Space Quest for the Next Generation

[JRock3x8]

Space Quest was not my first computer game but it was the first game I fell in love with. The last two weeks with all of the interviews and commentaries I revisited that part of my youth a little bit. I watched one of the play throughs on youtube with my 7 year old son watching over my shoulder. I was amazed at how excited he was about it considering the pretty awful graphics compared to what he is used to.

 

So I got a copy of the game and installed it on a spare XP laptop we had (installing that game on modern machines is quite an adventure in its own right, thank you whoever built those modern installers...).

 

I soon realized that this wasn't just entertainment for him but also education. The only games he has ever played only involve a Wii motion controller or maybe a PS3 or 360 gamepad where everything is more or less intuitive. Now all of a sudden all of that is stripped away. Moving the character is still fairly intuitive but now everything the character has to do requires thought, spelling and typing from him, skills he doesn't really have mastered yet. On top of that, the early part of SQ1 is timed, so he needs to learn to do those things quickly.

 

I'm so thrilled that not only do I get to share a part of my childhood with my son but that he also gets to learn valuable skills that he needs for life in the process.

[Tawmis]

Awesome share, sir!

 

And above, you state why I hated the point and click interface, when that took over Sierra games. It ripped away some of the intuitive requirements to play the games. One could simply click all over the screen, rotating between the different icons, until something happened.

[Collector]

installing that game on modern machines is quite an adventure in its own right, thank you whoever built those modern installers...).

 

You are welcome.

[Johnathon]

I still attribute my early success with typing and w/ computers in general to Space Quest 3, Gold Rush, and Police Quest 2

[MusicallyInspired]

For me it was spelling.

[JRock3x8]

The thing about mice is that people who learned how to use computers before mice hate them and people who learned how to use computers after them don't understand how to use a PC without one.

 

I see it both ways although when it comes to hardcore work time in excel I touch my mouse as little as possible.

 

As far as typing skills go, it was most definitely online chats that did it for me. I knew a guy in high school who eventually went to go work for both yahoo and google who wrote this chat software that was really great. Made some lifelong friends on that thing.

[FroggyMe6581]

King's Quest 4 taught me to spell "ceiling." I remember my cousin getting mad at me because I kept mispelling it, and the parser would respond that it didn't know what a "cielling" was.

 

Though it was KQ1 that taught me how to type.

[JRock3x8]

Funny. I never ever got into or so much as looked at a Kings Quest game. I played space quest 1, 3, half of 4 and police quest 1, 2 and maybe 3. Can't remember.

 

Soon after I moved into sports sims. There was a crazy hockey game that let you play season after season and your players skills would actually progress depending on how well you played which back then was kind of crazy. And then of course there was front page sports football. But we're way off topic here. :)

 

Sadly, the PC "driver game" is what drove me to consoles in 2003. I got so sick of my PC games crashing all the time.

[Tawmis]

It was the assortment of Sierra games that taught me to type as quick as I do (as well greatly increased my ability to spell correctly!)... I strongly dislike the point and click interface. With a passion.

[JRock3x8]

I'm going to support your argument by going off topic again. :)

 

Another one of my favorite video game franchises is Mechwarrior. Mechwarrior at its core is COMPLETELY Incomprehensible. It's so complicated you need like 5 spreadsheets to keep track of all the numbers. But that's what makes it great. Rewind to 2002 when MechAssault came out (which I loved for different reasons) - that game took away A LOT of what made Mechwarrior great. I think that pirhana is getting back to the incomprehensible side of the ledger with their new game due out sometime this summer.

 

My point is that point and click adventure games have their place and can be great but ultimately it subtracts from the formula that you and I know and love as space quest.

[Chrono]

That's awesome :) Space Quest 1 and the other old Sierra games thought me how to spell and type! I hope that if I have children of my own someday, I can introduce them to Space Quest.

[Johnathon]

Really? Is that what they did? They thought you?

 

Lol, so sorry, that was too easy. :D

[Tawmis]

Funny. I never ever got into or so much as looked at a Kings Quest game. I played space quest 1, 3, half of 4 and police quest 1, 2 and maybe 3. Can't remember.

 

You want to play King's Quest IV and VI, at least.

 

Sadly, the PC "driver game" is what drove me to consoles in 2003. I got so sick of my PC games crashing all the time.

 

On this we agree. I do about 95% of my gaming on console now. Even though I just bought a souped up PC.

 

I'm going to support your argument by going off topic again. :)

 

I think the general rule (someone can slap me if I am wrong; or slap me because they enjoy doing it) - off topic is fine, as long as things remain civil. :)

 

Another one of my favorite video game franchises is Mechwarrior. Mechwarrior at its core is COMPLETELY Incomprehensible. It's so complicated you need like 5 spreadsheets to keep track of all the numbers. But that's what makes it great. Rewind to 2002 when MechAssault came out (which I loved for different reasons) - that game took away A LOT of what made Mechwarrior great. I think that pirhana is getting back to the incomprehensible side of the ledger with their new game due out sometime this summer.

 

My point is that point and click adventure games have their place and can be great but ultimately it subtracts from the formula that you and I know and love as space quest.

 

Loved MechWarrior also - used to get it on the LAN and have several of us in the garage and just jump on and blast the hell out of each other. ("You did not just jump into an Atlas! You son of a - BOOM!")

 

But as for point and click - oh yes, they have their place. Just like most things do. I just don't think they helped Adventure (Sierra) Games. I think it impaired them.

 

For me, it's what helped me to type as quickly as I do, and spell... On the business side of it (opposite of my view), they probably saw point and click easier, and thus could target more people. (Like kids and such who may not have enjoyed learning how to type and spell... and look at the kids today...) ;)

[JRock3x8]

speaking of mechwarrior, that gets relaunched as a free to play game this year (mwomercs.com) along with like THIRTEEN OTHER MECH GAMES - it's crazy.

 

So I risked marital strife by dropping $300 on a quad core system last week. :)

[Tawmis]

speaking of mechwarrior, that gets relaunched as a free to play game this year (mwomercs.com) along with like THIRTEEN OTHER MECH GAMES - it's crazy.

 

So I risked marital strife by dropping $300 on a quad core system last week. :)

 

We may be battling side by side in mechs in the near future then, sir.

:)

[JRock3x8]

Looking forward to it. I use the same handle over there.

[Tawmis]

Same, I'm over there as Tawmis.

[WilcoWeb]

Space Quest and the other Sierra adventure games taught me to type fast and accurately. My daughter is a little too young to appreciate things with words yet :)

[JRock3x8]

Another thing that I love is that the parser is a bit strict. You may need to type something a certain way which forces my son to think of words that are like what he just typed but not exactly the same.

 

He is struggling with it a little bit but it's so interesting to him that he stays with it.

[aardvark4lunch]

As a 17 year old young adult, I'll do everything in my power to ensure the everlasting rain of sierra! Do your part for the future, give your kids Space Quest today!