Atmosphere looks more mysterious than usual. Reminds me a bit of "It came from the desert 2". Can't wait to put my sticky hands on it!
Christian - Jun 06, 2016 at 15:58
I think I'll love this game no matter what, but I have a question about the general story: Will it have a nice conclusion and wrap everything up nicely and satisfying, or will it be like Twin Peaks or any x files episode where most stuff is left open?
By the way: I watched twin peaks completely just as preparation for this game!
Sven - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:01
Why would you want to know the answer to this up front? Isn't getting to discover things like that part of the reason to play an adventure game?
Christian - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:37
I don't ask for the concrete ending or any real spoilers. For me my question is more like "what genre is it" or "what can it be compared to".
Lukas - Jun 08, 2016 at 05:58
I think it's a fair question. I've watched more than one mystery movie, trying to figure out what was going on, only to have the movie end with a shrug and a "who knows?"
It's a disappointing feeling, like you're being cheated by the people who made the movie. You bothered to put all of that thought into trying to figure out what was going on - and they did not. They just tricked you into thinking that they had put any thought into it. In the end, it was a really dumb, thoughtless, superficial movie just masquerading as a really smart, deep, thought-provoking movie (*cough*Inception*cough*).
Don't get me wrong, I love me some Lynch, because Lynch doesn't trick you; you *know* what you're getting. That's why the genre question is, I think, fair.
Mind you, I'm not saying that this is what's going on with Thimbleweed Park, just that I can understand why people would ask the question.
Sven - Jun 06, 2016 at 15:59
Great music. That plus the music from the podcast let be look forward to the whole ost
LichiMan - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:01
The last sounds look like my spectrum trying to loading a game :)
Isaac - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:31
Maybe a modem? A fax sound? Spectrum... Gold years... ;-)
Jammet - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:53
Yes, it's an analog modem connecting to a fax machine, I think. Their negotiation handshakes always sound like tha NO CARRIER
LichiMan - Jun 07, 2016 at 02:52
You're right. It's a modem. Funny times :)
ciaps - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:01
BTW -- Ron, did you get any feedback from Disney about your tweet? Anything to make us jump on our chairs? . . . (marketing tip: the best way to announce it, would be here as a comment on this blog, so TWP will get so much media coverage :D)
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:27
Please stop asking me this. If anything happens with me getting Monkey Island back, it's going to be years from now, it's just the way stuff in the real world works.
ciaps - Jun 06, 2016 at 17:10
Ok, you are right, you must be getting this same question about every other day in your life. But every time someone mentions MI, take it for what it is, i.e. just another token of appreciation of something special you've made.
And yeah -- if you think it will take years, it will take years for sure. But you already have the script, and some of the original sketches for MI3 lie in the bottom a drawer in the ranch. I hope you are incubating a more compelling urge to complete the game than what you show in public, as if there's a will, there's a way. With all my respect!
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 06, 2016 at 17:20
It's a long long process that I can't always talk openly about without damaging it. It's also not about the money. I know people who will put up the money, so doing a Kickstarter (or whatever) isn't going to help. It's also highly unlikely to happen and there isn't anything anyone can do to help with that. It's just a moment that is waiting for some stars to align (so to speak). I choose to continue to do new and interesting things, not sit around mopping waiting for the phone to ring.
ciaps - Jun 06, 2016 at 18:27
Thanks for replying once again on the topic. All true art comes from suffering, and to me looks like this is no exception.
"There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you". (Maya Angelou)
Bogdan Barbu - Jun 06, 2016 at 22:37
Since we're on the subject, I'm curious what you think the Guybrush of MI3a should look like. I noticed that in the cameo in TP, Gary drew him in the style of MI1. Personally, I like the how he evolved over the years, culminating with Tales.
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 06, 2016 at 23:16
Since MI3a would be a 8bit game, he would most like look like the MI2 Guybrush. I never liked what they did with him in MI3 and the special editions. He lost all him goofy charm. Too me, he was always a kid that dressed in dads way-to-big pirate costume (not literally).
Maybe "goofy" was the wrong word, but he always looked too competent to me in the MI3 and above.
elmo - Jun 07, 2016 at 13:29
I also thought of Guybrush as more mature in LeChuck's Revenge due to the beard, his appearance on the cover art, and the broken relationship status with Elaine.
Lukas - Jun 08, 2016 at 06:00
I don't know, you can just see that he's not quite capable of growing a real beard, but trying to anyway, because that's what pirates are supposed to do...
PrinzJohnny99 - Jun 09, 2016 at 08:56
Wasn't there a special story about the "big" guybrush sprite at the pier? I remember reading something about it, but I can't find it anymore... can someone help me out?
Farooq - Jun 07, 2016 at 16:56
I too felt him to be like that, like a kid trying to keep a mean face but always comes around to be cute. Btw, what do you think of Dominic Armato's voice on him? I've always felt it suited him quite well.
Big Red Button - Jun 08, 2016 at 05:06
If I remember correctly, Ron told in one of the Friday Questions podcasts of the last few months that he liked the voices from the later MI games except for Elaine's voice. He would have given her a different voice.
Arto - Jun 10, 2016 at 15:51
I would buy Disney to give you the rights. Haven’t checked though; how much does the company cost?
Fun! Did you create the visual effects for this trailer yourselves? Will those effects be part of the game also?
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:28
Everything but the end titles was captured from the game.
Brian Small - Jun 06, 2016 at 19:04
Oh... Wow. OK, now the plot really thickens. I love the developing mystery-within-a-mystery!
It must have been fun to create those "analog black and white video noise/fade" effects and get them to create the look and feel you wanted. Great combination with the music as well.
PrinzJohnny99 - Jun 07, 2016 at 04:09
This is so cool!!! Hypetrain incomming!
Christopher Griffin - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:43
What an ominous trailer, now I'm afraid to play a game that I backed! All kidding aside, despite knowing the game's premise up-front (murder investigation in a small town), it seemed very light-hearted and jovial -- but now, you went all Twin Peaks and X-Files on me -- I AM IN!
Diduz - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:45
That's f***ing scary, man.
Mattias Cedervall - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:48
That's a very mysterious and intriguing trailer! :-)
Big Red Button - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:51
As scary as it gets - especially in terms of the pigeons. These are the most scary pigeons I've ever seen. :-)
Jammet - Jun 06, 2016 at 16:52
Wow, ominous shadow is ominous! Looking forward to that spooky side of the game as well. :D
Now I see a direct reference to David Lynch. I will love this game.
ikaru - Jun 06, 2016 at 17:29
Whats on the Picture the agent took? Aaaah i want that gaaaaame!!!
Shall work in Linux?
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 06, 2016 at 18:31
Really creepy. Big brother is watching everything. And the biribiribiriiibiri at the end, typically the sound of the old modems at xx Kb/s, it is well placed.
There's something that bugs me since a couple of months.
All characters got a nice redesign. But the dead body still looks like the original kickstarter images.
When will he get some shading? Poor guy!
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 07, 2016 at 04:02
The body is bloated and pixelated from decay of a death come too soon. No room for redisign!
Farooq - Jun 07, 2016 at 15:52
I have a feeling that, yeah, they might end up pretty much with the same design to keep some kind of running gag. The only "pixelated" entity in all of Thimbleweed park.
Great teaser. And a fine example of "how music can change the tone of everything" XD
PS: Is there a special reacon for vimeo and not youtube?
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 07, 2016 at 04:54
The pigeon-guys are fantastic! Even the walking is pigeon-like :-D :-D :-D
Phaze - Jun 07, 2016 at 07:02
Now this reminds me a bit of Colonels Bequest, where you would look through the eyes of paintings to see cut scenes. That was a great game btw, perhaps i should take a detour and play that again while waiting new opportunities, like Thimbleweed. :)
I loved that game, the only Sierra game I could stick to.
There was only one problem: you had to play it a thousand times in order to complete it... and you ALWAYS miss something. It's frustrating, but so is life
Phaze - Jun 08, 2016 at 13:37
Talk about replayability in an adventure game! :)
badde - Jun 07, 2016 at 11:30
Great Stereo sound !
Tom - Jun 07, 2016 at 11:33
Warning. Plot spoiler..................... Thimbleweed Park is actually Roswell, NM and the aliens have taken over the town. The tower is for communication back to the home planet. Mothership rescues aliens at the end of the game. Close encounters musical notes at the end with color lights.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 07, 2016 at 11:47
...and the TPC of Thimbleweed Park has been taken by E.T., so it can _phone home_ , finally...
I'm an extra in the party scene of that film. Thanks Ron for making this game. Today I was playing The Dig (I know you didn't work in it). I'm stuck in the crypt. A ray of light entered and drew a megatherium-like statue, that became ashes in the light. I study jazz at my guitar and the development of this game is a beautiful in-between for my guitar checkpoints, when the brain says "please stop studying". You have a costumer in here, not a pirate. Congratulations and thanks for making art.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 09, 2016 at 05:49
Ah, The Dig... how pleasant game!
Hint for you: maybe you should WALK, WALK and WALK more, until your eyes find something down the edge...
Dear italian guy: I always resolved the crypt thing. Yeah, I use the crypt as an elevator to go below! And met a extraterrestrial for the first time!! Oh man, I love the sound of the voice of him... man... almost cried on that scene. Now Maggie's kidnapped for another creature. And Brinks continues woring on his machine, but now... I see a box of crystals on the floor. And Brinks refuses to let me to touch it. I do not give a chance to walktrough. I love to share my problem with you. I hope to do the same thing with Thimbleweed Park, just chat with another players, not google every little problem with the stuck-play. Sorry my broken wording, my italian friend.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 10, 2016 at 03:19
Hi Patricio, I always encouraged my friends to play Lucasfilm adventures, and whenever they got stuck (and asked me for a solution), I always refused. :-P I usually give a little hint, because when you figure it out by yourself, it gives more satisfaction. The kidnapping of Maggie is really in Spielberg-style, eh... so, suddenly... If I remember correctly, you are stuck in a point where, trying to fix a device, Boston Low says: - "If At First You Don't Succeed..." Correct?
Dear italiano friend. Today's a winsdom one. I rescue Maggie, we chat with alien... oh man, what a scene. Almost cried. The feel Ive got was a mixture of joy and fear. Now Im looking for the hole in the wall of the cave. Boston sees a bright light inside, but he refuses to put his hand on it. I will not google anything, this is the real way to play an adventure. I love The Dig.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 11, 2016 at 05:27
Boston Low doesn't want to put his hand in there, because he doesn't know what that light is... yet. If I were him, I'd act the same way :-) The alien gave you something from "The Creator". You have to figure out where to use it...
Nor Treblig - Jun 11, 2016 at 09:21
Huh? Why isn't he putting parts of his body into holes in walls on alien planets, just for the fun of it? Is he a coward? What could possibly happen anyways!
@Zak Phoenix McKracken: When was the last time you played The Dig? You seem to remember everything! I should really find time replaying it sooner than later, especially after seeing the intro in HD...
I know it's supposed to be spooky and all, but I think it's a bit silly. It looks like you're *trying too hard* to make it dark and gloomy.
-dZ.
R.C.M. - Jun 08, 2016 at 06:16
To be fair, the game is supposed to be a parody- it *should* be over the top and silly.
Simon Simon - Jun 08, 2016 at 11:59
I mistook the whole teaser as being weirdly over-spookified by video post-processing until I read Ron's comment that this is all in the game.... Which was not clear to me.
Shinjica - Jun 08, 2016 at 06:23
Hi Ron, i've a question for you about the release date. In your previous blog update i've read that the release is pushed to january 2017 because releasing during other AAA release are a bad move.
I understand it for your business point of view (even if for customer is bad) but my question is, now that a good chunk of other AAA are moving their release game on 2017, there is not a risk that you will release the game even further in 2017?
Aaron R - Jun 08, 2016 at 10:46
I cannot WAIT to get my hands on this! So excited!!
Nick The Greek - Jun 08, 2016 at 15:22
I feel like that on the day I purchase this game I will have the song "I'm so excited" - By The pointer sisters going through my head
Jose Rafael Nieto Calderon - Jun 08, 2016 at 22:52
Just recently I found out about Thimbleweed park. May I ask if there is any inspiration drawn from Maniac Mansion and Zak Mckraken? because I have the feeling just by seeing the Trailer and Teasers, that I am at last getting the same excitement as I had when younger many years ago.
I know many people are after you for doing the next Monkey Island, but here you have one person who is actually wanting to get the next Maniac Mansion, and I feel at least for me I feel extremely glad that you are doing Thimbleweed park.
I don't know if this was also asked, but in Thimbleweed park will people be able to "die" ? like in Maniac Mansion and completely shut the game and start again?
And again oddly besides the feeling of Maniac Mansion I feel the Zak Mckraken aura, do you have anyone helping you that worked on Mckraken?
Thank You kindly if you take your time to answer me.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 09, 2016 at 05:53
Hello Jose, welcome to the Thimbleweed Park Dev blog! I can ask the last question of yours: one of the Team Members currently developing Thimbleweed Park, is the great David Fox, the father of Zak McKracken And The Alien Mindbenders™, not to mention all the other games he did. So, I can say that the aura you see is real :-) Ciao
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 09, 2016 at 05:53
ask = answer
Carlo Valenti - Jun 09, 2016 at 09:29
hey, that could be a philosophy principle
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 09, 2016 at 09:44
Yeah, I should tell it to my twisted mind!
Ema - Jun 10, 2016 at 17:03
I like your style, Carlo.
urielz - Jun 10, 2016 at 12:50
Welcome Jose. I shared you sentiment, as much as I like MI series. I'm more excited for a spiritual successor of M.Mansion than a new M.I. (unless Ron promises to reveal the secret, it would be a hard choice then!).
This community has grown a lot. I have to say that I actually enjoy interacting/reading folk's posts almost as much as I like getting new content from the devs. I hope Ron will consider creating some sort of official forum for TP so we can all hang out, and discuss/dream about the next adventure game :)
The graphics evolved a bit especially after Mark Ferrari joined the team (backgrounds are more MI1-like than MM/Zak). But the big heads will always stay!
There will be no dead ends. You cannot die unless it's part of the story.
David Fox is onboard who not only helped on Maniac Mansion (hamster aynone?) but is actually the creator of Zak McKracken!!1eleven
Carlo Valenti - Jun 09, 2016 at 09:03
"The graphics evolved *a bit* "... ...well, let's say that the graphics evolved EIGHT bits, since the Kickstarter.
Gary Winnick ✓ - Jun 09, 2016 at 13:40
What they all said...
Carlo Valenti - Jun 09, 2016 at 16:43
Please help me to achieve my degree in Thimblology! Fill-up the Thimble-survey #3! (fan made)
Lol. Sorry,my thumbs are to big, i hereby declare your name to be Mark DeLorean, pallette shifting traveller from the year. '87. p.s. Carlo, please do not forget survey 46. (the answer to no question) Good luck
This was helpful :
(yes) (yes)
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 09, 2016 at 18:38
Well done, Carlo! In particular the last question! :-)
It says: "Who you gonna call? Yourself of course! Get your name and voice in Thimbleweed Park!! RT to win a Phone Book entry!"
I remember that Ron itself said (wrote) more than once that the phone book entry and/or the voice mail were a kickstarter exclusive, for bakers of that period of time. It's a matter of fairness.
I'm none but a baker, I have my entry and I am happy for it, but I'm also a "fan" of fair play.
Please, don't go back on your words... you can have more brilliant ideas, I'm sure of that, even leaving this satisfaction to whom who believed in you from the beginning. Thanks.
Brian Small - Jun 09, 2016 at 19:02
Personally, I'm OK with very limited exceptions like this, as long as they are limited.
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 09, 2016 at 19:25
We're only giving away 14 of them on Twitter and then I'll be giving away another 14 here on the website as a thanks to people for supporting and reading the blog.
When we launched the new backer site, we very purposely didn't allow non-Kickstarter backers to buy the Phonebook upgrade. Making that decision has cost us a lot of money and significantly increased the amount of work we had to do, but it was the right thing to do.
It is very important to us that we honor what we said during the Kickstarter. We will not be selling the phone book entries for any price (OK, for $1,000,000 dollars... I have my limits), but we have given some away to people who have helped out on the project in significant ways, to the team, and some family members. In total we will probably give away less than 100 and that's out of 4,000 entries.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 10, 2016 at 01:05
Ok, Thank you for clarification.
Aubrey - Jun 10, 2016 at 14:27
Sounds good, Ron! As a backer, I'm cool with that!
Big Red Button - Jun 09, 2016 at 21:20
I don't see a real conflict either. Even if the announcement on Kickstarter had given a different (more stringent) impression, there is a difference between getting something due to a payment (backing) and getting something for an immaterial reason (personal support). I'm convinced that the people who get the phone book entry for the latter reason have helped out on the project not just because they wanted to get an entry for free. It's simply a nonmonetary thanks to them, perhaps it's even the only reward they get at all. The campaign on Twitter may be a matter of opinion, but such a low number of exceptions might be sustainable. It's an advertising campaign that helps to win more backers over, by increasing the awareness level of TP. As long as their money gets used for the game only, as it has been declared by the team, the campaign on Twitter might be indirectly advantageous for all of us.
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 10, 2016 at 01:12
From this point of view, I agree with you. This one on twitter is a gift (for free) and not a reward (under payment). That's the difference, underarood.
"I didn't back during the Kickstarter, can I still get my name in the phonebook? No, unfortunately that was a Kickstarter exclusive and we want to be fair to the people that did back during that time."
But regardless, I don't have a problem with the TP team giving a limited amount away.
R.C.M. - Jun 10, 2016 at 03:52
Oops- sorry Nor Treblig, I didn't read your post properly! Sorry about that.
Nor Treblig - Jun 10, 2016 at 17:45
No problem! Let's blame Zak for not writing his post properly!
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 10, 2016 at 03:22
Ahahaha, Nor Treblig!!! OK, he said bakers, not woodsmiths, blacksmiths nor glaziers... Probably he choosed bakers in homage to Zak McKracken™ !!
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 10, 2016 at 04:43
(typos are funny, anyway :-P )
Big Red Button - Jun 10, 2016 at 08:25
That's true, unless the typo costs monkey. ;)
Ema - Jun 11, 2016 at 17:50
Uhm.... who's the REAL father of the baker's typo? Nor or Zak?
:D (I just couldn't resist highlighting this typo)
longuist - Jun 10, 2016 at 07:44
Aw snap. I constantly fought the urge to register a twitter account.
Mattias Cedervall - Jun 09, 2016 at 23:14
Ron, someone should update the About-page and FAQ-page here because it still says Thimbleweed Park will be released 2016...
Carlo Valenti - Jun 10, 2016 at 14:10
Thimble-survey #3 (fan made): less than 24 hours left! 140 people have already contributed (*) . Don't be a tuna finger, give me a chance to apply for a Thimble PhD in the next future by answering to the questions at:
Results will be made public, and will hopefully contribute to the spiritual enhancement of Mankind. Thank you ev'ryone!
* log10(people) 1 more or less
Carlo Valenti - Jun 10, 2016 at 14:11
asterisks made their victim here
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 10, 2016 at 14:30
I answered them all. I hope I got them 100% right.
Ema - Jun 11, 2016 at 09:25
Is "right" for you being within the majority or the minority?
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 11, 2016 at 09:50
I'm all about the "truth".
Ema - Jun 11, 2016 at 17:39
Truthful Guru Gilbert... I immediately imagined your pixelated avatar floating in some Katmandu temple... Now I realize how David Fox has got the idea. ;-)
Arto - Jun 10, 2016 at 16:08
Now I do find intriguing the pathfinding stocastic techniques BUT as I'd like to focus on story and puzzles, the sub-path pre-def & snap-to are the way to go.
What comes to Fox singing and Gilbert proofreading, I find the latter to be more fin.
I'm really surprised that 100 % found this survey enjoyable. Shocked, really.
Nor Treblig - Jun 10, 2016 at 17:44
I enjoyed the survey but was not amused by the analytics combining both similar looking answers into one!
Carlo Valenti - Jun 10, 2016 at 19:22
Yes, that's disturbing. It looks like they're discriminating the answer options by the text they contain, which, in this case, results in a lot of crap.
Nor Treblig - Jun 11, 2016 at 09:15
Yeah, just because the display text looks the same they can't just combine them, violating the integrity of what otherwise would have been a legitimate poll, I'm furious!!
As the video is retro on retro, I think this is a good venue to tell you that I just found my correspondence with LucasArts from early 90s! I have to say that they had the best customer service ever! Here's a picture: https://twitter.com/artovartiainen/status/741354250769453056
Zak Phoenix McKracken - Jun 10, 2016 at 17:11
I wish I had one of those letters... but now, we have a BLOG, and we can get in touch in a way unthinkable 20 years ago!
Nor Treblig - Jun 10, 2016 at 17:44
Oh, at that time they called it "The Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge"! Glad they made it shorter, the title didn't even fit on one row :-)
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 10, 2016 at 17:58
It was never called "The Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge". That was just some marketing person not paying attention. I'm pretty sure I had them killed.
Nor Treblig - Jun 10, 2016 at 18:32
I see. Well, at least that's one secret less you have to hide from us.
Sushi - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:27
Still, you have to give the marketing "person" some credit for some of those 10 reasons... # 6, 5, 4 and 3 were pretty funny!
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:29
The marketing person didn't write those, we did. They just got the game title wrong.
Sushi - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:43
Oh, sorry about that and all the credits to you guys, then!! It seems you have softened a bit over the years: from killing players with nuclear explosions, imprisoning players and lecture them to death, threatning to kill off faeries, to...well... absolution for just 25 bucks
Nor Treblig - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:54
That was in video games only. And killing *PR* people also doesn't really count. So he is the same nice guy since ever! Sometimes grumpy though.
Ron Gilbert ✓ - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:55
To be honest, I don't know if a "marketing person" screwed it up. I do know that was never the name of he game. I do know the team came up with that list. I don't know how that name got on there.
Sushi - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:33
yeah, it was just called Monkey Island 2 or Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's revenge Clearly the Secret was discovered in MI 1, so no need to mention *that* when the sequel came around
on a side-note: I even got excited back then when I read Lucasarts was releasing "The secret weapons of the luftwaffe", because I thought it was an another point&click adventure... :D (Sierra did put "quest" in almost every single one of their titles, so it's not that far-fetched)
Someone - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:43
"Clearly the Secret was discovered in MI 1"
Yes! I don't know why so many people think that Ron hasn't told the secret yet. The secret was discovered in the first game.
Nor Treblig - Jun 11, 2016 at 15:48
Oh yeah, we discovered the secret in MI1. I just forgot, you know, getting old and stuff...
Ema - Jun 11, 2016 at 17:59
Yes, after finishing tha game, I took it for granted that the secret was revealed. After all I had explorated the ground and the underground of Monkey Island, and after completing the game I knew everything about that island. Whatever the secret was supposed to be, it was no more a secret to me. So I was very surprised to see everybody asking for the secret, after the game. Come on, guys. That secret is under your noses...
Nor Treblig - Jun 12, 2016 at 02:44
Moustaches with glasses attached?
Someone - Jun 12, 2016 at 06:38
"Moustaches with glasses attached?"
SPOILER: No, just Le Chucks cave. You have to solve several puzzles and a "key" to enter that (hidden!) cave. There is no other "secret" on or under the island.
apemonkeychimp - Jun 13, 2016 at 11:23
No way that is the only secret!?! My travel agent told me Monkey Island is the isle with the largest amount of secrets hidden deep beneath it. [MASSIVE SPOILER] It can't just be a filthy ghost pirates lair. Ah well, might need rebook to *inky Island.
Carlo Valenti - Jun 11, 2016 at 12:27
*Thimble-Survey #3 (fan-made) just closed the doors!*
I hereby submit the results to the review of the scientific community. I personally wish to thank each one of you generically speaking, but all of you in particular.
So, let's go to the numbers...
Number of contributors: *11111*
First of all: *TP* or TWP? *52%* - 48% *Ray* or Reyes? *68%* - 32% *Delores* or DeLorean? *58%* - 42% DeLorean or *Mark Ferrari*? 16% - *84%* EGA or *VGA*? 23% - *77%* Point or *Click*? 26% - *74%* *C* or Java? *81%* - 19% *Pizza* or gelato? *58%* - 42% Star Trek or *Star Wars*? 45% - *55%* BEEEEP or *fBEEEPk*? 45% - *55%* *Sexy doors* or pixelated corpses? *58%* - 42% Happy ending or *nightmarish cliffhanger*? 48% - *52%* *Animated fog* or multiplayer mode? *87%* - 13% *Friday questions* or 1-day-before release? *77%* - 23% *Pathfinding stocastic techniques* or sub-path pre-def & snap-to? *68%* - 32% *Act Two* or Act Three? *55%* - 45% *The Pigeons above* or the dungeons below? *61%* - 39% Fox singing or *Gilbert proof-reading*? 45% - *55%* *Reyes lip-syncing* or Ray lap-dancing? *55%* - 45% Another question or *please stop*? 0% - *100%* *Did you enjoy this survey? 100%*
Big Red Button - Jun 11, 2016 at 13:16
11111 contributors? Wow!
Carlo Valenti - Jun 11, 2016 at 17:15
One more, and it would have been such a nice round number.
Gffp - Jun 11, 2016 at 17:56
aaaah, too bad I lost my chance to vote for pizza or gelato, how could humanity live without the scientific progress that just results from it. How do you manage to write in boldface? And why people dislike Java, not enough good beaches? C it's just the most obvious note, C diesis at least! 32 persons would be 100000 in binary base, such a round number... you really missed my vote Carlo.
Carlo Valenti - Jun 11, 2016 at 18:21
OK, now let's comment the results. I promise, I will a-septic and impartial. Moreover, a new blog-post just happened, so who cares about impartiality?
*TP slightly won over TWP*. Then again, I understand the official acronym will be TWP. WTF, I should RTFM from TPTB. *Agent Ray has grown more popular than agent Reyes*. That's unfair. Reyes didn't get a trailer, nor his voice in it. Moreover, agent Ray's been told to lap-dance pretty well. *Delores won her match against the evil DeLorean*. This teaches us all (teaches me over all) that you don't need time-travelling capabilities, when you are such a lovely geek. Personally, I have a crush for Delores. I'd like to meet her one day. ...But then again, if it was a *flying Delorean*, would the outcome be the same? *Mark Ferrari wins over the DeLorean* (again). No comment here. Ferrari rulez. *People love VGA more than EGA*. EGA is 4 bit (more or less), VGA is 8. 4 has sharp edges, 8 is double-round. That's the reason. *Click is better than point*. To point means to be in constant quest; to click means to use, to achieve, to rule. You males are all the same. *C wins over Java*. Since I have to be impartial, I won't comment this. (Java s##ks) *Pizza or gelato*. People had the most difficult decision of their life here, probably. I am close to both factions, knowing that every one has suffered a great loss. *Star Wars is preferred to Star Trek*. The analytics from Google must have some glitch. *fBEEEPk is preferrable to BEEEEP*. What the BEEEEP did you BEEEEP choose here, BEEEEP!!!! *Sexy doors over pixelated corpses*. The doors were WAY more sexy than corpses. ThimbleTeam again must fix this. *People prefer a nightmarish cliffhanger*. You know the truth behind this game? ...OK, I will tell you another time. Perhaps. *Animated fog is a requirement more essential than multiplayer mode*. OK. No problem. Let's go like this. Be more individualistic, safe&sealed in your cloud of fog. Your business. *Friday questions definitely wins over 1-day-before release*. This reveals the fact that no one really cares about the game. This blog alone is worth the money of the kickstarter. Keep your stinky bytes for yourself, ThimbleTeam: we just want to BLOG. *Pathfinding stocastic techniques or sub-path pre-def & snap-to*. Still need to understand this, sorry... *People like Act Two more than Act Three*. Yes, Act Two is better. Act Three is just lazy and unsound. Everybody knows this. *The Pigeons above win over the dungeons below*. I hate pigeons, so tell me: do you really want to have pigeons above your head??? *Gilbert proof-reading was preferred to Fox singing*. This was difficult: what is worse? *Reyes lip-syncing slightly wins over Ray lap-dancing*. Then again, that would have been an interesting SCA.
Everyone was satisfied with the number of questions, but I couldn't believe that everyone enjoyed the survey. This pulls tears out from my eyes: thank you, everyone. Thanks a lot.
urielz - Jun 13, 2016 at 16:02
BEST ANALYSIS EVER: Friday questions definitely wins over 1-day-before release. This reveals the fact that no one really cares about the game. This blog alone is worth the money of the kickstarter. Keep your stinky bytes for yourself, ThimbleTeam: we just want to BLOG.
Looking forward to the next one!
ps: did Ron get 100% right?
Ema - Jun 12, 2016 at 12:48
"To point means to be in constant quest; to click means to use, to achieve, to rule. You males are all the same".
Nice one.
"People prefer a nightmarish cliffhanger. You know the truth behind this game? ...OK, I will tell you another time. Perhaps"
Do you mean people will stop asking Ron the secret of Monkey Island and will start asking the secret of Thinmbleweed Park?
"People like Act Two more than Act Three. Yes, Act Two is better. Act Three is just lazy and unsound. Everybody knows this"
Are you serious? So The Temple of Doom should be better than The Last Crusade?
Nor Treblig - Jun 12, 2016 at 15:21
Acts are meant in one game: In act one and two most of the gameplay happens and then act three (i.e. the last one) ties all the threads together. Also you run out of money and time at the end of production.
Ema - Jun 13, 2016 at 00:59
Ok... Act 1 - The 3 trials Act 2 - The Journey Act 3 - Monkey Island
By the way: I watched twin peaks completely just as preparation for this game!
It's a disappointing feeling, like you're being cheated by the people who made the movie. You bothered to put all of that thought into trying to figure out what was going on - and they did not. They just tricked you into thinking that they had put any thought into it. In the end, it was a really dumb, thoughtless, superficial movie just masquerading as a really smart, deep, thought-provoking movie (*cough*Inception*cough*).
Don't get me wrong, I love me some Lynch, because Lynch doesn't trick you; you *know* what you're getting. That's why the genre question is, I think, fair.
Mind you, I'm not saying that this is what's going on with Thimbleweed Park, just that I can understand why people would ask the question.
NO CARRIER
.
.
.
(marketing tip: the best way to announce it, would be here as a comment on this blog, so TWP will get so much media coverage :D)
And yeah -- if you think it will take years, it will take years for sure. But you already have the script, and some of the original sketches for MI3 lie in the bottom a drawer in the ranch. I hope you are incubating a more compelling urge to complete the game than what you show in public, as if there's a will, there's a way. With all my respect!
"There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you". (Maya Angelou)
I can wait another 20 years, I just wanted to be sure Guybrush got his REAL appearance back.
The Guybrush of MI2 never struck me as goofy. For example, this to me has a very serious feel to it:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_dGfJJkZMm1M/S31NLTn-QjI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/YOuUSp2MUHA/s800/captions10a.gif
On the other hand, this does look goofy (ignore the 3D for the sake of the discussion):
http://cf.shacknews.com/images/sshots/Screenshot/12123/12123_4a24070124c81.jpg
It must have been fun to create those "analog black and white video noise/fade" effects and get them to create the look and feel you wanted. Great combination with the music as well.
This trailer would probably also work well with Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" lol
Shall work in Linux?
Big brother is watching everything.
And the biribiribiriiibiri at the end, typically the sound of the old modems at xx Kb/s, it is well placed.
All characters got a nice redesign. But the dead body still looks like the original kickstarter images.
When will he get some shading? Poor guy!
PS: Is there a special reacon for vimeo and not youtube?
There was only one problem: you had to play it a thousand times in order to complete it... and you ALWAYS miss something. It's frustrating, but so is life
Thimbleweed Park is actually Roswell, NM and the aliens have taken over the town. The tower is for communication back to the home planet. Mothership rescues aliens at the end of the game. Close encounters musical notes at the end with color lights.
Hint for you: maybe you should WALK, WALK and WALK more, until your eyes find something down the edge...
I always encouraged my friends to play Lucasfilm adventures, and whenever they got stuck (and asked me for a solution), I always refused. :-P
I usually give a little hint, because when you figure it out by yourself, it gives more satisfaction.
The kidnapping of Maggie is really in Spielberg-style, eh... so, suddenly...
If I remember correctly, you are stuck in a point where, trying to fix a device, Boston Low says: - "If At First You Don't Succeed..."
Correct?
If I were him, I'd act the same way :-)
The alien gave you something from "The Creator". You have to figure out where to use it...
@Zak Phoenix McKracken:
When was the last time you played The Dig? You seem to remember everything! I should really find time replaying it sooner than later, especially after seeing the intro in HD...
-dZ.
I understand it for your business point of view (even if for customer is bad) but my question is, now that a good chunk of other AAA are moving their release game on 2017, there is not a risk that you will release the game even further in 2017?
I know many people are after you for doing the next Monkey Island, but here you have one person who is actually wanting to get the next Maniac Mansion, and I feel at least for me I feel extremely glad that you are doing Thimbleweed park.
I don't know if this was also asked, but in Thimbleweed park will people be able to "die" ? like in Maniac Mansion and completely shut the game and start again?
And again oddly besides the feeling of Maniac Mansion I feel the Zak Mckraken aura, do you have anyone helping you that worked on Mckraken?
Thank You kindly if you take your time to answer me.
I can ask the last question of yours: one of the Team Members currently developing Thimbleweed Park, is the great David Fox, the father of Zak McKracken And The Alien Mindbenders™, not to mention all the other games he did.
So, I can say that the aura you see is real :-)
Ciao
This community has grown a lot. I have to say that I actually enjoy interacting/reading folk's posts almost as much as I like getting new content from the devs. I hope Ron will consider creating some sort of official forum for TP so we can all hang out, and discuss/dream about the next adventure game :)
The original Kickstarter pitch looked even more like Maniac Mansion. Their idea was always to create a game which feels like one we remember from these days (not necessarily meaning how the games actually were).
E.g. Ron always wanted to use state-of-the-art sound/music. You can checkout the original concepts here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thimbleweedpark/thimbleweed-park-a-new-classic-point-and-click-adv/description
The graphics evolved a bit especially after Mark Ferrari joined the team (backgrounds are more MI1-like than MM/Zak). But the big heads will always stay!
There will be no dead ends. You cannot die unless it's part of the story.
David Fox is onboard who not only helped on Maniac Mansion (hamster aynone?) but is actually the creator of Zak McKracken!!1eleven
...well, let's say that the graphics evolved EIGHT bits, since the Kickstarter.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eUScGqWSRjOC-7hz-zoNcbN9KyYp-t4baiBagKF1WpY/viewform
Sorry,my thumbs are to big, i hereby declare your name to be Mark DeLorean, pallette shifting traveller from the year. '87.
p.s.
Carlo, please do not forget survey 46. (the answer to no question)
Good luck
This was helpful :
(yes)
(yes)
In particular the last question! :-)
https://twitter.com/thimbleweedpark/status/741014078978588672
It says: "Who you gonna call? Yourself of course! Get your name and voice in Thimbleweed Park!! RT to win a Phone Book entry!"
I remember that Ron itself said (wrote) more than once that the phone book entry and/or the voice mail were a kickstarter exclusive, for bakers of that period of time. It's a matter of fairness.
I'm none but a baker, I have my entry and I am happy for it, but I'm also a "fan" of fair play.
Please, don't go back on your words... you can have more brilliant ideas, I'm sure of that, even leaving this satisfaction to whom who believed in you from the beginning. Thanks.
When we launched the new backer site, we very purposely didn't allow non-Kickstarter backers to buy the Phonebook upgrade. Making that decision has cost us a lot of money and significantly increased the amount of work we had to do, but it was the right thing to do.
It is very important to us that we honor what we said during the Kickstarter. We will not be selling the phone book entries for any price (OK, for $1,000,000 dollars... I have my limits), but we have given some away to people who have helped out on the project in significant ways, to the team, and some family members. In total we will probably give away less than 100 and that's out of 4,000 entries.
The campaign on Twitter may be a matter of opinion, but such a low number of exceptions might be sustainable. It's an advertising campaign that helps to win more backers over, by increasing the awareness level of TP. As long as their money gets used for the game only, as it has been declared by the team, the campaign on Twitter might be indirectly advantageous for all of us.
Eh, Ron never said it's exclusive for bakers :-)
"I didn't back during the Kickstarter, can I still get my name in the phonebook?
No, unfortunately that was a Kickstarter exclusive and we want to be fair to the people that did back during that time."
But regardless, I don't have a problem with the TP team giving a limited amount away.
OK, he said bakers, not woodsmiths, blacksmiths nor glaziers... Probably he choosed bakers in homage to Zak McKracken™ !!
(I just couldn't resist highlighting this typo)
140 people have already contributed (*) .
Don't be a tuna finger, give me a chance to apply for a Thimble PhD in the next future
by answering to the questions at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eUScGqWSRjOC-7hz-zoNcbN9KyYp-t4baiBagKF1WpY/viewform
Results will be made public, and will hopefully contribute to the spiritual enhancement of Mankind.
Thank you ev'ryone!
* log10(people) 1 more or less
I immediately imagined your pixelated avatar floating in some Katmandu temple...
Now I realize how David Fox has got the idea.
;-)
What comes to Fox singing and Gilbert proofreading, I find the latter to be more fin.
I'm really surprised that 100 % found this survey enjoyable. Shocked, really.
# 6, 5, 4 and 3 were pretty funny!
It seems you have softened a bit over the years: from killing players with nuclear explosions, imprisoning players and lecture them to death, threatning to kill off faeries, to...well... absolution for just 25 bucks
So he is the same nice guy since ever! Sometimes grumpy though.
Clearly the Secret was discovered in MI 1, so no need to mention *that* when the sequel came around
on a side-note: I even got excited back then when I read Lucasarts was releasing "The secret weapons of the luftwaffe", because I thought it was an another point&click adventure... :D
(Sierra did put "quest" in almost every single one of their titles, so it's not that far-fetched)
Yes! I don't know why so many people think that Ron hasn't told the secret yet. The secret was discovered in the first game.
After all I had explorated the ground and the underground of Monkey Island, and after completing the game I knew everything about that island. Whatever the secret was supposed to be, it was no more a secret to me.
So I was very surprised to see everybody asking for the secret, after the game. Come on, guys. That secret is under your noses...
SPOILER: No, just Le Chucks cave. You have to solve several puzzles and a "key" to enter that (hidden!) cave. There is no other "secret" on or under the island.
I hereby submit the results to the review of the scientific community.
I personally wish to thank each one of you generically speaking, but all of you in particular.
So, let's go to the numbers...
Number of contributors: *11111*
First of all: *TP* or TWP? *52%* - 48%
*Ray* or Reyes? *68%* - 32%
*Delores* or DeLorean? *58%* - 42%
DeLorean or *Mark Ferrari*? 16% - *84%*
EGA or *VGA*? 23% - *77%*
Point or *Click*? 26% - *74%*
*C* or Java? *81%* - 19%
*Pizza* or gelato? *58%* - 42%
Star Trek or *Star Wars*? 45% - *55%*
BEEEEP or *fBEEEPk*? 45% - *55%*
*Sexy doors* or pixelated corpses? *58%* - 42%
Happy ending or *nightmarish cliffhanger*? 48% - *52%*
*Animated fog* or multiplayer mode? *87%* - 13%
*Friday questions* or 1-day-before release? *77%* - 23%
*Pathfinding stocastic techniques* or sub-path pre-def & snap-to? *68%* - 32%
*Act Two* or Act Three? *55%* - 45%
*The Pigeons above* or the dungeons below? *61%* - 39%
Fox singing or *Gilbert proof-reading*? 45% - *55%*
*Reyes lip-syncing* or Ray lap-dancing? *55%* - 45%
Another question or *please stop*? 0% - *100%*
*Did you enjoy this survey? 100%*
Moreover, a new blog-post just happened, so who cares about impartiality?
*TP slightly won over TWP*. Then again, I understand the official acronym will be TWP. WTF, I should RTFM from TPTB.
*Agent Ray has grown more popular than agent Reyes*. That's unfair. Reyes didn't get a trailer, nor his voice in it. Moreover, agent Ray's been told to lap-dance pretty well.
*Delores won her match against the evil DeLorean*. This teaches us all (teaches me over all) that you don't need time-travelling capabilities, when you are such a lovely geek. Personally, I have a crush for Delores. I'd like to meet her one day. ...But then again, if it was a *flying Delorean*, would the outcome be the same?
*Mark Ferrari wins over the DeLorean* (again). No comment here. Ferrari rulez.
*People love VGA more than EGA*. EGA is 4 bit (more or less), VGA is 8. 4 has sharp edges, 8 is double-round. That's the reason.
*Click is better than point*. To point means to be in constant quest; to click means to use, to achieve, to rule. You males are all the same.
*C wins over Java*. Since I have to be impartial, I won't comment this. (Java s##ks)
*Pizza or gelato*. People had the most difficult decision of their life here, probably. I am close to both factions, knowing that every one has suffered a great loss.
*Star Wars is preferred to Star Trek*. The analytics from Google must have some glitch.
*fBEEEPk is preferrable to BEEEEP*. What the BEEEEP did you BEEEEP choose here, BEEEEP!!!!
*Sexy doors over pixelated corpses*. The doors were WAY more sexy than corpses. ThimbleTeam again must fix this.
*People prefer a nightmarish cliffhanger*. You know the truth behind this game? ...OK, I will tell you another time. Perhaps.
*Animated fog is a requirement more essential than multiplayer mode*. OK. No problem. Let's go like this. Be more individualistic, safe&sealed in your cloud of fog. Your business.
*Friday questions definitely wins over 1-day-before release*. This reveals the fact that no one really cares about the game. This blog alone is worth the money of the kickstarter. Keep your stinky bytes for yourself, ThimbleTeam: we just want to BLOG.
*Pathfinding stocastic techniques or sub-path pre-def & snap-to*. Still need to understand this, sorry...
*People like Act Two more than Act Three*. Yes, Act Two is better. Act Three is just lazy and unsound. Everybody knows this.
*The Pigeons above win over the dungeons below*. I hate pigeons, so tell me: do you really want to have pigeons above your head???
*Gilbert proof-reading was preferred to Fox singing*. This was difficult: what is worse?
*Reyes lip-syncing slightly wins over Ray lap-dancing*. Then again, that would have been an interesting SCA.
Everyone was satisfied with the number of questions, but I couldn't believe that everyone enjoyed the survey. This pulls tears out from my eyes: thank you, everyone. Thanks a lot.
Looking forward to the next one!
ps: did Ron get 100% right?
Nice one.
"People prefer a nightmarish cliffhanger. You know the truth behind this game? ...OK, I will tell you another time. Perhaps"
Do you mean people will stop asking Ron the secret of Monkey Island and will start asking the secret of Thinmbleweed Park?
"People like Act Two more than Act Three. Yes, Act Two is better. Act Three is just lazy and unsound. Everybody knows this"
Are you serious? So The Temple of Doom should be better than The Last Crusade?
Also you run out of money and time at the end of production.
Act 1 - The 3 trials
Act 2 - The Journey
Act 3 - Monkey Island
Despite I loved Act 2, I'd say Act 3, definitely.