Decaffeinated Jedi

Hi, Datadog! *waves back* Jess

I can't make it this weekend, but certainly don't let that stop you if it's convenient for everyone else. For what it's worth, I'd probably play Quest for Glory I. Or The Colonel's Bequest. Or The Secret of Monkey Island. Probably Monkey Island. Jess

After reviewing the tape, I recognize the Space Quest Historian's Astro Chicken victory. It was a close battle, but Troels clearly triumphed. Well-played, old friend. :) Jess

That's not a bad idea! Jess

Wow, that was fun! It was great hanging out and playing some classic games together. So, when's the fifth Hangout, and what's the theme? ;) Jess

I'm in. Not sure if I can stay the entire time, but I'll give it my best shot. Has anyone invited any Andromedan celebrities? Jess

What time are things getting underway on Sunday? Jess

I don't think I can make it this weekend. Soldier on without me, my friends! Jess

For legal purposes, we're not supposed to notice that. ;) Jess

That honor should probably go to someone who actually understands how Google+ works (i.e. not me). ;)

Ulence Flats and Kiz Urazgubi were the two big ones for me. It was several years after I launched the Broomcloset before those clicked with me. Jess

I preemptively forfeit on all competitive Space Questing events. Do you guys need a referee? ;) Jess

Perhaps StarCon is similar to our own intergovernmental organizations (the UN, the EU, etc.); individual members retain sovereignty and tend to take the lead in certain policy areas. In fact, the technical use of the term "confederacy" -- as opposed to "federation" -- suggests an alliance in which most of the power still resides with the individual members rather than with the central organization. Even if Xenon were a member of the Star Confederacy at the time of SQ1, it's possible that the whole Star Generator project was a Xenonian operation. We might think of the Mars Curiosity rover as a point of comparison. Despite the fact that the United States is a member of the UN, Curiosity remains a NASA/US project. It's also likely that I'm over-thinking this. ;) Regardless, count me as someone who really enjoyed the whole StarCon angle. After Roger went traipsing through the timeline and saved the future in SQ4, seeing him continue to embrace his role as hero by enrolling in the Academy and ultimately captaining a starship (albeit modest) felt like a natural outgrowth of what had come before in the series. Then again, I'm a diehard SQ5 fan, so I probably would say something like that. Jess

Pledge Quest II: Aces Over Europe. :) We;re also negotiating with Cedric the Owl's agent to see if we can bring him on as Bea's new sidekick. Jess

It's coming along nicely. The sequel will be a little longer than the first game (roughly comparable to the SQ6 demo), and since we're not in an insane time crunch for this one, we have more time to work on animation, click events, a 3D flight simulator, and all that good stuff. We'll definitely provide more details as it edges toward completion. Jess

I might try to make it as well. It's not exactly close, but it's significantly closer than San Diego. ;) Jess

Thanks for the kind words! It's a little too early to go into much detail, but there's more Pledge Quest in the works. We're really upping the stakes for Bea this time around... Jess

Way back the day, there was a fan game titled Eureka Trash Pickup that featured a simple arcade sequence based on those scenes. I'm not sure if it still exists out there somewhere (or if it would run on modern systems). Jess

I'm on Xbox, unfortunately. I'm currently replaying as Lilith after an initial playthrough as Roland. Jess

I agree that the Arcada sequence works really well. It's a little light on puzzles, but it definitely establishes the classic Space Quest "vibe" quickly and effectively. You know everything you need to know about Roger as soon as he stumbles out of that janitor's closet to discover the Sariens' handiwork. Jess

The other day, I was thinking about the Space Quest series and trying to identify a segment from one of the games that embodies what I think of as Space Quest at its very best. Is there a particular sequence from the series that encapsulates everything we love about Roger Wilco's adventures? The best that I came up with (and I realize this kind of thing is completely subjective) is the junk freighter sequence that opens Space Quest 3. I can't think of another segment from the series where the art, puzzle design, writing, and even the music all come together so effectively. It also incorporates some interesting/innovative mechanics for a SCI0 game; the recolored sprite when Roger walks into shadowy areas, the bucket lift, the conveyor belt, the grabber, and the Aluminum Mallard controls all spring to mind. Better still, the sequence is self-contained. Escaping the junk freighter almost works as its own standalone mini-adventure. Another candidate that occurred to me was the Kiz Urazgubi sequence from Space Quest 5, but that's probably just my SQ5 love talking. ;) What do you folks think? What sequence embodies Space Quest at its very best? Jess

The updated installers found here, in conjunction with DOSBox, are an incredibly elegant solution for running Sierra games on a modern computer. As far as I know, the fan games should run fine in Windows 7 without any major tweaks. By the way, great to see you, Vonster! Jess

Oddly enough, it's probably my favorite installment of the series (neck and neck with LSL3). :) Jess

Assuming the LSL1 remake is a success, has Replay announced its intention to move ahead with subsequent remakes as opposed to a completely original Larry game? I haven't followed the project terribly closely, so forgive my ignorance. Jess

How long does the average non-disclosure agreement last? ;) For what it's worth, I've interacted online with Josh many times over the past 15 years (as have many other members here), and he's always been a total class act. He's also someone who cares deeply about making good adventure games. If he says there were "red flags," I'm inclined to believe him. I don't have anything to add about the uglier aspects of the whole controversy, but I did want to join others in casting a vote of confidence in Josh's role with the project. Jess