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This one is different... another company released Goldrush II (within the last year... I have it and have not yet had a chance to play it!) So counting that, we're going to make it Goldrush III (which may be difficult if you've not played II yet, since you won't know how II ends...)

But...

The idea came to me to post some threads about other Sierra games, when I was just digging through my email and found an ancient story I had written where the next King's Quest game would be Edgar (from King's Quest IV) seeking out Rosella to try and win her hand in marriage. It was, in my head, a cool idea because Edgar would technically be a king (with his mother - spoilers! - now dead).

So, I thought - given the chance, if you were brought in to help, or pitch ideas, or help direct (so let's avoid answers like, "I'd call in Jane Jensen/Al Lowe/Roberta Willians/Scott Murphy/Mark Crowe/Jim Walls/Christy Marx/etc" - and assume they're there too ) - to work on the next game.

So in this case - if you were a part of the creative team, what would you hope for in the next GOLDRUSH III?

One word. Klondike.

Hmm. I'd never played Gold Rush so I wouldn't have a clue, but ... perhaps ... snake repellent? Not the kind that comes from a can, but the kind you have to build yourself. I presume that people during that era needed a way to keep snakes and other vermin away?

From what I understand, by the way, snakes (generally speaking) don't attack humans unless the humans come too close - and with aggressive intent - to the snake, or unless the humans do something reelly reelly stoopid (i.e. Darwin Award-level stupid). "Hey ma! Hold mah beer while I get me a selfie wit' dis here funny-lookin' critter!" That sort of thing.

Am I right about snakes (i.e. that they leave us alone if we do the same)? Personally, I don't want to get any closer to a snake (or - for that matter - a spider, bear, crocodile, elephant, or any other wild animal) unless it's in a cage, or unless I have to. The Darwin Awards taught me what happens to people who do ...

(Sigh ... like these Emmy award winners.)

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 1:14 am From what I understand, by the way, snakes (generally speaking) don't attack humans unless the humans come too close - and with aggressive intent - to the snake, or unless the humans do something reelly reelly stoopid (i.e. Darwin Award-level stupid). "Hey ma! Hold mah beer while I get me a selfie wit' dis here funny-lookin' critter!" That sort of thing.

Am I right about snakes (i.e. that they leave us alone if we do the same)? Personally, I don't want to get any closer to a snake (or - for that matter - a spider, bear, crocodile, elephant, or any other wild animal) unless it's in a cage, or unless I have to.

Don't you live in the land of the most lethal animals?

Ha! Hardly. South Africa has one of the deadliest snake, the boomslang. Personally, I've lived in Australia for nearly 25 years and have never seen a snake.

As for spiders, the USA has the brown recluse and the black widow, two of the world's deadliest spiders. We have the Sydney Funnel-web spider, a dangerous and aggressive one (especially the males in spring and fall, when they're looking for mates) - although an antivenin was discovered in 1980 and no-one had died from a funnel-web's bite since.

I won't deny that the symptoms of a funnel-web's bite are extremely unpleasant, but you asked about lethality.

The Brazilian wandering spider (or Phoneutria nigriven) often ranks second as the world's deadliest spider. Like the funnel-web, it has aggressive tendencies and is known as a hunting spider. Bites from these spiders account for around half of spider-related hospitalizations in South America.

Tarantulas are common (except in cold climates like Canada, Iceland, Europe and Asia) but less venomous than you'd see in Hollywood. In fact, the vast majority of spiders in existence are non-venomous, and spiders in general don't use their fangs unless it feels threatened. Not all spider bites are venomous, too; many spiders give dry bites, without venom, as a warning. I did get a dry bite once when I was cleaning webs off the underside of my car, and it was unpleasant but passed after an hour or two. That's the only time, in nearly 25 years, that I was bitten by a spider.

Any of the spiders I mentioned above, if they bite you, will give you an unpleasant experience. But even the most venomous arachnids with the largest, sharpest fangs don't pose a lethal threat to humans thanks to antivenins. But don't forget to be careful if you're working in a dark corner of your basement or storage shed. Spiders often don't want to attack, but they'll defend their territory when necessary.

I sometimes see spiders from time to time in my second storey flat, but tiny ones - about the size of my fingernail. I usually scoop them up with a bowl, gently take them back outside and let them be. Their webs cut down the number of pests like flies, midges and mosquitoes, which are much more annoying (to me) than spiders. Whenever I go into the garden to water the plants, I get bitten - but always by mozzies and midges, never spiders.

I think that the whole "spiders are lethal" thing is the fault of people who write that sort of thing - horror novellists, Hollywood, Skyrim - that type of thing. Tarantulas especially cop a lot of flack because they're so hairy. But the touch of their bristly hairs is more likely to irritate than its venom - unless, of course, you happen to be allergic. (Sources: wikipedia, HowStuffWorks).

So ... am I right about snakes? I'm curious. I've never seen in my life, and I don't want to get too close to them.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:44 pm Ha! Hardly. South Africa has one of the deadliest snake, the boomslang. Personally, I've lived in Australia for nearly 25 years and have never seen a snake.

From my research - look here - it says the most venomous and lethal snake is the Inland Taipan - which is found in... why, yes. Australia. Though it says it's not "the most lethal" - because it's a timid snake.

The Inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is considered the most venomous snake in the world with a murine LD50 value of 0.025 mg/kg SC. Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 list a value of 0.01 mg/kg SC, which makes it the most venomous snake in the world in their study too. They have an average venom yield of 44 mg. Bites from this species have a mortality rate of 80% if left untreated, although it is very rare for this species to bite. This species is known to be a very shy, reclusive and a laid-back snake that will nearly always slither away from disturbance. It is not an aggressive species and rarely strikes. No recorded incidents have been fatal since the advent of the monovalent (specific) antivenom therapy.

But this leads to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dangerous_snakes

Dubois' sea snake Tropical oceanic waters
Inland Taipan Inland, central Australia
Eastern brown snake Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia
Yellow bellied sea snake Tropical oceanic waters
Peron's sea snake Gulf of Siam, Strait of Taiwan, Coral sea islands, and other places
Coastal Taipan Australia 0.064 mg/kg
Many-banded krait Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Burma
Black-banded sea krait eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula and Brunei, and in Halmahera, Indonesia
Black tiger snake Australia
Western tiger snake Australia
Beaked sea snake Tropical Indo-Pacific

With Australia dominating the list over any other country.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:44 pm As for spiders, the USA has the brown recluse and the black widow, two of the world's deadliest spiders. We have the Sydney Funnel-web spider, a dangerous and aggressive one (especially the males in spring and fall, when they're looking for mates) - although an antivenin was discovered in 1980 and no-one had died from a funnel-web's bite since.

The US has some venomous spiders - like the Brown Recluse (first hand experience) and the Black Widow (first hand experience) - but Australia has the cousin of the Black Widow, the Redback.
https://www.britannica.com/list/9-of-th ... st-spiders

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:44 pm Tarantulas are common (except in cold climates like Canada, Iceland, Europe and Asia) but less venomous than you'd see in Hollywood. In fact, the vast majority of spiders in existence are non-venomous, and spiders in general don't use their fangs unless it feels threatened. Not all spider bites are venomous, too; many spiders give dry bites, without venom, as a warning. I did get a dry bite once when I was cleaning webs off the underside of my car, and it was unpleasant but passed after an hour or two. That's the only time, in nearly 25 years, that I was bitten by a spider.

I am so used to tarantulas due to 2.5 years of living in Puerto Rico. Whenever there was a storm; you can bank on 2 to 5 tarantulas taking shelter in your house. Our backyard was endless holes of tarantula holes; which my mother used to pour Clorox down and then smash the already dying spiders as they crawled out of their hole.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:44 pm I sometimes see spiders from time to time in my second storey flat, but tiny ones - about the size of my fingernail. I usually scoop them up with a bowl, gently take them back outside and let them be. Their webs cut down the number of pests like flies, midges and mosquitoes, which are much more annoying (to me) than spiders. Whenever I go into the garden to water the plants, I get bitten - but always by mozzies and midges, never spiders.

You're a wise man. This is the best thing to do because of that!

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:44 pm So ... am I right about snakes? I'm curious. I've never seen in my life, and I don't want to get too close to them.

I've been around a few snakes; the most terrifying is the Rattlesnake. They're very common in San Diego, especially when it gets warm. The good thing is - they usually rattle that tail to let you know you're too close. The problem is, sometimes they're very hard to see... even when you hear them.

All right... of the snakes, my state (Victoria) only has the mainland tiger snake, which I haven't seen in all my life. I'm a city dweller and the mainland tiger snake seems to be more of a country-town snake. I stay away from snakes.

As for the redbacks, I find this a comfort: "The last human death attributed to redback envenomation occurred in 1956."

I live on the second floor. In summer, on very hot days, I close the windows and pull down the blinds. I have insect nets on every window, and the nets completely enclose the window, so large spiders like redbacks can't get in.

I once lived in a dump on the outskirts of the city, and one night I was sitting at the computer and typing away. All of a sudden, the biggest, hairiest, brownest spider comes crawling up the side of my desk. I jumped up and ran off, but it turns out that it was just a huntsman, which is non-venomous and not dangerous to humans. It was still a shock, though.