June 2, 201214 yr Author comment_4170 Excellent Kotaku article. Today is really turning out to be a media blitz! http://kotaku.com/5915096/the-falling+out-and-heartwarming-reunion-of-the-guys-who-made-space-quest Report
June 6, 201214 yr comment_4457 At the risk of this being another trolling (though looking more legit) one of the commenters in the KS noticed that Corey Cole commented in the Gamasutra article: Great article! Working at Sierra in the 90's was definitely like riding a roller coaster. We were making fun games and having amazing interactions with our teams and occasionally the other groups. But we were also working long hours for low pay, and as Scott mentioned, the more success we had, the more the company seemed to want to take away from us. At the time, we were all angry about it; in the light of history, I can see that management was just as squeezed as we were. The overhead and development costs kept going up, while sales stayed relatively fixed. Something had to give. Along with all the stress, Ken Williams gave us opportunities that we might never have gotten elsewhere, let alone on our own. He trusted Lori and me to make Hero's Quest / Quest for Glory, and later Mixed-Up Fairy Tales and Castle of Dr. Brain, and he rarely interfered with the design or development. Yes, it was all because he wanted us to make us money, but there's nothing wrong with that - Everyone benefited. Incredibly hard work, moderately low pay, but it enabled us to create works of which we're still proud today. I think Scott and Mark could say the same - They were underpaid, and undoubtedly felt under-respected, but they had the opportunity to create work of great artistry and enduring value. When Sierra went public, I found some very interesting numbers in the disclosures. I had previously determined that almost everyone there was earning about 35% less than they would have in comparable industry jobs in the Bay Area. Curiously, that salary difference (multiplied by the number of employees) *exactly* accounted for the company's profit margin. When the company started paying employees more competitive salaries, they stopped making a profit. Game development costs ballooned from under $500K (QG1 and 2, Castle of Dr. Brain, etc.) to several million dollars (QG5, Phantasmagoria, etc.). Typical game sales doubled in that time. There is a reason Sierra started cutting back on staff, bonuses, and benefits! But we didn't understand that at the time, and had families to feed, so it all felt personal. Report
June 6, 201214 yr comment_4463 I don't thik there's anything remotely trolling about Corey's comments. He's a good friend of mine, and a very well respected guy. I would listen to him, Ken Allen, Josh Mandel, and a few others with open ears. Report
June 6, 201214 yr comment_4473 I was more thinking in terms of it might be a fake, but yeah, I don't think so. Just as Bill Shockley's comment on the KS update today is like real. Report
June 10, 201214 yr Author comment_4759 Chattin' with Scott on twitter. Asked him if SV will have a stand alone demo like Space Quest 6 did. Answer: "Eventually, yes. You have to be well into the development process to make one worth producing. Things change". INNNTERESTING. Report
June 18, 201214 yr comment_5114 Saw a tweet from Mark a couple of days ago where he claimed to be feverishly working on animations for proto #5 :) We also know from the wrap party (and Kickstarter comment thread) that the Mark, Scott & Chris intend this final proto to be something special. Though, in my opinion, having anything from these two is special, much less four minigames. Report
July 6, 201213 yr Author comment_5601 Kickstarter Update #52 Hey everyone! We are excited to announce that the official SpaceVenture backers website is going live! Woa slow down there SpaceVenturer, before you get to excited, please be sure to read all of this post carefully. We are adding thousands of user accounts into the website database. All of these accounts have to be put into proper groups so you guys all have access to the digital content goodness you came here for. Some of you will get your log on info sooner than others, please continue to be patient and give us time to get everyone added. Once you've been added you'll receive an email containing log on info and password. There is very little content on the website at the moment. We have a lot that will be added but want to make sure the account creation process for everyone goes smoothly first! Please give us a few days to get everyone added. Please do not attempt to manually create an account as this could disrupt the creation process. Don't forget to spread the word so we can meet some of the new stretch goals that are available! Thanks so much everyone! PS- Living concept art 5 is on the way! ------ http://www.kickstart...ue/posts/261574 Report
July 7, 201213 yr comment_5602 Don't forget to spread the word so we can meet some of the new stretch goals that are available! Thanks so much everyone! Yes, let's talk about shall we? ;) Report
July 10, 201213 yr comment_5647 Space Pope hits the road for Comic-Con!! A little extra publicity never hurt anyone's Stretch Goals... if there were ever a time to make some extra sweet insider content, it would be a sweet damn backer video from Comic-Con. For me. Because I can't go. :) Report
July 12, 201213 yr comment_5692 While we're on the subject of stretch goals, if anyone reading this has any control over the guysfromandromeda.com site, could they take the question mark out of "WAIT! WE’RE NOT DONE YET PEOPLE?!" I know there couldn't be a less important quibble, but it's an exclamation, not a question and it's driving me bananas. :^) Report
July 12, 201213 yr comment_5694 While we're on the subject of stretch goals, if anyone reading this has any control over the guysfromandromeda.com site, could they take the question mark out of "WAIT! WE’RE NOT DONE YET PEOPLE?!" I know there couldn't be a less important quibble, but it's an exclamation, not a question and it's driving me bananas. :^) Depends. If you read comic books, this is often done. Especially since it's in all caps. It's like a shouting statement of amazement. Report
July 12, 201213 yr comment_5707 Looks like we've got a stand off here. Who's going to call "irony fail" first? :D Report
July 12, 201213 yr comment_5708 I think you, ironically, already did. Sorry, I'm being pedantic. Report
July 20, 201213 yr comment_5797 Space Pope hits the road for Comic-Con!! A little extra publicity never hurt anyone's Stretch Goals... if there were ever a time to make some extra sweet insider content, it would be a sweet damn backer video from Comic-Con. For me. Because I can't go. :) I'd like to read more about how this panel went. Is there a transcript or video somewhere? Report
July 20, 201213 yr comment_5808 I'd like to read more about how this panel went. Is there a transcript or video somewhere? Seconded. My mind implodes with anticipation. Report
July 20, 201213 yr comment_5832 I'd like to read more about how this panel went. Is there a transcript or video somewhere? Seconded. My mind implodes with anticipation. Thirded. Where's the video Guys? Report
July 23, 201213 yr comment_5871 So should I have been granted access to the backers' site yet? Not complaining. Just want to make sure I'm on the list. Report
July 23, 201213 yr comment_5872 You should have by now, yes. PM me your e-mail address (that you pledged with) and tier you pledged at so I can check on it for you. Report
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