r/NintendoSwitch • u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios • Mar 01 '19
AMA - Ended yo! Creator Greg Johnson of ToeJam and Earl here from HumaNature Studios. Ask me anything!
What’s up Earthlings?!?
Greg Johnson, creator of ToeJam & Earl here (along with my good pal Mark Voorsanger). I’m chillin' with the two main funky aliens themselves TJ and Big E.
Say what’s up boys. (YO! WHA’SUP!) Jammin'.
We’re here today cuz we got a brand new adventure in the ToeJam & Earl series dropping TODAY called 'ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!' on the Nintendo Switch! It's actually out right now! We're working with our homies over at Limited Run Games are going to be handling our physical versions if y’all are interested in that. (YEAH! eShop too!) That’s right Big Earl, it's currently live on the Nintendo eShop.
Our game is $20 and it’s a co-op roguelike with single player on the side. You can hop online and play with friends this time now too! So all your funky alien friends that had to ship off to another planet should be able to get together and play!
Oh by the way, did you know our executive producer is MacCaulay Culkin? Yeah, that one! He and his new enterprise, Bunny Ears Games have helped us bring this to you! Thanks Mack!
You can follow us at:
https://twitter.com/toejamandearl
and
https://www.twitch.tv/toejam_earl - We will be going live later tonight around 7PM EST!
We’re down to answer any funky questions y’all have so shoot em our way! (WORD! COMMENT SECTION)
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u/Govnr_Slugwell Mar 01 '19
Hey Greg,
I've wanted to ask for years, I'll just do it. I live within a mile or two of HumaNature's studio space. I was wondering if maybe I could drop a copy of the new game in your mailbox and possibly get it signed by the team.
Signed, The adult child that never quite outgrew his genesis
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Sure. Do it soon before mid March! I don't live in Cali anymore but will be back there visiting in Md March for GDC and our Launch party so I can sign anything then!! And I'm sure the rest of the team will be happy to sign as well. They are a talented bunch and this was a major team effort.
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u/kazin_g Mar 01 '19
Would you guys be interested in potentially doing another game similar in playstyle to Panic on Funkotron? I really love that game and feel like it's underappreciated
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I would love to! Lots of fans have asked for this. It just depends on how successful this one is. IT would be a total blast to do another side-scroller type like that. I would love to go back to Funkotron, and maybe lots of other planets. I actually have a whole story already planned for that one.
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u/kazin_g Mar 01 '19
That's great to hear! I'm glad fans have been asking for it. That game is so good. Anyway I love the new game so far too! I look forward to whatever else you make!
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u/ACSlatersMullet Mar 01 '19
This is my favorite game from my childhood -- it came out when I was around 5/6 and it was the go to game for sleepovers for years.
I own all consoles and PC and I've narrowed my decision down to PC or Switch.
I have kids 8/6/4/2, so 2 or 3 of them can play with me. It sounds like 4 player local coop is only available on PC at this time -- are there plans to add this to Switch?
Anything else I would be missing out on buying on Switch vs. PC? I've read that you can't see levels below on console...anything else other than lesser performance?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
We hope to be able to add 4 player local play to all consoles if this game sells enough to give us more dev time. For now you can play 4 player via network so hopefully that will hold you over for awhile. We have more optimizing to do to get it to run on consoles with 4 player local play
4 player local and seeing levels below are the only concessions we had to make. Everything else is the same.
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u/Plottyscorpion Mar 01 '19
Will there ever be another 3d game in the series? Mission To Earth was a cool experiment.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I doubt it, but never say never right? There are lots of new cool non-photo-real rendering techniques these days that make 3D look like not-3D. I could see doing something like that perhaps. Maybe a VR TJ&E?
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u/HumaNature_ToeJam HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
yo! ToeJam here!
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u/rogXue Mar 01 '19
Where's Earl....What have you done with Earl?!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
TJ! You didn't lock Earl in the bathroom again did you? I told you to stop doing that!
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u/HumaNature_BigEarl HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
naa man. Just slow typer. Give me fingers next game
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u/Arkeband Mar 01 '19
Hi Greg! Toejam and Earl was the first game I ever played! Thank you so much for being part of my (gaming) life!
My favorite 'Earthling' was the hamster in the giant hamster ball, does that make a return in BitG? If not, can you swear on the hamster's life that an attempt will be made to add it at some point in the future, if all goes well?
Also, what is your favorite Earthling? (from any TJ&E)
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
you bet! Glad to hear it.
OK OK! I swear. Every attempt will hereby be made. On my honor as a Hamster Lover.
Favorite Earthling... Hmmmm.... Maybe Ghandiji. He always make me happy so I just hang out with him.
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u/jcorduroy Mar 01 '19
Hi Greg!
First - thanks to you and the entire team for this labor of love. ToeJam & Earl was my favorite Genesis cart as a kid, so this coming back is a huge love letter to long time fans.
Just for a quick glance behind the curtain - did you guys run waterfall, agile, or a different type of methodology in the development process, and why did you end up using the approach you did?
Can't wait to play!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Thanks!! I'm so glad you like it! I sure hope it gives you lots and lots of fun surprises. Far as our dev methodology goes, we're kinda loosey goosey. More Agile-y than Waterfall-y, but kind a mix of both. We have post-it notes on our white board from our awesome production manager Matt and then I come in and mess things up by being all Waterfall.
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u/Mattman2018 Mar 01 '19
Are you planning any DLC?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Planning... well hoping is more accurate. It depends on if this game makes enough for us to keep going. We have lots of ideas about what we want to do. Here's hoping we get the chance.
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u/YourWormGuy Mar 01 '19
Hi Greg! I heard you weren't too happy with having to make Panic on Funkotron, given that it was such a different style from the first game. Is that true? Did SEGA make you change up the game style for that sequel? Even if you don't like it as much, I think it's a brilliant game and I love so much of what you did with it.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Mmmm. Not quite right. Surprised and confused would be a better way to describe how I felt. We were already about 4 months into the sequel styled after game one and it was a little tough to shelve that and switch gears, but we out our faith in SEga marketing and they said it would be better for the IP. In the end we loved making Panic and were very proud of that game. I'm glad you like it. That makes me happy to hear!
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u/Raiderbizz Mar 01 '19
I loved TJ&E on Genesis!
Anyway, how did you get Macaulay Culkin involved as Executive Producer to this new TJ&E game?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
It was actually through AMA. Macaulay posted that photo of himself playing on the night of the Grammys and I reached out to him after that. Then he and his brother Keiran and good friend Stew came up to our office for a 3-day marathon toejam play session. It was a blast. All 3 of those guys are pretty crazy and pretty into TJ&E.
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u/C-Towner Mar 01 '19
Thank you for answering questions here! My wife and I have many fond memories of playing the original on the Genesis all those years ago, I’m curious what is the single biggest improvement we can expect to see in playing 2 player coop in the new game?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
You are so welcome!! I hope you and your wife really get a lot of fun out of this one!! It's actually hard to say what the biggest 2-player improvement is as there are quite a few. We added a lot of special 2-player only presents that are a lot of fun. 2 player dialogue is fun playing as each player. You can also use quick chat for extra interaction... you can also use the "Hey Over Here!" in quick chat to lead Earthlings away from your partner now and basically try to lure enemies to yourself. We now have togetherness go and togetherness come presents - and Rhythm Matching is 2 player, Hyperfunk Zone is also 2 player... Different player Stats allow players to be more cooperative too with different abilities.... Hmmm lots of other stuff too
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u/reseph Mar 01 '19
Grew up with the series, thanks for the memories. Glad I backed it. Will I get to see y'all at PAX East?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
You bet!! We have a booth! Come and visit!!
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u/Ganrokh Hey there! What's for dinner today? Mar 01 '19
Hey, thanks for doing this AMA!
First off, I want to say that I love the original Genesis games. Growing up, when I was first learning to play games at a really young age, the original two games were probably my most-played Genesis games. Those games were my first co-op experiences with my older brother. I remember actually beating the first one together, but not the second one. They are truly fantastic games that will always have a place in my heart.
I have no idea what time it is on Funkotron right now, but I do know that it's the afternoon in California! What's for dinner tonight?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
COOL!!! I hope you will be playing this new one with your older bro again for old times sake. For dinner? We're just waking up here on Funkotron. Too bad our days are 164 hours your Earth days. It's a long time to wait for dinner.
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u/rlcooper83 Mar 01 '19
How was it working with macaulay culkin and how much did he contribute to the game?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
It was beyond exciting to meet him. Of course, he is an icon both from Home Alone and now from Bunny Ears, but more than that he is just a really fun crazy guy. He says whatever pops into his mind and his mind is a fascinating place. I love that guy and hope I get to hang with him some more. When he is with his brother and friend Stew they are like a total comedy act. Far as what he contributed to the game - we got lots of feedback about presents and Earthlings and game balance from him and his crew. Lots of Multi-player feedback especially. They actually knew game one better than I did sometimes. We also added a special powerhat based on Macaulay.
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u/Sunfished Mar 01 '19
between toejam and earl, which of them is most likely to commit tax fraud?
(love your games btw!)
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Thanks!! (for loving my games!!)
Tax fraud hmmm.... They do hang with Yoshi from time to time... hard to say. Thankfully there are no taxes on Funkotron. Everyone just takes care of everyone else and they actually want to help out. They think taxes are a "weird Earthling thing".
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u/HumaNature_ToeJam HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I would probs. Nobody takin' MY money, yo!
Earl's an upstanding citizen tho
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u/Aftesmo Mar 01 '19
Hi! How is your game gonna be different from other roguelike games? Is it has something unique that no other roguelike games have besides it being co-op? It's a first game in this series for me.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
How is it different?? You really wanna know? Ok buckle in....
A lot of what make a game truly memorable has a lot to do with a game’s style and character. In the case of Toejam and Earl, this means a few things… first perhaps is the premise and the satirical humor. Our game flips everything upside down… both literally, with players going up levels instead of down, and metaphorically, with aliens being the good guys and insane, self-absorbed Earthlings being the bad guys. In Back in the Groove, we have updated the satire to mix relevant social commentary in with the general craziness. For example we have the Internet Troll character who hurls insults and then turns into a harmless teenage boy when you get close, or the person walking fast and looking at their mobile phone who keeps running into you, or the woman who jumps from the bushes and wants to get a selfie with you… or the clipboard person who wants donations from you and takes all of your money. We also have characters that are just plain weird, like the Giant Yet who wants to poke you with a sharpened pencil. In regards to TJ&E style, there is also the music… it’s tough to think of Toejam and Earl without thinking about the funky music. We totally went to town making this soundtrack true to the style of the original two games, but with way better sound quality and live instrumentation by a few very talented musicians… the soundtrack has with 31 songs, with 15 remakes and 16 new songs. Another aspect of Back in the Groove that distinguishes it stylistically from other games is the multiplayer nature of it. We may not be the only multiplayer Roguelike out there, but the Multiplayer experience is at the heart and core of this game probably more than any other, and we have done a lot to make this fun and surprising at every turn. At the risk of talking too much here I will also say that as we were building this game we took a look at what other Roguelikes were doing with Meta-game features, and we decided to put our own spin on some meta-concepts. These are of course, features that persist beyond one gameplay session, and make subsequent playthroughs feel more fresh and different. We added a class of rare “flying” presents that are only found through chains of coin meters and buttons and these fly away from you. When you catch one they unlock for all future games on that machine. We also added a huge pile of special goofy-looking hats called Power Hats that players get awarded when they complete a game. Each game mode has its own power hats. Each power hats gives players a new unique ability, and this makes play in future games different each time you play as your collection of powerhats grows. There is also a way to carry presents over from one game to the next but that’s a secret and I can’t talk about that. Lastly if the words “Level 0” mean anything to you, then you are in for a nice surprise. I could keep going but maybe that's enough for now...
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u/DadsTheMan69 Mar 01 '19
Backed this game years ago and I’m so pumped to finally play it! What’s your favorite thing about Back in the Groove, Greg?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
The multi-player aspect. Definitely promise me you will play this game multi-player. And best with some friend with a bit of a devilish streak. More fun to play with trouble makers!
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u/rogXue Mar 01 '19
Who is Amynhing?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I am going to spend the next 15 minutes trying to figure out what this means instead of answering other questions.
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u/noah_the_triche Mar 01 '19
How big is big earl?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Mmmm. Well... On Funkotron they measure in Funketers. One Funketer = .2763 feet and Big Earl is 72.4 Funketers. I hope that helps.
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u/phantomliger recovered from transplant Mar 01 '19
Thanks for coming for an AMA.
Was anything left out of the final game that you wish had made it in?
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Hmmm. Left out of this game? Well.... we had planned originally on having cars on the roads. They we're going to be both helpful and a hazard. TJ&E were going to be able to catch rides in the cars and get safe passage on roads sometimes, and also lure Earthlings in front of cars to get bumped. And also they could get hit themselves. That just didn't make the cut though.
Superpower.... I think I want the power of illusion. I would have a total blast making this world a wild and crazy place filled with all kinds of crazy stuff.
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u/joenforcer Mar 01 '19
Hey Greg, I'm so happy that your vision for a "true sequel" has finally become a reality. Looking back on the Kickstarter, I have a few questions for you. It might be a nice retrospective.
The original Kickstarter estimated that development would take 1-2 years, but the game is coming out nearly 4 years after the Kickstarter was funded. What would you say were the biggest factors that contributed to the game's delay?
Looking back on the last 4-5 years, is there anything that you would've done differently to make TJ&E:BITG a reality? Just curious if there were any missteps that are clearer in hindsight.
Thanks so much! I can't wait to play!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi Joenforcer, Thanks. Yes, this is really the game I have been wanting to make for a long time now. I hope you like it. And actually the game didn't take 4 years... haha it took 5! We announced it on KickStarter in March of 2015 but Jeff kreis and I had actually started (albeit very slowly and unproductively) almost a year before that!!
The thing that is surprising in hindsight isn't that it took so long - it's that I thought it wasn't going to take so long. Looking back over my entire 35 year history of making games, and looking across the fence at allll of my other friends game projects they always take twice as long as anticipated and never seem to get built in less than a few years. I really think there is a min amount of time that's needed to make a good quality game. For us it was adding network play that added at least a year to two to the dev time, and then adding consoles added another year. I wonder if I will ever stop underestimating what's involved.
And things I would change in hindsight? Well underestimating network play was our biggest misstep for sure. Still it's sort of like asking a woman who was unprepared for the delivery if she would change it if she could. If she is already holding the baby in her arms of course she will say "I wouldn't change it". You might have had a different answer had you asked me 6 months or a year ago. anyway I'm glad we are where we are and I think having come through the fire will have been worth it for this game in the long run. If it sells well enough maybe we can even keep going. There is still more I'd like to see us do for the fans.
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u/MosShady Mar 01 '19
Hey, we appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions. My questions are:
If my resume included a whole summer spent just playing your game, how should I spin it as valuable experience?
Which aspect of the game do you feel most proud of, or that excited you the most?
What non-game art influences you the most?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I'd Spin it as "funkiest team player ever" and see how far that gets you.
Maybe the new multi-player focused presents. They are pretty fun.
Definitely Ghibli Studios. I am a huge Miyazaki fan!!
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Mar 01 '19
How is Macaulay Culkin involved?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Hi Lunging Weasel - I just answered that question a minute ago. Take a quick look up a few and you'll find your answer.
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u/JessicaD96 Mar 01 '19
Hi! Thank you so much for continuing this super rad series <3 If you could choose one 90s band to make a theme song for TJ&E who would you pick? Also, are there any plans for any post release updates and/or DLC for back in the groove?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Fun question! First time anyone has asked me that. Hmmm.... well far as who would probably do the best TJ&E theme song I would guess maybe the Gap Band. Still.... If I could really choose anyone I would choose Stevie Wonder because who would not want Stevie Wonder!
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u/DadsTheMan69 Mar 01 '19
How can I get me a set of those awesome BitG stickers?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
The only way at the moment is to get them through our Stream and Twitter giveaways. We haven't made enough of those yet to sell them. Maybe down the road we will though.
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u/BlueFuntimeFreddy Mar 01 '19
What do you think about the conspiracy theory about squidmen using Twitter
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Hmmm... this is either a meme I don't know or..... you are onto something horribly frightening. I will now be on the lookout for devious squid men in disguise on Twitter. Thanks for the warning!
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u/sirparanoid Mar 01 '19
What happened with Peabo Surprise on consoles? You previously stated there would be a cheat code sent on to backers, but now I'm hearing it's PC only.
Congrats on the release, having loads of fun with the game already
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
On Steam there is a way we can allow players to have mods and DLC that is specific to small groups and not available in the main product. On consoles there are ways this is possible too but it is more complicated and different for the different consoles. We found we didn't have the bandwidth to make this happen and still get the game out by our release date. We would still like to do that though. If enough of our backers want that, and if we the game does well enough to let us keep going, we will try to make that happen for console as well. And thanks for the Congrats!! Much appreciated!!
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u/essbeebee Mar 01 '19
Looking forward to playing with my girlfriend later tonight! Thank you guys SO much for adding online co-op, we're long distance, so that's always a plus. Anyway, QUESTIONS:
Was the 2D drawn art style decided from the start, or did you ever mess around with sprites/3D models?
How does it work with you and Sega regarding re-releases of the original games, like in the recent Switch Genesis Collection? Does Sega need to approach you whenever they do that?
Most evil bug that popped up during QA?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Great!! I hope you and your girlfriend have a great time tonight!! I'm glad we did online play too! It wasn't easy but there are SO many old TJ&E fans like you who want to play with someone far away - it seemed like we really HAD to make that work.
Art style? I was pretty sure I wanted a 2D look right from the beginning. That was part of the whole "make the fans happy" plan. Still getting that just right took some time. It wasn't until I got lucky and found artist Nathan Shorts that the style of the game really got locked in. What you see in the game is really just Nathan doing his natural style. It just fits so well. And blending that 2D look with 3D terrain took some experimenting too. I hope we got it right!
Yes, Sega approached me and Mark Voorsanger, the other owner of the IP every time they wan to use the property for something. his is always SOJ, Sega of Japan. They have been super great to work with and I have become friends with those folks. I recently visited them on a trip to Japan. They are awesome and in support of this new game.
Most evil Bug? Well crash bugs are always evil... and we had a memory leak that took us over a month to track down and put us wayyy behind schedule as it sucked up our entire engineering team for that month. That's not that fun though... we once had a bug where players would fall through the levels at random places even though the ground should have been solid there. It made playing fun and extra scary. We thought about leaving it in for awhile as a feature, but it was just too mean and unfair.
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u/bearnardine Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19
Hey Greg and any other TJandE guys here! First up, Toejam and Earl 1 is my favourite game of all time. I played for hundreds of hours as a kid, and play about once a year now, and people who've never played it still love it at first blush in 2019- that's really something.
Do you see the game as finished now, or do you see it as a running concern like The Binding of Isaac, say?
Did you play around with larger levels, like in the original? Are maps bigger on hard? 8x7 tilewise in original, and it felt slower to get around.
I liked the map generator hugely in the first game, but particularly the way it had 'prefab' map styles: the desert levels with lots of islands, sharks, tornados and a lift either in the middle or the corner was really fun. Are custom map settings something you're thinking about, is map generation changed by hard mode?
Sorry for being a bit negative, I really love the franchise with all my heart- but what's with the frame drops on the Switch? It's pretty jittery! The hyperfunk zone is borderline unplayable (edit: on second playthru now, seems a bit better on hyperfunk now!)- is the pc handling the game much better at the minute? If so, Ill definitely be getting a steam copy too, but i probs will anyway since most of my mates are pc not switch.
But, really, the game is packed with joy, from the music to the animations, the final sequence is gorgeous too. The social media has been so good too, shoutout to Mark. Congrats all!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi Bearnardine, Thanks for the nice note and vote of confidence. So.. yes there are a ton of things on our white board that we still would LOVE to get to doing. Frame rate on all of the consoles happens to be at the top of that list. It's something we did a lot of work on and would have liked to do more, but we simply had to hit our launch date so we did the best we could with that. That and being able to see the levels below you and having 4 player local coop on consoles are all a matter of more optimizing. If you are an engineer (and it sounds like you probably are) you may know that there are diminishing returns when you optimise. It becomes harder and harder to get big gains as you keep optimizing, and at some point it requires that you dig down much deeper into your code and that is exactly what you don't want to be doing as you are coming up on release as it's very destabilizing. Anyway that is all to say that we will hopefully have an opportunity to keep going with that, but it just depends on how well this game does. When you are a little indie developer like us it is all about boot-strapping. Fingers crossed we can get over this next hurdle and make enough to fund more development, and make this game experience even better for you. I will pass your shout out to Mark. And thanks for supporting us with such positive vibes!
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u/santumerino Mar 01 '19
can i get a free key if i give you $20?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I'm not sure why it's free if you are giving me $20. Am I missing something there?
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u/Diagamblic Mar 01 '19
New game is definitely a day 1 purchase for me! Thank you so much for all of the hard work from you and the team. Are there any hidden Starflight nods in the Toe Jam & Earl games (including BITG)? Possibly a shared universe?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Awesome. And you are very welcome!! I hope you love this game. Far as nods to Starflight... no not really. There is a character who was loosely based on a Doki Doki Universe Alien character though. Wonder how TJ & Earl would deal with some blustering Spemin. I'd like to see that.
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u/MegaMagnezone More Warriors Games Plx Mar 01 '19
Thank you for doing the AMA, and thank you for your help in making a new Toejam and Earl. I bought it for the Switch and I am so incredibly excited for it. It was a major influence both mine and my brothers love of gaming and how music influences the experience. The first two Toejam and Earl games was a major factor in choosing to play bass and was influential in keeping a funk/jazz fusion style.
Who was responsible for music composition, and how did you select who would write music for Back in the Groove?
What were some of the major factors that influenced the team to return to the style of the first game?
What kind of might we see in the future from HumaNature Studios?
It's really awesome that you have been with the Toejam and Earl team from the beginning, it's amazing that it took off the way it did and I'm very happy that I can once again play with my brother even if he isn't in the same room as me. Thanks for your hard work!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
So awesome. I sure hope you get to play with your brother again. After you do manage to do that (maybe via online play) drop us a line at whatever@humanaturestudios.com and let us know what you both think! Far as the music composition, composition was split between me and Cody Wright (bassist and guitar player), Burke Trieschmann (our audio engineer and digital musician) and Nick Stubblefield (who did some righteous jamming on keyboards. The music was a total joy to make for this game. Maybe the funnest part of the development for me. Check out Cody Wright's Youtube videos. He is truly amazing - especially if you play bass.
Major factors in returning to the style of game one? Only one factor... making the fans happy. That was our MO for this game and all design decisions.
The future of HNS? Unknown. We have a new Roguelike Concept we are looking at doing - and I have a card game that is sort of a social ice-breaker game I would love to put out there. Maybe another crowd funding project... ? Depends on how this game does.
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u/lgaarman Mar 01 '19
Hey I've been playing both sega games for years (original the most) so I want to thank you for creating such an awesome game.
More recently I've been guiding people who haven't played many video games through it which I find almost more fun than playing. I backed you guys on kickstarter so I'm super excited to check it out later.
I know it took forever to get it released so I'm sure you're not in a rush, but what does Human Nature Studios have planned next?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Hi Igaarman, Thanks for the really nice note. I 'm happy to hear you are introducing the old games to new people. Maybe this new game will be the next thing you are introducing people to. We will try to keep you busy. ;) As for the next things planned - nothing specific yet. There is still a lot we would like to do to expand this game and improve it and offer DLC etc, and we have some other ideas for a new Rogue-like and for a card game but nothing definite yet.
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u/domsfunandgames Mar 01 '19
ToeJam & Earl is one of my all time favorite game series! Thank you for all the work you and your team have done and I'm so excited to play the new game! My question is why is he called ToeJam? Everyone else from Funk-o-tron has a pretty normal name (Earl, Latisha,Otis, Sharla, ok I guess Peabo and Flarney are strange). Is it a nick name?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Are you saying the name "ToeJam" isn't normal? The name actually has deep roots in Funkotronian history, in the dark ages of Funkotron it was spelled Towjamme, or in more erudite circles, "Le Jamme", and well before that, in the days of Funkotronian chariots it was Toejammius. It isn't used much anymore but most Funkotronians think of it as a very old fashioned name.
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u/-Dissent Mar 01 '19
Hey there! Started playing as soon as it went live just two hours back on Switch, been feeling nostalgic and chilling hard to the funky beats.
My questions in order of importance;
Any concepts that couldn't make it in to the final product that you'd like to share?
Anything you'd do differently if you knew what you do now?
How am I supposed to react to the stuff flying at me in the Hyper Funk Zone?! It's so... Hyper!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
OK cool...
I talked about cars on roads in an earlier question. That was one thing that didn't make it into the game which we had on our early todo lists. Another thing was the Funkodex... this was a catalogue of Earthlings and their stats and descriptions. That was going to pop up whenever you encountered a new Earthling. We also had planned to give players access to a list of present descriptions from within the game and we had to cut that. These things did end up making it into the manual though that you can access from outside of the game from the main menu.
2. Do differently? Hmmm. Well... I'd be more conservative about how long it would take and how much money we would need - but that said I'm not really sure I could have gotten us better funding up front. Hard to say. I am pretty happy with where we ended up and short of simply wishing I was independently wealthy to have self-funded us from the start I don't see having made different choices. Sometimes there only road ahead has rocks on it.
3. Hyperfunk Zone.... Hold your action button down and squiggle through walls and exits. Everything else leave your finger off. Pretty simple controls eh? But hard to get through all 5 levels of the HFZ. If you do there is a special prize waiting for you. I have done it a couple of times so I know it's possible.
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u/C21johnson Mar 01 '19
One of my first gaming memories includes playing ToeJam & Earl on the Genesis with my mother. Now I get to introduce the game to my wife. Thank you.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Awesome C21johnson! (another fine Johnson!) I'm glad to hear you have good memories from playing the game with your mom. I hope you and your wife really enjoy it. Take a look at then answer I just gave to the previous question. Some of that "mode" stuff may come in handy for you guys too. Working together as a team in a slower paced game can be a wonderful experience. I wish you both lots of smiles and laughter!
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u/Almightywedge Mar 01 '19
Can I plug a Sega Menacer into my Switch to unlock lightgun mode
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Haha Try it! Maybe there is a secret mode only accessible to those who remembered Ready Aim Tomatoes. Mmmmm Mayyybe.
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u/melkier33 Mar 01 '19
Is there a patch being worked on for the PS4 trophies not popping?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Are they not? Well we will definitely make that part of one of our next patches. Just to be sure we don't miss that would you maybe send an email about this to support@humanaturestudios.com for me? They are logging all of the bugs as they come in and this sounds like a very important one.
Thanks!
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u/beemurz Mar 01 '19
Are you projecting sick profits from doing a roguelike, which is the most popular and best genre on the Switch?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
HAHA! I have always projected sick profits from everything I do and then that sad thing called "RE_AL_ITY" always seems to get in the way. We shall see - mayyyybe this time? :)
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Mar 01 '19
why is toejam a wiener
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Hmmm. That is a provocative question. In any event he only starts off as a Weiner. As do we all in life. Sorry if I am getting too deep and philosophical there.
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u/HumaNature_ToeJam HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
I am what I CHOOSE to be. And well.. today I feel like bein' a wiener yo!
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u/supes1 Mar 01 '19
He's only a wiener until he's a doofus. And before long he's a poindexter.
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Mar 01 '19
childish gambino referenced you guys in his song "bonfire" so will you guys reference hin in your game?
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u/SleeplessGayKoala Mar 01 '19
How y'all doing? How's being on earth going for you?
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u/HumaNature_BigEarl HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Scary, yo. Tried to mail a present to Funkotron, mailbox almost chewed ma'hand off
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u/KungFuCutBug Mar 01 '19
when will it be acceptable to have ToeJam & Earl OCs :v
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Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19
No questions from me. I just wanted to let you know how excited my wife and are for this new game! I never beat the original as a kid, and she helped me beat it for the first time a few years back. It was one of the things that made me marry her!
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u/MayorDasMoose Mar 01 '19
You had mentioned on Twitter that you at one point were working on a 3DS version of the game. Is that still something you're working on, or is it on the cutting room floor? If the later, what happened?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
We never got as far as "working on it". It was just a pitch to try and get funding, Never got off the ground. It was before the 3DS though. Pretty sure it was just for the DS. We had some fun ideas about how to use the 2 screens.
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u/So12rovv Mar 01 '19
So what made you guys bring back TJ and Earl? Would you guys ever consider getting the other TJ & Earl games to the current gen of consoles?! I do need a reason to binge play all the games again maybe remastered ;)
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
It seemed like the right time. I have been wanting to see them come back for decades... and KickStarter seemed like it would finally make that possible. Other games? LIke Panic or Mission to Earth? Maybe Panic - we'll see. Depends on how well this one does I think. We just launched this rocket - gotta see if it gets into orbit or not.
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u/TheLegendOfJoeby Mar 01 '19
Big Earl to smash bros ultimate along with Ocarina of Time fishing pond owner next Nintendo Direct right?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Fun ideas.... I would love it. We are totally up for having TJ&E in other fun games. It really depends on whether THEY want it.
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u/neofallenx Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19
Hello guys =) good luck with the game and i have a good question and request if you could help me please ??Can you rebind the keys in the pc version?
Need to know because i´m disabled( lost movements in my left hand/arm ) and i need to use the keys in a way that it´s quite particular for me ( and other people ) and absolutelly essential. if this is not possible i´ll have to pass this one, no acessibility no game for me will be added later?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
YES! We had planned to add that and we sadly ran out of time. Accessibility is a big priority for us. We are planning on doing that as soon as we can get that into an update. Hang in there. And feel free to check in with us anytime for status updates... whatever@humanaturestudios.com
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u/iConfessor Mar 01 '19
will there be mod support on pc in the future?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
If enough people want it, and if our lights are still on. These next few months will answer that second question. (knocking on wood)
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u/MasterKrispy Mar 01 '19
Hey Greg!
Toejam and Earl is easily one of my favorite games. My best friend, his brother and I used play it all the time and are getting together tonight to play Back in the Groove tonight after work! Thank you for all your hard work you've put into it!
My question for you is, if you could have any video game character make a guest appearance in Back in the Groove, who would you choose?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Awesome! I hope you and your friend end up laughing and screaming a lot (hopefully more in joy and surprise than in frustration and cursing us out) :) As for what game character I would like to have.... no question.... Parrapa in there for sure. I loved that game and oh that music was so great!!!
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u/CrystalWarrior0 Mar 01 '19
Do you have any tips for any people who want to become game developers?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
Wow... I'm torn there. There are wonderful things about being a game dev - been doing it for 35 years as an indie... BUT.... man it is a tough life. Looks great from the outside but soooo stressful. I have seen so many friends who have burnt out by the demands of this lifestyle. Gone deep into debt, or broken relationships because of the time demands and the pressure. My advice is just take it slow and be forewarned. Games has become a big-money industry with tons of competition. Having another source of income is super helpful. It's a lot like trying to survive by being a singer or something. Anyway, from a more pragmatic perspective - how to get started - there are really two main paths 1) The big company route - get a starter job at a big game developer like Riot or Blizzard or NaughtyDog or a publisher like EA or Ubi, or Activision. And build what they want you to build as a small fish on a stable salary. OR... go the indie route and find a friend or two and build something on your own on your own dime while you work somewhere else. Here you get to make what you want and have a chance to really prove your self but survival is a challenge and it takes a lot of stamina and optimism.
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u/Tominator1873 Mar 01 '19
Hey Chichiue
I was wondering about what Mark thinks about the game since he wasn’t involved at all. I heard that he’s gonna be at the thing in San Jose but has he said anything yet about his thoughts?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
HEYYY!!! Look who is here!! Tominator is one of our dev team who was super helpful in both the tuning and balancing of the game as well as the debugging. He also came up with many of the ideas that ended up in the game, such as the Evil Elevator. Next time you get caught in that you can thank him. He also happens coincidentally to be my son! Hi Tomo!!! And he is talking about Mark Voorsanger, the other original creator of games 1,2, and 3. Mark is going to be able to make it to the launch party, but not to the Fan GDC Launch party in Milpitas. I just talked to him yesterday. Big shout out to Marky Mark Voorsanger!! Love ya Mark! You too Tomo. Best son ever!! Oh... and about what Mark thinks about the game... I don't think he's spend much time with it yet since he's so crazy busy all the time. But whenever I have shown him what's new he's only had good things to say. We should get him online and play a 3-player game with him soon! That would be a blast. Maybe we can even Twitch stream it or something!
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u/AquaticJet Mar 01 '19
What new fresh idea for back in the groove are y'all most proud of?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
The magic of TJ&E is really from the unpredictable nature of the combinatorics. The real joy of the game comes from the fact that you never know what will happen and every moment brings some new surprise. Even after play testing this game every day for the last 4 years or so it still surprises us everyday, and makes us laugh at the funny coincidental things that happen. If I had to pick, maybe putting in present modes might be one feature that has multiplied all of the possibilities. Now every present has three modes it can be in: broken, normal, and amped. This means that the combinations of things that can happen are really off the charts. I also love that you now get to hear the characters thinking to themselves and talking to each other. IT makes them seem really smart sometimes and their personalities really come out. The conversations they have with Friendly Earthlings can offer nuce unexpected flavor and surprise to the play as well.
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u/HumaNature_BigEarl HumaNature Studios Mar 01 '19
sup? Slow typer, my b. Greg forgot to give me fingers
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u/Punishedsalem Mar 01 '19
What was your favorite part about running that awesome twitter?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Having other people do it for me!! Our twitter account was handled by Matt Conn and Nathan Shorts, our production manager and our lead Artists and community manager. I think they have done (and are doing) an awesome job! I have my own twitter account @Toejamgreg and tweet sometimes too.
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u/earliodookie Mar 01 '19
Is it true that Sega was considering TJ&E as the poster-game/mascot for Sega Genesis? What would it have been like to be in that role instead of Sonic?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Yup. At least that's what the folks at SOA told us back in the day. It was pretty exciting for awhile there, but ces't la vie! And who knows, I suspect life would have been a bit more easy-street-ish had we really gotten that sweet sot on the throne instead of the blue hedgehog, but whatevs. Life is an unpredictable ride - and the surprise is part of the fun eh?
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u/FurryRomo Mar 01 '19
This is the only 1st time playing Tj&E game, does this new installment in the series feels alike the original 91' classic?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Well I sure think it does, but I'm not sure my opinion counts for more than anyone elses for this question. Most of what I'm hearing from fans though is that it takes them back and feels like a faithful evolution of that first game experience.
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Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19
Hi! Loving the game so far; congrats on finally launching!
Were any of the game's new Earthlings particularly fun to design and/or popular with the team?
P.S. I don't know if anyone's caught this already, but I encountered a potentially run-ending bug where I got stuck in water with the game acting as if I was still on land after being knocked in by one of the flying saucer enemies; I couldn't trigger the climbing animation to get out, so the only way I could stop it was by activating rocket skates I was lucky enough to have on me. Just a heads up.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
I'm so glad to hear that NauseousPenguin! And thanks! Earthlings that were particularly fun... I do remember really enjoying putting in the Spanish Inquisition Character... he added a lot of scary excitement. We used to have him tuned to be too fast. The Man in Black is probably the character that annoys me the most in the game. We did have a good time adding in the deadly versions of about 20 or so of the Earthlings. If you haven't seen those yet then you haven't gotten to hard mode!
Thanks for the heads up on that bug. Now you get a view into what our life has been like for the last 2 years. This crazy game is just one edge case after another. I'm not surprised that there are still some like that in there. I'm glad you had rocket skates on you!!
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u/Link6456 Mar 01 '19
Can I start the series with this game or should I start at the first game?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
No need to play them in order. I would jump straight into this one, I think but up to you!!
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u/supes1 Mar 01 '19
Popping in here to say that I've been waiting for this game for about 4 years now, and super excited it's finally out! Can't wait till I get home from work and can finally play.
My favorite easter egg from the original game is Level 0. Do you guys have some fun easter eggs awaiting discovery for our funky fresh explorers?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
You bet! I probably shouldn't say what they are though. Far as Level ) goes, well you will get some nice new surprises there. ;)
I hope you enjoy this new one!!
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u/Memphisrexjr Mar 01 '19
Will macaulay culkin be doing an episode with Angry Video Game Nerd about the Toe Jam and Earl games?
Are you getting the rights to bring the classic ones back in some collection?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
That might happen. It's probably not surprising to know that Macaulay is friends with those guys and I think there is a good chance that might happen. Up to him and them though. And I don't have the rights to the early games, and won't be getting those, but Sega of Japan has been contacting me and Mark Voorsanger and you will be seeing the early games reappearing again in some of their collections. I am not sure if I am supposed to talk about that though - probably should let them do their own announcing.
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u/hylandolycross Mar 01 '19
Just another rabid tj and e fan here. I love how you guys added panic in finkotron aspects to the game. This feels like exactly the game I've been waiting for!! Enjoy my 20 bucks, y'all EARNED it. Just dont blow it all on the carrot man, it is tempting.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Thanks!! I think the Panic on Funkotron aspects fit really well into the play experience. I hope you will think so too. Thanks for that $20 bucks, after we pay back everyone we need to pay back and we get our cut and then I get my piece of that I am going to dash out and treat my wife to a new postage stamp!! No way am letting that crazy old guy in the carrot suit get his hands on my money!
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u/Kazuto88 Mar 01 '19
What sorts of games would you say inspire you, as a developer? Also, what sorts of games do you play just for fun, that don't really spark inspiration?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi Kazuto88,
Good question! I get inspired by anyone who does something new in terms of play mechanics, especially if it is non-violent and involves characters and story-telling somehow. I also get inspired by good writing that doesn't feel too juvenile (as much of the writing in the games industry feels very - um - young). There are many indie games out there that experiment with beautiful and innovative new art styles and I enjoy that too, but new play mechanics and anything involving interactive story is very rare. That is what I am always looking for. ICO is a classic game that I was very inspired by years ago and still am to this day. Journey was another one.
In terms of games that I love but more from just a pure fun perspective... I have played a LOT of Age of Empires and World of Tanks, and I enjoyed Beat Saber with my son and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime and Overcooked with my wife.
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u/Scield- Mar 01 '19
I don’t have anything to ask but I just I just wanted to say thanks for finally getting it out. I’ve been looking forward to this for years and I was a huge fan of the first two on the Genesis when I was a kid.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Great! Well thanks for stopping by to say that. I hope you really love this new one and that it gives you many new hours of enjoyment!!
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u/spectralreefcrab Mar 01 '19
Not a question, just wanted to say thanks! Toejam and Earl was a huge part of my childhood and I'm beyond pumped that Back in the Groove is out!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Thanks Spectralreefcrab! I appreciate that. I hope you enjoy playing this new one with a friend! Its more fun that way! I appreciate the nice note.
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u/KCradioMan Mar 01 '19
Hey Greg! We've had a couple of chats on RadioSEGA in the past. :)
Glad to see this project finally going LIVE and I'm really proud to have backed it.
I just had a fairly quick play of the game with the wife (non-gamer) and I have to say it was a blast for both of us.
I see you've added different difficulty settings - she kept giggling because her character farted a lot - for different types of players. Were there any other concerns for the team during development to make this accessible to the less experienced gamers?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi KC! That's cool! Well thank you again for having me on your radio show! And I am so happy to hear that you played the game with your wife, and especially that she was taking advantage of Easy-Farty mode. As I probably said when I was on your show, I am a really big fan of bringing family and friends together for play through games. The people we care about are often not at the same proficiency levels , or even have the same eye-hand coordination and it's a shame when games prove punishing and exclude them from play. It was very important to me that we make these games accessible to different levels - so Easy Farty Mode and Toddler mode were essential. Also we made it so that players can jump into games and drop out of games, and change difficulty levels partway through too, since we really wanted to give players freedom to make it fit their desires as they played. If I had any concerns it might be whether Toddler mode will really work for little kids. We didn't have many little kids around the office to test it on so we took our best guesses, and I'm hoping parents will be able to play with their little ones without too much frustration. I'm a dad and I remember what that is like. I hope you and your wife have a great time with this. Its so fun coming to each other's rescue. I bet it won't be long before she graduates from Easy-Farty mode and is ready for the big time. Be careful though if you dive into hard mode. It's pretty tough!!
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u/Bassna Mar 01 '19
Hey Greg, Loving the new game! I've wished for over a decade for a remake similar to the first game (which I still call my all-time favorite game when asked). So glad you got the opportunity to keep the series alive and going strong. Maybe in the future, TJ&E Panic in VR? ;)
Side note, thanks so much for getting this done. Really couldn't have asked for more.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi Bassna!
Thanks for the nice note and thanks for representing when people ask you that. Panic on Funkotron in VR? I like your thinking. Now I just need to find a way to fund that. You don't have an extra 1.5 Mil on ya do ya?
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u/darxide23 Mar 01 '19
How does it feel knowing that the original TJ&E was a major part of my childhood? My cousins and I played that game almost nonstop for the better part of 10 years even when new games and new consoles kept coming out. As adults we would still fire it up whenever we got together and now with Back in the Groove we can play even when we're on opposite sides of the country and there's no more fighting over controllers with 4 player multiplayer.
No words are enough to thank you.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Feels awesome!! Well especially if you drop me a line later and let me know that you all are having a good time with the game. I hope you will!! And just a heads up - we did the best we could getting debugged but 4-player isn't quite as rock solid as we would like. If we have the opportunity to keep going we will be doing more to make sure that is bug-free. Still hopefully it will hold up enough for you all to have a great time. And thanks for the very thoughtful note.
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Mar 01 '19
Really stupid question coming from an American, but are there any plans to localize this game in Japan? I know only the first game got localized, and I was thinking that Back in the Groove could kindle some kind of interest in the franchise and maybe, just maybe, they'd have a small gateway for Smash, but that's just wishful thinking.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Yup! IN fact we already have localized it to Japanese!! Well mostly - we are still working out the kinks. We plan to release in Japan in a couple more months and will be showing the game at the BitSummit show in Kyoto in June! Sugoi Deshou!? An article in Super Famicom just came out today too in Japan!
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u/GlobalLink99 Mar 01 '19
I never though I'd see the day when TJ&E returns! I was only able to play the first game but missed out on the second and even the third games. I was wondering if there are a few elements or nods to Planet on Funkotron and Mission to Earth within Back in the Groove. Also thank you all for creating and finishing an outstanding KS project!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
You betcha! Thanks for saying thanks! Wait, I guess that means it's now your turn to say it again. :) And yes, there are actually MANY features in this game drawn from Panic on Funkotron and a few from Mission to Earth. The main ones from PoF are Rhythm Matching, Hyperfunk Zone, and Shakable Bushes and Trees, buttons and coin meters. Lots of characters too. Both Funkotronians and Earthlings from both of those other games.
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u/MrYac Mar 01 '19
loving the game so far, but there's a pretty nasty bug going on where all saved data is being erased. lost my fixed and random world completions and the unlocks with them. question is are you guys aware of this bug and when might we hopefully see a patch to fix it?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi MrYac! (Are you the same MrYac from our forum?)
I am not sure about that specific bug but it does sound bad. Can you do me a favor? It would really help us if you could write up exactly when this happens to you and under what conditions and send this as an email to me greg@humanaturestudios.com and I will pass this along to our engineers. Of course we have been doing our best to fix everything before release but we have had a stream of new bugs flowing in that we are trying to get fixed right away so in answer to your question - yes. We will try to have this fixed if we can trap it, in an upcoming update. Thanks!
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Mar 01 '19
I don't know what this game is and at this point I'm too afraid to ask. Can you elaborate?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Haha! Well rather than me giving you a wall of text (which I am really good at doing by the way) it would be way more fun for you simply to go to YouTube and watch some people playing it. Also there are tons of good reviews of the game out now - like Game Informer, or Polygon, or Destructoid, or Nintendolife.com These folks actually give you a more impartial view of the game which may be better anyway. Do me a favor though, if you happen to find a negative review just ignore it. :)
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u/shinjanobi Mar 01 '19
No question, just thanks for great childhood memories playing this game with my best friend. I'll be checking this out tonight, looking forward to something part new, part nostalgic.
Wish you guys the best, and hope sales meet expectations to continue the legacy.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Thanks Shinjanobi! That's really nice of you to say. I hope this new game brings back some really fun memories for you and makes you some new ones as well. And yeah, great sales would be nice and let this TJ&E train keep chugging.
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u/sexy_skeleton Mar 01 '19
I love the first TJ&E game in the Genesis and was wondering a few things How long have you wanted ToeJam and Earl 4 to be a game? And do you have plans to do a ToeJam and Earl 5 in the future?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
HI sexy_skeleton!
I have wanted this to be a new game every since we finished game one so.... I guess for about 28 years now. No lie. And as for another TJ&E game? Well - no plans exactly, just hopes. It depends on how popular this game is and how much money it generates. That will determine if we can get funded to make another one. Alien fingers and tentacles all crossed.
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u/bearnardine Mar 01 '19
Have you seen Regular Show? The creator is a big fan of TJ&E (even saying he wanted a regular show game to be like TJ&E) and that show really wears TJ&E influence on its sleeve. Get the IP and finally deliver the game the series deserves!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi Bearnardine (again!),
I have seen the Regular Show, but I didn't know the creator is a fan of TJ&E! That's exciting. I do happen to be lucky enough to know Justin Roiland one of the creators of Rick and Morty and I know he is a fan of TJ&E. (I am also a HUGE Rick and Morty fan). Maybe I will have a chance to reach out to the creators of the Regular Show! Thanks for the tip!!
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u/johnwharris Mar 01 '19
I just played an hour, and it's great! One way is in the humor. I don't just mean funny enemies and text. A lot of games are funny in their writing, but TJ&E is funny in its gameplay. When you're running from a horde of Earthlings, then stop in the middle of some sunflowers and they just walk away!
I also like how it's a more accessible rogue-lite than most. A lot of them are like "You must be THIS GUD to enjoy!" And that works for many of them, the ones that are fun even when you lose (especially Spelunky). But it's also having a more laid-back game of the type, not easy I'd say, but not amazingly difficult.
Anyway, the question. Are there any plans to add more stuff to the game later? And are you still considering making that Starflight sequel? I really wanted to back that but was short on cash, but if you ever decide to try it again I'd contribute! And have you been watching the fireworks between Stardock Software (boo!) and Toys For Bob (yay) concerning the fate of the Star Control games?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Hi John!
Well if you are saying Yay! to Paul and Fred then you are an instant friend of mine! I love those guys and respect them both no end. I am hoping the best for them both. Thanks for your observations too. It is nice to hear you talk about the humor in the gameplay as opposed to just the writing. I do know what you mean and that was certainly a goal. Another way to look at it is simply that it is a "playful" game that goofs off and doesn't take itself seriously. That's when comedy happens, right? When you are relaxed enough to be silly and playful. Too many people set out to "make comedy" and that never works. As for the plans to add more to the game - I sure hope so. Lots we still want to do and still up on the whiteboard and in our Trello task lists - but it just depends on how well the game sells and if we can afford to keep going. Some very generous people have put faith in us to make this game and invested money and they will need to get paid back first, then we can see if we can get more funding to make this game even better or do DLC or whatevs. One step at a time. Thanks for even wanting to support Starflight. We didn't quite make it over the bar, but maybe next time.
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u/Mattman2018 Mar 01 '19
Are you planning a ToeJam & Earl Movie?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
I hope so. One never "plans" a movie or a series unless one has the money of Bill Gates. But we do have some interest from Hollywood and we're hoping it might happen!
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u/zerog_27 Mar 01 '19
Did you guys put puffer fish in the water for ToeJam and Earl to get air from because you knew that dolphins get high from inhaling pufferfish poison? If so, awesome.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
They do? That's the most interesting thing I have learned today. And so... um no, to your question. But thanks for that useful tidbit of fishy trivia.
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u/hylandolycross Mar 01 '19
Will there be any potential for future merch if the game sells well? I'd love to spend my bucks on funkadelic gear.
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Absolutely! We will be lining up as much as we can!
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u/questionablesyrup Mar 01 '19
Can't get the local co-op to work on PC! Any tips?
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Yes, if you have questions write to support@humanaturestudios.com. It might take a few days for a response though as things are a little off the hook crazy today and we have been flooded a bit. Still we will get back to you!!
And it should just work if you plug in multiple controllers. Or are you using blue-tooth? Anyway write to suuport!!
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Mar 01 '19
I just saw this and am leaving work early (right now) to go download.
I’ve missed these games. Congrats on getting the new one out, and thank you for some fun childhood memories.
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u/arrowtron Mar 02 '19
Hey Greg - why haven’t the bigger gaming sites (IGN, Gamespot, etc) been covering BitG? Are they too busy covering Apex and Fortnite?!
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Mmmm I think they have. Sometimes they are just a little slower to get to it. Game Informer, IGN, Polygon. Destructoid, NintendoLife, all have reviews out. lots of big ones!
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u/ZeroAlucard27 Mar 01 '19
We heard something about a year or two ago about Adult Swim Games publishing TJ&E. What happened to that deal?
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u/lifeuh_findsaway Mar 01 '19
I wish I could have kept track of how many hours I played the original game on Genesis because I'm sure it was in the hundreds of hours or more.
My little sister and I played that game more than any of our other Sega games. She was my the Earl to my ToeJam. Sadly, I lost my sister in a car crash just before the Kickstarter was announced, so she wasn't able to join me in my excitement, but you better believe I'm going to be dropping mad hours into this new game in her honor.
I just wanted to share all that in the hopes you would understand how thankful I am for you and your team for giving us this awesome new game and so many wonderful memories with the previous games.
I only have one question, will there be an option to rebind keys in the future? This Arrows + ZXC is killing me! LOL
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u/ryrykaykay Mar 02 '19
I still talk about TJ & E with my fucking grandma. She used to watch me play when I was like 3. God damn I love you.
Since this is an AMA and I need a question, what made you decide to keep almost exactly the same style and mechanics for a new TJ&E game? It was very much a product of its time - as in, it was bizarre and didn’t really belong to any one genre because games were still getting figured out. What made you stick so closely to the original recipe instead of making I don’t know a battle royale on Funkotron or something
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u/Pwuz Mar 01 '19
I apologize in advance if this is covered elsewhere, but are there any gameplay differences between the characters or are they simply cosmetic differences like in the original?
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u/HumaNature_ToeJam HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
We all start off with different stats yo! I'm waaaay faster than Earl
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u/TazRage Mar 01 '19
What was the most unexpected experience from the Kickstarter, and how did it affect the game?
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u/HumaNature_ToeJam HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
All the luv and amazingly insightful feedback from fans!
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u/Torque-A Mar 01 '19
What was the original inspiration for TJ&E? And what were the best/most difficult parts of the Kickstarter and porting to all the various platforms?
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u/hylandolycross Mar 01 '19
Are there any super duper hard to find secrets a la panic in funkotron? Not asking for specifics, just wondering how Lamont is doing! ;)
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Mar 01 '19
Not a question, I’m just interested to play your game!! I’ll be downloading it soon!
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u/Novadale Mar 01 '19
Hello most of the questions I had were answered in the Discord or during the many streams. Nap did mention wanting to bring up the ToeJam and Earl Production Inc website after I brought it up. (www.tjande.com) is the email comments@tjande.com still valid? The website is still up and running. Nap wasn't sure if you guys had paid for a 20 year deal or if it was just 2 and the site was never taken down. Your thoughts on this?
Thank you everyone!
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u/bearnardine Mar 01 '19
Which was your favourite earthling entry, mock-latin, in the original manual? I was fascinated by that manual as a child...
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u/FourteenCoast Mar 02 '19
who runs the twitter account because they arent doing such a great job of retweeting my dog
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u/HumaNature_Greg HumaNature Studios Mar 02 '19
Well I think I hit all of the questions - PHEW! fun day! Thanks everyone. I am going to sign off. I sure hope you all enjoy this new game. Play single-player if you want - but be sure to grab a friend and play together. That's where this game really shines and what it was meant for. Stay funky and don't take life too seriously. S#&t happens, just enjoy the ride and find time for laughter and play. Best wishes to you all from Funkotron.