Return to Monkey Island

[KestrelPi]

30 minutes ago, Jake said:

I think it’s inaccurate to call this a “telltale thing,” as it only truly happens in Tales of Monkey Island and was 100% due to size limitations of WiiWare games. In the Telltale Sam & Max games for example, the characters say what you pick with very few shortcuts taken (unless it’s a joke that your choice is subverted). Even the later Tales of MI chapters drop this, because it turned out to not save much space but created a notably bad experience. Telltale had plenty of cut corners but this wasn’t actually regularly one of them, it just really sticks out when it occurs, especially in Tales of MI chapter 1.

 

Yeah, you may be right there that I'm misremembering that slightly. I also think you're right that the game gets better with this, as it goes along. That's also my memory of it, but I'm still early on.

[KestrelPi]

Also, I don't know where to put this so it'll go here. Wasn't expecting to encounter this reference in FFXIV today:

[ThunderPeel2001]

1 hour ago, KestrelPi said:

Finally got round to finishing Thimbleweed Park and I know a couple of people were curious what I'd make of it so here are my non-spoilery thoughts:

 

Ooh. Not going to read this until I'm done with my second playthrough which I started last week. (Weirdly I'm enjoying TP a LOT more this time... let's see how it goes.)

Some comments on things I'm not enjoying:

• Screens that take a long time to navigate for the sake of it. ("We've got unlimited memory now, folks! Let's make this screen huge!")
• Same goes for the unnecessarily verbose dialogue. You could edit probably two thirds of the dialogue down and have a much tighter experience. (Again it feels like, "Hey, no disk constraints! Let's go crazy with the dialogue!")
• The interface could have a LOT of QOL improvements. The default Right-Click actions are often the least useful ones (eg. "Look At" instead of "Use"). And the fact you can't just drag an inventory item to another playable character (a la Day of the Tentacle) is criminal. Traipsing ain't fun!

 

Still, I'm actually really enjoying playing TP this time. I'm paying a LOT more attention to the characters, and the mysteries. So far it's much more enjoyable than I remember.

Edited June 19, 2022 by ThunderPeel2001

[OzzieMonkey]

Tomorrow marks 11 weeks exactly since the announcement. Tha'ts roughly 6 pages of discussion in this thread per week, or 1 page per day. You crazy bastards, I love ya! 

 

Please release a trailer soon

Otherwise...

[Vainamoinen]

18 hours ago, ThunderPeel2001 said:

The decisions that they [Disney] make about their IP can be maddening. A few stories I could tell that I can't share online. But it makes zero sense sometimes.

 

(Note: I've copy-pasted this quote from Marius' Details of Monkey Island thread, because I'd like to keep that one a thread of full blown positivity)

 

I guess it's really maddening if you have some inside knowledge and can't share it, especially when people are talking about that exact thing and visibly lack the knowledge that you have. 😞

 

I'm not clobbering Disney at the moment, they've made a new Monkey Island possible and they have a B rating on the Yale/Russia list after all (I will, however, clobber them if they interfere with the excellent Devolver/gog.com relationship and/or will only sell a PC version of ReMI through a company with an F rating. But enough of the politics stuff).

 

But Disney is huge, Disney holds innumerable monopolies, every employee has an infinite number of higher-ups with quite different ideas about how things are done. What mere opinion prevails in the end is a game of chance, and some decisions will necessarily feel absurd and damaging to both the individual franchise as well as Disney as a whole.

 

Somebody, somewhere, at Disney has made the decision to get rid of the original "Adventures in Babysitting" artwork by Drew Struzan by just throwing it out with the trash. Somebody then made the decision to place it lowest in a pile, face down in a puddle of water. But some Disney employee also made the decision to call the artist and bring the ruined artwork back to him, free of charge.

 

Good guys, bad guys. I don't know, I just hate it when companies get so big that the left hand never knows what the right does. Some will always be there for the money. Others still have dreams, principles and compassion. 🤷‍♂️

 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Vainamoinen

[ThunderPeel2001]

30 minutes ago, Vainamoinen said:

Good guys, bad guys. I don't know, I just hate it when companies get so big that the left hand never knows what the right does. Some will always be there for the money. Others still have dreams, principles and compassion. 🤷‍♂️

 

It's just frustrating when people with power stop a certain creative decisions for nonsensical reasons. 

[Lagomorph01]

50 minutes ago, Vainamoinen said:

 

(Note: I've copy-pasted this quote from Marius' Details of Monkey Island thread, because I'd like to keep that one a thread of full blown positivity)

 

I guess it's really maddening if you have some inside knowledge and can't share it, especially when people are talking about that exact thing and visibly lack the knowledge that you have. 😞

 

I'm not clobbering Disney at the moment, they've made a new Monkey Island possible and they have a B rating on the Yale/Russia list after all (I will, however, clobber them if they interfere with the excellent Devolver/gog.com relationship and/or will only sell a PC version of ReMI through a company with an F rating. But enough of the politics stuff).

 

But Disney is huge, Disney holds innumerable monopolies, every employee has an infinite number of higher-ups with quite different ideas about how things are done. What mere opinion prevails in the end is a game of chance, and some decisions will necessarily feel absurd and damaging to both the individual franchise as well as Disney as a whole.

 

Somebody, somewhere, at Disney has made the decision to get rid of the original "Adventures in Babysitting" artwork by Drew Struzan by just throwing it out with the trash. Somebody then made the decision to place it lowest in a pile, face down in a puddle of water. But some Disney employee also made the decision to call the artist and bring the ruined artwork back to him, free of charge.

 

Good guys, bad guys. I don't know, I just hate it when companies get so big that the left hand never knows what the right does. Some will always be there for the money. Others still have dreams, principles and compassion. 🤷‍♂️

 

 

I think Disney is one of the scariest company's at the moment. The monopoly they hold over media and the hypocrisy with which they treat certain subjects is something that I just cannot get behind, so I rarely endorse them.

However, in rare circumstances this can be a positive thing, as I doubt the making of a new Monkey Island would have been made possible if it weren't for Disney. Hooray for the person that took that decision.

However one right does not undo all the wrongs that are done just for the sake of making money.

[KestrelPi]

Today I asked an AI to "Write a detailed synopsis of a new game called Return to Monkey Island set directly after the end of Monkey Island 2, including details of how the key shop and courthouse are involved:"

The game begins with Guybrush Threepwood being shipwrecked on the shores of Monkey Island. He is soon met by a band of pirates led by Captain LeChuck who mistakes him for one of his long-lost crew members. After being taken captive, Guybrush manages to escape and finds himself in the middle of a battle between the pirates and the native monkeys. He eventually makes his way to the pirate headquarters where he meets up with LeChuck's first mate, Carla.

Carla tells him that LeChuck has been seeking a powerful artifact known as the Idol of Ultimate Piratey which will grant him absolute power. She also reveals that the only way to stop LeChuck is to find four pieces of a map which lead to the location of the idol. With Carla's help, Guybrush sets out to find the first piece of the map which is being held by Governor Marley in the governor's mansion.

After infiltrating the mansion and acquiring the first piece of the map, Guybrush attempts to leave but is caught by Marley who demands that he turn over all pirate treasure in exchange for his freedom. Guybrush manages to talk his way out of it and escapes but not before overhearing Marley mention something about meeting up with someone at The Cutthroat Arms tavern.

At The Cutthroat Arms, Guybrush eavesdrops on a conversation between Marley and Le Chuck wherein they discuss their plans to double cross each other once they have possession of the Idol. They also mention that there are two more pieces of the map, one held by Mr. Fossey at Fossey's Fabulous Key Shop and another held by Judge Grindstone at courthouse square.

With this new information, Guybrush sets out to acquire these last two pieces ofthe map so he can finally put an end to LeChuck's reign of terror...

[KestrelPi]

Also, while I was there:

 

Come up with 10 different theories for what the secret of monkey island is:

1. The secret of Monkey Island is that there is no secret – it's just a fun place to visit.
2. The secret of Monkey Island is that the monkeys are actually aliens from another planet.
3. The secret of Monkey Island is that the island is actually a portal to another dimension.
4. The secret of Monkey Island is that it is haunted by ghosts or other supernatural beings.
5. The secret of Monkey Island is that it was once used as a laboratory for experiments on animals (or humans).
6. The secret of Monkey Island is that it contains a treasure trove of pirate booty.
7. The secret of Monkey Island is that it is the home to a lost civilization or race of people.
8. The secret of Monkey Island is that it has magical properties and/or powers.
9. The secret of Monkey Island is that it is the location of a powerful and/or evil being or entities.
10. The secret of Monkey Island is that it will be the site of a future apocalyptic event.

[Vainamoinen]

53 minutes ago, KestrelPi said:

10. The secret of Monkey Island is that it will be the site of a future apocalyptic event.

 

Or even that Monkey island was the site of a past apocalyptic event.

 

Remember all those anachronisms ... ? Well.

[KestrelPi]

2 hours ago, Vainamoinen said:

Good guys, bad guys. I don't know, I just hate it when companies get so big that the left hand never knows what the right does. Some will always be there for the money. Others still have dreams, principles and compassion. 🤷‍♂️

 

In the end, it's still just people. On a personal note, I've had several run ins with companies that employed me getting acquired and becoming bigger, and those have been overall pretty negative for me.

I started out my career working for a pretty large media company and at first that was exciting but very quickly you started to see the low-level abuses that come with that - the idea that we should be happy with the prestige of working for a large company in exchange for lower pay, or less individual say, and whatever else. But mostly for me it was just the layers of bull everything became mired in. Being told that new policies were empowering when they felt like the opposite, feeling smaller and smaller and told like this was a good thing.

 

When the companies I subsequently worked for got bought I started feeling similar stuff start to creep in around the edges and I got out as soon as I could, and never regretted that decision.

 

It shouldn't be surprising that I personally have some mixed feelings about Microsoft acquiring Double Fine, even if I can fully appreciate and support the reasons that might motivate that, and am even excited about some of the potential outcomes of it.

But the thing is, I suppose, is that these are still all companies that need to create things, and creatives are ALWAYS going to be motivated to put out their best work even if it has to all get filtered through a corporate lens.

 

There's a reason why Disney films are usually still pretty enjoyable and well written and made when they come out, despite the ever expanding presense of the Disney Entity, and I guess it's because through all that, despite all that, there are still creative people, operating within that framework, who really care about the story they're trying to tell.

Until the AI gets good enough to do away with THEM too, we'll always have that, at least.

Edited June 20, 2022 by KestrelPi

[ATMcashpoint]

1 hour ago, KestrelPi said:

Today I asked an AI to "Write a detailed synopsis of a new game called Return to Monkey Island set directly after the end of Monkey Island 2, including details of how the key shop and courthouse are involved:"

The game begins with Guybrush Threepwood being shipwrecked on the shores of Monkey Island. He is soon met by a band of pirates led by Captain LeChuck who mistakes him for one of his long-lost crew members. After being taken captive, Guybrush manages to escape and finds himself in the middle of a battle between the pirates and the native monkeys. He eventually makes his way to the pirate headquarters where he meets up with LeChuck's first mate, Carla.

Carla tells him that LeChuck has been seeking a powerful artifact known as the Idol of Ultimate Piratey which will grant him absolute power. She also reveals that the only way to stop LeChuck is to find four pieces of a map which lead to the location of the idol. With Carla's help, Guybrush sets out to find the first piece of the map which is being held by Governor Marley in the governor's mansion.

After infiltrating the mansion and acquiring the first piece of the map, Guybrush attempts to leave but is caught by Marley who demands that he turn over all pirate treasure in exchange for his freedom. Guybrush manages to talk his way out of it and escapes but not before overhearing Marley mention something about meeting up with someone at The Cutthroat Arms tavern.

At The Cutthroat Arms, Guybrush eavesdrops on a conversation between Marley and Le Chuck wherein they discuss their plans to double cross each other once they have possession of the Idol. They also mention that there are two more pieces of the map, one held by Mr. Fossey at Fossey's Fabulous Key Shop and another held by Judge Grindstone at courthouse square.

With this new information, Guybrush sets out to acquire these last two pieces ofthe map so he can finally put an end to LeChuck's reign of terror...

I like that the AI just completely forgot about one of the map pieces.

[KestrelPi]

I've now asked the AI to "Spoil five major unexpected plot twists in the upcoming game Return to Monkey Island:"

1. Guybrush is revealed to be a robot created by the Voodoo Lady.
2. The Voodoo Lady is actually LeChuck in disguise.
3. Elaine is possessed by LeChuck and tries to kill Guybrush.
4. Guybrush discovers that he is the reincarnation of LeChuck.
5. The final battle takes place on Monkey Island, which has been taken over by LeChuck's zombie army.

[Vainamoinen]

2 minutes ago, KestrelPi said:

I've now asked the AI to "Spoil five major unexpected plot twists in the upcoming game Return to Monkey Island:"

1. Guybrush is revealed to be a robot created by the Voodoo Lady.
2. The Voodoo Lady is actually LeChuck in disguise.
3. Elaine is possessed by LeChuck and tries to kill Guybrush.
4. Guybrush discovers that he is the reincarnation of LeChuck.
5. The final battle takes place on Monkey Island, which has been taken over by LeChuck's zombie army.

 

Surely this AI could write Frozen parts three to one hundred and forty-eight.

[OzzieMonkey]

2 minutes ago, KestrelPi said:

I've now asked the AI to "Spoil five major unexpected plot twists in the upcoming game Return to Monkey Island:"

1. Guybrush is revealed to be a robot created by the Voodoo Lady.
2. The Voodoo Lady is actually LeChuck in disguise.
3. Elaine is possessed by LeChuck and tries to kill Guybrush.
4. Guybrush discovers that he is the reincarnation of LeChuck.
5. The final battle takes place on Monkey Island, which has been taken over by LeChuck's zombie army.

Wow, a robot AND the reincarnation of LeChuck? What a twist 😂

Would you be kind enough to ask it to interpret how it keeps all the post-Gilbert games canon? I'd love to see how it stacks up against our theories  

[KestrelPi]

2 minutes ago, OzzieMonkey said:

Wow, a robot AND the reincarnation of LeChuck? What a twist 😂

Would you be kind enough to ask it to interpret how it keeps all the post-Gilbert games canon? I'd love to see how it stacks up against our theories  

 

I'll add it to the list. In the mean time:

 

Predict the opening ten lines of dialogue between child Guybrush and his creepy brother Chuckie in the Big Whoop Amusement Park in Return to Monkey Island:
"Hey Chuckie, what are you doing here?"
"I'm just hanging out, what's up with you?"
"I'm here to find the treasure of Big Whoop."
"That's a myth! There is no treasure!"
"Yes there is, and I'm going to find it."
"You're going to get yourself killed looking for that treasure."
"No I won't. I'll be careful."
"Whatever you say, little brother. Just be careful."

[KestrelPi]

6 minutes ago, OzzieMonkey said:

Would you be kind enough to ask it to interpret how it keeps all the post-Gilbert games canon? I'd love to see how it stacks up against our theories  

Thanks, AI. Both for being no help at all, and also for adding 'LeChuck's Revenge' to my prompt.

[Toymafia88]

6 hours ago, OzzieMonkey said:

Tomorrow marks 11 weeks exactly since the announcement. Tha'ts roughly 6 pages of discussion in this thread per week, or 1 page per day. You crazy bastards, I love ya! 

 

Please release a trailer soon

Otherwise...

I can't take it anymore!!!

 

No trailer or Guybrush pics makes Sam something... something...

[KestrelPi]

I'm forced to admit that the AI is a pretty good comedian:

 

"Improvise a letter from LeChuck to Guybrush, apologising for his behaviour and suggesting 3 remedial actions:"

 

Dear Guybrush,

 

I want to apologise for my behaviour. I know that I've been a bit of a jerk and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me. Here are three things you can do to help make up for my bad behaviour:

 

1) Buy me a drink next time we meet.

2) Let me win the next game of pirates we play against each other.

3) Give me a big hug.

 

I hope this makes up for my bad behaviour. I promise to try and be better in the future.

 

Love,

LeChuck

[OzzieMonkey]

17 minutes ago, KestrelPi said:

Thanks, AI. Both for being no help at all, and also for adding 'LeChuck's Revenge' to my prompt.

Brilliant, couldn't have asked for better 😂

[KestrelPi]

I'm constantly surprised by how funny this is:

 

Write a sarcastic back of the box blurb for Return to Monkey Island:

 

"What do you get when you cross the fourth wall, a talking pirate monkey, and Tim Schafer? The answer is: a whole lot of nothing. That's right, in Return to Monkey Island, you play as Guybrush Threepwood, a washed-up pirate who has to save his wife from a bunch of monkeys. With gameplay that consists of picking up bananas and saying 'Argh!' a lot, this game is sure to provide hours upon hours of mind-numbing fun."

[Jake]

Which AI tool are you using for this?

[KestrelPi]

2 minutes ago, Jake said:

Which AI tool are you using for this?

OpenAI's Playground using the text davinci 002 model

[KestrelPi]

I'm now getting it to generate negative steam reviews, to recentre my expectations:

"Return to Monkey Island is a huge disappointment. Not only does it have terrible graphics, but the plot is full of holes. For starters, the game completely ignores the ending of the previous game. In that game, Guybrush Threepwood became the governor of Melee Island, and married Elaine Marley. But in this game, they act like none of that ever happened. Secondly, the villainous LeChuck is somehow back from the dead, despite being killed in a very final way in the last game. And his new plan makes no sense whatsoever. Finally, the whole game feels like it's just going through the motions. There's nothing new or interesting here, and it all feels very stale. Avoid this one at all costs."

[KestrelPi]

I'll admit. Sometimes this scares me a bit:

 

"Write an open letter from Ron Gilbert sarcastically pretending to apologize for ruining the Monkey Island franchise and listing the 3 things he'll do to make amends:"

 

Dear Monkey Island fans,

 

I am sorry. I have ruined your beloved franchise and for that, I am truly sorry. I know how much you all love Monkey Island and I have taken that away from you.

 

But there is still hope! I promise to make things right. Here are three things I will do to make amends:

 

1) First, I will release a brand new Monkey Island game that is exactly like the first two games. No changes, no new features, nothing different at all. Just the same great game you remember from your childhoods.

 

2) Second, I will personally apologize to each and every one of you for ruining the franchise. You have my word that I will never again set foot near a Monkey Island game or anything related to it ever again.

 

3) Finally, in an attempt to win back your trust, I will give away free monkey-related merchandise to everyone who purchases the new game. T-shirts, hats, keychains – you name it! We want you to be happy with Monkey Island once again.