Game Dogs: Episode Four: Satan
- Thread starter Russ Pitts
- Start date
Who shat in your cereal?xmetatr0nx said:
Personally, I think while its not awful, its not particularly great either. I'm pointing to stuff like Movie Bob & Yahtzee that had serious microphone issues when they started out, but that was more down to the equipment rather than them, I guess.
That said, its a god awful representation of a design team, i've worked with enough for crying out loud. Jon seems to be the saving grace with this, to be quite honest, but apart from that... Its a bit difficult to like it.
Quite honestly, the writing needs looking over by other staff, perhaps outside the team, or even a change in writers might be advisable, whichever suits how the team works. Any writing, or design that i've done, you get as many people as possible to look over it before you call it done, preferably people outside the team that can offer valuable feedback on how to improve stuff - unlike a large majority of people who've posted on this thread it seems, who are more than happy to throw a tantrum over stuff without offering any method of improving it.
The game idea they come up with was actually great! @_@
HOWEVER, as a series, I still think it falls short.
HOWEVER, as a series, I still think it falls short.
I'm not finding this series particularly funny either, the writing is very predictable but not god awful. I think alot of the humor is lost because the characters don't really emote or express at all. Just blank stares and mouth flaps.
To be fair the animator probably hasn't done this kinda stuff much and is no doubt working to a deadline but giving the faces a little more range would really pay off. Even bland writing can be made hilarious if the characters face is exaggerated the right way.
To be fair the animator probably hasn't done this kinda stuff much and is no doubt working to a deadline but giving the faces a little more range would really pay off. Even bland writing can be made hilarious if the characters face is exaggerated the right way.
Cut the bosses lines down by half. This consists of him no longer saying everything two or three times. We get it, the whole thing is a sitcom. You know reality shows trumped sitcoms? Because no one gives a shit about sitcoms anymore.
The idea is good. Game design hits alot of the audiences here: It's acomputer heavy job, the kind that alot of escapists probably have. It *is* design, which is creative, which most people like to think they are. Bonus points for the ability to come up with really stupidly funny ideas. And last in line but first in importance, it's about games. Hallelujah!
Surprised I spelled that correctly on my first go.
The problem is that the humour itself isn't targetting the right audience. Besides perhaps Two and a half men, 90% of people probably do not like sitcoms. TaaHM garners maybe 20% which watch if nothing else is on, in case you're wondering.
Here's how to win:
1. Change the music. It's too Friends.
2. Remove both the boss' repeated line in front of EVERY GOD DAMN EPISODE, and the 'before a live studio audience' bit. That only makes sense if you have laugh tracks, which you somehow realized were a terrible idea.
3. Rewrite the boss. Napoleon syndrome is kinda funny, but not the way you do it. Make him a negligent evil like Mr. Yin/Ying/Yang Wang LSD Drop but more grounded in the moment (If not the information surrounding the moment).
Now go, and follow the voice of an essentially nameless person on the intertubes. How can you go wrong?
The idea is good. Game design hits alot of the audiences here: It's acomputer heavy job, the kind that alot of escapists probably have. It *is* design, which is creative, which most people like to think they are. Bonus points for the ability to come up with really stupidly funny ideas. And last in line but first in importance, it's about games. Hallelujah!
Surprised I spelled that correctly on my first go.
The problem is that the humour itself isn't targetting the right audience. Besides perhaps Two and a half men, 90% of people probably do not like sitcoms. TaaHM garners maybe 20% which watch if nothing else is on, in case you're wondering.
Here's how to win:
1. Change the music. It's too Friends.
2. Remove both the boss' repeated line in front of EVERY GOD DAMN EPISODE, and the 'before a live studio audience' bit. That only makes sense if you have laugh tracks, which you somehow realized were a terrible idea.
3. Rewrite the boss. Napoleon syndrome is kinda funny, but not the way you do it. Make him a negligent evil like Mr. Yin/Ying/Yang Wang LSD Drop but more grounded in the moment (If not the information surrounding the moment).
Now go, and follow the voice of an essentially nameless person on the intertubes. How can you go wrong?
All they do is stand in a break room and talk. Your audience is videogame players. We don't care about whether or not the girl dog went to sunday school.
(What was the plot outline for this one? "Boss dog yells a recap of last week's plot for a full 1:20, then they argue over whether Satan is a dog or whatever?")
You could've at least given us clips of what Bethanie was drawing. But nope. There's no conflict except the boss yelling, which he does EVERY WEEK.
Also:
STOP REPEATING THE 'FILMED BEFORE A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE' gag. We saw it the first time!
(What was the plot outline for this one? "Boss dog yells a recap of last week's plot for a full 1:20, then they argue over whether Satan is a dog or whatever?")
You could've at least given us clips of what Bethanie was drawing. But nope. There's no conflict except the boss yelling, which he does EVERY WEEK.
Also:
STOP REPEATING THE 'FILMED BEFORE A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE' gag. We saw it the first time!
Wow you really back this show huh?Russ Pitts said:
I like that. Look I am not sure why you had a little rant on me, but I told you I enjoyed it. It's a good show, and even though I don't find it that funny, I find it entertaining at least. Plus I'm a Furrie, so anthro's always go good with me 
It doesn't say "...filmed before a live studio...". It says "ANIMATED before a live studio audience". Thus the reason for no laugh track. Watching someone animate something frame by frame isn't funny because you don't get to see what the hell is going on. You don't see the action, you don't hear the dialog. All you see is the one frame the animator is working on at that moment. So imagine a room full of people looking over a guys shoulder while he draws a Furr... I mean... while he draws an anthropomorphic dog.Brainstrain said:
Its a subtle joke I know. Looking back, perhaps too subtle.
Ahh well!
Yes. In fact I want to quote almost every comment on this board because I agree with everything that's being said. I too have worked in a horrible office environment. I laugh at "The Office" and at "Red vs. Blue" and every other office humour series of worth. I haven't laughed once in the past four episodes.Signa said:
I have no idea what the deal is with the "are you insane?" line. Why is he saying that? I honestly don't even know why the creators put it in. The intro is ridiculously long too, and as for "filmed in front of a live studio audience", that's pretty cheesey but WHERE IS THE AUDIENCE? The whole point of an audience is to provide a LAUGH TRACK. Can you seriously not afford to record one person laughing dubbed over three hundred times to create a laughing audience in the background? It might actually make the show funnier, and at least that intro wouldn't be so... well, insane. Haha, people say I'm not funny. Funny. Etc.
It was subtle when the Simpsons did it.George Palmer said:Its a subtle joke I know. Looking back, perhaps too subtle.Brainstrain said:
"Homer, very few cartoons are actually aired live. It's a terrible strain on the animator's wrists."
You know what joke I'm referring to and you haven't refuted the fact you repeat it every week. You put yourself in the position to give me a zippy one liner about dogs/videogames, and you deliver something the Simpsons did on February 7th >>>1997<<<.
Also, it's a cop-out to say that you're trying for something deeper, and that none of us know what it's like to make people laugh. I'm a standup comedian. If I took an elitist attitude like that ("my audience isn't the ultimate arbiter of whether or not I've succeeded in entertaining them"), I'd be booed offstage. And rightly so.
Pitts, you're a good person and you've had other successful projects. But for every post you have, another excuse arises.
2. TV Shows, with commercials, generally run 22 minutes. So you've given us 10/11s of your show and there were only like, 3 laughs (and all of them from Yee).
3. If I watch a show and it's not funny by the commercial break, it's generally not because they're holding out on an amazingly funny joke.
If you want to address a lot of criticisms, perform the script for someone. Someone who doesn't know you, someone not invested for the program - put dog ears on everyone and do it during someone's lunch break. See if they laugh, and see what suggestions you get.
Pitts, you're a good person and you've had other successful projects. But for every post you have, another excuse arises.
1. You're not making a TV show, you're making a 5-minutes-at-a-time animated series.
2. TV Shows, with commercials, generally run 22 minutes. So you've given us 10/11s of your show and there were only like, 3 laughs (and all of them from Yee).
3. If I watch a show and it's not funny by the commercial break, it's generally not because they're holding out on an amazingly funny joke.
If you want to address a lot of criticisms, perform the script for someone. Someone who doesn't know you, someone not invested for the program - put dog ears on everyone and do it during someone's lunch break. See if they laugh, and see what suggestions you get.
Oddly enough I haven't watched the Simpsons since about 1994-5 so, no, I don't know which joke your referring to. AND that is a different joke than the one at the beginning of GameDogs. Also I'm just not that big of a fan of the Simpsons in general. But thats me. So I guess I missed that one. Ahh well. What can you do. OH, and Bugs Bunny did it in the 1940's. I'm willing to bet Disney also did it before then.Brainstrain said:It was subtle when the Simpsons did it.George Palmer said:Its a subtle joke I know. Looking back, perhaps too subtle.Brainstrain said:
"Homer, very few cartoons are actually aired live. It's a terrible strain on the animator's wrists."
You know what joke I'm referring to and you haven't refuted the fact you repeat it every week. You put yourself in the position to give me a zippy one liner about dogs/videogames, and you deliver something the Simpsons did on February 7th >>>1997<<<.
But hey its all good! Keep on watching! More fun and excitement in upcoming episodes that I think you guys are really gonna dig!
Russ Pitts you are the man, and a very funny guy,
But that was BOOOOOOOOOORING.
you seriously need to jump the shark with this series and pull out something crazy to spice it up.
none of the characters are funny or likable (and yes that goes for Bob as well.)
and its pretty much about a bunch of Dogs at work,
not very exciteing, if you were going for a sitcom feel to it you really need a laugh track or something, it could go a long way.
I love dogs, I own a dog, Dogs can be very entertaining, but replace these Dogs with humans and the show is just as much fun, that is to say not much at all.
Im holding out hope, so Ill give it two more episodes before Im done with it.
But that was BOOOOOOOOOORING.
you seriously need to jump the shark with this series and pull out something crazy to spice it up.
none of the characters are funny or likable (and yes that goes for Bob as well.)
and its pretty much about a bunch of Dogs at work,
not very exciteing, if you were going for a sitcom feel to it you really need a laugh track or something, it could go a long way.
I love dogs, I own a dog, Dogs can be very entertaining, but replace these Dogs with humans and the show is just as much fun, that is to say not much at all.
Im holding out hope, so Ill give it two more episodes before Im done with it.
If they could get the laugh right (which I kinda doubt at this point) it could be hilarious if the "live studio audience" was just one person. Just make the dogs pause after each of their lines so the guy can laugh hysterically for no reason. Maybe have some one get pissed at him at the end of the episode and have them kick his ass. Maybe the audience is just some other employee in the lunch room watching them work. Maybe he's a hyena.Jezixo said:
