the future!

Cheers
Jack Attack

Jerry - Mar 18, 2017 at 22:51
I think you should definitely talk at least a little about your intentions with Terrible Toybox. You know we are including the Disney & Monkey Island 3 deal in our prayers, but apart from that, what are your plans?

bobdeniro - Mar 19, 2017 at 04:12
+1, pretty please :)

Derrick Reisdorf - Mar 19, 2017 at 01:45
I think with the last blog post you do a summary of the project...Concept, design, development, crowdfunding, etc.  Memories and moments.
Then, what's ahead...Tentative release dates for  backer goods.  Promotional plans/ideas.  What needs to happen to be able to port the game to other platforms.  Etc, etc.
Thanks, Ron!

Derrick Reisdorf - Mar 19, 2017 at 01:49
Oh yeah.  And some details about the playable games that will eventually be playable in the arcade.

Marc - Mar 19, 2017 at 02:38
Please explain why this game came to full fruition while I'm still waiting for SpaceVenture?!

Soren Ladegaard - Mar 19, 2017 at 03:04
How about a non-technical post?

I'd like to hear about the writing process. Coming up with the story, the relations between characters, the whole world of the game, coming up with relevant puzzles. How to be a writer of adventure games.

Simon Simon - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:04
This would be awesome. Having a post like that by Gary and you about the story and puzzle design would be incredible, especially a while after the game release when spoilers are less of an issue.

Aubrey - Mar 22, 2017 at 10:55
A story post could be a lot of fun.

Also, how to write bad jokes and slightly better jokes.

Mauro - Mar 19, 2017 at 03:22
Please keep us updated upon the release of the complete deck of all 50 characters of TWP and lots of other collectibles.

Rob Osinga - Mar 19, 2017 at 05:22
+1

Javier - Mar 19, 2017 at 11:14
Me too!

N. Harold Cham - Mar 20, 2017 at 17:56
Jenn, please!

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 02:57
+1
+49

Geoffrey Paulsen - Mar 19, 2017 at 04:43
Game Engine - I'd love to see a detailed run through of the game engine itself, presented as a list of features and limitations, and then use some examples possibly from the real game (trying to be spoiler free-ish), or from a simple room you hack together just for this demo.  Include examples where the engine had to be enhanced due to real issues you hit, and how it looks after the enhancement, and the power of embedded squirrel.  Would the game engine need to be updated to make another point and click?

mastel - Mar 19, 2017 at 04:56
I have no special wish for the last dev blog entry, i just wanted to say thank you.

As a Kickstarter Backer and blogreader since day 1 I enjoyed this journey so much, because you did a really great job with this blog. I was amazed how much you told us about the project and have always been really happy, when a new reminder about a post was in my inbox.

So again, thank you very much! I hope the game and the sales reach all your goals.

Carsten Jensen - Mar 19, 2017 at 05:40
Ron. Some time ago you mentioned to write to one of your emails for some customer support,
I've done this but haven't received any responses yet.

Ron Gilbert - Mar 19, 2017 at 11:10
Did you send an email to support@thimbleweedpark.com

If it's been awhile, send another one, just in case it got buried.

Big Red Button - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:08
I don't have any unanswered question, currently.

I'm glad to read that this blog will be continued! I'm going to stay tuned. Though I will probably avoid reading other people's comments until I have finished the game, in order to avoid spoilers.

Anyway, thank you for this dev blog! It has been very informative and has broadened my horizon! And, thank you for this game, of course!

I hope that you will do similar blogs for your future games as well, even if the frequency of blog updates would be lower.

Bart Colémont - Mar 19, 2017 at 06:51
I thoroughly enjoyed the technical posts. Would love to hear more about your techniques in building an adventure game.

ciaps - Mar 19, 2017 at 07:14
I would do a classic Scrum Meeting -- a Retrospective -- for the whole project.

By Retrospective I mean the typical "Sprint retrospective" with indications of what went right, what went wrong, what made you happy,sad,mad,puzzled, etc. together with some cool answers such as "each of you define the whole project with a movie title, and why", or things like that.

All the best !

tomimt - Mar 19, 2017 at 08:27
It would be nice to see a revised budget now that the game is done. Also some thoughts about tools used, how communication between the team members worked, things you'd do differently and what not. I know you've said something about at least some points here, but some kind of post mortem would be a great read.

Mattias Cedervall - Mar 19, 2017 at 08:48
I wish that Steve Kirk would write about the music!

Benjamin - Mar 19, 2017 at 12:33
When you look up thimbleweed park composer on google he shows up. Don't know if that's true though.

Avis - Mar 19, 2017 at 09:20
I've been here since the beginning as well, and I have enjoyed this trip so much! There will definitely be tearing up!

Can't wait to play the game!

Milo - Mar 19, 2017 at 11:13
Wow, it's happening, for real. The release date is so close now...
It has been a pleasure reading this blog, hearing the podcasts and follow the team around the Internet (and the world), we will sorely miss you.

For a final blog post, these are some ideas (some might have already been said in the previous comments):
- A retrospective on the X years of development with the entire (or as much as possible of) the team (a podcast).
- An Octavi-like video of how a room comes to life: from ideas, designs, to wireframe, code, art etc... (like he does his timelapse for his blog).
- Just write something for us, whatever!

Thank you Thimbleweed Team.
Until your next adventure!

DZ-Jay - Mar 19, 2017 at 11:35
How about... *gasp* A WALKTHROUGH?

(Yeah, I said it.  I'm taking off from work for a long week-end to play the game, and I will need all the help I can get!) :)

     -dZ.

Aubrey - Mar 22, 2017 at 10:58
I'm always ashamed when I have to do a walk through.

If there is a walk through, do it I infocom style so if my lemon scented 5marker dried up I have to try to get the hint by mixing household chemicals.  That way there is still some puzzle solving.

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 02:30
:-)

Btw. there is already a walkthrough for reviewers: https://twitter.com/DavidBFox/status/841706659873411072

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 05:14
Aha, now I know how journalists manage to have played the entire game until they write their reviews. They actually cheat!
The question is: Is a reviewer really able to judge the joy of playing a certain game when she/he used a walkthrough for finishing it, instead of puzzling about it a bit longer?

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 10:03
It seems like this is a must today. You don't want them to get stuck too long and they don't have the time to play the game over periods of many weeks.

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:09
Yes, it's absolutely comprehensible indeed. I always have presumed it, but now I got the evidence. :-)

Ron Gilbert - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:16
Very few of the reviewers ask for walk throughs.  It took some of the them 20 hours to make it through, but that is achievable to 3 or 4 days of dedicated playing.   Remember, Monkey Island only takes about 10 hours for an adult with adventure game skills, even if they have never played it (I've watch that).  

When people remember a game like Monkey Island taking 50 or 60 hours, most of the time, they were kids when that happened.

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:32
That sounds like you have found some nice and dedicated reviewers for TWP!

But I do can imagine that when you HAVE TO play a game and also HAVE TO play other games to write reviews about them you are more likely to be impatient. So I guess that's why you guys wrote it to begin with. It's better to have one ready if there is a need and it will be more favourable for the end result of the game's reviews if reviewer didn't get stuck early etc.

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 23, 2017 at 18:01
You are right. Kids or teens, at most.
Zak McKracken took me three months to be completed, I was 14 and with poor knowledge of English.
Monkey Island took me a month, because I didn't believe it possible (aka: logic) that "Use magnetic compass" alone could actually work (I expected "with" word when using "Use" verb).
Monkey Island 2 took me 3 weeks, and I was 17/18...
Yeah, when you are a child, you are mostly distracted by everything: colours, animations, funny episodes, cutscenes... as an adult, you concentrate on puzzle solving, most of the time, and reading all the dialogues.

Arto - Mar 23, 2017 at 18:44
I think Maniac Mansion took me some 27 years to complete. Not sure why, though.
I'm playing Zak McKracken now. Haven't got out of the bedroom yet (just kidding... I'm already in living room. I heard there is a kitchen somewhere. Very excited to get there someday).

Soong - Mar 24, 2017 at 03:22
I am quite experienced with adventure games, but my experience never translated to beating them more quickly.  I still enjoyed them immensely, though.  I remember being stuck at the door to LeChuck's fortress for forever.  It was three of us playing together and we just couldn't figure it out.  One of my friends figured that one out while the other two of us went outside.  I hope to be able to reproduce this kind of group experience with TWP.  I guess I need to find other adventure game players because my wife doesn't get the idea of just taking every item you can possibly take. ;-)

Ben - Mar 19, 2017 at 12:26
You should do a live podcast.

Paul Jacobson - Mar 19, 2017 at 12:55
Of all the projects I've backed in kickstarter this one had been by far the best. Some give virtually no updates and never interact with their backers. I've played the demo at the London event and I know in going to enjoy the full game. So regardless of what happens from here, thanks for making me feel so involved in the progress of this game. Thanks for the podcasts they've been fun and educational.  What I'd like to see in a blog update would be your experience of doing a project where backers and fans have been involved at this level. Has it been mostly positive? Would you do it again?

Womp - Mar 19, 2017 at 13:00
I would like to hear something about the calculations of the project, or finacial expectations and the reality so far.

Emilie - Mar 19, 2017 at 14:42
+1

crtc - Mar 19, 2017 at 13:29
What progress? Granted, you added some graphics, words and sounds here and there, but where's the real progress?

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 03:01
It seems like you've missed that he also added an option menu!

Gonzalo - Mar 19, 2017 at 14:22
Off topic question:
Is Chuck The Plant in twp?

Mario F. - Mar 19, 2017 at 17:45
Will the credits show the voice actors and who they voiced? E.g  coroner and sheriff... btw did he voiced more than 2 Characters? Cause if you have more than 50 Characters i doubt you booked 50 actors.

The signals are strong with me tonite.

Cole Trickle - Mar 19, 2017 at 18:48
Can you write something about how your feelings towards this game has changed during the development? You once wrote that you are worried about the budget for example. So what were the downers when you wanted to throw it all away and was the uppers when you had a breakthrough for example. What was most exhausting and what was most joyfull?
And maybeeeeeeee you can tell us the secret of monkey island.

Wluut - Mar 21, 2017 at 12:26
[under interrogation] "Mr. Gilbert, tell us the Secret of Monkey Island(tm)."

lancelot - Mar 19, 2017 at 19:26
I'd like to see this post happen eventually (marketing/PR and other business considerations):

https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/books_reviewed/586a784a7dce7c8b40c9cdf0

Sushi - Mar 19, 2017 at 19:36
I would like to have seen some more posts from Gary and/or Mark on their art creation process. But again, at this time I don't assume there is a budget left to do such a kind of post. Hey: you mentioned once a doing a post on the box art - the process of selecting a design, showing some concepts,...  Would that be an option?

Unexpectedly, I also found the post on budget quite memorable. But I guess doing an update of that today would be pretty short "all the money has been spent/not much tasks left to budget (before main release)"

By coincidence, I'll have a week off after TP is released (though I am not planning on rushing and  finishing it in a week - I want to savor and enjoy every bit of exploring it)

Bogdan Barbu - Mar 19, 2017 at 21:53
I'd love to see a blog  post about how the team was managed, if there were any conflicts (e.g., perhaps someone was making slow progress at times or maybe someone would have liked the game to go in a slightly different direction) and how these were resolved, whether they put a strain on your relationships, etc.

Orcan Ogetbil - Mar 20, 2017 at 01:47
We haven't heard any stories about the music progression of the game. That would be a treat.

Jack - Mar 20, 2017 at 03:37
I'd like to know how many man-hours went into backgrounds, how many into character animation, how many into game design, how many into coding, and so on.

Sergio - Mar 20, 2017 at 06:43
I am torn between two feelings: happiness for the release of the game and sadness for the end of our interaction in the blog.
And I also wanted to know if there has been any different point of view between Ron and Gary during the development of the game.
Thanks very much.

TheTrond - Mar 20, 2017 at 07:16
It has been an amazing journey. Looking forward to your next adventure game already! You can't stop now that you've created such an awsome team :-D

Gonzalo - Mar 20, 2017 at 08:55
There was a point during the development of the game where, for any reason, you considered cancelling it?

Roman - Mar 20, 2017 at 10:20
Forget about us...film yourself doing a speedrun on Labyrinth/Loom/whatever......or how about you and the team in pirate  and ape costumes doing the bones song........simply HAVE FUN after all the hard work

Thanks for a great blog time!

miguelbaptista - Mar 20, 2017 at 12:11
It has been great to watch this development, even though I just knew about it some months ago, way after the KS campaign ended.
Thank you Ron and Terrible Toybox! Cheers

bobdeniro - Mar 20, 2017 at 13:29
The same here, I quit playing p&c adventure games years ago after growing bored with so many... all either first-person or strictly linear or 3D-like or... just plain boring.
Then I read an article about TWP being made by the same guys who made MI and MI2, and - just like those - with VERBS!!! A shame I stumbled on that article when the KS funding was over.
So, dear Terrible Toybox, please do not forsake us when TWP is a huge success :)

Jerry - Mar 21, 2017 at 20:57
Don't forsake us, Ron.

Stefano E. - Mar 20, 2017 at 14:30
Ron, this should have been for the Friday questions but I've forgot to ask there: if you could go back in time, what amount of money would you ask for the Kickstarter campaign, knowing how much Thimbleweed park actually cost to develop?

DZ-Jay - Mar 21, 2017 at 05:10
Or better yet... If you could go back in time, would you make the game, or would you rather make money by selling time-travel technology?

    -dZ.

mat - Mar 20, 2017 at 15:51
What I really want to see is

„Here is the Link to our new Kickstarter - Monkey Island 3“

Whats ok is:
-) Why I’d never do a Kickstarter again (Or Kickstarter vs traditional Process)
-) Why we’ve sold Thimbleweed to Disney (Or what we are going to do next)
-) Why the next one will be a 3D Action „Adventure“ (Or Why it took ages to make a new adventure game)

Arto - Mar 20, 2017 at 16:39
What's next? Plans for Thimbleweed Park development after release, TWP merchandise development and distribution, marketing etc.
And what's next after TWP if the game will be successul.

Arto - Mar 20, 2017 at 16:41
Also, I'd like to know what's next after TWP if the game will be not only successul, but also successful.

Dean - Mar 20, 2017 at 16:57
I can't describe how much this dev blog has impressed me, both the curators and the contributors.

Ron, Gary, David thank you. And Jenn, Mark and all the other talented humans that have worked and contributed to this project.

That must also include the contributors on this blog, far moreso than on most projects. Amazing support.

Whatever comes from the launch of this game, I have never seen a forum as tight and radical and supported as this dev blog. Much love to everyone involved.

In a weird, fucked up world, this brings me peace. Roll on March 30th.

Dean.

longuist - Mar 20, 2017 at 17:08
I want to write something heavy with meaning, but i don't know what :/

Thaddeus Sharpe - Mar 20, 2017 at 17:36
How about a blog post about all the ways (you can remember) the community contributing to the project. The specs of dust collectible, the phone book entry getting voicemail etc.

Cole Trickle - Mar 20, 2017 at 20:46
Will grumpygamer.com be alive again?

Jens Suessmeyer - Mar 21, 2017 at 03:59
Hi,

well I would expect you to once the game has aired, how much millions you have already earned and if the baking account is already full (let me know when you need a spill over account). Questions would be also, what are the feedback channels for you (is there any telemetry collected (at least for the XBOX I guess) or can people send you a smile or frawn somewhere? were the selling numbers those expected by you or where they exceeded by 100x times? After sales sounds interesting to me as I expect a huge interest in the game (if not priced at a tremendous high Niveau)

Thanks, Jens.

Marco - Mar 21, 2017 at 04:07
My happiness about the game being released is greater than then sorrow of course. BUT: The blog was wonderful and we were able to closely observe how a game like this is made ... and how it evolved from "strictly retro" to this actually very beautiful and technically advanced looking new adventure game I was waiting for. So THANK YOU is the only thing I can say.

My dev question would be:
Since of course a lot of talk is about SCUMM and the new engine I would be interested to learn what the biggest differences are ? Were there things in SCUMM you are actually still missing in the new engine and what kind of things would you have wanted to have back then in SCUMM? Plus ... does "the engine" (plus it's tools) also have a funny name? SCUMM was so heavily used inside the games themselves so it does need a name like that , I think :-) Since you said you always hate a game you did when it comes to a close ... how about the name RAGE(tm) (Ron's Adventure Game Engine) ? ;-)

Steffen - Mar 21, 2017 at 05:59
Since you said you always hate a game you did when it comes to a close ... how about the name RAGE(tm) (Ron's Adventure Game Engine) ? ;-)

I like that - pretty funny and it matches the kind of jokes of TWP!  :-)

LogicDeLuxe - Mar 21, 2017 at 12:07
Unfortunately, RAGE is already taken by Rockstar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockstar_Advanced_Game_Engine

Steffen - Mar 27, 2017 at 16:56
So then...what about GRUMPY => Grumpy runtime util makes playing yummy!
;-)

Big Red Button - Mar 27, 2017 at 18:05
That's the name that Ron had chosen two years ago anyway, according to this blog entry: https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/tool_names

Wluut - Mar 21, 2017 at 12:39
I'd like to hear about
1. the story writing process (could wait for after the release because of spoilers)
2. a retrospective: highs and lows. How did your initial plans evolve over time? What was the most unexpected thing you had to deal with?
(maybe also after release)
3. sales, budget, numbers. What did it cost in the end? How many games do you have to sell to break even/feel good/get rich enough to buy Disney. (also after the first millions are in)

But I'd also enjoy
4.. Engine stuff.
5. Music.

Martin Wendt - Mar 21, 2017 at 13:05
For the last blog provide means of what everybody should/could do.
i.e. write reviews, share news on the game or whatever would help the success of the game.
After all most of us here are 'shareholders' without any return ;-) So the (financial) success of the game should still be in the interest of everyone.
Consider this blog and us here your homies/groupies/crowd and make USE of it ;-)
I.e. if you could need REAL feedback such as: "played this game for 10 days straight in the evening with my wife only interrupted by frequent making out.' to quote somewhere, ask for it in the last blog maybe.

Jens Suessmeyer - Mar 21, 2017 at 19:10
Hi,

MI2 had the iMuse system, wasn´t that usable for TWP as of copyright issues?

-Jens

Jerry - Mar 21, 2017 at 21:00
+1

+2, actually. That was a good idea, the iMuse system.

Big Red Button - Mar 22, 2017 at 04:21
They explained it in one of the recent Friday Questions podcasts. They said that it was extremely labor-intensive. Back at Lucasfilm, they had an employee who was working on iMuse only. Also, iMuse was not designed for recorded music, but only for something like MIDI.

LogicDeLuxe - Mar 22, 2017 at 07:01
It might not be designed with recorded music, but it was adopted for it nevertheless and called iMuse digital. Monkey 3 and 4 make use of it. They also managed to implement it in the SE of Monkey 2 (not quite perfect, but it's there).

spiffy - Mar 22, 2017 at 13:59
Also, it is patented.

longuist - Mar 21, 2017 at 19:17
I'm getting impatient. Also i'm 8 hours ahead of PDT.
".. I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now! .." !!one!exclamation-mark!1!eleven!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jammet - Mar 21, 2017 at 23:27
Right. Before I completely forget to ask, because I'm not sure when or how exactly the game codes are going to be given to everybody who has supported it:

I still have an older email for the pledge manager. I can click on it, but the only option it gives me is to make a new pledge. It asks me to confirm upping my pledge to a higher level, but doesn't mention what I've actually got. I'm sure I remember how much I gave to support, but in this page, I can't even look it up.

Will I go to this page to get a gog or steam key? How is this going to be done?

Asterisk - Mar 22, 2017 at 02:12
Any chance you could release the above first version of the game  as a screen saver?

Steffen - Mar 22, 2017 at 04:48
+1
It would perfectly match the early years of pc usage...
Does somebody still use screen-saver?

Big Red Button - Mar 22, 2017 at 04:58
nope. I don't save my screen any more, I save energy via sleep mode now.

Martin Wendt - Mar 22, 2017 at 05:21
Do you feel that the launch of the remake of Full Throttle will hurt TWP sales or rather add momentum to the genre right now and thus increase overall success of TWP?

entropy - Mar 22, 2017 at 06:03
Full Throttle is the only LucasArts point and click adventure that completely failed to make me a fan.

Barton Lynch - Mar 22, 2017 at 10:14
Count me in, too. As a huge fan of point and click adventure games since the 80s, especially LucasArts games, Grim Fandango was one that never caught me, never hooked me, and for some reason I can't put my finger on, I never liked it. But I really like Throttle a lot, though.

bobdeniro - Mar 22, 2017 at 11:40
+1 in the list of people not able to finish Grim Fandango. I liked the story, wanted it to go ahead, but frustrating puzzles kept interrupting it until I just quit.
I am no game designer and never will be, but in my mind puzzles and story should go hand in hand, puzzles are there to help build the story, not something put there just because it's an adventure game so they are supposed to be there.
Does this make any sense? Well, it does to me, and I guess that's what counts :D

Mr. Stuff - Mar 22, 2017 at 19:47
+2. Grim had a great story & characters but awful puzzles (and the keyboard interface didn't help either). I hate to say anything bad about Tim but he seems like one of those 'Hollywood Envy' people Ron mentions in his 'Why Adventure Games Suck' article. I think if Tim went into movies/animation he make some awesome stuff.

Jammet - Mar 22, 2017 at 22:24
Yeah, Grim Fandango. Liked the Characters, did loathe all the rest. Especially the Puzzles. Full Throttle? I love Full Throttle, and finished it several times.

But GF was way too Tim Burton for me. I just can't enjoy all this awkwardness about it. Somehow.

Gv - Mar 23, 2017 at 07:10
What I did not like about Grim Fandango is its atmosphere, it is like a tiffany lamp. I think it captures the atmosphere of that time well though.

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 10:07
I wouldn't put one of these in my home but as for me I loved the atmosphere in Grim Fandango  :-)

Gv - Mar 23, 2017 at 16:28
That's fine. I like the artistic choice for the game: film noir, something like south american 50's. But somehow I don't like the result. But I think of a melody that I always thought would go really good with the mood of the game: Vereda Tropical.

Cornholio - Mar 22, 2017 at 11:42
I'll never forget taking on a busboy/waiter job for only one day just to make enough money to buy Grim Fandango. I loved that game, it made me an adventure fan. Monkey Island made me want to be an engine developer..

As for  TP, well I only hope that we get to see the engine source. I already have a conceptualization from all the code porn Ron has released and I'm so hungry to go through the entire machine with a fine tooth comb and pick up some tricks from one of my heroes of game development.

I need TP! :D

Maurizio - Mar 24, 2017 at 03:17
I couldn't play Grim Fandango because of the graphics. It looked so fake.

I suppose I am very picky for graphics. It must be low resolution, so the brain creates details there aren't there. This does not happen in high res, and they look fake. For example, the special editions of Monkey 2 and Indy 4 look much more fake and still to me than the originals.

entropy - Mar 27, 2017 at 05:17
Grim Fandango was different and despite the awful 3D route they went I really liked it.

marc.muntada@gmail.com - Mar 22, 2017 at 06:45
Do you have analytics in the game?

It would be awesome to have a kind of "paths tree" enlightened with the paths the current users have played.
And ring a bell each time a user finishes the game. :)

Then you could see a heat map of the paths and take the improvements for the next game?

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 22, 2017 at 06:53
There was a long thread about in-game analytics, and how people could be afarid of it.
Mr. Nor Treblig will write the precise post for you in a blink of an eye.

Big Red Button - Mar 22, 2017 at 07:23

Big Red Button - Mar 22, 2017 at 07:33
Though, back then, Ron wrote "We haven't made a final decision about shipping the game with anonymous high level analytics or not." So, Marc's question is still unanswered.

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 10:08
Thx, I was buried in work anyway :-)

myself - Mar 22, 2017 at 14:07
Write a post about writing blog posts. How you come up with ideas for blog posts etc.

Arto - Mar 22, 2017 at 14:49
By the way: GOG Galaxy will be out of beta with 1.2. It includes, among other things, universal cloud saves!
https://www.gog.com/news/gog_galaxy_biggest_update_yet_marks_the_end_of_beta

Brian Small - Mar 22, 2017 at 20:25
But still not Linux support, it seems..

longuist - Mar 22, 2017 at 15:02
5 Stages of acceptance:

- Still 8 days to release? It can't be. There must be something wrong!!
- Why me. Its not fair! Testers all around the world are already enjoying it. Who's responsible for this sculduggery?
- Dear ThimbleGod, i will sacrifice my point&click finger if i receive the game early, pretty please, with bribe dough on top!
- beep I already waited years for this beepin' **beep** of beep to ship. Whooo cares. I'll play sierra games instead till the end of times. sob
- Hmpf. I have to accept it. Its only 7.9 days. Not that much after all. I just signed up for an GOG account. I'm prepared, its going to be awesome :)

Brian Small - Mar 22, 2017 at 20:21
This looks ... interesting.  One thing it has in common with Thimbleweed Park, is that the name provides an (nearly) ambiguous Google search result.

Brian Small - Mar 22, 2017 at 20:22
I meant to say *un*-ambiguous.

Jackson - Mar 22, 2017 at 23:49
Or "Gabriel Knight - Sins of the Fathers"

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 06:39
In my opinion, Gabriel Knight lacks in humor.
By the way, this article provides an interesting view on GK 3: http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/77.html

longuist - Mar 23, 2017 at 02:20
Replay :)
Thats not really a Sierra game.
I want all the dead ends and sudden deaths (self-flagellation) :P

Someone - Mar 23, 2017 at 05:46
"I want all the dead ends and sudden deaths (self-flagellation) :P"

Then you have to play "Stair Quest":

http://gamejolt.com/games/stair-quest/147399

longuist - Mar 23, 2017 at 18:26
That looks awful/nice. Thanks for the suggestion!

Damien - Mar 22, 2017 at 18:06
I didn't follow you enough but I wish you the Best.

Damien - Mar 22, 2017 at 18:10
Well... Not Beauty but the Best.

fl_cody - Mar 23, 2017 at 04:54
this game locks so nice and interesting. Can't wait!!!

Javier Tolstoi - Mar 23, 2017 at 08:18
PLease write about your experiences doing a new game that feels old, like, what differences to the old games you went through using  the new technologies and these things.
That would be quite interes´ting!

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 23, 2017 at 10:12
"SEEEVEEEEN DAAAAYSSSS..."
It looks like "The ring", today!!!!

Arto - Mar 23, 2017 at 11:09
Seven days and the game will be launched. There will be millions of us trying to download the game at the same time. Servers will crash. When they are back up again, the download speed will make us feel like we're back in 1987. So, maybe sunday.

Janmet - Mar 23, 2017 at 13:00
Have you received a key yet? All I know is that I am waiting for an email. Probably.

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:03
In one of the podcasts the team even told us that we (backers) would have to wait a bit longer until we get a key, because this needs to be done by hand. So, maybe we will to have to wait until April.

Ron Gilbert - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:05
Not true. Backers should get an email the morning of launch with instruction for getting the key.

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:11
I am glad to read this! Thank you for this clarification!

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:15
And, sorry for my incorrect information!

Jammet - Mar 23, 2017 at 14:18
Ah, thank you again. I just didn't know when or how or what, and didn't know where to look for this info.

Gabriel - Mar 23, 2017 at 15:40
Ron, I wanna a free copy of the game, what must I to do?

Nor Treblig - Mar 23, 2017 at 20:19
Donate 100 bucks to your favourite clown charity and we will organise a copy!

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 23, 2017 at 18:16
..."with instruction for getting the key"...

- To get the download address, solve the following puzzles:
1) He always takes things, seriously. Who?
2) It borns big and dies little. What is?
3) What kind of palm lives everywhere in the world?

...the key will be given first to good adventure gamers ;-)

Josejulio Martínez - Mar 23, 2017 at 13:13
Does this means that you are going to start updating http://grumpygamer.com/ ?!

Gabriel - Mar 23, 2017 at 15:35
I really wish a making of :)

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 17:19
By the way, the discussions on this dev blog have been so important for the development of this game that, in my opinion, you ought to freeze the comments for all previous blog posts, so that these comments would not be mixed with later comments composed after the release of the game. If someone read the previous blog entries retrospectively one day, he would probably be rather interested in the comments which were composed before the release of the game. The release date changes everything.

Big Red Button - Mar 23, 2017 at 17:22
I mean, the release itself changes everything.

longuist - Mar 23, 2017 at 18:25
Also good for me to file everything and forget :)
And easier for you (Ron) to maintain..
Maybe the last post (not one_last_entry) could be left open for comments.

Nor Treblig - Mar 24, 2017 at 00:03
On 30th I will make a snapshot and redirect all requests to https://web.archive.org/web/20170330160000/https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/ until I have beaten the game!

Ron Gilbert - Mar 23, 2017 at 17:33
That's not a bad idea.

Zombocast - Mar 23, 2017 at 22:05
I think you should save the blog to an offline .XML file.
Then put it in the game as an Easter Egg, by typing in Thimbleweedpark.com from Delores PC.

longuist - Mar 24, 2017 at 03:45
Does not comply to 1987

Mattias Cedervall - Mar 28, 2017 at 19:44
I must be allowed to correct my (few) spelling mistakes™ before the freeze!

Nor Treblig - Mar 28, 2017 at 20:01
I had the same thought! So many stupid spelling errors I couldn't fix, seeing them right after posting a comment...

Aubrey Alexander - Mar 23, 2017 at 23:36
If it's the last dev blog entry, you really should do a technical one on puzzle building.  I'd really love to see how you put a very simple puzzle together.  Something that included a couple of items and a dialog, and how those systems work together to change state.

Loftcraft - Mar 24, 2017 at 05:54
I want to buy 5 copies of TP (on steam) for me and my friends.

How much will the game cost?

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 24, 2017 at 06:54
We don't know yet, maybe the price will be made according to the last Guybrush' statement in Monkey Island...

Peter - Mar 24, 2017 at 05:57
Hi, I found this super interesting interview with Clint Bajakian and Michael Land: https://vimeo.com/ehtonal/imuse

Big Red Button - Mar 24, 2017 at 15:48
If I remember correctly, the music in MI 2 used to play slowly whenever I was entering another room. iMuse must have been pretty resource-consuming... on an 80386. It's hard to believe how times have changed!

Peter - Mar 25, 2017 at 17:23
Maybe Max could replace iMuse: https://cycling74.com/

JackAttack - Mar 25, 2017 at 16:46
Thank you so much!!! I have been looking everywhere, for a live interview with Michael Land, he has literally disappeared off the planet! I wish I could interview him! So many questions...

Pepper - Mar 24, 2017 at 08:30
Hi Ron,

I like to see......WHAT is THIS behind youm a 3 headed Monkey!!!

Nor Treblig - Mar 24, 2017 at 08:48
Where? I can't see anything.

Nuck - Mar 24, 2017 at 09:04
Any info on what time it will be released in each country? Is it just always midnight local time or is it one set time for all around the world?

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 24, 2017 at 09:19
Here is a more precise answer, directly from Ron Gilbert:
https://twitter.com/grumpygamer/status/844943535702925312

Thimbleweed Park will be released at blue'o clock, according to phrenopolis: http://www.phrenopolis.com/colorclock/

That is: 9 AM  UTC-7  (equivalent to 18:00 CEST, considering the Daylight Saving Time offset changing on this Sunday)

Nor Treblig - Mar 24, 2017 at 09:31
Oh, haven't seen this tweet. So 16:00 UTC is still true.

Btw. have you seen his new Twitter profile picture? He seems so.... young...
He must have used an older picture. (1987-ish is my guess).

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 24, 2017 at 10:16
Yeah, I guess Delores is Ron's female side.
Everyone has a male and a female side, without exception.
Mine is Franziska von Karma (http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/aceattorney/images/6/60/Franziska_von_Karma_Trilogy_Art.png/revision/20140606000015)

Nor Treblig - Mar 24, 2017 at 13:01
I guess you cosplay her too, but non-public performances only ;-)
(or maybe not non-public only)

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 24, 2017 at 15:32
That's a secret more secret than the Secret of Monkey Island ;-)

Nor Treblig - Mar 24, 2017 at 15:48
That's the second most secret secret I've ever heard of!

Big Red Button - Mar 24, 2017 at 16:37
After the composition of Coca Cola?

Arto - Mar 24, 2017 at 18:57
That's not a secret secret. It's written in every label ;)

It's 25th in here, so 5 DAYS to Thimbleweed Park!

Big Red Button - Mar 25, 2017 at 06:31
https://twitter.com/grumpygamer/status/845411167396773888
I wonder if these are keys for Steam or for GOG.

Nor Treblig - Mar 25, 2017 at 13:46
@Big Red Button: Looks more like Steam (client) colours to me?

Btw. here are some stats about the reviewers: https://steamdb.info/app/569860/graphs/

Big Red Button - Mar 25, 2017 at 14:59
@Nor Treblig: Thank you for this link! That's interesting! I'm looking forward to their reviews.

Randy "Dirt Farmer" Hofbauer - Mar 25, 2017 at 00:22
Hey, Ron:

Quick question, if you're still looking at comments (wish I asked this earlier):

Just finished your Talks at Google video (loved it!), and was wondering: You mentioned the mansion in Maniac Mansion as being sort of the main character in that game. Would you say you and the team thought of and designed the town of Thimbleweed Park as the sort of main character in this game? Or if not, do you think of it as such now looking back on the game post-development?

Would love to know your thoughts.

Randy

nitro - Mar 25, 2017 at 13:58
Can't wait to pre-order this game. Do yo know when it will show up on xbox.com?

Kate - Mar 25, 2017 at 16:51
When you turn on debugging, there's a bunch of debugging symbols.  Boxes are obviously objects, polygons walk-boxes, but what are the crosses?  What other kinds of debugging tools are there?

Nor Treblig - Mar 25, 2017 at 18:43
Blue crosses are locations of actors, red crosses are (walk-to) locations of objects, at least in those screenshots I have seen.
See this comment thread where we have tried to figure it out: https://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/text_lock#5816848b7dce7cbc10f4dbaa

Nor Treblig - Mar 25, 2017 at 18:49
Or do you mean the white cross? Haven't figured if out yet. I hope the game comes with a comprehensive manual.

BoTToX - Mar 25, 2017 at 21:21
Any new about boxed version ?

Big Red Button - Mar 26, 2017 at 09:46
Interestingly, the release of the game is on the 30th, while MM was released 30 years ago. Also, the 03 (for March) is a 30 in reverse.
Actually, we could have sensed the release date in advance! :-D

Gon Rilbert - Mar 26, 2017 at 14:08
The Clown is the killer \spoiler

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 26, 2017 at 18:24
I will force you to push the Red Button in a certain swimming pool for this!

Nor Treblig - Mar 26, 2017 at 19:10
TWP2 will contain at least one clown, one butler and one gardener so the story won't be so easily guessed the next time!

Gonzalo - Mar 26, 2017 at 14:30
To avoid the anxiousness I started reading the blog from post 1, and guys, what a beautiful and outstanding job you did with the graphics!!
I remember a comment made by a user (more than a year ago) expressing his concern about how they graphics look, and looking at the reference he was talking about, I agreed. But I don´t know where, you made a twist and could achieve this incredible art with such cozy color palette that creates a very comfortable atmosphere.

I can´t wait to put my hands on TWP.

Arashi - Mar 27, 2017 at 09:22
Hey, anyone knows when the box edition will be shipping?
I can't wait for my big box!

CEC - Mar 27, 2017 at 17:07
This has been a pleasure to talk about Thimbleweed Park on my radio show, Inspirado Projecto, and ideally I can interview Ron, David, and/or Gary sometime for  KCHUNG 1630AM! Thimbleweed Park is phenomenal!

LostTrainDude - Mar 28, 2017 at 05:07
"If I Made Another Thimbleweed Park"

zaskar - Mar 28, 2017 at 10:26
Here is my suggestion for a last post:

One of my favorite quotes ever is one you said in a Maniac Mantion post-morten that I saw on GDC Vault: "sometimes it really is important to just be too stupid to know that it can't be done". I've been reading Thimbleweed Park devblog from day 0, and it seemed that this time you already had all the experience and all the tools to build this game beforehand. You even knew what the problems were going to be.

So, what do you think that was the key to keep the process of making it still fun for you, and to finally get something fresh, without that amazing driving force that is the really unknown and having to compensate unexpected problems and technical limitations with pure magic and creativity?

I know about some new problems that have arisen and you commented on this blog and/or on some interviews, but a last post would be a good place to sum up all that experience, highlight what was really unexpected (for good or for bad), and to finally compact all it in another killing line to be quoted in the future.

André - Mar 28, 2017 at 20:23
I'd be very interested in a post about the Xbox port, especially if the game is an UWP app (as it is "Play Anywhere") and how much of the Windows code you could carry over to the Xbox.

Mario F. - Mar 29, 2017 at 07:08
SPOILER ALARM!!!

Oh man how funny the Achievements are. https://www.trueachievements.com/game/Thimbleweed-Park/achievements

Nor Treblig - Mar 29, 2017 at 09:07
Oh, so there are achievements for normal progress! (Part 1...)

Zak Phoenix McKracken - Mar 29, 2017 at 17:54
the "Collect 75 specks of dust" cought my attention... 75?!?

Nor Treblig - Mar 29, 2017 at 18:23
They may have reduced it to those rooms which are accessible in easy mode (and of course also excluded special rooms for close-ups etc).

I haven't taken any closer look at this list :-)

Ron Gilbert - Mar 29, 2017 at 18:27
You can't get all 75 in easy mode. There are more than 75 in the game, we just gave a little wiggle room for the achievement. Also, we didn't put them in all the hotel rooms, or other odd rooms, or close-ups or places that didn't allow complete freedom to move.

Nor Treblig - Mar 29, 2017 at 18:49
Oh, good to know.

But: What happened to the sadist in you! (I've also searched for the book achievement)

Big Red Button - Mar 29, 2017 at 18:51
Nonetheless, it would have been funny to have to solve an extra puzzle just to get a certain speck of dust in order to complete the achievement.

Mario F. - Mar 30, 2017 at 04:44
And where is the achievement of reading 1000 books? hahaha.

Mister T - Mar 30, 2017 at 11:43
An entry I still would like to see is one about the layers of the pictures. Not just foreground and background, but also the effects and all the little tweaks when resizing or moving elements, changing the lighting and so on. It all sounds like those details are extra, but seeing Ransom in the trailer in front of the propeller with the steady light changes makes it clear, that all those efforts are quite essential. So a direct comparison of a scene with effects "on" and "off" including a rough estimation how much time was invested in getting this difference compared to just the pixel art would be interesting to see.