While we were riding the ultimate frontier by communicating via message boards in the late 90's, times have changed and attention spans have decreased even further. I'm not one to complain, though; as much as I love this board, I also love social media and especially Twitter, because it enables me to jump in and out of conversations I wasn't even invited to and meet new people in the process.
And, forgive me for saying this, but Twitter is really where the Space Quest action is at the moment. Scott Murphy is on almost every day, talking to fans and muttering some crazy stuff about Formula 1 cars. You can count on at least a couple of interesting tidbits about Space Quest, Sierra adventures or just nostalgic gaming in general. Oh, and we shouldn't forget the official news from the Guys From Andromeda also gets filtered through their joint Twitter profile.
So there was some muttering in the corners about maybe we should make a list of those prominent tweeters who are also in on the fun. Maybe this will inspire other people to join Twitter, snoop around and join in.
Right, so -- before I post this as a news article or a sub-page, I want to let you guys pitch in, because I'll almost certainly forget someone and it'll make me slap myself in the forehead and I'll grow a bruise and none of the other forest animals will ever play with me again. So, er, here's a list of people I check in on and annoy on pretty much a daily basis:
@SlashVohaul
Well, first and foremost, Scott Murphy. He's the most active Guy From Andromeda on Twitter, no contest. Not only does he tweet multiple times daily, he also takes time out to respond to fans and join in on some seriously warped conversations.
@Wilcofever
"The other" Guy From Andromeda, Mark Crowe (I bet he's gonna love being called "the other guy"), is also on Twitter. It's fair to say he's not as into it as Scott is, but the Space Pope is frequently prodding him to do some updates. Mark seems to prefer writing on the svrewards.com site.
@TheChrisPope
Speaking of Chris Pope, he's on here, too. Well, he would be, wouldn't he? After all, social media's his bread and butter. And games. And maybe real butter.
@DecafJedi
Jess Morrissette, a.k.a. Decaffeinated Jedi, a.k.a. the guy who started The Virtual Broomcloset, a.k.a. the guy I never get tired of introducing. He threw himself into Twitter because of the SpaceVenture Kickstarter and, blessed be his kind soul, never left.
@Frederik_Olsen
Olzen's here. Yes, Olzen's here. I'm going to duck now because I sense Ferde's about to slap me. Anyway, Fred's one of the most active Space Questers on Twitter, regularly retweeting what's going on around the Wilcoverse. If you sort of want the cliff's notes for what we're doing, Fred's usually a good bet.
@SpaceQuestNet
If Fred's not on the case, then chances are, someone minding the official SpaceQuest.net Twitter is. Most of the times, it's pcj and me doing the tweeting, but I know Brandon and some other peeps have the key to this playground.
@BrandonBlume
Speaking of Brandon, there he is. Music virtuoso extraordinaire. Don't know Brandon? He did that fantastic 8 minute heavy metal medley of Space Quest IV that I won't shut up about.
@JamesMulvale
Better get Mulvale in there, now that we're on musicians. Don't know James? He did that fantastic cover album of the Space Quest III soundtrack that I won't shut up about.
@pcjtulsa
Thought I'd forget about you, huh, Patrick? Nah, just slipping you in here next to the musicians. Maybe the fumes will help brighten your day.
@JoshoMandel
Josh Mandel, legendary game writer (co-designer of such classics as Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon and, yes, Space Quest 6) is also here, talking with fans and promoting the huge amount of work he's doing for Replay's Leisure Suit Larry 1 remake.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_2_bigger.png
@Spikey699
It seems like Alistair Gillett of Sierra Music Central is still feeling out what all this Twitter nonsense is about, but he's here.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2536798198/30vbcwpt1e0w0cna1eox_bigger.jpeg
@WarbirdGames
The developer of the game Jack Houston is also a massive Space Quest fan and regularly butts in.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1908006127/image_bigger.jpg
@jdhjanus
Josh Henry appeared out of nowhere and charmed us all with his ability to get excited about pretty much everything.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2975906980/11059e1f2a28964e632d6e7ad8ef95e8_bigger.jpeg
@CadburyWookie
My good friend and long-lost writing partner, Daniel Stacey, is also here and still feeling his way around. But I am actively prodding him to get more involved by relentlessly tagging him whenever I get the chance, and you should, too.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2815697653/602aef4f3033052166dfe91f70538a4f_bigger.png
@Akril15
Everybody's favorite Space Quest fan artist (don't hit me, Chris) dares to speak up in 140 characters.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/586139515/chrisfingers_bigger.jpg
@ChrisUshko
Everybody's favorite Space Quest fan artist (don't hit me, Akril) loves gentle massages and strolls on the beach. Oh, and he made Space Quest Incinerations practically by himself.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2967794663/5c78f88219f7e76e81eb7bf16e887ca7_bigger.png
@IQ_Adventures
Infamous Quests, formerly Infamous Adventures, did the remake of SQ2. Manning the Twitter station is Blackthorne, who, despite his name, frequently goes mushy whenever someone brings up his gaming childhood.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1232129117/ms-dos_00_bigger.jpg
@dosnostalgic
Speaking of people who get mushy easily, er... well, Anatoly doesn't. But he's a hardcore DOS gaming enthusiast who has his daily #MorningDOSTalk, which is almost ALWAYS derailed into a discussion on adventure games by us Space Quest fans.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3178166806/7bed67e0439bc81c085da9fa3a631a11_bigger.jpeg
@SpaceVentureFan
I have no idea who this guy is, but he rocks.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/633662042/icon_128_bigger.png
@Sokarsstudio
Michael Smith is a wonderful man who knows his way around video editing. He helped me out with rendering Space Quest Historian videos, so he deserves a shout-out.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1331718095/image_bigger.jpg
@ChrisGiegerich
Germany represented by the unstoppable force of Christian Giegerich. During the Kickstarter, Chris and I used Tumblr and Twitter to create the Death Of The Day Calendar (deathoftheday.tumblr.com) which we thought was hilarious. Chris also did the intro animation for the new SQ Historian videos that you haven't seen yet.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1182814268/avatar_bigger.jpg
@Bluscreen_Jason
Jason, a.k.a. Skyefyre, was the guy who did the YouTube playthroughs of the SpaceVenture prototypes. He's a fun guy and does comics, too.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2801147895/6fc32b634a8750c23381c5ab4f3c6384_bigger.jpeg
@DutchMagic
Jeroen is a long-time Space Quest fan who digs beer and getting into scraps with @Estirdalin, @SlashVohaul and myself.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3367988029/e5b6f144a0b10d34a119dec241ce8876_bigger.jpeg
@Estirdalin
Graphic artist at @IQ_Adventures and frequent scrapper.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1743917098/c390e965-ab7b-45b9-bb51-320dca264865_bigger.png
@JeysieC
You probably remember Jeysie from the olden days. I hear she was particularly active on the #sq IRC channel when I wasn't.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2424841001/g49xx6l4bir6n77z22tg_bigger.gif
@AnasAbdin
Anas Abdin did the sci-fi adventure game Anastronaut, but more importantly also the kick-ass animation of "Anastronaut misses Roger Wilco by five minutes."
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3185573590/31bf58ebaed626ca8b74536b16679ef7_bigger.jpeg
@Irishmile
Justin lies about being Irish (I think) but he's a fun character nonetheless.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3237076171/92d9207c92ecc055855c38b1e4589384_bigger.jpeg
@AgustinCordes
Agustin is the creator of the indie horror game Scratches and the upcoming Asylum, which was successfully funded on Kickstarter recently. I think he and Scott shower together.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2291380061/s8cqxt04bhmq7z2mml1w_bigger.jpeg
@DisconnectD
Jared deserves a mention purely for his avatar. And also for being a nice guy.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2711230812/eede81ade56aef7730c22fd11ad5d3b7_bigger.png
@StellarSoul2001
"Stellar" occasionally shows up on IRC and usually tweets about either his love for Space Quest or his love for Michael Jackson, depending, I think, on the moon.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2190457839/photo-797_bigger.jpg
@Chrono2012
"Chrono" is almost always on IRC, but he's also on Twitter. Fancy that.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2285145930/2ziwrl4qkk0avyze4f5u_bigger.jpeg
@hansadventures
The maker of the indie game Han Solo Adventures is also a massive Space Quest fan. I mean, check out his avatar. Ain't that freaky.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1162615846/avatar125_bigger.png
@MillieQED
Our British connection Gareth, a.k.a. drslashvohaul, is loose and there's nothing you can do to stop him.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3050158533/a66e57db54d04c5dba6b564eda89e050_bigger.jpeg
@SimoSakari
Our Finnish connection, sensitive poet Simo Sakari Aaltonen, also has a dark hole in his soul which can normally be sated by prolonged exposures to either Space Quest or Cthulhu stories.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3118429544/6129a50c9f9a6ce6cc9284ba73547691_bigger.png
@MrKenAllen
Ken Allen, musical maestro of Space Quest IV and Space Quest I VGA -- and now also the SpaceVenture, is on Twitter, promoting his Under The Half Dome project and being very responsive and kind to fans.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1988299902/pic_bigger.png
@e1ven
Colin Davis is here. Well, isn't he everywhere? The man at the helm of www.sq7.org brings his wisdom to us -- but of course most of his tweets are about programming, so it's kind of like reading a foreign language.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/71481456/vectorfish_bigger.png
@DopefishLives
This is Chris Geroux who did the Eureka Trash Pickup and Pinkunz on Patrol fan games. He's here. No, really.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/2634572526/d19786f86bdfa20359ef7e44b4adf39f_bigger.jpeg
@Wilcoweb
So is Kevin Wallace, the man who did the Astro Chicken FAQ.
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3331715811/670ef80f68ac55c05be7152c7bb9b53b_bigger.png
@mhaley
Adventure game nut and SpaceVenture supporter.
https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/1269518991/IMG_0634_bigger.jpg
@DenisLemire
Frequent FAQ contributor back in the day and die-hard Space Quester.
https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/3136530777/f11c958769b64dcc8b2c7029d8330bd6_bigger.jpeg
@cshel23
An absolute miscarriage of justice was carried out when Conrad wasn't mentioned on this list. This wrong has now been righted. Conrad tweets about SpaceVenture, Sierra stuff and not much else, really, bless him.
https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/3515730462/df1d0b44f275179ca1abb43474143045_bigger.jpeg
@Indendant_S
The gal wrote her own bio, so I'll just let her at it: "If you wanna follow the original hero of the Adventure Game Revival Movement, head on over and follow @Intendant_S." Well, you heard her. Say "yes, ma'am!"
(Oh, and I'm
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/88255296/twittyfuck_bigger.jpg
@TorbenFrost. Say hi!)
That's about all the ones I can remember off-hand (and cheating by going through my "following" list). Feel free to add!
I'm looking forward to it surpassing the 2K mark as well. Not only because that means Troels, Brandon, James Mulvale and I will get to participate directly, but because Ken genuinely deserves it!
I don't know who is running the Geocities.ws archive project, but I will be eternally grateful to them for saving this little gem from extinction:
http://www.geocities...don/index2.html
Does anyone else remember this? I have very fond memories of laughing hysterically at this "sight". The music on his "reevews"- and "leenks"-pages alone would usually make me laugh till tears were running down my cheeks. Don't know if I'm alone in that respect, but as you know, I like re-visiting the old days and for some reason, I really have missed this misspelled atrocity.
Don't bother digging up the old SubChan thread that accompanied this, though. I ruined that one as well.
I've pledged $50 so far. Looking at the reward tiers, I'm halfway tempted to upgrade to $125 for the vinyl edition, but I've already donated so much to SpaceVenture. I wish Ken all the best, though. In my opinion, he was the greatest composer to ever grace Sierra On-Line.
A friend of mine thought that I gave $2.50 to SpaceVenture when I first told him about it. Nope, that decimal point's two places to the right.
I've pledged $50 so far. Looking at the reward tiers, I'm halfway tempted to upgrade to $125 for the vinyl edition, but I've already donated so much to SpaceVenture. I wish Ken all the best, though. In my opinion, he was the greatest composer to ever grace Sierra On-Line.
A friend of mine thought that I gave $2.50 to SpaceVenture when I first told him about it. Nope, that decimal point's two places to the right.
I thought that I already had a Janitorial Times account, but it would not recognize either of my e-mail addresses, so I decided to simply create a new one.
I've been lurking for a long time, popping in and out of the community. When I have been around, I've mostly been writing articles about Space Quest and SpaceVenture (and throwing money at SpaceVenture). Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Ken Allen about Space Quest IV, his new album and SpaceVenture. It was a real treat. He shared some stories about SQ4 that I had never heard before (or just didn't remember).
For anyone interested in that interview, it can be found here: http://www.1up.com/d...try?bId=9117876 (be sure to comment or upvote for more front page attention)
EDIT: With 1UP's pending closure, I cannot guarantee that the above link will last, so you may also find the interview on my personal blog: http://thegrigpost.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-ken-allen.html
I thought that I already had a Janitorial Times account, but it would not recognize either of my e-mail addresses, so I decided to simply create a new one.
I've been lurking for a long time, popping in and out of the community. When I have been around, I've mostly been writing articles about Space Quest and SpaceVenture (and throwing money at SpaceVenture). Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Ken Allen about Space Quest IV, his new album and SpaceVenture. It was a real treat. He shared some stories about SQ4 that I had never heard before (or just didn't remember).
For anyone interested in that interview, it can be found here: http://www.1up.com/d...try?bId=9117876 (be sure to comment or upvote for more front page attention)
EDIT: With 1UP's pending closure, I cannot guarantee that the above link will last, so you may also find the interview on my personal blog: http://thegrigpost.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-ken-allen.html
I nearly had a heart attack when I read the thread title. Thanks, Frede! I'm surprised that anyone remembers Conrad fondly. I expected to come here and see animated GIFs depicting dead horses. I'm glad that everyone here is mature about it now. Andromeda knows meelWORM and I were not as mature back then. It was just an evil means to promote Chris Cromer's ailing AGI web site. In the short term, it actually seemed effective, but once word got out on the Subspace Channel... Well... It's better to leave some things in the past.
I did re-examine the whole thing in 2009, with a look back at agigames.com, the birth (and death) of Conrad Sheldon, and a retrospective on the AGI game based on the character that we never completed. In part, because so many people continually told us not to, even though some of the early drafts of the story were shaping up quite hilariously.
Worth a read, I guess.
From the Graveyard: The E! False Hollywood Story - Part 1
From the Graveyard: The E! False Hollywood Story - Part 2
...and there is this Twitter account, which is mostly there to promote the recent Sierra revivals: http://twitter.com/cshel23
I nearly had a heart attack when I read the thread title. Thanks, Frede! I'm surprised that anyone remembers Conrad fondly. I expected to come here and see animated GIFs depicting dead horses. I'm glad that everyone here is mature about it now. Andromeda knows meelWORM and I were not as mature back then. It was just an evil means to promote Chris Cromer's ailing AGI web site. In the short term, it actually seemed effective, but once word got out on the Subspace Channel... Well... It's better to leave some things in the past.
I did re-examine the whole thing in 2009, with a look back at agigames.com, the birth (and death) of Conrad Sheldon, and a retrospective on the AGI game based on the character that we never completed. In part, because so many people continually told us not to, even though some of the early drafts of the story were shaping up quite hilariously.
Worth a read, I guess.
From the Graveyard: The E! False Hollywood Story - Part 1
From the Graveyard: The E! False Hollywood Story - Part 2
...and there is this Twitter account, which is mostly there to promote the recent Sierra revivals: http://twitter.com/cshel23
mhaley got a reaction from nockgeneer in Ken Allen Interviewed at 1UP
mhaley got a reaction from MusicallyInspired in Ken Allen Interviewed at 1UP
mhaley got a reaction from pcj in Conrad Sheldons Seira Web sight
mhaley got a reaction from Frede in Conrad Sheldons Seira Web sight