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Ron Gilbert Working on Penny Arcade Game

Posted by Zonk on from the i-am-a-pirate dept.

Yesterday at the Penny Arcade site Gabe shared the news that Ron Gilbert is working with them on Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. The well known designer, veteran of several LucasArts adventure titles as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine, has apparently been assisting the duo in planning out their first commercial game title. Says Gabe, "We had our first meeting with Ron pretty early in the design process. Tycho and I were getting the story fleshed out and we had some ideas about the design and over all pace of the game. We laid it all out for Ron and then he picked up a whiteboard marker and started teaching class. I'm not sure how many people can say they got a game design 101 course taught by Ron Gilbert, but that's exactly what Tycho and I got that day. His insights into the way you move the player through an interactive story so that they get to explore the world but don't loose the narrative were incredible." 1up also has commentary from Gilbert, who says, "I have been a fan of Penny Arcade because I have always found their comic so funny and biting. When I first heard they were making a game and that they had chosen to weave adventure game elements into it, I knew immediately I wanted to be involved. Working with the Penny Arcade guys and the team at Hothead has been an absolute riot."

37 comments

  1. Oh Cool... by akaris1 · · Score: 1

    Great to see that just maybe this game might not suck so bad that the PA guys May have to take a step back and mock themselves. Im truly hoping that the game critics chance to make a game doesnt backfire.

    1. Re:Oh Cool... by Tarlus · · Score: 4, Informative

      ...the PA guys May have to take a step back and mock themselves... They already have.
      --
      /* No Comment */
    2. Re:Oh Cool... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, that comic doesn't seem very self-critical at all - it's preemptively mocking game reviewers who review their game harshly, rather than mocking their own project. They're admitting the possibility of their failing to make a critically-acclaimed game, but not the possibility of their failing to make a good game. (Of course, it's not as if they're especially arrogant for not explicitly and publicly drawing attention to the possibility of failure before even completing their project.)

  2. Throwing this one out there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You fight like a dairy farmer!

    1. Re:Throwing this one out there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      How appropriate, you fight like a cow!

    2. Re:Throwing this one out there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am rubber, you are glue...

    3. Re:Throwing this one out there... by SQLGuru · · Score: 1

      How appropriate, you fight like a cow!

      Layne

      http://www.milegend.com/insults/

    4. Re:Throwing this one out there... by deinol · · Score: 1

      Does anyone else find it strange that the beginning of the joke is modded down, but the punchline is modded up?

      --
      Got Apathy?
    5. Re:Throwing this one out there... by Drooling+Iguana · · Score: 1

      Well, the jerk-store called, and they're running out of you!

      --
      ... I'm addicted to placebos
    6. Re:Throwing this one out there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am rubber, you are glue!

  3. one to watch by Coraon · · Score: 1

    The penny boys hold gaming corps to a fairly high standards, it will be interesting to see if there game can live up to their own standards

    --
    -Ours is the wisdom of Solomon, the magic of Merlyn, the fall of Icaris.
    1. Re:one to watch by abaddononion · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The penny boys hold gaming corps to a fairly high standards, it will be interesting to see if there game can live up to their own standards

      With the Rain-Slicked Precipice of Darkness, Tycho and Gabe have already said they're trying to make something simple, and fun. Something they can sell to their fans for 10 or 20 bucks a pop, and that people who love the comics can really appreciate, and people who dont love the comics might can still find some entertainment value in. I dont really think they can or should be expected to live up to their own expectations of game companies who drop millions of dollars, and thousands of hours of man-time into games, to turn around and sell at premium 50+ dollar prices, possibly with extra for peripherals.

  4. I'll bite... by biovoid · · Score: 3, Funny

    How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

    1. Re:I'll bite... by silvertear72 · · Score: 1

      So...would the correct response to the parent be:

      "No! No! No! That was the response from the last insult."

      Or would it be:

      "You never did know when to use that one."

  5. I had a dream . . . . by PIPBoy3000 · · Score: 1

    I strangely had a dream about this game last night. It was a bit surreal and difficult to explain.

    On a more serious note, I'm excited to see the creator of one of my favorite adventure games playing a role in the creation of this game. My only regret is that I probably can't let my eight year-old play it. Trying to explain why masturbating fruit fuckers are funny would probably challenge my parenting skills more than they can handle.

    1. Re:I had a dream . . . . by tibike77 · · Score: 1

      "Trying to explain why masturbating fruit fuckers are funny[...]"

      Just say "it's funny, laugh" *evil grin*

      --
      By reading this signature you agree to not disagree with the post you just read.
  6. Ron who? by ProppaT · · Score: 0, Redundant


    It might help to point out that Ron Gilbert is the guy behind a bunch of those classic Lucas Arts adventure games. I've played them all, but Ron Gilbert isn't necessarily a household name, even in the gaming community. I won't lie, I had to look him up on wikipedia.

    --
    Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
  7. Produce Panic by TypoNAM · · Score: 1

    Produce Panic was a game a few years back that was about Penny Arcade's character fruit fucker 2000, link: http://www.garagegames.com/products/35/
    Not sure if it was the first game ever made about/related to penny arcade though.

    --
    This space is not for rent.
  8. "as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine" by VGPowerlord · · Score: 4, Informative

    as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine

    If I was Aric Wilmunder, I'd be incensed by this statement.

    Oh, you don't know who Aric Wilmunder is? He's the other creator of the SCUMM engine; the guy who actually programmed it.
    --
    GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    1. Re:"as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine" by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      Oh man, this is gonna be a bad karma day for me...

      Take a car for example. There's the guy that designed the car, and there's the hundreds or thousands who put it together. Which one would you say 'created' it? Most people would choose the designer.

      It's probably just that people are lazy and it's easier to say 'the creator of' than 'one of the 2 creators of', though. I wasn't able to find out what the roles of each person were, just that they worked on it together.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    2. Re:"as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea, but did Eiffel actually build the eiffel tower?

    3. Re:"as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine" by Coco+Lopez · · Score: 1

      According to the following article, Chip Morningstar wrote the first SCUMM compiler and came up with the name. But he gives credit to only Ron Gilbert for designing the scripting engine.

      http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?stor y=11232

    4. Re:"as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine" by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 1

      Take a car for example. There's the guy that designed the car, and there's the hundreds or thousands who put it together. Which one would you say 'created' it? Most people would choose the designer.
      Bang on, writing software is so the same as working on a production line.
      --
      Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
    5. Re:"as well as the creator of the SCUMM engine" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      from a recent interview with ron:

      IGN: You worked on the SCUMM engine with fellow Lucasfilm Games employees Aric Wilmunder and Brad Taylor. What was your contribution to the engine?

      Ron Gilbert: I created it. It was kind of my concept because I really needed it to build Maniac Mansion. I did most of the Commodore 64 programming for the engine. Aric and Brad's contribution came in when we did the PC ports of the engine.
  9. This is the end by nokilli · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How can you be objective (or even funny) in reporting about an industry that you are now part of?

    I love this strip. If they want to go and do video games from now on, that's great. But they shouldn't for a moment think they can do both. A lot of what makes Penny Arcade so great is that these guys have demonstrated their integrity... a big part of why people tune in to the site is because they know Gabe and Tycho say it like it is. Once that's lost, it's over.

    I understand why it may seem like it's a good idea. Gabe draws great. Tycho talks pretty. The two have talents that naturally form the foundation for no doubt many a great game.

    But the market is constantly taking people who excel at X and convincing them they can succeed at Y, and while financially that may sometimes work out, invariably X is lost, and Y ends up sucking.

    I hope I'm wrong.

    1. Re:This is the end by furball · · Score: 4, Informative

      I don't think I ever read Penny-Arcade because they were objective. I read Penny-Arcade like I read Playboy: for the goddamn motherfucking pictures.

    2. Re:This is the end by Song+for+the+Deaf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I would hazard a guess that this game wouldn't so much be an entity unto itself, as an extension of their critiques and insight into the gaming world. Look for them to take the piss out of themselves and the games business and culture and its attendant cliches, sacred cows, and (hopefully) personalities.

      I don't see how making this game will affect their status as outsiders. The fact that they're making an adventure game (a genre that appeals mainly to longtime and hardcore gamers, and that has been dead to mainstream video game produciton for awhile now) speaks volumes about what their true intents are. This is not going to be a shiny Gears of War clone.

      And although they wouldn't say as much, the notion that they have a solid, solid fanbase behind them (PA expo anyone?) can be very liberating when you have to make creative decisions that affect the quality of a game. They know what their fans want. I think this game will be funny, witty, sarcastic, gross, inane, immature and fantastic- much like their comic.

    3. Re:This is the end by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "How can you be objective (or even funny) in reporting about an industry that you are now part of?"

      Very easily, you don't talk about your work. Or are you claiming that a Computer Programmer can't be witty and objective about a programming issue (and if you're saying that you're gonna have to answer to most /.ers :P). What about a farmer talking about some farming practices in another country? So long as you're not discussing your work or a competitor's work or being payed to say certain things it's easy to be objective about the industry you're in. Since they won't have any competitors (there are few game studios left that make adventure style cheap games), are unlikely to talk about their game in their comics from what I've seen and will almost certainly not be payed to say anything now that they're making a game I see no problem with it.

      IMHO someone who's a part of the industry tends to be the best source of information, so long as they can be trusted to avoid pushing their products over other people's. I've read Penny Arcade for a while and found that ever since they started this game they've been a lot kinder to the game industry without losing their wit or objectivity. Seems to me that they're now more qualified to talk about someone else's game as they are learning how difficult it can be. I'm a lot more likely to believe a game designer's extremely critical review of a game over your average joe who played it for 10 minutes. I'm not saying that's what Penny Arcade used to do but I would much rather hear their opinion on new games AFTER they've finished making one of their own that's (hopefully) good.

      But hey, that's my .02 cents. If you want to get your news from a total outsider then that's your choice. I for one welcome our new game building game reviewing Penny Arcade overloads happily.

      --
      There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
    4. Re:This is the end by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

      I don't see why they couldn't continue with their observations on the game industry while developing games themselves. In fact, it might give them additional insight that we wouldn't normally be exposed to. I don't think they were every objective anyway, so it's not like we're losing anything.

      I do agree, however, that it could become an issue. If they become too popular for their own good, particularly as developers, they may be more reluctant to step on toes and burn bridges. Either that or the game doesn't do well and they become overly bitter. But I suppose this comes down to their personalities and how they handle their popularity.

    5. Re:This is the end by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've only met Tycho personally once, but by that and his body of work I'm inclined to believe he's a class act. He seems to have integrity, and the kind of sense of humor that keeps a man from taking himself too seriously regardless of his level of success. There's no other gaming pundit/artist I'd rather see succeed than that pair, and I just don't see it going to their heads too badly even if they Made It Big, whatever that means. I mean, they've already Made It Big by a lot of standards; they're cartoonists who've become heroes.

  10. Please no cardboard tube ninjas by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

    Please no cardboard tube ninjas. Am I the only one who hates those comics. I love Penny Arcade, but I'm always disappointed when they get into one of those cardboard ninja routines, and there's no good comics for 3 or 4 days.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:Please no cardboard tube ninjas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Luckily, I haven't seen any cardboard tube ninjas. However, the Cardboard Tube Samurai has evolved froma cartoon with Gabe whacking Tycho with a cardboard tube into a samurai epic. I personally like them. It allows Gabe and Tycho to deviate from their usual satiric, humorous style and write stories with an original character.

    2. Re:Please no cardboard tube ninjas by DataShade · · Score: 1

      Try reading the classic manga, Lone Wolf and Cub. You might just change your mind about Cardboard Tube Samurai.

  11. I Hope It's Better Than The X-Play Game by szyzyg · · Score: 1

    Maybe the Aphex Twin can drop by for soundtrack duties.....

  12. Oh, why not? by FiloEleven · · Score: 1

    My handkerchief will wipe up your blood!

    --
    Your brain is not a computer.
    1. Re:Oh, why not? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >My handkerchief will wipe up your blood!

      I am rubber, you are glue...

    2. Re:Oh, why not? by GrumpySimon · · Score: 1

      So you got that job as janitor, after all?

      --
      henry -- the human evolution news relay