Telltale Interview-Nothing New About King's Quest

[Chyron8472]

I can try to have an open mind. It doesn't, however, mean that I will have an open wallet.

[Blackthorne519]

I just think Roberta has been out of touch with gaming for so long that she's irrelevant. I also don't think she was the genius game designer people make her out to be. Not saying she didn't have a good idea, but she got a LOT of help along the way. And she was the bosses wife. The lady did like to tell stories, and she was in the right place at the right time.

I'm not saying only a FAN should get the license, you're putting words into a lot of people's mouths. I don't even think Tell Tale shouldn't have the license - I'm just saying my trust for them to do right by the game is waning daily. It's been over a year without a goddamn peep.

I'm not throwing Roberta under the bus - her track record speaks for itself, and we all obviously love the games. I just don't think she'd be too relevant right now. At least others who are getting back in the game, Josh Mandel, Mark Crowe, Jane Jensen, have kept active in making games for the last 14 years.


Bt

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

I can try to have an open mind. It doesn't, however, mean that I will have an open wallet.

So, you've decided you're not going to buy the game even before seeing a screenshot or concept art?

[Chyron8472]

I've decided not to pre-order it as soon as humanly possible.

I also reserve the right to decide to wait until after someone else, ideally whose opinion of proper Sierra-style adventure games is similar to mine, tells me the game is acceptably King's Quest before I decide to officially approve of it (and similar games by Telltale) by paying full price for it.

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

I just think Roberta has been out of touch with gaming for so long that she's irrelevant. I also don't think she was the genius game designer people make her out to be. Not saying she didn't have a good idea, but she got a LOT of help along the way. And she was the bosses wife. The lady did like to tell stories, and she was in the right place at the right time.

I'm not saying only a FAN should get the license, you're putting words into a lot of people's mouths. I don't even think Tell Tale shouldn't have the license - I'm just saying my trust for them to do right by the game is waning daily. It's been over a year without a goddamn peep.

I'm not throwing Roberta under the bus - her track record speaks for itself, and we all obviously love the games. I just don't think she'd be too relevant right now. At least others who are getting back in the game, Josh Mandel, Mark Crowe, Jane Jensen, have kept active in making games for the last 14 years.


Bt

But wait a minute. If we want a game that's "true to the old stuff", does it matter if Roberta is relevant or keen on what's new in gaming? And I disagree. She was the sole writer/designer on the first five KQ games. She started the damn series. She had help in the form of artists and musicians, but from KQs 1-5, she was pretty much the writer/executive producer and director all in one. And her being the bosses' wife has nothing to do with her talent, only that she got more support and freedom than others did.

Then who should get the license? You don't seem to be OK with TT having it. You don't really think Roberta would do a good job with KQ. So, who should have it? And how many times does it need to be said that not talking much about a game that is far down the pipeline a standard TT practice, that it's not like they've done this only with TT? I can sense a strategy where there is one, and this "We're all in this together as fan game makers against TT strategy" is going to bite you in the ass when a certain fan designer gets the license and says "Sorry BT, I got it, not you."

Relevancy doesn't matter in this field as adventure games themselves aren't that relevant in the larger pond of gaming itself. Jane Jensen may have continued making games since 1998 but they were pretty craptastic....

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Anakin Skywalker

But if the game had a Phoenix Online or AGDI logo slapped on it, we both know you'd be waiting around the block just like BT, Lamb and all the other fan game people. It's alright. It's ok to admit you don't really like KQ, just the fan games.

I will not EVER play The Silver Lining. I've played a portion of the demo of ep.1 (of which I was not impressed) and heard enough spoilery stuff about such as how TSL creates a certain wizard's relationship to Valanice that I refuse to ever darken POS's website again.

Yes, I liked AGDI's KQ and QFG games alot; I hated Al Emmo, though. I also liked IA's KQ3, but I found AGDI's game to be superior in a few ways (eg. the barmaid's voice-acting; not needing to click after each line of dialogue).

My favorite KQ game remains KQ6. Then the AGDI KQ games; KQ7; IA's KQ3; KQ4; KQ3; and KQ1 and 2. I really do hate the animal voices in KQ5, and have not played the diskette version yet.


I trust AGDI and IA because they have proven themselves. Telltale has not. Others feel the same as I do, and Telltale has done nothing to alleviate these feelings despite having a very long time inded in which to do so. And has been said, the best way to let a company know you don't like their product is to not buy it.

[Irishmile]

Originally Posted by MusicallyInspired

Why are we having this conversation again?

Because it's relevant to the article posted.... And this is a message board for chatting.

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

I will not EVER play The Silver Lining. I've played a portion of the demo of ep.1 (of which I was not impressed) and heard enough spoilery stuff about such as how TSL creates a certain wizard's relationship to Valanice that I refuse to ever darken POS's website again.

Yes, I liked AGDI's KQ and QFG games alot; I hated Al Emmo, though. I also liked IA's KQ3, but I found AGDI's game to be superior in a few ways (eg. the barmaid's voice-acting; not needing to click after each line of dialogue).

My favorite KQ game remains KQ6. Then the AGDI KQ games; KQ7; IA's KQ3; KQ4; KQ3; and KQ1 and 2. I really do hate the animal voices in KQ5, and have not played the diskette version yet.


I trust AGDI and IA because they have proven themselves. Telltale has not. Others feel the same as I do, and Telltale has done nothing to alleviate these feelings despite having a very long time inded in which to do so. And has been said, the best way to let a company know you don't like their product is to not buy it.

So then leave. You don't want TT to make the game, you won't buy it, so don't stick around and spread your doubt. Seriously.

[Blackthorne519]

Again, you aren't getting what I am saying.

Then who should get the license? You don't seem to be OK with TT having it.

I am fine with TT having the license. What I am not fine with is them sitting on it, and doing nothing with it. Or sharing nothing about it with the fans. And my support is waning. I'm not outright saying "THE GAME WILL SUCK! THEY DON'T DESERVE IT!". Hell, THERE IS NO GAME YET. I am saying that their silence on the matter doesn't bode well to me, and the minor news of Dave Grossman going over a few ideas on it doesn't assuage me.

I don't have any opinions on who should have the license. I really don't; I don't have a solid answer. Personally, I do think AGDI would have made a decent King's Quest game if granted the license, but it may not have had the penetration to other markets.

I am reserving any kind of real judgement on TT's KQ until I get some solid news about it - but I am saying my doubts are increasing as time rolls on.


Bt

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Anakin Skywalker

So then leave. You don't want TT to make the game, you won't buy it, so don't stick around and spread your doubt. Seriously.

I'm not willfully spreading doubt. TTG is doing that without my help. Also, I didn't say I refuse to ever buy the game. I said I reserve the right to not pay for it until I decide it's worth spending money on. I have already decided not to preorder any more deluxe sets from Telltale, since I preordered their TOMI Deluxe Set and it was rather insulting.

Also, I am an active member of this forum community. I'm not leaving just because I'm concerned. At least I'm interested. On the other hand, I have never been in the forums for The Walking Dead, and have not posted anything in Jurassic Park more than to discuss the movies before the game came out.

I did say previously that my (and others) opinion of the project has calloused into frustrated indifference, but it is your argumentative attitude that is getting me more annoyed at present than the game itself.

[allaboardfilms]

Telltale hasn't done anything with the license yet because they've been working on other games, namely The Walking Dead and Fables. Would you rather them rush the game out the door and have it be messy and poor or let them take their time and make an installment true to the series?

[BagginsKQ]

I would assume the reason why certain people don't care specifically for Roberta at this point is because she is responsible for such as KQ8. Maybe not entirely, but she did play her part in it, and it's most certainly not a classic point-and-click adventure game as the others in the series were.

Actually she pretty much has all the responsiblity for the RPG/combat aspects... She chose to focus on that part of development first, at the expense of puzzles. Because she didn't have much experience in that type of gaming, and wanted to get it 'right'. Because she chose to do development that way, when time and budget restraints cropped up, she didn't have the kind of time to put into the puzzles as she should have. Things ended up being cut.... Not just puzzles, but she had to cut out areas and the enemies/bosses that went along with them, in order to have time to finish puzzles in the completed areas.

It's also probably one of the reasons why the early part of the game seems more finished (more puzzles) than the later half of the game. Especially the last few levels (Frozen Reaches and the three Temple levels), but even Barren Region is somewhat 'barren' pun intended when it comes to the balance of puzzles to RPG mechanics. She couldn't just drop those levels as they were important to the story, but she also didn't have time to put many puzzles into them, and they tend be more battle oriented (than the first levels).

It also didn't help that she was a perfectionist... She wanted to have everything 'perfect' before she moved onto the next aspect of game design... So again the focusing on getting the RPG mechanics/combat working, and also going through several 'art designs', and boosting the engine so she could get the graphics as good as she wanted them to be (she wanted it to look better than most of the 3D stuff at the time, with higher polygon counts). Things like full 3-d instead of the 2D sprites, etc. Still she never quite got that the way she wanted it, since she didn't have access to the newer Red Baron II engine, and she was shoping they would release their game before she completed her own so she could get access to the engine (and boost the graphics further).

So ya, the problem is she didn't balance her priorities right.

[Blackthorne519]

Originally Posted by allaboardfilms

Telltale hasn't done anything with the license yet because they've been working on other games, namely The Walking Dead and Fables. Would you rather them rush the game out the door and have it be messy and poor or let them take their time and make an installment true to the series?

See, you are making an assumption that they are working on it in any real capacity. There is little information to support this. Yes, if I knew they were working on it in a real capacity, I would have some more patience. Yet, the only news we've gotten in a full year is that Dave Grossman is looking in to it.


Bt

[corruptbiggins]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

See, you are making an assumption that they are working on it in any real capacity. There is little information to support this. Yes, if I knew they were working on it in a real capacity, I would have some more patience. Yet, the only news we've gotten in a full year is that Dave Grossman is looking in to it.


Bt

And you're making an assumption that they are not. The same little information supports either assumption.

[Blackthorne519]

Originally Posted by corruptbiggins

And you're making an assumption that they are not. The same little information supports either assumption.

And why should I not think that? Based on the current evidence I have, my leanings towards believing the amount of work they have done for King's Quest is minor seems more feasible. I could be wrong, though. They have yet to prove this.

Bt

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

See, you are making an assumption that they are working on it in any real capacity. There is little information to support this. Yes, if I knew they were working on it in a real capacity, I would have some more patience.

I'm struggling to understand why this is so important to you... just because they may not be actively working on KQ right now does not mean there won't be a game next year.

[Irishmile]

Double Fine is also not currently working on a Kings Quest game... Do you equally hate them?

[MusicallyInspired]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

Because it's relevant to the article posted.... And this is a message board for chatting.

My main point was that people didn't know that Dave Grossman was heading this when that was revealed ages ago. I'm confused as to why people don't remember it. When the KQ forums first opened there was a flurry of people against the idea of Dave Grossman leading it because of his previous blatant statements about his negative opinions on Sierra's game design.

I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about it again, I'm just wondering why people have forgotten or think this is brand new information.

[Irishmile]

I think Dave Grossman is smart enough to know when puzzles need to be difficult that statement was made talking about other games he made and likes to make. He is a professional and I have faith that he will do the game justice and will make the game he is paid to do.

[Blackthorne519]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

Double Fine is also not currently working on a Kings Quest game... Do you equally hate them?

What the hell kind of comparison is that? That is so illogical, it boggles my mind. Congratulations - you have hit me harder in the brain than any intoxicant ever could!

Double Fine never declared that they bought the rights to King's Quest, nor did they declare their intentions to make it.

That's like getting mad at Burger King for not making a Big Mac, man.


Bt