Monolith_Pig

This isn't for any admin, or people assisting with the project.  It's just for Mark and Scott. 

Personally I know the risk I take when investing in a Kickstarter. I use money that's expendable, and if things don't work out, they don't.

I've got a Beta. But I'm unlikely to see the finished product with working saves and bugs repaired.  I'm unlikely to see the tier I paid for which includes a big box, DVD of the game, 'special goodies' or a personal thank you note from the SQH (Big fan by the way Troells and bought your SQIV + Galaxy Galaria vinyls) 

Regardless of last year's November update, it just seems to have surpassed the point of ridiculousness. The beta has promise, genuine laughs, but massively underwhelming in my opinion.  Best thing for us all is to get an apology which I personally will happily accept, because as above, I knew the risks.  But also I want you guys to be the same heroes I remember as a 13 year old.  I won't throw any shade because I understand all the personal sh*t you've been through.  But I think you need to give up this burden for good, apologise, then stick it on github for others to complete. Enjoy your lives and your existing wonderful legacy.

I'll remain a fan for the rest of my life.

Tom

Can't wait to play this, the trailer looks great. 
 
Also while I've not really done much since helping fund this kickstarter, I decided to put a post on Twitter and also shared it with the Space Quest Facebook group.  I'm pleased to say that there has been two upvoters since I posted!  If everyone can get on board with this and share to all the sierra/spacequest related groups forums they can think of I'm sure we can get this project onto Steam!
 

Some of you might remember that I was tinkering with a 3D version of SQ3 intro a while back. Well here it is now. With a tune borrowed from Alien.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgv9_n_dg9Q&feature=youtu.be
Here's some additional renders

Needless to say, I'm saddened by Mr. Owens' passing. Even before he came on board as the narrator in Space Quest 4, I was a huge fan of his work on Laugh-In and Space Ghost. As I said on Twitter last night, his performance as the Space Quest narrator was so good that you could retroactively imagine him providing voiceover for the earlier games in the series.
 
Plus, if I'm going to screw up in an adventure game, there's nobody I'd rather hear admonish me for my stupidity than Gary Owens.
 
It's a shame we'll never get to hear Mr. Owens' dulcet tones in SpaceVenture; I'm certain he would have knocked it out of the park yet again. That said, we're lucky to have some amazing performances to look back on and enjoy.
 
Jess

I can't believe I had no idea about this.  I'd been regularly checking the Andromeden Spaceport for Spaceventure news but hadn't been looking anywhere else this year.
 
Of course I had been around during PT's original remarks about Spaceventure and had expressed sadness about the whole affair.  I had wondered how Al Lowe could tolerate such behaviour and still be part of Replay.  In a way at least I'm glad he and Josh are out of there.
 
However what with the whole conviction of PT and the details surrounding it, the whole thing leaves me very sad for Al and all the Larry fans.  I always was of the opinion that the as long as Al and Josh were developing the games I'd be happy.  Now it's almost tragic that the rights to further Larry games are once again in the wrong hands.
 
I feel like a total Muppet for posting this on twitter in March.  No wonder there was no response :(
 
https://twitter.com/tomlee80/status/442284718890160128

Ask him what the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is!

It's about time someone else picked up the slack I've been talking about your cats online for years

Aside from things like Space Quest I talk a lot about my cats on Twitter. Follow me! @tomlee80.

This is also something to keep in mind; nobody will ever remake an entire game (or create an entire fan-game) that was created by Paul Trowe. No one, out of pure love and admiration, will dedicate so much time and effort into such a thing. Something for which no compensation was required; just the sheer joy of doing it and sharing it with others.
 
He'll never have that. He can flap his mouth now, and boast about any successes, financial gook, whatever - but he'll never, ever, ever have that admiration and love. Ever. You can't buy that, you can't swindle that, and you can't fake your way to that.
 
He can claim to want to be "Sierra 2.0" but it'll never happen; he doesn't have the charisma to pull it off. Sure, Sierra was a business, we all know that. And inherent in that are lots of things that can be at conflict with the passions of the heart - but when that fades, and we're here - 20+ years later, still loving these games that made their financial "nut" a long time ago, and yet the love, dedication and devotion remains.
 
We'll still remember and love Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe long after we've all forgotten the name Paul Trowe. In the end, that will be his legacy. Nothing. There will be no legacy. That is kind of sad, if you can think about it from an outside perspective. But we all chose our own paths and we reap what we sow. You can shuffle off this mortal coil so easily - you have to ask yourself "What is it, really, that you want to leave behind? What kind of impression can I make on my fellow man?" I often asked myself this when I was on dialysis, as it seemed like I could be gone any second, and though I've not always been perfect - I have tried my best not to cast a shadow of darkness (Hah!).
 
I don't care what Paul Trowe has done with Leisure Suit Larry; it's honestly irrelevant to SpaceVenture. I don't know if it was really a "success", I don't know how it did financially. If people enjoyed the production of it, and got the joy of making a game, at least it could be a success on that level. However, I don't know if it was a great process making it. Whatever the case, I know there were lots of decent people who did work on that game - and worked hard.
 
But, again, their "sucess" or lack of it has nothing to do with SpaceVenture. SpaceVenture is its own project - and it has it's own needs, its own timeline and its own challenges. Maybe Paul is jealous that they didn't join "Sierra 2.0" but now it's obvious that he was never the right person for that job.
 
So, my friends and colleagues, I don't damn Paul Trowe or Replay Games; the noose of his hanging was fashioned by his own hands, and I don't want to take any joy in someone's bad/self-destructive behavior. I do, however, celebrate The Two Guys From Andromeda (And one Space Pope!) who have become friends and brothers-in-arms over the past few years, and continue my support of them, and I know they'll make a great game, full of adventure, fun, laughs and maybe even a gruesome death or two!!
 
 
Bt

Don't have much to add as I just caught up to the events myself, but all the motivational support is very helpful. Thanks guys!

It's funny, not even that many people were really being insulting to him. Just giving him advice and asking him to stop being a douche. He obviously thinks everyone is like him. Nothing but negative things to say. Really shows how much bigger even SQ fans are than this man.
 
I feel like we as a community and backers of SV should do something really nice for the 2 Guys and the Pope to show them our support. I don't think of us as merely backers and consumers, I think of us all as a community who pulled together WITH the Two Guys to see this happen. I really consider them brothers in arms rather than (ironically) somebody I expect to get my money's worth from. I want to see SV happen as much as they do and I know I'm not the only one.
 
So we should do something nice to show them we not only support them but that we've got their backs. A nice montage video of all of us wishing them the best with motivational sappy music behind us (which has tremendous comedic potential as well for double effect! Heartfelt and honest but overly sappy and emotional monologues lol. That would be right up their alley I'd think), or a fangame just for them, or put together something...some kind of article...some nice notion and promote it everywhere so that it gets notoriety. Don't mention Paul or criticism or anything. Just give them some much needed motivation, encouragement, and love. Their efforts aren't unnoticed nor in vain. Because besides the latest criticism, it seems like they need it. What do you think?

Sadly, I am hard pressed to come up with a better example of "true" Space Questery than Jess' garbage freighter. I agree, that section really EMBODIES Space Quest.
 
I do want to highlight the Galaxy Galleria in SQ4. Everyone twitches nervously when they hear it, because of the Skate-o-Rama. But actually that whole sequence is perfectly symptomatic of SQ. Even though he's in a crowded mall, Roger is still completely and utterly alone, the threat of mortal danger constantly over his head, and he's wearing a fucking dress to boot.
 
Also, it bears repeating that the ending of SQ2 - even if it's just one puzzle in the escape pod - is downright poetic.

At the risk of blaspheming, I think that "vibe" is perfectly recreated in the opening sequence of Incinerations.
 
The bit that I always think about with SQ is the beginning of SQ4. The whole thing is brilliant, with Gary Owens, the art, the music, the genuine tension you get from the robot and the zombie. Excellent. I know the Crowemurphyists wanted a parser, but I still think they nailed it, even with the point n' lick interface.

Just... for this topic!

Would you be interested in expanding your SQ recreation team at all? I've been working on Monolith Burger in a single player world of mine, check it out.
 

Please note that construction is anything but complete and the textures are merely place holders at the moment.

I'm not normally one for throwing weapons-grade swear words around, but in this case, I think I'll make an exception.
 
HELL
FUCKIN'
YEAH!
 
It's a great day to be a Space Quest fan. B)While this may not be *quite* as joygasm-inducing as an actual new SQ game, we know from experience that the Guys know their art well and are fully capable of delivering a spiritual sequel. Hell, who knows? Maybe 25 years from now we'll be hanging out in the forums discussing the cancellation of Spaceventure VII and trying to drum up support for the new GalactiTrek series. :P
 

Don't forget - we're also getting new Tex Murphy! :lol: Some of you may not care so much about that one, but myself and a few others (including a certain Diva of Death) are ecstatic. Let's face it: between the SQ fangame triple play and now all this, this is turning out to be the Best. Year. Ever.
 
Now if we can only get someone to option the rights for Space Quest: The Musical...

I poured my nervous energy into getting my hands on a real MT-32. It came in the mail last week and I spent part of the weekend getting it hooked up and running via DOSBox/Cakewalk. I've wanted one forever! This is probably the coolest thing I've messed with in a long time. Sooo much fun! I'm spending quite a bit of time over at Quest Studios :)
 
I'm sure the prototype will be great, and great things take time.

Can not put this into words right now. Very happy! Your thoughts and feelings?

What's the difference? ;) The key to understanding the narrator's treatment of Roger is realizing that, for all intents and purposes, Roger and the player are the same entity.
 
In the early games, there basically was no "Roger", at least not as we know him now. He had no dialogue and no real personality beyond what characterization the story events (such as napping in the closet) and the narrator put on him. Although he started getting a little more characterization in SQ3 (mostly due to the increasing snarkiness of the writing around that time), it wasn't until SQ4 that Roger got any actual dialogue and personality. Up until that point, "Roger" was little more than an AFGNCAAP - an avatar for the player, with no real character of his own.
 
It's a holdover from the days of interactive fiction, where virtually all games spoke directly to the player as if they were the one personally interacting with the game world. It wasn't until adventure game protagonists started graphically appearing on-screen that designers realized they had to start defining certain basic attributes (gender, appearance, etc.) for the sake of designing character sprites. Over time, the trend continued, until adventure protagonists became their own entities.
 
Thing is, the second person narration ("You can't get ye flask!"), using "you" to refer to the main character, kept being used. Superficially, this would seem to indicate that the narrator is talking to the main character somehow - which of course is where the backtalk-the-narrator humor in many games (SQ6, the later LSL games) comes from. But on a gameplay level, the narrator is still talking to *you* - the person at the keyboard - which carries certain implications. ;)
 
Basically, when the narrator is snarking about how Roger is stupid, clumsy, useless, etc., he's not talking about Roger - he's talking about Roger as controlled by you. Think of Roger as a puppet (or a mech suit, if you're more of an anime fan) with you in the driver seat - everything he does is ultimately your doing. If Roger does something brainless (such as blow himself up with an unstable tank shell), it's because you were being stupid. If Roger blunders off the edge of a cliff, it's because you weren't paying attention or didn't have the finger dexterity to guide him around it. Akril's fanfic isn't far off the mark - it's basically a cute way to personify what would otherwise be an abstract game concept, impossible to portray in normal fiction.
 
Gary is ripping on Roger, sure, but only because Roger has the misfortune to be stuck with a shmuck of a player leading him around. ;) Arguably, if we were able to percieve a version of Space Quest where Roger acted of his own accord - one where there is no player, and no narrator - then we'd see him in his "natural" state - that of a lazy, clutzy, somewhat cowardly, but ultimately well-meaning average joe who's more dopey than he is dumb.
 
Then again, without the player's intellect to give him those sudden bursts of McGuyver-esque ingenuity and puzzle-solving insight, he'd probably have been blown up way back on the Arcada... <_<

You can miss various time codes in SQ4 and get stuck.
 
There is a minimal unwinnable state in SQ5 where you can flunk the aptitude test and not know about it for a little bit.
 
The only unwinnable states in SQ6 I can think of are due to bugs. Which the game has a few of.

I can't wait to see what the final tally is, this momentum the last few days has been overwhelmingly awesome!! I can't deny it, I shed tears of joy when we crossed the finish line and beyond, was amazing how fast it happened to!! I can't wait to welcome Ace Hardway to the fam!! I wish I could have pledged so much more, at least I scored a snazzy Buckazoid :D

Today should be officially named SpaceVenture Day in honor of all our hard work and enthusiasm paying off! We did it everyone!!! The Two Guys are back, and we helped make it possible!!! WE KICK ASS!!