ThunderPeel2001 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Phew! I just went through and cut and paste every single Question and Answer from yesterday's Facebook Q&A with SOMI:SE's director, Craig Derrick... I've not even had a chance to read it yet! Hopefully it's interesting! Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------- Craig Derrick: Ok...so I guess I'm going to look through the questions and start responding to as many as I can (or want). :-) Question for Craig: Do you think the new version of the game will be released for the Wii in a near future? How near of a future? One year? Five years? The year 3000? The truth is we have no immediate plans for a Wii version of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, but never say never. In the meantime, please be sure to check out Tales of Monkey Island coming out soon on the Wii. I love Monkey Island! Thanks for bringing countless hours of fun for me and my brothers and sisters! We are family. I got all of my brothers and sisters with me. We always felt that the Monkey Island franchise was a family affair (Mr. French would be proud!) and are very happy that people will get to enjoy it again or for the first time! Will we be able to play the HD version with subtitles on if we choose? And alternately, will we be able to play the original version with voice on if we choose? Yes to the first and no to the second. Hope I'm not posting my Q too early, but while remaking the game, how did you balance the need to stay true to the original with giving the game a somewhat more modern feel? Never too early for great questions, Calvin. The balance between was very important as we felt changing the game too significantly would potentially alienate fans new and old alike. We also built the game on top of the original so there were some elements that we couldn't really change whether we wanted to or not, like the registration of where the characters walk within the environment. Will you be doing monkey island 2 next ?? Unknown, but if people really like (and by "like" I mean buy) the SE version, then we'll see. :-) I love what I've seen of the new game. But: What's up with the new hair? Who came up with THAT idea? This is the first time I've read anything about the hair. What do you mean? ;-) It seems like Guybrush's hair changes in every game, so we just thought we were being faithful to the other games. If you need more evidence just check out: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/06/09/rps-at-e3-returns-to-monkey-island/#more-12694 The stuff that ive seen so far looks great, it looks like you have done a great job on one of my favourite games of all time. im just wondering what is the release date for xbla?? will you be making monkey island 2 ?? and what is the real secret of monkey island Wow! That's like 3 questions! The team and I are really happy that people like what they're seeing and hearing about the SE. It really is one of our favorite games as well and we took it very seriously when updating it. The release date for the game hasn't been announced, but I think you can expect to see it very, very soon. Will we be able to play this game in other languages, for example german? Yes, the subtitles have been translated to French, German, Italian and Spanish. We call it EFIGS. Who doesn't like figs? Is Stan going to be in the game? It just wouldn't be the same without him selling me a shifty vessel or coffin or life insurance or condo. Stan is in the game along with his very strange coat! I have had a crush on Guybrush Threepwood since girlhood. Is this normal? Same here. Absolutely normal, so says my doctor. The stuff on Monkey Island Special Edition looks fantastic. How did it take you to make this special edition? I was also wondering like others will there be a special edition to Monkey Island 2? All told it took us about 8 months to go from concept to completion, but we have all been waiting much longer for a new Monkey Island game. If this remake of MI does well, and then you do a remake of MI2 and it does well too, do you see Ron Gilbert making the "true" MI3? I love your very active imagination. We'll see what happens. Oh yeah I almost forgot I was wondering if there is a rough release date for Monkey Isladnd Special Edition. There is a rough release date - mid Summer. Will MISE be released on PC DVD or just for download...? Just download Any chance we could get a Mac port of this game? I'm a P.C. :-) We'll see. Earl Boen has kinda been laying low for a while...how hard was it to get him back to do LeChuck? Not hard at all. He's super cool and was very excited to do it. Why only Microsoft love? When can we expect Mac and PS3 versions? Share some Linux love too! I doubt this is using the SCUMM engine, so ScummVM is probably out. After our launch is successful. And it is using the SCUMM engine. If this is a success and sells well will there special editions of Monkey 2 or more importantly ZaK McKracken and Maniac Mansion? I sense that you folks really like the SE idea and want to see more. I gotta go with Andreas, what's up with that hair? It's contemporary (Someone then replied: "Contemporary for 1990, yeah") Like some other poster said, I'm wondering if you'll do a restyling of other games like MI2, Day of the Tentacle or Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (I wrote the ones I'm hoping to see remade). ooohhh....I like the word restyling. Reminds me of what we did to Guybrush's hair. Given that in an adventure game you pretty much have to do everything to complete the game at all, what kind of xbox achievements are planned? Will you add something to the game that will allow an extra level of difficulty, or will players be able to accumulate the full 200 points for simply completing the game? The main path will only get you half way, so play often and completely. Is there going to be any sort of special edition merchandise/collectors type stuff besides the actual game? http://store.lucasarts.com/catalog/category.xml?category_id=1301488 There is! Check the link above from Thom. Symbiote studios are kicking some ass on this Monkey Island statue and I can't wait to get mine. What was the thinking behind Guybrush's alarming new hair style? (People replied: "I would like to know that too." "For some bizarre reason they apparently felt the need to make him look "young" (as if the MI has the type of mythology where a character's age matters). Odder still, they went down the "surfer dude" route. I think they also felt they were trying to tie him into the sort of look he had in CMI. There was really no need to do that, either.") Guybrush is young, so his hair is definitely young looking. When we started we looked at each iteration of Guybrush (along with all of the characters) across each game and tried to build visual continuity between the versions, while also updating it for a modern audience. It's funny that people really talk about the hair, though. I can't think of another game where people have loved all the other features, but just discuss the main characters hair. I love this discussion! (Someone replied: "That's because instead of looking charming, he looks like a douchebag. Guybrush isn't a douche, he's a dork. BIG difference!") Will you be making/Have you made Monkey Island collectible figurines? I would so go for them! Previously answered above Also, will there be a Mac version coming out for the remake and the new game from Telltale? Not at the moment. Will we have the option to turn on voices when playing with the old art? If no, any chance of this being added in a patch? I think it would be a very nice option to have. We wanted to leave the original in tact, so no voices. It's a bit strange when you do see and hear it with the old art too. Trust me. (People responded: "But it still could have been an option! D: Come on... patch it so it's at least optionable :(" "I second that, there should be a menu option for voices on or off" "But Craig, why not at least give people the option??") Will we be able to purchase a Game CD/DVD + Music CD of MISE "Collectors Edition"? I Love Michael Land's music in these games. No current plans for a CD/DVD. Music? Hmmm...good idea. (Someone replied: "I burned a CD of Monkey tunes I've collected from around the web. Love to crank it with the windows down at stoplights & see what sort of looks I get.") Two questions: -Should we be on the lookout for any new easter eggs in this version? -Did the high prices the the original games sell for on eBay have any influence on the decision to re-make SMI and re-visit the genre? My copy of SMI FM-Towns cost an ungodly amount of money Yes, there are some visual easter eggs. The Ebay costs had nothing to do with it now that I've already sold all of the copies from the Lucas vaults at INSANE prices! How do you think we funded the SE!!?? When, how and why, did the classic 2D point and click adventure games died? Who decided such games were no longer appealing? It was certainly not the community! I find myself playing The Dig, Full Throttle, and any of the older Lucasarts Adventures. Anyway i hope you guys get to reboot this genre, you will certainly have my support! Classic 2D point and click games are not dead. Just check out XBLA this summer to see! Will Gary Coleman be back in some capacity? (Gary Coleman was a part of the COMI cast, at least IIRC) If we bring back Kenny, then why not bring back Gary? Are there any plans to see either this or any other classic LucasArts adventure titles on handheld systems in the near future? Clearly, everyone knows that the Nintendo DS would be the ideal place for such games (along with the Wii), but with the power and swank design of the upcoming PSP Go, both systems could benefit greatly from a taste of the old classic library. Thanks!! I read somewhere that you couldn't put these games on the DS. ;-) "We'll see" Is a Mac-Port planned in the future? Pleaaaaaaaase! The future holds many mysteries. "I wanna be a pirate!" Me too! Are you going to remove Guybrush's "undercut" (his hair on the sprite) before final release? It kind of bugs me! (I love the look of the game guys and the sound seems absolutely perfect from the videos I've seen!) No. Guybrush is only good for one hair cut per game. (Someone replied: "Boo! Remove the undercut... please! :(") Is this going to get released before or after Tales of Monkey Island? (It would seem to me that this would be a great way to get people interested in Monkey Island again... and there's a lot of people eager to get a taste of this classic again!) I agree. How much will the remake cost to buy on the xbox? How much are you willing to spend? (Someone replied: "800 seems reasonable") Will Dominic Armato be reprising his role as guybrush? Yes!!!! And he's AWESOME! Also, will Spiffy the Dog's original close up be reinserted back into the original Monkey Island graphics? And on the subject, can you confirm we can play the game with the original graphics yet with the new rerecorded music and voices? No intended offense, but a lot of the new animation and character designs aren't on par with the original stuff by Steve Purcell, Bill Eaken, and Mike Ebert. It would be a cool feature to be able to play the original with audio enhancements. Also why is Guybrush so ugly? Especially on the sprite? Just about everyone is hoping you will fix that before the release. (People replied: "Spiffy the dog's closeup will be back in the game. You cannot play the old game with the new voices, afaik. I don't think realistically they are going to be changing sprites this late in the game, and I'm sure the art will grow on you. Every Monkey game has been different apart from the first two in that respect." "Nah, the new Guybrush sprite is seriously let down by his hair -- it's got nothing to do with "getting used to it". It looks baaaaad." "Lol, I have to admit, the hair looks...interesting...but then Guybrush has always been a bit of a geek." "Guybrush looks seriously bad, but at least Dominic Armato is back for the voice! Oh and Earl Boen as LeChuck (although he's not in ToMI)!") The special edition features are the audio, HD visuals, hints, etc. When you switch from the SE to the Classic all those new, awesome features just go away. The animations haven't been changed at all. What you're seeing is the new art applied over the pre-existing animations. Guybrush isn't ugly. He's...awkward. Can we expect a remake of MI2 as well, if this version sells well? Or maybe even CMI? CMI art in 1080p would be next to godliness, in my opinion. (Someone replied: "According to E3, they are seeing how well MI1 sells as a special edition, and will consider remaking more if it is well received") My usual PR response: "We'll see" Are you considering changing Guybrush's hair before release? (Someone replied: "Seriously. It's a wee bit distracting. If not, can you divulge what Guybrush uses in order to achieve that shine and hold?") Have you considered shaving your upside mustache? [Referring to the user's Facebook photo showing them with a ridiculous fake moustache] We're working on some hair care promotional items, so I can't divulge what he uses for his shine and hold. Ditto. A similar HD remake of Monkey Island 2 would be warmly recieved. It's my favourite. Any chance? Are you picking up the pattern yet? Would you consider releasing all the old-school Lucasart classics into Wii's Virtual Console or WiiWare? It seems to me that would be the perfect platform to do that. And I assure you, that wouldn't stop people from buying both the old-school game and the Special Edition version of Monkey Island, for example. But it certainly would be great to have such classics as Loom, Maniac Mansion, The Dig, Sam & Max and what not, all in one console, with almost mouse-precision controls. We would consider it. What's up with the PC version? Will it be available on steam? Will there be Achievements in the PC version? Also will the PC version be released at the same time as the XBLA version? We're still working out the details of the PC release, but our plan is to release the XBLA and PC version simultaneously. Will Cobb still be able to tell me about LOOM™? If so, can we please have a remake and a sequel? I have cookies, I'm willing to negotiate if we can make some progress on this issue. Cobb is in and he will tell you all about Loom. We actually recorded nearly ten other responses for Cobb, including Tales of Monkey Island, The Old Republic, etc. but in the end we didn't think it was as funny as having him talk about Loom. Why didn't you add lip-synch to the close up shots? I know it stays closer to the original, but it seems to me a bit weird to hear the voices with the lips standing still. We were being faithful to the original. But, yeah, that's a cool idea. What is up with Guybrush's hair? Guybrush's hair is up. That's what's up. Recently Bill Tiller posted a picture on his blog of a drawing he did of Scumm Bar back in 1998, when he had the idea to do a MI redesign with the distinct CMI style. How would you feel about that possibility, to do a MI remake following the CMI style? You have to agree that the CMI art style is quite above par. Eager fans would most probably love that too. Honestly, I remember the CMI art style being pretty polarizing when it first came out, but now everyone (including me) loves it. I refer to it as the Alien 4 effect. I actually really like that picture of Bill's and I'm totally open to new ideas. Except about Guybrush's hair. :-) Did you guys know there is a limit to the number of comments you can post? Our producer, Craig, learned that the hard way, but luckily got through the vast majority of questions. Give our wall a read, and be ready for another later this week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Change the ****ing hair already aaaaaaaaargh LucasArts is still bloody cruel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Thanks for the great post Thunder...that was a great read! Any chance we could get a Mac port of this game? I'm a P.C. :-) We'll see. I love you lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 (Someone replied: "That's because instead of looking charming, he looks like a douchebag. Guybrush isn't a douche, he's a dork. BIG difference!") I cracked up over this:giggle1: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 btw...do you have the direct link to this discussion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderPeel2001 Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 Sure: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkey-Island-Adventures/78883723363#/pages/Monkey-Island-Adventures/78883723363 It's a lot harder to read though! (You have to click "Show older posts"... a lot!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Thanks I appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Nice grab there... but why do I get the feeling that most of the "Someone replies" bits in italics were your own replies there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderPeel2001 Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Nice grab there... but why do I get the feeling that most of the "Someone replies" bits in italics were your own replies there? No idea. They weren't... *shrugs* I asked two questions and left two comments. My two questions were: "Is this going to get released before or after Tales of Monkey Island? (It would seem to me that this would be a great way to get people interested in Monkey Island again... and there's a lot of people eager to get a taste of this classic again!)" and "Are you going to remove Guybrush's "undercut" (his hair on the sprite) before final release? It kind of bugs me! (I love the look of the game guys and the sound seems absolutely perfect from the videos I've seen!)" My two comments were: "For some bizarre reason they apparently felt the need to make him look "young" (as if the MI has the type of mythology where a character's age matters). Odder still, they went down the "surfer dude" route. I think they also felt they were trying to tie him into the sort of look he had in CMI. There was really no need to do that, either.")" and "Nah, the new Guybrush sprite is seriously let down by his hair -- it's got nothing to do with "getting used to it". It looks baaaaad." Everything else was written by other people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TongueDar Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Thanks fort his post ThunderPeel2001. I'm really glad I'm not the only one that thinks they made Guybrush look like a douche. That was my very first thought when I saw him and I still can't shake it. It's disturbing to say the least and was a really bad call on someone's part. I know this art is good, but the direction is all wrong in my opinion and I really hope they don't bastardize MI2 in the same way. I'm also confused to why they're bringing this to the 360, a console that doesn't support a mouse, or any real pointer for that matter? I guess there's a decent market for it, but on that same note, it seems like the Wii would have been a much better choice. My only thought is that the WiiWare size limitation prevented them from bringing it to the Wii and that distributing it on DVD would blow their budget. Anyways, I really hope something changes. I'm buying this for the PC -- "if" it's available via STEAM -- and I'll have no issues with buying it again for the Wii. I actually bought Staff of Kings for the Wii this week, because it includes Fate of Atlantis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 Nice. I was already wondering whether they'd re-add the Scummbar dog close up, awesome that they did. I bet there will be hack with proper guybrush hair soon after the release since the developers are refusing to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paprik123456 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I dont like it... even his hair... looks stupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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