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Pax '05 Q&A question-- what changed?

ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the swordhttp://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
edited July 2007 in Penny Arcade Games
At pax '05 I asked the question.

"has penny arcade ever thought about getting into game development?"

I remember jerry responding to my question with (please excuse my horrible, terrible paraphrasing)

" I feel it would cross the line since we review games mostly"


I am curious to wonder what changed since pax '05 and my question. Don't get me wrong, I think this will be enjoyable. I would just like some filler as to what motivated this project to begin with.

Viscountalpha on

Posts

  • GabrielGabriel Registered User, ClubPA, Penny Arcade Staff, PAX Staff staff
    edited April 2007
    http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/01/10

    Honestly I think we just needed the right opportunity. I don't think we ever expected to be allowed this much control over a game. We'd been approached plenty of times about doing an animated series and it always ends up the same way. That is us essentially giving up creative control and simply licensing the name. The deal hothead presented us was a true collaboration and that was exciting.

    Gabriel on
  • ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the sword http://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I see what you did there. I too find myself using the hypocritic oath on occasion. Thanks for going out of your way to answer my question.

    Viscountalpha on
  • scarlet st.scarlet st. Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    In this same vein, I've been curious regarding the statement that this game will be released as episodic content.

    When Half Life 2 announced episodic content and we started seeing little mini pay-to-download patches like the horse armor in Oblivion you guys railed away at it, insulting the people who masterminded those moneymaking schemes.

    This isn't another hypocritic oath bit, is it? :(

    scarlet st. on
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  • jothkijothki Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    scarlet st. wrote: »
    In this same vein, I've been curious regarding the statement that this game will be released as episodic content.

    When Half Life 2 announced episodic content and we started seeing little mini pay-to-download patches like the horse armor in Oblivion you guys railed away at it, insulting the people who masterminded those moneymaking schemes.

    This isn't another hypocritic oath bit, is it? :(

    I would assume that stuff like Sam & Max helped a bit.

    jothki on
  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I doubt it's so much a "hypocritic oath" as a "circumstances changed" thing.

    Xaquin on
    Fixer Restorations -/- Satan's Wish List!!!!
  • MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17 NebraskaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    the difference between the "horse armor" and half life's "episodic content" is *far and wide*

    1) horse armor was/is a COSMETIC enhancement for oblivion that they felt the need to charge for, most gamers felt this to be a betrayal of their trust. this is because for 2.50 or 250 Microsoft fun bucks, you got nothing other than glitter for your pony.

    2) episodic content for half life 2 was welcomed because while every so often you would be charged 19.99 to 29.99 (depending on package/content) you received an ACTUAL game! there was plot, game play and extras to consider (portal/tf2 anyone?)

    The reason horse armor pissed the gamer community off? they did nothing to oblivion that merited any monetary transaction. if they had instead created an storyline involving a blacksmith and saving his daughter to receive a "wonderful gift" that just happened to be horse armor with +1 to sparkling in the sun.. well then, perhaps they would have felt that it was worth a petty 2.50

    Mighty on
    Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    and the problem with the HL2 episodic content, is it's taking a loooong time between episodes. Sam and Max is probably more in line with what's been proposed here, and they're doing just fine in turning over a new title with smaller intervals.

    darleysam on
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  • MightyMighty Omeganaut '15 '16 '17 NebraskaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    darleysam wrote: »
    and the problem with the HL2 episodic content, is it's taking a loooong time between episodes. Sam and Max is probably more in line with what's been proposed here, and they're doing just fine in turning over a new title with smaller intervals.

    you have a point, but still, you get a good deal of content for your gaming dollar.. the time period issue is going to fix itself soon i hope.

    but think of it this way, with episode 2, we are getting 3 games. portal, tf2 and ep2.
    thats a lot of content and game play to balance, plan, and code.

    Mighty on
    Twitch: twitch.tv\dreadmighty
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    yeah, i should've gone on to say that a game like Half-Life 2/Portal isn't really suited to episodic content. With features like the gravity gun (and portal gun), that just leaves the game wide open to being broken, allowing for so many unexpected permutations. Sam and Max work well, because they're far more linear (and a completely different kind of game, of course) in that respect, and so can be developed and tested that much quicker.

    darleysam on
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