It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
General discussionRelease: Thimbleweed Park - Ransome Unbeeped(120 posts)(120 posts)
(120 posts)
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
This is my favourite topic
Posted March 01, 2018
It's about forking time!

Ransome Unbeeped is now available, DRM-free on GOG.com.
He may not be handsome, but he's *beeping* Ransome! The potty-mouthed clown of Thimbleweed Park, who's consistently amusing but never amused, is finally getting un-censored in this very unwholesome DLC. Let his mouth run wild, unrestrained by those annoying *beeping* sounds, which were added in a misguided effort to preserve his political correctness.
A fool's errand, that was.
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Frenzie: I'd rate the in-jokes option as -1 if not lower.
Btw. they have added this option shortly after release based on reviews.

I would have liked the default being on but the reasoning is clear: Those people complaining about all those references are unlikely to ever go through an option menu.

avatar
Frenzie: but something similar applies to Delores saying MMucasFlem™ every few words early on, which is unaffected by the setting afaik.
Yes, MMucasFlem is story related.

avatar
Frenzie: But achievements are a solid 0 for me. :-P I see what you mean though, given that just about every other version has it. I played it on Linux, so no GOG Galaxy achievements regardless, but I think I pretty much just assumed I was missing out by choice.
I don't really care about achievements either, I just like the DRM-free version being a complete version.

Btw. if you do it right you don't need to rely on third-party applications (Steam, GOG Galaxy...) anyway, you can show them in-game (they are tracked anyway).
Shovel Knight is an example, see this screenshot (they call it feats): https://i.stack.imgur.com/UC4Fp.png

avatar
Frenzie: Hold on, back when he was still on Twitter Ron Gilbert tweeted that the Switch was doing well. I guess we'd better wait for the detailed blog post. ;-)
Yes this blog post will be interesting.
I was hoping GOG being much more (like 10% of Steam sales) but it sounds like being more of a letdown.
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: I would have liked the default being on but the reasoning is clear: Those people complaining about all those references are unlikely to ever go through an option menu.
It's less about the default than about the fact that you have to actively look through the menu to even be aware it's an option, when it has an impact comparable to choosing easy (i.e., less cool stuff to do and interact with). The problem was even replicated in this very Ransome DLC, which is also mysteriously hiding out under "video."

avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Yes, MMucasFlem is story related.
Of course it should be mentioned. It just seemed to be getting a bit repetitive. :) Basically it made Delores come across as a bit of a flat character. Now Reyes didn't really grow either, for example, but I felt that it made Delores feel less well-rounded than she actually was. Mind you, this is very much just nitpicking. It doesn't change the fact that according to my savegame I had a solid 16 hours of fun. (Subtract a few if you're not interested in browsing the library and the book store. :-P)

My three favorite games I've bought on GOG are probably Oxenfree, Shadow Tactics, and Thimbleweed Park.

avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Btw. if you do it right you don't need to rely on third-party applications (Steam, GOG Galaxy...) anyway, you can show them in-game (they are tracked anyway).
True, that's how it always used to be. Indy Quotient immediately comes to mind, to stay within the same genre and even the same programmer.

A more recent example is Primordia. I played it a little less than a year ago (also on Linux). It was also a pretty decent example iirc, in that it wasn't "you finished the first area" but "you did something special or meaningful". That being said, the game as a whole was a touch Sierra-like, so to speak, in that I did a lot of savegame backtracking because I'd messed up something or other even if it didn't necessarily lead to death. (And I think you wouldn't have been able to get the good optimistic ending out of the several endings I found.)

avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: I was hoping GOG being much more (like 10% of Steam sales) but it sounds like being more of a letdown.
Yeah, it's too bad. I do buy things on Steam occasionally (or things that activate on Steam, anyway), but the platform is just so annoying and restrictive.

I also do some really stupid stuff sometimes. I forgot all about having acquired Layers of Fear in one of the raffles here on GOG, so I played the free Steam version I got from Humble Bundle. /facepalm
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Btw. if you do it right you don't need to rely on third-party applications (Steam, GOG Galaxy...) anyway, you can show them in-game (they are tracked anyway).
Shovel Knight is an example, see this screenshot (they call it feats): https://i.stack.imgur.com/UC4Fp.png
I just came across this comment while listening to the development podcast:
That's a good question that I don't have a 100% answer to yet. The achievements are tracked internally and then uploaded to steam, xbox, etc, so displaying them on non-achievement platforms is doable, but it's a lot of extra UI to write.
Posted March 03, 2018
Having had a few toilet breaks to meditate about this I still think the way this was handled was questionable. But...
- It seems there was a demand for this DLC so offering it (as an option) seems justified.
- There was probably also effort involved in editing/mastering the original colorful audio files to the same standard as the censored ones as well. Then there's testing, quality control, business calls, paperwork...

However...
- Judging from the comments, this DLC makes the game worse for most players - although it might add replay value for the affected parts of the game. But any new customer who doesn't know this would stumble into the "full experience" trap, play the game for the first time and think something about the lines of "Well, Eff 'this' Clown... He just makes the whole game worse."

So in summary...
- Terrible Toybox have given some players what they wanted. Good for those players.
- Since they had to retrofit it, they decided to charge those players for the effort. Fair enough I guess.

But the average customer (on GOG or elsewhere) will not know about all of this.
The major error in this whole affair doesn't seem to be charging for an ingame option that "should"* have been there to begin with but rather to communicate frankly: "Originally we didn't want to do it, but 'some' players wouldn't shut up about it. We said such a change wouldn't be free and got enough positive feedback to do it. So 'please' shut up now." Instead of the *beeping* hard to read marketing blurb we've got.

I hope there will be lessons learned here and the next game with censored lines will be released with the uncensored lines as well. (Together with a "This option will be less funny"-warning.)

Personally I'm still interested in buying Thimbleweed Park and I won't remove it from my watchlist solely because of this DLC's existence. But I will probably remember this incident for years although I would much rather have forgotten about it already.

(Why do I get up in the morning? Ah, yes: Sweets.)


* Please note the quotation marks.
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
HeartsAndRainbows: - Judging from the comments, this DLC makes the game worse for most players - although it might add replay value for the affected parts of the game. But any new customer who doesn't know this would stumble into the "full experience" trap, play the game for the first time and think something about the lines of "Well, Eff 'this' Clown... He just makes the whole game worse."
The DLC is disabled by default for every single time you launch the game.
Anyone want to hear the true dialogue have to enable it manually every time.

No, the DLC do not make the game worse.
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Frenzie: It's less about the default than about the fact that you have to actively look through the menu to even be aware it's an option, when it has an impact comparable to choosing easy (i.e., less cool stuff to do and interact with).
Like a character setup when starting an RPG. But it's additional work (art and programming) and with limited budget you have to make compromises.
An alternative would be just showing the most important option screens when starting a game the first time.

avatar
Frenzie: Basically it made Delores come across as a bit of a flat character.
Delores was too nice and perfect, she was too well-rounded for me :-)

avatar
HeartsAndRainbows: But any new customer who doesn't know this would stumble into the "full experience" trap, play the game for the first time and think something about the lines of "Well, Eff 'this' Clown... He just makes the whole game worse."
Not sure how you mean this. Ransome being a *beeping* clown was always the intention, a new player shouldn't choose this option at all.
Maybe it would be better to unlock this option only after a complete playthrough?
Posted March 03, 2018
low rated
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: But it is not supposed to be part of the normal game since you ARE supposed to play the censored version.
This was always the idea of this character when he was designed that way.
if they cared to make players play the censored version before the uncensored version then it wouldn't be something you could purchase and play immediately without playing the censored version first, they would have made it a locked option that only unlocks once you complete the game in censored mode - as it is I can buy the DLC and play uncensored without having played censored

that they didn't do it this way shows they're just greedy assholes (with no artistic integrity)

removed from WL
Post edited March 03, 2018 by drealmer7
Posted March 03, 2018
high rated
avatar
drealmer7: if they cared to make players play the censored version before the uncensored version then it wouldn't be something you could purchase and play immediately without playing the censored version first, they would have made it a locked option that only unlocks once you complete the game in censored mode
But then people would complain they cannot switch it on. Or when you make a new installation somewhere you can't use this DLC right away etc.
They probably thought about it too. You can never make everyone happy.

avatar
drealmer7: that they didn't do it this way shows they're just greedy assholes
Well, *beep* off as Ransome would say :-)
Posted March 03, 2018
low rated
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: But then people would complain they cannot switch it on. Or when you make a new installation somewhere you can't use this DLC right away etc.
and the creator would be like "yes that is how it is intended you can only switch it on once you've played it how we intended the first play to be played" - but they have no artistic integrity and let greed rule them, obviously

you are clearly just a fanboi, you are arguing that players ARE SUPPOSED TO play the censored version first:

where does it say that? in the installation information for the DLC? once the game starts after installing the DLC?

you can only argue something is supposed to be a certain way if the creators intention is onboard with the "supposed to be" - if they intended it to be that way, they would have made it that way, eh?
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Well, *beep* off as Ransome would say :-)
thanks for confirming the game is a piece of shit teaching people how to be rude non-caring and dismissive
Post edited March 03, 2018 by drealmer7
Posted March 03, 2018
high rated
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: But it is not supposed to be part of the normal game since you ARE supposed to play the censored version.
This was always the idea of this character when he was designed that way.
avatar
drealmer7: if they cared to make players play the censored version before the uncensored version then it wouldn't be something you could purchase and play immediately without playing the censored version first, they would have made it a locked option that only unlocks once you complete the game in censored mode - as it is I can buy the DLC and play uncensored without having played censored

that they didn't do it this way shows they're just greedy assholes (with no artistic integrity)

removed from WL
they never intended to unlock the bleeps in the first instance at all, it is only there due to fans wanting it. This 'demand' came after the game was finished and released... so, yeah... they should probably not have listen to fans...

anyway, the good thing is that if you do not care about the bleeps, then just don't buy the DLC, problem solved.
Posted March 03, 2018
high rated
avatar
drealmer7: you are arguing that players ARE SUPPOSED TO play the censored version first:

where does it say that? in the installation information for the DLC?
The fact that THIS IS A DLC. And NOT a built-in option!

avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Well, *beep* off as Ransome would say :-)
avatar
drealmer7: thanks for confirming the game is a piece of shit teaching people how to be rude non-caring and dismissive
Interestingly you have cut the following away:
avatar
drealmer7: that they didn't do it this way shows they're just greedy assholes (with no artistic integrity)
But it doesn't really matter since you are putting bullshit accusations in nearly every post anyway, like:
avatar
drealmer7: they have no artistic integrity and let greed rule them, obviously
Yeah, obviously. What have they done to you? Was it the MI2 ending?
Posted March 03, 2018
low rated
avatar
drealmer7: you are arguing that players ARE SUPPOSED TO play the censored version first:

where does it say that? in the installation information for the DLC?
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: The fact that THIS IS A DLC. And NOT a built-in option!

avatar
drealmer7: thanks for confirming the game is a piece of shit teaching people how to be rude non-caring and dismissive
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Interestingly you have cut the following away:
avatar
drealmer7: that they didn't do it this way shows they're just greedy assholes (with no artistic integrity)
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: But it doesn't really matter since you are putting bullshit accusations in nearly every post anyway, like:
avatar
drealmer7: they have no artistic integrity and let greed rule them, obviously
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Yeah, obviously. What have they done to you? Was it the MI2 ending?
wow, you're just stupid

*stops wasting time and energy*
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Frenzie: It's less about the default than about the fact that you have to actively look through the menu to even be aware it's an option, when it has an impact comparable to choosing easy (i.e., less cool stuff to do and interact with).
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Like a character setup when starting an RPG. But it's additional work (art and programming) and with limited budget you have to make compromises.
An alternative would be just showing the most important option screens when starting a game the first time.
I doubt the menu is manual art, is it? :-) Looks like mostly just a bunch of text and checkboxes to me. There are options in between the ideal of a choice on the easy/hard selection screen and hiding in-jokes away in options → video.

In Tomb Raider (2013), for instance, the menu goes a little something like this:

New game
(Multiplayer)
Extras
Options
------
Achievements
Downloadable Content
Quit game

I want to be sure I'm not on low-quality video or audio and stuff like that. You could say I reached my intended goal by looking at the options and finding in-jokes. However, toilet paper over/under is a perfect albeit unusual example of what I'd expect to find in video. Perhaps hiding the annoying in-jokes option might itself be an annoying (meta) in-joke. Hm, funny or not funny… :-P

Either way I was a bit miffed that I almost missed it. The Ransome DLC is very different because, while hidden in the same location, you know it must be hiding somewhere in the menu structure. Although even that might not really apply if you bought the all DLC included bundle a few years down the line.

Menus are hard, and always check the options. :-P
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Frenzie: However, toilet paper over/under is a perfect albeit unusual example of what I'd expect to find in video.
Well, although the actual effect is just a visual one this is more of a life choice. A choice between good and evil. Some people stay on the darkside, some make the effort to be a better person and change the paper orientation.

Nonetheless some decisions regarding where to put a bunch of those menu entries are... questionable.
Posted March 03, 2018
avatar
Sir_Kill_A_Lot: Well, although the actual effect is just a visual one this is more of a life choice. A choice between good and evil. Some people stay on the darkside, some make the effort to be a better person and change the paper orientation.
If under is the dark side, then I'm pretty sure it fits in better with the general offbeat aesthetic of the town of Thimbleweed Park and that toilet in particular. ;-)
Post edited March 03, 2018 by Frenzie
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionRelease: Thimbleweed Park - Ransome Unbeeped(120 posts)(120 posts)
(120 posts)