1985 vs 1987. That's years before Centauri Alliance.
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Codex Interview RPG Codex Retrospective Interview: Michael Cranford on Bard's Tale, Interplay, and Centauri Alliance
- Thread starter Crooked Bee
- Start date
1985 vs 1987. That's years before Centauri Alliance.
That's your own assumption.
That's your own assumption.
Cranford, obviously.
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Brian Fargo has spoken before about how Interplay "wasn't making any money" before they went into publishing. It was either in one of his Matt Chat episodes or in his Unity conference speech, or possibly both.
I went back and listened to Matt Chat 89 after reading this. Fargo and Cranford's stories pretty much are in alignment. The more I read and hear, the more it appears the one with the most argumentative points and the slimmest grasp of the situation is Heinemann. It seems most of the post-departure drama came from him/her/whatever. Its also too bad that Cranford didn't stick around: Fargo really heaps praise on the guy.
Fargo did however confirm, in the Matt Chat interview, Burger Heineman's story about how Michael Cranford held the BT code/master disk hostage in order to make Brian change the contract. Which still paints Michael as the "bad guy" and which is the main thing Michael disagrees with (and tells his own side of the story) in this interview. For one, Fargo doesn't mention that he initially promised Cranford different contract terms, which is how it was according to Cranford's story. So the accounts do differ.
As for other of Heineman's claims -- such as that he was instrumental in the BT I & II development -- on that Fargo does take Cranford's side, true.
Cranford doesn't deny he demanded a different contract. Again, the difference between his and Fargo's accounts is not in that; it hinges on whether or not Fargo promised him different (i.e. more favorable) terms up front and then presented him with an entirely different contract. I.e. the question is who was the "bad guy" here.
Well yeah I was just talking about the difference between the two accounts. Obviously the real situation was likely more nuanced.
And sure, we can always blame EA.
And sure, we can always blame EA.
I think it really broke down to a disagreement on terms, and Fargo in his interview even admits that Cranford did all the work on BT1. In a sense, there is no "bad guy" unless you listen to the Heineman version which makes it look like a collaborative endeavor with the rug pulled out from under the team by a guy walking in and changing things at the last minute. I think that's where the "bad guy" vibe comes from, and after watching Fargo again, everyone downplays Heinemans contribution except for... Heineman.
Fargo, Heineman, and Cranford all agree Cranford changed the deal at the last minute... but is that as outrageous as it is being made out to be? "Yes, I'll do this, but first I want to talk to someone." In all honesty, he'd be a dope to not talk to a lawyer before signing anything like that. And, doing some quick math, Cranford was 23 or so at the time of this deal. I don't think anyone is lying about their recollections, just that maybe everyone was too young and naive, and took offense to what may have been a pretty standard move.
Vault Dweller
Commissar, Red Star Studio
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Technically, according to Cranford, he didn't change the deal at the last minute. He was offered a different deal (the contract) than what was agreed on earlier (the verbal agreement with Fargo). He didn't like that. Nobody would.
Yeah that's what I was trying to say. VD has put it better.
Kz3r0
Arcane
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That would have meant tha he could walk away with the floppy and sell it to whomever he wanted, no contract, no obligation.
dragonbait
Augur
Michael Cranford makes multiple references (5 to be precise) to a dungeon editor that he made around the Bard's Tale II game, and he also gave reasoning as to why he did not release Centauri Alliance for DOS as "I had never developed for a PC at that point, so it was unknown territory for me." so being that the Bard's Tale Construction Set was released for DOS and not for Apple or C64, then was the Construction Set based off the code of Cranford's Apple or C64 BTII Dungeon Editor? or a created as a Separate endeavor by whomever was left in charge of doing the Bard's Tale Construction Set at the time? The interview kept me wondering about that. Otherwise the interview was awesome. Plus as a side note, especially if Michael Cranford happens to view this, is that there has been some significant disassembly of Bard's Tale I to find out its inner workings, along with a modified C64 Bard's Tale I with 4 bonus dungeons created by user Darendor at the Adventurer's Guild
http://www.bardstale.de/
and forums at
http://bardstale.brotherhood.de/talefiles/board/index.php
Along with another user Dulsi (of the same bard's tale forum)'s creation of Bard's Tale Builder (an open source implementation of the Bard's Tale Construction Set)
I am sure they and allot of other folks at the forum (including me) would appreciate very much if Michael posted there. The Adventurer's Guild is probably the best and most frequented Bard's Tale site.
http://www.bardstale.de/
and forums at
http://bardstale.brotherhood.de/talefiles/board/index.php
Along with another user Dulsi (of the same bard's tale forum)'s creation of Bard's Tale Builder (an open source implementation of the Bard's Tale Construction Set)
I am sure they and allot of other folks at the forum (including me) would appreciate very much if Michael posted there. The Adventurer's Guild is probably the best and most frequented Bard's Tale site.
Good article. I always enjoy these retrospective interviews, even if I haven't played the games in question (and I haven't played Bard's Tale, unless we're talking about the inXile's remake). Keep them coming, staff!
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