Colossal Cave (was Ken & Roberta Game Announcement)

[Rath Darkblade]

All right. Neither of them vanished, and I can see them both too.

Also Peter Parker would not have picked them. He would have used his webs.

Spoilsport.

All right ... Peter Parker packed a punch for pilfering pests.

(That's what he does, right? Or is that Superman?)

[Tawmis]

https://mailchi.mp/cygnusentertainment/enchanted




From the Desk of Roberta Williams …

I am very proud to announce our updated Colossal Cave 2.0, our new ‘enchanted cave’ version! I have always admired this historic text adventure, referring to it as deeply engaging and captivating -- arguably the spark that ignited the onset of computer gaming – and have desired for many years to bring it to life with beautiful graphics, atmospheric sounds, and characters of charm…or roguery. This has always been an enchanted cave which – beware! -- is also your adversary, and it was important that we capture that imagery and spirit. I am now so excited by our considerable efforts that I urge everyone to check out our latest release, Colossal Cave 2.0. My team and I have been hard at work the last eight months since our January release of Colossal Cave perfecting playability while also enhancing the mysterious, metaphysical, and immersive nature of Colossal Cave.



Ahead of this undertaking, I reviewed the many reactions to our initial release – both positive and negative. I adapted or corrected the unfavorable responses while at the same time maintaining or improving the complimentary ones – though always keeping in mind the essence of the original gameplay which, to me, is sacrosanct. As a game designer myself, I recognize a great design. It is my humble opinion that the original Colossal Cave has stood the test of time due to the innovative and imaginative minds of Will Crowther and Don Woods, the original creators of this classic text adventure game. When Ken and I decided to reimagine Colossal Cave, I swore not to change the gameplay and strategy of these two ingenious men. Although, to be fair, there are those who would argue that by adding 3D graphics, character animations, sound effects, or music – and even a point-and-click interface – that would be changing it. Well, yes – I do agree with that. But still, my assertion is that, as with any script of a story, or a design strategy of a game, the means of experiencing it can be done in various ways or means, similar to reading a book and then experiencing that same story in a movie.

I am very excited for players of all ages – but for those who especially love adventure games – to experience Colossal Cave 2.0. Broadly speaking, here are the enrichments:

- Enhanced graphics (higher-resolution textures, post-processing to enhance colors, more real-time lighting and shadows, realistic-looking water, magical effects, particle effects with mist, fog, and smoke – among other graphical embellishments).

- The addition of player footstep sound effects while traversing the Colossal Cave world. And I took great care to make them sound very realistic.
More atmospheric sound effects really bring the cave alive. I imagined the cave having a spirit, an essential ‘being’ without a body. There is an ‘aliveness,’ but also mystery and magic.

- Improving the animation of the many characters inhabiting the cave – giving them more charm…or nastiness! The cave itself is your adversary – not any one of the characters. It really is between YOU and the CAVE. Bettering the IU, the interface. To make Colossal Cave – 2.0 – easy to play without having to figure out the interface. Playing the game is enough to think about!



As a final entreaty: check out our free Demo! You will be able to experience almost 20% of Colossal Cave 2.0 before deciding on whether you’d like to buy it for yourself. My fingers are crossed and know that you won’t be disappointed!



Finally, both The Enchanted Bundle and the solo version for Steam/PC VR are currently 25% off, until Monday morning*!

Grab it while you can!
* Steam Autumn Sale ends 11-28-2023 at 10:00am PST.

All my best,

Roberta

[Tawmis]

https://limitedrungames.com/collections ... al-cave-pc

[Tawmis]

Colossal Game Sale Alert! Sweep up the GOG Bundle and VR with a massive 50% off from April 23rd to April 30th. And don't miss out on our PlayStation Bundle and VR2 deal: 25% off, or 30% for PS+ members, from April 24th to May 8th! Celebrate Golden Week in Asia and Japan, and enjoy May Savings in Europe and the Americas. Don't let these deals slip away! #GameSale #ColossalCave #VRGaming https://www.gog.com/en/game/colossal_cave

[Rath Darkblade]

Colossal Game Sale Alert! Sweep up the GOG Bundle and VR with a massive 50% off from April 23rd to April 30th. And don't miss out on our PlayStation Bundle and VR2 deal: 25% off, or 30% for PS+ members, from April 24th to May 8th! Celebrate Golden Week in Asia and Japan, and enjoy May Savings in Europe and the Americas. Don't let these deals slip away! #GameSale #ColossalCave #VRGaming https://www.gog.com/en/game/colossal_cave

Is Roberta channelling her inner Roger Wilco?

I'm sad to see this game being rated "Weak" on GOG, despite the fact that there are only two (yes, TWO) negative reviews out of eight. (Wait, what?)

Also, I'm confused that this is on sale, but only on GOG. (I checked Steam, and it's not on sale there... so...)

[DeadPoolX]

I'm sad to see this game being rated "Weak" on GOG, despite the fact that there are only two (yes, TWO) negative reviews out of eight. (Wait, what?)

Well, two reviews out of eight is not an insubstantial percentage. Regardless, this is a very niche game: it's a 3D recreation of a very old text adventure that heavily banks on the names "Ken and Roberta Williams." The truth is that the vast majority of gamers today, even those who like adventure games, won't have a clue who they are.

Also, I'm confused that this is on sale, but only on GOG. (I checked Steam, and it's not on sale there... so...)

Steam and GOG don't always run concurrent sales. In fact, they often stagger their sales on purpose.

[Tawmis]

https://mailchi.mp/cygnusentertainment/one-year-old

Greetings everyone!

We are hard at work on a new version of the game for the Meta Quest 3 and experimenting with mixed reality. Just to tease you, below is a brief video demoing our experiments so far. We tried going for hand tracking (no controllers) and might add it later, but our game and Meta's hand tracking code don't seem to like each other.

We're also working on a version for the Apple Vision Pro and do expect to be showcasing both hand tracking and Mixed Reality on that version.

The Mixed Reality on Meta Quest 3 is pretty cool and something I've never seen done. We also beefed up the graphics for the Quest 3 and added a bunch more. Check out the video below!

And, from outside the cave …

A while back, we were approached by some filmmakers who were interested in producing a documentary about the adventure game genre, but more specifically, the story of myself, Roberta and Sierra On-Line.

We refused.

Sierra On-Line's story is an amazing one. It deserves to be told. However, we've been down this road before, on a variety of other documentary projects and nothing ever happened with them. One of the producers on the project, Cade Peterson, is a friend of a friend, and also in the game industry. Cade persisted after our refusal, ultimately convincing us his team would deliver.

The Sierra story is the thing great movies are made of. There are highs, lows, good guys and bad. We are excited to finally see it told in this documentary format.

A few weeks ago, we conducted our interview for the documentary. It was a long grueling day.

The documentary folk dug in deep, capturing some incredible footage. I had thought we might be done, but there's a lot more to cover. We’re delighted to see that some of our beloved Sierra creators like Al Lowe and Lori and Corey Cole are part of the project too… with many more to come, we’re told!

You can follow the project for updates at this link.

Quest 3 Updates

While a work in progress, many new features are being added or considered for the upcoming Meta Quest 3 version.

A short demo reel showcasing some footage (2D recorded VR in a random backyard does not yield the greatest footage. However, within the headset … it’s wild!)

Mixed Reality:

Helps with those that experience nausea with VR headsets.
Fantastic for maintaining some awareness in the real world, taking notes, sip a beverage, etc.
3 passthrough window sizes (S | M | L), plus full immersion, simply rotated through with the B button.
Fixed in place or head tracking window.
Anything in the game that is close to you will enter the real world with you. Birds will fly into the room. Dragons may nuzzle your lap. Daggers whip by your head. Narrow cobble crawls will hop from the screen creating a short, immersive blast of claustrophobia.

Easy or Hard:

Colossal Cave is game famous for being a vexing 11 out of 10 in difficulty, especially if the goal is the coveted 350 points. Roberta just approved an easy mode. While still being defined, the ultimate goal is to allow a relaxing saunter through the magic cave, with significantly less concern for a group of armed, angry dwarves or the lamp going dim. A wonderful way to ease oneself into the more daunting, classic version of the game.

Anyone who currently owns the Quest 2 version will receive a free upgrade (we hope). We can't promise this because we're not 100% certain how Meta's store functions, but our belief is that anyone who currently owns the game, and has a Quest 3, will get a free update.

Better graphics, updated sounds, game save sharing between Quest 2 and 3, Easter Eggs and more!
Coming Soon!

Android Mobile: Out Now!

We just launched Colossal Cave 3D for the Android OS!

Colossal Cave, as the name suggests, is a large game, requiring a bit more download time than normal. As such, it is only available on Android devices running OS 13.0 (Tiramisu) and above, but it does look incredible!

We’re offering a deep discount of just $4.99 for the launch! For those interested in grabbing a copy, grab it while the getting’s good!

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ssalcave3d

Playful Nudge: Reviews go a great distance towards helping games get noticed. If you’ve got a spare moment to write an honest review for Android (or any other platform), it helps this historic game maintain its presence in the zeitgeist.

Until next time!

[Tawmis]

Roberta and I are nearing the end of the "Colossal Cave" project.

Three years ago, during the Covid lockdowns, I was bored and wrote a book about the company Roberta and I created: Sierra On-Line. We ran the company for nearly 20 years and released 100s of games. Sierra was acquired in 1996 by a bigger company. The acquisition was a disaster and left Roberta and I angry, sad, and unemployed. It destroyed the company and ruined the lives of our employees.

Roberta and I dropped out of the games business entirely. We didn't play games, and wanted nothing to do with the games business. Instead, we shifted our attention to boating, and managed to run a tiny boat around the world.

The book was an instant bestseller, which surprised me. I'd like to claim I'm a great writer, but the truth is that Sierra had millions of customers who remember the company very fondly. Writing the book brought back a lot of memories of Sierra, things I hadn't thought about for decades.

The book completed faster than Covid lockdowns. Both Roberta and I are workaholics. Sitting still is not something we know how to do. I decided to take a look at how modern games are built. Just "for fun", after watching a lot of how-to videos on YouTube, I decided to write a simple little game. I thought the Covid lockdowns might go on for another month or two and needed to fill the time. Roberta suggested the old adventure game that started Sierra called Colossal Cave. I thought "It's a simple text game. It should be fast and easy!"

I did indeed have a playable game within a couple months, but Roberta said, "That looks like crap. You can't release it." I said, "It was just a time filler project. I'll give it away or sell it for 99 cents or something." Roberta still said "no." She was worried about our legacy. Roberta is not only a great game designer, but can also be a stubborn lady. More importantly, and relevantly, she is a perfectionist.

Roberta took over the project and hasn't let go. She wanted a game that was "Sierra quality." I pointed out a few times that Colossal Cave didn't have the broad reach of a game like King's Quest, but Roberta answered that "If it has our name on it, it has to be great."

Anyway, here it is three years, and MANY upgrades later, and we are still working on the game. We not only came up to modern gaming standards, with our Quest 3 version that just released, we are supporting virtual and mixed reality. We're working now on a version of the game for Apple Vision Pro, and once we get that out the door, it will finally be time to think about what comes next.

Anyway .. here's a quick look at Roberta playing the Quest 3 version -- She is having fun!

I should also mention that campaign for the Sierra documentary is going live this week. There is some info on it later in this newsletter. Roberta and I are not affiliated with the documentary beyond been interviewed for it. That said, I am supporting their effort and hope that they are able to raise the funding they need. We spent a lot of time with them while they were interviewing us, and I know that they've set interviews with many other former Sierra developers and designers. They are passionate about Sierra, and did a great job of pulling long forgotten Sierra memories out of Roberta and I. I'll be as curious as anyone to see their completed documentary.

Quest 3 Launches
Two major features to the Quest 3!
Launch Price: $12.99
(discount lasts until 10am, July 22, 2024)

We’ve added a “Mixed Reality” option, with 3 different sized passthrough windows. This allows you to easily toggle through the window sizes, as well as full immersion. With these windows, you can easily sip your beverage while playing, see what is happening in the real world, all while continuing to play the game without issue. Anything close, such as a terrifying dragon, or flighty blue bird may actually join you in your space! It’s an exceptionally fun feature, only possible on the Quest 3.

“When I saw Apple's Vision Pro, a $3,500 device, it just blew me away. I studied it looking to see what cool ideas I could make work on the infinitely more affordable Quest 3. I also wanted to see if we could expand upon Apple's ideas and come up with some tricks of our own. Much of Sierra's success came from surprising people with things they hadn't seen before. Quest 3 owners are going to be very happy.” ~ Ken Williams

Colossal Cave is a game that is not easy. Even with lots of clues, making it to the end is a challenge. My suspicion is that some, perhaps many, buyers who purchased the game have never explored the full cave.

To counter this we just released a new version of the game that has "Casual" or “Explorer” mode. It is an option when you start a new game, and if selected, you still have full access to the cavern, but the pesky dwarves are gone, the thieving pirate is gone, and you start the game with a full set of maps.

You won't be able to attain the full 350 points, and most of the puzzles are still there, but you'll find it a much more relaxing experience.

It's like a training mission before you take on the full challenge, or just a way to explore the wonder of the cave if you are just out for a little spelunking.

It's a free upgrade for those with the Quest 3, just like the dozens of other upgrades we've done over the last year.

In addition to these features, we’ve also upgraded the graphics, lighting, some sound effects, better animations, and even Easter eggs. The Quest 3 makes for a deeply immersive experience.

NOTE TO QUEST 2 OWNERS: Our goal is always to push the limits of hardware. Our Quest 2 version of the game is awesome, but is not capable of everything the Quest 3 can do. There are some features: Mixed Reality, Enhanced Graphics, Casual Mode, that are Quest 3 only.

Grab your copy, today! A near 50% discount, until 10:00AM on July 22nd, 2024


Legends of Adventure

We’re thrilled to announce that the crowdfunding campaign for "Legends of Adventure" is now live on BackerKit.

This documentary is a passion project created by a dedicated and capable production team. They are committed to diving deep into the incredible stories of the creators at Sierra On-Line who shaped the gaming world. Your support is crucial to bringing Sierra back to life, one more time.

Roberta and I are more than just interview subjects in the documentary. We’re also donating rare physical copies of Sierra classics from our own personal collection, which you can add to your campaign pledge!

We’re committed to making this documentary a reality, and hope you are too. Join us on this “Documentary Quest” and let's make history together.

[Tawmis]

From their latest newsletter....
============================

Season's Greetings!

Roberta and I hope that all of you are having a wonder holiday season. We're currently in sunny Southern California escaping our normal home near Seattle Washington.

Check out our travel blog!

This has been a busy year, both for game development and on the boating front. Many of you know that when Roberta and I aren't building games, or writing books, we spend time exploring the world by boat. If you are interested in boats, and our world cruising, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@mvnorthstar). A great way to start watching is with this video:

If you check out our YouTube channel you'll see that we bought a new to us (old) boat. It's a fixer upper and has kept us busy over the past year. We are planning some real-life adventures including a trip to the Northwest Passage. (FYI -- we have never taken a dime of sponsor money on our boat blog or YouTube channel, and never will.)

I mostly do the blog to help others who might be thinking about retiring someday on a boat to cruise the world. Sometimes the blog gets a bit boating-technical, but if you overlook those parts I think you'll enjoy watching.



We are entering a new phase with Colossal Cave

Things are finally settling down for our Colossal Cave game. We just released a major update to the Android version, but now our attention is shifting from developing the game to marketing the game. If you already own Colossal Cave, and are stuck, and unsure how to complete the game, consider using our 24 hour hint line:

+1- (206) 207-9017

It's free and will get you going. Alternately, there are a ton of walkthroughs and hints on the internet. Don't worry about spoiling the game for yourself. There's enough fun that even knowing the solution to everything you'll have plenty of hours of play ahead.

And, if you don't own the game, it is available for cell phones, tablets, game machines, desktop computers and VR headsets. Prices are as low as $4.99 and there are a LOT of promotions this month with big discounts. Check out:

https://ColossalCave3D.com/Learn_More.html

...for the latest promotions and discounts.

Let's talk about AI - Why it has me scared

For no particular reason, I decided to pontificate on the benefits and ramifications of AI. I'm worried that AI is going to cause the loss of a lot of high-paying jobs. Take a look at the video below to see why...




Roberta is always a fun interview

In addition to the boating vlog, Roberta was also recently interviewed by upcoming vlogger extraordinaire Jessa Petrilla at his YouTube channel (TechJesse). The full interview is posted below:



Put this on your calendar - your chance to chat with Roberta

IMPORTANT!!!!! Roberta is going to be doing a live broadcast (an "Ask Me Anything"). I'll (Ken) probably also be there.

When: Friday December 19th, at 4pm PST (west coast US time, 4pm on the east coast)

There will be one hour of her playing our Colossal Cave game (which will be pre-recorded, but she'll be live in the chat) followed by an hour or two (starting around 5:10pm PST) of on-camera live interaction with all of you, talking about Colossal Cave, boating, life as a game designer, or anything you want!

To join the fun, use this link: https://www.youtube.com/@colossalcave

The Playthrough will be here:

The live AMA will be here: https://www.youtube.com/@colossalcave/streams

I'll post a reminder the morning of December 19th on my Twitter feed and on social media. Roberta's kind of shy and doesn't do many public appearances, so if you have always wanted to ask Roberta a question, make sure you are there!
A Sierra On-Line Documentary?

If you consider yourself a fan of Sierra On-Line (like me!) you're probably curious whatever happened to the documentary that you may have heard about.

It was funded with this Kickstarter style project:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/le ... -adventure

Roberta and I were interviewed over a year ago and I've been curious whatever happened with the documentary. So I asked...

The film crew has been busy. I still haven't seen a rough draft of the documentary, and I have no idea how they'll cut it down, but they seem to have interviewed everyone Roberta or I have ever known.

Here's a recent update from the documentary team:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/le ... ates/32612



I'm not sure what is public information and what isn't, or what people will be in the final documentary, so ... I won't tell you who this person is.

Or... If you want Sierra's history, and you want it now

I (Ken) wrote a book!!! It became a surprise bestseller and it worth checking out.

Visit Amazon, or https://www.KensBook.com

Finally, we are getting deep into the holiday season and have a plethora of holiday specials. Take a look at the options down below. While not all are currently operational, simply bookmark or Wishlist them, as we do run regular promotions.

In any event, Roberta and I just wanted to reach out, catch up, share some news and wish you all a very happy holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

~ Ken & Roberta Williams

[Collector]

Isn't that John Romero?

[Tawmis]

Isn't that John Romero?

Pretty sure that it is.

Ken's book talks about him too.

[Tawmis]

Not gonna include photos since I need to upload them to photobucket or whatever....

So here's the text....

Greetings everyone!

It's been a good while since I've landed in your inbox, and I figured it was past time to fix that.

The short version: Roberta and I have been busy. We always are. Some of what we've been up to is game-related, some of it isn't, and most of it happened quietly in the background while we tinkered away.

On the game side, we just launched a brand-new website for Roberta — RobertaWilliams.com — finally giving her remarkable career the home it deserves. We also tore down and rebuilt ColossalCave3D.com from the ground up. If you haven't yet wandered through our 3D reimagining of the old 1976 classic, now's a fine time to head back into the cave.

Sidenote: Wanting to add a little whimsy to the site, we layered in a small, silly game. Watch the left side of the screen. Save the the flying treasures, as a disgruntled elf tosses them into the abyss. How many can you catch?

But the headline is this:

Roberta and I have set off on a huge new adventure.

THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE

For centuries, sailors dreamed of a shortcut across the top of the world — a route through the Arctic, over the top of North America, linking the Atlantic to the Pacific. Many went looking for it. A surprising number never came back. Ice, cold, isolation, and a thousand miles between you and the nearest help will do that.

These days the ice has loosened its grip enough that a well-found boat with a careful crew can make the attempt. "Careful" being the operative word.

Here's the honest truth about a trip like this: you genuinely never know what you're going to get. One day the sea is trying to climb into the pilothouse and you're hanging onto the furniture for dear life. The next, you're staring at a flat, gray horizon hour after hour after hour, wondering if anything will ever happen again. Adventure, danger, and crushing boredom — sometimes all in the same afternoon.

That's the deal. That's the whole appeal. You just never know.

And we're out there right now.

If you'd like to come along for the ride, I write it all down — the good, the bad, the terrifying, and the gloriously dull — over at my blog.

Follow the adventure — Subscribe
or visit www.KensBlog.com

A quick note: that's a separate mailing list from this one. The list you're on now is our gaming list. KensBlog is the personal one — it follows Roberta and me as we bumble our way around the world by boat, two pups in tow.

Oh — and if you'd like to know what on earth is going on in these two pictures...

Mystery photo aboard North Star
Mystery photo aboard North Star
...you'll have to subscribe. (I promise there's a perfectly good explanation. Mostly.)

A LITTLE ABOUT KENSBLOG

I've been writing KensBlog for more than twenty years now. It started as a way to keep family and friends posted while Roberta and I crossed oceans, and somewhere along the way it picked up the kindest, smartest, most loyal group of readers a writer could ask for. Many of them, I suspect, found their way to us through Sierra — same as you.

It isn't polished travel writing. It's me, telling you what actually happened: the engine that quit, the anchor that dragged at 3am, the spectacular sunset, the genuinely dumb mistake, the dinner that didn't survive a 12-degree pitch. I answer reader questions in every issue, and honestly, I've learned more from my readers over the years than they've ever learned from me.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, I'd love to have you.

Roberta and I are builders and adventurers. We don't sit still — never have. We've got several new projects lined up, and the next few months should be genuinely interesting.

You're already on our gaming list, which is exactly where you should be. But if you'd like the more personal look — the boats, the misadventures, the two of us figuring it out as we go — that all lives at KensBlog.com.


SPEAKING OF INTERESTING...

Have you seen my book?

It's called Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings, and it's the behind-the-scenes story of Sierra On-Line — how Roberta and I built it from just the two of us into a company of more than a thousand people, and how it all came apart at the end amid scandal, lawsuits, and a few things I probably shouldn't have put in writing (but did).

Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings: The rise and fall of Sierra On-Line

It's the rise and the fall, told by the one person who was there for every bit of it. There's plenty in there for Sierra fans — Roberta's games, the early days, the people I crossed paths with along the way (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jim Henson, and other names you'd recognize) — plus my honest opinions on building products, running a creative company, and what makes good software.

It's available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, PDF, ePub, and audiobook. You'll find all the links here:

Get the book — KensBook.com
That's it for this edition. Thanks for sticking with us through the quiet stretch — it's good to be back in touch.

We'll see you out there.

Ken & Roberta Williams

(with Keeley & Pixie, First Mates, Second Class)

[Rath Darkblade]

I love some of the FAQs about Ken's book:

1. "Is the book any good?"
2. "Did Ken really write this book?"
3. "What is this book like?"

I'd say "Do some people really ask these questions?", but I've learned not to assume too much.

If I was Ken, my (private) answers would be:

1. Boy howdy, yes!
2. Please don't insult me.
3. Paper and words. Please read it.

But of course, I'm not Ken

[Tawmis]

Latest from Ken and Roberta (images excluded and just copy and pasta of what they said...)

Greetings everyone!

This edition is a long one, but I think you'll forgive me.

In it: I run an experiment that changed my mind about the future of game development, a friend of mine does something wonderful with cardboard, and Roberta and I dodge bears in Alaska.

Let's start with the experiment.

GAME DEVELOPMENT IN THE AGE OF AI

Is AI killing the game business? Is it coming for game dev careers?

I don’t know that I have the final answer, but I do have a fresh perspective.

When Roberta and I developed our most recent game, Colossal Cave 3D, we started the project with just a friend of mine, Marcus Mera, and me. Within a few weeks we actually had the game running.

Me (Ken), Capt Garrett, Chef Dani and a very happy Roberta

Left to right: Roberta, Marcus, and I.

Unfortunately, the truth is that it wasn’t very good.

That’s not a criticism of Marcus. He’s talented. And I have decades of game development experience. I chose Colossal Cave because I thought it was a fairly simple, well-defined task — and also a very good game. I thought it would be a fun project.

But the reality was that we needed more than two people.

So I hired another artist. Then another engineer. Then another. And another.

By the time we were done, the team had grown to thirty-five developers and the game had cost over $1.5 million to produce.

Just some of the people we worked with.

Just some of the people we worked with.

Ouch.

I’m proud of the game, but with 20/20 hindsight, some of that money was wasted. For example, I spent money developing for the Apple Vision Pro headset, which turned out not to be the world’s greatest business decision.

My takeaway from Colossal Cave 3D was that the days when one developer in a garage could ship a hit game were mostly over. Yes, it still happens. Most lotteries have a winner too. But I wouldn’t build a business plan around winning the lottery.

That was before I had really heard of AI.

We are now in a new era.

I’ve said many times that I’m worried about AI. A lot of high-paying jobs that have traditionally been done by artists, animators, coders, musicians, writers, and designers are going to be affected. Some may be wiped out. Others may not disappear, but the work will change dramatically.

And I don’t think this is limited to game development. Virtually every job I can think of will be affected by AI sooner or later. Smart robots are coming within our lifetimes. I’m not sure whether I should be excited about the future or horrified by it.

My suspicion is “horrified,” but opinions differ.

Anyway, let’s focus on game development.

For a while, I was doing what a lot of people are doing: standing on the sidelines and rendering opinions. That’s easy to do. But after a while I decided I needed to stop guessing and actually dig in. I wanted to understand what AI means for game development from experience, not from articles, videos, or other people’s opinions.

So I subscribed to Grok, Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and a bunch of other AI-related services. I watched hundreds of hours of AI-related YouTube videos. Seriously. Hundreds.

Eventually I realized that watching videos wasn’t enough. I needed to actually build something.

I thought about building a game, but Roberta is the creative member of the family. I don’t really consider myself a game designer, and she didn’t have a game idea she wanted me to implement.

So I looked for something else.

I’m good at two things: game development and boating.

Ken at the helm.

Elsewhere in this newsletter I talk about Roberta’s and my real-world adventure through the Northwest Passage, so boating has definitely been on my mind. I started thinking about doing for boating what Microsoft did for flight simulators. Then I decided that was too ambitious for me alone, even with AI.

So I narrowed the idea. Instead of simulating all of boating, I would simulate marine electronics. More specifically, I would build a marine radar simulator.

The result is NavSim Academy, which you can see at: https://NavSimAcademy.com

The NavSim Academy marine radar simulator in action

Unless you are a serious boat geek, don’t buy it. I’m not trying to sell it to you. If you aren’t into boating, your reaction would probably be, “Huh?”

But the project is relevant because of how I built it.

I used Unity, the same game engine we used to build Colossal Cave 3D. But this time I made a rule for myself:

I would do none of the coding myself.

In fact, I would not even look at the code.

I wanted to see if AI could build a full commercial game-like product with me acting as the producer, tester, designer, domain expert, and pain-in-the-neck customer.

The answer is yes.

It took about three months of part-time effort and over 200 changesets — meaning 200-plus rounds of me looking at what the AI had done, giving feedback, and pushing it forward.

I used a combination of the various AI systems I had subscribed to. I did none of the art myself. I did none of the coding myself. I did none of the sound effects myself. I never even saw the code.

The entire thing was built by me typing English-language prompts, looking at the results, and then typing my opinions about what I saw.

And the result is a solid product.

Honestly, it is far better than I could have built alone. Some of the radar math is trickier than I would have wanted to tackle. Could I have built it myself the old-fashioned way? Maybe. But it would have taken years, and I don’t think it would have turned out as well.

That was the moment where AI stopped being theoretical for me.

Looking back, I can now say that if I had had today’s AI when we developed Colossal Cave 3D, the game would have taken fewer people, consumed less time, and probably cost less.

And the AI I used over the past three months is not as good as what is coming. A year from now we will look back on today’s AI as primitive.

Could I have built Colossal Cave 3D alone with today’s AI?

Maybe.

I think so.

Roberta isn't certain, but she agrees it would've helped enormously.

That is both exciting and terrifying.

So, is AI coming for game development jobs?

Yes.

I don’t see how anyone can honestly say otherwise.

But there is an important caveat. I do not believe an ordinary person with no boating knowledge, no game development experience, and no product judgment could have built the radar simulator I built.

AI did not make me a boating expert. AI did not tell me what a radar simulator should feel like. AI did not decide whether the product was useful, confusing, realistic, boring, or ready to ship.

That was still my job.

The AI gave me leverage. A lot of leverage. More leverage than I have ever had in my career.

That, to me, is the real story.

AI does not simply replace people. It amplifies people. But it amplifies some people more than others. If you know what you are doing, AI can make you dramatically more productive. If you don’t know what you are doing, AI can also help you make a mess faster than ever before.

So what should a game developer do?

My answer is simple: study AI.

Don’t put your head in the sand and hope this goes away. It won’t.

Learn the tools. Learn how to use them productively. Learn how to communicate with them. Learn how to guide them. Learn how to be the person who can do more with AI than the next person.

Then make sure employers understand that you are not someone being replaced by AI. You are someone who knows how to use it.

Will games themselves change?

Absolutely.

I think games will get better. I think new kinds of games will emerge that would not have been possible before. Large teams will still exist, but those teams will get more done, faster. Small teams will be able to build things that used to require big teams. And individuals will be able to attempt projects that previously would have been insane to even consider.

In the short term, I expect chaos. There will probably be a sagging in the job market as everyone adjusts to the new reality. Some jobs will vanish. Some companies will make dumb decisions. Some people will overestimate AI. Others will underestimate it.

But after the chaos, I think we will see bigger, better, stranger, and more ambitious games.

In a strange way, this may be one of the best possible times to be a game developer. The industry is being shaken up. The rules are changing. That is scary, but it also creates opportunity.

Game developers can ride the wave or drown.

There is, however, one clear winner: game players.

Everything we have seen before may not begin to compare with what is coming.

We still need to get through the anarchy AI is going to cause, and I won’t pretend that part doesn’t scare the heck out of me. It does.

But I’m starting to come around to the idea that there may be a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.

It’s just the craziness between here and there that worries me.


BOXES OR DIGITAL?

Several of you have written to ask what I make of Sony's slide toward a digital-only PlayStation.

Here's the uncomfortable truth at the middle of it: when you “buy” a digital game, you don't really own it. You license it. If you download Some Game onto your PlayStation today, and someday the licensing agreement between Sony and Some Company® expires, Some Game gets removed from your PlayStation. You didn't buy a game. You rented one — you just weren't told when the lease ends.

And it isn't just games. Movies, music, software, books — all over the culture, ownership is quietly turning into renting.

I have complicated feelings about this. I'm the guy who spent twenty years shipping worlds in cardboard — cloth maps, hint books, the works. Sierra's boxes were half the fun. But I also ran the company, and the CEO half of me understands exactly why a CEO would make this decision. Physical product is expensive, risky, and unforgiving.

Both things are true. That's what makes it uncomfortable.

It's also why we did two things with Colossal Cave 3D on purpose.

First, there's a DRM-free version on GOG — no license server, no strings. You buy it, you own the files: Colossal Cave 3D on GOG.com.

Second, we released physical editions through Limited Run Games. Those sold out, though copies still turn up through the usual collector channels.

And now — the part I'm genuinely excited about.

Remember Marcus Mera, from the story above? Marcus was also the executive producer of Colossal Cave 3D. Well, Marcus has taken it upon himself to produce a brand-new boxed edition of the game.

Let me be clear about this: it is 100% Marcus's project. Cygnus has nothing to do with it — no involvement, no cut, nothing except my gratitude and my firm intention to buy several copies myself. I didn't want the logistical headache of producing a boxed version (I'm somewhat occupied at the moment — see below), and Marcus said he'd take on the challenge.

He has gone completely over the top, and I'm blown away by what he's building. For a lot of people, a box like this isn't really about the game — it's about having something beautiful and historic on the shelf. Marcus understands that better than anyone.

The new boxed edition of Colossal Cave 3D

If a boxed Colossal Cave 3D belongs on your shelf, take a look at what he's doing: guillotine.tv/ccc. I think you'll love it.

THE BUSINESS PARAGRAPH (I'LL KEEP IT SHORT)

You've heard this from me before, so I'll keep it brief: Colossal Cave 3D is 40% off on Steam from July 13 through July 20. If you already own it — thank you, sincerely, and please skip ahead. If you've been waiting for a sale, this is the best price you'll see until autumn.

Colossal Cave 3D — 40% off, July 13–20

40% off this week — ColossalCave3D.com --
And one small ask I'm almost embarrassed to repeat: if you've played the game, a short, honest review on Steam genuinely moves the needle. Steam's computers decide whether to show our game to strangers, and they mostly count reviews. Two retired game designers versus an algorithm — we'll take all the help we can get.

If you've already written one: you're the reason we're sitting at “Very Positive,” and I owe you a toast.


MEANWHILE, 2,500 MILES INTO THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE

I mentioned being somewhat occupied.

Me (Ken), Capt Garrett, Chef Dani and a very happy Roberta

Left to right: Me (Ken), Capt Garrett, Chef Dani and a very happy Roberta. Less happy are Keeley and Pixie, who are hunkering down and wondering why they can’t have a home with a yard like all the other dogs

What follows is a shameless plug for my other newsletter — but it also explains where Roberta and I have been all summer: about 2,500 miles into an 8,300-mile attempt at the Northwest Passage, the route across the top of North America that swallowed a great many sailors before the ice finally began loosening its grip.

The latest installment covers the run from Whittier, Alaska to Kodiak, and it contains, in no particular order: a 24-hour overnight run along a coastline with over 150 glaciers; a mama bear with three cubs, photographed from half a mile out with a very long lens; an anchorage called Geographic Harbor with an underwater rock guarding its entrance, which we found the careful way — sending Lydia ahead in the tender to do a grid search; and a moment where we got so absorbed photographing a bear that the tide quietly went out from under our tender, and it was suddenly the bear's turn to watch us.

We could see the Columbia glacier in the distance, and thought about trying to reach it, but it was farther away than it looked. I thought it was maybe a mile away, but it was closer to 12 miles. That would be a little far to go on the tenders

We could see the Columbia glacier in the distance, and thought about trying to reach it, but it was farther away than it looked. I thought it was maybe a mile away, but it was closer to 12 miles. That would be a little far to go on the tenders.

I wanted to get close enough to the iceberg to grab a piece and find a way to turn it into a margarita. Roberta thought that was a dumb idea and said no

I wanted to get close enough to the iceberg to grab a piece and find a way to turn it into a margarita. Roberta thought that was a dumb idea and said no.

As I type this, North Star has reached Dutch Harbor — the farthest-west point of the entire trip. From here it's another 700 miles north to Nome, where we'll sit reading daily ice reports, waiting for the Arctic to decide whether it will let us through. If the ice hasn't opened by late August, we'll be facing a conversation I'd rather not have.

You just never know. That's the whole appeal.

If you'd like to follow along — the good, the bad, the terrifying, and the gloriously dull — it all lives at KensBlog:

Follow the adventure — Subscribe --
or visit www.KensBlog.com

A quick note: that's a separate mailing list from this one. The list you're on now is our gaming list. KensBlog is the personal one — it follows Roberta and me as we bumble our way around the world by boat, two pups in tow.

(And now you know why the boxed edition went to Marcus. It's hard to shrink-wrap collector's boxes from the Bering Sea.)

[Tawmis]

Might upload the pictures, later when I am home.