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It's not often that I get to write about a game that I am both a fan of and a developer behind, but after two months' worth of solid porting work, here I am!
Day of the Tentacle Remastered is now available for the first time on Linux, and can be found on Steam and Humble Store with a Linux launch discount. It should also be up on GOG as soon as they set it live.
Day of the Tentacle is a standalone sequel to the 1987 adventure game Maniac Mansion, created during the "golden age of adventure games" by LucasArts. Unlike Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle adheres to the sensibilities laid out in Ron Gilbert's Why Adventure Games Suck essay, which outlines the reasoning behind Monkey Island's design deviations from previous point and click adventures - no dead ends, no deaths, keeping goals clear and readable, better feedback to players, more meaningful player agency and tighter integration between puzzles and story.
These, along with some great humour became the hallmarks of LucasArts' adventure titles and few embody them as well as Day of The Tentacle, which takes a super complicated time travel oriented premise and manages to keep things clear and well paced throughout. If Monkey Island was the dawn of the "golden age of adventure games", then Day of the Tentacle was the latter part of the late morning when things start to really warm up, and paved the way for titles like The Dig, Curse of Monkey Island, Full Throttle (hopefully coming to Linux as part of its upcoming remastered release) and Grim Fandango (already on Linux) to capture the hearts and imaginations of adventure game fans with an enduring passion that would last for decades.
My personal connection to this game has expanded from being that of a player and an appreciator of its accomplishments to include that of a developer and in some respects a historian. I've had the opportunity not only to peek behind the curtain and experience a game I love from a new angle, but I've also been able to look back in time at a fascinating cross-section of LucasArts history.
I'm hoping to publish a more in-depth article about my porting experiences at a later date (edit: it's published now). If that sort of thing is exciting for you, definitely keep an eye out.
If you pick it up, I hope that you enjoy Day of the Tentacle as much as I have! Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
It's not often that I get to write about a game that I am both a fan of and a developer behind, but after two months' worth of solid porting work, here I am!
Day of the Tentacle Remastered is now available for the first time on Linux, and can be found on Steam and Humble Store with a Linux launch discount. It should also be up on GOG as soon as they set it live.
Day of the Tentacle is a standalone sequel to the 1987 adventure game Maniac Mansion, created during the "golden age of adventure games" by LucasArts. Unlike Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle adheres to the sensibilities laid out in Ron Gilbert's Why Adventure Games Suck essay, which outlines the reasoning behind Monkey Island's design deviations from previous point and click adventures - no dead ends, no deaths, keeping goals clear and readable, better feedback to players, more meaningful player agency and tighter integration between puzzles and story.
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These, along with some great humour became the hallmarks of LucasArts' adventure titles and few embody them as well as Day of The Tentacle, which takes a super complicated time travel oriented premise and manages to keep things clear and well paced throughout. If Monkey Island was the dawn of the "golden age of adventure games", then Day of the Tentacle was the latter part of the late morning when things start to really warm up, and paved the way for titles like The Dig, Curse of Monkey Island, Full Throttle (hopefully coming to Linux as part of its upcoming remastered release) and Grim Fandango (already on Linux) to capture the hearts and imaginations of adventure game fans with an enduring passion that would last for decades.
My personal connection to this game has expanded from being that of a player and an appreciator of its accomplishments to include that of a developer and in some respects a historian. I've had the opportunity not only to peek behind the curtain and experience a game I love from a new angle, but I've also been able to look back in time at a fascinating cross-section of LucasArts history.
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Direct Link
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I'm hoping to publish a more in-depth article about my porting experiences at a later date (edit: it's published now). If that sort of thing is exciting for you, definitely keep an eye out.
If you pick it up, I hope that you enjoy Day of the Tentacle as much as I have! Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Segata Sanshiro Jul 13, 2016
Getting a bit defensive there. I'm sure Day of the Tentacle is a great game (a little before my time, but it's a classic I've always wanted to play). I'm sure you personally did a great job with this game.
I was just pointing out something which is very much not OK and I don't understand why you insist on defending it. A port may have been planned, but it clearly wasn't very far along at that point (this was 4 months ago). I'm not sure I follow the logic of this "well intentioned offer"... You can buy the game on an OS you don't have, so you won't be able to play the game, however please give us your money now and you'll get it when we finish the port. All that post says to me is that they wanted money for a product which (as we now know) didn't even exist then. I'm not sure I care that a company has its "heart in the right place"... It's a business, not a charity (I think).
Defend the game and your own skills all you like, but please don't defend shoddy business practices because it doesn't help anyone. If you really like the company, then give criticism where criticism is due so they can improve. Also, they said PC.
I was just pointing out something which is very much not OK and I don't understand why you insist on defending it. A port may have been planned, but it clearly wasn't very far along at that point (this was 4 months ago). I'm not sure I follow the logic of this "well intentioned offer"... You can buy the game on an OS you don't have, so you won't be able to play the game, however please give us your money now and you'll get it when we finish the port. All that post says to me is that they wanted money for a product which (as we now know) didn't even exist then. I'm not sure I care that a company has its "heart in the right place"... It's a business, not a charity (I think).
Defend the game and your own skills all you like, but please don't defend shoddy business practices because it doesn't help anyone. If you really like the company, then give criticism where criticism is due so they can improve. Also, they said PC.
1 Likes, Who?
I picked it up on Humble Bundle (DRM free download and Steam key) today after waiting a while for the port. I also registered the game on Steam in GNU/Linux to hopefully send some money towards Cheese''s way for the port. Thanks for helping in getting it out! :D
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Cheeseness Jul 14, 2016
Quoting: tripyIf my memory serves right, it goes squished when I moved to my 1st flat.Ah, rest in peace, awesome box o7
I threw it away after that, it had lost its "superb".
Quoting: Segata SanshiroGetting a bit defensive there. I'm sure Day of the Tentacle is a great game (a little before my time, but it's a classic I've always wanted to play). I'm sure you personally did a great job with this game.I think there's a difference between being defensive and trying to explain a situation to reduce misinformation.
Glossing over that I can't find any communication from Double Fine where they'd said that the Linux port was "coming soon" before I started work (I did find "fashionably late" - is that it?) or anything that suggests they didn't have reason to believe a port would be ready within a reasonable timeframe, painting confirmation that buying the Windows version will get players the Mac and Linux versions when they're released (something some people actually want to know as clandestine behaviour comes across as super bizarre to me.
If they'd said "We plan to do a Linux version," when they had plans to not do a Linux version or if they'd said "The Linux version will be ready in a month," when they had reason to believe that it wouldn't be, then I'd get it, but I can't see any evidence of that ever having been the case.
Heck, even being grumpy about a post letting people know the game ran in Wine/offering to help people who wanted to do that would make more sense to me :D
Quoting: Segata SanshiroIf you really like the company, then give criticism where criticism is due so they can improve. Also, they said PC.If you read my previous post, I mentioned that I did offer some constructive criticism at the time - I contacted the person who made the tweet within hours of them doing it to help them understand that Linux users wouldn't appreciate the sentiment and to remind them that "PC" includes Linux.
Quoting: t3gI picked it up on Humble Bundle (DRM free download and Steam key) today after waiting a while for the port. I also registered the game on Steam in GNU/Linux to hopefully send some money towards Cheese''s way for the port. Thanks for helping in getting it out! :DI want to highlight that I don't get royalties on this game so whether or not you buy it doesn't directly affect me (this isn't unusual for contracted ports and I feel well looked after). People should only buy the game if they want to play it or if they want to support DF for their efforts to support GNU/Linux :)
2 Likes, Who?
Cheeseness Jul 23, 2016
For anybody who's subscribed to the comments and has been hanging out for my article on porting, it's up now and can be found here (a GOL summary article is on its way!) :D
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Currently working on Winter's Wake, a first person text adventure thing and its engine Icicle. Also making a little bee themed base builder called Hive Time :)
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