- This topic has 22 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 4 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
Hi Ken!
I heard about this site from a forum, so I thought I would give it a look. First of all I just wanted to let you know that I have loved every sierra game since I was born. I am 17 (turning 18) and I have played all of your old classics! There are some, however, that I was never privillaged to see….thanks to the new sierra (vivendi ownership) I may never.
I wanted to know if you have ever heard of the term ‘abandonware’. It is the attempt made by fans on the internet to make older, unsold and unsupported games available for download on the net. In other words, it is to keep all the games you worked so hard on alive! Unfortunately, Vivendi has all the copyrights to the sierra games. They will not allow people to freely distibute them on the net, even though they are all ‘out of print’ and no longer supported.
How do you feel about this? I always wanted to know what you think about old fans trying to keep your games available. It’s not a question of stealing, I just want the old classics to stay around for everyone to see.
I also would like to tell you that, even with the dawn of newer games and newer genres, I STILL to this day play King’s Quest and all the old series games. They will always have a place on my hard drive.
Thank you.
Please reply if you have the time! 🙂 -
(re: Sierra Classics) Thank you for the kind words!
As to abandonware: my opinion is irrelevant. What matters is Sierra’s opinion. Technically, they hold the copyrights to all their products, and any attempt to distribute them is piracy. That said, if there were a market for the products, Sierra would be selling them.
I have heard that there are sites that are distributing the old games. I even found one site that had the old Apple II games, and an emulator, for download! To the extent that Sierra doesn’t object, I think it’s great. Hopefully, they’ll either distribute the old games, or look the other way as they are passed around the internet. I’d hate to see them just “cease to exist”.
-Ken W
-
(re: re: Sierra Classics) I know, of course Sierra has the say. Since they seem to ignore every old fan asking them to sell their old games or release them as freeware…..I don’t know what will happen. I can see their side though. They probably think one day they will make new games in ther series, but every series? When will sierra ever make an Codename: Iceman 2? They shouldn’t tell people “Sorry, we can’t let you have the game for free” and at the same time say “We won’t sell the game anymore”….
That is what’s so interesting about computer games and time, it’s a very controversal topic. No matter what happens, I’ll still be playing the games. I don’t feel bad about having to download some of the ones I missed either. I long for the day sierra realizes that it would not hurt to let the games go.
Well, anyway…..thanks for the quick reply! Hmmm….this site resparked my interest in sierra. I think I’ll go play some Police Quest! 😉 -
(re: re: re: Sierra Classics) I know this might be a touchy subject, and one that probably should not be posted openly in this forum, but could someone email me links to downloading old sierra games? My email is
Link:bonk81@yahoo.com (mailto:bonk81@yahoo.com)
. I’ve missed a few over the years and really want to play them. -
(re: re: re: re: Sierra Classics) I don’t agree with openly giving out links. The games are still supported and should not be distributed. If you happen to find them then go ahead…but I won’t be the one to tell you.
Ken, do you mind if I use your opinion on another forum? I have many people there who would love to know how the sierra man himself feels about such a controversial topic. I know it doesn’t seem to important…..but to us we just need to know what the greats behind classics think. I may even ask Al Lowe what he thinks too. -
(re: Sierra Classics) While I agree with your opinion from a legal viewpoint, Paul, I have no idea what you mean when you say “the games are still supported.” The games are not supported in any way by Sierra. So, I completely agree with keeping the games alive in any way possible, as Ken said, hate to see them “cease to exist.” If someone asked for a copy of a game I had, I’d send it to them – not only would I send it to them, but if I was sending it to them on CD I’d throw on a whole bunch of other Sierra games too in order to fill up the CD – because I know the only way they could get it is to pay too much on EBay and the only person who profits is the guy who sells it. As for bargain bins, I’ve never seen a Sierra game in a bargain bin. I guess all the software stores around where I live just suck!
But as you say, I do not support posting links or posting requests for games in public places.
What is a viable amount? Obviously there is still demand for old games… But not enough demand to make it viable for Sierra to release big collection packs? -
(re: Sierra Classics) I don’t agree with openly giving out links. The games are still supported and should not be distributed. If you happen to find them then go ahead…but I won’t be the one to tell you.
Ken, do you mind if I use your opinion on another forum? I have many people there who would love to know how the sierra man himself feels about such a controversial topic. I know it doesn’t seem to important…..but to us we just need to know what the greats behind classics think. I may even ask Al Lowe what he thinks too.Feel free to repost my comments elsewhere (including a link back to this site would be nice..).
Whereas I would not post old Sierra games on this site, I am not opposed to including links to other sites here. I mentioned to one of Sierra’s senior haunchos a couple of years ago that I had found a site from which to download all the old Apple games, and his only comment was to say “cool”. My guess would be that Sierra will never officially bless the downloads, but neither are they likely to spend a lot of money chasing people who download games that can’t be found in any other way.
That said, I feel very differently about people downloading a “really old” game like Kings Quest II than I do people downloading HalfLife. If a product can be found at retail, then any attempt to download it is piracy, and unacceptable behaviour. I see a distinction between preserving history and piracy.
-Ken W
-
(re: re: re: re: re: re: Sierra Classics)
About three years ago, Sierra’s lawyers sent cease and desist letters to a bunch of abandonware sites, and the old games were removed from those sites. Many of the games have since cropped up on abandonware sites again. I don’t know how long it took for this to happen, or if Sierra has taken any further action since then.
They’re easy enough to find using google — but since Ken said he doesn’t mind, here are two good links:
http://www.the-underdogs.org
http://www.abandongames.com/ Most of the games i’ve downloaded, I did before Sierra’s lawyers requested to have them removed. (I also felt kind of justified because many of those games I did own, at one time or another, but they were all Apple or Mac games and became obsolete as technology changed, or the disks went bad…) I have also been known to buy old games even if I have a downloaded copy. In fact, I’d rather own legal copies if i can find them. The original documentation (and even the original disks / CDs) are important to me.
I would never download a game that is still sold by the manufacturer… not even some newer old games that are hard to find. If it’s less than 10 years old, the idea of downloading it makes me feel dirty for some reason…
It’s interesting, what the companies have had to go through to protect copyrights. Many of the first Sierra games I played were copies that came from my dad’s coworkers. At the time, it didn’t seem like a bad thing to do. But this seemed to peter out as the games got bigger (probably in part because Sierra, among other companies, made customers aware that piracy was illegal and was taking money out of the pockets of the hardworking developers…)
-emily
-
(re: Sierra Classics)
Hey Emily, exactly the same for me! The first Sierra game I remember playing was SQ3, which my Dad brought home from work. Then I remember a whole slew of others, some which my Dad brought home, and then some which we started to buy. When I was old enough I was able to start buying some games myself… but I believed they’d be there forever, and I didn’t buy enough before they all disappeared. I’m always looking for original copies of Sierra games at not-too-expensive prices, since like you, I’d rather have the original game and documentation if I can get it. I’m sure many other Sierra fans have memories just like this.
-
(re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Sierra Classics) There is a site on the internet that claims they’ve gotten the non-exclusive rights to post the Amiga versions of old games. Among those companies is Sierra. Their site can be found at:
Link: http://www.back2roots.org/(http://www.back2roots.org/)
A great site to get old games legally…though they only have the Amiga versions. The only Sierra adventure game I can see that they’re lacking is the remake of Larry 1 and the English version of Space Quest 4. An emulator to play these games can be found at
Link: http://winuae.net(http://winuae.net)
You’ll also need an Amiga ROM to use the emulator, but I’m not gonna post it here since Amiga is a bit protective about it. -
(re: Sierra Classics)
Back in 1999, I was looking for Championship Boxing (one of my all time favorites). It was hard to find on the net (a search with that name would give all types of results). I even emailed Barry Murry, cocreator of the game, who said he didn’t have a copy (but would love to get one).
I noticed on Sierra’s Tech Help page that they still had that old game listed there! So I called them up and asked them where I could get a copy.
The person asked, “Exactly when was this game made?”
“1984” I replied.
(long silence)
“Your best bet is to look on abandonware sites on the Internet.”
So with their blessings, I was let loose.
-
-
-
(re: re: re: re: Sierra Classics)
I don’t keep hold of them because i will “eventually” need them, I actually still play them! They are my fav games of all time. I just would love to get all of them. If they are not sold and are not available for download…….then where are they? It should not be illegal to distribute something that does not exist in today’s market. I think Sierra holds on to the copyrights for their games…..but they should not hold on to the old games themselves. Rather, companies like Epic Megagames let One Must Fall 2097 go free. Yet they still own rights to make a part 2 if they so wish. ID software let out some of their source codes to engines….it does not mean they can’t produce another game from the engines. I’m not asking to abandon the old names…..just allow people to distribute the classic games or put them back on the market. One or the other. Not just let them die.
-
(re: re: re: re: re: Sierra Classics) The bottom line is Sierra is in the business of making money, not creating a loyal fanbase. The business of the former Sierra depended greatly on fan support, but times are drastically different. If they could make money off of these older games, they would release them, but kids these days don’t want to buy outdated software (even if it is better than the current stuff). Why would they want to waste their time handing out games if this would not really benefit their current sales. (Of course, I’m playing devil’s advocate)
It is curious, however, that Sierra still continues to keep message boards for their older games that aren’t still available. This company isn’t stupid. It’s watching to see where trends are going and demand for the games.
What might be a good idea is to offer classics similarly to Apple’s iTunes. Charge a small amount to download a game. On the other hand, it still might not be cost effective (i.e. paying webpeople, server space, etc.), which is something Sierra would research and keep a very close eye on. I wouldn’t mind paying $5-$15 for an older game if that’s what it comes down to. -
-
-
Beetle B.
I have the Championship Boxing box and disk. It was given to me from my step father-in-law. I haven’t had a chance to try it out on my 486 IBM PS2 to see if it still works. I once ran an Alf game on that computer and it went so fast that I lost once I started the game.The box shows a kangaroo on the back fighting a boxer. I thought there were newer games by other companies with the same characters. I think it was Fist of Furry?
-
.
Quote:
“… (by Paul / avatar_58 ) (re: re: re: re: re: re: Sierra Classics) Paying to download? One problem with that, what if something goes wrong during the download. Neither side can prove anything happened so you won’t get another download or any refund.…”
Actually thats not that big of a deal. If you’ve ever used Itunes it knows when an error occurs durring a download and lets you re-download the file. Infact, if its set up like emusic.com you can redownload anything youve purchased on your account. It really wouldnt be that difficult to set something like that up.
-
Ken, from a management point of view, why would Vivendi hold onto the old game license and not attempt to make money with them. Do they only want the Sierra name?
Currently, Nancy Drew by Herinteractive, games are in their 12th sequel! Laura Bow would do well in such a market. Have Vivendi managers been taking a nap? If Herinteractive can come up with twelve games and Vivendi zero with a liscense for Laura Bow, what are the managers thinking?
I by no means think “Laura Bow” is the only game they should have released by now. It just shows that Vivendi’s managers are being very short sighted.
Enough of my &@&#*(&.
-
-
Considering what I have read on this page, I think I am ok in doing this: I have just about every Sierra adventure game archived on my computer – anyone who wants one (or more) can email me and I will get it to you 🙂 LONG LIVE SIERRA! Email me at jesseglen AT gmail DOT com with the name of the game you want, and I’ll get back to you promptly with the download.
Oh and hello to Ken and Roberta, you guys MADE my childhood and turned me into the computer / game geek I am today. Definitely changed my life. Heartfelt thanks to you and the rest of the Sierra team.
Is there ANY way we can get you to bring Dee Dee, Mike, and the rest of the “real” Sierra back, to create some “real” games? Back in the day, Sierra was the ONLY game company making anything worth playing… these days, games like KQ, PQ, SQ and Manhunter are very, very hard to come by. When you play Sierra titles, you can FEEL the enthusiasm that was poured into the games, and you can just imagine the team getting so excited over this scene or that new puzzle… man it must have been an exciting time. Anyways, love you guys 🙂
Jesse
-
Hi Yvonne,
many german translations of Sierra games (including Longbow) are available at:
http://www.monkeygames.ccHope you enjoy playing it as I did a few years ago!
-
