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Scribblenauts Preview/Impressions Thread - You will say "wow." (see post #217)

Hmm already spotted baad translation in the German Video "Gib Ihr diese Blumen wieder in Ihrem Korb zurück!" Should be "Ihren" and bad grammar nevertheless. Also; we have "QWERTZ" in Germany not "QWERTY"... :/

Buy anyways. But I hope the hints are clear to everyone playing the game.
 
******* challenge results video. It's pretty long, about 12 minutes.

http://www.*******.com/2009/08/03/the-*******-scribblenauts-challenge-your-solutions/

Kinda disappointing. A lot of solutions you might expect to work didn't for one reason or another. I'd say for at least half of the failed attempts you can blame the previewer. Like, he used a rope to tie the baby/steak together. Why not glue? But other times the game was clearly not cooperating, such as the Mouse + Elephant and the Horse/Mallet. I do wonder if the previewer was again at fault for the latter.

He did mention something I think all of us should probably take to heart. Scribblenauts rewards creative thinking, not necessarily convoluted solutions. Aside from the controls, that's been the number one complaint of previewers. Sometimes something you expect to work just plain won't.

It's not a bad thing at all. Creativity is what the name of the game is, and we can't fault the game for not catering to every infinite solution. But I think we could all afford to dial our expectations back
 

GDGF

Soothsayer
I've always kept my expectations to a minimum. That way what I get will blow me away :)


I'm going to type, btw. It's faster, and my handwriting is atrocious.
 
The video I linked above was apparently removed due to WB. Explained:

[Update: Sorry guys, but we've been asked by Warner Bros. PR people to remove the video because it wasn't approved by the company. Yeah, we would have expected a video that lavished praise on our game to be approved too, but hey, what do we know?

That...kinda makes me uneasy
 

Blizzard

Banned
SirPenguin said:
******* challenge results video. It's pretty long, about 12 minutes.

http://www.*******.com/2009/08/03/the-*******-scribblenauts-challenge-your-solutions/

Kinda disappointing. A lot of solutions you might expect to work didn't for one reason or another. I'd say for at least half of the failed attempts you can blame the previewer. Like, he used a rope to tie the baby/steak together. Why not glue? But other times the game was clearly not cooperating, such as the Mouse + Elephant and the Horse/Mallet. I do wonder if the previewer was again at fault for the latter.

He did mention something I think all of us should probably take to heart. Scribblenauts rewards creative thinking, not necessarily convoluted solutions. Aside from the controls, that's been the number one complaint of previewers. Sometimes something you expect to work just plain won't.

It's not a bad thing at all. Creativity is what the name of the game is, and we can't fault the game for not catering to every infinite solution. But I think we could all afford to dial our expectations back
That's what I've been SAYING. Worst game ever, preorder cancelled. :(

Seriously, I've been trying to keep my expectations low, I just suck at it. I went to preorder it at Gamestop yesterday, but I got there too late, so I'll try to go again maybe this weekend.

*edit*

Wow, cat's out of the bag. Evil WB is suppressing the truth about the game now! If Jackson never posts in this thread again, we'll know he was kidnapped by Bugs Bunny or something. :(
 
I was able to download the video prior to the censoring, which is what I'm going to call it for now until this is cleared up. I'm contemplating reupping it, though I wonder if I could be faced with WB knocking at my door.
 

Blizzard

Banned
SirPenguin said:
I was able to download the video prior to the censoring, which is what I'm going to call it for now until this is cleared up. I'm contemplating reupping it, though I wonder if I could be faced with WB knocking at my door.
I think you should err on the side of caution. You don't know what you might be dealing with.
sam1224081418.gif
 

toonhead2

Neo Member
I just finished watching it, then I refreshed and it was unavailable. Maybe because it was a 12 minute video that had some issues that did it.

As far as the video, I could see certain things wont work well in such a small area as well.
 

GDGF

Soothsayer
SirPenguin said:
I was able to download the video prior to the censoring, which is what I'm going to call it for now until this is cleared up. I'm contemplating reupping it, though I wonder if I could be faced with WB knocking at my door.

Now that I know I'm not supposed to see it I really want to see it. You should put it up somewhere. You never signed any aggrement :lol
 
YouTube claims it's too long, and I don't have know how to split a .flv file in half.

I'll hold off on uploading it. But man. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth, lemme tell you. I really do hope it was taken down for legit reasons, but no matter what it might be it's not going to stop people from thinking it was taken down because it cast the game in a negative light :(
 

Jackson

Member
It was taken down because ******* showed too much straight footage which every other site (including *******) agreed to show much less than that. So it gave them something unfair over all other sites that got the preview build. So WB was trying to be fair and told them to take it down.

Conspiracy theorists ftl?

I've watched the video, I didn't see anything "disappointing". The bull went after the red flag.
The elephant clearly and obviously didn't knock all the bottles off the stand, he should have moved it. The dude sucks at using rope. And then maxwell rode the elephant which made him "cheat" by getting to close and knocking them down himself

Almost every solution worked... that should work.
 

Cyndar

Neo Member
Jackson said:
It was taken down because ******* showed too much straight footage which every other site (including *******) agreed to show much less than that. So it gave them something unfair over all other sites that got the preview build. So WB was trying to be fair and told them to take it down.

Conspiracy theorists ftl?

I've watched the video, I didn't see anything "disappointing". The bull went after the red flag.
The elephant clearly and obviously didn't knock all the bottles off the stand, he should have moved it. The dude sucks at using rope. And then maxwell rode the elephant which made him "cheat" by getting to close and knocking them down himself

Almost every solution worked... that should work.
You're starting to replace Valve for me. It's scary.
 
I wasn't convinced by this game at first, but its won me over. I now feel compelled to tell more people about it. I hope they don't think I'm insane.
 

Blizzard

Banned
Jackson said:
It was taken down because ******* showed too much straight footage which every other site (including *******) agreed to show much less than that. So it gave them something unfair over all other sites that got the preview build. So WB was trying to be fair and told them to take it down.

Conspiracy theorists ftl?

I've watched the video, I didn't see anything "disappointing". The bull went after the red flag.
The elephant clearly and obviously didn't knock all the bottles off the stand, he should have moved it. The dude sucks at using rope. And then maxwell rode the elephant which made him "cheat" by getting to close and knocking them down himself

Almost every solution worked... that should work.
Aww, hatman! I'm glad that you haven't been kidnapped by Warner Brothers!

...YET. Dun dun dun...
 
Jackson said:
It was taken down because ******* showed too much straight footage which every other site (including *******) agreed to show much less than that. So it gave them something unfair over all other sites that got the preview build. So WB was trying to be fair and told them to take it down.

Conspiracy theorists ftl?

I've watched the video, I didn't see anything "disappointing". The bull went after the red flag.
The elephant clearly and obviously didn't knock all the bottles off the stand, he should have moved it. The dude sucks at using rope. And then maxwell rode the elephant which made him "cheat" by getting to close and knocking them down himself

Almost every solution worked... that should work.

Aha, I see. Well that is good to know. The way ******* made it sound was quite a bit less...tame. But I see they've since removed their original explanation (the one that was snarky) so I guess that's that.

After rewatching it a few times I've realized the disappointing parts were mainly with the previewer and his (apparent) lack of skill.
 

MNC

Member
I really hope the previewer's fault. Jackson protecting his own game is the right thing to do but I can't help feel he's biased. I can't help it! I have that feeling about every developer talking about his/her game, which is pretty natural, for both the developer and me. I'm having a hard time wording this thoroughly... In Jackson I trust.

Please Jackson don't be hatin' :( Don't want my copy of scribblenauts suddenly only contain a screen saying "You should not have said a word"
 

KScorp

Member
I haven't watched the video, but your comments are making it seem like it's going to be difficult to debug solutions. While many of the solutions should work, little mistakes or a small misplacement may make them fail. Jackson obviously spots the problems since he's played the game through many times already, but will people playing the game go through such trouble?

Correct me if I'm wrong please.
 
So deso this mean that the whole Time Machine/Dinosaur thing was basically scripted by the creators to make it seem like this game could do more than it actually could?

I hope not. I really want this game, and I'm getting a bit worried now.
 

WowBaby

Member
Galvanise_ said:
I wasn't convinced by this game at first, but its won me over. I now feel compelled to tell more people about it. I hope they don't think I'm insane.

I know the feeling. At times I'm almost embarrassed to keep talking about it. I think they want me to can it. I just can't. :/
 

KScorp

Member
2 Minutes Turkish said:
So deso this mean that the whole Time Machine/Dinosaur thing was basically scripted by the creators to make it seem like this game could do more than it actually could?

I hope not. I really want this game, and I'm getting a bit worried now.
Um, no, a Time Machine is in the game, and it can take you back to the dinosaur era, among other places. And yes, you can take things back to the present and use them.

You should jump to post 217 in this thread, I believe it's on page 5.
 

WowBaby

Member
KScorp said:
I haven't watched the video, but your comments are making it seem like it's going to be difficult to debug solutions. While many of the solutions should work, little mistakes or a small misplacement may make them fail. Jackson obviously spots the problems since he's played the game through many times already, but will people playing the game go through such trouble?

Correct me if I'm wrong please.


I would think that a little practice at the "sand box" should help us refine our Scribble skills.
 
2 Minutes Turkish said:
So deso this mean that the whole Time Machine/Dinosaur thing was basically scripted by the creators to make it seem like this game could do more than it actually could?

I hope not. I really want this game, and I'm getting a bit worried now.

No, nor do I get how you came to that conclusion.

What the Joysticker editor was saying - and what I am echoing - is that people might think that a solution makes sense in their head, but that does NOT mean it'll translate into the game, and you should be wary of that.

It's like Spore. People thought they could be Gods, and they had this entirely different games in their heads than what they got, so they were disappointed. I just don't want that happen here.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
2 Minutes Turkish said:
So deso this mean that the whole Time Machine/Dinosaur thing was basically scripted by the creators to make it seem like this game could do more than it actually could?

I hope not. I really want this game, and I'm getting a bit worried now.

You can summon a time machine in any level, and it will either take you to a random time period in the past or future. What else was implied?
 

Jackson

Member
The thing is myself and 5TH Cell haven't really hyped the game, others have for us. We just said what the game is. And like any game, controls take awhile to get used to. It's not perfect, it's DS and we had a year to make it. It's just a really cool idea (ok I'm biased there :lol ) that was done as best as it could be on a DS in a year's time. And most everyone comes back happy and impressed and every preview even the ones that point out flaws still say the game is the real deal and is worth buying.

Will it wash your socks and butter your bread and get you a new sports car? No. But we never set out do do that. The hype train created the expectation.
 
I don't think anyone is blaming 5TH Cell and Co. for the hype train. The hype train is, indeed, pretty faceless. I think it's important to take the good and the bad and be realistic about it, which is something not every fan (nor every website!) will do.

Anyways, here's the video in .flv format. I assume this isn't a problem given the reason it was taken down. You'll need a flv player, though if you have something like VLC than you'll be all set.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=22KVACH6
 
SirPenguin said:
I don't think anyone is blaming 5TH Cell and Co. for the hype train. The hype train is, indeed, pretty faceless. I think it's important to take the good and the bad and be realistic about it, which is something not every fan (nor every website!) will do.

Anyways, here's the video in .flv format. I assume this isn't a problem given the reason it was taken down. You'll need a flv player, though if you have something like VLC than you'll be all set.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=22KVACH6

omg :lol this game is so awesome.

I can't believe Maxwell bashed the shit out of that horse :lol

Thanks for the upload! :D
 

MNC

Member
Jackson said:
The thing is myself and 5TH Cell haven't really hyped the game, others have for us. We just said what the game is. And like any game, controls take awhile to get used to. It's not perfect, it's DS and we had a year to make it. And most everyone comes back happy and impressed and every preview even the ones that point out flaws still say the game is the real deal and is worth buying.

Will it wash your socks and butter your bread and get you a new sports car? No. But we never set out do do that. The hype train created the expectation.
True spoken words. Thanks for the reassurance.

Jackson said:
It's just a really cool idea (ok I'm biased there :lol ) that was done as best as it could be on a DS in a year's time.
:lol No I dare say this is objectively a fact
 

KScorp

Member
Well, watching the video did bring up some concerns, none of which are new.

The baby, rope, and steak demonstrated some difficulties in getting things to snap into place. The DS screen size is small, so I can see where developers would have trouble making the game do what you want, especially if there is lots of clutter.

The guy in the video accuratly pointed out what Scribblenauts seeks to achieve: awarding creative solutions rather than convoluted solutions. However, some physics glitches may make even simple, creative solutions fail, as shown by the elephant and the mouse. It failed the first time, but it looked like it worked. The bull didn't chase after the first flag either. I'm sure it would work if you retried, but hopefully it isn't something you encounter often.

No one, however, complains that these will break Scribblenauts, so I'll assume that problems like this are minimal and not at a rage-inducing level. That, and the fact that Scribblenauts levels are relatively small and solutions can be recreated very quickly if anything goes wrong. I'm betting there will be few people who will lose patience with Scribblenauts.
 

Puffles

Banned
Jackson said:
Will it wash your socks and butter your bread and get you a new sports car? No.

I find that funny, because you can always summon a WASHING MACHINE, a BUTTER KNIFE, and a CAR DEALERSHIP. :lol
 

SmellyWaffles

Neo Member
You know what? I honestly don't think that the "problems" presented in that video are that big of a deal. You have to remember that many Scribblenauts' puzzles are essentially glorified physics problems... sure, you can come up with a solution involving a large mammal like a horse or elephant, but if you cram it in such a small level you have to expect that it'll be tough maneuvering around.

That isn't to say the complex attempts ALWAYS be fruitless (e.g. the kangaroo solution), but in a cramped level like that you have to expect that the less convoluted, "surgical" solutions (baseball, termite, flamethrower, etc) will have a higher success rate.

And yes, sometimes a summoned item won't look or act exactly like you expect, but I personally find that to be part of the fun of the game. Now that I know rope is a specific length and can only be attached at either end, that makes me realize its limitations and gets me thinking about other solutions.

Now, "milk man" giving a regular delivery man? That was a bit disappointing. Then again, the bottles were just empty bottles, no milk. So I can't attest to the character's actual behavior, which might be completely accurate...

...wow, I'm sure optimistic about this game :D
 

razdor2k

Banned
Yea! you people are greatful, don't forget 5TH cell had done all they could to protect the game in all DSs limits, even DS phat one, with a game like that, i don't think anyone ever could have done this, and till now, no on did.

I guess this game could have been DSi exlusive and was much easier for 5th cell to work because of the bigger Processor and Ram based.
 

Cyndar

Neo Member
Oy, Jackson, people over at GameSpot (Myself included) are wondering if the word 'RANDOM' will spawn a random item. Personally, I'm hoping against it, but, care to answer?
 
I read the preview in Edge, and was wondering if Jackson had any response to their control problems, which "are not a minor issue, but almost a game-ruining one".

The article seemed quite positive otherwise, and the inclusion of some of the Post 217 concept art was pretty cool.
 

MNC

Member
SmellyWaffles said:
You know what? I honestly don't think that the "problems" presented in that video are that big of a deal. You have to remember that many Scribblenauts' puzzles are essentially glorified physics problems... sure, you can come up with a solution involving a large mammal like a horse or elephant, but if you cram it in such a small level you have to expect that it'll be tough maneuvering around.

That isn't to say the complex attempts ALWAYS be fruitless (e.g. the kangaroo solution), but in a cramped level like that you have to expect that the less convoluted, "surgical" solutions (baseball, termite, flamethrower, etc) will have a higher success rate.

And yes, sometimes a summoned item won't look or act exactly like you expect, but I personally find that to be part of the fun of the game. Now that I know rope is a specific length and can only be attached at either end, that makes me realize its limitations and gets me thinking about other solutions.

Now, "milk man" giving a regular delivery man? That was a bit disappointing. Then again, the bottles were just empty bottles, no milk. So I can't attest to the character's actual behavior, which might be completely accurate...

...wow, I'm sure optimistic about this game :D
That´s the way the objectnaut works I think. generalising most delivery men together, and when the game gets a recognized word in it (wooden ball, polo hammer) it spawns the noun. Wood and polo are a subcategory of said noun, which might also be the case of the milkman and it gets disregarded by the game.
 

Blizzard

Banned
TelemachusD said:
I read the preview in Edge, and was wondering if Jackson had any response to their control problems, which "are not a minor issue, but almost a game-ruining one".

The article seemed quite positive otherwise, and the inclusion of some of the Post 217 concept art was pretty cool.
I'm still confused by this. I'm trying to keep expectations low. We've all agreed that the game is going to be one of the worst ever, and we'll only expect the SIMPLEST of solutions to work. We all agree that Jackson is a puppetmaster, and only silly people would preorder.
:p

But with all of those lowered expectations that we have all agreed upon, haven't at least two or three people on this forum played the game themselves, at E3, other conferences, or whatever? Do any of those people have any input about whether the screen controls are "game-ruining" or "decent"? I don't think I really heard anyone complaining about it before Edge, unless 5th Cell's last-minute changes after E3 were to suddenly make the controls terrible for all the review sites. :p

Also, I thought Edge was the same website that did the Twitter contest and said that their DS had some sort of screen sensitivity problem, but my memory may be bad.
 
I only need this game to spawn monkeys and zombies to make me happy. I really could care less about the starites and how to get them, what I want is things that I come up with to show up on the screen and amuse me. I think I will get what I want, and if the puzzles and solutions are as entertaining and creative as my ideas then I can't lose can I?
Plus the hat. The chicken hat is awesome.
 

phisheep

NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
TelemachusD said:
I read the preview in Edge, and was wondering if Jackson had any response to their control problems, which "are not a minor issue, but almost a game-ruining one".

If there were 'almost game-ruining' controls I'm sure we'd have heard about it from others as well by now. If only one or a few mention them then we are in the same territory as IGN with Wii Music - namely that it is the player and not the game that is at fault.

I rather hope Jackson doesn't rise to the bait on this one - last thing I need is for all this wonderful prelaunch expectation to dribble off into dreary technical issues.
 

KScorp

Member
MNC said:
That´s the way the objectnaut works I think. generalising most delivery men together, and when the game gets a recognized word in it (wooden ball, polo hammer) it spawns the noun. Wood and polo are a subcategory of said noun, which might also be the case of the milkman and it gets disregarded by the game.
The Objectnaut works by giving the characteristics of almost all delivery men, but its key feature is the easy way developers can add more specific features. For instance, delivery men need something to deliver. And they are all men. So that much is defined. But, the Objectnaut will also state that a Mailman is a delivery man, and he need mail. Likewise, a milkman needs milk, or milk bottles. This 'reuse' of code allows for a very tiny database which covers tens of thousands of nouns.

It would be disappointing if a generic "delivery man" covered all delivery people, especially basics such as mailman or milkman. Especially if they've added a list of chemical formulas and obscure dinosaurs.
 

webrunner

Member
SirPenguin said:
Kotaku details his 16 attempts at a level

http://kotaku.com/5329596/16-attempts-at-scribblenauts?skyline=true&s=i

A lot of these failures are definitely his fault. He spends 4 attempts trying to get rid of a bear he summoned, which I'm pretty sure he could have just dragged into the trash can.

Still, it makes more an entertaining read. He's not just solving the level but really experimenting with it.

Well, it's good to see that it has a good difficulty balance: all the mistakes were because of making mistakes or entropy or emergent behavior, not due to things not working the way they ought to.
 

SmellyWaffles

Neo Member
^I'm pretty sure the reason that he couldn't shoot the piranha was because bullets don't penetrate water.. not because of control issues like he seemed to be blaming it on
 
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