Interviews

1. What is the possibility that TSL will use some of the disenfranchised members of the animated graphic adventure (AGA) community such as Al Lowe, Jane Jensen, and Ron Gilbert. There are many of these AGA icons that Are begging to be included in future projects. Last time I spoke to Al Lowe he was telling me that he begged to be included in the last Leisure Suit Larry, which was a massive flop, but he was turned down.

Saydmell Salazar: We would love to work with Roberta Williams, Jane Jensen or any previous Sierra employee, however all of them are restricted legally from coming anywhere near the Sierra game franchise for the same reasons as anyone else would be. Vivendi holds the copyrights and it’s even more different for them as they do not work for them anymore. Therefore, an explicit violation for someone like them would be quite difficult. Besides, despite their open love and support for our game, none of our fan-projects are paid, making it very difficult for them to invest time as well.

Neil Rodrigues: It would be great to have some of these legends as consultants; however the best way for these former Sierra employees to support our project would be as angel investors for our company, Phoenix Online Studios, especially once we start development on commercial products. But again, this may be easier said than done, depending on their legal involvement with VU.

Cesar Bittar: I think it would be a wonderful opportunity, and well as a dream come true. It would be great to produce a Gabriel Knight 4 designed by Jane Jensen or have Roberta collaborate in our TSL story. However, not everybody likes working for free and that’s what we do. I will also add, as I’ve said many times before, that this is our vision of the King’s Quest universe and it differs in many ways from Roberta’s, even turning it completely upside down on some occasions. So, from a personal point of view, if we were to get involved with any of them for one of the oldest projects ever, I would mainly work as a producer and not as a designer/storyteller.

2. What types of puzzles to you have and how many are there? Please elaborate on why you picked your puzzles and how they fit with the Story lines. Please elaborate further on anything you feel is significant, especially in puzzle design and integration with the game.

SS: The majority of our puzzles are logic-based and event-driven. While I cannot even begin to imagine how many puzzles there are in our game, I know that our script for Shadows is 689 pages. Our puzzles were decided to be in this format, so that the game is consistent with existing games in the adventure game genre.

NR: For those unfamiliar with the adventure genre, here is a sample of puzzle design: Let’s say the goal of Chapter 1 was to bake a chocolate cake. In order to do so, you will need ingredients. But, to get the flour, you’ll need money to pay the baker. To pay the baker you’ll need cash, or something of equal value you could barter, and so forth. This kind of logic-based puzzle solving is how most, if not all, adventure games are designed.

Regarding integration this with the actual game, the process is essentially taking what is written on paper, and turning it into 2D artwork, then 3D, then scripting it, animating it, and giving it audio, and then of course testing it at each phase to ensure it validates with the initial design. Sometimes what was written initially differs considerably with the final product, and sometimes the final product is better than what you could ever have imagined from the initial script. I’ve actually noticed the latter to occur more often than not, with our game.

CB: Puzzles are very integrated into the storyline. I detest games where you don’t have a clear goal and where you must go to finish goals that you have no clue about. That’s a debatable poor design issue (some people may call it “freedom”, but, from my point of view, and especially in this case, you are controlling a pre-existing character that is not you, even if you can relate). What I do is give an overall goal for a chapter, and then, all of the puzzles are based around that goal. Some major goals may be as simple as getting from point A to point B, and that normally happens with the smallest chapters. The longest chapter, however, does have a more concise goal given at the beginning of the chapter, such as chapter 3, where that whole chapter revolves around a huge puzzle relating to the Zodiac mythology. Although you can (and most probably will) get stuck wondering how to solve a puzzle, you will never walk around wondering what are you supposed to do next, as that will always be very clear from the beginning of the chapter. We have all kind of puzzles: regular inventory puzzle, Myst-like puzzles, audio puzzles, research puzzles, dialogue puzzles, etc. We have integrated everything we saw was great from past adventure games into a great package of A LOT of puzzles (not sure how many are there, but it’s a lot)!

3. What features from Sierra's games have you retained in TSL? Please Tell us the reasons you enjoyed these features and how you have implemented them.

SS: In general, the game interface is similar to King's Quest VI, which is known to be the most popular game in the KQ series. The majority of elements were implemented from scratch, since our engine was not designed for adventure game style features like point-and-click, inventory, dialogue system, etc.

NR: These functional elements were reused rather than reinvented, because their functionality is already widely known by our fan base, but also because they are simple to use and work perfectly with an adventure game like ours.

CB: Although not seen in Shadows, in parts 2 and 3 we also integrate features from adventure games such as a buddy system, multiple controllable characters and we have integrated a full magic system that you can use in an adventure way (kind of like a really enhanced version of what we saw in Quest for Glory). More than just the technical aspects, what I enjoyed about Sierra games was that close relation one on one that you felt when playing these games. The world absorbed you in incredible ways and it was very hard to let go. Keeping this in mind, we tried to transport that same feeling into what we are creating and evolving it as much as we could.

4. How many pages of text interaction with NPCs are in the script?

NR: The Silver Lining has an enormous amount of dialogue, because it is very storyline and sequence driven. In total, Shadows has about 348 pages of NPC dialogue, meaning approximately 51% is NPC dialogue.

SS: These numbers are not surprising because we held both live and online voice auditions for these characters. Both casts combined total over 200 talented individuals!

5. Please let us know what role humor plays in the script and the type of humor used. I have always been impressed with the rubber tree joke in Monkey Island. Ron Gilbert felt that Sierra games were unforgiving and ridiculously hard in some areas so while moving on a path you fall off the path to the familiar "reboot, reload, quit" message, followed by “fooled you!" and then the statement "Our hero, Guybrush Threepwood, falls on a rubber tree which bounced him right back onto the path exactly where he fell off the cliff." I thought this was brilliant and more to the point, comically showed how foolish little divisive plot elements like " falling off the path" were in these games.

SS: While most of the game has a more dramatic feel to it, there are plenty of humorous narrator dialogue and death sequences. The Silver Lining will certainly have that which made games like Monkey Island special.

NR: Chapter 3 of Shadows contains a large amount of wacky characters, scenes and sequences which are sure to make even the most serious gamer chuckle.

CB: It’s actually very funny that this was brought up. There is a very similar in-joke in the game that deals with exactly the same. Of course, we are not as hilarious as Monkey Island was, generally speaking, but that wasn’t the intention of our game either. Anyhow, here’s an excerpt of some dialogue seen in Shadows:

GRAHAM: Where in Daventry is that?
NARRATOR: You don’t play too many adventure games, do you, Graham?
GRAHAM: Contrary to your beliefs, I do! Over and over again.
NARRATOR: Luckily for you there is that “save and load” feature.
GRAHAM: Yes. Especially on those narrow edges in the early days.
NARRATOR: Somebody ought to teach those players how to control those arrows.
GRAHAM: It hurt! A lot!
PO: Excuse me, sire, are you talking to yourself?
GRAHAM: …No.

6. Art Director, Richard Flores said in the "event" that "Character development is the best part of this project." This point of view is refreshing when you consider statements by Carmack to the effect that "games don't need a plot." Please comment on plot, character development, and setting and the role they have in TSL.

SS: The characters are certainly shaped and grown up, most of them aged and more mature and others simply get exposed more than what they have been from the previous games. Obviously, that was a design decision way back when the plot was being made. The fact of making the characters much more “real” to portray them as they would be if there were new adventures for them. The problem of having an in-depth plot but flat characters is something you will not experience in our game, because the plot gets richer due to character development and their experience within the game.

NR: In my opinion, plot and storyline are the backbone of any excellent piece of work; whether it's video game, literature, theatre, television show, or movie. It acts as the basis in pre-production to which all other art, programming and audio assets follow in production. So, when a game has solid storyline, (particularly an adventure game) it is almost guaranteed to succeed, regardless of graphics, animations, bugs, or anything else. As Say mentioned, character development is key as well. A game may have an extremely elaborate and well thought out plot, but if you cannot relate to or comprehend the actions of characters, you end up disliking them and ultimately the game itself.

CB: I would agree with John Carmack for the kind of games he’s done, but then you can see what impact Half-Life had when they added a bit of a plot to it. For the adventure genre, and RPG genre, the plot is critical to the gameplay. In an adventure, a game without a plot becomes a soulless Myst clone (which we’ve already seen far too many).

For those of you who have played the demo, you can see that, from a design point of view, we’ve made a statement with the first chapter: This is going to be different from past King’s Quests but it contains the King’s Quest spirit nonetheless. I’ve heard comments of how the desolation and desperation comes across and I’m glad, because that’s exactly what I wanted the player to feel -- the way Graham feels. That is really hard to get across, so you have to work with your settings, with your dialogues, with your characters until you connect everything in an almost perfect balance. The main characters are incredibly developed, and we accounted for their past stories. Simple questions like: “How has being enslaved by a wizard for 17 years affected Prince Alexander?” were key when sitting down to research and develop these characters. So, we set aside the “fairy-tale” aspect of forgive-and-forget that Roberta had with her characters, and punched the world with realism. So, do you remember all the bad things that happened to these characters during the past? Good, because we made sure that during The Silver Lining, Graham and his family did not forget about them either.

7. Allert van der Leij said "our music is one of the best soundtracks we could ask for." Please comment on the types of music, what the music does for TSL, the inspiration of the music, and anything else you care to comment on.

SS: The music in our game is orchestral and completely original, created by our talented composers and musicians. The tracks are then professionally reproduced and mixed in-studio, along with voices and sound effects. The music itself was developed by the use of themes. Each major character, setting and so forth influences the mood, tempo and richness of the musical piece.

NR: The music has also inspired many in the team to perform their usual excellent quality work. Personally, I have most recently used the music as my starting point when developing Flash movies, then allow for all storyboarding and ideas form, just from purely listening to the melody a few times. Just based on the music released so far, you will notice that while all tracks are completely unique and original, they still have the same classic King’s Quest feel to them that our fans love and appreciate.

CB: Again, we wanted a score that was comparable to the epic scope of the project, yet at the same time as personal as it can get with the characters. There’s a wide variety of moods running through the Silver Lining, from angst to comical to complete desolation to pure adventure. Austin Haynes and Nick Boland have worked very hard into creating the excellent music, and I have been giving them a guide and a lot of feedback on each theme. Before they actually work on any theme, especially if it’s a character theme, they will sit with me and discuss it for about 2 hours. I will explain who the character is, give them samples of what I think would work great for the character, they ask all the questions possible, and then they go and come back with something that makes my jaw drop.

8. I forget who said (Was it Say?) "Ken and Roberta are legally unable to get involved wht the game production for obvious reasons, but they have been open minded and very nice toward the project." I hate to be a party pooper but I doubt that Ken and Roberta are "legally unable to get involved." Even ironclad non-compete agreements can be easily broken given enough time since the agreement and the overwhelming need to either make a living or express yourself artistically. I am not an attorney but a CPA and have witnessed many of these legal battles, the person who wants to work always wins. You need to consult an attorney that does this type of work.

NR: Regarding Ken and Roberta, they are both retired and do not seem anxious to get back into the video game industry again anytime soon. They have worked hard for over 30 years, and have been greatly successful with their products, so they are clearly in no rush to dive back into the workforce.

SS: While it may or may not be legally possible for them to become involved with Sierra intellectual property again, it would be purely their decision if they wanted to involve themselves with production. Also, a comment Roberta made a few years back was that she would prefer to not have creative influence over our project, mainly due to too many cooks spoiling the broth, so to speak. Even though we would love to have them with us, it is beyond our control if they would want to get involved into a legal battle with VU just to get to work with our team.

9. Say said "you grow to love and respect everyone you work with and makes it not work but something you really love to do." I used to cover Disney for a magazine called Destination Florida and other magazines in the 1970s and 1980s and used to go to Disney premiers, the parks, the animation studios, and other places to interview Disney employees. I have met many people who worked with Walt in the original studios, and can count many of these people as my friends. One of my favorite games with these people was to ask them to "tell me a Walt story." Over the years I never heard any of them refer to what they did for Disney with Walt as work. Many times they use the word "play" when referring to what they did with Walt. It is interesting that you people have the same environment. Please comment on this?

SS: This is like an opportunity you never thought you would go through, so to speak. I’m among the oldest in this team, and when we were way back then Cesar taking over lead, to be honest it wasn’t something we thought we would be where we are right now. Cesar basically organized the team, Richard also took a big step forward and helped Cesar coordinate the whole project, and as much as it could have been the team started to get these hard working amazing people: Michael Fortunato, Petter Holmberg, Allert van der Leij, Austin Haynes, and many others that even till nowadays we are thankful they are working with us. You certainly grow to feel happy and proud of your co-workers, because once you get to see how much they work and the good things they produce just because they love to work on it, it’s amazing. Also the fact that sometimes we get to spend more time among us than with our own families or whatnot, we dedicate weekends and endless hours sometimes trying to put stuff together, trying to make a deadline. The beauty of it is the fact that you know you can count with them, because we are all here for the same reason and it is not to make ourselves rich (we don’t make a cent out of this), it is not to become bigger than VU (no matter how much the media actually supports us, we are still new independent developers), it is to make something good out of it, and if people support us the way they do is because they realize we are just like them, the only difference is that we make good use of our degrees and professional expertise to make this a reality.

I do consider this my main job, even though it doesn’t provide me any income and I do have to have another job to pay the bills. I can say I’m proud of all the work I have done, and I am blissfully happy to have such a wonderful community and I feel amazingly humble with the fan and media support. No matter what this is certainly worth beyond anything I could say.

NR: Essentially, when you enjoy what you do for a living, you never see it as "work". In our case, our team formed due to a common interest and goal. That is, the desire to create a high quality product for our fans because we are all fans ourselves. The feedback received, both from the directive staff and external sources, is enough to make one feel completely validated for the amount of effort put into any given task. Many people do not consider video game development as a serious career because you are basically in the business of ever-evolving youth entertainment. However, considering most of our team is around the same age as our demographic, we are still young enough to completely enjoy the work we develop. In other words, we are all huge fans of each others’ work.

CB: From my personal point of view, the fact that I wrote a script and was involved in the whole process of seeing it take shape is extremely satisfying. I don’t really see it as work, even if there is a whole amount of management tasks and sometimes downfall between team members with opposite creative ideas you have to deal with. What I’m saying is, while it does entail a lot of work, at the end of the day it’s the one thing you most love to do, so it balances in a way that I can understand some people relating to it as “play”. We’ve become a family more than just co-workers and because of the fact that we don’t do this for the money, there has to be a great power sustaining us together. That power is the passion we all have for this. I’ve had team members come to me complaining about real life not allowing them to have more time to work on the project, and I can completely relate to the feeling. It’s fun, it’s fun work, and it’s what we want to do.

10. Please provide me with a link (URL) to the location of the transcript of the event and the demo so that I can download and host on The Computer Show.

The transcript of the July 30th, 2006 Major Event is available at:
http://www.tsl-game.com/chatlogs/majorEvent2006.php

11. Please send or give me the link (URL) to all your press materials, such as a reviewer's guide, press releases, company backgrounder, music cd, rogues gallery of developers i.e. biographies.

Past press releases can be found at: http://www.tsl-game.com/media/pr/ and current press releases can be found in our What's New console on our Home page at http://www.tsl-game.com/home.php

Company background can be found at Phoenix Online Studios' official site at:
http://www.postudios.com

The Silver Lining's "The Day You Were Gone" can be found at:
http://www.tsl-game.com/media/music/cd/

Biographies and photos of the team can be found at:
http://www.tsl-game.com/team/#album