In an
interview with Eurogamer, Tim made an interesting comment about how he intends to balance nostalgia and freshness with the Double Fine Adventure Project:
It's not going to be an adventure game that apologises for being an adventure game. It's not going to be trying to be something else and have a bunch of action elements or something like that.
But it's not a museum piece or just a nostalgia piece. It's going to be fresh and feel modern and feel like what the next game would have been if I'd made one straight after Grim Fandango.
Here's why I find this interesting: I have a hard time believing that, had Tim followed up
Grim Fandango immediately with an adventure game, it would have been a 2D point 'n clicker as Double Fine Adventure has been described from day one. If you look at Tim's projects up to
Grim Fandango, you can see a relatively natural progression to the interface-free, direct control scheme of that game that Tim was never slow to defend. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Tim from 1998 would have told you that the idea of making his next adventure game in 2D and point 'n click would have represented taking a step backwards. Certainly, the Double Fine Adventure is a cede to tradition in some pretty specific ways, not just in the fact that it's a graphic adventure.
Which is no problem with me. The idea of Tim revisiting this sort of game is irresistible, welcome (to no fewer than 73,856 and counting!), and I'm sure something he genuinely came around to being passionate about during the
fifteen years it's been since he's played in his original sandbox. Nonetheless, it'll be very interesting to see how much the team looks back as they craft an experience that is "fresh and modern."
Source: Eurogamer
ThunderPeel2001
Sorry, you're right, he was talking about the reduction of verbs. I guess I was more talking about the "progression" from verbs to direct control.
And I'm not trying to make some sweeping statement about verbs/point 'n click = archaic and anything else = progressive. I'm just saying it's pretty clear that where Tim's head was in 1998 is obviously not where it is in 2012 with regard to this sort of thing. And that, of course, is fair enough.
Jason
Did Tim really say something in that interview to indicate that Grim's control scheme was something he was against doing? That would strike me as pretty inconsistent with what I've read him say on the subject since Grim's release.
Sorry, you're right, he was talking about the reduction of verbs. I guess I was more talking about the "progression" from verbs to direct control.
ThunderPeel2001
Quote: "you can see a relatively natural progression to the interface-free, direct control scheme of that game that Tim was never slow to defend."
Tim Schafer revealed that he was actually against such control schemes in his chat with Ron Gilbert (although I think he's come around to them now). It's unclear what the internal pressures at LucasArts were asking for, and the move to 3D didn't go down perfectly with fans -- so it's possible that 1998 Schafer might have seen it as a step backwards.
Did Tim really say something in that interview to indicate that Grim's control scheme was something he was against doing? That would strike me as pretty inconsistent with what I've read him say on the subject since Grim's release.
ThunderPeel2001
I think you might be taking his comments too literally, either way. I think he was just making the point that this game will be a progression, too. Even if it's 2D, the rest of the game will be the best adventure game he can create for modern audiences. It won't just be an attempt at capturing the past.
I would agree that is their intention. I would also maintain that it will be a tricky rope for the team to walk, and I thought I'd promote discussion by highlighting the fact that Tim apparently rekindled his love for more traditionally presented adventures when he was often the one giving the genre some much-needed kicks in the ass that at the time weren't necessarily embraced (action sequences in Throttle, driving the character in Grim). I'm pretty excited to see the balancing act they've signed themselves up for by definition is going to play out.
Tim Schafer revealed that he was actually against such control schemes in his chat with Ron Gilbert (although I think he's come around to them now). It's unclear what the internal pressures at LucasArts were asking for, and the move to 3D didn't go down perfectly with fans -- so it's possible that 1998 Schafer might have seen it as a step backwards.
I think you might be taking his comments too literally, either way. I think he was just making the point that this game will be a progression, too. Even if it's 2D, the rest of the game will be the best adventure game he can create for modern audiences. It won't just be an attempt at capturing the past. Which is very interesting and makes me want to not know more about it before I can play it! :)