Telltale Interview-Nothing New About King's Quest

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by Lambonius

I don't think they are intentionally keeping their awesome plans under wraps or anything. I literally think they don't know what they are going to do with this series, and that they have probably been somewhat stymied by the nearly universal skepticism surrounding their ability to do this franchise justice.

Eh what? You think they'll just wait for The Walking Dead and Fables to be over, then go "oh crap, we were supposed to have something for KQ by now"?

We didn't hear anything much about The Walking Dead while BTTF and Jurassic Park were going on, but hey look - there's a game now. The lack of info is just down to where KQ falls on their release timeline.

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Lambonius

I just think that Telltale literally has no clue what to do with King's Quest. I don't think they are intentionally keeping their awesome plans under wraps or anything. I literally think they don't know what they are going to do with this series, and that they have probably been somewhat stymied by the nearly universal skepticism surrounding their ability to do this franchise justice. This will be a failure of epic proportions. Mark my words.

Also, Dave Grossman may have WORKED on some great adventure games back in the day, but his own words about Telltale's approach to adventure games prove that the guy is fairly out of touch with what most fans actually enjoyed about those old games. Him leading the KQ team is of no comfort whatsoever.

Exactly what a very bitter segment of the fanbase have been wanting since this game was announced, bitter because TT got the license and not them. This is the segment of the fanbase who will only accept a fan made game. This loud, angry segment of the fan base would not likely accept a game even by Roberta, Roberta whose last two KQ games were KQ7 and KQ8. It would seem to benefit the fan game groups, especially the larger ones, if they can "poison the well" surrouunding this game before it is even released, if they can spread enough negative word of mouth, if it is a "failure of epic proportions." But they are either not thinking clearly about just what they are doing here, or being misled by certain people (who want the license for themselves) to having a false sense of "we're all members of fan game groups, even if we differ, we're in this together against TT."

What you don't understand is that in trying to stymie TT, in trying to kill this project or in trying to ensure that is an "epic failure", you will lose...Not lose in this effort, but lose in your long term goal: Only one fan group has any possibility of ever getting the license and you dislike that group almost as much as TT. They are the only fan game group who will ever get even NEAR the license. The license will not magically fall to IA or AGDI if TT's game flops. Activision will not bring Roberta out of retirement, and likely, she wouldn't want to be brought out of retirement anyway for any game project. No magic will happen with any kickstarters---No original Sierra people will be able to buy up the KQ license. I guarantee that. KQ is the crown jewel of the Sierra brand legacy; it was Sierra's biggest moneymaker and pretty much THE game series people associated with the Sierra brand name--It will cost much more than LSL, so no kickstarter magic. No fan group will get the game.

The epic failure you're hoping for only hurts KQ and it's fans who aren't butt hurt about being passed over, fans who want to see KQ reborn.

If TT's KQ is a failure of epic proportions as many of a certain segment of the fanbase seem to hope it will be--And do not pretend many of the same people have been extremely negative about this game since it was first announced--back goes KQ on the shelf, perhaps forever.

[Blackthorne519]

No one's trying to stymie or kill Tell Tale's project; hah, to think that would be thinking too highly of oneself. But there is skepticism that they have any idea what to do with the game. That's all there is - no one has secret agents trying to go in and destroy the game.

Also, no one thinks that a license would magically pass to someone else. That's not a concern - the concern is that, as mentioned before, they finish The Walking Dead and Fables and YES they do go "Oh shit, we were supposed to do something with King's Quest". It is a legitimate concern. For me, I'm just saying the lack of news and the passage of time does not bode well for them - nor does the news that Dave Grossman is leading the project. You could tell me that Steven Speilburg was leading the project, and if that was the ONLY news I had, I was still be concerned because it's a red-herring. It's no news. It's a bit of something that supposed to seem like news, but in reality it's as newsworthy as a fart in the wind.

Yes, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for a long time with this - my resolve has broken, and their recent efforts at games as of late have done little to re-invigorate my enthusiasm. It's not that I think their current games are horrible, but that they don't exist in the same realm or genre as King's Quest.

Bt

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

No one's trying to stymie or kill Tell Tale's project; hah, to think that would be thinking too highly of oneself. But there is skepticism that they have any idea what to do with the game. That's all there is - no one has secret agents trying to go in and destroy the game.

Also, no one thinks that a license would magically pass to someone else. That's not a concern - the concern is that, as mentioned before, they finish The Walking Dead and Fables and YES they do go "Oh shit, we were supposed to do something with King's Quest". It is a legitimate concern. For me, I'm just saying the lack of news and the passage of time does not bode well for them - nor does the news that Dave Grossman is leading the project. You could tell me that Steven Speilburg was leading the project, and if that was the ONLY news I had, I was still be concerned because it's a red-herring. It's no news. It's a bit of something that supposed to seem like news, but in reality it's as newsworthy as a fart in the wind.

Yes, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for a long time with this - my resolve has broken, and their recent efforts at games as of late have done little to re-invigorate my enthusiasm. It's not that I think their current games are horrible, but that they don't exist in the same realm or genre as King's Quest.

Bt

So since you are no longer willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and are against a game that has not even come out yet, and have no enthusiasm for this game, I take it you will be done posting here? That is, unless you just want to stick around to spread negativity about the game.

[Blackthorne519]

You did not read my words correctly. I am not against the game; there is no game. I am not against their efforts to make a game, either. The only thing is that my belief that they could make a decent game has wavered. Until I see some actual information about the game, I can not be for or against a game.

I am not spreading negativity about the game. I am expressing doubt about the manner in which they are dealing with the property.


Bt

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

the concern is that, as mentioned before, they finish The Walking Dead and Fables and YES they do go "Oh shit, we were supposed to do something with King's Quest". It is a legitimate concern. For me, I'm just saying the lack of news and the passage of time does not bode well for them

That is not going to happen. Telltale is a business with a successful production model, not a bunch of monkeys bashing about on computers. That would be like Wal-Mart going "oh crap, we forgot to open our stores today", or a European country saying "shit guys, we spent all our money and now have to pull out of the Euro" (ok... well maybe the last one is a poor example).

As I said before, there is rarely (if ever) much public news about Telltale games that are scheduled for release far in the future. It's just not the way they do things.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Anakin Skywalker

So since you are no longer willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and are against a game that has not even come out yet, and have no enthusiasm for this game, I take it you will be done posting here? That is, unless you just want to stick around to spread negativity about the game.

People can be fans of the King's Quest franchise and post on this forum without being yes-men for Telltale.


This point he makes:

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

Yes, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for a long time with this - my resolve has broken, and their recent efforts at games as of late have done little to re-invigorate my enthusiasm. It's not that I think their current games are horrible, but that they don't exist in the same realm or genre as King's Quest.

I agree with. Telltale has given no significant news whatsoever since the initial announcement, even though it's been ages since then, and any games developed since then have done little to nothing to relieve any skepticism.

...I think that last statement may be the whole issue. People have been skeptical about this project, and no effort has been made by TTG to assuage these feelings for so long. Not such that these feelings have festered into hatred for the company/project, but have calloused into something closer to frustrated indifference.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

People have been skeptical about this project, and no effort has been made by TTG to assuage these feelings for so long. Not such that these feelings have festered into hatred for the company/project, but have calloused into something closer to frustrated indifference.

Nailed it!

And this, too:

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

It's not that I think their current games are horrible, but that they don't exist in the same realm or genre as King's Quest.

Telltale no longer makes the kind of game that King's Quest is. Unless they change their direction for this one game (unlikely,) it will be a failure. Period. At least, it will be a failure inasmuch as it won't be King's Quest game.

If only Activision had given me personal control over the KQ license (despite my never asking for such a thing), none of this would even be an issue! CURSES!!

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Lambonius

Nailed it!

And this, too:



Telltale no longer makes the kind of game that King's Quest is. Unless they change their direction for this one game (unlikely,) it will be a failure. Period. At least, it will be a failure inasmuch as it won't be King's Quest game.

If only Activision had given me personal control over the KQ license (despite my never asking for such a thing), none of this would even be an issue! CURSES!!

I think some KQ fans will never be happy unless the new official KQ game is one they themselves authored. The fans heaped hate on KQ7, and then on KQ8, both Roberta/Sierra games; AGDI's has it's detractors, so does POS. So what is a King's Quest game, really?

As Roberta said back in 1998:

"The adventure game has to change also, albeit perhaps not exactly in the same way that I changed it in Mask of Eternity. If experiments are not done to find how to mainstream the genre or to make it more "commercial" for today's audience, it will die ... and then everybody loses. Those "purists" may have gotten their way to keep adventure games from evolving, but all they would have really succeeded in is helping to kill it."

And on Roberta's idea of what a "KQ game" is:

"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."

[Chyron8472]

But now, TTG has to contend with nostalgia.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and to ignore it in favor of adventure-games-for-the-casual-gamer is a poor design choice, especially for a franchise such as this.

Besides, someone can ruin a franchise by producing crap for the masses and still make money from it, but that doesn't make it right. Just look at George Lucas.

[Blackthorne519]

I don't give a fig what Roberta said about King's Quest in 1998. I really don't.

I'd just like to see some kind of news on King's Quest. Chryon hit it on the head with this.

...I think that last statement may be the whole issue. People have been skeptical about this project, and no effort has been made by TTG to assuage these feelings for so long. Not such that these feelings have festered into hatred for the company/project, but have calloused into something closer to frustrated indifference.

Roberta has nothing to do with this current KQ frustration, and I don't think that she would honestly have any kind of positive influence on King's Quest if she were to work on the games today.


Bt

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

I don't give a fig what Roberta said about King's Quest in 1998. I really don't.

I'd just like to see some kind of news on King's Quest. Chryon hit it on the head with this.



Roberta has nothing to do with this current KQ frustration, and I don't think that she would honestly have any kind of positive influence on King's Quest if she were to work on the games today.


Bt

And this leads me back to my original statement. A certain segment of the fans don't want a KQ game by Roberta, or by TT. They only would accept a fan made game made by themselves or their peers.

Roberta is the whole reason KQ ever existed. I'd say her definition of what makes a KQ game a KQ game is a lot more important than what you think, or what I think.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by Anakin Skywalker

"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."

So let's assume for a second that this IS the one true definition of what King's Quest is. Does anyone honestly think Telltale will deliver this?

[BagginsKQ]

with one "hero" to "save the kingdom"

Oops, KQ7 broke that one! Two heroines!

[MusicallyInspired]

Still digging that trench, Anakin? You're awfully presumptuous.

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by MusicallyInspired

Still digging that trench, Anakin? You're awfully presumptuous.

Just as presumptuous as the people who have already pretty much stated a game is going to suck before seeing ANYTHING from it. Seriously, this fan game maker solidarity, standing together against TT, isn't going to help you out in the long run when one group gets the license and says "Sorry guys, I got it, you didn't."

[Icedhope]

No fighting on the boards.

I tottaly forgot they were making Fables and I still have no clue what fables is.

[BagginsKQ]

I've heard it described as King's Quest, but more for adults... Dark and gritty... Something about how it incorporates fairy tales into its stories.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Anakin Skywalker

And this leads me back to my original statement. A certain segment of the fans don't want a KQ game by Roberta, or by TT. They only would accept a fan made game made by themselves or their peers.

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.

This is to say that I would see said people having it in mind that Roberta might tend to cave to "marketplace realities" in as much as to not be particularly helpful in sticking to the classic genre like the game should.

[Anakin Skywalker]

You know what? Let's just agree to disagree. You're not going to change my mind nor will I change yours, but can I ask that you guys try to have an open mind about this game?