updating Bad Mojo
 

Did you run into any issues while you were working on Redux, related to shortcuts you took originally / loss of original footage / etc?

I work in publishing and occasionally we go to update something that was done pre-desktop publishing days, only to find that original films or files have been thrown out, destroyed, etc. Did you encounter any of these types of snafus while working on Redux? How about bugs caused by changes in technology that couldn't have been anticipated in 1996?

-emily

Bad Mojo is probably the most well archived project I've ever worked on. I've been the product manager on a bunch of other hardware and software; all that stuff is gone except for QuickCam.

Phill and I were meticulous in creating a CD archive of all our work. I think we had 2 full sets of the 160 or so CDs. All the source artwork, SVHS, is available (but limited to the original resolutions 640x480 for screens and 320x240 for video). That was all in Pulse's basement. Every time they would move, I'd get a call. I'd have to tell them "You can't throw that out."

Plus the source code fit on a floppy.

The only thing I don't have in hi-resolution are the recordings of the German and French audio.

Emily,

I'm starting to like you. Are you married?

The answer to your question is yes, but Alex has to answer it. I had nothing to do with the technical side of the port.

:kiss: :D

Dear Emily,

Please keep posting intelligent questions so I can relive my glory years and shamelessly flirt with you.

Vinny

Aww, I bet you say that to all the ladies... ;)

I don't meet many ladies. I'm a recluse. But seriously, you have been wonderful thus far and I do appreciate your participation. And you seem rather well-versed in this stuff. I didn't think many females were into gaming, but I guess a lot has changed since I've been in the industry.

My theory is that girls have always been into gaming, the marketing types are just blind to it. ;)

Er, I mean, girls started playing video games with the Sims and Nancy Drew. Yeah, that's what I meant. :D

Which brings up an interesting question... I saw a mention (I think in Laura's interview) of the roach game seeming like a good idea because it would appeal to 19-25 year old guys... how much do you think of the audience when you're developing a game? Would knowing that the demographic is 50/50 male/female (theoretically) change the game you created? Does it depend on the game?

-emily

More than a theory, I think it's a fact.. ;)

I cut my gaming teeth on early console games like Zelda, Newspaper Boy and then moved onto Full Throttle, DOTT and friends on the Mac.

SIMS, I don't play no SIMS

Zero. Zilch. Nada. We never (I never) thought about a target audience at all. It may sound silly or even pompous to say that, but I approach game design the same way I approach writing a novel or a screenplay. It's about the story. If it moves me, chances are it will move people like me. If someone told me to do a game for girls, I'd balk at that. If someone told me to do a game for boys I'd say no. I just want to make something immersive, compelling, believable, fun, gut-wrenching and cool. And the stories find you. If you wait and listen, they find you, and when that happens, you know it's right. So if you're thinking about target audiences, you're thinking like a marketeer, and marketeers don't make good games. Marketeers make slop.

That was SO the right answer. :D

Hey Laura, I loved Newspaper Boy! I really sucked at that game though...

The concept tended to dictate the demographic. I think we try to put ourselves in the place of the audience after we developed our original concepts. Certainly that gets tugged around by the person footing the bills (SBMD).

Interesting anecdote here - I am female but didn't really start playing games until 4 years ago. Prior to that I had played a couple - Dragon Lore, Grim Fandango and Blade Runner. I did, however, buy Bad Mojo when it came out even though I had never played a computer game. (Boy do I wish I had known to keep the box and everything). I played until the stove and got stuck, really stuck. I even found someone online that I emailed for help but I still couldn't get through it. I never did finish the game :sad: but am planning on replaying it soon.

And why did I buy it? I have no idea - I wanted to buy a game, didn't know anything about them and chose Bad Mojo. And I HATE roaches - I lived in Tucson for 10 years where they are enormous and even fly. Be thankful if you've never stepped on one in the middle of the night in your bare feet :r

That's alright... It's like toys they're meant to be played with and lost. When you grow up there's a newer version around to remind you of your childhood past.

If you get stuck on the stove again, you'll at least be able to find the walk-through on the internet.

Get in the line like everyone else. And she's taken (by two guys btw :D ).

be thankful one never crawled in your mouth while you were sleeping..mm, metallic.