TO THE DEVELOPERS - The Ending!?

[Bonnie Gruesome]

Okay so I just this moment finished the last chapter and I'm stunned, confused and saddened all at once, is that really the only ending we get? or is there more? I realise there's another thread about this from others but I'd like to push for an official answer from a developer, I mean, what the hell!? that can'e be it can it? I love the game very much and have been eagerly waiting for it's conclusion, but at the same time, it feels so wrong somehow...

[Mr. Betagam]

I like to take the new title screen as a sign of hope. Victor isn't dead, he's only sleeping, maybe in a hospital full of such comatose patients. Alicia still (presumably) has the helmets, imagine she gets a job at that hospital for her own private reasons.
This title and its larger world have so much potential for further exploration...

[wcc]

I somehow doubt we'll see another game from Cockroach. It's kinda obvious they've life and work besides game development and kinda overstrained theirselves even with this title.

[Mr. Betagam]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από wcc:

I somehow doubt we'll see another game from Cockroach. It's kinda obvious they've life and work besides game development and kinda overstrained theirselves even with this title.

Artists will always produce art, even if it takes time.

The funding and development of the Dream Machine was far from ideal either for the developer or those of us who patiently waited for the next chapter but the world of funding has changed a lot since 2010. Crowdfunding was still in its infancy and Cockroach have proven that they can be relied upon to deliver a high quality game that fulfills its potential without ever being obligated to do so, They are true artists in every sense of the word and that will give them a lot of support if they choose to fund the next game through that route.

[Bonnie Gruesome]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Mr. Betagam:

I like to take the new title screen as a sign of hope. Victor isn't dead, he's only sleeping, maybe in a hospital full of such comatose patients. Alicia still (presumably) has the helmets, imagine she gets a job at that hospital for her own private reasons.
This title and its larger world have so much potential for further exploration...

I'd like to think Victor is only in a coma, but it's still a very sad ending to a great game.

[Mr. Betagam]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Oddysia Pa'ar:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Mr. Betagam:

I like to take the new title screen as a sign of hope. Victor isn't dead, he's only sleeping, maybe in a hospital full of such comatose patients. Alicia still (presumably) has the helmets, imagine she gets a job at that hospital for her own private reasons.
This title and its larger world have so much potential for further exploration...

I'd like to think Victor is only in a coma, but it's still a very sad ending to a great game.

Yes, it doesn't seem to have gone down very well with many but for me it almost came as something of a relief after the extremely dark corridor the game went down in it's final chapter that at least there is hope.

As for Victor, he absolutely is in a coma, that part isn't ambiguous and is quite deliberately stated by the switch in title screen. The machine seems to suggest in its final dialogue that he could opt to leave this condition but to do so would be to kill them both. In this sense Victor does ultimately always have the ability to keep the machine in check as he has the option to terminate them both if he so desires. That's probably why the machine simply opts to be the passive partner in their symbiosis and let Victor call the shots.

[wcc]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Mr. Betagam:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από wcc:

I somehow doubt we'll see another game from Cockroach. It's kinda obvious they've life and work besides game development and kinda overstrained theirselves even with this title.

Artists will always produce art, even if it takes time.

The funding and development of the Dream Machine was far from ideal either for the developer or those of us who patiently waited for the next chapter but the world of funding has changed a lot since 2010. Crowdfunding was still in its infancy and Cockroach have proven that they can be relied upon to deliver a high quality game that fulfills its potential without ever being obligated to do so, They are true artists in every sense of the word and that will give them a lot of support if they choose to fund the next game through that route.

I don't think they suffered from an under-developed crowdfunding, but from a lack of time. It seemed to me that the development was quite stressful. If they really plan to continue doing arts, they could also write stories or make stop motion videos or whatever. In any case, I don't think we'll see another game from them in the next ten years, and I doubt even more that the comatose Victors was a hint for a sequel.
Of course, a developer's statement could prove me wrong at any time, and I wouldn't be sad. ;)

[Mr. Betagam]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από wcc:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Mr. Betagam:

Artists will always produce art, even if it takes time.

The funding and development of the Dream Machine was far from ideal either for the developer or those of us who patiently waited for the next chapter but the world of funding has changed a lot since 2010. Crowdfunding was still in its infancy and Cockroach have proven that they can be relied upon to deliver a high quality game that fulfills its potential without ever being obligated to do so, They are true artists in every sense of the word and that will give them a lot of support if they choose to fund the next game through that route.

I don't think they suffered from an under-developed crowdfunding, but from a lack of time. It seemed to me that the development was quite stressful. If they really plan to continue doing arts, they could also write stories or make stop motion videos or whatever. In any case, I don't think we'll see another game from them in the next ten years, and I doubt even more that the comatose Victors was a hint for a sequel.
Of course, a developer's statement could prove me wrong at any time, and I wouldn't be sad. ;)

It didn't suffer from an under-developed crowdfunding because it wasn't crowdfunded. Probably largely because crowdfunding was barely a thing then.

As I understand it from interviews the game was completed with funds that Cockroach raised through private projects.

My point is that the way games can be funded now has changed a lot since The Dream Machine began its journey.

[wcc]

Yes, and my point is that the development of this game did not take > 6 years because of funding issues. but because spare time was an issue. Discussing the way you'ld fund a two-men freetime project nowadays distract from the main reasons which make a sequel unlikely imo. This might change of course if the developers decided to work full-time on the next project, but I don't expect that.

[Mr. Betagam]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από wcc:

Yes, and my point is that the development of this game did not take > 6 years because of funding issues. but because spare time was an issue. Discussing the way you'ld fund a two-men freetime project nowadays distract from the main reasons which make a sequel unlikely imo. This might change of course if the developers decided to work full-time on the next project, but I don't expect that.

The wiki article on the game states that The Dream Machine "was financed by Cockroach Inc. doing other freelance projects and donations."

If spare time was an issue then, its probably because of the same thing that most artists struggle with: the need to do private work to fund their labour of love. This is a familiar problem for most creative people: the real life fiscal demands of paying the bills get in the way of the business of creating. The brilliance of crowdfunding is that it has allowed so many artists to know ahead of time that the funding is secure and assess how much of their time they can allocate to a project.

The experiment in self-funded episodic gaming that the Dream Machine underwent was a bold experiment of its era but would not have to be repeated for any new project because Cockroach now has two things vital for crowdfunding success: a loyal fanbase and the trust of the community at large.

Everyone has "life and work" beyond their passions, but the dream for most artists is to make their passion their work....and at that point it stops being "work".

I don't quite follow the logic that leads you to think we'll never see another game from them because they "overstrained" with The Dream Machine. The idea that any artist would simply sit down at the end of a tough project and say "well, I won't be doing that again...back to the daily grind" just flies in the face of what drives creative people.

Yes, I highly doubt that Cockroach would ever opt to make another game under the stressful, but necessary, conditions that they did for this game...but my whole point is that in today's market they would no longer need to.

[Bonnie Gruesome]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Mr. Betagam:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από wcc:

Yes, and my point is that the development of this game did not take > 6 years because of funding issues. but because spare time was an issue. Discussing the way you'ld fund a two-men freetime project nowadays distract from the main reasons which make a sequel unlikely imo. This might change of course if the developers decided to work full-time on the next project, but I don't expect that.

The wiki article on the game states that The Dream Machine "was financed by Cockroach Inc. doing other freelance projects and donations."

If spare time was an issue then, its probably because of the same thing that most artists struggle with: the need to do private work to fund their labour of love. This is a familiar problem for most creative people: the real life fiscal demands of paying the bills get in the way of the business of creating. The brilliance of crowdfunding is that it has allowed so many artists to know ahead of time that the funding is secure and assess how much of their time they can allocate to a project.

The experiment in self-funded episodic gaming that the Dream Machine underwent was a bold experiment of its era but would not have to be repeated for any new project because Cockroach now has two things vital for crowdfunding success: a loyal fanbase and the trust of the community at large.

Everyone has "life and work" beyond their passions, but the dream for most artists is to make their passion their work....and at that point it stops being "work".

I don't quite follow the logic that leads you to think we'll never see another game from them because they "overstrained" with The Dream Machine. The idea that any artist would simply sit down at the end of a tough project and say "well, I won't be doing that again...back to the daily grind" just flies in the face of what drives creative people.

Yes, I highly doubt that Cockroach would ever opt to make another game under the stressful, but necessary, conditions that they did for this game...but my whole point is that in today's market they would no longer need to.

I'd like to see another one, it's rare to see a game made of cardboard and clay alone, but what they'd need is a bigger team (maybe) a production like Aardman comes to mind who do clay and stop motion all the time but they're big funded and a huge team, this company can really do it too, and I hope they do, as for TDM's ending I'm kinda accepting it now although it was still very sad for Victor :)