Roberta Williams/Josh Mandel discussion

[Anakin Skywalker]

http://www.adventuregamers.com/forum...6&postcount=27

Josh Mandel, one of the original designers of King's Quest, the voice actor of Graham, and a man whom Roberta Williams herself proclaimed is the only other person who knows King's Quest as much as she has has given his seal of approval:

"Telltale and I have spoken a bit lately, but there's nothing more I can (or should) say about it!

But I would love to be King Graham for Telltale, and I trust them completely with the property.

--Josh"

Note that Josh has a history of being brutally honest with his opinions on King's Quest. He called out Roberta on taking Mask of Eternity in an un-KQ direction; he publicly disagreed with the designers of TSL over their plotline. He is a purist, a traditionalist. If he "trusts TT completely" with his game, I'd say that's a strong vote of confidence in this game, and a good sign that it won't disappoint.

[Anakin Skywalker]

This is from 1997. Roberta's take on what makes a KQ game a KQ game, the idea of change and evolution in the KQ series, and her general feelings on KQ as the creator of it:

"I have been reading with interest all of the various comments that everybody has had about KQ8 (Mask of Eternity). I find it interesting that everybody has their own ideas about what King's Quest IS. And everybody seems to have a bit different idea.

It seems, on this board, anyway, that quite a few people have the idea that King's Quest is (or should be) non-violent...no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And it must be cute, funny, have fairytales in it, and have lots of puzzles and inventory objects. First of all, I have to say that King's Quest comes from ME and each one is different and has its own flavor. Some have a darker tone, and others have a lighter tone. Some touch upon violence, and some don't. King's Quest reflects the mood that I am in when I go to tackle another one.

King's Quest really is a reflection of me and how I'm feeling about the subject and upon the reference material I am using and how I approach the subject. Basically, King's Quest comes from me and my heart and it always isn't going to be exactly the same, because I'm not always exactly the same, and I, like most people, feel a need for a change of pace and a sense of moving forward and of trying and experiencing something new.

With KQ7, I was in a "Disney-esque" mood. Some people really liked it, others didn't. Earlier King's Quest's reflected my moods during those times: KQ3 was very dark, and it utilized lots of magic and magic spells with the basic idea of finding ingredients for "black magic" spells and then casting those spells. (Certain religious groups were upset with me over that one!)

KQ1 certainly had violence. Sir Graham had a dagger and could kill the dragon (and it didn't get you "stuck," by the way, if you did so), and you could also kill the goat. It's true that I also had non-violent ways of dealing with those situations, but, that's because I chose to handle it that way for that particular game.

I've gotten into trouble over the years for all the various ways that my main characters can "die." And they die a lot! I am known for changing course a lot, and changing my style a lot. I like change, and I like to keep people guessing. KQ7 felt very Disney-esque, and I felt like doing something different for KQ8 but yet, still keeping a "King's Quest" feel to the game. Each game in the King's Quest family has been different.

Almost each time I do a new King's Quest, people get up in arms and say it's going to be "different" and won't feel right. Yet, each time, it DOES wind up feeling like King's Quest but each in its own way...and people just kind of KNOW that when they are playing it.

That's because I know, in my heart, and what I am feeling, that it is, indeed, King's Quest. The components that make a King's Quest are (in my mind, anyway and since I am the creator of the series, I guess that holds some weight):

A land, or lands, of high fantasy
Fantasy creatures from myth, legends, and/or fairytales both good and bad
Situations to be found in those same types of stories
A "quest" type story
A calamity in the land with one "hero" to "save the kingdom"
A story of the "good" hero against the "evil" bad guy
A story that everyone can relate to, i.e., a "reason" for having the hero go out and risk his or her life for "saving the kingdom."
Interesting worlds to explore
High interactivity
Interesting characters
Great animation
Great visuals and music.

Within that general framework, I feel that I can have some "leeway" to accomplish those tasks."

[Olaus Petrus]

I wouldn't make far fetched conclusions yet. All he revealed was that they have talked and he is interested about the project, not that he is already working on the project. I'm certain that if he is going to work with TTG, there will be announcement about his role in the project. However the fact that TTG has at least contacted him is quite promising.

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Olaus Petrus

I wouldn't make far fetched conclusions yet. All he revealed was that they have talked and he is interested about the project, not that he is already working on the project. I'm certain that if he is going to work with TTG, there will be announcement about his role in the project. However the fact that TTG has at least contacted him is quite promising.

Cesar Bittar (head of the TSL project, ex-employee of TT) said:


"yep. I know Josh and Dave had been talking since last year.

Dave also wanted to get in touch with Roberta."

So, TT has been in touch with Josh since last year. That's a pretty long time for them to be in touch.

The fact that they wanted to get in touch with Roberta (who is happily retired) is also nice.

[wilco64256]

Actually all that really means is that they talked to him a few months ago, it wasn't meant to give any indication that they've been talking to him like every day or something.

[GuybrushWilco]

It's nice to see TTG reached out to some Sierra veterans.

[MusicallyInspired]

Interesting.

Originally Posted by GuybrushWilco

It's nice to see Sierra reached out to some Sierra veterans.

You mean Telltale, right?

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by wilco64256

Actually all that really means is that they talked to him a few months ago, it wasn't meant to give any indication that they've been talking to him like every day or something.

Still, he trusts them. That's a good sign .

[GuybrushWilco]

Originally Posted by MusicallyInspired

Interesting.



You mean Telltale, right?

Fixed

I hope TTG are getting some input from Mandel on story and all that.

[Rather Dashing]

Again, I'm not certain this means much. "Last year" wasn't that long ago, and unless we know communications were sustained, I just don't know this means much. Now, I trust Mandel, but how much better of a picture does he have of the project than we do? I mean, I'm sure he has seen more than the NOTHING we have, but what does he have otherwise? Just a story document? Concept art? A chat with developers? Anything about gameplay design?

I wouldn't say it means much yet, but the fact that they're reaching out is definitely a sign that they're at least trying.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by Rather Dashing

I wouldn't say it means much yet, but the fact that they're reaching out is definitely a sign that they're at least trying.

I agree. I think this is the important point. Also, it's worth noting that Josh mentioned he wasn't allowed to divulge more info, which suggests he at least does have SOME bit of insider perspective on the project.

[Irishmile]

or it could mean he doesn't want to say anything that makes it seem like he knows more about it than he does.

[wilco64256]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

or it could mean he doesn't want to say anything that makes it seem like he knows more about it than he does.

LMAO that's an interesting point. The easiest way to avoid people speculating based on something that's been said is just to say nothing in the first place.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by wilco64256

LMAO that's an interesting point. The easiest way to avoid people speculating based on something that's been said is just to say nothing in the first place.

Yeah, but in that case it'd be much easier to simply say "I don't know anything," rather than "I'm not at liberty to say."

Or he could have just not commented at all. But he didn't. He specifically chose to let it be known that he had been contacted by Telltale, that he knew more than he was allowed to say, and that he had faith in their handling of the license.

[wilco64256]

In all honesty so do I - for the most part I enjoy Telltale's games and I look forward to seeing what they do with the KQ franchise. Will it be fun? Probably yes. Will it be different from other KQ games? Also probably yes. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen but I intend to play through it.

[doom saber]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

or it could mean he doesn't want to say anything that makes it seem like he knows more about it than he does.

That is what I have gotten as well since such a line is PR talk for "I know something is going on, but for legal reasons, I cannot say." The same thing happened with the voice of Duke Nukem who blantally told the fans to read between lines after he said "I can't talk about Duke Nukem Forever. Think about it, if I can't talk about it, what does that tell you?" when asked about the series being resurrected after being cancelled last year; this was a year before it was announced that Duke Nukem was sold to that company who makes borderlands.

[Anakin Skywalker]

It appears that as time went by, Roberta's role in the KQ games got smaller and smaller.

KQ1SCI was designed and rewritten solely by Josh Mandel, who has claimed Roberta only asked him to change one small thing at the end of the game.

KQV's credits are (in order) such:

Designed by Roberta Williams
Creative Director: Bill Davis
Creative Consultant: William Skirvin

KQVI's credits are (in order):

Written & Designed by Jane Jensen and Roberta Williams
Produced by William Skirvin
Directed by William Skirvin, Jane Jensen and Roberta Williams
Text & Dialogue by Jane Jensen

Note also that Roberta took a month long vacation during KQ6's vacation after discussing basic design issues with Jane. Some key elements, like the Black Cloak Society, were only discussed loosely and not too seriously at the early stages of the game's design and Roberta was unaware for several years that that idea even made it into the final game. Note also that Roberta felt her ideas for KQ were used up after KQV and wanted to hand the series over to other designers.

KQVII's credits (in order) are:

Directed by Andy Hoyos, Lorelei Shannon and Roberta Williams
Designed by Lorelei Shannon and Roberta Williams
Produced by Mark Seibert
Writing/Dialogue/Story by Lorelei Shannon
Based on Characters Created by Roberta Williams

KQVIII's credits are (in order)
Designed by Mark Seibert and Roberta Williams
Produced by Mark Seibert
Directed by Mark Seibert
Writing/Dialogue/Story by Roberta Williams

Roberta went into KQ8 with a brand new idea and wanted to reassert her own vision over the series once again. However, Ken Williams claims that midway through development (after he left Sierra in 1996), Roberta lost gradually creative control and other ideas which weren't her own began to get injected into the game, and corporate pressure from above also changed the game, demanding more monsters and the like to keep the game 'relevant.' Roberta had always intended for KQ8 to be fully 3D and with action, but not as much as we ended up geting

As Ken was no longer in charge of Sierra and thus was uable to protect the the integrity of Roberta's vision, KQ8 became designed by committee and it slipped out of her control. In fact, the game went through three separate design documents. The first two, from 1995-1996, to around early 1997 reflected Roberta's vision. The last and final design totally deviated from it, to the point that Roberta wanted her name taken off KQ8 and only allowed her name to be put on it after some token changes were made to make it a little bit like she originally intended it to be. She kept delaying the game, trying to reassert control and get it back to her original intentions until finally Sierra's new management threatened to bring litigation against her and she handed the game over. Ken has said she was moderately happy with the product in the end but it reflected a much wider product vision and was not a Roberta game.

[Irishmile]

I'm pretty sure he knows more than any of us, I also imagine TTG has asked him if he would like to voice the character but I am sure he is not allowed to talk about it until all the details are worked out... And I'm sure TTG gets final say on what we get to know

[Daventry]

I'm not convinced we should read that much into the credits, especially for King's Quest V, VI, and VII. In my opinion, King's Quest V is a 100% Roberta game. King's Quest VI and VII did have the co-designers you listed, but I remember Roberta saying in interviews how she always stayed very involved with her projects (Laura Bow II and Shivers being the main exceptions, but there she was only credited as a creative consultant). I think the main difference with KQVI/KQVII is that she didn't write the actual script (and the Black Cloak Society thing falls into the script domain). I still think she was instrumental in developing the story, puzzles, and overall look and feel of the games.

Of course MOE is an entirely different story, and Ken's comments support that.

[Daventry]

Also, I think sometimes the credits were just listed in alphabetical order (e.g. Jane Jensen before Roberta Williams, Lorelei Shannon before Roberta Williams, Mark Seibert before Roberta Williams.) The games still had her name and face on the box (although I guess you could argue this was done for marketing purposes).