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(re: re: re: 25 Aniversery) Must be making you mad Ken, to see the company you worked so hard for be turned into the Sierra it is today… I know it’s making me mad! I don’t think they even realise Sierra is turning 25!
Here’s a story I may have already told on this board (hopefully not — I hate to bore people).
About three years ago, I went through the same process as I am now — I contacted the reigning hauncho at Sierra to ask if I could help. I had heard that things were going sideways, and wanted to help get the company on track. He was polite but clearly not interested.
That didn’t bother me – but, what did is that as we were walking to the elevator, after a nice lunch, he mentioned that his predecessor (or, him – I don’t remember which) had hired a consulting firm to help them decide what had gone wrong at Sierra. For those who have never hired consultants, here’s what happens: you give them $100-300,000 and they start a bunch of smart college graduates studying your business – and, then give you back a thick book telling you how to run your business better.
Here’s what angered and humiliated me: Sierra grew 30 to 50% every year for nearly 20 years under my leadership. I made more than my fair share of mistakes, but we always made money — typically bringing 20% or so to the bottom line. So – the pattern is that the company grew consistently and profitably for 18 years – then started shrinking and losing money during the years after the sale.
At the time, I lived about two miles from the corporate offices. Do you think the fancy, suit-wearing, high-priced, college-educated researchers thought to invest a dime in calling me to ask what changed. Nope. Could I have made a difference? Got me, I’d like to think so. I would have been happy to try, and how much worse could I have done?
Argh.
-Ken W(re: New format of viewing new messages) I am not that keen on the new format where only the latest message is displayed. I liked the old format where you can see the history so it’s possible to know in what reference the new message is being displayed. Can I suggest having an option in preferences that allows user to configure whether they want to view full message thread or just latest message when checking new messages? just some feedback from a user…
Manish:
Yup – I know what you mean … there are things I also liked better about the old way I was doing it.
You can get the full message thread now, by clicking the link at the top of the page — but, it means an extra click (actually two more clicks if it’s a long thread).
I’ve got some bugs to get through (a couple of weeks of work) – and then I’ll do something about this.
-Ken W(re: re: re: 25 Aniversery) I sent this e-mail to the sierra customer service:
Dear Sir, MadameCongratulations with your 25th anniversary! I’m playing your games for 15 years now.
Jurian Driesten
And this is the reply:
Response from Sierra Technical Support:
Glad you are still enjoying the progams. We are currently working on the latest version and you can read more about it at sierra.com.VU Games Email Support
A new question is on what are they currently working on?(re: RE: 40033 Sierra Way)
I started in Oakhurst in “95, I am currently the Distribution Manager in Fresno, California. I obviously went through a lot of Logo changes on my business cards over the last nine years. I am not sure how I got them, but they have traveled with me for each DC location move. They are currently in our Lobby at the Fresno Distribution Center.
(re: re: Sam and Max 2 Cancelled – Ken Comments?)
Wow, didn’t realize there were that many people out there who liked Sam and Max. ^^
(re: re: The Good Times . . .)
During the late ’90s, I used sleep for 1A till 4A and play video games till I had to go to work or class, at around noon. I’d get home ’round 5 or 6 and play till 1A. Then I remembers that women existed and I wanted to meet some.
I still sleep this pattern today, but I’m more doing work on the PC or ordering stuff for my businesses. I think I’m nuts.
Funny, but a strange combination of adventure and racing was Ridge Racer 4, which I bleemed onto PC for some strange reason. Oh, yeah, I couldn’t stand the 320 x 200 resolution of the original PlayStation, so I played that on my PC. It had this story mode, and the coaches were quite sarcastic.
Hey, speaking of which, I liked NASCAR Racing on PlayStation! I thought that was so cool about 9 years ago or so (maybe 8). And it was a Sierra game, that’s why I bought it!
(re: re: re: So what did you like more?) GOOD POINT! But I did get this thingy once in a LucasArts game:
Top Ten Reasons to Buy Our Adventures:
I don’t remember anything except this one:
5. We don’t have “Quest” in the title.
Geez, I wonder what company they were refering to?
(ROFL! – Ken W)(re: re: re: re: Original King’s Quest (mainly to Orat, vintage-sierra.com))
Odd. But I’ve played stuff on my Tandy that should’ve NEVER played.
The RAM in the machine did allow the game to play. The box has a requirement for (version 1.0) 486SX/25 w/ 4 MB RAM and then recommends a 486DX/33 w/ 8 MB RAM. I don’t own any other version, except the 4 most wanted, which has the requirements for SWAT on it.
I never did get it working on anything except Windows 3.1 on my old (still being used as of this morning, thanks to PowerLeap) 486. I went out as a teen and bought a SoundBlaster 16 just to have the extended level MIDI music.
(re: re: Future of Adventures ?)
Hell yes! Looks different, but it’s our favorite genre evolved. That’s why I encourage people who like adventures to give these Mario 64-type games a shot, like Zelda Wind Waker and Final Fantsy X-2. These are adventures with many Sierra elements. If I recall, Sierra is the first company I remember with groovy intros and cut-scenes in a game.
(re: re: re: re: re: Building Old Computers For Sierra Gaming)
I assumed as much. John C. Dvorak wrote in an article or book (pick one, he writes so much) that work is work, games are games. Nintendo’s policy is similar to yours. I have no idea about Microsoft.
That’s the problem with many small developers these days I visit. They’re always playing games when they should be designing them, like Ion Storm. I never recall ever hearding of work being done, just lots of Quake LAN games or something.
(re: The Good Times . . .)
I remember something very cool from when I was in high school. I had just bought KQ6 abd played it everyday… On wednesdays my classes started at 11 o’clock. So I got up at 7 had some breakfast and played KQ6 till half pas 11 and went to school. At least that was my intention… I got up at 7 played KQ6 had no breakfast and was always late at school (at least every wednesday). I always had an excuse why I was late. Then I guess is was the 4th wednesday I told my teacher the real reason I was late. He just laughed and told me to tell him how to escape the labyrinth when I was done… I never got any detention… 🙂
(re: re: 25 Aniversery)
Must be making you mad Ken, to see the company you worked so hard for be turned into the Sierra it is today… I know it’s making me mad! I don’t think they even realise Sierra is turning 25!
(re: re: re: Sierra to get new owner)
I don’t think Sierra should be sold, just the licenses to the old school adventure games. The Sierra brandname has been tainted. With the licenses “they” could start over again. Look at what they are doing to Leisure Suit Larry… I’ll try the gamedemo but with the current concept I don’t think I’ll be buying the game. Sierra wasn’t just a company it was a family and we were part of it.I even remember Ken saying in an interview (you can see the interview on one of the KQ collection cd’s) that in the beginning the whole industry would go out camping or rafting or something and they would throw buckets of water at eachother… That is the Sierra we want and that would never happen by just selling Sierra. Ok ok that would NEVER happen again 🙁
(re: re: So what did you like more?) Yeah Runaway had ok packaging. The packaging of newer adventure games like Syberia and even The Longest Journey were just sad… The only company that I know of that still makes the packaging a n artwork is Blizzard. Not only are their games amazing they still take the time to make the contents as amazing as the games itself… The reason I wasn’t a big Lucas Arts fan; their packaging sucked. I remember saving almost all cash I had so I could buy Fate of Atlantis. The game rocked but the box only contained a manual. Did I just pay 70 Dollars for only the game and the manual ? 🙂
(re: Sam and Max 2 Cancelled – Ken Comments?)
I also just signed the petition — currently over 18,000 sigs! Let’s make this happen!!
(re: re: re: re: re: re: re: RE: You fell off KENNY BOY!! YOU FELL OFF!!!) I realize I only mentioned Monkey Island in my post before. But there are a whole bunch of PC adventure games that have come out in the past few years. These games (Syberia, Out of Order, Runaway) DO breath new life into the genre.
I think I see what you’re saying though. But people have been playing text-adventures on Palms for years already. I also am not a big fan of portable gaming. I love my Gameboy, but it rarely leaves my living room. How can you immerse yourself in a game if you’re just killing time before a meeting? It lends itself to disconnection with the story and characters. I have Dope Wars on my cell phone because it’s quick, mindless, and I don’t care about finishing.
Example: if yesterday I had my gameboy with me waiting to meet a friend, I would not have seen a childhood friend I lost contact with 12 years ago. I would have been hunched over a little screen trying to get the Princess through Teehee Desert. Games are for home and maybe long trips. I don’t want to be involved in some adventure when I should be paying attention to what’s around me in the real world.
Thus concludes my rant on portable gaming.(re: re: re: Take The Plunge…) “Roberta is clearly interested in doing a game again, and is just now starting the long process towards making a game. She’s at least six months to a year from knowing what the game will be, so she considers it premature to be thinking about how it would be published or developed.”
This is seriously the best news I have had in a long time. It doesn’t matter that there is a chance that it wont be published, developed, or even if she decided not to do it at all. The fact that we are getting movement is excellent. Even idle consideration is better than nothing at all.(re: So what did you like more?)
Interesting history on where those little boxes came from!
I have made the mistake (twice) of throwing out my old gameboxes in a fit of spring cleaning. Both times it was because I needed the space, but I wish now I hadn’t done that. I’ve been slowly collecting some of the big boxes when I can find them (have been visiting Goodwill an awful lot this past year!) It’s like a treasure hunt… and I’m SO excited when I find a box with the game and documentation in tact.
As for fun documentation, Runaway had a neat manual. It was nice to see something like that in a recent game, but then again, Runaway is a tribute to classic adventures in a lot of ways.
-emily
(re: re: re: re: re: re: RE: You fell off KENNY BOY!! YOU FELL OFF!!!)
Well, sort of, but maybe I did not clarify suff. my thought in the post: I see you refer to a market to old VGA games, I personally do not see it.
What I do see is a market window which can bring “old style” adventures to new life, and this is handhelds and palms: technically they are reliving fastly the evolution of PCs of old times (this helps) but above all they are portable.
This would be the perfect window even for the perfect text adventure Ken was describing in his latest post. I’d love to see it happen, but time runs out fastly, the window opened up a few years ago and will last still for some more on (from handhelds into third gen phones maybe but then, in another 5 years from now, whi knows ?).
I’d love to read also Ken’s comment and opinion on this.
Ciao,
Giovanni(re: re: Take The Plunge…)
Right on, as much as I would like to see more King’s Quest or Gabriel Knight games, I’d also like to see new universes being created. Like you said before, Sierra was always ahead of the competition in terms of graphics, sounds, and gameplay. Instead of being restricted to a series you already created, I’d love to see something original and innovative. Back when you owned Sierra, I could be sure that everything was quality stuff, so I’m sure whatever is created now would be just as good as anything you made before. Nostalgia can and does sell, but I’d like to see something new.
(re: re: re: Take The Plunge…) Responding to both Ken and Ryan here…
Ryan, well said. I understand exactly where Ken is coming from and his desire to put Sierra back on top. With the history there, who could blame him for that? As I said, my only concern there would be what kind of limitations would get in the way of what we all know Ken is capable of accomplishing? VU should have had the foresight to get Al involved in Magna Cum Laude from the beginning, but they didn’t. This leaves me with great concerns as to the decision making process taking place and the failure to recognize what made Sierra as great as it was. On a positive note, they are interested in meeting with Ken, so far be it for me to completely dismiss them.
With regards to nostalgia (and this is more directed toward Ken now), I understand. My point is not to bring back either the games of the 80s (though I’m no way against sequels to the popular titles), neither is it to return graphic adventures to the 80-90’s style. My point is the direction they’ve taken dating back to the fall of Sierra is not an overall positive one. I’m speaking in general of course, but controls are clumsy, stories are not immersive, and they are not up to par with the demands of gamers who want to live a story, not just play it and watch. Nostaligia comes into play not to relive the past, but that we recognize who were the ones that were responsible for the games we loved. Ken, you were one of those folks that pioneered the way back then and that’s something that’s sadly missing today. Who are today’s pioneers? Who has the vision to resurrect adventure games out of rut that you speak of? Most importantly, who has both the experience and motivation? There are but a few. So, when you mention even the remote possibility of a comeback in some way, shape, or form you inevitably send shockwaves of excitement and anticipation through the gaming community, not to mention hope. Dramatic? Perhaps so, but we’re thirsty after close to two decades of drought with few exceptions here and there.
We gamers will support you and Robert regardless of the vehicle (your own company, working with Sierra, etc). We will do so not out of nostalgia, but because your efforts are worthwhile and productive and that has been proven. Should you or Robert complete another game we will be ready. Should you decide to get involved with Sierra, we will trust your judgement and we will be ready. Naturally, we’d love to see you with your own company for the reasons I mentioned the first time around, but if you feel you can help Sierra make a comeback, we have no reason not to believe your judgement.
In closing, we understand that you’re making no promises, but the community of thirsty gamers will continue to anticipate and remain hopeful for what tomorrow may bring.
Sincerely,
Paul Lilly(re: re: re: Original King’s Quest (mainly to Orat, vintage-sierra.com))
I don’t think that PQ4 was much of a power hog. Maybe a conventional memory hog, but all Sierra games and most decent games in general had that problem. That’s Bill Gates’s fault for only letting DOS have 640K.
I played PQ4 fine on a 386. Although I will admit that I had 16MB of RAM while most people probably had 4 (I bought the computer from someone else…not sure why he put that much in there). But still it was a 386 and ran all the Sierra games fine.
