News » Toonstruck 2 will officially come out... If fans act now!

Good news everyone!

I just received an e-mail from Keith Arem yesterday. Amongst other things, he wrote:

"Hello Bernard –

Thank you for your mail and kind words. I appreciate your long time support, and I’m overwhelmed by the flood of fan mail I’ve received over the past decade from the game.



I maintain a warehouse with all of the original Toonstruck development assets, including the broadcast Digibeta masters, dialog recordings (and outtakes), animation cells, and backgrounds. Since my role as Audio Director with Virgin Interactive, I now run PCB Productions in Los Angeles. In addition to our post production sound services for games and films, I am directing many of the large console games in the industry (http://www.pcbproductions.com/HTMLfiles/Credits/credits.html), as well as my first feature film later this year.



I have remained in contact with many of my colleagues from the Toonstruck project, and we’ve considered reviving the project for the past several years. The “second half” of the game was not cancelled due to CD-ROM or space limitations, but due to the fact that the game was over 4 years in development, and considerably over budget. The executive decision was to cut the game in half, polish the existing materials, and continue development on Acts 3 & 4 if the game performed well. While most of the animation, backgrounds, design and voice work were already developed for the 2nd half of the game, the programming and implementation were not.



The cost of the original development was well over $10M dollars in 1996, which was considerably higher than most other games of its time. If we were to re-release the original title and bring the game up to today’s standards, we’d need to raise funding to restore many of the original assets, rebuild much of the original code, and re-incorporate the materials into the project. To release the 2nd half, we’ll need a considerable amount of programming and development to complete the vision for this monumental project. I’m impressed there is a fan movement to create a sequel, and I hope this would not deflate any interest in our development.



I receive hundreds of letters each year about the voice and music work from the game, and based on the continued popularity I would love to see Toonstruck back in development. I have seen several of the petitions circulating the internet, and I would hope that these do not try to capitalize on the fans to donate money towards this project, however I would hope they could build awareness for the game, and help show potential investors and publishers that the project is a viable investment.



I appreciate your continued interest in our project, and I hope we are able to make it happen!



Best Regards –



Keith Arem"


It is time we take a stand. Each one of us should write to all the adventure games publishers/developers, gaming websites and distribution platforms we can reach, so as to trigger some sort of a viral network effect. As far as I'm concerned, no matter how hard I'm ready to try, I just can't do it on my own, as I don't have any strong professional connection with the video game industry. I need the support of each and every fan, no, Toonstruck needs your support, right now!

Don't forget to sign the petition: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/toonstrucktwo/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=140186316013394
https://twitter.com/ToonstruckTwo

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all.

Let's make Toonstruck 2 finally happen, for real!

Cheers

Bernard, a French fan of Toonstruck

Unterbuchse, please delete ALL POSTS (even this one) in this forum.

I hate spam and we shoudln't support it, even if he uses OUR logo for his project. (see here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=140186316013394) or gos' Drew Blanc (see here https://twitter.com/ToonstruckTwo)

Cheers

Nouty, a german spam-hater

I think we should leave one of the posts instead of deleting all. There's new info in Keith Arem's email (about a warehouse).

Sorry for the multiple posting, my mistake, it won't happen again. I'm sorry if you thought it was spam, and I mean it.

Cyrus is right, there's new info in Keith Arem's email (about a warehouse), so you should leave one of the posts instead of deleting all. Unterbuchse, please, don't listen to the most intolerant members of this forum, listen to your intelligence instead and do what you know to be right.

Nouty, my friend, let me ask you something: instead of wasting your time hating everything and everyone, why wouldn't you actually contribute to a project that might have a chance of success? You seem so obsessed with that fan project of yours that you forgot the very spirit of Toonstruck: fun and humour. What's wrong with the TS2 logo? Is there a copyright on it, do you own the intellectual property of the sequel now? Just calm down, chill out and relax, dude.

That being said, I hope you will eventually join us, for the good of Toonstruck, that is.

Sincerely,

Bernard

Zitat von radical_dreamer

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Nouty, my dear German friend, let me ask you something: instead of wasting your time hating everything and everyone, why wouldn't you actually contribute to a project that might have a chance of success, contrary to others? You seem so obsessed with that fan project of yours that you forgot the very spirit of Toonstruck: fun and humour. Tell me, do you still really like the original game? What's wrong with the TS2 logo? Is there a copyright on it, do you own the intellectual property of the sequel now? Just calm down, chill out and relax, dude.

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Well, Nouty never hates around without a reason.
But I know somebody new in this board spamming and hating.
You just don't have an idea what's going on in this board as you never had enough eagerness to participate in projects like this one
And for the logo: We don't own the intellectual property of the sequel, but nobody but us owns the intellectual property of that logo.

Wow, wow, calm down, everyone, let's just lay down our guns, sit down and talk.

I didn't know multiple posting was considered spamming on this forum (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa). Again, I apologize for what I did. With hindsight, it was pretty careless, and I'm really sorry you felt it was spam.

Don't you think it is ironic (or moronic) to be called "a hater" by a hater. I don't hate Nouty or anyone here on this forum, I'm just devastated by some of the reactions here. Never did I imagine I would quarrel with another Toonstruck fan someday. It just makes me feel sad. What are we, 8 year old?

Listen, I understand your implication and your passion, and I never asked anyone to stop this beautiful project you have. I just think your talent might also be needed elsewhere, so this is why I took it the time to post messages on this forum. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have bothered.

Ban me from the forum if you want: if this all the reactions outsiders can expect from you, maybe you shouldn't have opened it at all, to stay amongst yourselves.
Now, are your really sure I'm the ONLY hater here? Or are you just feeling threatened?

Fear leads to anger... Anger leads to hate... You know the drill.

FYI, I already participated in other fan projects before, so next time think twice before making unsupported statements

All right for the logo then, just keep it. I wasn't aware you could copyright a logo based on an intellectual property you didn't own. Man, that's pretty clever.


Your French neighbour

Zitat von radical_dreamer

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Wow, wow, calm down, everyone, let's just lay down our guns, sit down and talk.

I didn't know multiple posting was considered spamming on this forum (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa). Again, I apologize for what I did. With hindsight, it was pretty careless, and I'm really sorry you felt it was spam.

Don't you think it is ironic (or moronic) to be called "a hater" by a hater. I don't hate Nouty or anyone here on this forum, I'm just devastated by some of the reactions here. Never did I imagine I would quarrel with another Toonstruck fan someday. It just makes me feel sad. What are we, 8 year old?

Listen, I understand your implication and your passion, and I never asked anyone to stop this beautiful project you have. I just think your talent might also be needed elsewhere, so this is why I took it the time to post messages on this forum. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have bothered.

Ban me from the forum if you want: if this all the reactions outsiders can expect from you, maybe you shouldn't have opened it at all, to stay amongst yourselves.
Now, are your really sure I'm the ONLY hater here?

FYI, I already participated in other fan projects before, so next time think twice before making unsupported statements, it will make you sound smarter

All right for the logo then, just keep it. All hail MS Paint!


Your French neighbour

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Is there even one board in the whole net where multi-posts are desired ?
Did it really make sense to you in any way?

We're not quarreling. We're discussing. You're not familiar with that kind of communication are you ?
Because you're using a mixture of insults and pointless statements instead of talking like the adult you want to sound like.

Outsiders are always welcome and they may even join the DEV-Team with just one post.
But special guests like you always get the attention they need.

I don't know whether there is even one board in the whole net where multi-posts are desired, but I know for sure there are plenty of places on the Internet where they're not punished by so hateful replies. I know a billion other places where newcomers are actually welcome. Yes, "welcome" : noun, "a greeting or reception", verb, "accept gladly". Again, it was foolish of me to multipost on this forum, and I apologize.

Again, I'm sorry, but when you're discussing with someone, you don't insult him treating him a "hater" and a "spammer". Not only is this awfully rude, it's immature. Again, let's get back to definitions, shall we? To discuss, verb: "speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion". On the contrary, a quarrel is "an angry dispute". Right now, I'm not angry, I'm just demoralized, but I feel a lot of anger in your replies. I'm trying to discuss calmly with you, but all you do is quarreling.

It seems to me I'm the not only one unfamiliar with the delicate mode of communication that is "discussing", am I? Tell me, if you were so familiar with that mode of communicathion yourself, would you call me a "spammer", a "hater", call my arguments "pointless statements" and insinuate I'm some kind of retard just because I don't agree with you?

Are you familiar with ad hominem arguments? Ad hominem arguments "appeal to personal considerations rather than ideas themselves". If you need an example, just read your replies again. I agree, it's harder to use facts or reason when debating, but that's what grown ups do, in case you didn't notice. I mean, are you even trying to sound like an adult yourself?

Everyday I'm trying to convince people gamers can be mature and interesting people, but judging from our interaction, I have some doubts. What kind of image are we conveying right now to the outside world? I feel like we're both little kids who are fighting over some stupid toy. This is meaningless.

I really hope we can forget this incident and move on.

Sincerely,

The "Special" One

radical_dreamer, you're a troll. I don't "hate" you. But I don't think you should steal OUR logos and sketches and after that, spamming links to the stolen content in OUR forum, that's silly!

It's okay if you post ONE Thread and I think you should ask before you us any content created by our members.

And if you want help to make your "project" popular, don't flame one of the oldest members of this forum.

Cheers

Well, I didn't know I was a troll, since I never turned to stone upon contact with sunlight. Tonight, I will try to eat some rocks, just to be sure, I'll tell you how it goes.

I'm relieved to know you don't hate me, Nouty. I won't go that far to say you made my day but I sure will sleep well this night.

I think there is a slight misunderstanding between us: you may be confusing me with someone else. Actually, I have nothing to do with the petition, the FB group and the Twitter page (I joined them but I didn't create them) and I wasn't even aware someone stole your logos and sketches, I feel really sorry about that and I don't approve this kind of behaviour either. It goes without saying I would have asked you before using any content created by members of this forum, but again, you picked the wrong guy all along... Ever heard about the advice "Don't shoot the messenger"?

Anyway, good luck for your "project" too

Some people call me Guy Montag

Zitat von radical_dreamer

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Well, I didn't know I was a troll, since I never turned to stone upon contact with sunlight. Tonight, I will try to eat some rocks, just to be sure, I'll tell you how it goes.

I'm relieved to know you don't hate me, Nouty. I won't go that far to say you made my day but I sure will sleep well this night.

I think there is a slight misunderstanding between us: you may be confusing me with someone else. Actually, I have nothing to do with the petition, the FB group and the Twitter page (I joined them but I didn't create them) and I wasn't even aware someone stole your logos and sketches, I feel really sorry about that and I don't approve this kind of behaviour either. It goes without saying I would have asked you before using any content created by members of this forum, but again, you picked the wrong guy all along... Ever heard about the advice "Don't shoot the messenger"?

Anyway, good luck for your "project" too

Some people call me Guy Montag

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Well, I'm sorry for this. I thought you created this pages, because of your "aggressive" posting here.

Yeah, I made your day

Good Night. Tell your parents you're a great boy. *kidding*

No worries mate, I sure understand better now why my aggressive posting brought upon me such aggressive replies

I hope next time we'll both take a few moments to reconsider the situation before flaming each other... If there is a next time, that is.

Judging from your replies, no doubt the unofficial fan-made Toonstruck 2 will be at least as fun as the first one *kidding*

Tell your parents you're a good boy too, you deserve the Troll's stamp of approval and I mean it!

Farewell

My turn.

Zitat

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At first, dont try to drag me into your disscussion(no offense)

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I only figured out you were the patriarch of this group: what do you do when you get annoyed by nasty kids? You call their parents. That's what I did. So in the future, watch your children. Nevertheless, as I really didn't expect this kind of welcoming, I must admit I lost my temper, to the point I forgot I came here for the sake of the true sequel, not myself. From that point of view, I really feel ashamed, because I think such a game deserves better representatives than all the people here, including myself.

Zitat

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Then: You write that "insted of wasting time he should contribute to a project that might have a chance of success", what do you mean with tih sone? do you mean that our project is meaningless and we dont take this one serious?

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Time to quote Nouty. (f8t181-toonstruck-2.html)

Zitat

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when do you think it will be finished?
I think it would be in five years, yes this is a long time, but I don't think 20 people could create a game which takes one year for a developer.

do you guys have enough members to complete the game?
That's a good question. I just ask myself and I think no! But you can help us to get more popular. Inform interested people. Help us with your ideas!

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You can't argue with that. You recognize it yourself. Like I do, you know 99% of fan projects end up failing because of a lack of time, people, commitment... And cease&desist letters whenever copyright infringement is involved. At best, they get delayed by a whole lot. It's not your fault, it's the way fan projects work. For one Counter-Strike, there are a gazillion of failed experiments. Don't blame me, blame statistics.

unterbuchse, please don't misquote me. I wrote:

Zitat

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instead of wasting your time hating everything and everyone, why wouldn't you actually contribute to a project that might have a chance of success?

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I meant that Nouty had better adopt a constructive attitude rather than ranting on how much he hates spam. If Nouty had no talent at all, I wouldn't have given him such an advice, because I wouldn't have given a damn. Believe me or not, I have a positive prejudice towards Toonstruck fans, especially the ones who are brave enough to such an ambitious project. Alas, sometimes people prove me wrong... Case in point.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE fan projects, but you know exactly what terminates most fan projects that are on the verge of copyright infringement: cease and desist letters, sooner or later. It's inevitable. No, your project is not meaningless, of course you take it seriously, but so did many other fans who saw their hopes destroyed by a single letter sent by lawyers. I personally think copyright law is an impediment to creation, but my personal opinion isn't at stake in this case.

Zitat

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what does participating in a petiton have to do with tallent? i mean like i posted in the other thread, ifthe sequel is made official we (the fans) dont have somrthing to do with it. the only talent we have to use is to give our money to buy the game. thats just weak....

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I posted the link to the petition because it's the only common initiative that has been launched so far, but of course it is just the beginning. Fans should do a lot more: write articles, post viral videos, send letters to publishers, you name them. Besides, supporting this kind of initiative doesn't mean you have to drop your current project: the unofficial TS2 and the official TS2 don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive, you're making a pretty restrictive assumption here.

I didn't come here to advertise a product: this is the job of marketing directors and advertisers. Indeed, it would be pretty weak to ask people on forums to buy some game, this is why I didn't even think of it. I came here for I was certain there were a lot of passionate freelance developers who could assist in the coding and design to pull together all the original assets of the true TS2. It seems it was pretty naive of me to imagine you would be thrilled to work on "the real deal".

Zitat

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in other forums, people who join the forum and the first thing they post is a double or triple post, get banned within a blink of an eye.

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I could make my point by listing the near-infinity of forums that prove you wrong, but I have better things to do, so I'll leave you with this one, hoping the next newcomer will be greeted politely, for a change. You may have noticed my taste for semantics and etymology, so I can't resist making the following comparison, though.
A forum is a place of assembly to meet for open discussion, as Ancient Greeks conceived it.
A ghetto is a restricted quarter locking in a segregated mode of living or working that results from bias.
Can you tell me where we are?

Even though it's not important (at least I agree with you on this point), let me correct another thing.

Zitat

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by reading throguh the posts i think you were the one using this term first but thats unimportant right now.

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Wrong again. Check this:

Zitat

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I hate spam and we shoudln't support it
Cheers
Nouty, a german spam-hater

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At least, the man's honest as he admits he's a hater himself, right off the bat. As for the spam, I think it's pretty self-explanatory.

Now on to your second post, which is actually the interesting one, and I'll be done here for good.

Regards,

Bernard