Length

[TheReturnofDMD]

Hi! I have 2 questions:

How many pages would it take up if Shadows was adapted into a novelization? And how many for the rest of the trilogy?

[Yonkey]

The entire script is over 2000 pages.  Does that answer your question?

[Elessar]

The script may be over 2000 pages, but there's a bunch of this happens when a charactor does that (unless I'm mistaken) and such that would be omitted in the novel. (After all, a novel doesn't have "look lamp" (It's on!) in it.) But then, the novel would also include other things, such as thoughts of the charactors, etc. I would assume that it would be about 500 pages at the most.

[Yonkey]

I would actually say a novel would need to be longer.  The script may have something like:

LOOK at Elessar:
NARRATOR: "This gentleman sports a Lord of the Rings avatar, complete with Aragorn, no less!"

Which is 3 lines here, while in a novelization, you would need more narrative to describe the action, the thoughts and any other connective sentences which will integrate that line more with the rest of the story.

[maestro]

Then would a complete walkthrough also be about 2000 pages?  And how long would it take to play the game looking at the walkthrough (not that I would recommend doing that)?

The walkthrough for KQ1 is 1 page, and it takes about 15 minutes to play the game directly from the walkthrough.  Multiplying 15 minutes by 2000 pages yields 21 days.  So it should take 21 days, playing 24 hours per day, to play TSL directly from a walkthrough.  Playing 4 hours per day would take about 4 months.

Without a walktrhough, completing KQ1 could take days, weeks, or even months, depending upon the skill of the player.  But lets say it takes one month for the average player.  Multiplying that by 2000, it would take 167 years for the average player to complete TSL without a walkthrough.

So, my question is can we be expected to complete this game in our lifetimes?  Or are you in the secret employ of the longevity industry?

[Yonkey]

lol, I think you're confusing threads topics.  A walkthrough is different from a novelization.

Most walkthroughs are made up of concise spoilers, that are direct and to the point.  Obviously, a novel and even the game script itself, does not do that.

[Oldbushie]

The game will probably take 90 hours to play, all 9 chapters combined.

[Deloria]

And just think of how many people will replay it

[Yonkey]

The game will probably take 90 hours to play, all 9 chapters combined.

10 hours per chapter?  Hmm that's not very long.  I could see myself getting stuck for a couple days at least, and I've read the entire plot!

[Oldbushie]

180 hours then?

Ok, ok, a solid month per chapter.

[Deloria]

*will never finish TSL*

[Oldbushie]

The cutscenes alone are probably half an hour each.

[Nilan]

Not to toot my horn, but I'm a published author, and I can tell you that it hinges more or less on the description and how long it takes someone to describe something well. If Harlan Ellison was writing it, you'd probably be surprised how short a script could become. If Stephen King was writing it, it could be absurdly long.

[Erik]

The game will probably take 90 hours to play, all 9 chapters combined.

I think I heard somewhere that each part (or individual chapter) of the game will be as long as KQVI.  Imagine playing that game 3 (or maybe even 9) times over, and the game should be about that long.

Just a thought. 

[Rosella]

Yeah. Each section is about as long as KQ6 (the long path, IIRC.) So it'll be three times as long.

[Deloria]

But KQ6 only takes about two or three hours to play

[Yonkey]

But KQ6 only takes about two or three hours to play

How long did it take you without using a walkthrough?

[Deloria]

The only part I did on my own was the puzzles, without a walkthrough around that time

[Rosella]

Besides, you'll want to click on absolutely everything and die in every way possible.

[rosellafan]

Besides, you'll want to click on absolutely everything and die in every way possible.

I'll second that point