Bone is said to be available! [Archive]

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Tramboi

09-15-2005, 08:39 AM

And there is a form for buying episode one at TellTale :crazy:

I'm downloading the trial installer.

Click here! (http://www.telltalegames.com/products?pc=bn0102)

Don't download it or you will slow my download :devil:

bigjko

09-15-2005, 08:42 AM

New site design!! And Bone demo!!

Why on earth does telltalegames.com forward me to the Texas Hold 'Em game?

The Seed

09-15-2005, 09:02 AM

I'm in the middle of downloading it now. I'm so excited, has anyone been able to try it yet?

Jackal

09-15-2005, 09:04 AM

It's not just a demo. (http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=1062) :D

fov

09-15-2005, 09:05 AM

I edited the original link to go to the Bone product page instead of just to the installer. There's some info there about how to buy, etc. that people might want to read before they download.

I'm in the middle of downloading it now. I'm so excited, has anyone been able to try it yet?

Yes. *D I'd played it before at an earlier stage, though. I'm excited to see how everyone reacts to it.

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 09:08 AM

Yes! I've played the demo. Looks like a very fun game. :D

Jake

09-15-2005, 09:08 AM

New site design!! And Bone demo!!

Why on earth does telltalegames.com forward me to the Texas Hold 'Em game?

It shouldnt do that anymore now that they redesigned the site.... I used to have that problem too but not anymore

bigjko

09-15-2005, 09:10 AM

It shouldnt do that anymore now that they redesigned the site.... I used to have that problem too but not anymore

Looks like it was just something with my browser. Doesn't forward me anymore.

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 09:18 AM

Bought it, no-questions-asked. ;)

Kolorabi

09-15-2005, 09:21 AM

Downloading now. Wow, this weekend will be superb - Bone, Fahrenheit, TrackMania Original Beta, C64 DTV (if I'm lucky).... :9~

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 09:24 AM

Eh, once you've bought it, aren't you supposed to receive a code via email? :shifty:

Mimus

09-15-2005, 09:26 AM

This was all a bit out of the blue... I normally tend to keep up with release dates and the such-like.

Sounds good though. Downloading the demo now... Looks like it makes it nice and easy to buy the full game if I like it, which all seems like a very good way of doing things.

Right on the tail (excuse the pun) of the Sam & Max announcement as well, so I guess their site will be getting a lot of business due to that. Good stuff.

fov

09-15-2005, 09:27 AM

Eh, once you've bought it, aren't you supposed to receive a code via email? :shifty:

I think so. But their servers might be a little overwhelmed, considering they just went live. Give it a few more minutes. :) (You can still play the beginning while you're waiting...)

nordic_guy

09-15-2005, 09:27 AM

Can't wait to try this out! :9~

jamesfoti

09-15-2005, 09:29 AM

I dont get it do you pay 20 dollars for each episode or do you pay 20 dollars and then you get all 9 episodes?

nordic_guy

09-15-2005, 09:31 AM

I dont get it do you pay 20 dollars for each episode or do you pay 20 dollars and then you get all 9 episodes?
9 episodes? I thought there were 3... Anyway, it's for one episode.

20 dollars, eh?

BTW, I see that the difficulty level is set at 2/6. How long is the game?

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 09:32 AM

I think so. But their servers might be a little overwhelmed, considering they just went live. Give it a few more minutes. :) (You can still play the beginning while you're waiting...)

All a little odd, though, my order's there in the database, but there's no serial or code listed. :crazy:

Kolzig

09-15-2005, 09:33 AM

50% ready now...

I have to try the demo portion of the game now.
Though I'm not going to buy it immediately if/when the game turns out to be great.

I want my own computer to come from the repair shop before I buy the full game.

fov

09-15-2005, 09:37 AM

Re: price - $20 for one episode. The whole Bone series will be covered in the end but it won't necessarily be one book per game. It's sounding like there may be around 3-6 episodes altogether, but this is something even Telltale isn't sure about yet.

Re: game length - Telltale has been saying 4-6 hours. Obviously, it's going to depend on the player. I haven't played the whole thing yet so I can't comment on that.

Kolzig, my understanding is that you set up a user account when you purchase, so you'll be able to install on a different computer later and play with the same user account. You wouldn't have to pay a second time.

Coop

09-15-2005, 09:40 AM

How big is the d/l? im close to my limit at school. Hopefully it's not too big

nordic_guy

09-15-2005, 09:41 AM

I downloaded the game, but it seems like I can only start it from the shortcut and not from the start menu, since the only icon there is to uninstall it. Did this happen to anyone else?

Mimus

09-15-2005, 09:44 AM

Tobbe

09-15-2005, 09:44 AM

What are the system requirement for the demo? Yeah, I know, I´m too lazy to look up it on my own! :) Feel free to pan me.. :P

Martin Gantefoehr

09-15-2005, 09:48 AM

My download aborted at 84% and now the damn thing won't reconnect to complete it... :shifty:

Is the server down?

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 09:50 AM

It's working for me, Martin.... 90%.....91%.... tick tock, tick tock...

bigjko

09-15-2005, 09:51 AM

What are the system requirement for the demo? Yeah, I know, I´m too lazy to look up it on my own! :) Feel free to pan me.. :P

Voila! (http://www.telltalegames.com/products?pc=bn0102)

# Windows XP or Windows 2000
# DirectX 8.1
# Free hard drive space: 140MB
# Newer 3D Accelerated Video Cards: (what is this?) 800 MHz P3 processor (or better)
# Older 3D Accelerated Video Cards: (what is this?) 1.5 GHz processor (or better)

bigjko

09-15-2005, 09:52 AM

The demo was pretty good. I'm hoping the full game's not going to be too short. At any rate, I'm most likely buying either now, or tomorrow.

Highlights of the demo:

- Just loved that beginning sun, and pan down to desert
- Animation is smooth
- Three-person dialogue system was just perfect, and a nice surprise
- Animation on the eyebrows was awesome
- Full game only 78 MB! :o

What I didn't so much like:

- Voices didn't blend well together, f.ex. when Smiley's singing and Phoney's trying to talk at the same time, it just blends into into a big mess
- Some of Phoney's mouth animations seem weird (nitpicking!)
- Locusts didn't look so good, probably because of a lot of compression

EDIT: Just purchased. I'll see y'all later! PLAYIN' TIME!

Coop

09-15-2005, 09:52 AM

What are the system requirement for the demo? Yeah, I know, I´m too lazy to look up it on my own! :) Feel free to pan me.. :P

# Windows XP or Windows 2000
# DirectX 8.1
# Free hard drive space: 140MB
# Newer 3D Accelerated Video Cards: (what is this?) 800 MHz P3 processor (or better)
# Older 3D Accelerated Video Cards: (what is this?) 1.5 GHz processor (or better)

The Seed

09-15-2005, 09:53 AM

I played through the trial and enjoyed it, enough to convince me to buy it, although I thought the graphics would be better, is there a way of uping the resolution?

Aside from the graphics issue I like everything else, the voice acting seems pretty good, although I think Fone is the weakest of the three. I enjoyed the humor as well:

Smiley Bone: "Look, there are birds up there..."

Fone Bone: "Eh, those are buzzards Smiley!"

Kolorabi

09-15-2005, 09:54 AM

Worse though is that it actually didn't install it to the directory I told it to... That directory is empty... :(
Same thing happened here... a bit annoying. I think this is the shortest demo I've ever tried, possibly a tie with the Obscure demo. Seemed fun, though. I'll probably buy the game tomorrow, depending on what people here say about it.

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 10:00 AM

Eh?

I guess I'm playing the full game. It's cute and worth the price. Quality of the animation and direction is a lot lower than I expected, though, but it's true to the book and is rather fun!

I get an "access violation" error and crash to desktop when -

The rat creatures jump onto the branch with you

- which Telltale should be made aware of.

fov

09-15-2005, 10:02 AM

I played through the trial and enjoyed it, enough to convince me to buy it, although I thought the graphics would be better, is there a way of uping the resolution?

What kind of graphics card do you have?

The graphics looked sharper when I played at their office than they do on my machine, but my graphics card is pretty old (GeForce 2). I assume that's why.

Smiley Bone: "Look, there are birds up there..."

Fone Bone: "Eh, those are buzzards Smiley!"

I liked the exchange about Phoney's catering venture. :D

Martin Gantefoehr

09-15-2005, 10:04 AM

It's working for me, Martin.... 90%.....91%.... tick tock, tick tock...

Yeah, I fixed that in the meantime. The temporary download file somehow got corrupted it seems. I had to delete it, now the reconnect works.

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 10:08 AM

Just finished the demo and it is very short. Other than the mini game, which I thought was comepltely pointless and didn't add anything to the game sort of like the Old Mine Rd section from FT, I think it took me maybe a total of 20 mouse clicks to get through the demo.

My reaction is mixed. The source material is of course strong and some of the doalogues seem to be lifted directly from the book word for word so the game has that going for it. But graphics in the demo is very underwhelming. Frankly, I expected it to be a lot better. Pehaps, it will get better in the later parts of the game? The demo was too short for me to judge the gameplay but it still feels to me like the game play has been simplified for those who are not farmiliar with AGs. In other words, not good enough for me. Voice acting is also underwhelming.

I might still buy it just becasue I'm a big fan of the comic book series. Would I pay 20 bucks for 5 hours of what I experienced in the demo if the game was not based on Bone? Not a chance. Overall, I'm somewhat dissapointed.

CrimsonBlue

09-15-2005, 10:10 AM

Is this a "worldwide" release, and everyone with an internet connection buy the game?

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 10:12 AM

Their server seems to be running well now. Downloaded the demo in under 60 seconds.

fov

09-15-2005, 10:14 AM

Is this a "worldwide" release, and everyone with an internet connection buy the game?

Yes.

Kolzig

09-15-2005, 10:23 AM

Now I played the demo, it felt really nice overall.
Especially the opening scene was great.
I guess I'll be buying this, soon.

Jake

09-15-2005, 10:29 AM

Blar, damn workday. I will check this out in about 6 hours :(

fov

09-15-2005, 10:31 AM

Blar, damn workday. I will check this out in about 6 hours :(

I know how you feel. I've got plans tonight though so it'll be 9:00 before I can play. :frusty:

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 10:33 AM

Aww ;) *cough sig cough*

CrimsonBlue

09-15-2005, 10:36 AM

Completed the demo. This will be bought as soon as possible. Not sure when possible is though. About a week or so I think. I've no money on the credit card for now.

Graphics WERE a bit dissapointing, but no worse than EMI. I look forward to seeing the more "busy" parts of the land.

fov

09-15-2005, 10:37 AM

Aww ;) *cough sig cough*

:shifty:

I can't hate you, though, after you sent me so many Bone cards. :P

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 10:49 AM

Ugh. No idea why, but once I quit, now I'm getting an access violation whenever I try to start it :(

EDIT: Hmm. Thankfully an uninstall/reinstall fixed it.

Mimus

09-15-2005, 10:51 AM

Hmm... So, I've now purchased the game, but it seemed to have trouble connecting to download the key. The trouble is, now I can't get back to a position where it tries to download it again.... Any ideas?

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 10:56 AM

Ugh. No idea why, but once I quit, now I'm getting an access violation whenever I try to start it :(
I just finished playing it through for the second time and I haven't has any such problem on my machine (my work laptop, shhh, don't tell my boss ;) ).

I tried to take a bit of time this time to look at and try everything possible. Still there aren't much too do. They should have made the demo a bit longer. It's way too short for anyone to get the real taste of what the gameplay will be like. AGers and Bone fans are sure too grab the game as I probably will but I'm not sure if the demo's strong enough to convince someone who's neither to part with 20 bucks.

Hope Bone does very well for Telltale. They need to get some cash rolling in for starting to work on that other game. :)

I wonder if it's too early to start poking Jack with my Poke-an-Editor stick for an AG review of Bone. :D

The Seed

09-15-2005, 11:00 AM

What kind of graphics card do you have?

The graphics looked sharper when I played at their office than they do on my machine, but my graphics card is pretty old (GeForce 2). I assume that's why.

Yeah mine is the same. Ah well, it's a miner dissapointment but I'll get over it.

I think i'll wait till the weekend before getting the full version, there's nothing I love more than staying up late playing a good adventure game knowing I don't have to get up in the morning. :)

bigjko

09-15-2005, 11:01 AM

If the demo were any longer, you'd be playing the full game. ;)

Anyways, after a short play-time I'm getting weird graphic glitches (http://simnet.is/kjogsb/blog/bone.jpg), that are only resolvable with a restart. This happened before when playing Fate, but not this frequently.

I've already posted on TellTale's support forum. Here's hoping they're glued to the forum like a fly to fluoerescent light.

Hamham Chan

09-15-2005, 11:07 AM

bigjko

09-15-2005, 11:10 AM

How long is the demo?
I played it once and couldn´t get past the locust chase sequence. :\

It ends after that mini-game.

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 11:10 AM

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 11:13 AM

How long is the demo?
I played it once and couldn´t get past the locust chase sequence. :\

Of what i´ve seen of the game i like it very much!
I´m keeping my thumbs up for Bone, let´s hope it becomes a huge f***ing success! :7
Demo ends right after the locust chase sequence. It took me two tries to get through the sequence. It's very easy once you know what you need to do but I thought it wasn't very inetresting and overly long.

Edit: Damn, this is first time that I had two people posting before me and making my post redundant. I guess we are all excited about Bone being released and what Telltale's been upto.

:D

samIamsad

09-15-2005, 11:21 AM

Mh, I clicked on the Trial button. Now there's a Download BonevilleInstaller shortcut on my desktop, which leads me to a 78 MB download?!

I thought that was the full game? :confused:

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 11:23 AM

Mh, I clicked on the Trial button. Now there's a Download BonevilleInstaller shortcut on my desktop, which leads me to a 78 MB download?!

I thought that was the full game? :confused:
It works just like a shareware. That 78MB download is the full game. But you need to buy the game and obtain a key to unlock the non-demo portion of the game.

samIamsad

09-15-2005, 11:24 AM

Thanks gilly. Then I'll have to wait. I'm still on dial-up.

Captain Blondebeard

09-15-2005, 11:28 AM

It's not just a demo. (http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=1062) :D
Where the hell have I been? They secured the rights to Sam and Max?

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 11:30 AM

D'oh! :( I wish there was a way to turn off that annoying tutorial pop-up, for us seasoned adventure gamers! :D

fov

09-15-2005, 11:33 AM

D'oh! :( I wish there were a way to turn off that annoying tutorial pop-up, for us seasoned adventure gamers! :D

I think you can... :confused:

Look in the game options. I thought you could turn in-game help on or off.

Where the hell have I been? They secured the rights to Sam and Max?

A lot can happen in 12 hours. :D

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 11:33 AM

All this fuss about a shareware release? Wow, the genre IS dying...

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 11:35 AM

D'oh! :( I wish there were a way to turn off that annoying tutorial pop-up, for us seasoned adventure gamers! :D
You can. Go into the Set Up screen.

Is it possible to skip the cutscenes? I tried everything I can think of but can't skip past cutscenes.

fov

09-15-2005, 11:37 AM

Is it possible to skip the cutscenes? I tried everything I can think of but can't skip past cutscenes.

Did you try the space bar? That skips the dialogue. Dunno if it works on cutscenes though.

All this fuss about a shareware release? Wow, the genre IS dying...

Do you have to be so negative about everything? :shifty:

Hamham Chan

09-15-2005, 11:37 AM

Demo ends right after the locust chase sequence. It took me two tries to get through the sequence. It's very easy once you know what you need to do but I thought it wasn't very inetresting and overly long.

Edit: Damn, this is first time that I had two people posting before me and making my post redundant. I guess we are all excited about Bone being released and what Telltale's been upto.

:D

Thanks to all 3 of you for answering my question.
The chase sequence is a bit tricky, i gotta keep trying to crack it.

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 11:43 AM

Do you have to be so negative about everything? :shifty:
I'm sorry. Sometimes I ask myself the same question. But my problem is that I remember the true adventureing days very very clearly... I was there, and it was great, and no one paid attention to shareware games because the real games were like gifts from the Gods...
I know it's a bad quality to want the Old Days back but I can't help it... I hope I'll get over it someday.

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 11:44 AM

Did you try the space bar? That skips the dialogue. Dunno if it works on cutscenes though.

Space bar allows you to skip dialogues only and you have to hit it each time somebody speaks. The only way that you can skip the intro sequence in the beginning is hitting the space bar multiple times. Not a big deal though, just a bit annoying.

bigjko

09-15-2005, 11:47 AM

fov

09-15-2005, 11:51 AM

I'm sorry. Sometimes I ask myself the same question. But my problem is that I remember the true adventureing days very very clearly... I was there, and it was great, and no one paid attention to shareware games because the real games were like gifts from the Gods...

I don't understand why you're calling this a shareware game. It is a "real" game. It just happens to be available for download rather than in a store.

Telltale is a professional team with decades of collective experience. They just happen to have a distribution model that's different than 99% of the other gaming companies out there. If it allows them to bring us good games -- hell, if it turns out to be a better business model than the one 99% of the (struggling) game companies out there follow -- why complain?

You make it sound like people are excited because they don't know any better. I was "there" in the old days, too. ;) And, frankly, I see Telltale as closer to the old Sierra or LucasArts that we miss so much than any of the other gaming companies out there right now.

Anyway - you're welcome to hate it if you want to. But maybe you should try playing it first.

samIamsad

09-15-2005, 11:53 AM

It was the only thing I could afford playing. And most of them were a blast to play.

Jazz Jackrabbit, Halloween Harry, Whacky Wheels, Commander Keen, Doom... :D

I hope they'll succeed. Telltale, that is. What's wrong with that concept, Aurebesh? The days of big boxes containing maps, BIG and fun to read manuals and extras (like lollipops, stickers, and stuff) are long over anyway. :frown:

Mimus

09-15-2005, 11:59 AM

Telltale is a professional team with decades of collective experience. They just happen to have a distribution model that's different than 99% of the other gaming companies out there. If it allows them to bring us good games -- hell, if it turns out to be a better business model than the one 99% of the (struggling) game companies out there follow -- why complain?

Exactly, this is exactly the business model I've been wanting to see used for adventure games (and more games in general). It worked before, and it can work again! :D

Unfortunately, I've been burnt by the fact my registration key failed to download, and I don't seem to be able to try and get it again... :(

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 11:59 AM

Jazz Jackrabbit, Halloween Harry, Whacky Wheels, Commander Keen, Doom... :D

Heck, even the original Quake was a shareware. I think I still have the CD that I got from Comp USA for 99 cents somewhere.

I really hope Telltale does well. If the distribution method Telltale is trying out turn out to be successful, it will go a long way in helping out other indie devs. They couldn't have picked a better game to get themselves rolling as Bone is a very strong license that has many fans from both in and out of gaming.

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 12:07 PM

I was "there" in the old days, too. ;)
Wasn't it GREAT?
And, frankly, I see Telltale as closer to the old Sierra or LucasArts that we miss so much than any of the other gaming companies out there right now.
So did I at first, that's why I was soooo disappointed to find out they chose a TV-series-like approach instead of full games. I believe cinema is very superior to television.
And they're giving hard time to collectors! What, after the purchase, I'm supposed to burn the game on a CD and print a cover for it and put it in my collection? ;)
Anyway - you're welcome to hate it if you want to. But maybe you should try playing it first.
Well, I guess I can get the demo. I just hope it's at least a true adventure game. In any case, when it comes to ex-Lucasarts employees, Vampyre Story is what I really look forward to.

The Seed

09-15-2005, 12:07 PM

I've only played up to Fone discovering the valley, and there's not a lot going on puzzle wise yet, but already I can see that the engine and interface are brilliant, I can totally imagine now what Freelance Police would have felt like. It really feels like the natural evolution from the SCUMM interface.

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 12:09 PM

I think in the future more companies should move towards this online distribution business model. I could care less about boxes, manuals, etc. This will give me the game (which is all we really want and need in the end) and will eliminate the hassle of going to the store or waiting for a game to ship in the mail. It could also possibly be much cheaper for the game to be distributed.

Mimus

09-15-2005, 12:13 PM

Orange Brat

09-15-2005, 12:16 PM

So did I at first, that's why I was soooo disappointed to find out they chose a TV-series-like approach instead of full games. I believe cinema is very superior to television.
And they're giving hard time to collectors! What, after the purchase, I'm supposed to burn the game on a CD and print a cover for it and put it in my collection? ;)

Yes, and let's hope they supply a ready made cover for it. Get used to it...that's how it's going to be once online distribution really takes hold.

Jake

09-15-2005, 12:21 PM

The Seed

09-15-2005, 12:23 PM

So guys, any idea of when the review will be up. :P

Jackal

09-15-2005, 12:25 PM

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 12:25 PM

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 12:27 PM

Ready made covers would be nice, although it shouldn't be too hard to make a custom one. Anything is better than putting a jewlcase with my handwriting on it in my collection...
Anyway, Orange Brat, you seem convinced that on-line distribution will take hold. But don't forget that such games will be MUCH more easy to pirate than retail games. All you need is a key...
In any case, if it does take hold, I hope they'll distribute full games and not just short episodes like Telltale prefers.

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 12:28 PM

Man we've apparently seen it all now.

True adventure games are not only

2D only.
Point and click Only
No Action Sequences Allowed

But ALSO

Must be sold in a store, in a box and not be episodic

otherwise they're not real. No box? It's not an adventure game!!! It's a shareware game!

What the hell is wrong with people?

Feel like starting another thread about AGs, Jake? Your AG threads tend to generate fierce interest.

http://forums.adventuregamers.com/showthread.php?t=7568
http://forums.adventuregamers.com/showthread.php?t=6556

We haven't had a thread like those here in a while.

:D

Tramboi

09-15-2005, 12:32 PM

Now I feel like a jerk being the first one in the world to notice and annonce Bone's availability cause of too much F5's on Telltale's page :)

Richard

09-15-2005, 12:32 PM

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 12:35 PM

Man we've apparently seen it all now.

True adventure games are not only

2D only.
Point and click Only
No Action Sequences Allowed

Who said that?!? It's ridiculous!

But ALSO

Must be sold in a store, in a box and not be episodic

otherwise they're not real. No box? It's not an adventure game!!!
Yep, that's the really important criteria.

What the hell is wrong with people?
We just went insane because of all these boxless pseudo-adventure games!!! WE WANT OUR CLASSIC 3D 1ST PERSON MACHINERY-PUZZLE-ONLY BOXED ADVENTURE GAMES BACK!!!!!!

artwking4

09-15-2005, 12:36 PM

I've uninstalled the demo now, but when I played it I believe there was something in the options menu called Laptop Mode. I turned it on because I'm on a laptop, but I have no idea what it did. Any ideas?

The Bone pdf manual says:

Laptop Mode
If you are having performance issues playing the game on your laptop, you may try turning on laptop mode. laptop mode is off by default.

artwking4

09-15-2005, 12:40 PM

We just went insane because of all these boxless pseudo-adventure games!!! WE WANT OUR CLASSIC 3D 1ST PERSON MACHINERY-PUZZLE-ONLY BOXED ADVENTURE GAMES BACK!!!!!!

Hahaha! We?!?! :)

fov

09-15-2005, 12:46 PM

Wasn't it GREAT?

Yeah, maybe, but there were all these other things like being a kid and not having any responsibilities that contributed to its greatness. :D

So did I at first, that's why I was soooo disappointed to find out they chose a TV-series-like approach instead of full games. I believe cinema is very superior to television.

They are full games, just short ones. ;) And they're self-contained. Think Seinfeld episode, not soap opera.

And they're giving hard time to collectors! What, after the purchase, I'm supposed to burn the game on a CD and print a cover for it and put it in my collection? ;)

These are smart guys. I'm sure they've thought about releasing the game in a retail version at some point down the road. But they might have to prove themselves to publishers and/or make some money first.

Feel like starting another thread about AGs, Jake? Your AG threads tend to generate fierce interest. ...We haven't had a thread like those here in a while.

Aww, c'mon... can't we all just bask in the day's good news? This is the happiest I've seen the forums in a long time. *D

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 12:47 PM

The Bone pdf manual says:

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info.

Lucien21

09-15-2005, 12:50 PM

Dammit.

I'm all packed ready to go on hols and they release it now. AND announce Sam & Max.

I'll have to wait 3 weeks before I can download and play it.

:frown:

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 12:53 PM

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 12:55 PM

Wow, I'm getting the demo at 65Kbps! I thought their servers will be jammed. Anyway, what I'm downloading is actually the complete game, I just need to "register" it to unlock everything else, right?
Oh, and does it have a clean uninstall?

I was downloading near 1 MB/second. They seem to have a great server.

Yes, you are downloading the complete game, and yes it does have a clean uninstall.

Richard

09-15-2005, 12:56 PM

I was downloading near 1 MB/second. They seem to have a great server.

Yeah, downloaded seriously fast here as well.

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 01:08 PM

I was downloading near 1 MB/second. They seem to have a great server.

Yes, you are downloading the complete game, and yes it does have a clean uninstall.
1MB/second? My ADSL can't handle that.

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 01:13 PM

BAH. That was over too soon :frown:

RemiO

09-15-2005, 01:20 PM

Lots of stuff about the demo

They did make a pretty poor choice of location for a demo. I've read the comics, and the opening section (the demo) is really more of an introduction to how the cousins get separated than an actual introduction to the story. The demo should have continued to the more intriguing early parts, where characters like the dragon and the rat creatures are introduced. That's the part that gets you hooked into the comic, and I'm sure it would have had the same effect in a demo.

Que sera sera, I guess. Hopefully Telltale won't lose too many customers that are unfamiliar with Bone.

bigjko

09-15-2005, 01:21 PM

..heck, there isn't even a puzzle to solve.

Granted, it wasn't much of a puzzle, but it was a puzzle. It gets a bit more puzzley, but not so much.

They are full games, just short ones. And they're self-contained. Think Seinfeld episode, not soap opera.

Not so much Seinfeld. I've played through the end, and it doesn't really feel so self-contained. Doesn't exactly end in a cliff-hanger, though. So, let's place it right dab in the middle of Seinfeld and Soap Opera.

That said, having played through it now, I've got mixed feelings about it. I think it's got great potential, that's ruined a bit by a shabby engine. Don't get me wrong, the engine's got lots of great things going, but also a lot of quirky stuff (twitchy animation, cutting off the end of dialogues, etc.)

Could use an extra slab of polish, IMO.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 01:22 PM

The review is scheduled, but I'm not telling you when. :P Won't be too long, though. I'm cracking the whip so hard I'm even scaring myself. If you want, I could push back the Indigo Prophecy review to make room. (Naaahhh....)

:shifty: You know, cute little doggie Jackal, if you'd stop flagellating yourself for pleasure you'd have more time to actually get things done.

Orange Brat

09-15-2005, 01:26 PM

Good stuff. The demo gave us just enough to know what we need to know about the three main Bones personalities. The arcade sequence was ok, but I don't see the point in it. I'd rather had a bit more exploring or puzzling instead. Perhaps that is in the book? If so, they could have thrown in a bit more meat between the conversation and the chase.

The graphics and animation are great, although I find it funny that you can't adjust the resolution for a realtime 3D game. I think they did this so they wouldn't have to provide separate panel art for each possible resolution. This would help reduce the overall size of the download, so I guess I'm all right with that if that's the reason why.

I liked the camera, as well. Reminds me of the one in my own title.

Richard

09-15-2005, 01:28 PM

They did make a pretty poor choice of location for a demo. I've read the comics, and the opening section (the demo) is really more of an introduction to how the cousins get separated than an actual introduction to the story.

Well, quite. Except that we don't know them at all by that point, or have any reason to care about them. Actually, I hadn't even noticed they'd disappeared. It just seems mad to cut things off so early, given that you've had to download the full game anyway. You want to end on a really big, exciting moment, not a piece of text simultaneously telling you that the others have vanished and asking if you want to go find them (and yeah, they disappear in the locust chase, but you're looking at the top of the screen by that point).

It really does feel like they assume you know and care about all this stuff in advance, and I don't. Like I say, I've never heard of Bone in a non-game context, nor the guy who wrote it. For a light-hearted cartoon adventure, that's a seriously unwelcoming demo.

Captain Blondebeard

09-15-2005, 01:32 PM

How much is the full version?

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 01:38 PM

1MB/second? My ADSL can't handle that.

I'm on my campus ethernet here in my apartment. I've gotten over 2-3 MB/second before. It depends on how much the server you're downloading from can handle. More times than not, I usually get pretty fast speeds.

How much is the full version?

"At $20 (U.S.), Out from Boneville (along with each subsequent episode) is expected to provide 4-6 hours of gameplay."

fov

09-15-2005, 01:42 PM

Good stuff. The demo gave us just enough to know what we need to know about the three main Bones personalities. The arcade sequence was ok, but I don't see the point in it. I'd rather had a bit more exploring or puzzling instead. Perhaps that is in the book? If so, they could have thrown in a bit more meat between the conversation and the chase.

Yes, the locust chase is in the book. The intro to the game actually follows the book very faithfully. Telltale expanded the coversation about the dollar a bit. The rest is pretty much on par with the book's opening pages.

I asked about the locust chase when I was at their office (I hadn't read the comic yet so I didn't know it came from the book). I was told that Jeff Smith likes having his characters get chased around. *D I thought that was kind of a cute subtext to the sequence... like they'd specifically chosen to blow up a moment that Smith considers important, rather than just expanding any old thing into a mini-game.

Cap'n, the full game is $20.

Henke

09-15-2005, 02:04 PM

I think that based on this extremely short demo the game seems a bit to easy, to much of a game for children IMO. The graphics wasn't the best either, the close ups looked bad. But the music and some of the dialogues were really great. I thought the arcade-sequence was really fun. I'm wondering if I should finally get a credit card to buy this game (I guess you need one). Although I'm one of those that don't like this "episodic and online idea". Will all the episodes be distributed in a box in the future perhaps? :D

Funktion

09-15-2005, 02:05 PM

I downloaded the game, but it seems like I can only start it from the shortcut and not from the start menu, since the only icon there is to uninstall it. Did this happen to anyone else?

Yeah, same here. Worse though is that it actually didn't install it to the directory I told it to... That directory is empty... :(

Same here. I like to have things organized, and I hate to have games installed in the Program Files directory, but in this case no such luck. :shifty:
Also, why do we need to download the game again everytime we want to install it, why not supply a full install? It's pretty silly.

I hope the game is worth it, I bought the game (even without trying the trial, I wanted something to play... :D), but all these pre-game stuff has left me somewhat pissed...

And why in the hell do I have to pay almost 20% more (for some taxes) just because I'm from Europe, isn't this a download??? :pan:
All download-only games I previously bought managed to supply me a working full installer, and didn't make me pay more just because I don't live in the US...

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 02:07 PM

The length of the locust chase scene worries me a bit. It is rather long when all you do is move your mouse around a bit left to right and click on your left mouse button. I hope this is not an indication that the length of the game is padded by including mini game sequences like this multiple times. They really do not do anything for me and hopefully, there aren't too many of these.

apignarb

09-15-2005, 02:08 PM

The Bone pdf manual says:

PDF manual? Where?

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 02:09 PM

Finished the demo. It was waaaay too short to be informative enough. But, I guess that's because the full game isn't too long. And what's with the mini-game? It wasn't hard and it was even nice, but that's not a way to convince adventure gamers to buy a game!

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 02:10 PM

PDF manual? Where?
You can DL it from the main Bone product page.

http://www.telltalegames.com/resources/assets/BoneManual.pdf

Coop

09-15-2005, 02:13 PM

Is anybody else having problems with the voices repeating?

For example a guy will say

Hey how are you are you doing?

Plus the game wasnt mixed well...

Richard

09-15-2005, 02:15 PM

And why in the hell do I have to pay almost 20% more (for some taxes) just because I'm from Europe, isn't this a download???

Technically, you usually should - it's just that most companies don't bother with tax issues outside the US.

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 02:16 PM

The files are indeed not where I wanted them to be. I found them in C:\Program Files\Out from Boneville instead of in E:\Program Files\Telltale Games\Out from Boneville, which is just an empty folder!! That's funny.

jannar85

09-15-2005, 02:16 PM

I don't know if this is already answered, but for those who haven't recieved a code yet, you can either:

a) Download it at the check-out. It's unlocked. Make sure that the previous installationfiles aren't there.

b) contact TellTale either through their forums or at e-mail. They need the hardware fingerprint, then they'll send the key to you.

Hope this solves some problems.

Is anybody else having problems with the voices repeating?

For example a guy will say

Hey how are you are you doing?

Plus the game wasnt mixed well...
You need a faster computer, or upgrade.

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 02:19 PM

Is anybody else having problems with the voices repeating?

For example a guy will say

Hey how are you are you doing?

Plus the game wasnt mixed well...

Nope, I had none of these issues. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised the game played at all on my crappy computer. But it somehow ran just fine.

Coop

09-15-2005, 02:19 PM

I don't know if this is already answered, but for those who haven't recieved a code yet, you can either:

a) Download it at the check-out. It's unlocked. Make sure that the previous installationfiles aren't there.

b) contact TellTale either through their forums or at e-mail. They need the hardware fingerprint, then they'll send the key to you.

Hope this solves some problems.

You need a faster computer, or upgrade.

Right..

i have a 2.8 p4 and 512 ram and 64 mb card

above the requirements

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 02:27 PM

Just played the demo myself. Cute. I do like a lot the Saturday morning cartoon look and feel, there's a simplicity about it that's kinda refreshing. I kinda agree with squaresie, the animations could be a bit more refined, but it ultimately doesn't bother me. I think the strongest emotionally expressive elements are the characters' eyebrows and fundamental gestures (like crossing their arms and looking at each other). This is definitely a game my 11-year-old niece would love play, and her 7-year-old brother would love to watch as she plays.

I noticed the graphics cannot be scaled up - big mistake!! The tutorial was badly designed, it should have been small unobstrusive subtitles instead of the entire screen blacking out and ripping you out of the scene.

The first thing I noticed is that it doesn't seem to be friendly to non-Bone comic fans (or anyone else who has never heard of the Bone series). I wish there had been a nice intro where the characters were fleshed out a little more and the player can acclimate. The demo is pretty buggy (and I don't mean the chase scene :P ), a few cut off dialogue bits, and it froze on me twice (had to reboot). The sound design was unpolished, choppy, and needed considerable tweaking; there was a moment when Fone is reading a passage from his book, when suddenly Smiley breaks out in song and Phoney screams in agony over the singing - I couldn't freaking hear Fone reading!! They should have hushed the screaming and the singing down or something.

As far as the opening setting I agree with Richard, but it could also be handled humourously:

Phoney: "I can't believe we're stranded out here. The desert of all places!! What a boring to way to start a story!"

Fone: "I hear ya, cousin. We should get out of here quick, I bet we're not the only ones bored." [briefly looks at the camera, gives a cheeky wink]

I hope they're planning to tweaking this game, I don't think I wanna buy it yet until they work on everything I mentioned above. http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/tweetz/nod.gif

Coop

09-15-2005, 02:27 PM

hmm, weird now it's working fine. they still need to mix the sound better

Captain Blondebeard

09-15-2005, 02:36 PM

Sounds like junk to me. Is it worth getting?

apignarb

09-15-2005, 02:37 PM

For the people that had problems with unlocking the game, there is a RED "CUSTOMER SERVICE" link at the top of the splash-screen of the game, where you can enter your orderid and password, and get it unlocked. That's what stumped me atleast. Seems like it's a problem when you order from the website, instead of ingame.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 02:38 PM

Sounds like junk to me. Is it worth getting?

Oh, I personally think it's worth getting! It's just a little raw around the edges, that's all. I'm waiting for a bit to see if they'll issue a patch that'll iron out the issues I metioned.

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 02:40 PM

What is this hardware fingerprint thing? Does that mean I will have to pay another $20 if I get a new computer?!

apignarb

09-15-2005, 02:43 PM

What is this hardware fingerprint thing? Does that mean I will have to pay another $20 if I get a new computer?!

Probably just to prevent pirating. I doubt they'll flip if you use it on a couple of computers, but if they get 350 different hardware fingerprints from the same orderid..

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 02:43 PM

Oh, I personally think it's worth getting! It's just a little raw around the edges, that's all. I'm waiting for a bit to see if they'll issue a patch that'll iron out the issues I metioned.

I'd expect a patch anyway to iron out a couple of showstopping bugs.

Ninth

09-15-2005, 02:44 PM

I've just downloaded the demo and completed it.
Frankly, if I hadn't purchased and read the two first Bone comics (color edition), I would have just laughed.

20 bucks for a 4 hour game which demo consist in a bunch of annoying dialogs and a cheesy, lengthy, and repetitive mini-game? Give me a break.

Now, having read the Bone comics, I'm just sad that this game didn't turn out as well as I could have wished (of course, the game might be much better than the demo, but 4 hours is just not enough for 20$).

EDIT: Also, I don't like the fact of not having a box and the actual object. But that wouldn't have mattered, by itself.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 02:44 PM

I'd expect a patch anyway to iron out a couple of showstopping bugs.

You too, eh?

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 02:46 PM

Probably just to prevent pirating. I doubt they'll flip if you use it on a couple of computers, but if they get 350 different hardware fingerprints from the same orderid..
No, I don't think it's that simple. If the registration key is generated out of the hardware fingerprint you supply, it means you can play it on a single computer and that's it. If it's like you say, how are they going to know i give the game to people if I already got the key? Each time I use it, the game connects to a server and verifies? I don't think so.

Ninth

09-15-2005, 02:46 PM

Sounds like junk to me. Is it worth getting?
It's worth getting the free trial, anyway.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 02:48 PM

20 bucks for a 4 hour game which demo consist in a bunch of annoying dialogs and a cheesy, lengthy, and repetitive mini-game? Give me a break.

I actually liked the mini-game. Though it was way too easy (beat it at first try), it's a nice little break from otherwise standard adventure game puzzling. I imagine those Bone comics you've read, if translated to a game or a movie, would sound annoying and cheesy anyway. It's a comic book, isn't it?

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 02:52 PM

You too, eh?
Well I had no problems for a while - however, when I got to meet the cute possum kids, things took a turn for the worse.

I did have to reboot _several_ times throughout playing the rest of the full episode due to graphics corruptions. The first time I had one of these I was running in windowed mode, and it would seem the game doesn't like to start up again if I quit in that mode. Another instance was when I saved in a specific place. If I used that savegame, the game would not progress properly upon reloading (bigjko did the same thing) - and to make matters worse, I only had the one savegame at that time!

fov

09-15-2005, 02:58 PM

Are you guys reporting these issues to Telltale? They can't fix anything if they don't know it's broken. The beauty of the episodic release is that even if interface tweaks, etc. don't make it into a patch for this game, they could easily go into the second Bone game.

Jake

09-15-2005, 02:58 PM

In regards to the locusts, they are in the game for a reason. Even if you found that little gameplay blip a bit annoying, they have to be there.

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 03:00 PM

Are you guys reporting these issues to Telltale?
Yes :) (or I've reported mine, anyway)

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:00 PM

I actually liked the mini-game. Though it was way too easy (beat it at first try), it's a nice little break from otherwise standard adventure game puzzling. I imagine those Bone comics you've read, if translated to a game or a movie, would sound annoying and cheesy anyway. It's a comic book, isn't it?
Perhaps they would feel cheesy anyway, I don't know. But my guess is that the voice just don't fit, the close ups are not well done, the background (and the characters, to a lesser extent) is too crude, and so whatever they're saying is rendered annoying by these surrounding distractions. I hate to say this, for fear of being accused of retrograde thinking, but this might be a game that would have been better with sharp 2d graphics (which would feel cartonny instead of just... odd).

As for the mini game, it's not the fact that it exists that bothers me, rather the fact that it's the longest part of the demo, that it's much too long (and you can't see the end), that the same rocks keep coming over and over again, that I've done this kind of mini game 1000 times before in more intersting forms (The Lion King, Space Quest 1, etc...), and that for some reasons I kept bumping into rocks near the end, and so I had to play through the entire stupid thing 3 or 4 times.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 03:01 PM

In regards to the locusts, they are in the game for a reason. Even if you found that little gameplay blip a bit annoying, they have to be there.

Not unlike you, Jake.

< runs away very quickly >

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 03:02 PM

Very poor demo indeed. The full game may be great - but they /really/ dropped the ball on this sampler. Almost AGON level bad.

For starters, the installation program is borked. It doesn't put a link to the game in your Start menu - only on the Desktop. Strike One, before it's even loaded.

Yipe, that annoyed me either.

As for the game - I have no idea what is going on. I don't know anything about these characters, what they're doing, or for that matter, why. All I know is that at least two of them are pretty irritating (by design, admittedly), and it looks like Snoopy and friends in the desert for some reason. I don't even know which one is which.

This is a major failing of the original novel. When I picked it up, I thought I might've missed something... it throws you in with these characters without explaining why, any background, any history, they all seem similar... and then it grows and explains later on. It's a haphazard start to an otherwise fun story.

I have a big appreciation of the original comic, and despite the fact I've only played a short amount of it, I came away impressed as to how true it was, even with the little additions to the game. Considering the amount of money, the development time, the price (about £13), I was expecting a hell of a lot less.

True, there are problems. The animation isn't expressive enough, is very "gamey" and mismatches the dialogue in posing term. There's some real flippy camera angles (they're not great directors), the choice of fielding and composition in relation to the novel isn't strong at all... The modelling is merely OK and occasionally glitchy, and I've no idea what's up with the hands... but all in all, it captures the essence and does the job, and that's what's important. There's also some real pleasant suprises for Bone fans even in the short amount of time I've played it.

I actually found myself smiling as I played it, despite its obvious simplicity. Which doesn't happen often as I'm usually really snarky and critical.

To compare to an old classic, Sam and Max may only have been equivalent length, but it got you bang into funny stuff, there was loads to play with, and you got a real feel for what the game had to offer. With this, I still have no more idea what Bone is (either the game, or the comic, despite the constant screens at the start seemingly assuming that I would) than I did before I downloaded it, and to clarify, I've never heard of it, ever.

I figured that. This is a game FOR fans, rather than a game that'll easily be picked up other than by kids. I thought it'd be a little more adult in tone, but they've approached it more as a kids game, and it succeeds compared to most others. But, I hope you don't mind me saying, it's not worth comparing it to Sam and Max. For one thing, it had an incredibly small budget, and for another, it was done in a very, very short time. For the turnaround, size of team and money spent it's remarkable they even pulled it off.

Incidentally, now you've confused me... you played the whole game, or just the demo? There was a Sam and Max demo? I never had a PC in those days... well, not one that could play that kind of "hi tech" game ;) .

The scripting and characters and all that seems okay, but there's no time to get to know the characters or do anything with them - it's a strong contender for the single most boring location I have ever seen in an adventure game (a largely featureless lump of rock in the desert), whose interaction is largely handled by flashing up intrusive tutorial hints, and then running a horribly slippery arcade sequence that's simultaneously a piece of cake, and exceptionally irritating. There's just nothing to do, nothing to play with, nothing to explore - heck, there isn't even a puzzle to solve.

I agree. Not only is it a bad location, they didn't attempt to make it interesting in terms of composition. It's very, very flat, with a hideously compressed background - and don't get me started on the locusts. Whether it was time, I've no idea, but it doesn't look good. These guys are supposed to be the best of the best, but their grip on direction isn't great. What IS good is that the feel is there, that the later sections have more life to them, and it is the comic brought to (slightly crudely animated) life.

You can turn off the tutorial, by the way.

I still may buy it out of interest - the script shows promise, even if I still have no clue about its merits as an adventure game - and yeah, the graphics look okay for...I think this warrants a reminder...a featureless lump of rock in the middle of the desert...but all that has absolutely nothing to do with playing the demo. At least, I might consider it, if it stops bombing out with Access Violation errors every time I try loading it after switching it to Windowed mode last time around.

Yup, hopefully TellTale are reading this forum. There's something up with the code somewhere. The script is practically the same as the original, and the characters have just the right amount of chutzpah to make me believe in them. I get the feeling TellTale concentrated on the essentials rather than making something they couldn't - hence its roughly-hewn feel. It's still remarkably polished all things considered, but it's obvious they took a back-to-basics approach, cutting corners where necessary, and for all that it's not half as bad as it could be. Which is highly commendable!

Bah. And just when I was getting really excited about the idea of these digital episode downloads. Still a great idea, hope to see it work and for them to do well out of this, but really hope the next one has a much better sampler to try and hook people with.

There's still reasons to be excited. Remember - baby steps.

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 03:04 PM

Perhaps they would feel cheesy anyway, I don't know. But my guess is that the voice just don't fit, the close ups are not well done, the background (and the characters, to a lesser extent) is too crude, and so whatever they're saying is rendered annoying by these surrounding distractions. I hate to say this, for fear of being accused of retrograde thinking, but this might be a game that would have been better with sharp 2d graphics (which would feel cartonny instead of just... odd).

It would've been harder to replicate the animation-feel of the original comic in 2D graphics in the time and budget convincingly, believe me. I'm telling you that straight.

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 03:07 PM

20 bucks for a 4 hour game which demo consist in a bunch of annoying dialogs and a cheesy, lengthy, and repetitive mini-game? Give me a break.

I agree. $20 seems a little high. I was expecting around $10.

Richard

09-15-2005, 03:09 PM

But, I hope you don't mind me saying, it's not worth comparing it to Sam and Max. For one thing, it had an incredibly small budget, and for another, it was done in a very, very short time. For the turnaround, size of team and money spent it's remarkable they even pulled it off.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. That wasn't what I was comparing it to. I was comparing it to the demo version of Sam and Max as another comic conversion. It was only three screens long and had an equally trivial puzzle, but threw you into the game and its world from the very first line - even if you'd never heard of the characters, it gave you an instant, snapshot view of why you'd want to play a game starring those guys.

All I see here - going by the demo alone - are three frankly very generic cartoon guys who look a bit like Snoopy. In the desert. Doing nothing of interest. At all. It doesn't even try to get me enthusiastic about what's coming up - it just assumes I already know and care.

As a pitch for my wallet - and as an impulse buy, no less, even though $20 is far too expensive for a single episode of anything that's as short as people are saying - that's about as weak as it gets.

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:10 PM

It would've been harder to replicate the animation-feel of the original comic in 2D graphics in the time and budget convincingly, believe me. I'm telling you that straight.
For the time aspect, I'm sure you're right, but for the budget... some amateur adventure games are prettier than this demo.
In any case, it's not that I wish they had made it in 2D, more that I think that Bone is more cut to become a 2D game than a 3D one.

I've yet to play a convincing (graphics wise) 3D cartoon game. (BS3 was convincing enough, but it's not a cartoon)

apignarb

09-15-2005, 03:10 PM

No, I don't think it's that simple. If the registration key is generated out of the hardware fingerprint you supply, it means you can play it on a single computer and that's it. If it's like you say, how are they going to know i give the game to people if I already got the key? Each time I use it, the game connects to a server and verifies? I don't think so.

You get an orderid and password that you can use to re-activate the game, which is where it needs a internet connection. That's how I understand it anyways. I had problems activating, and I entered the orderid and password, NOT a registration key generated from the hardware fingerprint. After entering those two, it connected to their server to activate (presumably).

From that, I concluded that the fingerprint is just there as a extra piracy prevention thingie, not something that prevents you from installing it on another computer.

That would mean that every time you use your orderid and password to activate the game on a new computer, it connects to their server. Not every time you use the key. (Since there is no key, the key is probably generated from the hardware fingerprint. If the same orderid fetches too many keys for too many different fingerprints, they probably come over to your house and kick your sorry ass. Or atleast close down your account.) Which makes sense for me atleast, in an anti-piracy-thingie way.

Jake

09-15-2005, 03:10 PM

Not unlike you, Jake.

< runs away very quickly >

:pan: :pan:
trep ...... trep

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:11 PM

I agree. $20 seems a little high. I was expecting around $10.
Yeah, I think I would have bought it for 10 bucks, for the sake of seeing the Bones is a game... Oh well.

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 03:13 PM

Yeah, I think I would have bought it for 10 bucks, for the sake of seeing the Bones is a game... Oh well.
Thorn doesn't do it for you then? :9

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:15 PM

Thorn doesn't do it for you then? :9
In the comics, yes. :9
From the screenshots I've seen in the site, not at all. In fact, from these screenshots, she is the only characters that I didn't feel looked like the comics at all.

EDIT: By the way, Dave, you completed it, right? What was your play time?

Jake

09-15-2005, 03:17 PM

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 03:19 PM

By the way, Dale, you completed it, right? What was your play time?
Around about 3.5 hours (including multiple reboots). The end did come too soon, just as I was starting to get into the characters. (That and you don't really get to see much of Smiley at all).

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:20 PM

$20 seems a little steep, but still reasonable, affordable, worth paying, etc. Sort of like iPods seeming outrageously priced at $300-400, but I have purchased two iPods in my life and am eyeing the nanos. Sure I'd rather pay $10 or 15, it seems a little "more comfortable," but $20 is well within most peoples price range for something like this despite grumbling about preferring to pay less. Telltale knows it too :)
I won't be buying it, in any case, even though it's in my price range. I just don't feel that I would be getting my money's worth.
It's only me, of course, so it wouldn't matter, but I'd guess that many people will think the same too. I just hope it will attract a different kind of customers.

Richard

09-15-2005, 03:21 PM

$20 seems a little steep, but still reasonable, affordable, worth paying, etc

Around about 3.5 hours (including multiple reboots).

Dear Telltale,

Forget it. Not a chance.

What the hell were you people thinking?

Love from Richard

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:23 PM

Around about 3.5 hours (including multiple reboots). The end did come too soon, just as I was starting to get into the characters. (That and you don't really get to see much of Smiley at all).
I'm not surprised (4-6 hours pretty much means 4 hours :crazy: ), but still it feels like a let down. I just can't get used to these episodic thingies. Unless the episodes are really fleshed out, that is, but can it really be the case?

Richard

09-15-2005, 03:24 PM

I'm not surprised (4-6 hours pretty much means 4 hours :crazy:), but still it feels like a let down. I just can't get used to these episodic thingies. Unless the episodes are really fleshed out, that is, but can it really be the case?

I'd be okay with it, if by 'episode' it really meant 'like a contained episode of a TV show' - possibly something in a Ben Jordan vein. If 'episode' means 'this story will cost you $100, it'll be full of cliffhangers, and we'll probably axe it around episode 3' then it can indeed be shoved. And this is generally, if not exclusively, the case.

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 03:25 PM

For the time aspect, I'm sure you're right, but for the budget... some amateur adventure games are prettier than this demo.

Name a couple which have the range and breadth of posing, with the same smoothness of animation. Even though I personally agree, 2D would've suited it more, given the time and budget I'm telling you - as someone who works in animation - it would be impossible to pull off and still pay respect to the comics, unless the animation was very limited.

In any case, it's not that I wish they had made it in 2D, more that I think that Bone is more cut to become a 2D game than a 3D one.

I agree with you completely, but I understand the need to cut back too... it's a shame, but I'd rather have something with range which exudes the character , than play something that animates like a really bad 2D Hannah Barbera or Rocky and Bullwinkle.

I've yet to play a convincing (graphics wise) 3D cartoon game. (BS3 was convincing enough, but it's not a cartoon)

Psychonauts.

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 03:28 PM

I think the graphics in the game work. They may not be the best quality, but they're very...clean. The art direction is top notch, I think. I also think Bone uses full 3D effectively, with different angles, and conversation close-ups.

Udvarnoky

09-15-2005, 03:32 PM

Around about 3.5 hours (including multiple reboots). The end did come too soon, just as I was starting to get into the characters. (That and you don't really get to see much of Smiley at all).

I noticed that the end did come a little abruptly, and I'm not even really talking about the game's length. Like, they totally just threw out Phoney's trip to Barrelhaven, his meetup with Smiley there, their plotting the cow scheme, and the introduction of Lucius (not to mention the proper introduction of The Hooded One!). Did they cut it because they couldn't translate it to gameplay, and didn't want too much non-interactive stuff? Because of budget constraints? Because they're saving up for episode 2? Dunno, but the end of the game really rushes the story if you compare it to the comic.

I really liked the game, though. I thought the animation was particularly impressive. The voices I feel mixed about. This is going to be really impressive as a whole when Telltale finishes the saga.

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 03:33 PM

The demo got me excited about buying this. I'm probably gonna get it on Saturday. An official review coming any time soon?

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:34 PM

Name a couple which have the range and breadth of posing, with the same smoothness of animation. Even though I personally agree, 2D would've suited it more, given the time and budget I'm telling you - as someone who works in animation - it would be impossible to pull off and still pay respect to the comics, unless the animation was very limited.

I agree with you completely, but I understand the need to cut back too... it's a shame, but I'd rather have something with range which exudes the character , than play something that animates like a really bad 2D Hannah Barbera or Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Okay. It's kind of sad, though, that the market realities would impact quality that much, giving us a choice between well-done animation and (from what I've seen) crappy backgroundn and nice backgrounds but crappy animations.

Psychonauts.
Ok, but is it really cartoonish is the same sense the Bone is cartoonish? (I have only played the demo, so...)

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:36 PM

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 03:38 PM

< stuff about bone comic plot >
Reading that brief summary (I'm a Bone virgin right now, so it's all new to me), it does seem odd that the cows were even mentioned at all, if they weren't going to include them in the game somewhere along the line.

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 03:39 PM

Ok, but is it really cartoonish is the same sense the Bone is cartoonish? (I have only played the demo, so...)

MORE cartoonish, better gestures, better facial acting, wider range. It's the only 3D game I've played that other people who don't play games can appreciate for the quality of the animation and attention to detail. It comes close to animated movie quality, even ingame.

Admittedly, sometimes it goes a little off, but otherwise I couldn't ask for better. Demo's not a good indicator for the rest of the game for that, either. The full game has some wondrous sights.

squarejawhero

09-15-2005, 03:43 PM

Dear Telltale,

Forget it. Not a chance.

What the hell were you people thinking?

Love from Richard

Ya big troll. ;)

I paid the readies, but I'm a minor Bone fan and as such it does a better job than it should do.

If I was to rate it (and I hate rating things) I'd give it... 55%. Has charm, needs to try harder. And that's being intentionally cruel... I'd rate it higher, but looking through my gamers glasses and without wearing the beergoggles of professionalism (or is it the other way around), it has too many faults to recommend to anyone without an appreciation of the novels over the age of 10.

ashleyelaine

09-15-2005, 03:49 PM

I'm with Jake on this. It's absolutely annoying to read time and time again.
Such the Debbie Downer.

Ninth

09-15-2005, 03:53 PM

I'm with Jake on this. It's absolutely annoying to read time and time again.
Such the Debbie Downer.
What?

Udvarnoky

09-15-2005, 03:54 PM

Reading that brief summary (I'm a Bone virgin right now, so it's all new to me), it does seem odd that the cows were even mentioned at all, if they weren't going to include them in the game somewhere along the line.

Well, there's nothing major about it until the second book, but yeah, I'm not sure why they cut out Smiley's one moment and just had him appear at the very end (though Telltale did say early on that Smiley wouldn't be playable in the first episode).

Also, and you probably saw this coming, I highly recommend reading the comic. :)

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 03:57 PM

It was interesting to see some of Telltale's ideas about gameplay (ie one should never get hopelessly stuck, etc) at play, even in the demo.

The rock with the map was the first thing I interacted with, the first time I played through. The second time, I intentionally searched all the other rocks. The second wrong rock I looked under had a scorpion scuttling to hide under the map rock. The camera followed it, and lingered there, as if to say: "Look here!" I intentionally ingnored it, looked through all the other rocks, and found another one with a scorpion, doing the same thing.

Interactivity is another value of theirs, and I noticed that every rock had a different comment associated with it.

As far as the price to time ratio, think of it as seeing two 2 hour long movies, at $10 per ticket (well, i usually view matinees, but bear with me). I've paid full price for some dumb movies in the past, but I hope this double feature won't dissapoint. :P

Aurebesh

09-15-2005, 04:03 PM

Moron Lite

09-15-2005, 04:09 PM

Part of the problem with the locust chase is that the locusts and the music are barely audible. There's no real sense of urgency.

Um, just thought I'd point that out.

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 04:10 PM

On the whole, it seems like another disappointment from ex-Lucasarts employees. And it's the third one already, after Tim Schaefer’s Psychonauts and Ron Gilbert stating his game won't be an adventure. Let's hope Vampyre Story will be good...

Have you actually played Psychonauts? Also, do you have a link to a website where Ron Gilbert says that? 'Cause I remember him saying "I'm not saying that it won't be"... :shifty:

Dale Baldwin

09-15-2005, 04:10 PM

another disappointment..... after Tim Schafer’s Psychonauts ...
I personally wouldn't ever attribute the word disappointment to Psychonauts. Yes, it's not an adventure game, but that doesn't make it a bad thing and I thoroughly enjoyed it - worth every penny (or cent, I guess) I paid direct to doublefine to import it.

In any case, I would hope that Telltale will absorb the feedback they get from this release to make the next episode(s) a better experience, which should also have an effect on how any Sam and Max products turn out.

artwking4

09-15-2005, 04:10 PM

As far as the price to time ratio, think of it as seeing two 2 hour long movies, at $10 per ticket (well, i usually view matinees, but bear with me). I've paid full price for some dumb movies in the past, but I hope this double feature won't dissapoint. :P
Although I wish there was more gameplay time added as well, I'm looking at it like that, too. Also, I've spent more than that on drinks at a bar. Didn't even think twice about spending money on that either. Now, with Bone, I can play that game again. Can't drink those beers again, though.:r ;(

Maquisard

09-15-2005, 04:12 PM

Art, your sig's hilarious! :D Where's it from?

Funktion

09-15-2005, 04:15 PM

I personally wouldn't ever attribute the word disappointment to Psychonauts. Yes, it's not an adventure game, but that doesn't make it a bad thing and I thoroughly enjoyed it - worth every penny (or cent, I guess) I paid direct to doublefine to import it.

I'm 100% with you on this (and I'm on the same boat, I imported the game). It's easily my favourite game of the year so far. How can someone not enjoy the humor and the totally bizarre levels, not to mention the catchy soundtrack, memorable characters and dialogues, ... ? :D

fov

09-15-2005, 04:16 PM

Mares, I added spoiler tags to your post. First time I played that section it took me a little time to realize I even had to

look under rocks

so I'd rather not spoil the experience for any of the other dumb blondes out there. :D

(Incidentally, I liked the scorpian - it was the only reason I found the map.)

In some ways, the fact that people are finishing the game so quickly is commendable. Telltale doesn't want people to get stuck and for the game to turn into a frustrating experience. And like it or not, longer games are often longer because of that "stuck" factor.

About the price of beer - I'm meeting a friend for dinner tonight. We're just going to a coffee shop, but I bet you I still spend $20 before the evening's over... and we're not going to be there for four hours. ;) Funny how we'll drop that on dinner or drinks without a second thought, but the idea of paying $20 for four hours of not-frustrating entertainment seems totally unreasonable. (And we'll pay three times as much for concerts or ball games that don't last that long, plus another $15 to park!)

artwking4

09-15-2005, 04:22 PM

Art, your sig's hilarious! :D Where's it from?

It's from Dinosaur Comics, and this is the specific comic that I took it from:

http://www.qwantz.com/index.pl?comic=552

I think they're hilarious (mostly), even though he only uses the same panels every time, only changing the words. Or maybe it's because of that. It's updated every weekday. Actually, my avatar is also taken from somewhere on the site.

Ninth

09-15-2005, 04:32 PM

In some ways, the fact that people are finishing the game so quickly is commendable. Telltale doesn't want people to get stuck and for the game to turn into a frustrating experience. And like it or not, longer games are often longer because of that "stuck" factor.
Not really. A lot of games take at least 4 hours to finish, even when you know exactly what to do. And the "stuck" factor is what would make it a game, rather than a clickable 3D cartoon.
Also, I found the demo frustrating.
Having to move 5 rocks and then play a stupid mini-games four timescertainly isn't fun.

About the price of beer - I'm meeting a friend for dinner tonight. We're just going to a coffee shop, but I bet you I still spend $20 before the evening's over... and we're not going to be there for four hours. ;) Funny how we'll drop that on dinner or drinks without a second thought, but the idea of paying $20 for four hours of not-frustrating entertainment seems totally unreasonable. (And we'll pay three times as much for concerts or ball games that don't last that long, plus another $15 to park!)
That's because you expect to get good entertainement for your money. in this case, having played the demo, I don't see the interest of the game compared to the comic book, a few one-liners notwithstanding.

[Punkass]Fender

09-15-2005, 04:41 PM

say what you want, but I loved the demo!

gonna get myself a creditcard tomorrow, just to buy this.

I hope more people will do the same, so Telltale gets rewarded for their efforts, keeping adventure games alive!

and hey, its only 20$.
If the game gives me at least 4 hours of entertainment, it will be worth those 5$/hour much more then spending it at the local pub!

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 04:44 PM

ashleyelaine

09-15-2005, 04:50 PM

Man we've apparently seen it all now.

True adventure games are not only

2D only.
Point and click Only
No Action Sequences Allowed

But ALSO

Must be sold in a store, in a box and not be episodic

otherwise they're not real. No box? It's not an adventure game!!! It's a shareware game!

What the hell is wrong with people?

I'm with Jake on this. It's absolutely annoying to read time and time again.
Such the Debbie Downer.
---
THAT is what I was speaking about.
And of course my earlier response is what happens when I leave the window open and end up replying to a now billion page topic.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 04:52 PM

Should I change the title of this thread to 'Bone IS now available' ?

:shifty:

samIamsad

09-15-2005, 05:01 PM

Doesn't sound all that encouraging, and I'm a soon-to-be ex-college student (who hasn't even read the Bone comics)! Where's AGs competition? I want to win my copy (er, download) of Bone for free! ;(

HieroHero

09-15-2005, 05:07 PM

I'm with Jake on this. It's absolutely annoying to read time and time again.
Such the Debbie Downer.
---
THAT is what I was speaking about.
And of course my earlier response is what happens when I leave the window open and end up replying to a now billion page topic.

yeah i dont get the whole must have a box argument.. what do you do open the game put it in your computer throw the box to the back sumwhere to gather dust and never look at it.. I think its great I can download the game and have it straight away and start playing.. its like the digital music revolution.. im just gonna download mp3s i buy and put em on my ipod i have no need for cds(just take up space) and i have no need for computer game boxes.. I guess telltale could release sum artwork for those stuck in the late 80s so they can make their own boxes

HieroHero

09-15-2005, 05:13 PM

Yeah, I think I would have bought it for 10 bucks, for the sake of seeing the Bones is a game... Oh well.

are you serious? how are they supposed to make a game that sells for $10?? :crazy:

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 05:14 PM

I am a big Bone fan and despite that I'm also having a problem with the price point of $ 20 for the game. For the same amount of money, I could get games like Nibiru, Voyage, and RtMI. Even games like MOS and Still Life have come down on the price and can be had for that price now. If I were not a Bone fan, there's absolutely no chance that I would be getting the game after playing through the demo. Not when I can get games that will give me better value for the same price.

I think bone is getting a lot of slack and support just because it was develop by a group of former LAers and it's a bit different (full real time 3D etc) from the usual AG selections. If it had been developed by a unknown indie team and it featured the usual 2d backgrounds and 3D characters with fixed camera, I bet you a lot of people would be all over it picking it apart and using it as another example that AG is in decline. I don't think games like MOS and Still Life got that sort of slack.

A part of me really wants Telltale to succeed and go on to making many more good games but another part of me is a bit upset that they took one of my favorite comic book series of all time and turned it into what seems to be an average game at best. The demo is that underwhelming to me. I wish Telltale had done a better job with this. I will be buying it just because I want to support Telltale and I am a big fan of Bone, but if the quality do not improve, I might no be putting in close to $ 200* to get the whole series.

*There will be nine episodes, right?

samIamsad

09-15-2005, 05:28 PM

II think bone is getting a lot of slack and support just because it was develop by a group of former LAers and it's a bit different (full real time 3D etc) from the usual AG selections.

You're a very paranoid person, aren't ya? :D You can bet your ass it's getting a lot of attention because some former employees of Lucar Arts were and still are working on it, but that's because some of them actually took a part in the making of some great games that earned them a good reputation. It's as easy as that. :P

gillyruless

09-15-2005, 05:45 PM

You're a very paranoid person, aren't ya? :D You can bet your ass it's getting a lot of attention because some former employees of Lucar Arts were and still are working on it, but that's because some of them actually took a part in the making of some great games that earned them a good reputation. It's as easy as that. :P

Oh, I have absollutely no problem with Bone getting the attention but watching people who picked apart other games like MoS and Still Life while claiming they will not spend their gaming money on a mediocre AGs like them are now so readily overlooking Bone's flaws and spening their money to get it is a bit odd. I think it borders on LA (or Bone) fanboism.

:crazy:

Like I said, I will be getting the full game and it is mostly because I am a big Bone fanboy.

Edit:By the way, I am not saying that this is a bad thing. Actually, it's a good thing. I want more people to buy, play, and appreciate more AGs. I just would like to have seen games like MoS and Still Life receiving similar support from the community.

Coop

09-15-2005, 06:01 PM

Just wondering, how long did it take them to make this game?

samIamsad

09-15-2005, 06:01 PM

Oh, I have absollutely no problem with Bone getting the attention but watching people who picked apart other games like MoS and Still Life while claiming they will not spend their gaming money on a mediocre AGs like them are now so readily overlooking Bone's flaws and spening their money to get it is a bit odd. I think it borders on LA (or Bone) fanboism.

Edit:By the way, I am not saying that this is a bad thing. Actually, it's a good thing. I want more people to buy, play, and appreciate more AGs. I just would like to have seen games like MoS and Still Life receiving similar support from the community.

That's were _good reputation_ comes into play. These people have already proven that they know the format they're working in inside out and know that drumming up some puzzles, pretty pictures and dialogue trees doesn't make a _great game_. I haven't seen that sort of support here you're talking about. I think squarejaw said some very insightful things. I'm not sure if I'm interested enough in this game yet to actually order it.

HieroHero

09-15-2005, 06:09 PM

for those who arent getting Bone based on the demo.. The full game has more to offer than what you see in the demo.. the demo only has about 1 scene right... $20 is great for here in Australia thats about 25 Australian dollars.. games here sell for $100 we are always being ripped off..

Orange Brat

09-15-2005, 07:43 PM

and turned it into what seems to be an average game at best. The demo is that underwhelming to me.

I don't it's fair to say the game is average based on a 5-minute demo. Of course, the magic phrase in your statement is "seems to be". :D I suppose those who have played and finished can chime in and tell us what kind of gameplay is in it compared with the demo and how long it took them to get to the end.

fov

09-15-2005, 07:48 PM

*There will be nine episodes, right?

Not necessarily.

There has been much speculation over how many Bone games there will be altogether, but at this point even Telltale's staff isn't sure. They do intend to cover the whole story told in the comics, which spans nine volumes, but it won't necessarily be one book per game.

Coop, they made the game in six months. Their hope is to release the next one in early 2006.

Lucien21

09-15-2005, 08:06 PM

Played the demo.

It had some nice ideas I liked the multiple character conversation tree idea.

The graphics seemed fine to me. Not amazing but passable.

The dialogue was funny and the locusts mini games was super easy. Completed it first time it's not that difficult and really couldn't see anyone taking 4-5 times to complete it.

I liked it enough that as soon as i'm back from hols i'll buy it.

I can't believe people are whinging about the $20 price tag. Converted to £ it is about £11 which is nothing. I could spend more than that amount going to the cinema for 2 hours. £11 for 4-6 hours (even if it is 4 hours) seems reasonable value for money to me.

Especially given the average game price in the UK is £30.

Legolas813

09-15-2005, 09:09 PM

I can't believe people are whinging about the $20 price tag. Converted to £ it is about £11 which is nothing. I could spend more than that amount going to the cinema for 2 hours. £11 for 4-6 hours (even if it is 4 hours) seems reasonable value for money to me.

Especially given the average game price in the UK is £30.

See that's the thing. The average adventure game price here is $20-$30. In comparison, it costs around $6-$10 to see a movie.

Jayel

09-15-2005, 09:24 PM

I also think $20 US is a bit too much.
That's what... about $23 CDN? I can get a brand new copy of Myst 4 for less than that. Granted Myst 4 is an old game...

I'll probably buy it anyway, once they fix all the bugs. I tried their Texas Hold'em demo a few months ago, and it had some serious memory leaks. Judging from the initial reactions on this thread, Bone isn't faring so well either.

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 09:51 PM

The graphics seemed fine to me. Not amazing but passable.

I've no major qualms with the graphics myself. The only thing I'm quite upset over is that the res is set and cannot ramped up. I just know that playing it at 1024x768 and higher smooths out so much of the jaggies and raw textures. Also, I kinda wish there were character shadows, too. I mean, after all it IS the desert in the middle of a clear day. But I guess after a while I'd get used to no shadows......I guess.

Richard

09-15-2005, 11:33 PM

See that's the thing. The average adventure game price here is $20-$30. In comparison, it costs around $6-$10 to see a movie.

And thanks to budget software or things like Direct2Drive and the like, it's not hard to find full, more immediately interesting games cheaply. There's nothing about Bone that makes me think it's worthy of my money - no matter how irrelevant the price-tag seems to be. Sadly, not being Scrooge McDuck, a constant stream of 'only $20s' builds up in the course of the month. I can either drop $20 on that, or I can drop it on something else, but please, don't pretend that they're asking for nothing.

Also, to continue the movie analogy, I might consider it if it was a movie-like experience - by which I mean a contained, individually satisfying story - but it's clearly not. It's more like paying £10 for a single episode of a TV series. Ignore the time factor, these 'only $20' examples are a mad comparison - the same amount could buy you a really big bag of penny-sweets or a couple of thick paperbacks you'd still be reading in weeks. That's not relevant. What's important is what they're trying to sell - the promise of what you get for your $20, which from what people are saying here, really isn't worth it if you're not already a Bone obssessive.

dazsin

09-15-2005, 11:35 PM

i'm confused! Its only giving me the option to get the demo! i want the full game!!!

Intrepid Homoludens

09-15-2005, 11:38 PM

You should download the demo. It will let you link up to buy the full game.

dazsin

09-15-2005, 11:52 PM

You should download the demo. It will let you link up to buy the full game.

Oh right cheers. I thought i'd skip the demo i was that confident i'd like this game!

squarejawhero

09-16-2005, 12:00 AM

And thanks to budget software or things like Direct2Drive and the like, it's not hard to find full, more immediately interesting games cheaply. There's nothing about Bone that makes me think it's worthy of my money - no matter how irrelevant the price-tag seems to be. Sadly, not being Scrooge McDuck, a constant stream of 'only $20s' builds up in the course of the month. I can either drop $20 on that, or I can drop it on something else, but please, don't pretend that they're asking for nothing.

Also, to continue the movie analogy, I might consider it if it was a movie-like experience - by which I mean a contained, individually satisfying story - but it's clearly not. It's more like paying £10 for a single episode of a TV series. Ignore the time factor, these 'only $20' examples are a mad comparison - the same amount could buy you a really big bag of penny-sweets or a couple of thick paperbacks you'd still be reading in weeks. That's not relevant. What's important is what they're trying to sell - the promise of what you get for your $20, which from what people are saying here, really isn't worth it if you're not already a Bone obssessive.

You're judging the game based on your experience on the demo and others opinions, which is definitely not the best demo in the world. The game HAS buckets of charm, it's v/o's are better than a hell of a lot of other titles worth far more in budget and it plays well, if simply. It is glitchy and the graphics aren't great, but they show the universe better that I expected (I hated the graphics in the previews). Tell you what, you're not going to buy the game - let me tell you my experience with it so far... before it... uh... crashed on me...

After the demo section, you lose the two companions. Same as the novel. Bone gets knocked out and is rescued from being eaten by Rat creatures by a dragon, and when he wakes, he finds a torch and one of Smiley's cigars. The cigars form a pathway... lost, and you have to navigate a maze lit by torchlight in the mountains, using the p'n'c interface to jump from rock to rock (very easy), before the sun comes up (prompting a nice response from Fone) and he finds a valley.

After this section, Bone makes his way down the mountain and meets/nearly steps on an insect shaped like a leaf named Ted. I've always like this section of the comic, and Ted is very well done. Bone's trapped and needs to cross the river, so you have to control Ted across the rocks to the other side (two small hops, one big) in a small puzzle in order for him to call his big brother. This bit's pretty great if you've read the book as Ted is a personal fave.

On the other side, Ted calls his brother, a massive version of him, who promptly knocks down a tree. Bone crosses over. After a brief conversation with the two, true to the book, you make your way into the forest and bump into the two Rat Creatures. Here you have to make them argue by choosing the correct thing to say. As they do, they turn to eachother, and you have to make Bone sidestep backwards each time until you can make it off screen. The dialogue here is great, the two Rat creatures acting like an old married couple ("You called me fat!" "I don't like quiche... can't we make something else this time?"), and once Bone is outta there you get the "stupid, stupid rat creature" sequence when they follow him down a cliff.

Then it finishes. Or rather, crashed. :shifty:

cy007

09-16-2005, 12:12 AM

Hello everyone! New member of the Adventuregamers forums here. :)

Anyway, if you're a Sam and Max fan, the $20 pricetag for Bone (Ep1) is a good thing. I mean, yes, $20 is expensive for a 4-hour game, but just think. The more that Telltale makes from their low-budget game, the more the budget to develop the new Sam and Max adventure. With a higher budget, we can expect a more graphically advanced (unlike Bone) Sam and Max game. It's a win-win situation if you ask me.

edit: Is there a chance we'd see a compilation of all 9 episodes in retail form? I don't have a credit card and it's impossible for me to play the first full episode of Bone.

jannar85

09-16-2005, 12:25 AM

Probably just to prevent pirating. I doubt they'll flip if you use it on a couple of computers, but if they get 350 different hardware fingerprints from the same orderid..
Well. You only need to unlock it once. Then you can download the game again (from http://www.findmyorder.com), unlocked this time. I did this on my laptop, since my Pentium II ran it a bit slowly. Just remember to download it through www.findmyorder.com!)

Again, you should post your problems at their forum instead of here.
It took them just about a day to fix the issue I had. Patched, and now it's working great. ...and remember guys, that Telltale started out as nothing. They're not LucasArts. This is the best way for both us and them. We get to play the game a lot sooner. They'll get some money to start developing other titles, among Sam & Max 2. And they've mentioned that there will be a discount if you buy them all (Bone).

I think it was worth the money, anyway. And to those who will be turned off by the demo, I can promise you it's so much more in the full version. (And if you can't afford it (or you're a cheap bastard :P) - then use your dad's visa :P It's only $20!

Again; if you'll use their forums for your problems, they can be solved a lot quicker.

For those who are complaining on the graphics and so on... Remember, they're not LucasArts with a lot of money in their back. Maybe it will get better in time (maybe the pricetag too). Have patience, kids. But it sure has a great story and humor! I thought that was the most important to the adventure gamers :shifty:

The voices was hand-picked by Jeff Smith. It's how he imagined them to be.

I must say that I enjoyed it quite much. Still not finished.
They'll probably offer some artwork for cds and so on soon.

I totally agree with you, cy007.
Welcome to the forums! :)

Ninth

09-16-2005, 12:40 AM

Well. You only need to unlock it once. Then you can download the game again (from http://www.findmyorder.com), unlocked this time. I did this on my laptop, since my Pentium II ran it a bit slowly. Just remember to download it through www.findmyorder.com!)

Again, you should post your problems at their forum instead of here.
It took them just about a day to fix the issue I had. Patched, and now it's working great. ...and remember guys, that Telltale started out as nothing. They're not LucasArts. This is the best way for both us and them. We get to play the game a lot sooner. They'll get some money to start developing other titles, among Sam & Max 2. And they've mentioned that there will be a discount if you buy them all (Bone).

I think it was worth the money, anyway. And to those who will be turned off by the demo, I can promise you it's so much more in the full version. (And if you can't afford it (or you're a cheap bastard :P) - then use your dad's visa :P It's only $20!

Again; if you'll use their forums for your problems, they can be solved a lot quicker.

For those who are complaining on the graphics and so on... Remember, they're not LucasArts with a lot of money in their back. Maybe it will get better in time (maybe the pricetag too). Have patience, kids. But it sure has a great story and humor! I thought that was the most important to the adventure gamers :shifty:

The voices was hand-picked by Jeff Smith. It's how he imagined them to be.

I must say that I enjoyed it quite much. Still not finished.
They'll probably offer some artwork for cds and so on soon.

I totally agree with you, cy007.
Welcome to the forums! :)
A lot of companies are not Lucas Arts, and don't have big budgets, but can still deliver great games. Kheops is the most recent example.

It's beyond me why we should be cutting these guys some slack. Come on people, what's up with this demo? It's so average and bland...

And 20$ for a 3,5 hours game is too much. It's got nothing to do with movies or beer or anything; it's a game.
And a 3,5 hours games hold so interest howsoever to me.

I got Amerzone for like 10$, and I was pissed off because I finished it in twice the time it took Dave to complete Bone, and I really liked the atmosphere, graphics, and puzzles, as opposite to how lame they seemed in the Bone demo.

Besides, what exactly is the point of recreating a comic book in a game, if your going to take the exact same story? Having read the comic, I know what's upcoming, I know what the Bones have to do, etc...

Richard

09-16-2005, 01:15 AM

You're judging the game based on your experience on the demo and others opinions

Um. Yes. Yes I am. How else would I do it, without spending $20? The pro-arguments seem to boil down to:

1. It's only $20 and that's nothing
2. It's very true to the comic book, assuming you're an existing fan
3. It'll help Telltale

1 is clearly nonsense, and if anyone disagrees, please Paypal me $20 as a sign of good faith. 2 is not a good thing, especially for a story and game that should be as inclusive and open as a Saturday morning cartoon. 3, fair enough, but that's not how the deal works. They make a good game I want to play, and I give them some money.

Besides, Bone's problems, and I include its length in that, aren't really tied to its budget or development time. 3-4 hours isn't necessarily a problem if they're 4 stunningly good hours, but that breakdown of your game so far is basically 'And here's another good bit from the comic!' rather than 'And here's another good bit!' It really doesn't mean much. Rat Creature? I can probably guess what that is, but it has no meaning beyond those words.

Note that at no point have I said the full game is crap, or that its puzzles are lame, or anything else that I'm in no position to know about. I don't even remember complaining that the graphics were crap - I did criticise the location the demo takes place in, but that's a design matter rather than the actual pixels on screen.

If this is unfair, well, too bad. The point of a demo - sadly lost in many cases, and most definitely this - is to provide a demonstration of the game that gets people excited to play it. In the case of Bone, that should have been a complete no-brainer. Cartoon action! Wacky characters! An adventure that's simply off the map! Hyperbole! Noise! Exclamation!!!!

But it doesn't even try.

As so often happens, the demo is an afterthought, apparently built on the assumption that everyone loves Bone - no double entendre intended - and sloppily put together. It feels rushed, and that's not good enough. Turning a player off so early simply knock them off the lists for this episode, but for every other one that comes along in the series (doubled with the fact that fans are almost certainly going to start peeling away before the end of the run).

That's potential suicide for a game with such niche appeal in the first place, and the kind of bizarre thinking that actually makes me less excited to see what Telltale does with S&M2 than desperate to see what they pull out of the bag. Only a little, mind, I really want to see S&M2 ;-)

And I can't help but wonder, if they were anyone else, would the response be as cheery. Personally, I don't think so. I think that if you removed the makers' CVs from proceedings, that $20, length and evident lack of closure in the episodic model would suddenly become a major sticking point rather than a minor inconvenience. Please. Prove me wrong. If it can work as a model, good for Telltale. But it doesn't work for me. Not like this, anyway.

squarejawhero

09-16-2005, 02:23 AM

Um. Yes. Yes I am. How else would I do it, without spending $20? The pro-arguments seem to boil down to:

1. It's only $20 and that's nothing
2. It's very true to the comic book, assuming you're an existing fan
3. It'll help Telltale

1 is clearly nonsense, and if anyone disagrees, please Paypal me $20 as a sign of good faith. 2 is not a good thing, especially for a story and game that should be as inclusive and open as a Saturday morning cartoon. 3, fair enough, but that's not how the deal works. They make a good game I want to play, and I give them some money.

Yeah, but all I'm saying I've got experience of the game and wanted to tell you the demo suffers a) because it sticks too tightly to the book intro and b) even though it's simple, it gets better. I'm not apologising for its problems, and true - you can get a game like Morrowind for the same price.

But, undeniably, Telltale achieved what they set out to do in a short period of time. Make a simple, easy-to-use adventure with enough interaction that stays true to its source. If you take off your vehement reviewer sunglasses a second and think about their initial design brief, which they never hyped to the heavens, they've succeeded. It's not a terrible, awful game - it's got charm.

I still stick to my opinion of it, that little ol' 55%, because if I was being true as an adult consumer (and I did buy it) it isn't enough, presentation-and-gamespan-wise. I'm not an apologist - $20/£13 is too much for this game. But if you're a fan of Bone, then it does the job better than it should do and is worth the money as it basically animates the book and adds interactive content.

It's still a ton better artistically than other indie efforts for the same price. The problem with indie games is they've got to recoup their costs AND make enough for the next game. Given more time and a proper budget, this game is a clear indicator that Telltale could create something really good. As it stands, it's nothing other than an advert for their skill in creating a playable, true-to-source title.

Besides, Bone's problems, and I include its length in that, aren't really tied to its budget or development time. 3-4 hours isn't necessarily a problem if they're 4 stunningly good hours, but that breakdown of your game so far is basically 'And here's another good bit from the comic!' rather than 'And here's another good bit!' It really doesn't mean much. Rat Creature? I can probably guess what that is, but it has no meaning beyond those words.

They're not amazing when taken in sections. As a whole, it works. You don't feel stressed out by the change in gameplay. This game SHOULD be viewed through both your side and someone who knows the source, otherwise you don't get a balanced opinion. The game without knowing the original is still, actually, pretty fun. It's just not mindblowingly great... it feels like it's for kids, and no doubt it'll keep kids quiet for a week or so.

Well, at least until it crashes. But then I haven't played a game recently that didn't have problems at release. I'd say this is far more polished than Battlefield 2 as it stands now, and that's bugs, not mutliplayer gameplay issues! (I'm an admin on the ranked servers... the game's great but they have to sort it out soon)

Note that at no point have I said the full game is crap, or that its puzzles are lame, or anything else that I'm in no position to know about. I don't even remember complaining that the graphics were crap - I did criticise the location the demo takes place in, but that's a design matter rather than the actual pixels on screen.

I agree with you completely! It's just you've got an aggressive writing style that sometimes feels more "rargh" than it actually is... which is actually pretty refreshing as it whacks me about the head a few times and makes me think straight.

If this is unfair, well, too bad. The point of a demo - sadly lost in many cases, and most definitely this - is to provide a demonstration of the game that gets people excited to play it. In the case of Bone, that should have been a complete no-brainer. Cartoon action! Wacky characters! An adventure that's simply off the map! Hyperbole! Noise! Exclamation!!!!

But it doesn't even try.

It's the same old story... reviewer plays demo, demo becomes boring, reviewer loses interest, demo turns into game, reviewer gets game back again to review, game is better than expected but loses the score because it's just not enough. How many times have we heard that story?

As so often happens, the demo is an afterthought, apparently built on the assumption that everyone loves Bone - no double entendre intended - and sloppily put together. It feels rushed, and that's not good enough. Turning a player off so early simply knock them off the lists for this episode, but for every other one that comes along in the series (doubled with the fact that fans are almost certainly going to start peeling away before the end of the run).

Again, agreed. It's not enough and they should quit now. It's best laid out there as a curio for fans. It works well as a homage, at least, but it's not going to be enough to hold interest when the novels telling the same story with beautiful illustrations are out there. Telltale are better off concentrating on getting Sam and Max out there and lose the digital episode method, as it clearly doesn't work yet. They don't have enough time or funds to produce a game each time worthy of their reputation.

That's potential suicide for a game with such niche appeal in the first place, and the kind of bizarre thinking that actually makes me less excited to see what Telltale does with S&M2 than desperate to see what they pull out of the bag. Only a little, mind, I really want to see S&M2 ;-)

I'd be interested in seeing what you think if they pulled off an episode that captures the flavour of S&M, but falls in the same way Bone does. I'd hazard a guess and say you'd still buy it, probably, as the quality of the voiceovers brings the game to life, and if you're a fan, it works. They HAVE to find a better way of using 3D though. I never did like the Sam and Max 2 screens and video as the shading really put me off the game... it was basically putting them in 3D without stylistic consideration.

But pandering to the fans would only last so long, as you've said. If the game is pretty empty, the interest stops there, the novelty over each episode would wear off for all the fans and you're left with an unfinished series.

And I can't help but wonder, if they were anyone else, would the response be as cheery. Personally, I don't think so. I think that if you removed the makers' CVs from proceedings, that $20, length and evident lack of closure in the episodic model would suddenly become a major sticking point rather than a minor inconvenience. Please. Prove me wrong. If it can work as a model, good for Telltale. But it doesn't work for me. Not like this, anyway.

I personally couldn't give a crap who a game is by. Jane Jensen's last title was hyped to the heavens across all the AG forums and it was basically frickin' minesweeper with a second-rate plot. I'm not cutting slack - I'm being honest. Bone WORKS by being true to the comic and playing it simple, but it's hard to recommend outside of that. You can't sell a game on charm alone, especially with an intro as confusing as this one. It's a kid/fan-only title and a great curio, but they should definitely think twice about making another episode.

Having looked at the Revolution controller, Telltale should definitely play it big with the S+M license and roll out a proposal to Nintendo for a DS/Revolution series of standalone games. That would rock the kasbah, and if they want to do a few webisodes on the side, great for them, but I really can't see a future in fan-pandering. Or panda fans. Paws don't work well with mice.

Richard

09-16-2005, 02:50 AM

I agree with you completely! It's just you've got an aggressive writing style that sometimes feels more "rargh" than it actually is... which is actually pretty refreshing as it whacks me about the head a few times and makes me think straight.

Yep. And it's deliberately confrontational most of the time because it tends to generate better debates than when everyone's treading on eggshells ;-) Trust me, I do deeply love playing games and I can go on for hours and hours about fantastic bits and pieces in all kinds of titles - usually turning up on the other side when folks are being far too negative. I can talk your absolute ear off about 'em then.

It's the same old story... reviewer plays demo, demo becomes boring, reviewer loses interest, demo turns into game, reviewer gets game back again to review, game is better than expected but loses the score because it's just not enough. How many times have we heard that story?

Maybe, although if anything, a game being staggeringly better than its demo indicated would put me into a much better mood when writing about it.

I'm not thinking of Bone with my reviewer's hat on though - purely as a guy being asked for $20 to see more, and one interested in the episodic model/digital downloads concept. The actual game's quality doesn't interest me as much as its position as Telltale's first big push into that market, and what that means for the S&M sequel I am deeply interested in. I basically agree with you. For what it is, the game itself actually seems okay. It's clear that I'm not the intended audience for this first one anyway ;-)

More pressing however, is that it's a continuation of adventure games' Achilles Heel for years: going for an increasingly tight niche, failing to sell themselves on the shelves (digital or otherwise), and hoping that the fans will swing by and make it all work. That's the part that needs to be fixed - to sell the experience, not simply An Adventure Game, with digital downloads and the like perfectly positioned to capitalise on the cliffhanger potential.

I'd be interested in seeing what you think if they pulled off an episode that captures the flavour of S&M, but falls in the same way Bone does. I'd hazard a guess and say you'd still buy it, probably

You're probably right, and I can think of other licenses that would have the same effect, up to, and possibly including System Shock Kart Racing.

(Although by and large, if it was an interactive version of something I'd already read, rather than a new experience with those characters and their world, I'd probably only pick up the first one to see what the team had done with it. It would have to be spectacular to keep me coming back episode after episode - just as I only tend to sample anime I've read in manga form, and vice versa.)

apignarb

09-16-2005, 03:06 AM

3-4 hours isn't necessarily a problem if they're 4 stunningly good hours, but that breakdown of your game so far is basically 'And here's another good bit from the comic!' rather than 'And here's another good bit!' It really doesn't mean much. Rat Creature? I can probably guess what that is, but it has no meaning beyond those words.

The comic starts with no buildup aswell, as does the game. I think part of the charm is figuring out where they hell they are, and who the hell they are.

Tramboi

09-16-2005, 03:11 AM

The comic starts with no buildup aswell, as does the game. I think part of the charm is figuring out where they hell they are, and who the hell they are.

It's really too bad the demo had this effect on many people :(

There's so much good stuff in Bone's world (and I'm not just speaking of quiches :) )

Aurebesh

09-16-2005, 03:24 AM

Well. You only need to unlock it once. Then you can download the game again (from http://www.findmyorder.com), unlocked this time. I did this on my laptop, since my Pentium II ran it a bit slowly. Just remember to download it through www.findmyorder.com!)

Again, you should post your problems at their forum instead of here.
It took them just about a day to fix the issue I had. Patched, and now it's working great. ...and remember guys, that Telltale started out as nothing. They're not LucasArts. This is the best way for both us and them. We get to play the game a lot sooner. They'll get some money to start developing other titles, among Sam & Max 2. And they've mentioned that there will be a discount if you buy them all (Bone).

I think it was worth the money, anyway. And to those who will be turned off by the demo, I can promise you it's so much more in the full version. (And if you can't afford it (or you're a cheap bastard :P) - then use your dad's visa :P It's only $20!

Again; if you'll use their forums for your problems, they can be solved a lot quicker.

For those who are complaining on the graphics and so on... Remember, they're not LucasArts with a lot of money in their back. Maybe it will get better in time (maybe the pricetag too). Have patience, kids. But it sure has a great story and humor! I thought that was the most important to the adventure gamers :shifty:

The voices was hand-picked by Jeff Smith. It's how he imagined them to be.

I must say that I enjoyed it quite much. Still not finished.
They'll probably offer some artwork for cds and so on soon.

I totally agree with you, cy007.
Welcome to the forums! :)
You have to DOWNLOAD it again? I think that means it's pointless to put the game files on CD, because it'll be unusable! That's not good. If I buy a game, I want to feel I own it. What I had in mind is burning what I downloaded, and writing the key or reg number or whatever on the CD...
Well, I guess I'll have to pirate it then! :9

nordic_guy

09-16-2005, 03:31 AM

I liked the demo!

The animation was cute, not exactly groundbreaking, but it fits the style well. The backgrounds could have been a little sharper, though.

The dialogue and voice acting was great, as well. And the interface was great, one of the best I've seen in adventure games in a long time.

I'm thinking about purchasing, just waiting to see a review or two about the full game.

Ninth

09-16-2005, 04:04 AM

I'll let the interesting part of the arguing to Richard, but:
and is worth the money as it basically animates the book and adds interactive content.
Why not "just" make a cartoon, then? I don't really see what's to gain with the interactive content (if it's similar to the one in the demo).

Jane Jensen's last title was hyped to the heavens across all the AG forums and it was basically frickin' minesweeper with a second-rate plot.
Not in AG, in any case.

squarejawhero

09-16-2005, 04:58 AM

I'll let the interesting part of the arguing to Richard, but:

We actually agree with eachother... no arguing here! ;) Bone is a game for fans and works to its intended design, but nothing more.

Why not "just" make a cartoon, then? I don't really see what's to gain with the interactive content (if it's similar to the one in the demo).

It's cheaper to make the game. Plus, the game itself isn't too bad. It's simple, but it's entertaining.

Not in AG, in any case.

Thanks be for that. It was sh*t beyond words.

Ninth

09-16-2005, 05:17 AM

We actually agree with eachother... no arguing here! ;) Bone is a game for fans and works to its intended design, but nothing more.
I may not be a Bone "fan", but I really loved the first two issues, and the demo didn't appeal to me at all. So I'm not sure it works that well to its intended design... if I'm not alone in that, that it. :crazy:

apignarb

09-16-2005, 05:29 AM

You have to DOWNLOAD it again? I think that means it's pointless to put the game files on CD, because it'll be unusable! That's not good. If I buy a game, I want to feel I own it. What I had in mind is burning what I downloaded, and writing the key or reg number or whatever on the CD...
Well, I guess I'll have to pirate it then! :9

I don't think that's the case, I never downloaded a second version. You unlock the demoversion.

Aurebesh

09-16-2005, 05:34 AM

I don't think that's the case, I never downloaded a second version. You unlock the demoversion.
You didn't understand me properly. I meant downloading the game again when I replace computers, or even on the same computer once I've deleted it, since a burned copy on a CD will not work - you need to reactivate it.

Bone makes his way down the mountain and meets/nearly steps on an insect shaped like a leaf named Ted.
You mean one of these:
http://www.dannesdjur.com/bilder/phyllium_bioculatum_5.jpg

I think they are one of the most beautiful animals that ever existed.

apignarb

09-16-2005, 06:18 AM

You didn't understand me properly. I meant downloading the game again when I replace computers, or even on the same computer once I've deleted it, since a burned copy on a CD will not work - you need to reactivate it.

Heh. I understood you. You don't have to reDOWNLOAD, just reACTIVATE. The burned copy will be the demo-version. You just need to type in your orderid and password on the new computer, and it will activate it over the internet. On the allready activated COMPUTER I don't believe even that will be neceassary, the registration info is probably stored in the registry or whatnot.

Aurebesh

09-16-2005, 06:24 AM

In that case, I think buying the game and then finiding a crack for it so my copy will be independent from the internet is the smartest thing to do.

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 07:21 AM

Hey guys, I'm Edward Love from www.insidegameronline.com

Just wanted to let you all know that the guys at Telltalte have granted me a free activation code and I'll have a review of the full game up shortly. Admittedly, I haven't actually had the chance to sample anything more than the trial version of Bone but you can expect an in-depth review by the 20th, at the very latest. *Touches wood.*

Oh, and I've been a member of this here forum for a while; as my registered date will attest, although this is indeed my first post. I'm a rabid adventure gamer and am feverishly anticipating that little game called something like... Fahrenheit, or is it Indigo Prophecy? :frusty:

Legolas813

09-16-2005, 07:54 AM

^ I knew I recognized your name. Hey, this is Banjo4321 from the Classic Adventure Gamers Union. Looking forward to your review.

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 08:17 AM

Yo man, Banjo rings a bell. I've seen you around on GameSpot before. Oh wait, now I remember the union you're referring to. I used to post on there a lot.

fov

09-16-2005, 08:24 AM

In that case, I think buying the game and then finiding a crack for it so my copy will be independent from the internet is the smartest thing to do.

It would also be illegal (and advocating it is on the forums on the verge of crossing the line on our "no piracy" rule, so please let's not go there).

I think you have some skewed ideas about their distribution scheme. Why don't you post your concerns on Telltale's forums to find out if your assessment of the situation is actually how it works? They're nice guys... they don't bite. :)

Edward, welcome to the AG forum. :D I look forward to reading your review.

jaap

09-16-2005, 08:41 AM

Some of my thoughts after finishing this game:

So I bought the game, and finished it in less than 2 hours. That's too short in my opinion.
Since I know the comic 'Out of boneville' pretty well, I was disappointed that there wasn't really additional material.

The rat-chase is really realy stupid. It's almost identical to the locust chase, but this time it's like controlling Fone Bone through a sattelite on Mars (very slow and awkward).
The barn puzzle could have been better, first of all, the solutions were too simple, but also improbable (as if one little stone would split that log at once).

The only realtively neat puzzle was in my opinion the hide and seek game with Phone bone and the possums. That took me a little while to figure out.

The rat creatures and Ted really sound weird to me, but that's because I imagined another voice when I read the book.
I really missed the encounter form Phone bone with smiley Bone inside the tavern, that could have been nice to include.
The lack of snow was no problem at all.

final grade: B-
I like the adventure genre too much to give low marks, but this game was defenitively too easy (but that's allready indicated on telltale's website), but also way too short.

However, I will defenitively buy the next episode, but I hope they incorporate more clever puzzles, and less identical action sequences.

Jaap

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 09:03 AM

I'd be interested to keep track of how much money they're making with this. D'you think they'll make the information public?

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 09:07 AM

Richar-...Richard Cobbet? Holy Cra-, you're a damn celebrity in my eyes along with the rest of the PC Gamer gang. Much to my delight, I've had the oppertunity of sharing words with the fantastic, the infamous, the delightful: Kieron Gillen.

Richard

09-16-2005, 10:02 AM

Richar-...Richard Cobbet? Holy Cra-, you're a damn celebrity in my eyes along with the rest of the PC Gamer gang.

(bows) ;-)

2GooD

09-16-2005, 11:01 AM

And why in the hell do I have to pay almost 20% more (for some taxes) just because I'm from Europe, isn't this a download??? :pan:Just my thought too!

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 11:06 AM

I'd be interested to keep track of how much money they're making with this. D'you think they'll make the information public?

To answer my question, probably not. :shifty:

samIamsad

09-16-2005, 11:08 AM

Richar-...Richard Cobbet?

You son of a butt kisser! :P He's made of flesh and bones. Probably. Most likely. Whatever. Just like you and me. Or...... is he? Are we? Anyway, where's *your* review of Bone? :) Because... I'm not sold yet.

Juanxo

09-16-2005, 11:16 AM

You son of a butt kisser! :P He's made of flesh and bones. Probably. Most likely. Whatever. Just like you and me. Or...... is he? Are we? Anyway, where's *your* review of Bone? :) Because... I'm not sold yet.

Well, one has to PLAY the game first before reviewing it.

Or was he planning on just putting his name on a review based on what people who actually played the game have said?

Richard

09-16-2005, 11:18 AM

You son of a butt kisser! :P He's made of flesh and bones. Probably. Most likely. Whatever. Just like you and me. Or...... is he?

I also breathe fire and can play the piano with my feet. Just not very well. You know. No tunes or anything.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 11:18 AM

Have some of the bugs been polished by now? 'Cause I should probably download the installation file again, if it'll work better at this point, before I actually buy the full game...

artwking4

09-16-2005, 11:22 AM

Have some of the bugs been polished by now? 'Cause I should probably download the installation file again, if it'll work better at this point, before I actually buy the full game...

They're releasing a new version soon:
http://www.telltalegames.com/forum/viewthread?thread=321#3726

Hello all again!

There should be a new version of everything coming down the pipe in just a few hours which will hopefully solve many of the problems/confusions people are currently experiencing.

Thank you all for your patience while we get our feet wet with our new digital distribution system.

Heather

samIamsad

09-16-2005, 11:33 AM

Or was he planning on just putting his name on a review based on what people who actually played the game have said?

:confused: I thought that was normal business procedure? Seriously, I'm interested in some reviews before I might be really, really interested in the game. That's all folks. I'm downloading the demo right now. No more dial-up horror. Hooray!

I also breathe fire and can play the piano with my feet. Just not very well. You know. No tunes or anything.

Mh, wrong job? ;)

Juanxo

09-16-2005, 11:41 AM

:confused: I thought that was normal business procedure?

I didn't know those were the standards for Magazines like PC Format and PC Gamer. :confused:

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 11:43 AM

Oh yeah! Did you think they'd be able to publish so many reviews every month if they actually played through every single game? That's absurd! :D

Richard

09-16-2005, 11:49 AM

Oh yeah! Did you think they'd be able to publish so many reviews every month if they actually played through every single game? That's absurd! :D

I'm still trying to work out how this line of discussion emerged from a question about AudioSoldier's forthcoming review.

To clarify: I'm not down to write anything on Bone. Any comments in this thread are based purely on the demo, and personal opinions, largely written while watching TV on my sofa. If I was writing it up officially, it would start with sitting down with the full game, and...okay...probably using it to boil an egg with...but working it over as much and as carefully as any other game that lands on my desk.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 11:51 AM

Psssst! I knew that. We were just pulling the poor guy's leg... :shifty:

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 11:57 AM

Oi, I don't plagiarize. I posted a Still Life review in the reader review cove, so check it out if you wish and lay waste to my writing talents -- or lack of.

My name is Edward Love -- just to clarify -- and I would have begun a new username entitled: "Edward" had I not been lazy. Erm, and my Bone review will be up on Inside Gamer Online come the 19th, at the latest. I haven't made it very far in my "officially granted copy of Bone" (by the good fellows over at Telltale) yet, so get off my nuts.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 11:58 AM

Really, so it's taking you a while?! Good news! :D

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:00 PM

Lol, well truth be told I haven't really indulged in much of the game thus far. Thus far, I stress! For I will progress! In fact, I've only just made it past the demo section, so little to report for you guys, sadly. I'm just having so much fun posting on this incredibly active and well-to-do forum that I can't bring myself to double click on the bone.exe nestling in the corner of my desktop, despite its alluring pose. Oh, and I think it's a pretty decent game thus far, which is a sign of just how much fun I'm having on these ere site. ;)

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:04 PM

Well, one has to PLAY the game first before reviewing it.

Or was he planning on just putting his name on a review based on what people who actually played the game have said?
I'm so hurt by this sentence that I have a good mind to print out the words Juanxo. Here after I would spit, hit, slam and dirty the page, belying it's lightweight nature. Then I'd shout your name to the heavens in the hope that a particularly gallant god (in my eyes) would hear my pleas and reap justice.

Juanxo

09-16-2005, 12:04 PM

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:09 PM

Sorry, I thought samIamsad was talking about Richard. My bad.
It's alright my nobleman. I enjoy a confrontation anyway. *Points to Richard* Bring it oooon.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 12:09 PM

Sorry, I thought samIamsad was talking about Richard. My bad.

Interestingly enough, I thought so too. Which is why I found your comment about Richard writing a review based on a demo and other people's reactions to the game so amusing. :D

Richard

09-16-2005, 12:11 PM

Interestingly enough, I thought so too. Which is why I found your comment about writing a review based on a demo and other people's reactions to the game so amusing. :D

Now I'm just confused. I'm just going over to Gamefaqs to pick up a walkthrough for this conversation. I warn you, anyone who turns out to be the dream of Zanarkand will face much wrath.

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:13 PM

Now I'm confused. Wait, let's clarify: Richard isn't writing a review. As far as I know, he's lounging at home. As far as I'm concerned, I'm lounging at home; but with a copy of Bone to review for the 19th.

Aditionally, is it possible to post signatures on these ere forums? I have a beautiful one to bestow on you all.

Oh, Richard, get me a deal with PC Gamer won't ya. :P Since I'm but a wee 15 you can tell Mark Donald that they can keep my place until 2008. I should be ready then. ;)

Oh, I wish, lol.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 12:16 PM

Erm, sorry. :crazy: I was answering Juanxo's post, but Audiosoldier got there first. I've added Juanxo's post in quotes, I hope that clarifies things...:confused:

Legolas813

09-16-2005, 12:18 PM

Aditionally, is it possible to post signatures on these ere forums?

Sadly no. It's one of the downsides to this board.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 12:19 PM

Aditionally, is it possible to post signatures on these ere forums? I have a beautiful one to bestow on you all.

It ain't, but you could include it in your post by linking to it via the image tags. ;)

Richard

09-16-2005, 12:19 PM

Now I'm confused. Wait, let's clarify: Richard isn't writing a review. As far as I know, he's lounging at home.

Laptop folded open on knees, large glass of Ribena to the right, Wednesday's episode of Lost on the TV. I make no promises of anything I type being in coherent English right now, never mind insightful walrus umbrella fjords.

Oh, Richard, get me a deal with PC Gamer won't ya. :P Since I'm but a wee 15 you can tell Mark Donald that they can keep my place until 2008. I should be ready then. ;)

Heh. Rule 1: Write as much as you can now. Practice whenever you can. Later, approach magazines professionally and get yourself on the books as a freelancer/apply for Staff Writer positions that become available. It's really not as hard as people think - 90% of your competition are the folks who say 'Man, I'd really like to do that', but never so much as put pen to paper, never mind submit a CV.

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:22 PM

Laptop folded open on knees, large glass of Ribena to the right, Wednesday's episode of Lost on the TV. I make no promises of anything I type being in coherent English right now, never mind insightful walrus umbrella fjords.

Heh. Rule 1: Write as much as you can now. Practice whenever you can. Later, approach magazines professionally and get yourself on the books as a freelancer/apply for Staff Writer positions that become available. It's really not as hard as people think - 90% of your competition are the folks who say 'Man, I'd really like to do that', but never so much as put pen to paper, never mind submit a CV.
They wouldn't consider hiring someone who is younger than 18, though; correct? I'd kill to mingle with the likes of Gillen, Sutherns and co. There's always PC Zone too....lol.

Richard

09-16-2005, 12:23 PM

They wouldn't consider hiring someone who is younger than 18, though; correct?

I doubt it very much. Although you never know, if you can hook them on something, there's always a chance. But to be honest, I'd take the time you've got now to make as many mistakes as you can now, and get them out of your system. That's not intended to be in any way insulting - all I mean is that almost everyone starts off needing major, major practice, and it's better to get it offline where you can make those mistakes, before pushing upwards to paid print work.

I'd kill to mingle with the likes of Gillen, Sutherns and co. There's always PC Zone too....lol.

Well, Kieron's a freelancer and Mark now works for Creative Assembly.

Maquisard

09-16-2005, 12:25 PM

As far as writing credentials, I don't think "lol" goes over with magazine editors too well. ;)

:pan: Gotta! be! more! professional!
:crazy: <--AudioSoldier

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:27 PM

I doubt it.

Well, Kieron's a freelancer and Mark now works for Creative Assembly.

Well, thanks to my poor global positionment (Aka, South Africa) I haven't had the oppertunity of keeping up to date with the latest PC Gamer's, although I did read an interview by Gillen on Eurogamer with Mark Sutherns of CA. I nearly toppled over in surprise. I couldn't believe it.

But, subsequently, I promptly forgot, lol.

Incidentally, I was going to ask before your post, how many of the team are freelancers? And I recognize that this thread is spiralling off-topic, but it's for a good cause. ;)

AudioSoldier

09-16-2005, 12:29 PM

As far as writing credentials, I don't think "lol" goes over with magazine editors too well. ;)

:pan: Gotta! be! more! professional!
:crazy: <--AudioSoldier
I've made it into someone's signature! Sheesh, talk about making an impression. Excuse my rabid use of "lol", it's indicative of my hyperactive state. I'm excited, you see.