Bone: The Great Cow Race Inteview (con't)

FiringSquad: How will the events in the comic book be handled in the second game chapter? Will there be an actual real time cow race?

Dan Conners: The cow race was a huge challenge since so many expectations come with it, but I think we nailed it. It was very important to us that this portion of the game feel immersive and exciting, but not have a gameplay mechanic that's foreign to the rest of the game. I won't spoil the surprise. I'm going to let people play it to see what we've done with it.

FiringSquad: What other mini-games or tasks will there be in The Great Cow Race?

Dan Conners: Smiley needs to build a cow suit, Phoney needs to convince the locals to bet on the Mystery Cow, and Fone needs to impress Thorn. There are games to play at the fair, a giant bee to outsmart, rat creatures to get away from, and a really bad love poem to create.


FiringSquad: How will the second chapter improve on the gameplay of the first Bone game chapter?

Dan Conners: It's much less linear this time out. The middle part of the game requires you to switch between the three cousins to solve puzzles, which is kind of a tribute to Day of the Tentacle. It's also more challenging for gamers and there's a lot more to do. We really have taken the feedback to heart in the creation of this game.


FiringSquad: Will there be any visual improvements for The Great Cow Race?

Dan Conners: The game looks better overall, but we're still trying to be as compatible as possible. Our visuals aren't about the latest shaders or normal mapping, but they are about quality art.


FiringSquad: What is the current status of The Great Cow Race and when will it be released?

Dan Conners: It's just about wrapped up. Look for it in the middle of April


FiringSquad:: Is the third Bone chapter in production now and if so how will it be handled?

Dan Conners: We are mulling over the design at this point.


FiringSquad: Telltale Games took a risk with episodic games. Looking back does the team believe that this way of presenting PC games will become more popular among other developers?

Dan Conners: Definitely. The move to episodic games is unavoidable for so many reasons.


FiringSquad: Can you give us a brief update on the Sam and Max game?

Dan Conners: We are currently working on the design.


FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about The Great Cow Race and Telltale in general?

Dan Conners: The Great Cow Race is a very cool game. We've listened to gamer feedback and responded. The Bone story takes a big step forward, as well. I think after playing The Great Cow Race, people will really start to understand the benefits of this model. Regarding Telltale, we're going to continue to build unique games that aren't the same old thing. We appreciate the support and feedback we've received from the gaming community and vow to keep improving.