Decaffeinated Jedi

As long as I have a few days' notice, I should be able to make it to the Pledge Quest commentary whenever. I can probably even coax my daughter Bea to make a cameo while we're talking about Pledge Quest's Bea. ;) Jess

I already mentioned this on Twitter, but count me in (as always) to blather on about Pledge Quest. Jess

I hereby nominate pcj for Best Intra-Community Awards Suggestion! ;) Jess

Good point. The fact that Incinerations didn't at least win Best Animation is a perfect example of the drawbacks of using a popular vote for this kind of award. It's simply too difficult for a "smaller" game -- even one that may be creatively, artistically, or technically superior -- to compete with a massively successful commercial title. Yes, Space Quest fan games are a relatively small niche in the overall AGS community (one that may never appeal to many players), but it's a shame to see outstanding work overlooked. There's a reason why we tend to place more stock in the Oscars (decided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) than the People's Choice Awards (decided by...<shudder>...the general public). Oh, well. I guess we'll just have to produce a whole new crop of SQ fan games for the 2013 Awards, right? ;) Jess

Only 24 hours left to vote in the AGS Awards. Let's help Space Quest: Incinerations, Space Quest 2 VGA, and Pledge Quest II bring home a few virtual trophies! Jess

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the games, Ascii! They were a blast to work on. I'd like to see more out of Roger, too. Design-wise, I'm not clever enough to think of something as cool as the Fate of Atlantis-style sidekick mechanism, but if there's ever another installment in the Pledge Quest series, it would be fun getting Roger a bit more involved. I'm 100% to blame for the title. We established the noodle shop at the end of PQ1, and I couldn't resist the corny Little Shop of Horrors wordplay. I briefly considered "Vohaul the Cat's Revenge" (hence the alternate title), but I wanted something that would reveal as little as possible about the plot of the game. So, "Noodle Shop of Horrors" it was! We're launching a Kickstarter soon for the expansion pack/DLC. Right now, our projected budget is $14 million, but a decent chunk of that is going toward renting a private island for development. ;) Jess

Voting is now open! Go and show your support for all your Space Quest/AGS favorites (Incinerations, SQ2VGA, Pledge Quest II) here: 2012 AGS Awards Voting! Jess P.S. In Vohaul the Cat's alternate timeline, a game titled "Cat Quest: Purrforations" (designed by a fan named Datacat) is up for 13 AGS Awards.

Thanks to everyone who nominated Pledge Quest. And congratulations to all the SQ-related projects up for consideration! Jess

Much to my dismay, it turns out that Saturday won't work for me this time around. Have fun with the Hangout, y'all! I'll definitely watch the proceedings on YouTube afterwards. Jess

This Saturday isn't great for me, but I can try to make it. Next Saturday might be a little easier. That said, I don't want to be the one holding up the proceedings. Jess

My short list would include Colonel's Bequest/Dagger of Amon Ra, Quest for Glory, and Freddy Pharkas. Jess

Count me in for a non-SQ Sierra Hangout. Should we all choose a game or series we want to talk about? Then share gameplay footage and discuss? Jess

In the spirit of shameless self-promotion, I made a case for Pledge Quest II in the "For Your Consideration..." thread at the AGS forums. I suggested three possible categories: Best Short Game, Best Animation, and Best Non-Player Character (Vohaul the Cat). Any votes to help get the game nominated are greatly appreciated. :) I hope to see lots of Space Quest games in the final running. Jess

I might be an hour late, but I'll try my best to be there (assuming spots are still open at that point). Jess

Thanks for plugging Pledge Quest, Chris! If anyone feels inclined to nominate, Pledge Quest II seems like a good fit for the "Short Game" category. I'd like to see Vohaul the Cat make an appearance in the Best Non-Player Character category, but as an evil time-traveling cat aficionado, I'm unfairly biased in his favor. Jess

Is it SQ music only, or Sierra music in general? The idea of a DJ handling all the sound cues might make things run more smoothly. Maybe I'll try to make it after all... Jess

I love the Quest for Glory series. In fact, I'd place Quest for Glory I and II alongside Space Quest III as my favorite Sierra games ever. For what it's worth, I'm also an avid RPG player -- whether the setting is fantasy, sci-fi, or whatever. That said, I haven't backed Hero-U (at least not yet). Why not? Honestly, the bits of gameplay that I've seen in the project videos just haven't "grabbed" me yet. The tile-based art feels like a step backwards from the Quest for Glory series, and the whole look-and-feel reminds me a bit too much of a browser-based Facebook game.* Granted, we've seen very little of the gameplay (understandable for a project so early in development), so it's probably not fair to judge the project at this stage. Nevertheless, what I've seen hasn't inspired me to pledge yet. There's a decent chance that I'll contribute a few bucks to Hero-U before the deadline arrives; if nothing else, I have faith in the Coles, and I want to see them succeed. Up to this point, however, I just haven't been able to get as excited about the project as I am about SpaceVenture (or even Quest for Infamy by Infamous Quests). Jess * Specifically, it reminds me a lot of Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook.

I'd forgive Activision for everything if they released iPad ports of the Space Quest series. Or, better still, turned over the rights to Guys from Andromeda LLC so they could do it. Jess

After a far-too-long delay on my part, full credits and track listings are finally available at PledgeQuest.Net: http://www.pledgeque...et/credits.html Jess

Los Angeles to Oakhurst? Land in New York instead! It's a cheaper flight, and you'll have more time to get to know one another during the cross-country drive. ;) Jess

I love the Cat Quest V: Apocalypse Meow poster! (This is the first time I've seen it outside of the game.) Now that I think about it, the existence of Cat Quest V suggests that the Cat Quest series was popular enough in the alternate timeline to spawn at least four sequels. In turn, I wonder if a CatVenture Kickstarter also exists in the alternate timeline. If so, did Bea's actions in Pledge Quest II cause the CatVenture Kickstarter to fail? How do we know that Timeline A (the SpaceVenture timeline) is the real timeline, and not Timeline B (the CatVenture timeline). My head hurts. Jess

That depends on who you ask. ;) Jess

Outstanding! Jess

I'd love to hear how Chris would approach the Kickstarter campaign if he had it all to do over again. What were the most important lessons he learned along the way? Jess

Any word yet on an approximate time of day for Saturday's Hangout? Jess