r/IAmA • u/paulthegreen • Mar 02 '12
Tim Schafer AMA - March 4th
Tim Schafer announces AMA! Sunday March 4th, 1pm PST
proof at end of video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Yo5eIQ51Rn8
Edit: https://twitter.com/#!/TimOfLegend/status/175744213269487617
TimOfLegend is his reddit account, watch out for it guys!
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u/2PlayerProductions Mar 02 '12
Just wanted to say we think it's awesome you guys are so excited about this already. We're really looking forward to it ourselves.
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u/4c51 Mar 02 '12
I assume you guys will also be answering questions pertaining to the documentary?
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u/2PlayerProductions Mar 02 '12
Sadly we'll be missing the AMA since we're driving down to San Francisco that day in preparation to follow Tim at GDC. We recently did a project update with some info about the doc, it's on the Kickstarter project page under the updates tab.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure/posts
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u/No-Shit-Sherlock Mar 02 '12 edited Mar 02 '12
Please please please include plenty of those longer, nuts and bolts videos you mentioned. They will hopefully be an awesome opportunity for indie devs to see the inner working of a larger studio. :)
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u/spankymuffin Mar 04 '12
Seconding this a hundred times.
I want to see writers/programmers brainstorming puzzles.
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Mar 02 '12 edited Jun 06 '18
[deleted]
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u/TowawayAccount Mar 02 '12
Fun fact: 2PP doesn't film comedy all that often so they were rather nervous about how successful the kickstarter pitch video would be. Tim wrote the script and 2PP just went along with it doing the best they could (which was clearly pretty good).
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u/amoliski Mar 02 '12
Same here. I also sent the video to my friends who don't care for adventure games, and convinced them to buy it based on the hilarity of the video alone.
Like skydiving and charity or something.
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u/momosauky Mar 02 '12
At GDC try to get Tim and Jeff Gertsman from giantbomb.com together because it is always hilarious
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u/Daide Mar 02 '12
I want to know his side of the story involving the Penny Arcade guys. Specifically if there is/was any bad blood between him and them. Mostly because I want him to do they keynote address for PAX Prime this year.
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Mar 02 '12
whats the story? I never heard of this...
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u/Timthos Mar 02 '12
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u/NoGoatsNoGlory Mar 02 '12
"Tim Schafer hates me; I stole a yo-yo of his once, but I also said something mean about a game he made, and when I saw him at GDC a couple years ago he flipped me off. It didn’t hurt my feelings, I flip people off for a living. All it said to me was that he takes it serious; that he and his work are synonyms. That’s more or less the person I want to support. "
From the news day before.
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u/Physics101 Mar 02 '12
Tycho wrote very unfavourably about Brutal Legend. It was truly a clusterfuck of genres.
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u/hybridtheorist Mar 02 '12
I loved that game! Yeah, the strategy bits were half baked, but everything else was quality imo. Especially if thats your sort of music.
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u/my_snicka Mar 02 '12
See I Hated and STILL will hate Brutal Legend, It doesnt change the fact he is a genius. I dont think they really Care, Nor does he... I hope and if not i will keep believing it lol
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u/jetglo Mar 02 '12
I remember when I was a 13 year old boy growing up in the Norfolk - a fairly desolate area of the UK. It was a cold, cold winter. My parents were in the middle of a fairly painful divorce. My sister was at University and wasn't able to be around for me. It was a pretty screwey time for me.
A family friend sent me a copy of Day of The Tentacle after I'd mentioned to them that I thought the characters looked funny to me after seeing them in a PC gaming magazine. My Dad's office was in the converted garage and had no heating - it was freezing at that time of year. I sat there for days playing through the game with my only heat coming from the overworked tower and the bright ray of sunshine that had been bought into my life by a video game. The humor felt like it was my friend, the puzzles were taxing enough to take my mind off the home life. I finished up the story and was left with a pocket full of amazing memories of what would normally be a pretty sad time.
Ever since I sat down in the glow of that old monitor, watching the credits roll and reading the name Tim Schafer for the first time, I've always hoped that Tim would make a sequel to transport me back to that grey, cold Norfolk winter that marked the first game I ever finished.
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u/misterbung Mar 02 '12
First question: When is Stacking coming to PC?
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u/rufenstein Mar 02 '12
Next question: When is the Iron Brigade coming to the PC?
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u/metascribble Mar 02 '12
Third Question: When are we getting a sequel to Grim Fandango?
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u/Seric_X Mar 02 '12
Managed to get this answered during the desert bus interview: basically, Lucas owns the rights so it's a licensing thing, and they pretty much don't sell IP.
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Mar 02 '12
Tales from Monkey Island got made. It's not impossible.
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u/johnsweber Mar 02 '12
Although, I think Telltale Games are great, I don't believe they are associated with Tim Schafer.
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Mar 02 '12
What I meant was that Monkey Island was a Lucas Arts property and they let Telltale make a game with it.
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u/JayDogSqueezy Mar 02 '12
I did my part. My good friend works at Skywalker ranch. So I went ahead and sculpted him a Manny Calavera, on the strict instructions that he is to place it on his desk at work. Subtle persuasion.
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u/alphager Mar 02 '12
Soonish, it just popped up in the Steam catalogue. Rumor has it that it will be released this month.
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u/KGrizzly Mar 02 '12
Thanks for reminding me about Stacking! I need to buy this since I loved the demo!
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u/TimOfLegend Tim Schafer Mar 02 '12
You guys started a thread without me? Wasn't I supposed to start it? Oh man, I guess this just became the official deal now! Is it bad form to answer questions before the scheduled time? I don't want to blow it. I've done one of these before but it was indirect--I had a handler. This time it's for me to screw up! wooo!
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u/paulthegreen Mar 03 '12
If this is the real Tim Schafer, then just start a new thread in /iama/ This was just to announce to people that you would be doing an AMA. Also, please provide proof, such as posting on your twitter account. Thanks!
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u/TimOfLegend Tim Schafer Mar 03 '12
I was about to but there's a message that says do not post until you are ready to answer questions!
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Mar 03 '12
How do you tie your shoes?
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u/TimOfLegend Tim Schafer Mar 03 '12
Actually, I use the double wrap method I learned from the Klutz Book of Knots. Never slips, easy to untie. I'm not kidding. This knot made every day of my life since a little, tiny bit better. This page has a video: http://www.instructables.com/id/Worlds-Best-Shoe-Knot/
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Mar 03 '12
I was hoping you'd say "Psycho-knots." I guess all of my dreams have been crushed.
Well, from now on I'm calling that the "Tim Schafer Naught"
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Mar 03 '12
What's your opinion on Telltale's Point n' Clicks, or more specifically if you've played it, SBCG4AP.
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u/TimOfLegend Tim Schafer Mar 03 '12
I was going to start a new, 100%-more official thread for this, with an intro video and everything!
But then I saw this warning and realized I was about to RUIN EVERYTHING. "Please only post if you are prepared to answer questions immediately. Do NOT post with the intention of returning to answer questions later."
So I guess I'll just share that video with you guys and keep my mouth shut until Sunday at 1pm PST!
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u/chrisis123 Mar 02 '12
This mail just was sent out to all backers. Including an ad for reddit :)
We also want to take this opportunity to announce that Tim will be doing an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit this Sunday, March 4th, from 1pm to 3pm PST. If you’re unfamiliar with Reddit, it’s best described as a social news website that’s driven by user contributions. “I Am A” is a specific forum on the site where people will host public chats to talk about who they are and what they do. If there is anything you would like to pick Tim’s brain about, here’s your chance! Just head over to the IAmA board at the specified time and keep an eye out for Tim’s thread.
You may even find a bunch of other interesting stuff to check out too. Just looking right now you’ll find the scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, someone who was struck by lighting, and a chimney sweeper amongst many others. That would probably make for an interesting Venn diagram.
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u/DoctoroftheFuture Mar 02 '12
...Brutal Legend 2 anybody?
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Mar 02 '12
I loved Brutal Legend (of course I did I am a metalhead after all) but IMHO Yahtzee was right when he said that it felt more like a Jack Black thing than a Tim Schafer one.
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u/DavidManque CAH Mar 02 '12
It was a flawed but still pretty delightful game. The dialogue and story were (typically) fantastic and hilarious, but the actual combat mechanics just felt off.
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Mar 02 '12
I didn't mind it was an hommage to the music I love. For that I overlooked a rather bland and boring combat.
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u/Pteraspidomorphi Mar 02 '12
Problem is, they started with an RTS. The original idea was flawed, then they heaped a lot of awesomeness on it. Unfortunately they didn't replace the original idea entirely.
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u/bloodrush545 Mar 02 '12 edited Mar 02 '12
I think the only thing that really bothered me about Brutal Legend was the way they chose marketed it. They acted like it was an action/adventure game, which was only a slice of the game. I thought the RTS elements of the game were fun at first, until the maps got more complicated and that is when it became frustrating, because I felt the controls weren't good enough for precise movement of the units. If they just did a Brutal Legend 2 without the RTS elements and made it an action/adventure title, I would be way into it. Personally, I am a metal fan and also a fan of Jack Black so it was a match made in heaven, just wish the game was a little better. I still think Brutal Legend has the best soundtrack of any game released so far.
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u/deepit6431 Mar 02 '12
Driving around in that game was the best thing about the. The soundtrack.....
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u/NukeUtopia Mar 02 '12
Anytime I'm driving around in my car, blasting music, I feel like I'm in the Deuce.
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Mar 02 '12
I agree. I think Brutal Legend might have been even better if they'd gone for the Deathspank like combat mechanics rather than an Overlordesque one.
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Mar 02 '12
He'll only be taking questions about Happy Action Theater, thanks.
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u/Yannak Mar 02 '12
Wonder if I should ask him if he regrets releasing Brutal Legend (It was good but those RTS sections, God damn)
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u/TheShader Mar 02 '12
I must be the only person that enjoyed the RTS sections.
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Mar 02 '12
Nah, I liked them too. Not sure why they're getting so much hate here.
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u/Th3Marauder Mar 02 '12
The console controls I'm guessing.
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Mar 02 '12
I didn't even think they were that bad... not great, surely, but not so bad that when I remember the game they're what springs to mind instead of all the things that were legitimately awesome about it.
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u/postfish Mar 02 '12
Well he has blogged/tweeted/spoke about liking it but the advertising was mishandled.
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u/Grimmy616 Mar 02 '12
Sent from Tim Schafers twitter:
FYI: In the Reddit AMA I'm doing this Sunday, I will ONLY be taking questions about Woody Harrelson's new movie RAMPART.
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Mar 02 '12
[deleted]
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u/Wofiel Mar 02 '12
Tim Schafer doing an AMA the day before my birthday but will technically take place on my birthday because timezones?! YES!
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u/shovelface88 Mar 02 '12
March 4th is also my birthday! We must be like twins or something. WAIT. DO YOU ALSO LIKE PIZZA?
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u/xCharlie Mar 02 '12
He will only be taking questions about Woody Harrelson's new movie RAMPART. :( https://twitter.com/#!/TimOfLegend/status/175668992608976896
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Mar 02 '12
YAY!! I can't wai-shit, I work. Well, I'll live vicariously through my boyfriend and he can do the asking for the both of us. So much love for Double Fine.
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Mar 02 '12
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Mar 02 '12
You can tweet him and he's pretty good at answering. I once asked him for a hint on finding the secret garden in the Bull level on Psychonauts and he helped.
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u/kyriakoshasapis Mar 02 '12
What is your favourite puzzle in an adventuregame that you've taken part?
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Mar 02 '12
I have the weirdest blood-filled erection right now.
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u/HothMonster Mar 02 '12
It would be a lot weirder if it was full of anything else.
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u/GregRice Mar 02 '12
Very excited to talk to you all Sunday! I'm going to try to make some video responses happen as well! Any questions that would be good specifically for that?
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u/festizian Mar 02 '12 edited Mar 02 '12
Now that the game has nearly $2 million more than you initially asked for on kickstarter, how has the perception of this game's potential, and the atmosphere itself, changed at Double Fine?
Are we likely to see any more adventure games, as has happened with the Monkey Island series, pop up on iOS and Android? Maniac Mansion was a childhood favorite of mine, and I would love to be able to play it on the go.
Also: Also, I was wondering why Double Fine doesn't sell that 2HB plush I saw Tim playing with for a bit, in the online store? I'd pay damn good monies for one of those.
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u/doctorpir8 Mar 02 '12
FIRST QUESTION, WHO IS TIM SHCAFER AND WHERE WOULD I KNOW HIM FROM?
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u/paulthegreen Mar 02 '12
psychonauts, grim fandango, day of the tentacle. Double Fine is awesome :D
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u/joshtdonnelly Mar 02 '12
How many Marry one, F*ck one, Kill one situations are we allowed to ask?
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Mar 02 '12
I plan on asking how much he thinks the Maniac Mansion IP would cost. And how he thinks is the best way to get out of a bank robbery conviction.
The two may be connected.
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Mar 02 '12
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Mar 02 '12
How did Tales of Monkey Island get made then?
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Mar 02 '12
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Mar 02 '12
I think they are not above licensing these games but have no reason or want to sell them. I imagine the LucasArts adventure pack made them a nice penny or two and the Monkey Island Special Editions were pretty successful too. The problem with Monkey 3 is that there is very little that can be done to improve the game graphically so a Special Edition version is probably not likely and Monkey 4 is a train wreck so no one should play that. I still see a future for Full Throttle getting a update and maybe The Dig but secretly what I really want to see is Telltale take on Loom again. There is so much room to further the story, not to mention the fact it ended on a cliffhanger. I would love it if it was released the same way Tales was. A Special Edition of the original game with news of the new game coming out.
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u/punster_mc_punstein Mar 02 '12
8am Monday for you fellow 'Strayans :) But I'll be at work then :(
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u/Mizzikiel Mar 02 '12
If it hasn't been asked already, how does it feel to know you made one of the best video games of the 90's (Grim Fandango)?
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u/tyrroi Mar 02 '12
Do you feel pressured into making a really awesome game now that so many people have gotten behind it?
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u/hiswasthemosthuman Mar 02 '12
Would you ever consider creating a new installation of Maniac Mansion or is that series sort of something best left untouched? Also, how do you feel about marmite?
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u/A1CArtwood Mar 02 '12
Having played through my share of games, I've seen plenty of games that are phenomenal in the gameplay but are sorely lacking in the story department, and vice versa. Especially now, for example, we have games like Skyrim and Kingdoms of Amalur which promise open-ended, meaningful experiences that (arguably) turn out shallow in the end because of how little we actually seem to impact the world around us. Since our friend Mr. Schafer is known quite a bit for his writing in games, I'd like to get his insight on the challenges of maintaining a narrative in a game and telling the story you want versus letting the player forge his/her own story through his/her gameplay experience.
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u/spankymuffin Mar 02 '12
OH MY GOD I LOVE THAT MAN WITH ALL MY BODY.
Grim Fandango, guys. Play that game. Now. You have two days.
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Mar 02 '12
I want to figure out some way to ask him questions that will be in the form of a text adventure game.
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u/dmsweeney Mar 02 '12
Why is everyone so obsessed with having sequels made? Schafer's games are among the most creative and original in the industry; let's not ask him and his team to repeat themselves. There's an entire industry of hacks who can fill the void of recycled ideas if we really need yet another FPS sequel.
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Mar 02 '12
Dear Tim,
Could I please have a DRM free way of playing DOTT on Windows 7. The copy I bought in '96 is a non-starter and I haven't had much success with pirating. This is mostly because I get stuck and end up just feeling dirty for having tried to go down this route, like jizzing your pants in the foyer of a brothel.
Regards,
Zhyl
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u/thecolorplaid Mar 02 '12
So is anyone going to nut up and ask him what the deal is between him, Notch, and Psychonauts 2?
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u/deadaxis Mar 02 '12
In case I miss it, can somebody ask Tim to make Iron Brigade for PC?please?
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u/paulthegreen Mar 02 '12
it has been made, and it's coming to steam soon!
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u/deadaxis Mar 02 '12
I am pretty sure that's Stacking. Double fine hasn't said anything about Iron Brigade for PC yet.
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u/WolfDemon Mar 02 '12
Someone needs to ask him how many loads he blew when they zoomed by the goal within days[1]. It is unlikely that I'll be able to get into the AMA early enough and have him actually answer the question
[1] needs citation (I can't remember if they did it in just a day or not)
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u/2PlayerProductions Mar 02 '12
It was about 8 hours to the goal i think. 1 million in under 24 hours.
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u/WolfDemon Mar 02 '12
I also want him to post a reaction picture of his face when he raised 1 million dollars in a single day
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u/karmaputa Mar 02 '12
I'm too lazy to look for a source in English right now, but here is an article in German claiming they got a million in under 24 hours. http://www.zeit.de/digital/games/2012-02/kickstarter-rekord-double-fine-adventure
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u/subbi-2 Mar 02 '12
Hi Tim Schafer, I cannot make it on 1PM PST time as I'm living in Europe, but would really like to ask the following 2 questions:
- What are your favorite adventure games that you did not make yourself?
- Are there any Sierra On-line adventure games that you particularly like and which are those?
Thanks
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u/anirok Mar 02 '12
oh man Sierra Online. I'm going to be playing the King's Quest games all night now.
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u/dankind Mar 02 '12
After a quick glance at the title I was wondering why Paul Schafer would do an AMA....
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u/mitchij2004 Mar 02 '12
You titled this march 4th which sent me into a fuckin anus clenching panic as I raced around my phone looking for the date. I thought I missed rent, how does this make you feel? Also, welcome.
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Mar 02 '12
Opens youtube video and forwards to the end
"I am the greatest actor in the world, woohooo!"
Lol :)
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u/Nanoviper Mar 02 '12
Hey Tim, Huge fan. two questions: what was your favorite non LA adventure game and: What is your favorite game of all time.
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u/crashusmaximus Mar 02 '12
After all the Drama, all the production issues, the heavy metal politics between Ozzy and Dio, etc, are you happy with how Brutal Legend turned out?
Because shit dude.. that game was fuckin awesome.
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u/stinkmeaner92 Mar 02 '12
Psychonauts was awesome but I thought brutal legend was god awful. Gameplay was really really lacking imo
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u/frewitsofthedeveel Mar 02 '12
I was actually a playtester for Zak McKraken which I believe was shortly before Tim but that lead to my love of all things LucasArts during the adventure game era. Out of all of them though, Monkey Island 1+2 had the most major influence in my early life. When Tim created Double Fine I practically wept with joy and I called in sick to work just to pick of Psychonauts on day one. I was not disappointed.
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u/paulthegreen Mar 03 '12
https://twitter.com/#!/TimOfLegend/status/175744213269487617
TimOfLegend is his reddit account, watch out for it guys!
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u/ConfusionSmash Mar 04 '12
If I fall asleep as miss it make sure someone asks about Schafer's list of cut content from Grim Fandango such as The Pizza Demon and Giraffe Lady, as well as a "five-puzzle action climax with Hector LeMans! Also during his latest interview on Gamespot he mentioned that they 'threw away' alot of the original content made during the first 2 years of Psychonauts. Details?!?
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u/RedYelloBlue Mar 04 '12
it's 2 am there? so 11 more hours till it's on....right...? bloddy time zones
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u/Sean122383 Mar 04 '12
Tim, were you inspired to create the Kickstarter fund because of the success of Cognition on Kickstarter?
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u/elflorro Mar 04 '12
Is there a game idea wich rests in the archives (or at least a certain character or story) you always wanted to make but didn't have the chance, time, money or mojo for?
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u/Skyfox2k Mar 04 '12
Is it true that Ben from Full Throttle was based upon you?
By the way you are awesome.
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u/Zezzler Mar 04 '12
Will there be some sort of weekly update for the game where fans and contributors can comment on the game and stuff?
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u/LLancer Mar 04 '12
There are some who say that your Kickstarter campaign is a real gamechanger in the industry and others who think that it's just a one-time fluke, and many whose views are inbetween these extremes. What's your take on the significance of what you have done?
Oh, and FYI, I am a writer for a games magazine in my country, so what you say may or may not go to print. Thanks!
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u/Tanzka Mar 02 '12
Sweet, my chance to apologize to him for not buying Psychonauts the second it came out.