Toonstruck 2 - The way it could be [Archive]

View Full Version : Toonstruck 2 - The way it could be

jannar85

12-02-2003, 07:33 AM

I was typically browsing through google for a toonstruck tool (some on the lucashacks forum said they were making it some time ago), anyway, I decided to run "Toonstruck 2" into google, and wow....

Have all of you seen what could be?
Damn those who abandoned it... It wasn't the developers, that's for sure..
Toonstruck 2 was completed and all... Do you think it can be revived again?

Links:

http://adventurecorner.adventureserver.de/specials/never/ts2/
http://www.lauraj.net/portfolio/GameArt/Toonstruck/Toonstruck.htm (a lot of stuff! Mostly in "Cutscenes")

Have you seen this at all?
I wish they'd released it :(

Murray

12-02-2003, 07:42 AM

Also see: Interview with Richard Hare (http://adventurecorner.adventureserver.de/interviews/hare_eng.php) (it was also mentioned at AG, I think)

And yes, I've seen all this. And I get desperate everytime I see it again - loved Toonstruck.

Thanks for the link to the "Cutscenes"-section, haven't mentioned it before!

Bard09

12-02-2003, 07:42 AM

I've never played the original, but now I really want to. Those screenshots looked fantastic!

jannar85

12-02-2003, 08:08 AM

I've never played the original, but now I really want to. Those screenshots looked fantastic!
http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/nov96/toon7.html
http://www.adventure-archiv.com/t2/toonstruckcreenshots.htm

Garyos

12-02-2003, 08:17 AM

*sigh*

:sad:

Curt

12-02-2003, 08:31 AM

If they have no intention of ever releasing the game as it's not commercially viable, why don't they just make it freely available (or for a small charge) on the net seeing as the work is already done?

Seems a waste otherwise.

Murray

12-02-2003, 08:40 AM

It isn't done and that's the problem. They had done most of the graphics, yes, but the entire game was not completed.

jannar85

12-02-2003, 09:12 AM

It isn't done and that's the problem. They had done most of the graphics, yes, but the entire game was not completed.
Well, anyone knows where we can find the developers, and if they still have the source? They can just make the rest, put it together, then sell it like $10-30.

I would've paid $30 to download Toonstruck 2, if they would ever make it available on the net for sale.

Bard09

12-02-2003, 09:21 AM

That's a pretty good idea. If the official developers are willing to release what they have already completed, I'm sure some amateur developers could finish the job. I'd pay for the completed product as well.

jannar85

12-02-2003, 09:38 AM

Let's start a petition or something :P
But no.. Not amateur... I want the real flesh and blood that was in the first one :P

SamandMax

12-02-2003, 11:27 AM

Would Christopher Lloyd really want to come and finish a game he did years ago?

Maybe we could get his twin brother, Zuktroy Lloyd.

Ninth

12-02-2003, 11:43 AM

The list of the fantastic adventure games that were supposed to be made but weren't for obscure reasons gets one more entry. Yeah! I mean, ARG!!!

For the record, I have Simon 3 (not 3d... not that I dislike the Simon 3d, but it's still an ugly game), Indy 5 (there was supposed to be an indy 5, wasn't there?), The Wheel of Time (which was supposed to be an adventure game before it turned out a stupid FPS), GK4... Oh well, that's all i can think of for now.
5 games so far.

jannar85

12-02-2003, 12:01 PM

Would Christopher Lloyd really want to come and finish a game he did years ago?

Maybe we could get his twin brother, Zuktroy Lloyd.
All animations were done.... :D

Garyos

12-02-2003, 12:42 PM

Ninth

12-02-2003, 10:35 PM

Warcraft adventures... And Full Throttle 2 (which had the potential to be good, kinda). And a Ron Gilbert Monkey Island game.

Yeah, I forgot the Warcraft adventure. FT2 didn't appeal to me very much, but who knows... And about MI, while the 3 hadn't quite exactly the spirit of the first two (I think it was a matter of graphics), I still loved it.
So I wouldn't put a Ron Gilbert MI on my list.

Counting FT2, 7 games so far on the list.

Do you think it's worth starting a thread for this kind of list? (or maybe there already were such a list)

Or a poll! :9 Yeah, I like polls... :D

Starflux

12-02-2003, 11:26 PM

I had never seen the animations before! Love em ^__^
Howevere they weren't for Toonstruck 2 I think, but for the original game, which was all cut down because it took too long or something, or they ran out of budget or patience. Shame, the game was originally meant to be a lot longer :( Ah well, this makes up for a lot ^__^

And Warcraft Adventures, I'd have loved to see that! :)

syntheticgerbil

12-02-2003, 11:34 PM

I don't really think there is much need for a sequel or all of these scenes. Did they not realize how long and frustrating their first game could be at times? (Their dialogue sometimes gets as boring as The Longest Journey.)

I think they should have just skipped the cliffhanger ending and moved on. Which I guess they did anyways, except fans don't have a complete story.

maladroid

12-03-2003, 01:37 AM

Ninth

12-03-2003, 01:53 AM

The artwork that was never included in the original game seams pretty neat but , as the site owner says himself, this was meant for the first game, not for a whole new one.

Yes, but he also says that after they realised they couldn't put all their work into the first game, they were promised that they would be able to use it for a sequel. Which never happened.

Zanthia

12-03-2003, 02:52 AM

Oh, those sequels that never was realesed. Look at the bright side: now those games are completely unspoiled by stupid controls, flat dialogs and illogical puzzles.

Ninth

12-03-2003, 03:02 AM

Oh, those sequels that never was realesed. Look at the bright side: now those games are completely unspoiled by stupid controls, flat dialogs and illogical puzzles.

Sorry, but I'm still stuck to the dark side : I never got to play them.

Murray

12-03-2003, 03:04 AM

Toonstruck was planned as ONE game at the beginning. But Virgin wanted it out asap and so Burst! had to cut it into two parts. So you can't say "These images were supposed to be used in Toonstruck 1" - there only was one..

jannar85

12-03-2003, 04:28 AM

Toonstruck is one one of my favourite games and the possibility of a sequel makes my mouth water:9. Never thought about searching the net for info about it though. So thanks for doing so Jannar :). The artwork that was never included in the original game seams pretty neat but , as the site owner says himself, this was meant for the first game, not for a whole new one. As a matter of fact I believe that the creation of a second installment is rather impossible unless the whole team is miraculously gahtered and reunited :frown:. Not very likely I'm afraid..

Still it is good to know that there is somewhere to start for the lads willing to bring this highly-awaited sequel back to life. Amen
No problem :)

btw.... It SHOULD be Toonstruck 2.. Just hear what they said:

A lot of people have been asking me what Toonstruck 2 would have been, so I decided to post the background images here that I have from the cut scenes. This page has little to do with my work on the game.

I read somewhere else that the publisher (or something) wrecked the sequel.
Don't remember from where though...

*** edit ***
Translation of that german page...
Listens to crazy, gell? Therefore it is would damage only all too that the brush studio never got in spite of the promising of Publisher Virgin the order to produce 'ToonStruck 2' and/or the first part to end. The reason for that was - like already above mentioned - the commercial fiasco of the game. If one consider to be sure, that many graphics of the 2.Teils, that already were completed Engine and the story and must would have joined become "only" yet all components, it is a shame that the project landed for always in the trashcan. The development of 'ToonStruck 2' trotzallem would have taken to be sure certainly yet some months at work in claim and would have eaten enough money, but in the view of innumerable software-refuse products, that inundate annually the total market, it does is entirely in the interior blow, that always our beloved genre the sorrow deceit..

SamandMax

12-03-2003, 09:05 AM

Someone should compile a huge list of sequels that were never completed, and contain information and screenshots of each one. That'd be an interesting read.

maladroid

12-03-2003, 11:28 AM

Yes, but he also says that after they realised they couldn't put all their work into the first game, they were promised that they would be able to use it for a sequel. Which never happened.
Yeah ok, I realise that.. All I'm saying is that they would still need some time to put these excluded locations together (not to mention create new) to create a totally new game..
I also think that the game looked pretty good the way it was and adding too many locations could make it tiring to play. Still the nightmare locations of Nefarious' castle seem quite cool while that would probably mean even more time without Flux which is a rather unpleasant thought...:eek: I mean wasn't this little guy really cool, or what?

Ninth

12-03-2003, 09:51 PM

I mean wasn't this little guy really cool, or what?

No, he wasn't. More like a total annoyance... his french voice didn't help him out, though.

Erwin_Br

12-03-2003, 10:16 PM

No, he wasn't. More like a total annoyance... his french voice didn't help him out, though.

Yes, hair-pulling annoying!

And there are more of these annoying characters in the game, I remember.

--Erwin

mycroft

12-03-2003, 10:41 PM

Yes, hair-pulling annoying!

And there are more of these annoying characters in the game, I remember.

--Erwin

Personally I think that B.B Wolf was very,very cool. 8-)

Ninth

12-03-2003, 10:54 PM

Personally I think that B.B Wolf was very,very cool. 8-)

Indeed he was, as well as most of the "bad" characters, IMO. (especially the S&M cow.)

Starflux

12-05-2003, 03:26 AM

No, he wasn't. More like a total annoyance... his french voice didn't help him out, though.

Ah yes, but then you didn't hear Dan Castanalletta (Homer) do his voice. De characters were very good in my opinion. I don't understand how you could compare the witty, befitting dialogue of Toonstruck with the endless ramblings of The Longest Journey. I had liked much more of it the way it was!
And characters like the Carecrow, Footman, Toilet Sentry, the evil robotmaker and all the others I still hold very dear to me. So let us have no more of this negative comment about Toonstruck ;) Go bash a game that deserves it *hands over a copy of Daikatana*

Ninth

12-05-2003, 11:45 AM

Ah yes, but then you didn't hear Dan Castanalletta (Homer) do his voice. De characters were very good in my opinion. I don't understand how you could compare the witty, befitting dialogue of Toonstruck with the endless ramblings of The Longest Journey. I had liked much more of it the way it was!
And characters like the Carecrow, Footman, Toilet Sentry, the evil robotmaker and all the others I still hold very dear to me. So let us have no more of this negative comment about Toonstruck ;) Go bash a game that deserves it *hands over a copy of Daikatana*

Bashing Dai-Katana? You sure are a cruel person.

And Longest Journey "ramblings" were just fine with me, as well as Toonstruck's.
I loved Toonstruck, but didn't like Flux. Sorry, Flux. :P

Starflux

12-05-2003, 11:32 PM

Apology accepted...
...
CAPTAIN NEEDA.
*crushes throat from a distance*

Ninth

12-09-2003, 12:43 PM

Apology accepted...
...
CAPTAIN NEEDA.
*crushes throat from a distance*

I don't think you're a dark lord of the sith. More like a purple lord of the critters, but those don't have the force. :P

guybrush_guy

12-10-2003, 06:14 AM

i realy think we should start a patation for a release of somthing or other, even if they release only part of the game and it is'nt even put together it would fine with me, but would vergin have parts of the game even after 8 years. i would think they would because they would need documentation of there expences and such. i've seen a website on the forums ware you can start a patition. does anyone remember what that website is?

jannar85

02-04-2004, 06:26 AM

Alright.. Listen up.. I've done some researching on Burst! Entertainment (the developing company)

Anyway, the company turned out to be out of business. So I went to mobygames, so get their names.

I found the lead designer, Richard Hare's site.
http://www.richard.hare.dsl.pipex.com/flare.html
and e-mail: Edit: address removed following spam complaints. (Besides, this wasn't the Richard Hare you're looking for.) All other email addresses in this thread will be altered to prevent spiders from indexing them - Marek

Last game he worked on were Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, last year.
_____________________________________________

Then, the next thing would be finding the art director, William D. Skirvin
So I did.

He haven't worked on a single project since Toonstruck.

bilskirvin -at- bilskirvin - dotcom (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)
http://www.bilskirvin.com/
_____________________________________________

What about the character designer, I hear you say (I think..)
Well.. Found him as well. John Piampiano.

Toonstruck seems to be the only project he ever had, so it might be interesting to do Toonstruck for him again :P

jpiampiano (jpiampiano@hotmail.com) -at- (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)hotmail (jpiampiano@hotmail.com)- dotcom (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)
http://www.johnpiampiano.net/
_____________________________________________

Should anyone contact them, or something?
Or first start a petition to show how big interest it actually is.
(...and most of us said we would pay $50 for a follow-up, this might be a good idea for everyone in Burst!)

Let's revive Toonstruck!
(and maybe even xp compatibility for Toonstruck!)

But petition or contact first?

P.S - The voice actors from the game are always available, since it's what they do.

** edit **
Oh, and as mentioned earlier. The Video Compositor, Laura Janczewski.
lauraj (lauraj@lauraj.net) -at- (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)lauraj - dotnet (lauraj@lauraj.net)
http://www.lauraj.net/

syntheticgerbil

02-04-2004, 04:33 PM

Hey I was thinking that I needed to make another Toonstruck thread.

guybrush_guy

02-04-2004, 04:36 PM

then go for it

crabapple

02-04-2004, 05:01 PM

remixor

02-04-2004, 06:48 PM

Forge, the would-be sequel to Loom.

Zanthia

02-05-2004, 05:55 AM

Loom! thats one game that neede a sequel. From the other hand, its story was complete.

Does Warcraft adventure counts?

jannar85

02-05-2004, 07:28 AM

Back to the topic guys... Contact them first, or first make a petition to show the interest?

Deshrill

02-05-2004, 08:19 AM

jannar85: Back to the topic guys... Contact them first, or first make a petition to show the interest?

Jannar85, I think that we should contact them first before starting a petition. Finding out who has the rights to Toonstruck is important. We might as well figure out if there is a way to get access to all those old Toonstruck resources (files, dialogue, etc.), right?

After contacting them first, then a petition should be started... Starting a petition first might not be a bad idea, but it will be in vain unless someone contacts Virgin (weren't they the company that made the game?) to see if anything could be done about this Toonstruckian dillema.

Zanthia: Loom! thats one game that neede a sequel. From the other hand, its story was complete. Does Warcraft adventure counts?

Zanthia, Loom was a wonderful game. I always wish there was a sequel to that, but, yes, you are correct: the ending did have some sort of closure... I'm not sure what it would be like playing an adventure game as a swan, but it would be interesting.

Warcraft Adventures was a neat idea and I'm annoyed that it wasn't released. Apparently Blizzard had a practically finished copy of it, but it didn't meet their ultra-high company standards. If you want to learn what the plot of the game would have been, pick up a copy of the novel Warcraft [Book # 2]: Lord of the Clans. It doesn't have the best writing in the world, but you get a sense of how the game would have been at parts.

guybrush_guy

02-05-2004, 08:47 AM

i got reply from laura janczewska

"Are you interested in making the Toonstruck sequel? Are you part of an affiliated company to Virgin? I might be interested, but I know that Virgin killed it for the US market. There would have to be some marketing considerations as a condition for me working on it, and I would not work as a normal employee. Please let me know any details of this proposition you have come up with.

Laura
-----Original Message-----
From: brandon [mailto:********@comcast.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 2:39 AM
To: ************
Subject: posibillitys

hello
ive been doing some research on the burst company and your name came up, i was wondering if the possibilty of toonstruck 2 came up. would you do it?"

the bottom letter is mine, i'm going to write her back explaining the situation

remixor

02-05-2004, 10:52 AM

tabacco

02-05-2004, 10:59 AM

Man, Warcraft Adventures. Way back when that game was announced I was so excited. I followed it really carefully until Blizzard pulled the plug. That was probably the first cancelled game that I really wanted to play and actually knew was in development.

Was that the game they were already signing up beta testers for when the pulled the plug? If so, I was signed up to beta it :(

jannar85

02-05-2004, 11:10 AM

Jannar85, I think that we should contact them first before starting a petition. Finding out who has the rights to Toonstruck is important. We might as well figure out if there is a way to get access to all those old Toonstruck resources (files, dialogue, etc.), right?

After contacting them first, then a petition should be started... Starting a petition first might not be a bad idea, but it will be in vain unless someone contacts Virgin (weren't they the company that made the game?) to see if anything could be done about this Toonstruckian dillema.

Okay. Who wants to write to that big guy, Richard Hare?
It's probably him to ask since he was the lead designer.

I think Virgin gave up their rights, because of that Toonstruck didn't sell THAT well.

If it should be made, it should be made with the original team IMO.
LucasHacks are (have been) working on a toonstruck tool though... I've forgotten who it was, but I can see if I can look him up somewhere.

Burst! made the game. Virgin published it.

i got reply from laura janczewska

"Are you interested in making the Toonstruck sequel? Are you part of an affiliated company to Virgin? I might be interested, but I know that Virgin killed it for the US market. There would have to be some marketing considerations as a condition for me working on it, and I would not work as a normal employee. Please let me know any details of this proposition you have come up with.

Laura
-----Original Message-----
From: brandon [mailto:********@comcast.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 2:39 AM
To: ************
Subject: posibillitys

hello
ive been doing some research on the burst company and your name came up, i was wondering if the possibilty of toonstruck 2 came up. would you do it?"

the bottom letter is mine, i'm going to write her back explaining the situation
Heh. Was that your job to do? :P Seems like she thinks you've got the rights to it ;)

remixor

02-05-2004, 02:39 PM

I wouldn't lead her on too much or you might get her hopes up...

jannar85

02-05-2004, 03:00 PM

You heard that, guybrush_guy?? :P

Remixor is threatning you :devil:

guybrush_guy

02-05-2004, 06:41 PM

i wrote her back and appoligzed for missleading her. i also asked if she would let me do an interview with her

djsouza

02-05-2004, 07:30 PM

Someone should compile a huge list of sequels that were never completed, and contain information and screenshots of each one. That'd be an interesting read.
Someone already did

http://www.justadventure.com/articles/UnfinishedGames/UnfinishedGames.shtm

(Warcraft was mentioned in the above article)

And there is also

Space Quest 7
http://www.wiw.org/~jess/old_sq7.html

Simon the Sorcerer 2 and 1/2
http://www.simon3d.com/qaf/qaf_frame.htm

guybrush_guy

02-06-2004, 08:20 AM

i got a reply back from Bill Skirvin he rplyed with a simple

"i never realy thought about it"

jannar85

02-06-2004, 04:15 PM

i got a reply back from Bill Skirvin he rplyed with a simple

"i never realy thought about it"
Well, it's the only game he have ever worked on. Maybe try out the chief now? :P

guybrush_guy

02-06-2004, 05:44 PM

Well, it's the only game he have ever worked on. Maybe try out the chief now? :P

i sent him an email as well, no reply yet

jannar85

02-08-2004, 04:17 PM

Maybe... he's forgotten about it, or lost his password! *gasps*
Or.. think if he have died?? Or.. Changed e-mail!

He'll never get it in time! :crazy:

Starflux

02-09-2004, 01:29 AM

About Warcraft Adventures; what bothered me was that all the beautiful animations made in Russia were actually finished (and we got a taste from it through the wonderful trailer (which was quite a good trailer in its own right)), but they never gave even that out on DVD or something. Just think about it; somewhere in the vaults, there's at least half an hour's worth of Warcraft handdrawn animation, and we'll never get to see it >_<

Once more, this calls for a heist :P

Zanthia

02-09-2004, 12:20 PM

what bothered me was that all the beautiful animations made in Russia were actually finished

:eek: I was sure that warcraft is blizzards' trademark.

remixor

02-09-2004, 02:28 PM

:eek: I was sure that warcraft is blizzards' trademark.

It is.

Starflux

02-10-2004, 03:15 AM

They contracted a Russian animationstudio to get a lot of quality cheap animation done. They themselves are good in 3D, but that doesn't mean they excell in 2D (which is unknown because there hasn't ever been anything handdrawn from them). Err, except for the sprites in their games of course ^_^;;

eriq

02-10-2004, 05:45 PM

I just listed a fun Toonstruck Ebay auction with a special demo CD if anyone is interested. I stuck those little cartoons someone posted links to on here on the auction. They're so cute! I wish they'd make another. Toonstruck was one of my favourite adventure games visually. It's still so much fun to look at.... right up there with Kyrandia and Loom.

Check it out. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3077628773&category=11047&sspagename=STRK%3AMESSE%3AIT&rd=1)

.

Deshrill

02-10-2004, 08:58 PM

Wow, that's right... I forgot about Warcraft Adventures being animated in Russia. I have a trailer of Warcraft: Adventures on one of my CDs and the animation looked a bit cheap, but still had the Warcraft style to it. The voice acting had a lot of people, with Clancy Brown as the voice of Thrall, I believe.

I always got stuck fairly early on in Toonstruck, but I did like the game. Most of the voice acting was cool and the 2-D animation was really nice. I go to an art school and there is a big division between the 2-D Animation students and the 3-D Animation. That has nothing to do with adventure games, but it's a sleep-deprived aside.

eriq

02-10-2004, 09:12 PM

I go to an art school and there is a big division between the 2-D Animation students and the 3-D Animation. That has nothing to do with adventure games, but it's a sleep-deprived aside.
how do you mean? Are they always saying one is better than the other? explain. That sounds interesting...

I love both animation styles. Each can be expressed artistically in so many ways. Have you seen D'ario Piccau's work? It's amazing. His film L'uovo is just stunning. (http://www.luovo.com/mainpage2.html)

On the subject of Toonstruck, I've always loved the cartoon style. Something about 2d cartoon characters against painted backgrounds is just so beautiful to look at. Day of the Tentacle and Toonstruck were similar in that sense.

Deshrill

02-11-2004, 10:10 AM

[I]Originally posted by Eriq: how do you mean? Are they always saying one is better than the other? explain. That sounds interesting...

Sort of. The whole recent shift to all CG pictures, especially with Disney recently shutting down their theatrical 2-D animation unit, makes things a bit tense for 2-D Animation Majors at my school. In fact, in the new cirriculum, 2-D Animation Majors are made to take some Intro Maya (3-D) Classes...

I mean, 2-D Animation is still being done in the US (commercials, TV shows [which are animated in Korea, primarily], direct to video sequels [animated in Canada, Korea, etc], etc.), but it's not as popular for theatrical features as it used to be.

I think both styles work in different ways, although at times I prefer 2-D.

At my college, SCAD, the 3-D Animation students are impressed with what the 2-D students have to do, calling it "raw animation".

Ultimately, in an art school, getting a job upon graduation is not easy (this is true of any Major in college, but art-related degrees are especially tricky to find work in).

BTW, I am a Computer Art Major with a Concentration in Game Design & Interactivity if anyone was wondering.

Hopes this answers your ?.

pointandcliklover

02-13-2004, 01:03 PM

Garyos

02-13-2004, 03:36 PM

so sorry to change the topic but did anyone get stuck at the point where u have the bloke and the rabbit in the cooking pot and u had to tip it over to escape the wolfs i never got pass that point i wondered if their was a bug at all

lee i wish there was a toonstruck 2 it would have been really cool

I hated that bit the first time. But I don't mind it anymore, because the cutscene you get when you do it is pretty cool, and I love the gentle rythm you get going, swaying back and forth, green gunge almost spilling over...
:z

jannar85

03-08-2004, 12:14 AM

i sent him an email as well, no reply yet
Still nothing? :confused:

Jediritter

08-05-2004, 06:23 PM

Never thought that there 'exist' Toonstruck 2.
I played today Toonstruck and as it ended i thought it need to be continued, so i searched with google.
Are there new information about email reply's or who has the copyright of toonstruck (if somebody has it).
And if maybe still exist the beta and if it could be sell to people who wants :)
btw, sorry for my terrible english, i am to sleepy

guybrush_guy

08-05-2004, 06:46 PM

wow this is an old thread, if you read threw the whole post it will pritty much tell you everything you want to know about the game

P.S.
welcome to the forums

Jediritter

08-05-2004, 07:40 PM

i did read the whole post, the official toonstruck i played
i just thought there are new information about the beta or petition or etc.
if its to much and we let this post sleep, i would be happy about a pm

btw, thanks for the welcome greets :)

Captain Blondebeard

08-06-2004, 02:19 PM

I've never played the original. Does anyone know where I can get it?

Jediritter

08-06-2004, 03:12 PM

Try ebay, there i buyed mines for 1€

xtopher

08-08-2004, 10:13 AM

I don't know if it was mentioned, because I can't bother to read 3 pages. But you were talking about adventure games that "should have been made", such as Indy 5, Warcraft adventures, toonstruck 2. Well aren't you forgetting Sam and max 2? (RIP :()

bbX1138

08-08-2004, 10:33 AM

I can't get those links to adventurecorner, at the top of this thread, working! Does anyone have updated or alternate links?

Jediritter

08-08-2004, 02:08 PM

gos

01-31-2009, 10:35 AM

where? i can't see toonstruck 2 the pictures are from toonstruck 1

Jediritter

01-31-2009, 10:54 AM

In Adventures which never were are pictures from toonstruck 2, too.
You see van gogh as toon.
And the western city wasn't in toonstruck 1, to bad.

Kafka

02-01-2009, 11:08 PM

Hi, a new user here. I'm from Finland, so excuse my english! And what better place to make the first post than this topic! So about the original topic. Sheesh! This is one game, that should have a sequel. I used to play this back in the day when it came to the stores. Now where is the damn cd... :)

AndreaDraco83

02-02-2009, 01:24 AM

Welcome Kafka! And your English is not bad at all! :)

Enjoy your stay!

bbX1138

02-04-2009, 02:47 AM

Here the special about Adventures which never were:
http://www.adventurecorner.de/pages.php?id=91
and here the Interviwe with Richard Hare:
http://www.adventurecorner.de/pages.php?id=26

Both are in german.

Are there english translations anywhere? The original now-broken link to the interview looked like one.

Thanks!

Akril

02-04-2009, 08:50 PM

I have a copy of an English translation of that interview that I found elsewhere. I don't remember the URL, so if it's all right, I'll copy+paste it here (mild Toonstruck spoilers):

Interview with Richard Hare

Malachit had the chance to interview Richard Hare, Lead Designer of the in 1996 released adventuregame 'ToonStruck', in March 2003. You get to know what a possible sequel would have looked like and Richard tells us about some about his future plans..

AC: Hi Richard. Could you introduce yourself at first?
RH: My name is Richard Hare and I am the Creative Director and one of the co-owners at The Collective; a video game developer in Orange County, Southern California that has developed 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen', 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', and 'Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb'. Prior to forming The Collective, I worked for Virgin Interactive and was the Lead Designer on the adventure game ToonStruck.

AC: How did you get the idea for ToonStruck?
RJ: Originally, the project's Executive Producer, David Bishop, had the idea for a game called, 'Trouble in Toonland'. The story was about a young boy, Daniel, who is transported to a cartoon world that is being terrorized by a villainous, black-and-white "toon" known as Ghastly Graham. Teaming up with a friendly toon, Gerald, Daniel must stop Ghastly Graham before he sucks all of the color out of the cartoon world.

We took this rudimentary story concept and made a LOT of changes so that it would appeal more to an older audience. Daniel became the animator, Drew Blanc. Ghastly Graham became Count Nefarious. And Gerald became the wacky, morphing Flux Wildly.

We were all huge fans of the LucasArts adventure games at the time and so we decided to make a game in that genre.

AC: 'ToonStruck' was the first PC-game with a real actor in a toon world. What gave you the idea not to use a toon-character, but a real actor?
RH: Back then there had been two major Hollywood films featuring a mix between real actors and animated worlds; "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and "Cool World." Some of the senior executives at Virgin Interactive really liked the idea of doing the same for a game.

AC: In my opinion 'ToonStruck' is one of the best adventures ever made, but it wasn't a big commercial success. Do you have a explanation for that?
RH: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the game. There were numerous reasons why ToonStruck was not a big commercial success:
· In Western culture, cartoons are typically considered to be for children. I think there was a lot of consumer confusion regarding ToonStruck. It could easily be confused as a game for kids or edutainment.
· The game was not backed with an effective, timely marketing campaign. There was very little advertising and none of it really captured the essence of the game.
· Adventure game sales were already on the decline.
· The box art was truly awful - particularly in Europe.

AC: At the end of 'ToonStruck' there was a hint to a sequel, which unfortunately never has been made. What would 'ToonStruck 2' have been look like and what would be the story?
RH: Actually, due to scheduling pressures, we were forced to cut the first game in half and re-shoot the ending. There was a lot of material created (art, animation, audio, and code) for the first game that was never used. In the original story, once Drew escaped from Nefarious's castle, he and Flux were supposed to ride a "Train of Thought" (remember the train tracks area in Zanydu?) up to an island in the sky. Here, Drew explores his own fears and fantasies within a carnival setting (there was a Wild West shootout, an encounter with Drew's artist idol, Van Gogh, and a visit to a maniacal dentist). Finally, Drew needs to kick-start his imagination/creativity (represented by a huge lighthouse) and defeat both Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun and Nefarious in the process.

If the first ToonStruck had been commercially successful, we would have used most of the content that had been cut from the first game and added in additional scenes to pad out the story. Drew Blanc would have been transformed into a "toon" at the outset of the game and would need to undo this by the end of the game. We also wanted to add in more physical-based puzzles, allowing Drew to physically push around objects in the scene and use them together to solve different problems.

AC: Is there a chance this game could ever be released?
RH: There is no chance whatsoever! No publisher would want to make a sequel for a game that was not commercially successful; particularly an adventure game!

AC: Do you think the adventure-genre is dead?
RH: I think it definitely has been dead for the last few years. However, I am confident that the adventure game will make a comeback - but not exactly the way it was. I'm looking forward to 'Sam & Max 2' which is due out sometime in the near future. I also hope that The Collective can perhaps create a new type of adventure game and help revitalize this genre.

AC: When did you start to develop computer games?
RH: I started working on video games when I was 16 years old and still at high school. I began creating art for the 8-bit Commodore 64 computer for games such as Leviathan and Tusker. That was 17 years ago!

AC: What are you currently working on?
RH: The Collective is currently working on 'Wrath' (a game that combines turn-based strategy with creature fighting) for LucasArts and two other action-adventures that have not been announced as of yet.

AC: What does your family think of your work?
RH: My mum and dad are very proud of what my brother, Doug (who is one of my partners and former lead programmer on 'ToonStruck'), and I have accomplished.

AC: What is your favourite computer game?
RH: I think my favorite computer game is the one that I have yet to create! :)

AC: What kind of game would you like to develop, if you had unlimited means?
RH: I'd love to create a ground-breaking adventure game that would appeal to old adventure fans and new gamers alike.

AC: What is your favourite food? ;)
RH: I love Thai food! :)

Thanks for your time!

(P.S.: I wonder if any of the unused Toonstruck graphics/animations made it into the game's resource files. I've found several unused speech files, but I have no idea how to take a look at the game's graphics. I know there's a Toonstruck resource viewer in development, but I don't know if it's progressed at all since I last heard about it.)

bbX1138

02-05-2009, 02:08 AM

That's brilliant, thanks Akril!

Maybe AdventureGamers could get permission from the German site to run that translation? It's old news now, though, and the site would probably want to keep it for themselves...

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 03:05 AM

Toonstruck is my fav game of all time! I've been waiting 13years for a sequel! Hows the petition going? And the e-mails?? Come on guys! Lets get this game released!

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 03:09 AM

jannar85 and guybrush_guy, hows it going?
The petition can be made here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.html

Jediritter

04-09-2009, 03:29 AM

Well, who owns still the rights for the game?
The company who made it, doesn't exist anymore and the company who overtook it, doesn't exist anymore, too.

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 07:17 AM

Is that so?
Then maybe we should contact all of those people jannar85 mentioned...

Alright.. Listen up.. I've done some researching on Burst! Entertainment (the developing company)

Anyway, the company turned out to be out of business. So I went to mobygames, so get their names.

I found the lead designer, Richard Hare's site.
http://www.richard.hare.dsl.pipex.com/flare.html
and e-mail: Edit: address removed following spam complaints. (Besides, this wasn't the Richard Hare you're looking for.) All other email addresses in this thread will be altered to prevent spiders from indexing them - Marek

Last game he worked on were Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, last year.
_____________________________________________

Then, the next thing would be finding the art director, William D. Skirvin
So I did.

He haven't worked on a single project since Toonstruck.

bilskirvin -at- bilskirvin - dotcom (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)
http://www.bilskirvin.com/
_____________________________________________

What about the character designer, I hear you say (I think..)
Well.. Found him as well. John Piampiano.

Toonstruck seems to be the only project he ever had, so it might be interesting to do Toonstruck for him again :P

jpiampiano (jpiampiano@hotmail.com) -at- (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)hotmail (jpiampiano@hotmail.com)- dotcom (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)
http://www.johnpiampiano.net/
_____________________________________________

Should anyone contact them, or something?
Or first start a petition to show how big interest it actually is.
(...and most of us said we would pay $50 for a follow-up, this might be a good idea for everyone in Burst!)

Let's revive Toonstruck!
(and maybe even xp compatibility for Toonstruck!)

But petition or contact first?

P.S - The voice actors from the game are always available, since it's what they do.

** edit **
Oh, and as mentioned earlier. The Video Compositor, Laura Janczewski.
lauraj (lauraj@lauraj.net) -at- (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)lauraj - dotnet (lauraj@lauraj.net)
http://www.lauraj.net/

Are jannar85 and guybrush_guy still active members of the forum? I've been reading through the forum and they deserve a lot of credit for their hard work! And I really need their help to make this work!

i realy think we should start a patation for a release of somthing or other, even if they release only part of the game and it is'nt even put together it would fine with me, but would vergin have parts of the game even after 8 years. i would think they would because they would need documentation of there expences and such. i've seen a website on the forums ware you can start a patition. does anyone remember what that website is?

yes, the link is here for anyone who wants to help me start this petition, although, I am "only" 15 years of age. This game has some real sentimental meaning to me since its kinda been passed down through my siblings to me. I believe I first played it in 2000 when I was 6 years old! I finished it together with my sister then (I started reading and playing video games when i was very very young and I learnt them through the old trial-and-error method) and I recently played it using the Dosbox emulater. Anyways, the link:http://www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.html

Its probably a good idea that someone with more experience makes this petition and contacts the designers etc... I would be happy to do it myself with a little bit of guidance, but I wouldn't want to "mess it up" and ruin the chance of a sequel.

I'll conclude this post by quoting jannar85: "Let's revive Toonstruck!"

Jediritter

04-09-2009, 07:41 AM

I tried to contact the owner of Virgin pr press redaction of virgin (interactive) and got no answer :(

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 09:15 AM

I tried to contact the owner of Virgin pr press redaction of virgin (interactive) and got no answer :(

Great! Thank you for your help ;) Lets keep on trying and hopefully we'll get what we're looking for!

Jediritter

04-09-2009, 09:28 AM

I guess the biggest problem is who owns the rights? and where is the data of the game if it still exist?
The company doesn't exist anymore, they were also in germany but got bankrupt.

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 09:48 AM

The data should have been stored for documentation of their expences. Even the animators and the designers probably have their share of files/data etc in their portfolios. For example:
http://www.lauraj.net/portfolio/GameArt/Toonstruck/Toonstruck.htm

As for the rights, that is a problem. But I guess we'll have to find that out by contacting them. Is anyone interested in contacting them?

cwapitm

04-09-2009, 10:02 AM

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 11:04 AM

I got it to work with ease using dosbox and mounting c:\ etc. And its not like they are going to have to make a completely new game. The game is practically done, it probably needs some adjustments here and there, and the three you mentioned are all still around today! Chris might like the idea since he's 70 years old now and all he has to do is record his voice. No makeup no lines to remember. All they need to do is release it and make a lot of money from people like us!

GO TOONSTRUCK 2!!!!

ToonStruckII

04-09-2009, 11:17 AM

I wouldn't want to see a sequel unless Christopher Loyd, Dan Castellaneta, and Tim Curry returned.

Actually, I think better than a sequel would be to have them rerelease Toonstruck and make it more compatible with modern operating systems. It seems to be the hardest game to get work. Won't work on XP or Vista no matter how hard I try, even trying to use emulators.

Make sure you have the latest DOSBox software installed on your system!

Get the latest DOSBox @ http://www.dosbox.com
Get the latest PowerISO @ http://www.poweriso.com

INSTRUCTIONS!
_____________

1.Mount "ToonStruck 1.iso" with PowerISO or equivalent.
2.Run DOSBox
3.Mount your hard drive and the game disc by typing:

mount C C: \
 (substitute C with your hard drive letter)

mount E E: \
 (substitute E with your virtual drive letter)

4. Go to your virtual drive's root directory by typing:

E: \
 (substitute E with your virtual drive letter)

5. Run the game's installation by typing: install
6. Install ToonStruck to the mounted hard disk drive and enter the following settings in sound configuration:

Soundblaster | 220 | 5 | 1

7. Configuring video is as straightforward as it gets, everything should be working fine. Exit the installation.
8. Run the game by typing: toonstrk
9. Enjoy! (Remember, ALT+ENTER toggles fullscreen mode!)

Wanna play again? Mount both drives as you did in step 3, navigate to the game's directory and run the game!

OriginalGagBonkers

04-09-2009, 01:46 PM

If this sequel happens I dont want to see ANY of the animated characters in 3D.

ToonStruckII

04-10-2009, 06:40 AM

If this sequel happens I dont want to see ANY of the animated characters in 3D.

I agree. So petition anyone?
http://www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.html

OriginalGagBonkers

04-10-2009, 07:39 AM

I agree. So petition anyone?
http://www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.htmlI'll make the petition...I just need a little catch up on these things...Okay did we find out where the guys who made this game? and who should we target this petition for?

ToonStruckII

04-10-2009, 01:44 PM

Jannar85 did a good job finding them:

Alright.. Listen up.. I've done some researching on Burst! Entertainment (the developing company)

Anyway, the company turned out to be out of business. So I went to mobygames, so get their names.

I found the lead designer, Richard Hare's site.
http://www.richard.hare.dsl.pipex.com/flare.html
and e-mail: Edit: address removed following spam complaints. (Besides, this wasn't the Richard Hare you're looking for.) All other email addresses in this thread will be altered to prevent spiders from indexing them - Marek

Last game he worked on were Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, last year.
_____________________________________________

Then, the next thing would be finding the art director, William D. Skirvin
So I did.

He haven't worked on a single project since Toonstruck.

bilskirvin -at- bilskirvin - dotcom (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)
http://www.bilskirvin.com/
_____________________________________________

What about the character designer, I hear you say (I think..)
Well.. Found him as well. John Piampiano.

Toonstruck seems to be the only project he ever had, so it might be interesting to do Toonstruck for him again :P

jpiampiano (jpiampiano@hotmail.com) -at- (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)hotmail (jpiampiano@hotmail.com)- dotcom (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)
http://www.johnpiampiano.net/
_____________________________________________

Should anyone contact them, or something?
Or first start a petition to show how big interest it actually is.
(...and most of us said we would pay $50 for a follow-up, this might be a good idea for everyone in Burst!)

Let's revive Toonstruck!
(and maybe even xp compatibility for Toonstruck!)

But petition or contact first?

P.S - The voice actors from the game are always available, since it's what they do.

** edit **
Oh, and as mentioned earlier. The Video Compositor, Laura Janczewski.
lauraj (lauraj@lauraj.net) -at- (bilskirvin@bilskirvin.com)lauraj - dotnet (lauraj@lauraj.net)
http://www.lauraj.net/

I guess we should aim the petition on the people who want the sequel released and are willing to pay for it? We could post a link to this petition on this forum, forums similar to this one (gaming, dos gaming, adventure etc..) and the facebook group called "toonstruck" (it has 70-80 members as far as I can remember). Our familys could sign it, not to mention all of our friends! This will be great! Once again, thanks for all your support! :)

Shigawire

04-12-2009, 10:40 AM

ToonStruckII

04-12-2009, 01:58 PM

Toonstruck is the wittiest, funniest, and best adventure game of all time in my mind. :)

The reason why Toonstruck 2 never was released was because Toonstruck 1 sold horribly. I remember reading about it in PCGamer UK back in the 90s. It deserved better sales figures of course, but for some reason it sold poorly.

I'm all for a sequel!

Lousy marketing =(

OriginalGagBonkers how's it going with the petition? Need any help?
Hopefully we'll get Jannar85 back in the team. I have contacted him.

jannar85

04-12-2009, 06:02 PM

Wow. This thread still active? Who would imagine that.. So yeah, I'm back again....for toonstruck2. Hurray!

Also, I think AdventureGamers online store, could have sold an updated version of Toonstruck, for XP, Vista and the upcoming Windows 7. Or sell it along with ScummVM (if they ever get the source files from it.), then it could be playable on other platforms as well.

Also, I think Bill Tiller's publisher Crimson Cow, could be interested in funding the rest of the game, as it's almost complete (also, the sprites are undoubtly easy to obtain from the original game)

To quote Richard Hare
There is no chance whatsoever! No publisher would want to make a sequel for a game that was not commercially successful; particularly an adventure game!
But now there's a new time for adventure games, so hopefully there's at least Crimson that's willing to put a little money into this. Most of the stuff is done, as he said somewhere in the interview.

But as I'm developing my own adventure game atm, I think it's better to let someone else handle the petition.

But count me and my younger sister in.

Sorry about the trouble getting in touch with me again :P

jannar85

04-13-2009, 03:00 AM

I just wanted to point out, that most of those homepages and e-mail addresses (from their homepages server) are gone.

Onz N Offz

04-13-2009, 08:50 AM

Hi guys, it's great that Toonstruck 2 is getting another shot at being made!

I was also wondering, how can you view the sprites and how do you open the *.caf files?

Onz N Offz

04-13-2009, 08:57 AM

Here's an unpak program that I had worked on, thought I'd share it with you. There's another on on the internet but it doesn't seem to work properly, so I made this one. ;)

Toonstruck Unpaker
http://rapidshare.com/files/220887570/Unpak.zip

OriginalGagBonkers

05-05-2009, 03:53 PM

Sorry for the long wait on the petition I have been one hell of a busy guy. here's to hopes of a ToonStruck 2
http://www.petitiononline.com/l5ry8b53/petition.html

;)

klopiklopi

06-20-2009, 05:56 AM

hello,

Toonstuck is also my favorite adventure game.
if you want to make it run perfectly on XP (with DosBox, sound is really not perfect...), you can follow the procedure described at the following URL:

http://home.earthlink.net/~infernofilecabinet4/XpSetupsP_T/Toonstruck_Setup.htm

that did worked very well for me.

I don't know much about Toonstruck 2 - even though I would ador that one game studio work on it -, but what I know is that I'm currently re-programming the original Toonstruck for NDS device ! note that this is a private initiative, not a commercial one, so it can take forever before something comes out !
However, i'm quite happy about the current result (I can post later to get feedback) :9~

however, what is currently very time consuming is to get sprites out of the original game. that's why i would be very kean to know whether some of you succeeded to access to the content of the .CAF files ?
except if I'm mistaking, the tool mentionned above (Toonstruck Unpaker) seems to just "unzip" the .pak file, but doesn't allow me to get any sprite out of .caf file. Am I mistaking (I would be so happy...) ?
Anybody got a tips or program to do so ?

skid

06-21-2009, 07:08 AM

I'm currently re-programming the original Toonstruck for NDS device !
Sounds great! But why a seperate approach for NDS? ScummVM would seem like a natural choice to me. Also, while you're developing I'd really recommend to put your source on google code or sourceforge instead of keeping it all under wraps. I'm sure your project would benefit greatly from that - just like the asylumEngine (http://code.google.com/p/asylumengine/) for Sanitarium which really seems to kick off now.

that's why i would be very kean to know whether some of you succeeded to access to the content of the .CAF files ?
except if I'm mistaking, the tool mentionned above (Toonstruck Unpaker) seems to just "unzip" the .pak file, but doesn't allow me to get any sprite out of .caf file. Am I mistaking (I would be so happy...) ?
Anybody got a tips or program to do so ?
The Unpak program is just for the *.pak files. There's another program out there which can be used to access the *.mus, *.svl and *.sel files but I haven't heard of one for the *.caf files.

Best guy to ask is probably john_doe (you can find him at lucasforums.com or forums.scummvm.org). As far as I know he has done quite some work in regards to Toonstruck in the past. I don't know if he's still working on that but he might be able to help you here.

unterbuchse

07-25-2009, 05:55 AM

Hey i just found this thread and want everybody to help me.
I try to get some people together to finish the story... to create toonstruck 2. If you are still interested in Toonstruck and want to help me with the project or just want to talk about toonstruck, PLEASE Join my forum!

www.toonstruck2.games4um.de

gos

09-29-2009, 05:47 PM

yeah there is a project, the project leader needs help so why dont we help him to get toonstruck again?