The International House of Mojo

With elTee on boad, the collective snark is fortified with another strong voice. But soon the streamers will respond in kind, ambushing our hearts with a new participant of their own...

Remi 2:05 PM
Live commentary -- this will likely appear on Mojo, so watch your mouth. ;

jason 2:05 PM
Love the way the troll's bat floats back into his hand.

Remi 2:06 PM
Also, not George Lucas.
2:06
Just looked like him in the VGA version.

elTee 2:06 PM
you can edit me out! jake and marius suck!!

Remi 2:06 PM
There's our headline!

elTee 2:07 PM
I was joking!

elTee 2:07 PM
I like jake and marius!

Remi 2:07 PM
Sure you do. ;

elTee 2:08 PM
I want them to test something in the game but I don't have an account so I can't comment
2:08
I have this belief that if you stand still on the melee island paths instead of walking around, when you encounter a pirate you get the line you need

jason 2:08 PM
I always disagreed with giving Stan's shipyard music in the CD version.

elTee 2:08 PM
rather than trial and error 10 times

jason 2:09 PM
That sounds like a total conspiracy theory -- bring it up.

Remi 2:09 PM
The CD-ROM music there. Oof.

jason 2:09 PM
You don't need an account it's a public chat.

elTee 2:09 PM
I tried to talk and it wouldn't let me post
2:09
it invited me to sign up

jason 2:09 PM
Oh sorry. I was assuming.

elTee 2:10 PM
seriously how can anyone not love this EGA art

zaarin 2:10 PM
I like it more now than I did back then

zaarin 2:11 PM
Back then I thought it was downgraded from the VGA art
2:11
I didn't know the close-ups were different

jason 2:11 PM
Ahh, nice tidbit about failing three times with the troll's riddle.

Remi 2:11 PM
I can appreciate the artistry of the EGA version now.

jason 2:11 PM
@zaarin Same. I started with VGA floppy and quite liked the "realistic" close-ups.
2:12
There's no denying that the originals are more consonant with the surrounding game, though
2:12
I love them both.

elTee 2:12 PM
yeah VGA is not bad by any means

Remi 2:12 PM
It's hard to go back from the Amiga version for me.

jason 2:12 PM
The VGA version gave us LEC employees as the characters!

Remi 2:12 PM
I thought that was the EGA version.

elTee 2:12 PM
oh right, is Elaine Mrs Purcell or something?
2:12
I know the swordmaster was someone

jason 2:12 PM
Yeah, the damned safe combination is the one part of MI1 I have to write stuff down.
2:14
The outsized belligerence of the shopkeeper still makes me happy.

Remi 2:14 PM
Yeah.
2:14
I mean, I always liked MI1 a lot, but this is a good reminder of how solid it really is.

elTee 2:15 PM
whenever I revisit MI1 I'm still surprised how well it holds up

Remi 2:15 PM
I might give the Amiga version a whirl again.
2:15
We're all going to be killed by the virus, so might as well do it one last time.

jason 2:16 PM
They're talking early design documents for MI.

Remi 2:16 PM
Yeah, the less comedic version.

elTee 2:16 PM
smear west?

jason 2:16 PM
One of them should have the ship-to-ship combat arcade sequence that Tim rued the cutting of.

Remi 2:17 PM
Smear West? No clue.

elTee 2:17 PM
I thought that was the name of the playable character in the original design, I may be wrong though
2:17
maybe it's a gynacological product

Remi 2:17 PM
Hank Plank was Tim's name, no?

jason 2:17 PM
I love the "following the shopkeeper" music.

elTee 2:18 PM
that sounds like a porn name

Remi 2:18 PM
That music is awesome.
2:18
Also the most ska-like part of the soundtrack.
2:18
The Stump Joke. Classic.

jason 2:19 PM
I agree with the gist of what they were saying earlier: that this game does a superb job of creating a captivating world while also constantly undermining its reality, with that somehow working.

Remi 2:19 PM
Yep. It's like a covert surrealism to it.

elTee 2:19 PM
I mean the stump joke - I was maybe 7 or 8 when I played this, and I got the joke
2:19
were people REALLY fooled by that?

jason 2:20 PM
Still grateful that the VGA Floppy version retained it.
2:20
Were the woods totally untouched by the VGA conversion?
2:20
Those screens look identical to how I remember them in VGA.

Remi 2:21 PM
I believe so.
2:21
Though not the sign and cement slab.
2:21
Those were definitely textured.

elTee 2:21 PM
I think there was more fidelity to the plants maybe
2:21
I might be totally wrong again

zaarin 2:21 PM
more gradients

Remi 2:22 PM
The national park signs -- those are very American.
2:22
I'm sure most got the point, but not the direct references.

elTee 2:22 PM
that thing should be a monitor
2:23
if this is a theme park, it's just a TV screen in a box

jason 2:23 PM
@elTee Carla the Swordmaster in the VGA close-up was based on Carla Green, who you can see in 6:35 of this video.

elTee 2:24 PM
ah I thought I remembered that

jason 2:25 PM
I do like how this puzzle solution is persistence in the dialog tree.
2:26
Nice touch with the hearts drawn on the dummy sparring partners.

Remi 2:27 PM
I like the smile on it.

jason 2:27 PM
The scary sound effect! From Last Crusade!

Remi 2:27 PM
It sounds a lot better on the Amiga. ;

jason 2:27 PM
I feel like The Machine, like "Prepare to die," is a direct reference to The Princess Bride.

Remi 2:28 PM
Not impossible.
2:28
Now we're getting a little look at Jake's home office.
2:28
Some nice floating shelves in the back.
2:28
Comfortable looking chair.

zaarin 2:29 PM
ATM starting to talk about early versions of games

jason 2:29 PM
Water barrel with the ladle hanging out, on the bottom left.
2:30
I think the business of Guybrush simultaneously being super competent and an idiot, which people are discussing, is partially an artifact of him being an adventure game character.

Remi 2:30 PM
The Big Lebowski comparison I disagree with.

elTee 2:30 PM
he's naive but he gets things done by being underhand

jason 2:31 PM
I haven't seen it in a while -- does Jeff Bridges just stumble through things successfully?
2:31
I think Guybrush is a lot more proactively smart.

Remi 2:31 PM
He's a naive asshole.

elTee 2:31 PM
the dude is just stoned all the time

jason 2:31 PM
He's just also a goofball.

elTee 2:31 PM
he just wants to chill out or have fun
2:31
he deals with problems if they get in the way of that
2:31
it's more walter who fucks things up colossally

jason 2:31 PM
Guybrush talking to the audience -- what other examples are there of that?

Remi 2:32 PM
Pirates walking all over the map.
2:32
They really did make the world feel alive.

jason 2:32 PM
The "guaranteed A+" speech to the player in CMI during a Haggis dialog is excellent.

Remi 2:32 PM
He kind of stopped talking to the player in EMI and TMI, no?

Suddenly, the proceedings kicked up a notch, because this happened:

jason 2:32 PM
Dom just called in!

Remi 2:33 PM
Celebrity studded!

elTee 2:33 PM
haha
2:34
marek is in the chat btw if you still want to find out what that acronym was

Remi 2:34 PM
Marek tossing in a #monkey-island reference.

Bennyboy 2:35 PM
I've just got back...when did Dominic Armarto turn up?

zaarin 2:35 PM
2 mins ago

Remi 2:35 PM
Just now.

jason 2:36 PM
Oh man, deep cut with Dom's "dmnkly" internet handle.

Remi 2:36 PM
Not the one he used in the chat, mind you.
2:36
That was later.
2:36
The log is on TSB. ;

jason 2:38 PM
Hahaha, "You've both voiced Guybrush Threepwood."
2:39
Dom's pointing out that it's been ten years since his last paid gig as Guybrush.
2:39
Dude's gotta eat. Come on, Iger.

elTee 2:39 PM
where is craig derrick when we need him

Remi 2:40 PM
ATM is wrong about the date, tut tut.

elTee 2:40 PM
(I guess he's at home like everyone else)

jason 2:40 PM
Hee. Marius noticing that Guybrush turns into a massive prick when he meets Meathook.

Remi 2:41 PM
The whole Meathook scene is great.
2:41
And he also have the mysterious tunnel in his house, of course.

elTee 2:41 PM
yeah I love this part

jason 2:41 PM
Meathook turns the tables in Part Two, so it evens out.
2:42
He's a little bit of a precursor to Duke Grabowski. Big, burly softie.

Remi 2:42 PM
That game... :~

zaarin 2:43 PM
Don't talk shit about jason's favourite game ;

Remi 2:43 PM
Hey, all respect that he likes it.

jason 2:43 PM
My favorite game [that my name is in].

Remi 2:43 PM
I just don't. ;

jason 2:43 PM
Duke is good. It's just 45 minutes.

Remi 2:44 PM
It got so cringe-worthy I gave up after ten.

jason 2:44 PM
But those backgrounds.

Remi 2:44 PM
Yes, love the background.

jason 2:44 PM
Ah, poor Marius, playing the German version of CMI where the song got cut out.
2:45
Dom says it's the only recording on the games he didn't do in isolation.

Remi 2:45 PM
Please, old news.

jason 2:45 PM
They can still go back and record "Plank of Love."

Remi 2:45 PM
That'd be one hell of an SE.

jason 2:47 PM
Do the adjectives in front of the pirates' names signify their swordfighting experience level?
2:47
CMI was more clear on that.
2:47
"Stinking Pirate" doesn't say much. I guess that's Tier 1.
2:49
Dom thinks he has the script to EMI in his garage.
2:49
Huge mistake to reveal that to a chat room of Monkey Island fans

Remi 2:49 PM
What?
2:49
No!
2:49
You think I lower myself to go in as Mojo?
2:50
Please.

jason 2:50 PM
Jake's not cutting corners. I'd be hitting the period key all over the swordfighting tedium.

Remi 2:50 PM
Same.

elTee 2:51 PM
why do I have it in my head that when you get a new insult, you stay still and the next pirate has the response for it?
2:51
I'm going to end up trying it ¬

Bennyboy 2:51 PM
I always just stood by the fork and let them come to you

Remi 2:51 PM
I did, too.
2:52
Man, almost two hours in.

jason 2:53 PM
Man, Dom's really upping the value here. Good tidbits on the recording sessions.
2:53
Hope the video gets preserved.

Remi 2:53 PM
I hope retains a copy of thise...
2:53
Yes
2:53
That.

zaarin 2:54 PM
Twitch will save it for 60 days if Jake has a paid account. Need to put it on Youtube to save it for good, I think

Remi 2:55 PM
We'll donate our YouTube space for it. ;

zaarin 2:55 PM

You can save highlights for longer periods of time, but I don't remember how that worked exactly

jason 2:56 PM
Haha, poor Dom having to read all the times on the clock, and all the colors in the Herman MI2 dialog.

Remi 2:56 PM
The man did a good job at it.
2:57
Hee, Jake losing at sword fighting.
2:57
Pretty much how it would be if I was playing.

jason 2:57 PM
Dom says 20-30 four-hour sessions to record CMI and EMI. The Special Editions took only a few days. Didn't realize the sequels had that much more dialog.

Remi 2:59 PM
Oh man, finding the script.

jason 2:59 PM
Nice.

elTee 2:59 PM
the lines are all pretty short in the first two games I guess

jason 3:00 PM
I do remember at the time it being said that EMI set the record for most lines of dialog in an LEC game.

elTee 3:00 PM
to fit neatly on screen

Remi 3:00 PM
7,000 odd lines, right?

jason 3:00 PM
Something crazy.
3:00
I mean for it to beat Grim, which had such larger scope...

zaarin 3:01 PM
Fate of Atlantis bragged it had 8000 lines in the talkie demo, I think

jason 3:01 PM
Stemmle and Clark told The SCUMM Bar that EMI had over 10,000 lines.

Remi 3:01 PM
Well then. Anyone higher?

zaarin 3:02 PM

I remembered correctly!
3:03
Those White Label budget releases always came with 4-5 other LEC demos and Fate of Atlantis was one of those
3:03
All non-interactive

elTee 3:03 PM
yes, I remember them well
3:04
there was a rolling dott demo and a rolling fate of atlantis demo

jason 3:04 PM
Grim is said to have "more than 8,000."

zaarin 3:04 PM
rolling Sam & Max as well
3:04
with a narrator

elTee 3:05 PM
yeah and was there a star wars one too?

zaarin 3:05 PM
Rebel Assault, I think
3:05
Was just a collection of the FMVs

jason 3:06 PM
Dom struck out on the script, but some quality talk of The Secret.
3:07
ATM is keeping everyone abreast.

zaarin 3:07 PM
ATM saying Guybrush is a girl again

jason 3:07 PM
It's 2020, zaarin.

Bennyboy 3:07 PM
I had to afk - did he find the script?

jason 3:07 PM
Get over it.
3:07
Afraid not.

Remi 3:07 PM
No moon in the EGA version.

jason 3:08 PM
That's the cost of a sunset.
3:09
Speaking of Dom playing animals: he deserves more recognition for the duck in EMI.

elTee 3:09 PM
wow jake is doing the mi2 puzzle
3:09
the rat goes in the stew

jason 3:09 PM
I can't be too hard on Jake's memory with the puzzles considering how stumped Schafer and Grossman were by DOTT when they did this.

elTee 3:09 PM
I've never stewed the meat before

Remi 3:09 PM
I've never stewed it like that.

jason 3:09 PM
I always stew the meat!

elTee 3:10 PM
wtf
3:10
you give the dogs raw meat with flower on it

Bennyboy 3:10 PM
!

Remi 3:10 PM
They don't have stews in England.

jason 3:10 PM
So wait did jake wash out the flower metal? I missed it.

elTee 3:10 PM
that's cool that you can do that both ways

jason 3:10 PM
I always stew the meat, then add the flower.

Bennyboy 3:10 PM
I didnt know you could stew it, I always did it raw

Remi 3:10 PM
Man, now I don't remember.

elTee 3:11 PM
I didn't know you could even do that

Remi 3:11 PM
I don't think I've ever stewed it.

elTee 3:11 PM
it's a good save though
3:11
stewing the meat makes more sense than using the flowers on it, especially if you find it early
3:11
so it doesn't punish people who stew it
3:12
like sierra would have done

jason 3:14 PM
Woah, now Jake's dropping references to Hugo's House of Horrors? Let's take it easy.

jason 3:16 PM
Touting those Governor's Manson effects.
3:17
Someone needs to investigate Jake's claims about Jonathan Ackley sneaking Monkey Island music in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Remi 3:17 PM
Oh, it's there.

Bennyboy 3:17 PM
I've read something about that somewhere

Remi 3:17 PM
elTee posted a video a month back.
3:17
So consider it verified.
3:18
The guy who filmed it made his Twitter account private, though.

jason 3:18 PM
Good points about the SE ruining the Governor's Mansion vaudeville sequence, since it uses the interface to make jokes.
3:18
It's amazing how the SE updates the interface to make it less streamlined.

elTee 3:20 PM
it was literally the CMI intro music

Remi 3:20 PM
Yep.

jason 3:21 PM
That is one teal mountainscape in the EGA version.

Remi 3:22 PM
Yeah, ran out of colors, clearly.

jason 3:22 PM
Jake's already laying the foundation for pulling the plug early.

Remi 3:22 PM
Hee, 2.5 hours in?
3:22
I wouldn't call that too early. ;

jason 3:23 PM
This was fun. Glad I did this instead of deciphering Gabez's HTML features.
3:23
And so is my doctor.

Remi 3:23 PM
Both would have been fun, though.

Would they have both been fun though, Remi? You won't find out on the final page, in which Jake completes the Three Trials, and everyone decides to punt on third down.