Colossal Cave Adventure remake from Ken & Roberta Williams

[Zizka]

We need a button for “hit piece against another member disguised as an on-topic message”.

I’m puzzled why they chose 3D. A King’s Quest 5 graphic style would’ve been wonderful. They could stick to what they know and do well.

 

[LostHisMarbles]

Retards like you

No need to get butthurt, opinions do tend to differ. And a stranger's opinion been enough to get you riled up.. not good. For you i mean.
As it appears we're past that however;

I read what is given and to the extent i deem it safe (ie realistic) i also read between the lines.
I see a lot of red flags and i also know i've seen them before, time and again.
I thus see nothing to make me believe i can hope for a different outcome this time, much as i may wish it. Repetition and madness a wise man said.

One could say sure, but it's Ken and Roberta, not some randoms! Indeed. So was Fargo. And Sawyer. And the list goes on.
One could perhaps pinpoint a silver lining, it being that (and i doubt it's a coincidence, these are professionals) they're at least focusing on a remake, surely the makings are there? So was Wasteland i'd sadly reply.

As to MRY, i dare say he'd be the first to tell you not to elevate him as high as the Sierra founders, much as your compliment pleases him. I do know, have actually seen him, state the same for people much less successful than Ken and Rob.

 

[v1rus]

Whats the best version of original to play?

 

[Darkozric]

No need to get butthurt

No butthurt intended, I just stated the obvious.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Whats the best version of original to play?

There are a few graphical versions around, but it seems most of them are now dead. The classic option is the 350 point version. (one of the first ones here) You'll want a map program like Trizbort.

 

[v1rus]

Whats the best version of original to play?

There are a few graphical versions around, but it seems most of them are now dead. The classic option is the 350 point version. (one of the first ones here) You'll want a map program like Trizbort.

Tyvm! I was planning on mapping by hand (both this, and stuff like Zork). Does program have any huge advantages, or its a matter of preference?

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Whats the best version of original to play?

There are a few graphical versions around, but it seems most of them are now dead. The classic option is the 350 point version. (one of the first ones here) You'll want a map program like Trizbort.

Tyvm! I was planning on mapping by hand (both this, and stuff like Zork). Does program have any huge advantages, or its a matter of preference?

Hmm, I can't actually remember the other programs I tried back when I first started using Trizbort, but checking now the only other mapping program I can find is this one. Which has you actually type in the rooms and their linkage like an actual game creation program. (incidentally, Inform 7 also has a built-in map making feature, but that doesn't really give you much freedom in how you view the game) Trizbort hasn't given me any cause to not want to use it outside of performance issues which are just on my machine anyway. You have a lot of freedom in how you link up the rooms together, including the requisite one way paths through rooms, mentioning which items are in a room or even putting some notes about that room. It basically has everything you could possibly ask out of a mapping program except you can't control where the connections between rooms are outside of the directions each connection is sitting on.

 

[jfrisby]

 

[Viata]

Doesn't look so bad, but the VR part makes me not expect much from it because of that.

 

[Boleskine]

This pic with Ken using a VR headset needs a caption contest.

"Roberta, the tv is doing funny things again."
"I'll call the plumber."

"Those caves look so real, Ken."
"Yes, it reminds me of my last colonoscopy."

 

[Viata]

Seems like VR is the focus on this game.

 

[jfrisby]

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

The focus on VR is indeed a massive red-flag to me. Am I just woefully out of touch and there's actually a market for this shit?

I know one person how owns an Oculus and as far as I know they played with it for about a week and since then it's been sitting in a closet.

 

[Neuromancer]

I think VR is slowly becoming more popular.
While still kind of cumbersome and expensive, devices get better and more efficient year by year.


Anyway, I don't understand the hesitancy for an optional(!) VR support and claiming that it would make the game worse in any way.

Obduction from Cyan showed that even with VR support, the game can be played without problems and decline on a normal PC monitor with mouse+KB.
I never played it in VR and still enjoyed it a lot.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Anyway, I don't understand the hesitancy for an optional(!) VR support and claiming that it would make the game worse in any way.

VR support is fine, but they're clearly pushing the game as a VR, not PC, title first and foremost; all of their demos and promotional materials have been focused on VR.

 

[Neuromancer]

Anyway, I don't understand the hesitancy for an optional(!) VR support and claiming that it would make the game worse in any way.

VR support is fine, but they're clearly pushing the game as a VR, not PC, title first and foremost; all of their demos and promotional materials have been focused on VR.

Yes, but this is kind of to be expected with marketing, isn't it?

Especially on fairs like the GDC, you would show of the most advanced technical gadgets and gimmicks you have at your exposal.

At least in their announcement, they clearly mention "for computers & VR", so it's not an afterthought IMO.


I guess, we just have to wait, how the game will turn out.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Anyway, I don't understand the hesitancy for an optional(!) VR support and claiming that it would make the game worse in any way.

VR support is fine, but they're clearly pushing the game as a VR, not PC, title first and foremost; all of their demos and promotional materials have been focused on VR.

Yes, but this is kind of to be expected with marketing, isn't it?

Especially on fairs like the GDC, you would show of the most advanced technical gadgets and gimmicks you have at your exposal.

At least in their announcement, they clearly mention "for computers & VR", so it's not an afterthought IMO.


I guess, we just have to wait, how the game will turn out.

I get that conventional marketing wisdom would be to push the cutting-edge tech side of things, but that seems like a serious error in judgement for this project. Their core audience is people who know who Ken and Roberta Williams are, and I don’t think most of them give a rat’s ass about VR.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Meanwhile, real Sierra fans do something more interesting. For example:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=59091.0

 

[Morgoth]

Oh my! So nice. So amazing. So respectful. So fucking boring listening to these Golden Girls era geezers.

 

[Rincewind]

Whats the best version of original to play?

There are a few graphical versions around, but it seems most of them are now dead. The classic option is the 350 point version. (one of the first ones here) You'll want a map program like Trizbort.

Tyvm! I was planning on mapping by hand (both this, and stuff like Zork). Does program have any huge advantages, or its a matter of preference?

Seconding Trizbort. While it's a little rough around the edges and some parts of the UI leave a lot to be desired, it's still the best we've got if you're looking for a standalone desktop app. (There are some webapps, and a webapp version of Trizbort too, but webapps are garbage, so let's not even waste time on them...)

It's under active development and the dev is quite responsive to issues raised on GitHub, which is a big plus (e.g. there's a chance to request features we're missing). I recommend to memorize all the single-letter keyboard shortcuts for managing connections, that speeds up things quite a bit. One thing that threw me off initially was that it doesn't really have the concept of themes. So what I ended up with was setting up my preferred colour scheme and settings in a "Template" map that I keep making copies of whenever I start a new map (it was super tedious because the UI for setting colours is really shit... but it works). It doesn't remember the theme settings of the last created room either, so I always just keep a "Blank" room around that I make copies of.

With all these caveats, it's a great program, mouse-wheel zoom and middle-click dragging works out of the box, which are very important too IMO.

This is the last map I created with it for Scott Adams' Pirate Adventure.

 

[Rincewind]

Anyway, I don't understand the hesitancy for an optional(!) VR support and claiming that it would make the game worse in any way.

VR support is fine, but they're clearly pushing the game as a VR, not PC, title first and foremost; all of their demos and promotional materials have been focused on VR.

Yes, but this is kind of to be expected with marketing, isn't it?

Especially on fairs like the GDC, you would show of the most advanced technical gadgets and gimmicks you have at your exposal.

At least in their announcement, they clearly mention "for computers & VR", so it's not an afterthought IMO.


I guess, we just have to wait, how the game will turn out.

I get that conventional marketing wisdom would be to push the cutting-edge tech side of things, but that seems like a serious error in judgement for this project. Their core audience is people who know who Ken and Roberta Williams are, and I don’t think most of them give a rat’s ass about VR.

I don't think they care about the fans of text adventures or old Sierra games at all. What could motivate them to do this project in the first place? Clearly, it's not money as they have plenty, and they don't seem to be the greedy types whose sole purpose in life is to see their bank accounts grow. As it was hinted at in the first video, they were forced to stay at home because of COVID, and Ken was getting bored. So he wrote that book first, and after that in their boredom they were looking for a new hobby. I'm guessing Ken got interested in all the modern technology and tools, and being the innovative type he always was, he became fascinated with the idea of VR. I think it's just natural for him to look forward instead of trying to please the old fans and the retro crowd. They always tried to innovate with their King's Quest games, or at least follow the latest trends (which didn't always turn out so well, but that's another matter).

Anyway, just my 2 cents, and I think I understand their motivation. It's kind of a hobby, but apparently Ken cannot *not* make it a commercial project as well, given his past experiences.

I also remember the interview with Ken from "The Art of Point'n'Click Adventure Games" book where he said that although he appreciates all retro-adventure projects on a personal level, from a commercial perspective they have zero chance in the current world. He's just not the type who would embark on a project that he knows would commercially fail.

 

[Rincewind]

Oh my! So nice. So amazing. So respectful. So fucking boring listening to these Golden Girls era geezers.

Dude, they're close to 70... They're perfectly fine, what would you expect? How many 70 year old people even talk about computer games, or start developing their own games, really... They strike me as really cool and down to earth people, and Ken is still interested in coding and new tech, I think he's a cool guy.

Thanks for posting the video, btw.

 

[Keshik]

Oh my! So nice. So amazing. So respectful. So fucking boring listening to these Golden Girls era geezers.

What was boring about it ?

 

[Durq]

I think VR is a great medium for games reminiscent of the point-and-click genre. I've enjoyed Time Stall, The Room VR: A Dark Matter, and both I Expect You To Die games. The Quest 2 isn't cumbersome to use. It's wireless.

 

[deuxhero]

Doesn't look so bad, but the VR part makes me not expect much from it because of that.

I think the the player movement limitations of VR would be OK in a first person point and click adventure game. Certainly not a VR killer app, and absolutely not something to make VR only, but not too absurd to add to one if the player doesn't walk around each room anyways. No idea how this is though.