Where would you have taken the series after KQ6/KQ7?

[Anakin Skywalker]

Whatever one's own opinion is, KQ6 is generally considered to be the highpoint of the KQ series. KQ7 is considered by many fans to be the last "core' KQ game and got mixed but generally positive reviews.

If you were able to go back in time to 1992 or 1994 and design or help design a KQ7, or KQ8, where would you take the series? What sort of story paths would you go down?

Do you think KQ7 and KQ8 as released could've been on the same level as the previous games if certain things had been changed, added or removed--if so, what would you have changed?

Just wanna try to talk about something interesting that I don't think has really been discussed--Where fans would've taken the series after KQ6 basically.

[elderbatty]

In all honesty, I do think they were on the right path with KQ8:MoE - it WAS the right decision to go into 3D and I always imagined that Kings Quest would sooner or later incorporate elements of RPG in their games. I also think they had the right idea to introduce a new character as they couldn't keep going with the Royal Family forever.

However, somewhere it just went a bit wrong. Blame it on inexperience or enthusiasm, but the lands were just too dark, too barren and it had way too much running around. It just missed that "light" element that made Kings Quest, well, Kings Quest. I can't tell you how disappointed I was to reach the land of The Gnomes only to find a handful of them who didn't want to talk to me, as an example!

It's frustrating that KQ8 turned out the way it did, because I think Roberta was on the right track.

[BagginsKQ]

The general opinion of KQ7 when it was released was that Roberta should have 'quite when she was ahead', the series was becoming a 'cliche', she wasn't keeping it 'fresh' enough. Rehashing old outdated ideas and all she did was slap 'paint on it'... People were saying the series should have ended with KQ6 even...

Elderbatty is right... If the series was to survive during that time period, she had to 'evolve' with the changing tastes of the gaming community as a whole... She couldn't just make a game for a 'niche' group of fans.

But the technology simply wasn't there to add the kind of epic adventure/action-rpg she wanted to do...

Let's face it Sierra was a public company, and the owners had to make successful games to make the stockholders happy... Even before Ken Williams sold it out, he was pushing the company in that direction... to make games that the mass public wanted to play.

[Lambonius]

They should have gone back to the parser interface. Nothing has ever been more elegant.

[KatieHal]

I'd say it would have worked better to stick with the Royal Family, or, if they wanted to expand the cast, do so with a KQ7-style split narrative. One character as a Royal Family member, and the other one the new character.

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by KatieHal

I'd say it would have worked better to stick with the Royal Family, or, if they wanted to expand the cast, do so with a KQ7-style split narrative. One character as a Royal Family member, and the other one the new character.

I like that idea. Good way to introduce a new character.