Decaffeinated Jedi

Because I have too much free time on my hands, here's my effort at compiling a complete list of pop culture references from Pledge Quest II. GAMES Black Cauldron Castle of Dr. Brain Cat Quest series Codename: ICEMAN Cranston Manor Day of the Tentacle EcoQuest series Freddy Pharkas Frontier Pharmacist Gabriel Knight series Half-Life series King's Quest series Laura Bow series Leisure Suit Larry series Monkey Island series Myst Pepper's Adventures in Time Pledge Quest series Quest for Glory series Resident Evil series Skyrim Space Quest series SpaceVenture Time Zone MOVIES Back to the Future trilogy Citizen Kane Little Shop of Horrors Night of the Living Dead Office Space Planet of the Apes MUSIC "Cat Scratch Fever" (Ted Nugent) "Dancing on the Ceiling" (Lionel Richie) "Incense and Peppermints" (Strawberry Alarm Clock) "Lazy Sunday" (Lonely Island) "Miracles" (Insane Clown Posse) Justin Bieber TELEVISION 30 Rock Breaking Bad Cake Boss Community Dog Whisperer Dr. Who Game of Thrones Hoarders My Strange Addiction Pee Wee's Playhouse Pinky and the Brain Real Housewives of Orange County Top Chef True Blood BOOKS/COMIC BOOKS Chronicles of Narnia Flash Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Incredible Hulk Gotta catch 'em all! Jess

I wrestled with some of these questions while creating Bea from Pledge Quest. On the one hand, I wanted her to be a huge Roger Wilco/Two Guys from Andromeda fan, but I didn't want her sleeping in Roger Wilco pajamas and nearly fainting if, by some strange twist of fate, she ever encountered Mark and Scott (which would almost certainly never happen *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge*). Bea isn't an in-universe character, of course, my goal was to drive home the idea that she was a massive Space Quest fan without having people think, "Wow, I'm a bit worried about this character's mental health." As Troels hints, it's not always an easy balance to strike. Jess

Thanks, Raiden! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. :) Jess

Thanks, Datadog! That kind of feedback makes all those times my wife said, "Can we talk about something other than Pledge Quest for five minutes?" totally worth it. ;) That spoiler was there going all the way back to the original pitch (which directly referenced Pinky and the Brain as the inspiration). With Ron "Pinky" Paulsen on-board doing a voice for SpaceVenture, it seemed like a natural fit. NARF! Jess

I'd like to see/hear more about Hero-U's gameplay. The "sample dungeon" graphics from the pitch video struck me as having a definite 16-bit Zelda vibe. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm curious to learn more about how combat and NPC interaction will work. Jess

Count me in for the 27th. Did we finalize a format/theme, or are we sticking with something general like "gawk at the Two Guys from Andromeda"? Jess

This is my first time playing the CD-ROM version of KQ5. My only other experiences with the game involved the 16-color disk version, so this is my first exposure to the "full Cedric effect." ;) Jess

I'm busy with Episode Two of Telltale's Walking Dead series (on iOS) and Borderlands 2 (on Xbox 360). I'm also playing through King's Quest V in my spare time. Curse you, GOG.com, for tempting me with the King's Quest bundle! Jess

One of my favorite aspects of Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island series was the introduction of Morgan LeFlay as a Guybrush Threepwood mega-fan. That seems like a concept ripe for ripping off in a Space Quest fan game. Jess

Non-canon sources also suggest that the Two Guys are easily fooled by disguises. ;) Jess

Thanks, Chris! We appreciate the feedback. The music cue featuring the first few notes of the Space Quest theme that plays during the big finale always gets me too. :) Take care! Jess

Hey, folks! There's a new addition to the Pledge Quest website. You can now take a behind-the-scenes peek at Akril's concept art for Pledge Quest I and Pledge Quest II. Here's a sample: On a personal note, that's probably my favorite piece of concept art from the series. When it arrived in my inbox a few months ago, it was my first indication of what Pledge Quest II's cutscenes would look like. Needless to say, I was blown away by Akril's work -- even in sketch form. Anyway, enjoy! Spread the word! Pledge some buckazoids to the SpaceVenture! Jess

Thanks! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the game. I agree completely about Akril's animation on Vohaul; it's one of my favorite things about Pledge Quest II. I especially like the part near the end when he leaps out of the

There goes my plan to hand out the games to people I know based on how much I like them. "You're my oldest and dearest friend; enjoy this copy of Space Quest 3 -- on me!" "Oh, you? Yeah, I guess you're okay. Here, take this copy of Space Quest 2 and leave me alone." ;) Jess

I'll definitely make it to the Hangout on the 27th; even real life couldn't keep me away. Jess

Unfortunately, it's looking like real life might intrude on that plan. It's a bummer, too. I was really looking forward to going. Jess

So, just out of curiosity, are people successfully unlocking the super-secret designer commentary mode in Pledge Quest II? Jess

Just send a check for $19.99 to the Pledge Quest offices, and we'll generate a code to activate the DLC. ;) Jess

I can't make it to this one, but are we still on for the 27th with the Two Guys? Jess

Thanks for the incredibly kind words, everyone. I'm really thrilled that people are enjoying the game so far. :D There's an updated version (1.1) posted at PledgeQuest.Net that fixes a small bug discovered by pcj. If anyone comes across any other problems, just let us know. Thanks! For now, we're still recuperating from this project. If only we knew somebody with a time machine, maybe she could tell us what the future holds... Jess

Greetings! After four months of hard work, Akril and I are proud to announce the release of Pledge Quest II: Noodle Shop of Horrors. You can head over to the newly-launched PledgeQuest.Net and download it now for Windows, Mac, and Linux!* Here's a screenshot from the opening cinematic that showcases Akril's awesome art on the project: I hope you folks enjoy the game; it was a blast working on it. Now, let's spread the word** and rustle up a few more buckazoids for the SpaceVenture stretch goals! Jess * Special thanks to Lunchbox and s_d for all their hard work to provide day-one Mac and Linux support! ** Twitter is being weird and blocking the PledgeQuest.Net domain in tweets, so if you want to share it there, try this Google-shortened URL instead: http://goo.gl/4H7vj

Just an update to follow up on Akril's earlier post... If all goes according to schedule, we plan to release Pledge Quest II: Noodle Shop of Horrors on Monday, October 8. If you'd like to preview our brand-new website, visit PledgeQuest.Net and have a look around. The "Download Pledge Quest II" link isn't active yet, but it will be soon. :) Take care! Jess

So, ideas for the next Hangout? I thought it might be fun to do a "Space Quest Debate" format. We put forward questions ("What's the funniest Space Quest?", "What's the most frustrating puzzle?", etc.) and do a roundtable discussion. Yes, it's stuff that we've been discussing for almost two decades on various forums, but it could prove interesting to do it in Hangout form instead. Just an idea... Jess

Have fun, guys! Wish I could join you... That said, I'm cheered up somewhat by the adoption of the adjective "Denmarkian" as a replacement for "Danish." :) Jess

I don't think I'll be able to make it this weekend after all. You folks have fun without me, though. I'll be sure to watch on YouTube afterwards. :) Jess