Editing Grim Fandango (section)

====Challenges====
[[File:Grim fandango remastered comparison.png|thumb|right|A comparison of ''Grim Fandango'' from its original release (top) and the remastered version. Double Fine increased texture resolution and improved lighting models to improve the looks of the characters.]]

A major complication in remastering the original work was having many of the critical game files go missing or on archaic formats. A large number of backup files were made on [[Digital Linear Tape]] (DLT) which Disney/LucasArts had been able to recover for Double Fine, but the company had no drives to read the tapes. Former LucasArts sound engineer [[Jory Prum]] had managed to save a DLT drive and was able to extract all of the game's audio development data from the tapes.<ref name="polygon remastered"/>

Schafer noted at the time of ''Grim Fandango''{{'s}} original development, retention of code was not as rigorous as present-day standards, and in some cases, Schafer believes the only copies of some files were unintentionally taken by employees when they had left LucasArts. As such, Schafer and his team have been going back through past employee records to try to trace down any of them and ask for any files they may have saved.<ref name="kotaku remastered"/> In other cases, they have had difficulty in identifying elements on the low-resolution artwork of the original game, such as an emblem on one character's hat, and have had to go looking for original concept art to figure out the design.<ref name="kotaku remastered"/>

Once original assets were identified, as to be used to present the "classic" look of the game in the Remastered edition, Double Fine worked to improve the overall look for modern computers. The textures and lighting models for the characters were improved, in particular for Manny.<ref name="polygon remastered"/> Schafer has likened the remastering approach to [[The Criterion Collection]] film releases in providing a high-fidelity version of the game without changing the story or the characters.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Diver |first1=Mike |title=Tim Schafer Discusses the Classic Video Games 'Grim Fandango' and 'Monkey Island' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/tim-schafer-discusses-grim-fandango-and-monkey-island-990/ |website=VICE |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=January 27, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130043109/http://www.vice.com/read/tim-schafer-discusses-grim-fandango-and-monkey-island-990 |archive-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>

In addition to his own developers, Schafer reached out to players who had created [[unofficial patch]]es and graphical improvements on the original game, and modifications needed to keep it running in [[ResidualVM]], and gained their help to improve the game's assets for the remastered version.<ref name="psblog remake">{{cite web |url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/10/a-closer-look-at-grim-fandangos-surprise-revival |title=A Closer Look at Grim Fandango's Surprise Revival |first=Asif |last=Siddiky |publisher=[[PlayStation Blog]] |date=June 10, 2014 |access-date=June 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813064108/http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/10/a-closer-look-at-grim-fandangos-surprise-revival/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-remastered-grim-fandango-heading-to-ps4-vita/1100-6420283/ |title=E3 2014: Remastered Grim Fandango heading to PS4, Vita - Tim Schafer's classic adventure game headed to current-gen Sony consoles. |last1=Ramsay |first1=Randolph |date=June 9, 2014 |website=GameSpot |access-date=October 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002172725/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-remastered-grim-fandango-heading-to-ps4-vita/1100-6420283/ |archive-date=October 2, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=5 things from E3 Sony PS event |first=Brett |last=Molina |newspaper=USA Today |date=June 11, 2014 |page=5B – Money Section}}</ref> One such feature was a modified control scheme that converted the game's movement controls from the [[tank controls]] to a [[point and click]]-style interface. Schafer said the team used tank controls as it was popular with other games like ''[[Resident Evil]]'' at the time, but recognized it did not work well within the adventure game genre.<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/> Schafer contacted Tobias Pfaff who created the point-and-click modification to obtain access to his code to incorporate into the remastered version.<ref name="kotaku remastered">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-crazy-journey-to-save-grim-fandango-1655133550 |title=The Crazy Journey To Save Grim Fandango |publisher=Kotaku |first=Nathan |last=Grayson |date=November 5, 2014 |access-date=November 6, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106190215/http://kotaku.com/the-crazy-journey-to-save-grim-fandango-1655133550 |archive-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref>