Well, I asked myself the question, and the answer is no.
I remember clearly when I felt that sense. I said many times to myself: “Oh, I dislike this scene outside the Circus Tent. It lacks in balance… Just how good it was the other one in MI1.” In other words in my mind the statement was so definite that I still remember it clearly. I’m sure I have been not impressed when viewing this page, instead it reminded me of my previous thoughts.
Anyway the original artwork (presumably from Mark J. Ferrari) has a better balance in the economy of the image. After all cutting a photo is what makes a difference between a good photo and a less good one. Even if the scenery is in movement, your mind builds up a whole image of the settings.
But what interested me the most while reading the comment from @David, is that they cut the last part because there was nothing interesting to do there. Hey, wait: you broke the balance of a piece of artwork because in that little end there’s nothing to do?
We players just love to wander around and discover and enjoy good artwork in game like these! I know that they are not walking simulators, but not to that point!
Confess: you did that to thicken the Art Book, you RappScallions!
I agree – that scene always felt ‘chopped off’ to me. Looking at the original artwork above, the lights and fish bowls sitting bottom left help to centre Carney Joe’s stand, and make the scene more balanced.
The reason @David gives is interesting, since it’s not a lot of extra ground for a character to travel. I wonder if the artwork was actually more extended than that (i.e. it’s been cut to put in the book)?
Yes, originally that room was much larger. There used to be some puzzles down there (designed, never implemented), but we cut them because Ransomes flashback was getting too long and lacked focues. CUT CUT CUT.
Since we didn’t know what was going to happen in the left part, I tried duplicating a version of Carney Joe’s arcade there, but darkened, as if it were out of order. But I think our playtesters kept trying to solve non-existent puzzles there, so we just cut off the screen. Also, the fish in the fishbowl would have needed to have been animated (or removed).
In an even earlier version of the room, when it was still a “wireframe”, there were several additional booths and tents that Mark drew that had no purpose in the game.
Even earlier than that there were puzzles involving the Ring Master at the circus, but he was cut. There was something on the far left of the screen you were going to need for him.
I think it was a good decision that you didn´t overdo it with the circus. The way it is it´s just right without feeling to much like Sam & Max Hit The Road.
Yes, I have to admit that the idea of cutting that part in the Circus to give focus to Ransome flashback (that is something that already shifted focus from the main plot) is good and needed.
The interesting thing is how something that is all internal to the development process leaves something that can be “felt” by the user, as me and Katie pointed out, in this case especially in the scenery.
The image showed in the Art Book is impressive, and left those question unanswered.
So you tried to keep the image as a whole in the beginning!
I knew that you devs can’t be insensitive to Mark’s art!
