PurpleTentacle

Well, I saw Galaxy Quest in the theater when it first came out, so I can't remember much, TBH. Maybe part of it was an anti-hero using silly, non-conventional means to solve problems and survive in the face of deadly threats. And they both have "quest" in the title. That has to count for something. :-)

If something like this does happen, there should be a competent videographer to record highlights and interview people for posterity and so that people who couldn't attend could still share in the experience.

I was recently looking at some cool parody adventure game-related art like this:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dcM9qUybf1E/UULwykWRGSI/AAAAAAAALJo/ma3tD95ketI/s1600/20090225-lucasarts-star-wars.jpg
 
I think it would be cool if, in the future, there were a SpaceVenture poster contest. I have no idea what the prize could be, but it could be something as simple as being featured on the website. I know that the Two Guys have a lot more important things to think about now, but maybe something like this could be fun when the release is nearer. There are a lot of talented artists in the adventure game fan community.

Not enough "game" there. Not enough challenge. Almost felt like an animated series episode with some interactivity thrown in. Felt short, small, lacked ability to explore.
 
Great atmosphere and engaging story, though. A few of those characters reminded me of the creepy "Paranoia Agent" (animated series) dog character Maromi that encourages the main character to avoid facing life's hardships and taking responsibility and to instead run and hide in an escapist world.

Yours too?? You were like one of the really helpful volunteers. You did that great LSL logo and always answered everyone's questions. Just... wow.

My strong recommendation is SpaceVenture:
http://guysfromandromeda.com/store/
 
True, it isn't a Space Quest game, but it is designed by the same people and done in the same spirit. It also hasn't been completed yet, but you can preorder.

I just played the free "Serena" game, which has some voice acting from Scott Murphy.
 
Murphy is a natural!
 
Mandel provides most of the voice acting, as most of you probably know. I don't know if I could ever get comfortable with hearing Mandel's voice in new game roles, though. His voice is just TOO familiar to me after playing all the King's Quest games (AGDI's included) and is one of those instantly-recognizable voices. He also seems to switch between "chest" and "head" voice (as in singing) and it comes across as if he is reading a story in a sing-songey way. That's just not how most people speak unscripted. I think it would be better if he tried to use less inflections (would sound more natural) and avoided using "head" voice which could reduce the nasally sound. Mandel is a great talent, but I think a slower speaking style, with more pauses and a more neutral/less eager or less energetic delivery would suit him better in acting.

It really is a shame that Al's and Paul's last names look so similar. I wonder how many people saw "underage teen" and "porn sex scandal" and "Al Lowe resigns" in headlines and concluded that Lowe had done something wrong.
 
Lowe conducted himself in such a classy way and fulfilled his agreement with Replay and didn't deserve any of this. It's sad because he and fans had been unhappy with where things stood for the series after Box Office Bust, and now things have been left in a worse state. These disastrous headlines, and an unfinished-feeling Larry Reloaded game, can't be the end.

It really is a shame that Al's and Paul's last names look so similar. I wonder how many people saw "underage teen" and "porn sex scandal" and "Al Lowe resigns" in headlines and concluded that Lowe had done something wrong.
 
Lowe conducted himself in such a classy way and fulfilled his agreement with Replay and didn't deserve any of this. It's sad because he and fans had been unhappy with where things stood for the series after Box Office Bust, and now things have been left in a worse state. These disastrous headlines, and an unfinished-feeling Larry Reloaded game, can't be the end.

My backed projects that have been released:
 
Broken Sword: Beautiful backgrounds, well-designed interface makes it a pleasure to play on iPad. However, there isn't much in the environment to interact with, the subpar writing is often ridiculous or dull/cliched (with many punctuation mistakes in the American English text) but sometimes funny. Act 1 (all that has been released) is a bit slow, and I wish they would have released the complete game at once. Still, these are minor complaints and I believe the team got most things right.
 
Overall impression: Rather positive. I enjoyed it and thought the team delivered on their promise. I would back again.
 
 
Larry Reloaded: Interface makes it an absolute chore to play on iPad. I wanted to stop playing after two minutes. Needed labeled hotspots on screen. Also hated the annoying narrator actor. Wish he would have used a more neutral voice. The game also feels unfinished, with too many actions narrated but not animated. The animation looks cheap. On the plus side? The backgrounds look great, though lacking in a distinctive style, and the writing is great, though more enjoyable when the voices (especially narrator) are turned off.
 
Overall impression: fairly negative. I loved the original Larry games, and I had very high expectations for this one, but I didn't enjoy playing this on the iPad, which is what I use. I have played and enjoyed several adventure games on my tablet, and this game had the worst interface for it so far.
 
Anyway, I wish I had backed Broken Age, but I missed that at the time. Will have to wait for the iOS version. Also eagerly anticipating Mage's Initiation, another one that I backed.

I'm really hoping we'll see a new Larry game from a new company and with Al and Josh.
 
I also feel bad for the Fester Mudd guys for having to be stuck with Paul right now. Episode 1 was quite charming and fun!
 
Also want to mention that I think describing Paul's actions as "bullying" is a bit off, as it suggests Paul picked on weaker, helpless, innocent people in order to intimidate and feel dominant. To me, Paul's behavior (in comments, banning people and even reportedly showing porn to some guy's girlfriend to, perhaps, get back at him, though I don't know what really happened) showed him to be an immature, vindictive, vicious jackass who tries to think of the most cutting personal insult to hurl in order to get back at someone who crosses him or criticizes him. Apparently Paul doesn't hesitate to "go there" or to take disagreements to the no-chance-for-resolution level. There's a lot of rude jackassery in online communication, so it shouldn't really be news worthy, though Paul really takes it to unnecessary personal extremes. The Replay work environment among employees must have been terrible, since I can imagine that, with Paul as CEO, it would likely have been easy for disagreements to quickly become personal and for some decisions to be made for petty, personal, spiteful reasons. Looking on from the outside, he always seemed like the furthest thing from a professional and came off like a whiny baby in his Kickstarter updates. Many companies have inter-company squabbles and disagreements with contractors and competitors, but most CEO's have the good sense to maintain a level of professionalism in public discourse for the good of the company. Paul has shown that he is not fit to play a highly visible role in a company and is probably not even fit to manage a company like Replay. By himself he has created so many unnecessary PR disasters and has burned so many bridges that it almost seems like he almost couldn't have caused more damage to himself and his company even if he had been trying to. The worst of all to me were "the" allegations (not going any more into that). This man needs to be kept the hell away from Leisure Suit Larry, a series I love so much.
 
Does anyone here know if Al would consider working with a new team on a new Larry game, if Codemasters could arrange it? Wouldn't it be great if Codemasters could fund the game for a couple million? Anyone know how well Reloaded has sold?

I'm really hoping we'll see a new Larry game from a new company and with Al and Josh.
 
I also feel bad for the Fester Mudd guys for having to be stuck with Paul right now. Episode 1 was quite charming and fun!
 
Also want to mention that I think describing Paul's actions as "bullying" is a bit off, as it suggests Paul picked on weaker, helpless, innocent people in order to intimidate and feel dominant. To me, Paul's behavior (in comments, banning people and even reportedly showing porn to some guy's girlfriend to, perhaps, get back at him, though I don't know what really happened) showed him to be an immature, vindictive, vicious jackass who tries to think of the most cutting personal insult to hurl in order to get back at someone who crosses him or criticizes him. Apparently Paul doesn't hesitate to "go there" or to take disagreements to the no-chance-for-resolution level. There's a lot of rude jackassery in online communication, so it shouldn't really be news worthy, though Paul really takes it to unnecessary personal extremes. The Replay work environment among employees must have been terrible, since I can imagine that, with Paul as CEO, it would likely have been easy for disagreements to quickly become personal and for some decisions to be made for petty, personal, spiteful reasons. Looking on from the outside, he always seemed like the furthest thing from a professional and came off like a whiny baby in his Kickstarter updates. Many companies have inter-company squabbles and disagreements with contractors and competitors, but most CEO's have the good sense to maintain a level of professionalism in public discourse for the good of the company. Paul has shown that he is not fit to play a highly visible role in a company and is probably not even fit to manage a company like Replay. By himself he has created so many unnecessary PR disasters and has burned so many bridges that it almost seems like he almost couldn't have caused more damage to himself and his company even if he had been trying to. The worst of all to me were "the" allegations (not going any more into that). This man needs to be kept the hell away from Leisure Suit Larry, a series I love so much.
 
Does anyone here know if Al would consider working with a new team on a new Larry game, if Codemasters could arrange it? Wouldn't it be great if Codemasters could fund the game for a couple million? Anyone know how well Reloaded has sold?

Ok, here's the thing...
 
Paul seems like a first-rate dick. I could never imagine working under him, nor would I ever want to. Paul deserves all the bashing he is getting, and I'm happy to join in. He seems like an underhanded snake the way he has anonymously trolled (allegedly!) other projects to hurt them. I would gladly campaign to keep him from having involvement in the next Larry adventure.
 
Yes, bash Paul. But I would just hate the bashing to target the game itself.
 
Ok, and here is where I say some things that some people might not like, but I'm going to say it. Yes, Paul went way overboard in (allegedly) banning and deleting people's posts. He seems like a petty tyrant and a troll and a child. I was one of those people who got banned. But here's the thing... Paul isn't the only one who had ever allegedly gotten heavy handed or threatened forum banning over repeated critical comments of design choices (which were ironically deemed, by people now wanting nothing to do with Paul, "relentless attacks on Paul."). But all that is over and done with. Not everyone moderating the Replay forum was always an angel, and I don't think dramatically playing a martyr for too long is necessary.
 
Moving forward, I would say that it's great people are supportive of the Two Guys and want to cut them slack over possible problems, but I hope there isn't too much "circling of the wagons" to any criticism that might come up to the point of trying cast out those who express even the same concerns Paul has. I know that people like Tomint and Frogacuda have on various forums expressed legitimate concerns about the progress of SV, and I think we should remember that it's ok to air those honest concerns and that it doesn't mean they are "attacking" or any less of a fan.

Ok, here's the thing...
 
Paul seems like a first-rate dick. I could never imagine working under him, nor would I ever want to. Paul deserves all the bashing he is getting, and I'm happy to join in. He seems like an underhanded snake the way he has anonymously trolled (allegedly!) other projects to hurt them. I would gladly campaign to keep him from having involvement in the next Larry adventure.
 
Yes, bash Paul. But I would just hate the bashing to target the game itself.
 
Ok, and here is where I say some things that some people might not like, but I'm going to say it. Yes, Paul went way overboard in (allegedly) banning and deleting people's posts. He seems like a petty tyrant and a troll and a child. I was one of those people who got banned. But here's the thing... Paul isn't the only one who had ever allegedly gotten heavy handed or threatened forum banning over repeated critical comments of design choices (which were ironically deemed, by people now wanting nothing to do with Paul, "relentless attacks on Paul."). But all that is over and done with. Not everyone moderating the Replay forum was always an angel, and I don't think dramatically playing a martyr for too long is necessary.
 
Moving forward, I would say that it's great people are supportive of the Two Guys and want to cut them slack over possible problems, but I hope there isn't too much "circling of the wagons" to any criticism that might come up to the point of trying cast out those who express even the same concerns Paul has. I know that people like Tomint and Frogacuda have on various forums expressed legitimate concerns about the progress of SV, and I think we should remember that it's ok to air those honest concerns and that it doesn't mean they are "attacking" or any less of a fan.

I don't know about the previous comment. Are people posting on Steam about this? Don't like that. I would hate to hurt the sales of this game. This was a labor of love by so many people. Encouraging people not to buy the game would probably hurt Al and the future of the series. Does N-Fusion deserve this?
 
I think we should be careful not to campaign against the wrong things, because then we'd be no better than Paul.
 
What Paul did (ban a bunch of people unnecessarily from the forum and trash another project) was inappropriate and rude, but it's not like he killed someone.
 
We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot by trying to harm the game sales. I wouldn't be surprised if concern for the game and wanting it to succeed is one reason why Mandel has kept quiet.
 
For all Paul's faults and quirks, he still seems like a hardworking and passionate guy. Let's not get carried away or pile on too much. And no one's perfect.
 
I want the game to be a huge success. If that means obnoxious Paul gets kudos and cash, then that doesn't bother me. He does deserve a lot of credit.
 
The game is getting its big retail rollout in a few days.
 
I would hope most of us could put aside our bruised egos and annoyances with Paull and root on Larry and wish the game the best!
 
At some point the backlash can be excessive. For example, I saw the official Himalaya twitter account even comment on this, and that sort of disappointed me since they are usually so professional and I wished they had just stayed neutral and not commented.

I don't know about the previous comment. Are people posting on Steam about this? Don't like that. I would hate to hurt the sales of this game. This was a labor of love by so many people. Encouraging people not to buy the game would probably hurt Al and the future of the series. Does N-Fusion deserve this?
 
I think we should be careful not to campaign against the wrong things, because then we'd be no better than Paul.
 
What Paul did (ban a bunch of people unnecessarily from the forum and trash another project) was inappropriate and rude, but it's not like he killed someone.
 
We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot by trying to harm the game sales. I wouldn't be surprised if concern for the game and wanting it to succeed is one reason why Mandel has kept quiet.
 
For all Paul's faults and quirks, he still seems like a hardworking and passionate guy. Let's not get carried away or pile on too much. And no one's perfect.
 
I want the game to be a huge success. If that means obnoxious Paul gets kudos and cash, then that doesn't bother me. He does deserve a lot of credit.
 
The game is getting its big retail rollout in a few days.
 
I would hope most of us could put aside our bruised egos and annoyances with Paull and root on Larry and wish the game the best!
 
At some point the backlash can be excessive. For example, I saw the official Himalaya twitter account even comment on this, and that sort of disappointed me since they are usually so professional and I wished they had just stayed neutral and not commented.

Paul comes across immature in his writing and sometimes a mix between exhausted and rambling on camera. He has an unfortunate willingness to engage in personal, public squabbles and his social media behavior has all the tact and diplomacy of a sledgehammer. Basically, he comes across as the opposite of "professional" or "adult." This doesn't inspire confidence in his company or products.
 
I don't say this to bash him. I just wish he would have recognized that his being so public as the face of the company would not be good for the game. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and PR work is definitely not his strength. Why did he have to post cringe-worthy video updates like, "Paul Trowe tells all"? It was as if he wanted to increase his own "star" and get attention for himself. Some of his whining updates on Kickstarter, in which he begged people not to hate him and in which he took forever getting to the point, were often painful to read.
 
When Josh Mandel took over the updates, the campaign instantly took on a more professional tone. Mandel also graciously engaged with people on the forums in very frank but worthwhile conversations. It was clear that Mandel was incredibly devoted and passionate about the project, but he never lost his professionalism. Mandel deserves a lot of credit for cleaning up the earlier messy impression created by Paul. Paul should have stayed in the background and focused on whatever it is he excels at.
 
I just hope people realize how hard Mandel worked on this project.
 
I also wonder if Al didn't assert himself enough or ever contradict Paul. Paul seems to have a very strong personality, while Al (whom I don't know personally) seems more easy-going. Perhaps Paul got his way on pretty much everything, instead of deferring to the creative talent like Josh and Al. What good would being a "Chief Creative Officer" do if the CEO is micromanaging everything?
 
One thing that's certain is that Josh Mandel is a proven unique and immense creative talent. I have confidence that we have not seen the last of his work.

Paul comes across immature in his writing and sometimes a mix between exhausted and rambling on camera. He has an unfortunate willingness to engage in personal, public squabbles and his social media behavior has all the tact and diplomacy of a sledgehammer. Basically, he comes across as the opposite of "professional" or "adult." This doesn't inspire confidence in his company or products.
 
I don't say this to bash him. I just wish he would have recognized that his being so public as the face of the company would not be good for the game. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and PR work is definitely not his strength. Why did he have to post cringe-worthy video updates like, "Paul Trowe tells all"? It was as if he wanted to increase his own "star" and get attention for himself. Some of his whining updates on Kickstarter, in which he begged people not to hate him and in which he took forever getting to the point, were often painful to read.
 
When Josh Mandel took over the updates, the campaign instantly took on a more professional tone. Mandel also graciously engaged with people on the forums in very frank but worthwhile conversations. It was clear that Mandel was incredibly devoted and passionate about the project, but he never lost his professionalism. Mandel deserves a lot of credit for cleaning up the earlier messy impression created by Paul. Paul should have stayed in the background and focused on whatever it is he excels at.
 
I just hope people realize how hard Mandel worked on this project.
 
I also wonder if Al didn't assert himself enough or ever contradict Paul. Paul seems to have a very strong personality, while Al (whom I don't know personally) seems more easy-going. Perhaps Paul got his way on pretty much everything, instead of deferring to the creative talent like Josh and Al. What good would being a "Chief Creative Officer" do if the CEO is micromanaging everything?
 
One thing that's certain is that Josh Mandel is a proven unique and immense creative talent. I have confidence that we have not seen the last of his work.

Paul comes across immature in his writing and sometimes a mix between exhausted and rambling on camera. He has an unfortunate willingness to engage in personal, public squabbles and his social media behavior has all the tact and diplomacy of a sledgehammer. Basically, he comes across as the opposite of "professional" or "adult." This doesn't inspire confidence in his company or products.
 
I don't say this to bash him. I just wish he would have recognized that his being so public as the face of the company would not be good for the game. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and PR work is definitely not his strength. Why did he have to post cringe-worthy video updates like, "Paul Trowe tells all"? It was as if he wanted to increase his own "star" and get attention for himself. Some of his whining updates on Kickstarter, in which he begged people not to hate him and in which he took forever getting to the point, were often painful to read.
 
When Josh Mandel took over the updates, the campaign instantly took on a more professional tone. Mandel also graciously engaged with people on the forums in very frank but worthwhile conversations. It was clear that Mandel was incredibly devoted and passionate about the project, but he never lost his professionalism. Mandel deserves a lot of credit for cleaning up the earlier messy impression created by Paul. Paul should have stayed in the background and focused on whatever it is he excels at.
 
I just hope people realize how hard Mandel worked on this project.
 
I also wonder if Al didn't assert himself enough or ever contradict Paul. Paul seems to have a very strong personality, while Al (whom I don't know personally) seems more easy-going. Perhaps Paul got his way on pretty much everything, instead of deferring to the creative talent like Josh and Al. What good would being a "Chief Creative Officer" do if the CEO is micromanaging everything?
 
One thing that's certain is that Josh Mandel is a proven unique and immense creative talent. I have confidence that we have not seen the last of his work.

Frogacuda, I think you are missing an important point in your defense of Trowe. It seemed that Paul was trying harm the project.
 
It wasn't just Paul "being himself," as in, "oh, there goes that Paul Trowe again. Never a two-faced, always up-front. Take him or leave him."
 
No, Paul knows he's a higher profile backer than the rest of us and that his words will get more attention. It appeared that he had been waiting eagerly to say, "we did it, and your project is failing. Haha!"
 
When Paul says, "what are they hiding, and why?" he is apparently trying to spread doubts and increase the pile-on of criticism. Seemed he saw them struggling and wanted to kick them when they were down. It was conniving and malicious from someone who pretended to be their friend and a supporter of what they were trying to accomplish.
 
In other words, it wasn't just the objective opinion of a producer who was expressing an informed opinion for the sake of it.
 
That is what rubbed me the wrong way.
 
And that is without even getting into his unprofessional follow-up rants and punishing of his critics.

Frogacuda, I think you are missing an important point in your defense of Trowe. It seemed that Paul was trying harm the project.
 
It wasn't just Paul "being himself," as in, "oh, there goes that Paul Trowe again. Never a two-faced, always up-front. Take him or leave him."
 
No, Paul knows he's a higher profile backer than the rest of us and that his words will get more attention. It appeared that he had been waiting eagerly to say, "we did it, and your project is failing. Haha!"
 
When Paul says, "what are they hiding, and why?" he is apparently trying to spread doubts and increase the pile-on of criticism. Seemed he saw them struggling and wanted to kick them when they were down. It was conniving and malicious from someone who pretended to be their friend and a supporter of what they were trying to accomplish.
 
In other words, it wasn't just the objective opinion of a producer who was expressing an informed opinion for the sake of it.
 
That is what rubbed me the wrong way.
 
And that is without even getting into his unprofessional follow-up rants and punishing of his critics.

Frogacuda, I think you are missing an important point in your defense of Trowe. It seemed that Paul was trying harm the project.
 
It wasn't just Paul "being himself," as in, "oh, there goes that Paul Trowe again. Never a two-faced, always up-front. Take him or leave him."
 
No, Paul knows he's a higher profile backer than the rest of us and that his words will get more attention. It appeared that he had been waiting eagerly to say, "we did it, and your project is failing. Haha!"
 
When Paul says, "what are they hiding, and why?" he is apparently trying to spread doubts and increase the pile-on of criticism. Seemed he saw them struggling and wanted to kick them when they were down. It was conniving and malicious from someone who pretended to be their friend and a supporter of what they were trying to accomplish.
 
In other words, it wasn't just the objective opinion of a producer who was expressing an informed opinion for the sake of it.
 
That is what rubbed me the wrong way.
 
And that is without even getting into his unprofessional follow-up rants and punishing of his critics.

This whole situation isn't anything new for the Two Guys. Replay Games is the new ScumSoft, and Paul Trowe is the new Elmo Pug, the ridiculed CEO of ScumSoft before the company's demise.
 
The Two Guys triumphed before, and they shall again!

Frogacuda, I think you are missing an important point in your defense of Trowe. It seemed that Paul was trying harm the project.
 
It wasn't just Paul "being himself," as in, "oh, there goes that Paul Trowe again. Never a two-faced, always up-front. Take him or leave him."
 
No, Paul knows he's a higher profile backer than the rest of us and that his words will get more attention. It appeared that he had been waiting eagerly to say, "we did it, and your project is failing. Haha!"
 
When Paul says, "what are they hiding, and why?" he is apparently trying to spread doubts and increase the pile-on of criticism. Seemed he saw them struggling and wanted to kick them when they were down. It was conniving and malicious from someone who pretended to be their friend and a supporter of what they were trying to accomplish.
 
In other words, it wasn't just the objective opinion of a producer who was expressing an informed opinion for the sake of it.
 
That is what rubbed me the wrong way.
 
And that is without even getting into his unprofessional follow-up rants and punishing of his critics.

I think it's damn hilarious. Anyways, although my opinions haven't changed on certain things, I do believe that we should put our differences aside and make sure that Paul is called out on the carpet for his antics. Maybe I had it coming (my big donation of $25.69 isn't going to get them anything, I'm sure), but when I look at names like Tom King, Jeroen Dekkers and YOU getting banned, people that donated thousands of dollars and a hell of a lot of time to the project, that's when I call foul.