When trying to download Stranger’s Wrath I get the error message “This game is currently unavailable. Please try again another time.”
You must download and install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package, either x86 if your system is 32-bit, or x64 if your system is 64-bit. This will solve the problem, although you may have to reboot Steam or your computer.
The graphics in Stranger’s Wrath are corrupted on my ATI graphics card.
Unfortunately we are victim of bugs within ATI’s OpenGL drivers. To solve the problem of NPCs sticking in a ‘T-position’, download the latest drivers for your graphics card. ATI’s engineers are working on the other bugs now and they will release updated drivers that will fix other graphical glitches in the future.
Stranger’s Wrath game crashes on the loading screen on my Nvidia graphics board.
Disable any multi-threading options enabled in your Nvidia nView control panel.
I become unable to move Stranger in Stranger’s Wrath.
Make sure that you have ‘vsync’ enabled in the game’s launcher.
My Oddboxx game still isn’t working, can you help me?
Make sure you meet the minimum system requirements for running the game in question, and ensure you read the support text that has been posted on the Steam forums. If you’re still experiencing technical problems, email tech support with a good description of your troubles and details of your computer specs.
Will you release non-English translations of your games?
Abe’s Oddysee and Abe’s Exoddus are already available on Steam in FIGS (French, Italian, German and Spanish) and Japanese (for AO only). These are the only languages the PC ports were released in, so they are the only ones that will be available.
The FIGS versions of Munch’s Oddysee HD and Stranger’s Wrath HD for PS3 will be subtitles-only. This is because multiple translations of the FMVs would require vastly bigger downloads and it’s not possible to filter what files are downloaded from PSN. In addition, Italian and Spanish audio was never recorded.
We’ve yet to pin down how localization of Munch HD and Stranger HD for PC will be handled, but the FIGS subtitles will be made available.
When will Stranger’s Wrath HD and Munch’s Oddysee HD be released?
Stranger’s Wrath HD for PS3 will deliver in late November or early December, but we cannot give a final release date until the game has passed Sony QA because this takes an unspecified amount of time. It’s looking perfectly possible that Munch’s Oddysee HD for PS3 will not be released in 2011. Our attitude is “when it’s done”.
For PC, the HD remasters are free updates for existing customers that will be available 6–8 weeks after the PS3 releases.
For PS Vita we are hoping to be launch titles in America and Europe.
Will you be releasing your games on Mac/Xbox 360/[insert platform here]?
We are a platform agnostic developer, no longer building games for any specific system, and we’ll always looks to bring out projects on multiple platforms. We have to be realistic and consider how easy it would be to do that, how well the game would play on that system, and how many sales we’d see from it.
We would love to release Oddworld on Mac, but can’t confirm it will happen.
Unfortunately, Stranger’s Wrath HD exceeds the 2GB limit on XBLA titles, and we’re unable to publish via Games on Demand because we haven’t published two disc products (Stranger and Munch were originally published by other companies). We have not given up and are in ongoing communication with Microsoft.
Will there ever be new Oddworld games?
Yes! Once Stranger’s Wrath HD and Munch’s Oddysee HD are complete, we will start production on two new titles, Oddworld: The Hand of Odd and something we’re calling Abe HD.
Looking further into the future we hope to return to other unreleased projects (SligStorm and The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot), including the long-awaited continuation of the Oddworld Quintology with Squeek’s Oddysee. It is far too early to start talking about these or any other future plans.
Can you tell me about Abe HD?
News of Abe HD was let slip to the public a lot earlier than we were anticipating; we are not ready to start talking about it properly and we haven’t yet started production on it.
- It will be 2.5D: gameplay will be 2D, but graphics will be 3D.
- Gameplay will be smooth-scrolling, not screen-scrolling like Abe’s Oddysee.
- Cut-scenes will be rendered in realtime, not pre-rendered like Abe’s Oddysee.
- We haven’t decided whether to make Abe’s Oddysee, Abe’s Exoddus, something new, or a combination of the above.
- It will be released at the end of 2012 at the earliest.
- Platforms are not yet determined.
- It will not be part of the Oddboxx or a free update for existing Abe’s Oddysee and Abe’s Exoddus customers: this is an entirely new game engine constructed virtually from scratch.
Can you tell me about Hand of Odd?
Hand of Odd was originally conceived and announced in the 1990s as a relatively typical RTS game, and a hugely detailed 4-inch-thick design document already exists. We will be reworking the existing designs to suit the emergent social gaming environment.
When we talk about taking inspiration from Zynga, we are talking about the ‘freemium’ business model, NOT their games. Hand of Odd will NOT be like FarmVille or CityVille. What we are saying is that it will be free to play, but there will be monetized elements. Beyond that, we can’t comment on gameplay, platforms or other details because they’re not set in stone. Hand of Odd will hopefully deliver in 2012.
When will you make your next announcement?
When we’re good and ready. Sit down and shaddap already!
Where can I get Oddworld merchandise?
The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants is our first art book, published by the fine folks at Ballistic Publishing. You can still buy the hard cover edition, limited edition and folio edition from their website.
The composer of Stranger’s Wrath, Michael Bross, has released an album of music from the game. This soundtrack is available from iTunes and Amazon.
You can now purchase a Stranger costume for Sackboy in LittleBigPlanet 2! Hopefully more Oddworld characters will be coming in the future!
In the very near future you’ll be able to buy two Oddworld T-shirts from Insert Coin Clothing! If these tees prove popular, more designs will follow!
Will you be bringing back old features from the previous Oddworld Inhabitants website?
We’ve already reopened Alf’s Rehab & Tea because it’s important to us that we maintain contact with our fans. There will be downloadable wallpapers and other goodies in the coming months.
We are a small company without a dedicated web department. We all pitch in with content for the website when we can find the time, but our focus has to the be the games. We apologize in advance if the website isn’t updated enough for your liking.
Why hasn’t my comment been approved on Oddworld.com?
Alf handles most of the comments on Oddworld.com, and he can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to answering questions. You may have to wait until he’s happy with his answer before he approves your comment.
Alternatively, your question might be in line to appear in the next Dear Alf, or it might be a frequently asked question that Alf’s tired of answering.
Who is Alf?
Alf is our liaison with the fans. He was introduced in Abe’s Exoddus as Abe’s friend who followed him through the desert. Alf went on to open Alf’s Rehab & Tea, where Mudokons sick from SoulStorm Brew come seeking rehabilitation, and where Oddworld fans come seeking answers to their questions.
Why do Mudokons have four fingers on each hand in Abe’s Oddysee but only three in Abe’s Exoddus?
Well, it’s a long story that needs to be told. So here it is… Japan has a strict discriminating policy against any simulated characters entering their country with four fingers. Historically, Japan has had a subclass of meat packing workers that were typically looked down upon in their society. In later days, the blatant displaying of a four fingered hand gesture, intentionally directed at another, came to mean that you were calling them a member of the meat packing sub class. Which, we understand, was not at all a compliment.
It appears that the four finger connection with the meat packing class was due to work related accidents, but was so frequent that it came to symbolically represent the sub class. It seems as though this is a part of the Japanese history that some groups within Japan would like to see forgotten. Therefore, it is at great risk that you publish four fingered characters in Japan, as you may very likely end up in legal battles with a vociferous pressure group. This group claims that this type of representation is equivalent to and as degrading as the yellow star forced to be worn on Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War. That is, it’s offensive and degrading unless they can extort enough money out of you. Then it’s all okay. Case in point: We were told that the Walt Disney Corporation is charged five million dollars a year by this group so that Mickey Mouse may live in Japan and retain his original four fingered design. Otherwise, old Mickey would need to see a surgeon and have something done about that insulting forth finger.
The moral of this story is… if you want to pay, then it’s okay. If you don’t want to pay, then it’s a horrible insult to our culture. In other parts of the world we have a word for these types of two-faced tactics. We call it extortion. If it is truly offensive and degrading, then don’t allow it at all. But to allow it for a price… is to belittle the case altogether. It suggests that the real truth behind these groups is that they are using the darker moments in their own cultures’ history as an excuse to coerce money out of content providers.
Well, being that this is Oddworld, we felt that this seemed like a perfect addition to the Abe story. We thought it was ironically perfect that he was being discriminated against for being who he was. As the message came from Japan, “They don’t like his kind here,” with the sincere suggestion, “Just chop off one of his fingers cause you don’t have the money to pay up…” caused us to feel that we indeed needed to allow Abe to go through the suffering that goes along with being a poor slob at the bottom of the Food chain. Yup, we chopped off his finger so that the Japanese wouldn’t get offended (or paid). He didn’t like it one bit, but due to the fact that their ain’t much he can do about it… we decided that he could donate his finger rather than us donating five million dollars. Such is life in Japan when you’re a four-fingered meat packing worker.
And that is how Abe lost his finger in Japan. He’s still pretty pissed off about it, but we convinced him that with the amount of games sold in Japan, he still might be able to get his message through to their culture someday. As a true believer in his cause, he felt that the sacrifice of a finger was but a small price to pay in hoping to shed some light on discriminations and injustices the world over.