Colossal Cave (was Ken & Roberta Game Announcement)

[tassieboy]

Looks like nobody else has posted this here yet so I'll get the ball rolling (Obviously I'm not around here much but this is exciting)

Anyway, the Space Quest Historian just broke the news and Ken and Roberta are working on a game. No details yet but apparently it will have a "Sierra flavour"

[Collector]

I had just posted this to the SHP Facebook group a bit ago. Troels' video is circulating around the Sierra FB groups.

[Tawmis]

I am curious how it will be funded. I mean I know they're well off - but I wonder if they're going to go a Kickstarter route or something.

I sincerely hope not. I just hope they develop the game and find a distributor to release it. Or just release it digitally on GoG/Steam/Whatever at whatever cost.

[BBP]

I hope this video doesn't jinx it...

[Collector]

I am curious how it will be funded. I mean I know they're well off - but I wonder if they're going to go a Kickstarter route or something.

I sincerely hope not. I just hope they develop the game and find a distributor to release it. Or just release it digitally on GoG/Steam/Whatever at whatever cost.

I am sure that that is part of why not much has been revealed. There is probably much of the logistics that has yet to be worked out or even thought about.

[Tawmis]

I hope this video doesn't jinx it...

Ken seemed to be aware - and willing to leak that it was true.

I just hope expectations are not unreasonable.

For example, I enjoyed Quest for Glory, didn't really enjoy Hero-U as much (admittedly due to the art style).
I enjoyed Space Quest, and enjoy Space Venture - but still waiting for that final version to see the light of day.
Loved Gabriel Knight, never finished Morsus (or whatever). I think the other game, Gray Matter was more interesting - but have yet to finish that either.

[tassieboy]

I'm very keen to understand more about the level of Roberta's involvement. She's the story-teller of the family. It was her creative vision combined with Ken's visionary coding that was so magical at the very beginning.

[Tawmis]

I'm very keen to understand more about the level of Roberta's involvement. She's the story-teller of the family. It was her creative vision combined with Ken's visionary coding that was so magical at the very beginning.

I imagine (and hope) - this is what they're doing again.

Going back to their roots to make a fun game.

Probably about boating around the world.

[BBP]

Loved Gabriel Knight, never finished Morsus (or whatever). I think the other game, Gray Matter was more interesting - but have yet to finish that either.

Moebius, a name that you may have heard of in math as "Moebius Strip" - an object with one side and one edge, a name that you'll love when you see what wonderful objects meet these requirements or what art Escher made with them, and that you'll curse when you've been knitting in the round with twisted stitches.

I'm worried it goes the same way as earlier GK4 rumours - now the game looks to be even further away.

[Tawmis]

I posted it on a SpaceVenture (Ace Hardway) account I'd made early on when trying to help promote the game - and it's garnered more attention than I anticipated -


Like more so than the same Tweet from my Leisure Suit Larry Twitter -

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

I imagine (and hope) - this is what they're doing again.

Going back to their roots to make a fun game.

Indeed! Wouldn’t it be funny if the “Sierra kickstarters” thread gave them ideas

Nah. I’m sure they’re working on something great.

[Collector]

Enrico Ricciardi asked a question .
Moderator
· Yesterday at 10:33 AM ·
hi all
my friend Ken Williams told me I was free to post this, because I knew it since months but only yesterday, through a video, if you saw it you too now know what he and Roberta are working on.
I think you could be interested in reading his message to me

Hi all -- I don't want to say too much, because:
a) I'm trying to focus on the game, and Facebook can become a full-time job, and there are only 28 hours in a day
b) It's too soon. I probably shouldn't have leaked that I'm working on a game. There will be a time when I want all the publicity I can get, but it just isn't that time yet.
Anyway .. here's some answers to questions (a pre-emptive faq):
What are you working on? -- It is indeed a game, and it's one that is very mainstream. Roberta talked me out of the educational game and into something more people would enjoy. I'll say what it is about six weeks from now. In the meantime I just want to be head-down focused.
When will it be done? -- Our goal is November, but that probably isn't realistic. We're pushing hard though.
What platforms will it be available on? -- I don't know. Certainly Mac and Windows. I hope eventually it will be on most platforms and in most languages. A lot will depend on how people like it.
Can you give me a hint? -- I hope not!
Can I beta test? -- Possibly. Send me an email - ken@kensblog.com. I won't respond but I will put your name on a list of possible beta testers. I don't know yet how many we'll want or how we'll choose them, or even what we'll be looking for. I'm inclined towards fewer people who have the time to take it more seriously and put in more time. I'm guessing beta testing can start in August (or, at least hoping!).
Can I do the music? the box cover? character voices? the foreign translation? the porting to Apple ][? Probably not. We will need help with foreign translation and porting to other platforms, but the box art, voices and music are already handled.
Is the game any good? -- I have said that I do not think a small team can produce a product that is competitive in today's world. I still believe that. The major studios have nothing to fear from this game. It's an incredible accomplishment for a small team, and those who play it will find much to love. But, I am not kidding myself that this will sell millions of copies. That said, I do think traditional Sierra fans will be very happy.
What's Roberta's involvement? -- So far, her involvement has been important, but minimal. She was the original inspiration for the game, and has been consulted almost daily. But, in terms of hours spent in front of a computer it is 99% Marcus and myself. We've been filling all spare time 7 days a week. Roberta will get more and more involved as we get closer.
What's the game's exact current status? -- The whole game is there, but with scratch graphics. That's one reason for no screen shots. We wanted to rough out the whole game and then make a second (and, third and fourth) pass to replace the placeholder graphics and animation and start polishing things. If you saw the game today I doubt you'd be impressed. You would need a LOT of imagination. That's how we planned it and that's how it is.
Is this the beginning of a new company? -- I have no idea. Marcus (my partner in this effort) is in this for the long haul. He's young and has the ambition and talent to do something great. Whereas, I am happily retired and more excited about having an excuse to create and write code than I am about building a company. I do think people will like this game and that it will be the start of something. But, what that is, and whether Roberta and I will hang in there, or if this was just a fun one-off I do not know. At this point I don't want to think much beyond solving bugs and polishing the game. All of that said, I do have more ideas for things to do and have surprised myself (and, hopefully you) by what we have accomplished. I would have thought it impossible to do what we have done, but with a good set of tools and a lot of focus and hard work, big things appear to be possible. I can't imagine ever not waking up and going to my computer. So, we shall see!
Ken Williams

[Tawmis]

I imagine (and hope) - this is what they're doing again.
Going back to their roots to make a fun game.

Indeed! Wouldn’t it be funny if the “Sierra kickstarters” thread gave them ideas
Nah. I’m sure they’re working on something great.

Documents slip out - with Ken being like, "Have you seen this thread with all these great ideas?"

But some more -
EDIT - Looks like Collector and I posted at the same time!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E2hFmexVgAM ... ame=medium

[Collector]

Roberta is to thank for [it being a regular game and not the kiddie programming game mentioned months ago]. I originally wanted to do the kid game because I thought it was impossible for a small team to do anything worth playing. I figured I was better off to be a big fish in a small pond than the other way around. Roberta convinced me to give something more serious a try. It's turned out better than expected .. but, I would have to say that if compared to some of the projects that have 10s of millions of dollars invested, there is no comparison. Ultimately, there's no replacement for having a large team of professionals. That said, I've always said that the real test of a game is that if someone sneaks up on you while playing, taps you on the shoulder and says, "Are you having fun now?" -- If you answer, "YES!" -- that's it. It's all that really counts, and I think we'll compare by that standard quite well.

[Collector]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uq67x7yggtgz5qb/faq.docx?dl=0