I think its time we all give up on FMV.

Ok i think the only options with Trance are to either do:

1. An Animated Adventure game - seamlessly incorporate the cut scenes into the game world. Saves on money but in the end takes longer to produce and may not have the same success as the previous games.

2. A low-budget FMV adventure similar to UAKM, where the actors are fairly cheaper to aquire and the sets are 100% digital. (making it cost effective) It could also be possible to seamlessly incorporate the FMVs into the game world. Unfortunately though this also takes time and costs money.


The only way the Trance will ever be made is firstly by doing:
1. Building a TechDemo of both possibilities
2. Survey a majority of the game's industry and markets over the desire for this kind of adventure game, this will show Microsoft that there is definitely a market for this thing and that it is profitable despite what the industry says about it.
3. Get Chris to punch some numbers as assumptions on how much this will cost.
4. Figure out a way to avoid porting to XBOX (as this would ruin the game)
5. Presenting the findings to Microsoft and WOWing them


I think it is the CASUAL gamer that is stopping games like this from being made personally and that the "NEW" gamer market is fucked to hell and should be abandoned Immediately before its too late. Where have all the games with DEPTH gone?!

Good points but I think Aaron has the TM rights now or am I mistaken?

Good points but I think Aaron has the TM rights now or am I mistaken?

I'd like to know that too. In event that AC does have it.

1. Find some form of investment from sources such as game publishers or even Movie studios. (this is an option if funds are THAT low that they can't even supply the 3D modeling software)
2. Building a TechDemo of both possibilities
3. Get Chris to punch some numbers as assumptions on how much this will cost.
4. Find a reliable publisher/self publish the game

We're forgetting something.

Overseer ended with a cliffhanger. The Radio Theatre is not as videly known as it should be. And it's 10 years ago.

For any new Tex-game to survive, the one key point that's not been made yet, is that it's going to have to have EITHER sort of a fresh start so it doesn't feel like you're starting in the middle of the story (without having played UAKM, PD and/or Overseer)

Or

It would need something akin to a TV Series pre-episode explanatory sequence. Sort of a... "Previously... On Tex Murphy!"

Otherwise the game will sell like $#it because gamers don't feel like they're starting a new game, which, kind of, a new Tex-game would be after 10 years of hiatus. My 2 cents.

-Fred

It would need something akin to a TV Series pre-episode explanatory sequence. Sort of a... "Previously... On Tex Murphy!"

Err.. why not just ditch the whole cliffhanger to begin with. I mean for starters it happened over a month ago and tex has obviously forgotten about it. The game could just keep going as it is, trust AC because he's probably considered this numerous times during the process of making the games.

Also that the radio show was originally the first parts of Trance anyway and should be included. (the story backtracks anyway... as stated within the radio show)

OH and the middle story remark is TOTALLY untrue.. UAKM was the 3rd in the series and yet seems to be the first one most of us played to begin with. So I think what you've said doesn't matter, and that anyone that thought that this game sucked because of that should go back to playing console games like the baby they are.

If anything, making this game too new would RUIN the franchise and result in the desecration of the style that was used. (I still prefer the UAKM style over Pandora and Overseer, purely for its old school comic book feel)

Hey, you know what, I play console games, and I find them entirally enjoyable. And for anybody out there who thinks that a new Tex Murphy game on a console would ruin the franchise ... ptooie on you! I mean comon, yeah, it started as a computer game, but when you are able to port it to a console, whether your fanboyism over the almighty PC is crushed or not is irrelevant to the fact that the game is shown to a much larger audience, hence giving it a better chance for success. (I.E. those who don't have the money for a supercomputer to play the new computer games.)

Ptooie I say! PTOOIE!

Perhaps you have hit on something, TM. Oh, this is for you.

The more adaptable and/or versatile the game is, the greater the appeal to a larger audience. Course, I don't play console games and I don't understand all the techno aspects and problems that may arise, but if we could capture that huge section of the gaming community, well, then maybe a game could be created that will play on any machine (more or less). Does that make any sense?

The problem with console games though is that they make very well made games accessible to complete !@@# who don't appreciate the details the way we do.. hence destroying the demographics and even more so the franchise. (I've seen this happen way too many times.. and let me warn you that IT IS A BAD THING!)

Trance must NEVER apply the "new gamer market" theory otherwise it'll never be as good as the previous games. In fact maybe even disgrace the fans so much that they dis-own it. That's why I say consoles are a bad idea, because they are too easy to access and water down the demographic - in turn forcing a development change in order to be profitable... (hence why Adventure games are no longer popular... in the majorities eyes. (bunch of casual WoW playing FPS playing wankers))

Firstly, we don't want to sell out the entire franchise, Secondly, we want the game to be successful, Thirdly, we still want it to be TEX MURPHY... not some crappy Shadowrun(2007) style destroying a brilliant franchise in the process of a making a quick $$$. (I blame the New game market for that one) "That leads to the dark side Luke." - said Master Yoda

The entire gameplay in Overseer is in a flashback. What happens in reality is Tex takes Chelsee out to dinner, and they get assaulted afterward when Chelsee accepts a ride from a stranger. All this could be considered as an intro to a new game - you wouldn't even have to go into the back story of Overseer, Pandora, UKM, etc - naturally, for those who have it would be a bonus...

My two cents...

Bests, Rockefeller

There isn't a need for it though, the flashback happens later in the game.. about around when Tex finally realizes that he's been out for a month and Chelsee is dead. (sorta)

basically he remembers exactly what happened. And I think new players would absolutely LOVE that fact. I think that the intro is completely un-necessary and that what AC has done as the story thus far is perfect without having to change any of it - apart from the episode intros because they obviously won't appear in the game.

But all I'm saying is TRUST Aaron because he's been doing this for a long time and knows his $#it.

I dont see why they cant tie things up in the Intro. The Radio Theater episodes are like novels and those sequences would be put in the game as well. A console port is fine with me as long as it stays on the PC.

Mr. Cyberpunk, not only do I play World of Warcraft, lots of FPS's and own a few consoles, but I also loved Shadowrun. I suppose I'm a wanker

I dont see what you have against console games. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, just like the PC.

I'm not pulling AC's story-telling abilities into question, I'm merely stating the fact that there IS a difference between the end of Martian Memorandum and the beginning of UAKM. First off, Overseer ended with a cliffhanger. To Be Continued.

For ten years to pass in real life this is a long, long cliffhanger. And cliffhangers have the distinct disadvantage that if you postpone the follow-up long enough, some people who've played the game will love to continue the story, whilst people who've not played the first game will have to be told what the story IS, seeing as how the story will, of course, pick up from earlier on. Of course, the disadvantage here is that if you spend too much time forcing the old game's story into the beginning of the new game, people who played Overseer could get fed up with never getting to the point of actually getting on with the new game. If that makes any sense.

And if you don't get enough of Overseer's story into the new game, well, it stands to reason that people who never heard of Overseer won't get the story. To Be Continued means the story will continue, not stop up and rehash the events for half a game.

Phew... I gotta stop trying to explain myself or something...

-Fred

Another bummer is that perhaps a new game would spark interest in the older games, and although people might be willing to try out UKM, PD, or TMO, in most cases they wouldn't be able to - you gotta be pretty dedicated and computer savvy to get those old games running in XP, and who knows what it'll be like in Vista - and I doubt anyone but hardcore fans will create a win95/98 system just to try out an old game or two...

I think it'd be a grand idea to follow in the footsteps of Sierra regarding Leisure Suit Larry if a new TM adventure were to come out - Sierra did a re-release of the first six Larry games compatible with WinXP shortly after the release of LSL:MagnaCumLaude as interest in the games rose...

Bests, Rockefeller