Maniac Mansion - Dott-Style (still in business!)

Fedx · Thu 12/11/2009 20:21:05

Wow!! Very nice!! I was expecting this since that "Dott style characters" C&C thread, also, Syd looks a bit like Conroy Bumpus haha

Anyway, good luck!!

BiggerJ · Fri 13/11/2009 07:01:16

Just so you know, in the original Maniac Mansion, Dave is always one of the three playable characters no matter who you choose (because it's his girlfriend who's been kidnapped). According to Day of the Tentacle, the three heroes who officially went into the Mansion on that fateful night (a night that had a game based upon it) were Dave, Bernard (of course) and either Syd or Razor (since they're the only ones able to make Green Tentacle's band successful and microwave Weird Ed's hamster, both of which are known to have officially happened). In interviews, it's been revealed that Razor was originally intended to be playable in Day of the Tentacle, which means that it was probably her and not Syd who went into the Mansion with Dave and Bernard.

Concerning new features, are there plans for voice acting auditions? Or a new playable character (for example, maybe Hoagie, who could be capable of getting a different version of the ending Syd and Razor can get, so you wouldn't have to make too many changes).

Edit: Also, please please please please PLEASE remix the title theme!

Mister L · Fri 13/11/2009 18:20:58

In fact we are planing to have a special ending for every incarnation of the 'trio'.
And yes, we're playing with the idea to have one or two completly new characters to enter the mansion with.
Hoagie and Laverne can't go because it's clear that they've visited the mansion in Dott for the first time. 8)

And a remix of the theme is also on the list.

Scorpio82 · Fri 13/11/2009 18:46:40

Looks great! DOTT is one of my all-time favorite games, and I like seeing Maniac Mansion get the same treatment. Will you be able to die in this version as well?

Joseph DiPerla · Fri 13/11/2009 20:54:58

Wow looks good. So these are all your own graphics?

Mister L · Fri 13/11/2009 21:06:14

Well, Bernard of course is the same as in Dott, the interface too and we borrowed some items from Dott and Sam&Max to capture the original look, but everything you can see here is stuff made by our team. 8)

Quote from: Scorpio82 on Fri 13/11/2009 18:46:40
Will you be able to die in this version as well?

No, the kids won't face final death and we'll cut out the dead ends. Maybe they'll die in a way like Guybrush in MI1 and MI3.

BiggerJ · Sat 14/11/2009 06:28:36

Quote from: Mister L on Fri 13/11/2009 18:20:58
In fact we are planing to have a special ending for every incarnation of the 'trio'.
And yes, we're playing with the idea to have one or two completly new characters to enter the mansion with.
Hoagie and Laverne can't go because it's clear that they've visited the mansion in Dott for the first time. 8)

And a remix of the theme is also on the list.

Concerning the Hugo and Laverne thing: AGH! I've been out-nerded!

And concerning the endings, how the game ends in the original version depends on which character's special skills you use to get the ending. Michael, Wendy, Bernard and Syd/Razor each have an ending only they can get (Syd and Razor have the same ending). Dave has no special skills and Jeff's only skill is fixing the telephone, which Bernard can do. So, doing the math, assuming Dave is always a member of the party and assuming no new characters are added, there are six selectable characters, so there are fifteen versions of the original trio. Taking into account the number of different endings each version of the trip is capable of getting (and treating Syd and Razor's endings as being different), there are 25 trio-and-ending combinations. If you make Dave optional (as in, replaceable with a different selectable character like the others) or add any new characters, this number will, of course, become bigger. If you give every single trio-and-ending combination it's own ending sequence (or even just an end sequence for every version of the trio, shown after the original ending and ignoring how the Meteor was dealt with), I will be very impressed.

Edit: Oh, and is there any chance of voice acting? Maybe you can release it without voices first and release a voice-acted version later. I'm not sure, but I might be good at Dr. Fred and Green Tentacle.

Mister L · Sat 14/11/2009 08:41:57

Hugo? :o

I don't want to spoil to much about te new endings, only this:
Syd and Razor won't have the same things to do anymore and Jeff will have his own special skill that suits his character. 8)

And yes, a talkie version of the game is also planned. First in German, cause it's our mother tongue but it's far to early to cast the voices. $:-\$

Cyrus · Sat 14/11/2009 08:43:20

Quote from: Mister L on Fri 13/11/2009 21:06:14
we borrowed some items from Dott and Sam&Max to capture the original look

You mean there will be "guest items" from other games?

Mister L · Sat 14/11/2009 09:22:28

No, we just grabbed some pixels here and there. Examine our screenshots closely, maybe you'll find something. 8)

BiggerJ · Sat 14/11/2009 11:46:20

Quote from: Mister L on Sat 14/11/2009 08:41:57
Hugo? :o

I don't want to spoil to much about te new endings, only this:
Syd and Razor won't have the same things to do anymore and Jeff will have his own special skill that suits his character. 8)

And yes, a talkie version of the game is also planned. First in German, cause it's our mother tongue but it's far to early to cast the voices. $:-\$

Argh, I meant Hoagie! And I call myself a nerd.

On the subject of me being a nerd, the continuity-obsessed geek in me hopes that it'll still be possible to get the official ending that leads to Day of the Tentacle (Dave, Bernard and Razor enter the mansion, Razor makes Green Tentacle's band successful and gets the recording contract, and somewhere along the way she does something unpleasant with a hamster and a microwave).

Mister L · Sat 14/11/2009 12:11:01

Hmm, I don't see the point, that Greens band is so successful in Dott.

Obviously the band got a new name. In MM it was "G.T. and the Suction Cups," but in Dott it is "G.T. and the Sushi Platters" and they are 'too experimental' to get any airplay. Doesn't sound like a 'million $ contract'-ending to me? $:-\$

All I can say is: It will happen everything in our game that happend in MM. But also much, much more.

Joseph DiPerla · Sat 14/11/2009 22:59:33

The golf clubs and guitar silhoutes, are those from Sam and Max?

Mister L · Sat 14/11/2009 23:21:36

No, from Dott.

BiggerJ · Sun 15/11/2009 00:01:23

Quote from: Mister L on Sat 14/11/2009 12:11:01
Hmm, I don't see the point, that Greens band is so successful in Dott.

Obviously the band got a new name. In MM it was "G.T. and the Suction Cups," but in Dott it is "G.T. and the Sushi Platters" and they are 'too experimental' to get any airplay. Doesn't sound like a 'million $ contract'-ending to me? $:-\$

All I can say is: It will happen everything in our game that happend in MM. But also much, much more.

Well, that makes things simpler. Green Tentacle could still have gotten his band off the ground (to the extent that he did) without the recording contract. That means that the only thing Razor definitely did was microwave the hamster. Which reminds me: in DoTT, when microwaving the frozen hamster, Laverne warns players about what happens to kids who do that in real life. Maybe you could have Syd/Razor do the exact opposite: "Hey, kids! Microwaving hamsters is fun and awesome!" *SPLAT* "See?"

Concerning new content and puzzles, perhaps you could have a way to fix the broken staircase.

Mister L · Sun 15/11/2009 00:17:57

Quote from: BiggerJ on Sun 15/11/2009 00:01:23
Concerning new content and puzzles, perhaps you could have a way to fix the broken staircase.

No way! :o
We consider this to be one of the gratest unrevealed secrets in adventuregame history right after the 'real' secret of Monkey Island!

This is not gonna happen.

Hmm, what do you think could be up there? 8)

BiggerJ · Sun 15/11/2009 00:26:52

Hey, at least I'm not asking you to add fuel for the chainsaw.

Well, not unless Zak McKracken is a playable character. (For those who don't know, the fuel for the chainsaw is nowhere in Maniac Mansion, but turns up in Zak's game.)

BiggerJ · Mon 16/11/2009 05:55:07

Out of curiosity, will you be remixing the NES version's music? Also, which version of the title theme will you be remixing, the PC version or the NES version?

Mister L · Mon 16/11/2009 09:16:17

The NES-Music will appear in the game in a 'special' way.

We'll use MP3-versions of the Dott-soundtrack like in MMDeluxe for most of the screens.

We want the main theme to sound a bit 'dottish' and we still have to find someone who's able to make that for us. $:-\$

BiggerJ · Mon 16/11/2009 10:41:57

Well, there is one guy I know of who makes music (including cover versions) for money - Andrew Pants at songstowearpantsto.com - you'd probably have to give him links to the Maniac Mansion theme song and some samples of DoTT's music in your request, of course. I'd gladly donate money (via PayPal) for such a thing.