Capn_Ascii

Greetings, fellow Space Quest fans! It's that most wonderful time of year again, and as was something of a tradition for me back in the day, that means it's once again time to share...
 

 
...my old Space Quest holiday greeting card! :D
 
 
I made this one a *long* time ago - we're talking more than a decade ago (Wow, have I really been hanging around for that long? :blink: ). The old version had some ugly sci-fi-styled lettering that I didn't care for, so I modified it to look more like the sort of thing you'd see inside a sappy Hallmark card. Other than that, though, it's the same terrible pun I've been throwing around every year. ;)
 
If you ask him nicely, he might give you a great big box of "not getting shot by minions with laser rifles" for Christmas. :)
 
I posted this one on my Devianart account too, along with a few other things1. The only one that'll be of any interest to any of you folks are this one (crappy drawing of Roger), and possibly this other one, because it's kinda sorta vaguely Monkey Island-related. If you squint.
 
 
 
1) I apologize in advance for my lack of artistic ability.

I have to admit, I feel something similar on the subject. A part of me doesn't really *want* a new official SQ game. Aside from all the license and legal issues, the fact of the matter is that Space Quest has been undead-and-gone for 16-ish years now. Do we really *want* it to be revived by a corporate team or otherwise done by someone treating it more as a commercial product than a labor of love? We all know how bad the original Sierra/made SQ7 would have been...do we really have any reason to think it would turn out any better now?
 
Another question: do the Two Guys even really *want* to make another SQ game? Sure, they'd know what they're doing (obviously), and they'd have an established fanbase to pander to - but isn't that what Spaceventure is doing already? Spaceventure is, for all intents and purposes, a spiritual sequel to Space Quest - the same style and themes, the same sense of humor. It's everything that a good Space Quest sequel would be, except with the added benefit of being an original universe in and of itself. This gives the Guys the freedom to do whatever they want to with it, without being constrained (and possibly becoming burnt-out on) their older series - which IMHO means a better chance for fresher, higher-quality creations.
 
Personally, I'm inclined to treat Spaceventure (and potential sequels) as 'the new Space Quest'. Think of it as Space Quest: The Next Generation - same creators, same theme (sarcastic sci-fi comedy), same style, but with new characters, places, and concepts to explore. With fangames to take up the torch of the original SQ series, I'd be perfectly happy letting the Guys focus on their new baby - and letting the fans take Spaceventure into the fold *alongside* SQ and treating them as two extensions of the same awesome family1. The more, the merrier. :D
 
 
 
1) Commence the endless Kirk-vs-Picard-style "Roger vs. Ace" debates.

I have to admit, I feel something similar on the subject. A part of me doesn't really *want* a new official SQ game. Aside from all the license and legal issues, the fact of the matter is that Space Quest has been undead-and-gone for 16-ish years now. Do we really *want* it to be revived by a corporate team or otherwise done by someone treating it more as a commercial product than a labor of love? We all know how bad the original Sierra/made SQ7 would have been...do we really have any reason to think it would turn out any better now?
 
Another question: do the Two Guys even really *want* to make another SQ game? Sure, they'd know what they're doing (obviously), and they'd have an established fanbase to pander to - but isn't that what Spaceventure is doing already? Spaceventure is, for all intents and purposes, a spiritual sequel to Space Quest - the same style and themes, the same sense of humor. It's everything that a good Space Quest sequel would be, except with the added benefit of being an original universe in and of itself. This gives the Guys the freedom to do whatever they want to with it, without being constrained (and possibly becoming burnt-out on) their older series - which IMHO means a better chance for fresher, higher-quality creations.
 
Personally, I'm inclined to treat Spaceventure (and potential sequels) as 'the new Space Quest'. Think of it as Space Quest: The Next Generation - same creators, same theme (sarcastic sci-fi comedy), same style, but with new characters, places, and concepts to explore. With fangames to take up the torch of the original SQ series, I'd be perfectly happy letting the Guys focus on their new baby - and letting the fans take Spaceventure into the fold *alongside* SQ and treating them as two extensions of the same awesome family1. The more, the merrier. :D
 
 
 
1) Commence the endless Kirk-vs-Picard-style "Roger vs. Ace" debates.

Greetings, fellow Space Quest fans! It's that most wonderful time of year again, and as was something of a tradition for me back in the day, that means it's once again time to share...
 

 
...my old Space Quest holiday greeting card! :D
 
 
I made this one a *long* time ago - we're talking more than a decade ago (Wow, have I really been hanging around for that long? :blink: ). The old version had some ugly sci-fi-styled lettering that I didn't care for, so I modified it to look more like the sort of thing you'd see inside a sappy Hallmark card. Other than that, though, it's the same terrible pun I've been throwing around every year. ;)
 
If you ask him nicely, he might give you a great big box of "not getting shot by minions with laser rifles" for Christmas. :)
 
I posted this one on my Devianart account too, along with a few other things1. The only one that'll be of any interest to any of you folks are this one (crappy drawing of Roger), and possibly this other one, because it's kinda sorta vaguely Monkey Island-related. If you squint.
 
 
 
1) I apologize in advance for my lack of artistic ability.

That's true, but it's not about making it more funny - it's about how, in Larry's case, *not* having its trademark art style makes it *less* funny.
 
LSL is *meant* to look the way it does. The art style is perfect for the game's tone and sense of humor - it's like finding the perfect 'look' by mix-and-matching articles of clothing until you find an outfit that suits you just right. The cartoonish exaggeration of the later games is exactly what the series *should* look like - not because the style is inherently funnier than other styles, but because the style suits Larry so perfectly that using anything *else* is a waste of potential.
 
Imagine, if you will, a dapper gentleman who attends a party wearing ragged hobo clothes, or a beautiful woman who only dresses in drab, frumpy outfits. The presentation of something is as important as the substance itself - choosing the wrong way to showcase it can work against the intended effect, or even derail it entirely. Regardless of your personal taste, certain styles say certain things - realistic styles tend to say "drama and seriousness", while more exaggerated styles tend to say "funny, levetic, and whimsical". There's a reason that The Walking Dead is shot as a live-action series, while Family Guy is cartoony and stylized - doing it the other way around simply doesn't work.
 
Various styles have certain expectations in the minds of the audience - as a writer/designer/artist, you *must* play by those rules if you want your work to achieve the desired effect. You can decide not to if you really want, but the resulting work simply won't be as good as it *could* have been - and as a fan of all forms of creative media, that always makes me sad. :(
 
One last comment on the Larry series in particular - the original manual for the first Leisure Suit Larry game, way back in the late 80s, had a couple of sketches of Larry meant to demonstrate his dorky character (and lack of fashion sense). Those sketches are done in the *same art style* as the later Larry games - Larry has the same short stature, the same cartoonishly big head and nose, misproportioned limbs, etc. In other words, Larry *already* looked like that in Al Lowe's head even *before* he made the concious choice to apply that art style to the games - the only reason the early games had a 'realistic' style at all is because the lack of available colors and pixel resolution made any sort of stylization next to impossible.
 
As for Saturday Night Live and Monty Python...they, too, have styles that suit them, which is what makes them good. Monty Python is absurdist humor, which benefits from the live-action portrayal - the bizzare, nonsensical things they do for laughs are funnier *because* everything otherwise looks totally normal and realistic. SNL, meanwhile, is mostly classic sitcom-style sketch comedy, which works best with a subdued, realistic style as opposed to a more exaggerated look (which would draw attention away from the dialogue, where most of the humor comes from).
 
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to scroll up a couple of posts and look at that screenshot again. :ph34r:

That's true, but it's not about making it more funny - it's about how, in Larry's case, *not* having its trademark art style makes it *less* funny.
 
LSL is *meant* to look the way it does. The art style is perfect for the game's tone and sense of humor - it's like finding the perfect 'look' by mix-and-matching articles of clothing until you find an outfit that suits you just right. The cartoonish exaggeration of the later games is exactly what the series *should* look like - not because the style is inherently funnier than other styles, but because the style suits Larry so perfectly that using anything *else* is a waste of potential.
 
Imagine, if you will, a dapper gentleman who attends a party wearing ragged hobo clothes, or a beautiful woman who only dresses in drab, frumpy outfits. The presentation of something is as important as the substance itself - choosing the wrong way to showcase it can work against the intended effect, or even derail it entirely. Regardless of your personal taste, certain styles say certain things - realistic styles tend to say "drama and seriousness", while more exaggerated styles tend to say "funny, levetic, and whimsical". There's a reason that The Walking Dead is shot as a live-action series, while Family Guy is cartoony and stylized - doing it the other way around simply doesn't work.
 
Various styles have certain expectations in the minds of the audience - as a writer/designer/artist, you *must* play by those rules if you want your work to achieve the desired effect. You can decide not to if you really want, but the resulting work simply won't be as good as it *could* have been - and as a fan of all forms of creative media, that always makes me sad. :(
 
One last comment on the Larry series in particular - the original manual for the first Leisure Suit Larry game, way back in the late 80s, had a couple of sketches of Larry meant to demonstrate his dorky character (and lack of fashion sense). Those sketches are done in the *same art style* as the later Larry games - Larry has the same short stature, the same cartoonishly big head and nose, misproportioned limbs, etc. In other words, Larry *already* looked like that in Al Lowe's head even *before* he made the concious choice to apply that art style to the games - the only reason the early games had a 'realistic' style at all is because the lack of available colors and pixel resolution made any sort of stylization next to impossible.
 
As for Saturday Night Live and Monty Python...they, too, have styles that suit them, which is what makes them good. Monty Python is absurdist humor, which benefits from the live-action portrayal - the bizzare, nonsensical things they do for laughs are funnier *because* everything otherwise looks totally normal and realistic. SNL, meanwhile, is mostly classic sitcom-style sketch comedy, which works best with a subdued, realistic style as opposed to a more exaggerated look (which would draw attention away from the dialogue, where most of the humor comes from).
 
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to scroll up a couple of posts and look at that screenshot again. :ph34r:

Feeling old yet? ;)
 

So what you're saying is...you looked out into the Internet, saw a Virtual Broomcloset-shaped hole, and felt compelled to fill it. :D
 
Seventeen years...my god, has it been that long? Yes...yes it has. I vividly remember my first brush with the 'Closet - I had purchased the then-recently-released SQ6 sometime around '96 or '97, and had spent six months stuck on the endodroid puzzle because I didn't know you could bend one of the pipes in the background (grr!). After leaving the game for so long and the coming back to it determined to beat the damned thing, I realized that, with my family's new computer and this brand-new Internet thing that came with it, I could see if anyone else has posted a solution to the game's puzzles. My search quickly took me to a walkthrough on the Broomcloset, although at the time I didn't appreciate the gravity of the find - I simply took my puzzle solution and went off to beat SQ6 and then laugh at it victoriously. :D
 
As I got older, and I began to see more and more of the Internet, my love of games gradually evolved into the fanboyness of all things fictional and geeky it is today. I began to properly appreciate fansites at that point, although I lurked at the Broomcloset for years before finally getting a proper login on the message boards and starting to poke my head into topics. I remember that part quite well - late September, 2001 was when I made my first post. Unfortunately, the only reason I remember that is because it was only a week or so after the 9/11 attack, which was a hot topic when I made my debut... :unsure:
 
In case you're wondering, I was just as long-winded back then as I am now. Really, though, the only reason I talk to much is because I love discussing the subject at hand. ;)
 
Like a lot of fans, after several years I began to drift away from the SQ fandom due to the utter lack of new material to work with. I never really *stopped* loving SQ, mind you - I just switched to more of a private worship instead of the public services we used to hold. :P SQ was like the first girlfriend you ever dated, who's no longer around but you still cherish her memory just the same. I stopped keeping tabs on SQ happenings (mostly because I assumed there *weren't* any) and focused on other things.
 
Then a bunch of guys drop three completed SQ fangames on me from out of freakin' nowhere. Admittedly, part of the shock was because I hadn't been keeping up with SQ news at all, but the bigger shock is that games of such magnitude - *especially* VSB and Incinerations - got completed *at all*. Back in the glory days of the fandom, it was something of a running gag that new SQ games cropped up at a dime a dozen, and were cancelled just as quickly - the idea that these design teams kept chugging along during the Silent Years without stop and with hardly any fandom left to support them still blows my mind.

Feeling old yet? ;)
 

So what you're saying is...you looked out into the Internet, saw a Virtual Broomcloset-shaped hole, and felt compelled to fill it. :D
 
Seventeen years...my god, has it been that long? Yes...yes it has. I vividly remember my first brush with the 'Closet - I had purchased the then-recently-released SQ6 sometime around '96 or '97, and had spent six months stuck on the endodroid puzzle because I didn't know you could bend one of the pipes in the background (grr!). After leaving the game for so long and the coming back to it determined to beat the damned thing, I realized that, with my family's new computer and this brand-new Internet thing that came with it, I could see if anyone else has posted a solution to the game's puzzles. My search quickly took me to a walkthrough on the Broomcloset, although at the time I didn't appreciate the gravity of the find - I simply took my puzzle solution and went off to beat SQ6 and then laugh at it victoriously. :D
 
As I got older, and I began to see more and more of the Internet, my love of games gradually evolved into the fanboyness of all things fictional and geeky it is today. I began to properly appreciate fansites at that point, although I lurked at the Broomcloset for years before finally getting a proper login on the message boards and starting to poke my head into topics. I remember that part quite well - late September, 2001 was when I made my first post. Unfortunately, the only reason I remember that is because it was only a week or so after the 9/11 attack, which was a hot topic when I made my debut... :unsure:
 
In case you're wondering, I was just as long-winded back then as I am now. Really, though, the only reason I talk to much is because I love discussing the subject at hand. ;)
 
Like a lot of fans, after several years I began to drift away from the SQ fandom due to the utter lack of new material to work with. I never really *stopped* loving SQ, mind you - I just switched to more of a private worship instead of the public services we used to hold. :P SQ was like the first girlfriend you ever dated, who's no longer around but you still cherish her memory just the same. I stopped keeping tabs on SQ happenings (mostly because I assumed there *weren't* any) and focused on other things.
 
Then a bunch of guys drop three completed SQ fangames on me from out of freakin' nowhere. Admittedly, part of the shock was because I hadn't been keeping up with SQ news at all, but the bigger shock is that games of such magnitude - *especially* VSB and Incinerations - got completed *at all*. Back in the glory days of the fandom, it was something of a running gag that new SQ games cropped up at a dime a dozen, and were cancelled just as quickly - the idea that these design teams kept chugging along during the Silent Years without stop and with hardly any fandom left to support them still blows my mind.

Feeling old yet? ;)
 

So what you're saying is...you looked out into the Internet, saw a Virtual Broomcloset-shaped hole, and felt compelled to fill it. :D
 
Seventeen years...my god, has it been that long? Yes...yes it has. I vividly remember my first brush with the 'Closet - I had purchased the then-recently-released SQ6 sometime around '96 or '97, and had spent six months stuck on the endodroid puzzle because I didn't know you could bend one of the pipes in the background (grr!). After leaving the game for so long and the coming back to it determined to beat the damned thing, I realized that, with my family's new computer and this brand-new Internet thing that came with it, I could see if anyone else has posted a solution to the game's puzzles. My search quickly took me to a walkthrough on the Broomcloset, although at the time I didn't appreciate the gravity of the find - I simply took my puzzle solution and went off to beat SQ6 and then laugh at it victoriously. :D
 
As I got older, and I began to see more and more of the Internet, my love of games gradually evolved into the fanboyness of all things fictional and geeky it is today. I began to properly appreciate fansites at that point, although I lurked at the Broomcloset for years before finally getting a proper login on the message boards and starting to poke my head into topics. I remember that part quite well - late September, 2001 was when I made my first post. Unfortunately, the only reason I remember that is because it was only a week or so after the 9/11 attack, which was a hot topic when I made my debut... :unsure:
 
In case you're wondering, I was just as long-winded back then as I am now. Really, though, the only reason I talk to much is because I love discussing the subject at hand. ;)
 
Like a lot of fans, after several years I began to drift away from the SQ fandom due to the utter lack of new material to work with. I never really *stopped* loving SQ, mind you - I just switched to more of a private worship instead of the public services we used to hold. :P SQ was like the first girlfriend you ever dated, who's no longer around but you still cherish her memory just the same. I stopped keeping tabs on SQ happenings (mostly because I assumed there *weren't* any) and focused on other things.
 
Then a bunch of guys drop three completed SQ fangames on me from out of freakin' nowhere. Admittedly, part of the shock was because I hadn't been keeping up with SQ news at all, but the bigger shock is that games of such magnitude - *especially* VSB and Incinerations - got completed *at all*. Back in the glory days of the fandom, it was something of a running gag that new SQ games cropped up at a dime a dozen, and were cancelled just as quickly - the idea that these design teams kept chugging along during the Silent Years without stop and with hardly any fandom left to support them still blows my mind.

Not long ago, I went on a bit of a diatribe about this subject in a thread about the new Leisure Suit Larry remake. Read that post for the details, but the gist of it is that, the way I see it a game's art style should reflect the game's own style.
 
Leisure Suit Larry games *never* take themselves seriously. From the lovable-loser protagonist who spends each game being a sleazy-yet-oddly-endearing dork to the viciously "you suck" narrator to the ridiculously over-the-top situations, these games were made first and foremost to make the player laugh. Somewhere along the line, Al realized this and changed the art style from 'neutral' (as discussed above, the early Sierra games were defined by an art style that was basically the *lack* of an art style) to the current cartoonishly-exaggerated look. In this case, the goal was to make the games feel 'fun' and lively even when nothing explicitly funny was happening on-screen at the time.
 
The Space Quest games, while also funny, exhibit more of a sarcastic, subdued sense of humor. In SQ, the *in-character* universe is 100% serious - Roger is a normal guy facing deadly situations, and there's not a hint of 'this is funny' to any of it. The humor in SQ comes from its 'out-of-character' aspects - in particular, the snarky narrator and the many references/gags/in-jokes that are transparent to Roger and only funny to us, the players. Because of this, the relatively realistic style of graphics fits the series rather well, at least in my humble1 opinion. Even the later games, while taking on some cartoonish aspects, kept the characters realistically-proportioned and such.
 
Personally, I like the graphical style of Spaceventure - it's more cartoonish than the later SQ games, yet still has some grounding in reality (which makes the sci-fi elements more visually impressive). Any further judgement on my part will have to wait until the game is released and I can see what kind of humor the writers are going for this time - then I'll be able to say whether this particular graphical style suits the game's atmosphere.
 

In my experience, it's *only* used when the game is a 'funny' or highly stylized one that warrants it. Frankly, I can't recall an adventure game in recent memory where the art style struck me as contrived or out-of-place - they always felt like a natural part of the game. If a game warrants a cartoony art style, I say let the game have it - nothing wrong with that at all.
 
Unless you *personally* don't like highly stylized art. In which case, that's your problem to get over. ;)
 
 
1) BOW BEFORE MY INFINITE WISDOM!!!

Oh, yes. I will definitely be contributing to this one as soon as I get the money. I *love* the QfG games, and if Hero-U has even half the spirit and attention to world-building that they did, it'll be one heck of a ride. :D
 

Sounds just like the Fallout games...the original ones, I mean. Movement on a hex-based grid, with movement and combat actions (attacking, changing posture, accessing inventory, etc.) all costing AP that gets refilled each turn. Sounds good to me. :lol:
 

QfG will do that to you. ;) This is the series that had thieves sneaking through a harem to avoid the guards (and grinning all the while), an Easter egg involving X-ray glasses and pixelated nudity, and conversations with Budar and Nawar in QfG5, who between the two of them have enough innuendo to put Mae West to shame. Playing hero makes one popular with the ladies, it seems. :D

I haven't backed it yet because I'm a procrastinator. :P I'll make my pledge probably within the last 48 hours or so. Why? Dunno, really; something in me seems to dislike comitting to a project that may not actually make it. Waiting until the last minute means a better overall idea of whether or not the thing will get funded at all.
 
I'm not the only such pledger out there; need I mention what happened with the SpaceVenture itself? ;) With any luck, Hero-U will see a similar last-minute surge.
 
Hopefully. I really do want to see this one make it. :(

Hey, that third one from the end looks oddly familiar... ;) 
Yeah, that one was my doing. :D Janitor Bond - Cleaning Agent 007. The idea came from something in the Popular Janitronics magazine that came with SQ6, if I remember correctly.
 
I should point out that, as the disclaimer on the image says, some of those sprites are *not* wholly my doing. A fellow named Nick Cross had a SQ fansite up that featured some really good CGI models of SQ ships/stations/planets, and some original sprites of SQ characters done in the cartoonish style of Space Quest 6. For the sake of making the poster, I needed all of the characters to be in the same, uniform style - something that I couldn't accomplish by myself since there was never any game where they all appeared together. Not being a good enough sprite artist to make them from scratch, I was forced to...ahem, *borrow* his SQ6-style sprites and alter them to make the gag work. IIRC, I e-mailed him for permission, but never got a reply. Better to beg for forgiveness, eh1?
 
I distinctly remember that, while my entry didn't win any official prizes, it *did* win the 'People's Choice' award (which I think involved a forum poll for voting). I also remember that, at that point in my life, I was rather emo and thus got pissed and acted like a royal ass when the actual winning entries (which were fully-voiced video clips) completely outstripped my meager sprite-hacking abilities. But I'm all better now, mostly. Sorry about that. :(
 
Speaking of videos, does anyone still have those somewhere? I distinctly remember one of them...a fake trailer for a drama film where Roger Jr. has to come to terms with Vohaul's mind being stuck inside his own (as a sort of second personality). I want to say there was at least one other video entry that year too, but I'll be damned if I can remember what it was about...
 

Heh heh. I do have one (minor) pic I'd love to share...but sadly, it's Christmas-themed, which means you guys are going to have to wait a few weeks to see it. ;)
 
I *do* have a SQ-related thingy to share that I recently turned up in the depths of my hard drive (see below), though it's not a picture edit. It's actually a Space Quest notepad that I made in a graphics editing/printing class/camp/thing I took back as a teenager. Drawn using a paint program, then run off by the obliging printing press folks into an actual writing pad. Sadly, the pad itself has long since been used up, although I did manage to save a page and scan it to share later. I apologize for the weird coloration; the method of printing they used didn't seem to mesh well with my scanner. It's supposed to be a uniform faded purple.
 
 
 
1) If you're still out there somewhere reading this, Nick...please don't sue me.

Well, again, it's a matter of "nobody cares". Joe Average Consumer doesn't even know the difference between a 1080p transfer and a 4K transfer. He doesn't know that the movies on disc aren't as picture-perfect as they could be, and even if he did, he likely wouldn't *care*. All he wants is to watch the movies with his wife and 2.3 kids (man, buying clothes for one-third of a kid is a pain) - he'll be far too busy enjoying the action and the writing and what-not to notice that the screen images aren't quite sharp enough to make his eyes bleed.
 
To be blunt, the sort of super-high-quality, perfectionist version you're envisioning is only going to appeal to cinemaphiles like yourself - people who treat the film as a work of art (to be preserved out of a sense of idealism) rather than an evening's entertainment (to be watched and then accidentally left out on the coffee table for the dog to chew up). The only folks who are going to care enough to make that sort of thing happen are other cinemaphiles themselves - which is exactly what's happened with your Star Wars fan restoration. Personally, I would just shrug and ignore the commercial releases and do whatever you can to help this guy make the perfect version you're after.
 
The only alternative is to try and petition the Lucas people to do it themselves, which is pretty much pointless. Corporate types think in terms of profit, and as I said, they're making plenty of money off the 'good enough for Joe Average' commercial releases - they've got no motivation to 'fix' them. You might - *might* - be able to talk them into doing it in hopes of seeing a potential profit from a pocket demographics, or perhaps as a gesture of good will toward franchise fans, but you will never convince them to do so for the sake of idealism alone.

Yeah, it's a bit of a balancing act.
 
Psychologically, the idea is that the more money the project has *already* been pledged, the more likely people will be to chip in and try to help push it up to the final mark. If someone sees that 5,000 of 50,000 has been pledged, then they think "Oh, this isn't drawing enough support to make it. No sense wasting my time." The same person can check later, see that 40,000 of 50,000 has been pledged, and say "Hey, this one might actually make it! I'm going to throw my hat into the ring and help them squeak across the finish line!" There's a lot of Kickstarters out there that follow this pattern - low initial support, but an avalanche of backers in the last few days as everyone gets off their asses and pledges. Ah, hard deadlines - the great motivator. ;)
 
Unfortunately, as you said, this creates a vicious circle. A project that might actually have a *lot* of potential supporters might well not meet the funding because none of them are pledging. Why? Because none of the *others* are pledging. Everybody is holding back their support because they think it won't matter - and their unwillingness to step forward and pledge causes the same sense of defeatism in all the *other* would-be pledgers of the same mentality. This is pretty much the same reason why a lot of people don't vote.
 
IMHO, what Kickstarter needs is both a "pledge tracker" and a "support tracker". The latter would let people pledge initial idealogical support for a project without actually pledging money (yet); other would-be pledgers would be able to see how popular a given idea is and have a better idea of whether they want to help or not.

I dunno about that, now. I didn't pay for behind-the-scenes peeks; I paid to get the damned game made. :D
 
In my case, I've been *intentionally* avoiding most Spaceventure news and sneak peeks. Why's that? Because the Spaceventure is a once-in-a-lifetime, bonafide *treasure* - not just some new game - and I want NO SPOILERS WHATSOEVER. I intend to savor the game like some super-expensive French dish you pay 100 dollars for at a fancy resturant, and the best way to do that is to go in completely blind. No previews, no knowledge of voice acting casts or concept art or anything of the sort. I want to boot up the game eventually and be knocked on my ass by it because every single thing in it is delightfully unknown ahead of time. :)
 
The only reason I'm not doing the same thing with the LSL remake is because I've already played the original inside and out. :P In this case, it's like one of those "restore an old car" shows - it's fun watching them take the classic game and pour so much effort into making it shine for a new generation.

Perhaps the confusion here is the result of a phrasing issue. It's possible that what he actually meant was "we are returning you to your former post (janitor) while retaining you as Starcon personnel", rather than implying that Roger was a Starcon janitor before. This would allow the writers to keep Roger in the Confederacy without forcing a retcon on previous games, although I don't know if that was the actual intent or not.
 

Not *that* long, actually. In SQ5, Bea asks Roger if he's "that guy who stopped the Sariens a few years back". This implies that SQ5 takes place only a few years after SQ1, which makes sense when you look at the series timeline and make a few guesses.
 
-SQ1 happens. Roger gets famous for a while, but eventually is forgotten. Let's say, maybe a year total of this.
 
-SQ2 happens. Roger gets kidnapped and effectively disappears from known civilization. He stops Vohaul, but is forced into cryosleep to survive. An indeterminate amount of time passes; let's say maybe another year or two.
 
-SQ3 happens. Roger wakes up in the middle of nowhere - the galactic boonies, if you will. He saves the Two Guys, dumps them in a parellel universe, and returns to tell the tale.
 
-SQ4 happens, apparantly not very long after SQ3. Roger is still on his way back home to Xenon after having dealt with the whole SQ3 business. Future Vohaul tries to kill him at this point in time1 - the first time since SQ2 that Roger's been seen in civilized space (which would give the Sequel Police a historical reference on where to look for him). Roger survives and returns to that same point in time.
 
-Roger returns home, presumably discovering that while he's been gone, everyone has written him off as dead and he's lost his old job. He decides to enroll in Starcon Academy to try and make something of himself. After an unspecified amount of time - let's say, one year's worth of classes at minimum - SQ5 happens.
 
Obviously, these estimations of mine have no in-universe basis, but the numbers seem reasonable to me. Time obviously passes between SQ1 and SQ2, SQ2 and SQ3, and SQ4 and SQ5. Bea's comment indicates maybe 3-5 years total, split up to some degree between the games in question.
 
Then, of course, we have Incinerations, which explicitly takes place at least a decade after SQ6, by which point Starcon has essentially collapsed. Ah, well, nothing lasts forever. :P
 
 
1) Vohaul can't try to kill Roger at any point prior to this - if he kills Roger before SQ2, then Vohaul will cause a time paradox that prevents him from ascending to power in the future. He also logically can't kill him between SQ2 and SQ4 because Roger is MIA and Vohaul has no idea where to look for him.

Perhaps the confusion here is the result of a phrasing issue. It's possible that what he actually meant was "we are returning you to your former post (janitor) while retaining you as Starcon personnel", rather than implying that Roger was a Starcon janitor before. This would allow the writers to keep Roger in the Confederacy without forcing a retcon on previous games, although I don't know if that was the actual intent or not.
 

Not *that* long, actually. In SQ5, Bea asks Roger if he's "that guy who stopped the Sariens a few years back". This implies that SQ5 takes place only a few years after SQ1, which makes sense when you look at the series timeline and make a few guesses.
 
-SQ1 happens. Roger gets famous for a while, but eventually is forgotten. Let's say, maybe a year total of this.
 
-SQ2 happens. Roger gets kidnapped and effectively disappears from known civilization. He stops Vohaul, but is forced into cryosleep to survive. An indeterminate amount of time passes; let's say maybe another year or two.
 
-SQ3 happens. Roger wakes up in the middle of nowhere - the galactic boonies, if you will. He saves the Two Guys, dumps them in a parellel universe, and returns to tell the tale.
 
-SQ4 happens, apparantly not very long after SQ3. Roger is still on his way back home to Xenon after having dealt with the whole SQ3 business. Future Vohaul tries to kill him at this point in time1 - the first time since SQ2 that Roger's been seen in civilized space (which would give the Sequel Police a historical reference on where to look for him). Roger survives and returns to that same point in time.
 
-Roger returns home, presumably discovering that while he's been gone, everyone has written him off as dead and he's lost his old job. He decides to enroll in Starcon Academy to try and make something of himself. After an unspecified amount of time - let's say, one year's worth of classes at minimum - SQ5 happens.
 
Obviously, these estimations of mine have no in-universe basis, but the numbers seem reasonable to me. Time obviously passes between SQ1 and SQ2, SQ2 and SQ3, and SQ4 and SQ5. Bea's comment indicates maybe 3-5 years total, split up to some degree between the games in question.
 
Then, of course, we have Incinerations, which explicitly takes place at least a decade after SQ6, by which point Starcon has essentially collapsed. Ah, well, nothing lasts forever. :P
 
 
1) Vohaul can't try to kill Roger at any point prior to this - if he kills Roger before SQ2, then Vohaul will cause a time paradox that prevents him from ascending to power in the future. He also logically can't kill him between SQ2 and SQ4 because Roger is MIA and Vohaul has no idea where to look for him.

Alright, I'll pitch my creepy avatar into this thread, if only so that the youngbloods among us might know true terror.
 
My name is Ascii - "Cap'n" Ascii to my friends, although captain of *what* is debatable. The old-timers around here cower in fear at that name - for I am the most *verbose* son-of-a-Blatz this side of Dhiatensor VII, the word processor planet. Back in the day, I was well known for posting long, rambling, time-devouring diatribes on whatever subject was at hand, SQ or not - a habit that eventually became so overwhelming that I was forced to swear off message boards completely for a while. Around the same time, the Space Quest community was on a slow tailspin into nothingness, so I quietly bowed out while the bowing was good. Now it's back, and so am I - albeit with firmer restrictions on the number of posts I make. I can't afford to spend all my time hanging around with you guys anymore - I have something not entirely unlike a life now. :P
 
I am a Space Quest *believer* - 'fan' isn't an encompassing-enough word. SQ had had more of an impact on my life than many of the *real* people I know. One of the earliest memories in my entire life is of watching my father playing a (pirated) copy of SQ2 on our Tandy 1000 and marveling at the idea of a game that you could actually *talk to* with the keyboard - especially because I couldn't yet read at that age. It was the first adventure game I ever played - it and SQ3, although I played less of 3 because as a child I was terrified of the gory pictures on the death caption boxes. Ironically, I'm now firmly in Jeysie's camp of enjoying them instead. ;)
 
I'm a writer - although it's rare I feel passionately enough about something to write fiction, I do have a few pieces under my belt (although some of them aren't the sort of thing I'd post without using a pseudonymn, heh heh). I'm an armchair psychoanalyst - I love delving into the motivations behind characters and design choices in my favorite games and other fictions. I'm a die-hard video gamer, PC, console, and handheld alike - I cut my teeth on an NES and haven't put down the controllers since. I am a role-player - I play virtual tabletop games with an online group that, ironically, was originally started by myself and other SQ fans jumping ship from the sinking Broomcloset forums (right, BLusk? ;) ). Despite my seemingly crass nature (did I mention I'm also a huge Leisure Suit Larry fan?) and love of dark humor, I am a sensitive fellow, and a classic romantic - I've had two wonderful girlfriends over the past several years, and am on the market looking for a third. Not bad for a guy who, in his previous SQ board incarnation, was shy and neurotic to the point of being self-destructive. I've come a long way, baby. :D

Alright, I'll pitch my creepy avatar into this thread, if only so that the youngbloods among us might know true terror.
 
My name is Ascii - "Cap'n" Ascii to my friends, although captain of *what* is debatable. The old-timers around here cower in fear at that name - for I am the most *verbose* son-of-a-Blatz this side of Dhiatensor VII, the word processor planet. Back in the day, I was well known for posting long, rambling, time-devouring diatribes on whatever subject was at hand, SQ or not - a habit that eventually became so overwhelming that I was forced to swear off message boards completely for a while. Around the same time, the Space Quest community was on a slow tailspin into nothingness, so I quietly bowed out while the bowing was good. Now it's back, and so am I - albeit with firmer restrictions on the number of posts I make. I can't afford to spend all my time hanging around with you guys anymore - I have something not entirely unlike a life now. :P
 
I am a Space Quest *believer* - 'fan' isn't an encompassing-enough word. SQ had had more of an impact on my life than many of the *real* people I know. One of the earliest memories in my entire life is of watching my father playing a (pirated) copy of SQ2 on our Tandy 1000 and marveling at the idea of a game that you could actually *talk to* with the keyboard - especially because I couldn't yet read at that age. It was the first adventure game I ever played - it and SQ3, although I played less of 3 because as a child I was terrified of the gory pictures on the death caption boxes. Ironically, I'm now firmly in Jeysie's camp of enjoying them instead. ;)
 
I'm a writer - although it's rare I feel passionately enough about something to write fiction, I do have a few pieces under my belt (although some of them aren't the sort of thing I'd post without using a pseudonymn, heh heh). I'm an armchair psychoanalyst - I love delving into the motivations behind characters and design choices in my favorite games and other fictions. I'm a die-hard video gamer, PC, console, and handheld alike - I cut my teeth on an NES and haven't put down the controllers since. I am a role-player - I play virtual tabletop games with an online group that, ironically, was originally started by myself and other SQ fans jumping ship from the sinking Broomcloset forums (right, BLusk? ;) ). Despite my seemingly crass nature (did I mention I'm also a huge Leisure Suit Larry fan?) and love of dark humor, I am a sensitive fellow, and a classic romantic - I've had two wonderful girlfriends over the past several years, and am on the market looking for a third. Not bad for a guy who, in his previous SQ board incarnation, was shy and neurotic to the point of being self-destructive. I've come a long way, baby. :D

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...

Both of these views are true. :) Roger is definitely an accidental hero by nature - with a downright uncanny knack for finding himself knee-deep in danger time and again - but at the same time, there have been numerous occasions when he *had* the opportunity to escape, but chose not to. To wit:
 
SQ1: Roger escapes from Kerona with the current coordinates of the Deltaur in hand. Logically, most people would probably have made straight for the nearest Starcon facility and called in the authorities. Roger, however, in an unusual burst of insight, realizes that the Sariens could move at any time and that taking the time to find help might let them get away. Instead, he goes after them himself. This instance is particularly notable in that it's A> the first time Roger ever actually takes heroic action of his own accord, and B> his lack of hero experience at this early stage makes this more or less a suicide mission.
 
SQ3: Roger confronts a bunch of dangerous software pirates to rescue a pair of software designers he's never even met, and has no real reason to care about. Possibly justified in that there doen't seem to be any authorities in the backwater corner of the galaxy he's currently puttering around in, but still, he's risking his neck for a couple of strangers.
 
SQ5: Roger enrolls in Starcon Academy with the express purpose of becoming a starship captain. This says a lot about how his disposition towards heroism has advanced over the years; he's now actively seeking out the chance to make the step up from "shmuck" to "hero" (though admittedly, he's probably doing it more for the career upgrade and the respect than a desire to get himself into danger).
 
SQ6: Roger once again sticks his neck out to save someone, this time a close personal friend. :) This one in particular really hits home with me, because it shows how far he's willing to go to help someone he genuinely cares about, as opposed to just "the galaxy" or random programmer weirdos.
 
Incinerations: I won't go into details on this one just in case some of you haven't finished the game yet (hmm, this board needs a 'spoiler' tag to black out text), but those of you who have know exactly what moment I'm talking about. The moment, near the end of the game, where after years of being something of a cowardly lion, a personal crisis and a pep talk from a friend give Roger the epiphany that finally pushes him from semi-reluctant protagonist to Big Damn Hero. Cue the single most awesome endgame chapter in adventure game history, where our hero shows us the sheer amount of ass he can kick when properly motivated. :D
 
Point being, Roger is (or was) definitely not 'into' the hero business at first - but I think the games do a good job of showing that the spark of heroism was there to begin with, and over time it evolved him into something more than just Joe Blow in the wrong place at the wrong time. ;)

Both of these views are true. :) Roger is definitely an accidental hero by nature - with a downright uncanny knack for finding himself knee-deep in danger time and again - but at the same time, there have been numerous occasions when he *had* the opportunity to escape, but chose not to. To wit:
 
SQ1: Roger escapes from Kerona with the current coordinates of the Deltaur in hand. Logically, most people would probably have made straight for the nearest Starcon facility and called in the authorities. Roger, however, in an unusual burst of insight, realizes that the Sariens could move at any time and that taking the time to find help might let them get away. Instead, he goes after them himself. This instance is particularly notable in that it's A> the first time Roger ever actually takes heroic action of his own accord, and B> his lack of hero experience at this early stage makes this more or less a suicide mission.
 
SQ3: Roger confronts a bunch of dangerous software pirates to rescue a pair of software designers he's never even met, and has no real reason to care about. Possibly justified in that there doen't seem to be any authorities in the backwater corner of the galaxy he's currently puttering around in, but still, he's risking his neck for a couple of strangers.
 
SQ5: Roger enrolls in Starcon Academy with the express purpose of becoming a starship captain. This says a lot about how his disposition towards heroism has advanced over the years; he's now actively seeking out the chance to make the step up from "shmuck" to "hero" (though admittedly, he's probably doing it more for the career upgrade and the respect than a desire to get himself into danger).
 
SQ6: Roger once again sticks his neck out to save someone, this time a close personal friend. :) This one in particular really hits home with me, because it shows how far he's willing to go to help someone he genuinely cares about, as opposed to just "the galaxy" or random programmer weirdos.
 
Incinerations: I won't go into details on this one just in case some of you haven't finished the game yet (hmm, this board needs a 'spoiler' tag to black out text), but those of you who have know exactly what moment I'm talking about. The moment, near the end of the game, where after years of being something of a cowardly lion, a personal crisis and a pep talk from a friend give Roger the epiphany that finally pushes him from semi-reluctant protagonist to Big Damn Hero. Cue the single most awesome endgame chapter in adventure game history, where our hero shows us the sheer amount of ass he can kick when properly motivated. :D
 
Point being, Roger is (or was) definitely not 'into' the hero business at first - but I think the games do a good job of showing that the spark of heroism was there to begin with, and over time it evolved him into something more than just Joe Blow in the wrong place at the wrong time. ;)

Both of these views are true. :) Roger is definitely an accidental hero by nature - with a downright uncanny knack for finding himself knee-deep in danger time and again - but at the same time, there have been numerous occasions when he *had* the opportunity to escape, but chose not to. To wit:
 
SQ1: Roger escapes from Kerona with the current coordinates of the Deltaur in hand. Logically, most people would probably have made straight for the nearest Starcon facility and called in the authorities. Roger, however, in an unusual burst of insight, realizes that the Sariens could move at any time and that taking the time to find help might let them get away. Instead, he goes after them himself. This instance is particularly notable in that it's A> the first time Roger ever actually takes heroic action of his own accord, and B> his lack of hero experience at this early stage makes this more or less a suicide mission.
 
SQ3: Roger confronts a bunch of dangerous software pirates to rescue a pair of software designers he's never even met, and has no real reason to care about. Possibly justified in that there doen't seem to be any authorities in the backwater corner of the galaxy he's currently puttering around in, but still, he's risking his neck for a couple of strangers.
 
SQ5: Roger enrolls in Starcon Academy with the express purpose of becoming a starship captain. This says a lot about how his disposition towards heroism has advanced over the years; he's now actively seeking out the chance to make the step up from "shmuck" to "hero" (though admittedly, he's probably doing it more for the career upgrade and the respect than a desire to get himself into danger).
 
SQ6: Roger once again sticks his neck out to save someone, this time a close personal friend. :) This one in particular really hits home with me, because it shows how far he's willing to go to help someone he genuinely cares about, as opposed to just "the galaxy" or random programmer weirdos.
 
Incinerations: I won't go into details on this one just in case some of you haven't finished the game yet (hmm, this board needs a 'spoiler' tag to black out text), but those of you who have know exactly what moment I'm talking about. The moment, near the end of the game, where after years of being something of a cowardly lion, a personal crisis and a pep talk from a friend give Roger the epiphany that finally pushes him from semi-reluctant protagonist to Big Damn Hero. Cue the single most awesome endgame chapter in adventure game history, where our hero shows us the sheer amount of ass he can kick when properly motivated. :D
 
Point being, Roger is (or was) definitely not 'into' the hero business at first - but I think the games do a good job of showing that the spark of heroism was there to begin with, and over time it evolved him into something more than just Joe Blow in the wrong place at the wrong time. ;)

Are you kidding? Getting a half-dozen people on the Internet to sit down and even *agree* on any one thing is a miracle in and of itself, let alone getting them to cooperate long enough to do something constructive. ;) In particular, Real Life has a *nasty* habit of butting its big fat nose in and ganking your buddies when you need them most. I've been DMing for an IRC-based tabletop gaming group for years now, and we've had members quit and join on a frustratingly regular basis - people keep trying to 'have a life' and such, and it inevitably interferes with our online schedules. :P
 
Seriously, though, there are other factors. Aome people just plain don't work well in groups - I myself tend to do badly in group-based projects because I have an intense hatred of being held to deadlines (read: I'm a procrastinator). Other people feel like handing off parts of 'their' project to other team members - having someone else draw the stuff you want to show, etc. - feels too much like outsourcing. If you're trying to create something, can you really call it *yours* if all of the graphics and sound effects and programming were done by other people? Yes, there's a certain element of egoism present, but it's not necessarily arrogance - just a desire to *make* something and feel proud of having done so. Collaberation gets the job done, but it also means the result isn't really yours anymore, in a sense - you may still feel pride, but not so much as a creator than as a contributor.
 

Sadly, no. :P The game never even remotely got to a playable stage - most of what I had done by that point was design drafts and the constructing and desc-ing of game objects. Unfortunately, due to two drive crashes I've suffered over the intervening years, anything I *had* done has long since been lost. :(
 
For those who are curious, the (simple) plot involved Post-SQ6 Roger and the Deepship-86 being attacked by the newest model of Gippazoid's killer robots - Arnoid 2.0 (a smarter, more heavily-armed version of the original model). He first attacks the ship - disabling it - but with his own ship getting blown up in the process. Thinking the attacker dead, Kielbasa sends Roger (the only crewmember who isn't needed for damage control) to a nearby starport to aquire some needed replacement parts. Once he gets them and returns, Arnoid (who survived the destruction of his ship) finally finds them again and boards the ship to stalk poor Roger. The Deepship's security forces can't stop him (what with him being invisible and all) and get slaughtered, so Roger is forced to flee for his life through the ship and eventually come up with a way to beat him (with some help from Sidney, who ends up becoming a sort-of sidekick for this section).