Introduce Yourself!

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

And welcome to the US!

Thanks for the welcome! Actually, I'm from the US. I moved to Sydney, Australia a few years ago. Sorry for any confusion!

I am one of the folks that's never understood those who disliked KQVII. Yes, it was much "easier" and less "exploring" that the previous games; but it was essentially an interactive cartoon that was utterly amazing to behold and be able to control the characters! It was done absolutely beautifully - especially for it's time.

Now... if we talk Mask of the Betrayer (which I refuse to call a part of the King's Quest franchise, despite taking place in Daventry) - then I'd have some negative things to say!

I quite agree. I've replayed it frequently and never tire of it. I love the characters, the environments, the music, the voice acting...absolutely everything. It's truly a remarkable creation. Mask of Eternity, on the other hand, has never done much for me, either.

Ah yes, youth, ... when you got excited about finding dead bodies.

Haha! Yeah, those were fun times. I credit that game for instilling me with a love of murder mysteries at a young age. Needless to say I was thrilled to discover The Colonel's Bequest a few years later (after I was old enough to type).

SQ3 is my favorite, followed closely by SQ4.

You mentioned playing KQVII - but have you played I-VI also?

Or Leisure Suit Larry (only I-III, and V-VI... don't worry about finding IV)

Or Police Quest (I, II and III), or Quest for Glory I-V, or Gabriel Knight I-III...

There's more - but that's the core.

Oh yes, I've played many of those! I just touched upon my introduction to Sierra in my previous post. I love all the King's Quests...only one I haven't played is the third. Well, that and the original AGI edition of the first game. I'm sorry to say that I struggle a bit with AGI; I have hard time getting into it. EGA I'm fine with, though. King's Quest II is the only AGI game I've played in its entirety. I do intend to give the engine a chance someday, however.

I love Quest for Glory as well. LSL and Police Quest I haven't really tried yet, but I bought all of them on GOG when they had a sale a while back. Now that I'm on a kick, I hope to give them a go soon.

Curious - when was the last time you played Legend of Kyrandia? Because I recently replayed it (remember loving it as a kid) - and how I made it through that game (puzzles are insane), I will never know. I am currently (on hiatus) but playing Legend of Kyrandia II, as well as King's Quest IV and Les Manly 1 (and Dragonsphere) - for old school games (and then somehow trying to play an assortment of new games all at the same time... I need to clone myself!)

Last time I played Kyrandia was a month or so ago. That's one of my all-time favorites, so I tend to replay it a lot. On average, at least twice a year...sometimes more. I revisit the second one (The Hand of Fate) a lot, too. Malcolm's Revenge I play on occasion, but not as much as I used to. I enjoyed that game more as a kid than I do now. It's got a lot of things I find enjoyable, but it's too different in tone and style to really fit in with the series. It feels more like a parody of the first two games than a direct sequel, let alone the conclusion of a trilogy.

For the first one, it's not so much the game design as the environment that sucks me in: the art and music. It's very soothing and comforting for me. I fully admit some of the design weaknesses it has, but I've played it so many times now I've got everything long committed to memory, so it doesn't bug me anymore. I've even got the fireberry maze memorized, if you can imagine!

Best community is right here for Sierra. Collector can provide you all kinds of information about the game structure, I'm sure.

I've so enjoyed browsing all this site has to offer, along with the SCI programming wikis. I've still a lot to learn but it's fascinating just reading about how it all works.

[JasefWisener]

Hey, new blood! Welcome!

[Tawmis]

Thanks for the welcome! Actually, I'm from the US. I moved to Sydney, Australia a few years ago. Sorry for any confusion!

Oh! In that case - um - welcome BACK to the US!

Mask of Eternity, on the other hand, has never done much for me, either.

We're going to get along splendidly!

Ah yes, youth, ... when you got excited about finding dead bodies.

Haha! Yeah, those were fun times. I credit that game for instilling me with a love of murder mysteries at a young age. Needless to say I was thrilled to discover The Colonel's Bequest a few years later (after I was old enough to type).

I actually like Colonel's Bequest more than Dagger of Amon Ra, myself! Maybe because it's the whole house, thing? Seems like a more ... ideal situation for a crazy murder spree.
(I also think it's because it had the cool secret passage ways where you could see or hear extra bits)

Oh yes, I've played many of those! I just touched upon my introduction to Sierra in my previous post. I love all the King's Quests...only one I haven't played is the third. Well, that and the original AGI edition of the first game. I'm sorry to say that I struggle a bit with AGI; I have hard time getting into it. EGA I'm fine with, though. King's Quest II is the only AGI game I've played in its entirety. I do intend to give the engine a chance someday, however. I love Quest for Glory as well. LSL and Police Quest I haven't really tried yet, but I bought all of them on GOG when they had a sale a while back. Now that I'm on a kick, I hope to give them a go soon.

I've started a King's Quest play through (includes KQ1 AGI) over on this thread. I've finished KQIII - I think only the non commentary is posted, I've not yet spliced it for Youtube with the Commentary section. King's Quest III ... can be brutal.

I enjoyed Police Quest (but be sure to read the manuals so you do arrest procedures correctly!) - and for Leisure Suit Larry, you could say I am a huge fan! I run LarryLaffer.net I was even in the Sierra InterAction magazine as Larry Laffer himself! (I can't tell if I should be honored or insulted!)

Last time I played Kyrandia was a month or so ago. That's one of my all-time favorites, so I tend to replay it a lot. On average, at least twice a year...sometimes more. I revisit the second one (The Hand of Fate) a lot, too. Malcolm's Revenge I play on occasion, but not as much as I used to. I enjoyed that game more as a kid than I do now. It's got a lot of things I find enjoyable, but it's too different in tone and style to really fit in with the series. It feels more like a parody of the first two games than a direct sequel, let alone the conclusion of a trilogy.

I agree about LoKIII... it didn't feel like it fit... other than to tie Malcolm in and just have a chaotic time with him.

For the first one, it's not so much the game design as the environment that sucks me in: the art and music. It's very soothing and comforting for me. I fully admit some of the design weaknesses it has, but I've played it so many times now I've got everything long committed to memory, so it doesn't bug me anymore. I've even got the fireberry maze memorized, if you can imagine!

That's incredible (about the maze)

What's weird is the stones you have to place on that table, randomize at the start of the game, apparently? It's never the same stones, right?

I've so enjoyed browsing all this site has to offer, along with the SCI programming wikis. I've still a lot to learn but it's fascinating just reading about how it all works.

If you have any questions - ask away. Someone is bound to have your answer.

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

Welcome to the forums, SHP! (Can I call you that? SHP = Semi-Happy Partygoer, and also Sierra Help Pages!)

Hey, new blood! Welcome!

Thank you both. I'm thoroughly enjoying all this site has to offer.
And Rath, SHP is a fine nickname. I hadn't even thought of the initial similarity when coming up with it

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

I actually like Colonel's Bequest more than Dagger of Amon Ra, myself! Maybe because it's the whole house, thing? Seems like a more ... ideal situation for a crazy murder spree.
(I also think it's because it had the cool secret passage ways where you could see or hear extra bits)

I enjoy both Colonel and Dagger equally, but I agree about the setting of the first one. The environment of the plantation was so well executed. I still get nervous goosebumps when exploring the grounds. Also, such excellent use of dithering to create a sense of depth and color.

What's weird is the stones you have to place on that table, randomize at the start of the game, apparently? It's never the same stones, right?

The first gem and last gem are always the same, but the two middle gems alternate every game, yes. It is trial and error, but I usually just gather up all the scattered gems, place them in front of the altar and save. That way I don't need to go searching for them again after they burn up. Unless I feel like doing it the long way - then I just let them burn and go searching again.

[Jalen]

Hi, I just registered a few days ago and am I guess getting around now to introducing myself. (Would have done so earlier, but I work as a teacher, and the grades for this grading period were due on Friday, so that's kept me busy.) I'm old enough to remember playing some the old Hi-Res Adventures as a child—I don't think I ever played Time Zone or Ulysses and the Golden Fleece, but I definitely played all the others (though Cranston Manor just barely—if I remember right (which it's entirely possible I don't, since, well, it's been a long time) my family didn't own that one, but I played it a little on a computer at school). I may even have finished a few of them.

Actually, speaking of the Hi-Res Adventures, I admit I have a bit of an ulterior motive for registering here—I'm planning on starting a blog about game creation systems and engines (though it'll be a while until I officially launch), and of course that would include the various Sierra engines: ADL, SCI, AGI. There's plenty of information online about SCI and AGI, but I haven't been able to find anything about ADL, so I was hoping someone here might know something. (I was going to make a separate post about that in the Game Tech Info forum, but apparently I can't; maybe I'm too new? Oh well.) Still, while that's how I originally found this forum (searching for information on Sierra games), I have enough of an interest in Sierra games that I'll hang around and browse other topics too while I'm here. It seems like there's a lot of interesting material here.

[Collector]

Hi, Jalen. I don't have much more to offer than what has been suggested on SCI Programming other than joining the Sierra Alums group on Facebook to ask some of the former Sierra devs. I look forward to anything that you might find. I have removed you from the "Newly Registered" group and you should have full rights here now.

[Tawmis]

Hi, I just registered a few days ago and am I guess getting around now to introducing myself. (Would have done so earlier, but I work as a teacher, and the grades for this grading period were due on Friday, so that's kept me busy.) I'm old enough to remember playing some the old Hi-Res Adventures as a child—I don't think I ever played Time Zone or Ulysses and the Golden Fleece, but I definitely played all the others (though Cranston Manor just barely—if I remember right (which it's entirely possible I don't, since, well, it's been a long time) my family didn't own that one, but I played it a little on a computer at school). I may even have finished a few of them.

Actually, speaking of the Hi-Res Adventures, I admit I have a bit of an ulterior motive for registering here—I'm planning on starting a blog about game creation systems and engines (though it'll be a while until I officially launch), and of course that would include the various Sierra engines: ADL, SCI, AGI. There's plenty of information online about SCI and AGI, but I haven't been able to find anything about ADL, so I was hoping someone here might know something. (I was going to make a separate post about that in the Game Tech Info forum, but apparently I can't; maybe I'm too new? Oh well.) Still, while that's how I originally found this forum (searching for information on Sierra games), I have enough of an interest in Sierra games that I'll hang around and browse other topics too while I'm here. It seems like there's a lot of interesting material here.

Welcome to the forums! My programming only goes as far as (Q)Basic, Pascal and beginner C++. Everything else is a mystery.

[Jalen]

Thanks for the welcome!

For what it's worth, I did get a reply on sierragamers.com from Ken Williams himself about the subject, and while he didn't remember much about the structure of the language behind the Hi-Res Advetures he did reveal one thing I thought was interesting—apparently he didn't call it "Adventure Development Language" at all! He didn't recognize the term "ADL", and asked if I was sure that Sierra had ever had anything by that name, and when I clarified that I was referring to the system used in the Hi-Res Adventures he said he didn't think he'd ever given that system a name.

Granted, it's been forty years, and people forget things, but that he'd forget the name of the engine that he created that powered his company's initial success—and that he'd not just be unable to call it to mind, but not even recognize it when he heard it—strikes me as very unlikely. As far as I can tell, the idea that the language was called Adventure Development Language/ADL traces back to the book Hackers by Steven Levy, but it seems probable to me that Levy made a mistake here—either he misunderstood something in one of the interviews he conducted, or one of his informants was lying or mistaken. It's still possible, of course, that Levy had it right and Williams had somehow completely forgotten the name of the engine that launched his company, but that seems to me to be very much the less likely of the two possibilities.

Anyway, at this point I think my next step (as suggested by someone on the intfiction.org forum) is to try to get in touch with the person who created the "ADL" interpreter for ScummVM—he must have figured out the structure of the language to be able to do that, so hopefully he'll be willing to share what he knows. If not, since ScummVM is open source, I can take a look at the code for the interpreter myself and figure out how it works, but that would be time consuming enough that it's a last resort.

[Tawmis]

Very cool. At least you got a response from Ken - that's always cool - and then more breadcrumbs for your quest!

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

Welcome, Jalen. That’s a very interesting project you’re undertaking and I wish you the best of luck. Looking forward to reading about your discoveries once you launch.

[Cade3825]

Hello all,

My name is Steve and have been a huge fan of Sierra Games since the early 80s. It helped spark my interest in video game creation and now I am a professional game developer. I've now worked for several game companies including Ubisoft. But I always loved these old adventure games. I even created one using their AGI interpreter called Star Commander a long time ago (late 90s) and have just decided to port it to Unity with a "VGA" upgrade lol. If anyone is interested in following my progress on this game you can check out my blog as I develop it.

You can get to the blog here https://www.stevevcoyle.com/blog-1

I hope to meet everyone here on the forums!

[Rath Darkblade]

Hello and welcome, Steve. I didn't get a chance to play any Sierra games until the early 90s (IIRC, my first PC game - after CGA Tetris, naturally - was Maniac Mansion, followed by Quest for Glory 1 (both EGA)). Yes, I know: CGA? EGA? Pah, luxury!

Your project sounds interesting. I haven't the faintest about creating any kind of art, so it's always intriguing to see.

Welcome again, and thrice welcome!

[Tawmis]

Hello all,

My name is Steve and have been a huge fan of Sierra Games since the early 80s. It helped spark my interest in video game creation and now I am a professional game developer. I've now worked for several game companies including Ubisoft. But I always loved these old adventure games. I even created one using their AGI interpreter called Star Commander a long time ago (late 90s) and have just decided to port it to Unity with a "VGA" upgrade lol. If anyone is interested in following my progress on this game you can check out my blog as I develop it.

You can get to the blog here https://www.stevevcoyle.com/blog-1

I hope to meet everyone here on the forums!

Very cool to see someone inspired by games - and managing to chase the dream down and actually work in them.

Like you, when I first played the original King's Quest 1 - I'd wanted to get into gaming. So I got into computers in my youth. Sadly, never got a career in game development.

Somehow got stuck doing IT work instead. Not sure what exit I missed....

That said, welcome to the forums!

[Collector]

Not sure what exit I missed....

Antelope Freeway, 1 mile. Antelope Freeway, 1/2 mile. Antelope Freeway, 1/4 mile. Antelope Freeway, 1/8 mile. Antelope Freeway, 1/16 mile. Antelope Freeway, 1/32 mile. Antelope Freeway, 1/64 mile.