[squarejawhero]

"Wow!" is all I can say -

http://www.kq9.org/media/screenshots/

What is it this freeware adventure is getting right that a lot of modern adventures aren't?

Well, the models are great, the texturing is subtle but effective, the design is unified and true to the origins of the series - best of all the marketing SHOTS are very well done and nicely composed. Notice the lack of "static actor syndrome" (SAS) in these shots, every one has animation. If this is anywhere near the quality of the final in-game rendering then they've not just hit the ball out of the park, it's gone all the way around the world, hit the umpire on the back of the head and knocked him out.

I nearly got involved with this two years ago but couldn't due to work commitments, and now I wish I had. Cesar Bittar and his team (including the right honourable programmer Petter Holmberg at JA+) have really pulled out all the stops that said this couldn't be done to an effective degree.

They've totally surpassed expectations and this FREEWARE game, just through these early shots alone, compete with the big boys. If Sierra had ANY clue, they're get hold of a playtest copy, put any thoughts of litigation etc. aside and fund them up to completion and release what looks like it's going to be a great, all-ages title with charm all over it. Some of it is goddamn painterly!

Words fail me. Whether the game ends up living up to these shots, then really, I don't care right now. They've done a fantastic job and deserve full respect for it.

Well done!

(My fave)

[insane_cobra]

It looks gorgeous indeed! I've kept my eye on it since I read about it in The Inventory, but I never thought it would end up looking like this. I have to take my hat off to the whole team and hope they finish what looks like one of the most promising adventure titles at the moment.

Now, if only they could optimize that website a bit

[Eivind]

Also see http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=988

I have to admit that I wasn't really excited over this project - although these new screenshots changed my mind. They look very nice, and true to the series. I was in particular amazed over the quality of the 3D models, and the music was pretty good as well

I'm looking forward to this one.

[Ninja Dodo]

I'm very impressed with the progress they've made since the old screenshots. This looks awesome.

If it plays half as well as Tierra's KQ2 remake this is going to be one fantastic game.

[squarejawhero]

Cear and his team have really outdone themselves. I don't know if the game itself contains this much animation whilst playing, but it reeks of character. Each picture tells a story, or gives interest.

As they say in Unreal Tournament - "Wicked sick"

...

I'll go now.

*quietly sidles out of a side exit whistling*

[Yonkey]

Thank you all for your kind comments.

We're pleased to give everyone a taste of the level of quality we're putting into this game.

We greatly appreciate your support.

[eriq]

The screenshots look absolutely stunning. I cannot WAIT for this game. Great job guys! They have truly managed to capture the essence of Sierra in these shots. It really looks like a King's Quest adventure that Sierra would have released back in the day.

[Draco2.5]

Oh man, I'm really taken back by the qaulity of those new screens. My first thoughts were like, "that's a fan game?"

I was interested in the project before, but now I'm excited. Can't wait to play it.

[cesarbittar]

Thank you for such kind words Squarejawhero. I was really moved by them.

Those are the kind of things that keep me going, day by day, and make me want to strive harder and push harder than the day before.

I'm pleased with the results, but we keep on pushing for better quality. I'm totally thankful to have a team filled with so many talented individuals without whom, this wouldn't be happening. I only keep on pushing them to get the best out of them

Rest asure that gameplay and story wise, this game will meet all expectations. Katie, my co-writer, and I, spent endless night of going over and over the script, the puzzles, the dialogues, just to make sure we had a top notch design.

Now that I'm finally seeing the end of the road to one of the stops (before we stand up to continue with the next two parts), I look back at all the time I've spent on this, and there's simply no other thing I would have rather done with my time.

I believe in this with all my heart, and once I can unravel the curtains covering the story that winded out of my mind, I hope to succeed in taking your breath away the same way my team took your breath away with these screenshots

Now, I head back to my work on KQIX. Get ready for this winter, everybody!

[RPGCrazied]

Yea.. i stumbled across this today.. I cant belive this is a fan game.. the quailty is just top notch.

We want a trailer

I sure hope Sierra, doesnt close this down.. would be a shame

Now all we need, is a fan made Space Quest in this same quality! Id die a happy man.

[Vel]

This seems like the only sierra fan-game that is *actually* making progress, not counting the AGDI products of course. The screenies do look awesome, and my expectations on this one are immensely high. Hope it lives up to them.

[fov]

If Vivendi wanted to shut this project down, they've had years to do so. It's not like it's been kept secret. I'm hoping that bodes well.

[chapter11studios]

Originally Posted by fov

If Vivendi wanted to shut this project down, they've had years to do so. It's not like it's been kept secret. I'm hoping that bodes well.

I think I read once that Revolution opted not to shut down any of the Broken Sword fan games because they never thought any of them would be completed. I think if/when KQIX is nearing completion, that's probably when Vivendi would be most likely to start legal action. That said, here's hoping they turn a blind eye to this fantastic looking project.

If any of the KQIX people are still reading this thread... have you looked into the legal issues surrounding this kind of fan game? I know there's the argument that it falls under the same banner as fan fiction, but giving it an exact title like "King's Quest IX" could, in a legal battle, be construed as confusing to consumers, and therefore a threat to Vivendi/Sierra.

Hasbro, for example, recently shut down a free e-mail Scrabble game that had run unobstructed for several years (and never charged a dime) because it competed with the existing Scrabble brand. In legal terms, I think Vivendi/Sierra would be perfectly within their rights to do the same -- although one would hope they wouldn't.

Anyway, as I said, I'm really looking forward to this project. Good luck!

[Eivind]

If I'm not mistaken, the game is actually going to be titled KQIX

[fov]

I remember at one time the team said that if they got a cease and desist, they would change the names enough that they weren't infringing on copyright. This was years ago... not sure if it's still what they plan to do.

Vivendi actually came to an agreement with AGDI that allows them to continue remaking Sierra games without fear of legal action. The exact terms of the agreement have not been made public, but that's my understanding of it. This happened after the King's Quest remakes came out. I'd hope that Vivendi would be willing to do the same kind of thing with these guys (and who knows, maybe it's been discussed already?)

[BerserkerTails]

Fov: I believe the agreement that AGDI has with Vivendi is that they are able to remake any of Sierra's old adventures as long as they're not part of the Leisure Suit Larry series or Manhunter series.

The ban on LSL games is understandable because Vivendi is still doing things with that franchise (Magna Cum Laude, anyone?), but the Manhunter one had me intrigued. I heard that the Murry family bought back the rights to the Manhunter series in the early 90s, but when I emailed them to confirm this, I never got a reply.

[fov]

Manhunter? Very interesting...

Who did you email about it? Vivendi?

[BerserkerTails]

No, I actually emailed the address on their site:

http://www.evryware.com/

Though the site looks VERY old, so I'm guessing that email address isn't valid anymore. Shame, I'd really like to hear about where the rights to the Manhunter series lie.

[Yonkey]

Originally Posted by chapter11studios

If any of the KQIX people are still reading this thread... have you looked into the legal issues surrounding this kind of fan game?

The legal issues surrounding our game are not new. We've been fully aware of them for years. That's one of the main reason why the game is the Unofficial King's Quest IX. The issue really comes down to "King's Quest" being trademarked. As Eivind mentioned, we will be eventually changing the game's title to "KQIX: Every Cloak Has A Silver Lining" ("KQIX" for short). Whether or not "KQIX" would be confusing towards potential official King's Quest IX consumers is up to a court or judge to decide, but I doubt it would be.

Given that, and the fact that we will not be generating any income from the game, we believe the possibility of Vivendi wanting to take legal action is slim to none. Financially, we don't pose a threat to Vivendi, and once the name change becomes official, there would be even less to challenge legally. The game content itself is not replicated or duplicated from any previous KQ game.

Lastly, we aren't trying to negatively change Vivendi's nor the series' reputation. Even the official King's Quest creators, Ken & Roberta Williams, are very pleased with our project thus far. Also, as fov said, Vivendi and AGDI were able to negotiate an official agreement, which did not affect either of the two King's Quest games they created. Since we still have not been asked to stop by Vivendi, we will continue production on our game as planned.

We really appreciate the support everyone has and continues to give us.