The International House of Mojo

Hey guys, nice job on the "Bone" banner at the top of the site.

Hey all,
I have to admit that I was really psyched for this first episodic release, but was scared off by the initial activation key problems and the really short demo. Could someone who's purchased and played through the game tell me what they think (of the game) :-) The only review I saw out there said that it would be great for younger gamers, but did not have much depth on the puzzle side. Thanks.

My issue with the download is that I've been burned by download only products before. For example, I once purchased/downloaded a 5.1 surround sound version of an album. I backed up the album and ran into two problems. First, I re-installed my computer and the backed up files wouldn't play. Because my computer was re-installed the license wasn't valid anymore. Luckily the company begrudgingly allowed me to download the files again and gave me instructions to back up the album. The second issue was that, following their instructions the backup was downgraded to a 2 channel stereo CD. A CD I already owned. I puchased/downloaded the 5.1 album because I wanted more than stereo.

That whole experience soured me on online only products. That's the reason why I'm weary of buying the product. I'm not comfortable relying on a company to stay in business in order for me to download and/or play my product. Files can be erased and lost for a variety of reasons. I've yet to lose a physical CD. Burned CD's can burn with corruptions and decay very rapidly. Definately not a long term solution. Those are my reasons. My sister was looking forward to this game, but she's on 28.8 dialup (it's all that's available in her area). For her a 75mb download is out of the question.

One question I do have is this. I haven't purchased the game due to my concerns. If I do purchase the product, is there an actual program file you download, i.e. can I actually back up that 75mb download to CD? I ask this because I notice that the demo won't allow this. You can only download an internet installer, which then installs/downloads the program over the internet. If that's all you get with the purchased version, that puts me in the same vunerable position. I'd have to depend on this company to stay in business, to continue to support the game, to continue to operate their servers... and seeing as I love to pull out my old favourites every few years this is a pretty big risk. I mean, try going to LucasArts and finding references to Zak McKracken for example. To Loom. Companies have a history of "forgetting" their older games once they move on to newer titles. I want to be able to install it as I choose, without depending on other parties or an internet connection. Would this be possible?

For starters, go to www.gamershell.com where you can download the game in a normal way, not via TellTale. Afterwards, simply back up either the Setup program (you may have to Search for it in Windows, it's in a Temp folder) or the whole install.

However, I totally agree with you about not liking this 'download only' policy. I didn't like it with Half-Life 2, I don't like it with the upcoming Sin Episodes, and the only reason I'm letting TellTale get away with it is a) they need all the support they can get, and b) they have made a concerted effort to keep the download size small.

Don't worry though, it'll start appearing on magazine coverdiscs soon enough.

Well with Half-Life 2, although you were forced to use their steam program... >:-( They did sell the game as a physical product. I should add that yes, I do own Half-Life 2... all bloody 5 CD's. I'd go into another rant about how they should've put them all onto one DVD... but I think I've ranted enough today. I too think Telltale deserves the money and that's why I was torn. I'm especially keen to support them after hearing that they've picked up S&M2!

Thanks for telling me about GamersHell.com, I'll be heading there promptly after writing this to give your suggestion a go. Seems like that will solve my problem in a relatively simple way.

They did release it on a DVD. Just only here in the UK. Ha! :)

Wonder if they'll do the same with Psychonauts...

YES! Heather at TellTale got back to me with my Activation Key! Now I'm playing Bone! And it's pretty darn cool, if a little sparsely populated. Ted the Bug is already my favourite, and his mini-game is wonderful.

I guess the sparsity (which I only really found majorly in the desert) is a side-effect of keeping the download to a reasonable 75MB, and also that it's an on-the-fly rendered game. Too many 3D assetts could cause issues for lower-end computers. But I think the texturing is top notch which helps draw the eye away from the lack of background objects.

HELP!
I'm trying to download Bone, but I receive a message like "Problem encountered in the Internet connection(ARM1054,12007)"
Did anyone have the same problem? What should I do?? Somebody please answer me

If their own download method isn't working, try going to www.gamershell.com - they've just put it up.

Contact support@telltalegames.com. Or post on the forum. A lot of people (myself included) have had Internet Connection Failure problems when trying to download the Activation Key after buying it, but I've not had a problem with actually downloading it...

So where's the Mojo review to tell me what to think?!

I'd write one, if I knew how.

There should be one on Monday.

It's Monday. And still no sign of a review. Will it be coming later today? BTW, isn't it meant to be Indy month?

Last month was Indy month. Apparently Mixnmojo Months last at least three times longer than ordinary months!

I see. That still doesn't change anything about the revew.

I didn't say which Monday.

I shall buy...

Are their heads supposed to be allowed to spin all the way around? When I'm getting smiley to play, and phoney looks at me, and i walk to go look at the sky, his head follows me for a bit and then loses interest and spins the rest of the way around. Kinda creepy, but its a fun cartoon, so its cool.

And the music really fits the game so far. I'm really enjoying it. I'll be buying it soon.

err, I'm not convinced... lots of things I saw in the demo felt like an advanced beta : animation,background resolution, the bees thing.
However the little details in the gameplay impressed me a lot
-> how interacting with things lead you to find the one element you have to use or notice.
->dialogs system

I just bought it but I didn't seem to receive a key anywhere and I can't unlock the full game. Any suggestions?

Actually, on the splash screen there's a red CUSTOMER SERVICE link top left. Click that and enter your order number (in the email you received) and your password and click the 'retreive key' button.

email support@telltalegames.com

There's discussion of this issue at the end of this thread;

http://www.telltalegames.com/forum/viewthread?thread=277

I'm having the same problem, as are several others. After purchasing, I clicked 'Finish', the message 'Retrieving Key' comes up, and several seconds later the error message 'Internet Connection Failure' appears, even though I'm on broadband and it's working fine!

Any idea how to get back to the 'Retrieving Key' bit without purchasing it again? I can't seem to find out where to go to try again!

Well, I've found out how to do the 'Retrieving Key' bit again (open the Reminder Screen, click Customer Service at the very top), but it's still not working. This is ridiculous!

If it's the same error I'm getting, post about it in this thread;

http://www.telltalegames.com/forum/viewthread?thread=283

I have a screenshot in that thread of the errorbox I keep getting.

I'm downloading it now, but don't you guys think that $19.99 is just a bit steep? Considering this is just the first 'episode' of the game?

It converts to about NZ$27. Most full commercial games purchased are around the NZ$100 mark, so I have no problem with the pricing structure.

I'm not in the least bit worried about boxes & CDs & manuals. I prefer the ability to play the game at the same time as the rest of the world that's given by the download system.

How long is the 'episode'?

They estimates from Telltale are 4-6 hours of gameplay, though I guess that entirely depends on your familiarity with adventure games, your tendency to explore all dialogue paths, take in surroundings, and whether you use the in-game hint system...

Can't buy it just yet, since I'm buying Myst V and Indigo Prophecy, but this is next on my list. Downloading the demo now...

Be warned the 'demo' is one puzzle and one action sequence long. The good news is that when you download the demo, you also have the full game - it just needs unlocking once the demo portion is completed.

tanks for the heads up

The game rocks! :D Love the stories with the Possum kids ;) Makes me laugh, haha..

I also love the new Telltale web-site design!

First impression is positive. Feels very much like a classic LEC adventure.

I guess I missed the fact that this game is online only. Is there any possibility that the game will be released as a physical product at any time in the future? I love the $20 price tag, but not the download only idea. I'd be more than willing to pay a bit more for a CD. Anyone have any info on this?

It's a whole new business model, and I really hope it works out for Telltale. What's your issue with downoad only? No box? It's only a 75MB download, I did it on dialup without issue.

No doubt the installer file will be all over magazine coverdisks in the next month, so you'll be able to get it on CD that way.

or you can just burn your installer to CD once you download it.

Well, surely it's not *that* new a business model. It's basically a resurrection of the old shareware system of old, only on a slightly larger scale from most shareware developers. Also, didn't ID do essentially the same thing with the original Doom?

This is all nitpicking though - if this kickstarts a revolution that makes this kind of 'cult' title commercially viable again I'm all for it. I hope the game is good, though...

Well, yeah, but I was referring as much to the shorter episode style of game as the distribution method.