it's a full-length game that's padded out with puzzles rather than cutscenes

Hmmm... I'll throw out a fair warning about SQInc, then. I've sort of grown addicted to making game cinematics.

 

Otherwise, I didn't catch onto the size of VSB until most recently in development. Puzzle and character-wise, VSB seems to be the largest Space Quest game ever released. In fact, I found out yesterday that there's almost 70 speaking characters in it alone.

 

Personally, I'm really hoping this inspires other people to start making their own original games as well. Much like with Hollywood movies, I'm almost remake'd out (or I will be after KQ4, SQ3, Gold Rush, LSL2, LSL3, LB1, and PQ2 VGA are all finished.)

Yeah, remakes are nice, but original games are even better. (Y)

 

VSB is also probably the largest as far as rooms/playtime. It still takes me about 1-2 hours to complete, running through as fast as I can.

 

I'm also under the impression there are a lot more references in it than other Space Quests, though that may just be me being aware of putting them in.

Yeah, thankyou for the kind words, Akril :)

 

And trust me - Roger falling off the cliff isn't the only nice death scene in there! :wink:

You're very welcome! And yes -- I died many times during that game, but I'm sure there's still dozens of other fatal scenarios that I've missed.

 

it's a full-length game that's padded out with puzzles rather than cutscenes

Hmmm... I'll throw out a fair warning about SQInc, then. I've sort of grown addicted to making game cinematics.

Don't worry -- judging by the trailers I've seen for SQInc so far, I doubt I'll have any complaints about those cutscenes. :wink:

(Besides, with the cutscene-to-puzzle ratio in my games, I don't really have much room to criticize.)

 

I'm also under the impression there are a lot more references in it than other Space Quests, though that may just be me being aware of putting them in.

I lost count of the cameos/references/spoofs in VSB long ago, but I'd say that their number could definitely rival that of SQ6 (the most reference-rich game in the series).*

 

 

*I admit that the amount of LucasArts references in VSB was a bit rich for my taste -- but to each their own.

but I'm sure there's still dozens of other fatal scenarios that I've missed.

There are about 70 deaths at last count. :)

Yeahhh... but I think a lot of those are duplicates, aren't they? Like getting shot by Merf while standing out in the open is the same death as showing him the viewshield glass?

 

In any case, there's still a lot more than SQInc. Although I think SQ2+ has the market cornered on death scenes.

I admit that the amount of LucasArts references in VSB was a bit rich for my taste -- but to each their own.

Heh, other people have pointed out as well that at times, VSB feels more like a LucasArts game than a Sierra one. Turns out pretty much everyone on our team is a big fan of their games as well. And it gave us a good selling point for spreading the word about the game at sites like Mixnmojo :)

It's odd, cause while some people are saying that we've got a more LucasArts-like game, others have commended us for preserving the Space Quest-feel. But hey, who am I to argue? Those are hardly the worst comments we could get :)

Those are my favorite comments. :)

 

I like to think that as far as companies go, we weren't actually aiming to recreate either style. We just picked out our favorite options in the AGS default settings and the end result was some kind of Sierra/LucasArts hybrid.

 

Although I think all those LEC references in the clerk's shop was the result of the early developers getting all the fan-service out of their system.

Well, I think the main "non-Sierra" thing, besides the display of speech, is the lack of dead-ends. In my opinion, that's a good thing.

That and the dialogue system. The LucasArts dialogue system was always superior anyway, I think. To me it has always seemed odd that the classic Sierra-games, including Space Quest, never really allowed you to carry out conversations with other characters as such. Roger somehow always knew just what to say.

Yeah, but you fight like a cow.

"Quest for Glory" had a topic system. Didn't allow you to pick any actual line-reads, though.

There are about 70 deaths at last count. :)

Woah. Makes me wish Jeysie were here now.

 

Heh, other people have pointed out as well that at times, VSB feels more like a LucasArts game than a Sierra one. Turns out pretty much everyone on our team is a big fan of their games as well. And it gave us a good selling point for spreading the word about the game at sites like Mixnmojo :)

VSB didn't really feel like a LucasArts game for me -- it's just that I was running into so many Monkey Island and/or generic pirate references that I was starting to think, "Okay, there technically were pirates in SQIII, but this is getting ridiculous..."

 

Well, I think the main "non-Sierra" thing, besides the display of speech, is the lack of dead-ends. In my opinion, that's a good thing.

I agree -- I shed no tears over the lack of "walking dead" scenarios. I may have played a lot of Sierra games with dead ends when I was younger, but these days, I don't really have the patience for 'em.

 

That and the dialogue system. The LucasArts dialogue system was always superior anyway, I think. To me it has always seemed odd that the classic Sierra-games, including Space Quest, never really allowed you to carry out conversations with other characters as such. Roger somehow always knew just what to say.

True -- there really weren't many conversations in the early Sierra games, and if you were talking to another character, the conversation was usually one-sided, with the occasional "You say [whatever]" narration. Still, I didn't mind the dialogue system in VSB -- I think it really helps flesh out the characters. (I also admit to preferring the text-over-character's-head speech as well.)

I'd rather see remakes and fangames (or original games, heck!) use whatever works best for them, rather than be hide-bound to one particular style. That said, I'd also be curious to see how one style of game would work if hammered into something completely different...

Good point, Sslaxx. We ended up doing what felt natural for this game. And interestingly, if you go back and look at some of the earliest scripts from 2002-2003, the game was very much a direct imitation of the classic Sierra-style. It even had "taste" and "smell"-icons and mindnumbingly unforeseeable deaths :)

Well, "taste" is still used in some places with the mouth. But yeah, we dropped "smell" when we finalized the interface.

Honestly, that works quite well.

 

Did they ever use smell in any puzzles? Because as far as I recall, they didn't.

Thanks :)

 

I don't think so, no. It was probably intended to make the point-and-click interface as versatile as the parser regarding exploration.

Thanks :)

 

I don't think so, no. It was probably intended to make the point-and-click interface as versatile as the parser regarding exploration.

Unless you were to make it like Return to Zork's interface, you'll never get that way. And frankly, perhaps it's just as well.

I think "smell" has only ever been useful in "Pepper's Adventures in Time" - and even then, that's when you're playing as a dog. Otherwise, it's a lot of painstaking work just to write narration for smelling everything (especially when the most used gag involves everything smelling rancid and/or smelling better than you.)

 

There were the condiments in SQ4, though... those were fun to smell.

(Y) Congratulations on the release. This month has been a pleasant surprise - two new games!! I'm also looking forward to Incinerations.

 

It'll be nice to have something new to toy with in between continuing work on my own endeavor.

So much new stuff out there. Hope there's more in the near future, too.

Congratulations to the team for the release of your game.

I'll try to find time to try it soon.

 

It's that kind of game that can keep SQ spirit alive.

So much new stuff out there. Hope there's more in the near future, too.

There you go

So much new stuff out there. Hope there's more in the near future, too.

There you go

Ummm... did you check its credits?