Title Cards
Sep 14, 2016
Several months ago, there was a lot of chatter on the blog about if we were going to have title cards showing the acts or parts, like Monkey Island had.
I've been against them from the beginning. It just didn't feel like it fit the game, but as time moved on and the scope of the game and story became apparent, I've changed my mind.
For those of you clamoring for title cards, I'm happy to report they are in the game. I started by using them to break up the acts, but soon realized that wasn't enough.
Thimbleweed Park (for better or worse) is a big game. It's not only big, but it's a complex story that weaves around, pretending to be one thing, then veering off to be another, and then juts in an unexpected direction just when you think you've figured it out.
It's a complex story.
One thing we noticed while playtesting is there are these big story beats, and while the story felt good at those locations, the game became a little unfocused. The title cards help to return that focus without long expository cut-scenes. The cards are short and simple and say "Hey! This is where we're going". It also gives players a sense of progress and completion, despite not knowing how many parts there are.
So, there you go.
- Ron
"David O. Seltzer Presents: 'Dr E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease strikes Thimbleweed Park' "
Cheers,
Sebastian (Mrs)
I recall that cut scenes have been used since Maniac Mansion to give the player the impression of progress.
Will there also be such cut scenes in addition the title cards?
Thanks in advance,
Sebastian
Would love to see some references to Maniac Mansion in the cutscenes.
Cheers,
S.
Hehe :)
And that thimbleweek park title card looks very tarantinoesque.
Can't wait Ron!
You're welcome.
My first try was a massively oversized, just SLIGHTLY transparent achievement message. But I thought I've gone overboard with it so I've changed it to this one. :-)
How is it handled on other platforms? I have the impression you were particularly talking about X-Box...
I think with Steam the only way (from a user perspective) is to disable in-game overlays completely to disable achievement notifications.
Are you bound to implement those achievement points?
I've found this video of the Steam version https://youtu.be/EtZ1dm6vyXA?t=159 (at least not too obtrusive).
And that's how it looks like on X-Box, just listen to this disgusting sound: https://youtu.be/OL3bFJNU6Cg?t=134
Maybe you could delay them even more by queueing them until an arbitrary point, e.g. when the player goes to the main menu (or quits the game).
Although maybe it isn't really mysterious...
Maybe with a completely black screen for some seconds after the text vanished into thin air. This might be a suspenseful moment, especially if you play the game in an unlighted room.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/40ha3b7b1ajkjef/part_four.jpg
You know. The scene just before the title card would still animate in background, but it would go black & white, and a bit darker, and the text would appear over the scene. Also the music would transition into title card's (perhaps) more dramatic music.
Use a chainsaw
...
...
... LOADING ...
...
... <insert disk 46, and press "any" key>
so many personal requests would make an option-catalogue where you would be through after a week before you even started the game.
We also need an option to set the duration of showing the title card, so people reading very slowly can use a longer duration and Mattias Cedervall can set it to zero.
"Enjoy over 100 hours of gameplay in Options Park, where you will have an option to choose from thousands of exciting options, and test their effect in build-in adventure".
"...simulate your options in a game-like test environment called Thimbleweed Park."
AHAHAHAHAAH!!!
Sometimes you hear such requests in in bars in Italy...
https://youtu.be/XkInkNMpI1Q?t=3m37s
But I remember so many games that stood out, too. Or had fun little moving parts. Characters walking around in the text. Pictures every now and then. Or even an after-credits scene. Wasn't the ending of Monkey Island 2 fun, too, with all the suggestions about what you could be doing now, after you've finally finished the game?
I really love the games where all the characters show up again, the entire cast, like on a stage. Seen so many interesting things. Or funny bits, with well known characters from the game you just finished, acting all out of character, and basically being actors in a scene that re-enacts another game.
In Ultima games of old, you had - in addition to normal credits - something called quotes. When really finishing the game, these would show up as well, and it's really just random funny or interesting quotes that had been collected during the creative phases of making the game. You know, where Richard Garriott would say something like: "Kids don't die properly again." XD. Like so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htR7X8pPPA
I wonder if TP could have something like this.
And since we're at it: How about "outtakes" in the end titles? Some small scenes where the characters/actors just didn't get it right...
I hope they will also be decorated with drawings as they used to be in MI2, but even if the final ones will be like the posted image this made my day!
However, I also like the MI title boards.
have you guys considered to implement them in a fashion similiar to the way tv-series does them? Just like they were episodes?
We also love maps! I think I read somewhere that the greatest and incomparable Thimbleweed Park will have them. Could you please confirm that?
Thanks!
YAY! :)
https://youtu.be/16dudF26p98?t=428 (this one is without titles)
They give a really good feeling of, "yessss, I am in a new part of the game!" when they come up and a sense of completion.
Also there is often the thing in adventure games where you've spent a long time in one particular set of locations and you enjoyed it, but you've kinda had enough with all the walking around the same parts, so when the title card comes up it also is a good feeling because it draws a line under that previous part and you know you don't have to explore that part any more and get to start exploring a new part.
Another feature it had was this wall painting indicating the overall process. The painting itself was great of course, but the feature itself was probably unnecessary for most gamers.
So similar function to title cards I'd say, showing you some large words and letting you know you're done with one bunch of locations and puzzles and are going onto a new bunch...
http://prnt.sc/cifusp
http://prntscr.com/cifw0s
Clearly, Pitfall is the game to load!
:)
-------------------------
The Bathroom Break
Thimbleweed Park 2, the search for more money.
In my opinion, it's the best Monkey Island Main Theme cover I've ever heard, so I kind of re-tweeted it here.
And I also love that the there are twists and surprised in the game!
...to get the RIGHT game!
"Only 4 months LEFT...
...to get the game RIGHT!"
Maybe a special Christmas featurette also?
Thank you!
Game will be postponed until May 2017. Don't forget to post your email address due to expected fan mails. :-)
Speaking of "3 acts", I even had forgotten that MI was divided into four parts, instead of three, until I read your comment. But, in hindsight it's absolutely logical. Shame on me! Maybe I wasn't aware of the total number because the fourth card doesn't contain the number of the act. It's titled with "Last Part" instead of "Part Four".
Nevertheless, the total number of acts is not important to me.
Achievements? That must be the special edition/steam achievements? I don't care for achievements. A real pirate doesn't need yer stinky achievements!
note : I went back and I got the speedrun achievement in MI2, though, after finishing it the first time in 20 years. Not as much fun as the original experience or just enjoying the real game, but I like a challenge.
MI 1 and 2 created some of the best memories of my teen years (I played them when they came out) so I am obviously happy you are doing an authentic successor to the genre with a "SCUMM-like" UI, humor and style.
Wishing for MI 3a is probably too much due to the licencing issues, but I still hope you continue to make authentic MI-like adventures after Thimbleweed Park.
Greetings from London.
- "I don't need it, it's for a different game."