Ransome *Unbeeped*

Mar 01, 2018

We just released the new Ransome unbeeped DLC on Steam and GOG. Give the trailer a watch, but I have to warn you, if you're offended by words like beep, beeper, beephole, or beephead you might want to avert your ears.

It's a little depressing that a few people are actually upset that we're charging $1.99 for this. Making this wasn't free. It took a lot of work. Programming, testing, audio editing, etc. It feels like people think it was just copying a bunch of audio files over. I've always objected to DLC that was made at the same time as the game and all they do is flip a bit. This is not that kind of DLC. The code to make this work was not written until just a few months ago. We had the idea of MAYBE doing this DLC during the development, but none of the work was done.

We've released two MAJOR updates for FREE since launch, so I think we deserve to try and recover some of our costs. It sometimes feels like people expect game devs to make games for free. This is my livelihood. I use it to pay my rent and buy food. Game pricing is completely screwed up, it's why you see predatory free-to-play games and loot boxes.

The other reason it's not FREE is so people don't suddenly (and without warning) get a full-on unbeeped clown swearing at their kids. Having to pay something provides some parental friction.

Buy it!

It's only $1.99 and you'll support game devs trying to make a living so they can keep making games.

Leak Mar 01, 2018
F*ck it and take my money!!1!eins
Walter Mar 01, 2018
Please don´t be depressed! Just finished the game 30 minutes ago, and it was great! Best game for a very loooooooooooong *beeeep* time !! Fully support the *beeep* $1.99 !
Beep Mar 01, 2018
INSTANT BUY
Ilias Mar 02, 2018
What happened to the Cave related blog post?
Ron Gilbert Mar 02, 2018
I removed it due to several people coming on and just telling me it was a shitty game (this is why I left twitter).  I'm going to rewrite and repost it next week. I think my point was not well communicated.
Paul Wakeford Mar 02, 2018
Will this come to the Switch too? Thanks.
Paul Wakeford Mar 02, 2018
P.S. the captcha asks for a sum in text but doesn't accept a text answer. e.g. four plus one = five but it only accepts 5. Am I nitpicker of the week?
Ron Gilbert Mar 02, 2018
The DLC won't be coming to any of the consoles or mobile due to ratings issues. They all require DLC to have the same rating as the main game.
benderete Mar 02, 2018
Hi, the DLC includes unbeeped audio version but not unbeeped text (subtitles) version, isn't it?
Zak Phoenix McKracken Mar 02, 2018
Hearing Ransome in its full speech if more funny than before. I think that Ian Corlett (the Ransome's voice) did a superb job, adding more charme to its character. It's simply appropriate.
Ellerwind Mar 02, 2018
I just got the DLC on GoG and started a game before I installed the DLC (half thinking it was going to install with the game and half forgot to check). I'm upto the Ransome part and it's still beeped. Do I need to restart the game now that the DLC is installed or is it just a problem I'm having?
Zak Phoenix McKracken Mar 02, 2018
Hi Ellerwind,
you must enable the DLC via Options -> Video -> Ransome *unbeeped* DLC
Dolores (not THAT one...) Mar 02, 2018
Bought and paid for -- a purchase well worth what is less than the cost of a cup of coffee on the road!

I will admit to initially having been taken aback that the DLC wasn't free too. That's because you never mentioned it wasn't in your previous post. (Also, to a lesser extent, because I was one of the original backers.)

Arguably I shouldn't have assumed it was, but just for the future, you can (probably) save yourself much gamer grumpiness by saying upfront that it costs money, and how much.

Keep the cheer & keep up the good work!
Ellerwind Mar 02, 2018
TY. Playing on 'hard mode' (for lack of a better term). Works now
Vito Mar 02, 2018
I'll buy it when I'll go for my next playthrough. Don't worry, Mr. Gilbert, not everyone on the internet is a whiny *beep*. We appreciate your work, the free DLCs and the fact such a polished, nostalgic yet modern point and click adventure exists in this day and age. Can't wait for your next effort. I have yet to play a Ron Gilbert game that I don't love or at least like.
Bruno Mar 02, 2018
This is awesome!!
Sascha Mar 02, 2018
Hi Ron. Anything new and exciting you are up to these days  ? Beside promoting the most amazing City somewhere in the US ?
Diego Mar 03, 2018
Fuck those other clowns! I'm buying this! </ransome mode off>
Ham Mar 03, 2018
Dear Mr. Gilbert

My name is Hamid and I am 30. All off my childhood was covered with Monkey island series and I have played them more than 5 times!!! Is there any chance for monkey island 6 in 2018 or later?!! Thimbelweed park is nice but monkey island is something else!!!
Pretty Please Answer :D
Is there a new monkey island?
Big Red Button Mar 03, 2018
@ Ham:
It is impossible for him to make another Monkey Island game, because he does not own the intellectual property (IP) for Monkey Island. Disney is the current owner of the IP, since they have acquired Lucasfilm (and LucasArts). Though, Disney are not interested in selling the Monkey Island IP and Ron is not interested in creating a game with an IP he does not own. So, I am afraid that a new Monkey Island game by Ron Gilbert is highly unlikely, even though he would like to do a "real" sequel to LeChuck's Revenge.
Ham Mar 03, 2018
@Big Red Button:
Thank you my dear. :D What do you mean about  a "real" sequel to LeChuck's Revenge. Is it possible in terms of IP?
Big Red Button Mar 03, 2018
@ Ham:
Unfortunately, it is not. It was just an idea of Ron, which he described several years ago in a blog entry. See here:
https://grumpygamer.com/if_i_made_another_monkeyisland
At the same time, he made clear that he has no such plans. He will never do another Monkey Island game, unless he gets the IP. He even has tried to talk to the responsible persons at Disney, but he said that he didn't get through.
Matej Mar 03, 2018
1.99 EUR is a reasonable price for such an add-on.

Then again, since you'd asked us to buy ten copies of the Thimbleweed Park, that meens 19.90 EUR in DLC money! Not to mention the GOG version and the Steam version. ;)

Great work in either case!
Big Red Button Mar 03, 2018
1.99 EUR is a reasonable price for such an add-on.
I fully agree on that. It's a shame that people can rate anything on GOG, even if they don't own it. No one is forced to buy the DLC. It's just an option for people who like it.
Evan Mar 04, 2018
And that's why I quit the mobile market. Could never even come close to making a profit. Oh wait,  my steam game isn't making me rich either...
Jez Mar 04, 2018
Outstanding! Instant buy.
Nikita Mar 05, 2018
Hello, mr. Gilbert! Could you please tell me why am i in your blacklist on tweeter? What have i done wrong? :*(    And could you please tell me how to activate DLC ? I have bought it and nothing appeared in the Options-Video section. I even tried to restart the game but still i dont see any option to ON this DLC
Big Red Button Mar 05, 2018
> > Could you please tell me why am i in your blacklist on tweeter?
You might not have done wrong anything. Ron announced that he would avoid Twitter as much as he can from now on, because it's a time killer. Source: https://grumpygamer.com/2018_goals

And could you please tell me how to activate DLC ?
If the DLC is installed on your device already, you can activate it in the "Video" menu. Though, I have no idea why they placed both the DLC and the in-jokes under "Video". Maybe it's because that section had been so empty. By the way, you have to activate the DLC option in  the Video menu whenever you have opened the game. Ron stated that this would be for the sake of kid-friendliness.
Big Red Button Mar 05, 2018
@ Nikita:
I re-read your comment. It seems that the DLC is not installed on you machine. If you bought the game on GOG, you have to install it separately. I'm not sure how the installation works with GOG Galaxy or Steam, though.
Nikita Mar 05, 2018
The problem is i have installed the DLC (even on two machines - Mac and Windows) but it never appeared! DLC is installed in the same folder - c/gog games/thimbleweed park  but in the game it doesnt appear! Could anyone help please?
WolfStark Mar 05, 2018
2 Euro forsomethign that should be already in the game. While I think supporting small developers is something honorably this is definitly not. There are two options, either zero work was involved in this DLC because it's just an edited soundfile or unnecessary work was involved because of incompetence. I think I am not the only one with experience in working on games and editing audio is definitely something that doesn't involve any substantial work unless one did something really, really wrong. But the point is also, you could've had this already in the game. There are so many games that have an "option menu", not just with stuff like resolution but also the possibility of turning off and on blood or filters. And these things include not sound but visual work.

To want money for something so trivial is the big issue we face today in the industry. Instead of doing really add-ons, developers produce minor, trivial stuff that once modders made. Developers and publishers want to maximize profit by either producing content (before or after the release) that doesn't cost anything noteworthy  or by providing a non-existing currency to by this trivial content and in the last years even gambling arised.

I buy games but I buy less year after year, because it doesn't seem to be enough to buy a game once.
Nikita Mar 05, 2018
I dont agree with WolfStark and i have bought the DLC but man! Could anyone explain why it doesnt work? I tried everything ! I have the game fully uninstalled and installed again with a patch and DLC - no effect. I tried it on Mac and Windows - no effect! How can i make it work?
Someone Mar 05, 2018
@Nikita
Do you have the *latest* version of TWP installed? The DLC is only working with the current version of TWP.

If this is the case, please contact the support: support@thimbleweedpark.com
wysiwtf Mar 05, 2018
Bought it the minute I saw it on steam.
Can we also get a sherrif de-annoy-a-reno? I'd shell out up to 5 bucks for that! :D

Kudos for supporting your game so much after release and not just fixing the ugly bugs and be done with it. I like.

PS: Do not listen to the haters, they're gonna hate anyway.
Xan and Gus Mar 06, 2018
Loving the Ransome DLC. Gamedev is so weirdly complex, and I do mean weirdly, that two bucks should be a magical gift to players. It is not just a tickbox.
DZ-Jay Mar 06, 2018
Now, for the kicker, what I really want is a DLC with the /good/ ending.  I'd imagine there's a bigger market for that than for uncensored audio.  Just a thought.

  -dZ.
Ron Gilbert Mar 06, 2018
I'm growing a little tired of people ripping on the ending.  It is the /good/ ending. It's exactly the ending I wanted.  I'm sorry if you didn't like it, but it was the ending the story need. Endings to my games will always be weird or controversial.  You are free to never buy another one of my games again.  Endings don't exist to please the audience, they exist for the story and the story alone.  Make your own game and do the ending you want for it, I'm sure 100% of your players will love it!
Guga Mar 07, 2018
@Wolfstark

Well... did you read the part where he states that this DLC wasn't planned in advance?
DZ-Jay Mar 07, 2018
I'm sorry you do not like purchasing customers criticizing your product.  You are free to ignore my comment.  My comments don't exist to please the author but to express my opinion.  If you want to ignore your audience, that's your prerogative, I still have my opinion.

I re-iteratate the criticism I've seen repeated oftentimes online:  it's a fantastic, brilliant, impressive game which I enjoyed immensely and thoroughly -- up until the end.  It doesn't ruin the experience, it just cheapens it.  If you want to take that to mean that we hate you and that we will never pay for another of your games, that's also your prerogative -- but it wouldn't be too accurate.

It's very easy to dismiss opinions that you do not like with "pffft! haters gonna hate."  It takes courage and wisdom to accept other people's opinions.  It's your blog so I am obviously at a disadvantage.

Still, I say that providing DLC for the /good/ ending would sell more than "unbeeping" the clown.  Then again, people would say that it should have been included originally.  I would still pay for it, as I paid for multiple versions of the game, and for this DLC just to support you.  Yeah, I'm a hater.

   Cheers!
   -dZ.
Zak Phoenix McKracken™ Mar 07, 2018
@DZ-Jay: just for fun, would you mind to open a TWP forum topic, in which you describe what would have been a good finale, in your opinion, for Thimbleweed Park?
I'm sure this will lead to a long and probably interesting discussion, on the understanding that each author's choice must be respected, as expression of a personal and artistic form.
Tom Mar 07, 2018
@DZ-Jay: While totally unexpected and not initially the ending I was hoping for, I have no problems accepting it for what it was, and based on the ending of Monkey Island 2, I was kinda expecting something along these lines... looking back at it, the story builds up to it, so would you care to elaborate how you think it "cheapens" the game? It does take a seemingly abrupt turn near the end, but it fits very well with the story. Unfortunately I did not get to resolve all characters endings, as I started with Delores and thought I'd get the chance to play the others after, but my mistake :) But the massive effort put into the Delores-ending can't possibly be seen as a cheap ending, imho. It could have ended at an earlier stage, still completing the story. I think the team walked the extra mile to make it something special.
Guga Mar 07, 2018
@DZ-Jay
Sorry, but I found your comment to be taunting and disrespectful. You can say "I didn't like the ending", you already did lots of times on the forum and it's your opinion. But bringing up again the "bad ending" basically saying there will be people willing to pay to forget how bad the original ending was... that's not an opinion.
Blombo Mar 07, 2018
@DZ-Jay
I'm with you on the ending of TWP. I didn't like it, to me it felt stale, utterly unsatisfying and unexciting (sorry Ron; you're still my idol). On the other hand, I don't think telling Ron to "provide a good ending" makes any sense. Since we're not talking about some technical issue here, good or bad is purely a matter of taste: to Ron, that's obviosly the good ending - nay, that's the *best* ending. What would you expect him to do, come up to you with an ending and ask you "How do you like it?" and then change it as many times as it doesn't please you? What about all the other people? Some *do* like the ending of TWP, so they would certainly consider what you think is good to be bad. Should he change it again and again, making sure *everyone* likes it? Because you know, that's quite impossible. I think pretty much no one ever makes something thinking, "I'm making something bad, but who cares?". They do what the think it's best and you have to respect that. Your opinion is as valid as any, but asking Ron (and the whole TWP team) to make what you want (which BTW I bet you don't even know what that is) is completely unreasonable.
Paul Mar 07, 2018
Something I find interesting is how Ron has divided things up into author-driven elements and then more audience-driven elements (I don't know if this is a conscious thing or not)...

For example, the puzzles are playtested and if lots of playtesters have a problem on a puzzle, that part is often changed to "fix" it, so it's driven by how the audience may react to it... but then I assume things like the story and reactions to the ending are not playtested?

It's like there an invisible line between the two... potentially you could put everything in the author-driven box (eg. puzzles exist purely as puzzles and as works of art, they are not for the audience to enjoy, so don't playtest them), or everything could go into the audience-driven box (let's playtest the reactions to the story, ending, etc. to make sure most of the audience will enjoy them).

I'm not saying any one way is correct, or what elements should be in which box, but it's interesting where the lines are drawn.
Cesar Mar 08, 2018
Well, I think the ending was perfect, it was really fulfilling to end that way and closing one story at a time. It's kind of funny because I remember that the first time I finished Monkey Island 2 I was kind of disappointed and wanted to know about the story and not get back to reality but I ended up liking it after a while. With TWP the ending seemed perfect.
Kolzig Mar 12, 2018
Bought it on day one in Steam. I'm thinking of buying it also on GoG since that's my preferred platform for games anyway. So you might be getting 2 euros more from me!
Jesse Mar 14, 2018
Will the DLC be playable seperately from the main game? I played on mobile but I did back the game originally so I have a steam key, I just waited for the iPad to play it. Will I have to play through the Steam version to access the DLC?
Stefano Mar 14, 2018
@WolfStark

"There are two options, either zero work was involved in this DLC because it's just an edited soundfile or unnecessary work was involved because of incompetence."

Can you point me to your groundbreaking contribution to the gaming industry? Or maybe do you wanna discuss a little bit about data structures and algorithms? Memory optimization perhaps?
MIchael Mar 16, 2018
"...video game prices are screwed up". Actually I would have paid more for Thimbleweed Park. I believe I purchased it on gog.com when it came out for 20 EUR(?). I could be mistaken but I remember wondering why it was that cheap.
Fuz Mar 21, 2018
I loved the cave, it's a brilliant game. It's definitely not perfect, but it's really enjoyable and I love the writing and the humour.
Guybrush Thimbleweed Mar 21, 2018
Hello from Spain.

You make me happy Ron, I lOVE your adventures since I was a child, you gave me the posibility to think, feel, laught and live in your worlds. My creativity and imagination are fitness of that. In conclusion, you inspired me ;)

I have bought this morning Thimbleweed Park on PSN store. It's going to be awesome, I have a free day at least for myself.

Well, I Will read and follow your blog. And now I need yo buy the DLC and support your awesome job.

May the enthusiasm be with you
Guybrush Thimbleweed Mar 21, 2018
Ok, no DLC for console, dont worry, I will buy a physical copy :)

Looking to the bright side.
Jonas Mar 27, 2018
*bleep* entitled people not understanding paying for quality content to *bleep*! Only now did I even see this announcement, ironically from Twittah. I'm on it!
Daniel Mar 27, 2018
Well. I was a bit baffled at first (I was a backer) but then I decided I didn't care and 1.99 seemed like a nice tip that surely would be put to good use. I have no buyer regrets.
Estranged2 Mar 30, 2018
I understand mr. Gilbert is almost a nihilist, but... the ending is a violation of the contract between player and creator. You trust that the creator won't suddenly say "Oh, I'm tired of all this, you know what, ♥♥♥♥ it, it's all nonsense that I made up" and throw his story in the trash.

All this work to make a gameworld and characters that inhabit it... and then tell the player - haha, you have wasted your time - you invested emotionally, but it was all worthless.
And, because the existence of the characters is limited and constrained, everyone should be killed and their fake world should burn. So now we're justifying not just nihilistic murder, but nihilistic genocide. But oh, wait, genocide is not possible, and that makes even moral choice irrelevant. That's the level of philosophical and ethical maturity the author has.

I can't understand what thought process made mr. Gilbert and the others believe even for a moment that such a choice is going to be okay. Perhaps the others thought everything is a parody and one big joke and that can justify anything, including ruining any empathy or investment the player has built.
Estranged2 Mar 30, 2018
And, getting back to the post itself.

I would understand the idea of "nihilistic art" for the sake of nihilism itself (or art itself), deconstructing any meaning out of a story, but this is also something that gets sold, in a very, very American way. I paid three times its regular price to support its development, falling for all of the marketing tactics, not knowing that I'm paying for a nihilistic self-serving anti-story.

It's as if someone draws a cartoonish, but well done version of Mona Lisa in front of you for weeks, and then at the end throws random paint on it, tears it in half and sets it on fire. Aaaah, it's actually post-modern art! But it's also false advertising. Perhaps I should have known better, because mr. Gilbert has always been like that, but I guess I was so naive that it had to take two decades for the truth to truly sink in.
Ron Gilbert Mar 30, 2018
You trust that the creator won't suddenly say "Oh, I'm tired of all this, you know what, ♥♥♥♥ it, it's all nonsense that I made up" and throw his story in the trash.

Feels like you're one of those people that wants everything explined to you in a story at the end. I'm not that way, I love stoies where I really have to dig and figure it all out. There is a point and puspose to the story, the last thing I was "was tired of it", just to opposite, I was invigorated by it. But that kind of story isn;t for everyone, I knew it wasn't going to be.
Estranged2 Mar 30, 2018
Hm. You mean there was still a mystery? I thought everything is very clear. As far as I understood, you were supposed to destroy the world and everyone inside it because you're not satisfied with your limited existence in it. I didn't want to do this because I had moral issues with it - for example, my existence in reality is also limited but I don't think that's a reason to nuke everything and everyone, so I didn't do the final action in the game that would supposedly just kill everyone. But I saw in YouTube that you actually don't and can't destroy the world, you can just reset it which just leads nowhere, so there's no escape.

So I assume it's like "The Tunnel under the World" by Frederik Pohl, which ends in a similar way. But "The Tunnel under the World" is a very dark and serious sci-fi story that doesn't do fourth walling, and the character is not trying to happily kill everyone just because he doesn't like his limited existence. He just tries to escape from the fake city and finds out this is more than impossible and he is trapped in a very absurd and terrifying way. Same story, totally different feeling.
Ed RM Mar 31, 2018
The DLC is something so trivial and silly (and should already be an option in the game) that seems like a money grab. No matter how wonderfull Thimbleweed is, this DlC adds a sour taste of someone trying to squeeze money out of the gamer's hand while giving nothing at all in return.
Estranged2 Mar 31, 2018
Actually, it's the opposite. Gamers pay too little for the hard work that goes in a lot of their favourite games. If I really like something, I buy it full price, twice or three times in different shops. The people who don't appreciate games so much need a reason to send more money to the dev and DLCs like this one become a reason.
Blud Apr 30, 2018
Ron Gilbert
Mar 06, 2018
I'm growing a little tired of people ripping on the ending.  It is the /good/ ending. It's exactly the ending I wanted.  I'm sorry if you didn't like it, but it was the ending the story need. Endings to my games will always be weird or controversial.  You are free to never buy another one of my games again.  Endings don't exist to please the audience, they exist for the story and the story alone.  Make your own game and do the ending you want for it, I'm sure 100% of your players will love it!

Wow Ron, you used to be, like, my hero. Now you sound like a jaded old asshole. The ending, and the ENTIRE STORY exist to please an audience if you want to get paid. Which you OBVIOUSLY do since your MAJOR updates were such a hassle. You're straight admitting that you don't care that your fans like your story or ending, then you pull the good old "Go make your own game! I'm sure it'll be perfect!"
You're a total fucking dickhead and now I'm ashamed of having this game in my library.
JP Jun 06, 2018
Uhh,  he's called the grumpy gamer right????
Frank Oct 24, 2018
Thanks for this wonderfully offensive DLC. Definitely worth the beeping money.
CaryMGVR Sep 02, 2020
Will the "Ransome"  and/or the "Delores" DLC  ever be available for the iOS/iPadOS version ...?
**Thank you!**
Lee Swain Mar 27, 2021
Is it not on the Epic Games store? *cries*
Lee Swain Mar 27, 2021
Game was on sale for $8 on GOG, so I just bought it again for the third time (Switch, Epic games).

No regrets :D