Hey this is pretty cool. Interviews with Jane Jensen, Tim Curry, that luke skywalker bloke, and the rest of the cast of this game. I never played it but I'm currently playing GK3 and tim curry is making me laugh a lot. It's great the way he giggles through many lines, he's hilarious. I'd forgotten he's an english actor. You get to see him actually recording knight's voice.

20 minute video ( streaming)
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/u...ies/60002.html

[kadji-kun]

Thank you. Its been a while since I've seen this. I might give it another look now that I've had my dip in the industry (last time I watched it, I was only 12 years old?)

[AndreaDraco83]

Very interesting video indeed. I can't help but recommend also the making of King's Quest VI: another great chance to see and hear from Jane.

[JackVanian]

There is one quote in this interview that i never forgot through the years, since i think it sums up the whole potential interactive fiction can have as a strong platform for storytelling, but unfortunately most other developers didn´t get anywhere near this philosophy.
Keep in mind that GK1 was a gamechanger in terms of new possibilities concerning mature and professional storytelling. Back in 93 Jane showed what this genre was really able to deliver , in fact, it kind of hurts that that was 16 years ago, and only so few others have proven Janes statement to be right in all those years inbetween.
The short statement i´m referring to is this one:

“I try not to limit my thinking about the powerful nature of the story, because it´s a computer game. I think that we can make computergames, that are just as good as any other form of entertainment.”

[AndreaDraco83]

Perfectly said. She remarked that statement in her open letter to ol' Sierra of yore, The Last Dinosaur on the Block, albeit with the different words, and - while I'm, as you said, amazed by her almost loneliness in her brave attempt - I must notice that is not so common, for a game designer, to be first and foremost a writer and a storyteller. Unfortunately, many designers are nothing but mere technician without any real gripping vision about a story should and could be told, or about the powerful, meaningful theme an interactive movie/story can successfully convey.

[JackVanian]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

I must notice that is not so common, for a game designer, to be first and foremost a writer and a storyteller. Unfortunately, many designers are nothing but mere technician without any real gripping vision about a story should and could be told, or about the powerful, meaningful theme an interactive movie/story can successfully convey.

Right, and what this genre lacks are true storytellers, people who may not have to know all the technical stuff, but who can write real(!) stories ,who can create real characters and involve players in an emotional way.
There are so many games out there ( i´m mainly referring to the "bigger productions" ) that are so poorly written it´s a shame. Artificially constructed plots , so shallow, that people who might have a theoretical interest in interactive fiction, that actually don´t play games, will never have a look at adventure games again if they should have stumbled into something like this coincidentially, as they might consider this to be the standard. And for reaching new markets (thinking about nonplayers, interested in storytelling in general, how to approach them would be another question), the current writing standard is just way too low.

And another sign for the low writing qualitys are main characters in adventure games. If i think about games by Future Games, Frogwares or the Art of Murder for example ( and there are way more examples) it feels like they said: Hey , we almost forgot that there´s gotta be someone the player needs to control, so let´s give him a name and throw him right in there. Personality? What for, who cares!

But how shall i -as a player- be able to care one bit about the fate of the maincharacter if he or she doesen´t have ANY characteristics, detailed background etc.
Personally, beside the superficial nature of many adventuregame plots, the maincharacter situation is one of the worst things about the genre from my point of view.

That´s one reason why i appreciated Martin Ganteföhrs Overclocked approach so much. I was even more interested in the way David Mc Namaras personal problems got slowly worse and worse than in the mainplot. That´s what i think we can expect from a writer. Main characters with real inner conflicts and problems, personality, not the liveless, soulless and artifical robots we get delivered over and over again.
Oh, did i ever mention that Jane Jensen rules?

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Murphy2042

If i think about games by Future Games, Frogwares or the Art of Murder for example ( and there are way more examples) it feels like they said: Hey , we almost forgot that there´s gotta be someone the player needs to control, so let´s give him a name and throw him right in there. Personality? What for, who cares!

I agree, even if - I may add - from time to time I found this kind of adventures relaxing, undemanding and breezing like a good pulp book in between from more serious reading, or a cheap C-movie between a Lynch and a Bergman. Just as well, sometimes is relaxing to have an easy, brief and even fairly superficial adventure game to fill in. That's what I expect, for example, from Chronicles of Mystery - Scorpio Ritual.

Originally Posted by Murphy2042

Oh, did i ever mention that Jane Jensen rules?

Repetita iuvant, as the Romans said

[JackVanian]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

I agree, even if - I may add - from time to time I found this kind of adventures relaxing, undemanding and breezing like a good pulp book in between from more serious reading, or a cheap C-movie between a Lynch and a Bergman. J.

Yeah, you´re right of course. You can´t expect every game to be a masterpiece of storytelling, and sometimes you just want some "fast food".
And of course there´s got to be room for stuff like that too. Odd enough, even though i think the art of murder was written very poorly, i had some nice and entertaining hours with it, it´s pretty much forgotten when you finish it, but it was ok for the hours i spent with it, it just shouldn´t be the standard. And the opposition to such games is way to small ( i think).

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Murphy2042

And the opposition to such games is way to small ( i think).

In this regard, I couldn't agree more with you. Unfortunately, the vast majority of games nowadays seem to fall in the "fast food" categories you mentioned. Replaying over and over the old games is awesome, but I start to want something new and deep and enthralling as the old masterpieces I keep revisiting, like Gabriel Knight or Under a Killing Moon.

Luckily for us, Jane is soon to be back and there are at least a couple of games on the horizon (pretty much the ones in your signature, Murphy, plus - at least for me - Dead Mountaineer's Hotel and The Whispered World) that seem capable of achieve what we're looking for.

[the gnome]

Brilliant, thanks!