Does anyone know if the plot for chapters 3-9 was ever written. The final journal entry made it clear that only chapters 1-2 will ever by released by phoenix, but it also sounds like the plot had been written for the entire trilogy. I know the intention of this series was to wrap up KQ and I guess I was just hoping that one day after TSL has been released that the plot of chapters 3-9 would also be released so we could read how the guys at Phoenix imagined that it would all play out. I've always played games for the story and I would just hate to see any story go to waste :).
The plot is all written out, and is quite long - don't remember exactly how long off the top of my head - but whether or not the rest will be released or in what form, we don't know.
Neil would know. or at least guess better than me :P
Yeah it was written out, and around 2200 pages in total.
To be honest, we still haven't decided exactly what will happen with Chapters 3-9 yet. All we know is that developing them for free isn't an option, due to the insane amount of time required to do that.
At the moment, Chapters 1 & 2 are the only things seeing the light of day in the next few months. The remaining chapters will largely depend on how well Chapters 1 & 2 do. Our hope is to release them someday, somehow.
I'd be happy to pay 50$ for a e book of it ;D
Quote from: Yonkey on March 05, 2009, 07:43:09 PM
Yeah it was written out, and around 2200 pages in total.
This looks more like a TV series than one story.
Quote from: atec123 on March 05, 2009, 07:48:28 PM
I'd be happy to pay 50$ for a e book of it ;D
Wouldn't be allowed as it is based on IP Phoenix doesn't own, unless I am wholly mistaken.
Quote from: atec123 on March 05, 2009, 07:48:28 PM
I'd be happy to pay 50$ for a e book of it ;D
I'm still holding out hope that they'll be released as a game, somehow, someday...
Quote from: Haids1987 on March 06, 2009, 12:29:58 PM
Quote from: atec123 on March 05, 2009, 07:48:28 PM
I'd be happy to pay 50$ for a e book of it ;D
I'm still holding out hope that they'll be released as a game, somehow, someday...
yeah, me too.
I too have the same hope. Just think, for a while POS weren't even going to be allowed to complete one chapter let alone two. :)
Things can often find a way of working out in the future....
Yes... where there is a will there is a way. I'm sure if Chapter 1-2 are received well by the public and Vivindi likes what they see, they might be open to possibly contracting Phoenix to complete the rest of the trilogy. After all, look at what's happened over the last couple of years. Going from a cease-and-desist order to a sanctioned release of two chapters is quite a leap.
Add to that Vivindi's recent approval and sanctioning of AGD's KQ1VGA 4.0 and KQ2VGA 3.0 and it's not too much of a stretch to see something positive happen.
KQ has always been about chasing after ones dreams and facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. I see this whole situation with Chapters 3-9 as another one of those seemingly insurmountable challanges. All it takes is a little ingenuity, a bit of luck, and a peppering of fairy dust and I'm sure everything will work out fine. :)
That would be quite amazing if Vivendi did that. Not saying it's likely, but that would be quite incredible.
Quote from: oberonqa on March 18, 2009, 12:42:53 AM
Yes... where there is a will there is a way. I'm sure if Chapter 1-2 are received well by the public and Vivindi likes what they see, they might be open to possibly contracting Phoenix to complete the rest of the trilogy. After all, look at what's happened over the last couple of years. Going from a cease-and-desist order to a sanctioned release of two chapters is quite a leap.
Add to that Vivindi's recent approval and sanctioning of AGD's KQ1VGA 4.0 and KQ2VGA 3.0 and it's not too much of a stretch to see something positive happen.
KQ has always been about chasing after ones dreams and facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. I see this whole situation with Chapters 3-9 as another one of those seemingly insurmountable challanges. All it takes is a little ingenuity, a bit of luck, and a peppering of fairy dust and I'm sure everything will work out fine. :)
Except things are a lot more complicated than that. For one, Vivendi Universal Games does not exist anymore. Vivendi does, but its game division does not...the division was disbanded and the few most financially viable franchises were transferred to Activision-Blizzard to develop. The rest of the franchises are property of Activision-Blizzard, but won't be used commercially.
KQ1VGA 4.0 was not recently approved. We had it approved together with QFG2VGA around june 2008. That was before the Activision-Blizzard merger. When we spoke to our contact at VUG after the merger, we heard that the person who tested QFG2 and KQ1 was laid off. We were allowed to release KQ2VGA 3.0 without submitting it, since I suppose they trusted our judgement enough to give us a last bit of leeway. (and they couldn't even get anyone to test our game anymore)
Activision, we were told, does not support fan licenses. We were told we could release our running projects, but that was all. This was okay with us, since we weren't planning on starting any other free projects anyhow. At least it allowed us to get KQ2VGA out of the door extra-fast.
If TSL gets the exact same approach, I'd wager chapters 1-2 will be available for release much sooner, but the remaining chapters will remain as unreachable as a load of swamp ooze without a stick-in-the-mud around.
(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashum.jpg)
Crap :'(
Erpy's scaring me. :(
Actually, I'm not too shocked by much of what Erpy said. We've known for a while that VU isn't interested in the Sierra brand, and weren't able to sell it either. Given today's economy, I'm not too surprised by VU experiencing lay-offs. I didn't realize it was only one person performing the quality assurance, but considering our games aren't earning any income, I can see why they're not wasting company resources on it either.
I don't really know if the situation 9 months ago is still the case or not, but if so, then it could mean the approval process will be painless and virtually non-existent. I had speculated this a while ago too. Someone asked why the game still must go through Sierra, when for all intents and purposes, Sierra itself is no more. Now, obviously, the Sierra brand is still owned by someone (i.e. Activision-Blizzard), so I wouldn't assume we or anyone else can do whatever they like with Sierra-based IP. If all it means in our case is a quicker public release, then I'll take it! :P
As for the original topic (i.e. Chapters 3-9), we've already said we have no intentions of developing them non-commercially due to the amount of development time involved. Knowing that Activision will not even grant fan licenses only re-enforces our decision. Developing them commercially on the other hand, is entirely different. I'm not surprised about Activision not seeing the Sierra brand as commercially viable, but markets can change. What was true a year ago or even four years ago, does not necessarily mean it will remain true forever. To go from ceasing & desisting non-profit fan-based projects to complete ambivalence over a 30-year franchise is proof alone.
In fact, knowing this information is actually quite valuable, because it changes many of the assumptions we've been making. It also changes the kind of approach we'll take in the future. The fate of the remaining chapters will still largely rest on the shoulders of Chapters 1 & 2, as I've said before. There are plenty of ways to loosen a clenched fist, but I'd rather not plan too far ahead.
Thanks again for the info, Erpy. It was very insightful.
Hey, that's great! So like, there might not eve be much of an approval thing? ;D
That does sound good, Yonk. Crossing my fingers still of course. ;)
Quote from: PirateKingChris on March 19, 2009, 07:44:27 PM
That does sound good, Yonk. Crossing my fingers still of course. ;)
Same here. ;D
Thanks for all the input everyone.
Quote from: atec123 on March 05, 2009, 07:48:28 PM
I'd be happy to pay 50$ for a e book of it ;D
That just about sums up my feelings of the whole situation. I just forget stuff like IP. Stupid laws :) I realize that its a long shot for future games to be developed but I just don't want to see 2200 some odd pages of work go to waste. I want to read them, I want to see how the developers imagined the whole thing coming to a close. Oh well. Hopefully all the writers know we care what they wrote even if we never get to see it.
Quote from: ABajillion on March 25, 2009, 05:22:39 PM
Thanks for all the input everyone.
Quote from: atec123 on March 05, 2009, 07:48:28 PM
I'd be happy to pay 50$ for a e book of it ;D
That just about sums up my feelings of the whole situation. I just forget stuff like IP. Stupid laws :) I realize that its a long shot for future games to be developed but I just don't want to see 2200 some odd pages of work go to waste. I want to read them, I want to see how the developers imagined the whole thing coming to a close. Oh well. Hopefully all the writers know we care what they wrote even if we never get to see it.
I think we will all certainly be sure to thank the writers and developers of this project for their efforts, which are now going on...9 years I think? Anyway, at the very least, they may eventually be able to post Chapters 3-9 in some form on this site. Maybe something like a free e-book? I was just reading how good writers for the adventure game genre are far and few between these days, so even knowing that Chapters 3-9 exist somewhere is encouraging. ;D
Quote from: knightoftheword on June 10, 2009, 11:21:48 PM
I was just reading how good writers for the adventure game genre are far and few between these days, so even knowing that Chapters 3-9 exist somewhere is encouraging. ;D
You know, I never thought of it that way, but it's true. There is script somewhere out there with the rest of the story in it! Even if we have to wait a long time after TSL is released for them to even CONSIDER putting out an e-book, knowing it's there is uplifting.
Thank you, knightoftheword. That brought a little more sunshine into my evening. :D
To be honest I'm not sure I'd want the 3-9 plot to be released.
I always thought TSL would be more appropriate as a final installment to King's Quest with some closure. Having 2200 pages of story just seems ridiculously huge and engulfs the original games.
When I heard about the original concept of TSL being so large, it felt like it didn't fit in with King's Quest. Personally I would prefer they stick with what they have and do their best to tie up any large loose ends that may be in Chapters 1&2.
After seeing chapters 1 and 2, I would LOVE to see chapters 3-9 in ANY form. If you don't want to see/read it, nobody would force you. :P
They are trying to tie up some of the loose ends, but the overall plot is too big to resolve so quickly - it would be like trying to turn an epic into a short story.
Quote from: snabbott on June 18, 2009, 02:20:13 PM
it would be like trying to turn an epic into a short story.
Well it's pure speculation obviously, but I don't think making a full scale epic is really appropriate for King's Quest. None of the games really string together in a special way, so I really don't know how well a 2000 page long plot can be in terms of the previous games.
If it were for me, anyone who holds back on a popular license more than a given period of time, not doing something with it in spite of fans interest, should be forced to release it as free domain.
There are too many licenses "stuck" like that and that's sad.
Anyway, something really promising happened to Lucas Arts that they gave permission to Telltale Games to do the Monkey Island series. So I'd say if Lucas Arts can do it... anyone can :) Not to mention they're reediting the first MI game.
Oh, and another interesting thing I'm watching is that the company owning the Myst license gave permission to two fans willing to do a full Myst movie. Well I hope it works out. Google it for more details.
And, after playing your first KQ chapters, I'm sure everyone would die to know what happens next :)
Oh, I am sure that in game character will "die" multiple times in order to find out what happens next... :suffer: After all, who was it that kept killing Alexander in order to satisfy my curiosity with the berry bush that the old lady get egging me on to try? or going for a swim at the dock for that matter? Me of course!
Quote from: liggy002 on July 03, 2009, 12:46:08 AM
Oh, I am sure that in game character will "die" multiple times in order to find out what happens next...
Yeah - there are some pretty good deaths in there. XD
Quote from: liggy002 on July 03, 2009, 12:46:08 AM
After all, who was it that kept killing Alexander in order to satisfy my curiosity with the berry bush that the old lady get egging me on to try? or going for a swim at the dock for that matter? Me of course!
Oh man, I thought I was the only one who did that! The last time I played I killed Alex any way I could think of. The one-liners crack me up. :P
I'm glad to know TSL has many ways to "die" in the game! I love the one liners that come after them. It's fun to click on things and figure out different ways.
We may not be getting chapter 3-9 immiediately, but I have a feeling we will get them eventually, as they were meant to be. As the fans fought VU for the right for this project to continue, so too will the fans fight for the rest of this game to be released. I have no doubt in my mind that TSL will be a raging success and help reinvigorate the adventure genre even further. Telltale has been releasing new monkey island games, and they have been successful, as have LucasArts remake of The Secret of Monkey Island. Cesar, the director of TSL, now works with TellTale, and for all we know, when this game is a raging success, we may get the rest of the game commercially through them. We never know what the future holds, but I am quite confident that the adventure genre will have a full resurgance in popularity. The seeds have already been planted. We will get those chapters in a playable game form, of that I will make certain. If I have to start a whole campaign for it, I will. The whole of TSL deserves to see the light of day. King's Quest deserves to have it's grand finale, and to do so, it must have all the parts come to fruition. Just as some of the most famous movie franchises have taken their time with each film, so too will this game. We WILL have chapters 3-9 eventually. I may be a kid (ok, well 18 now...) but it's my generation that will drive the future. It's my generation that will soon take the reigns, and I will make sure that my past is brought back. King's Quest is the first on my list of a full revival. Mark my words: TSL in it's entirety will see the light of day. Of this I swear!
Ok, so maybe that was a little bit dramatic, but I am passionate about King's Quest.
Quote from: dark-daventry on August 09, 2009, 03:53:03 PM
Ok, so maybe that was a little bit dramatic, but I am passionate about King's Quest.
:o A
little bit?
Just kidding. ;) You know what is so cool? Whenever I sign onto the forum and see that you've been on a posting binge, dark-daventry, I get all excited because you're always so positive and energetic about TSL. It makes me warm and fuzzy to read your posts because they're always so lively and happy. Even when people are being all whiny and depressing, you jump right back up and bring everyone back to optimism. Thanks for your awesome attitude!
Back on topic...I think that you're right. I have full confidence that the TSL team will eventually pull this together and release the last few chapters, even if it takes
another nine years to do so. It might go through a bunch of twists and turns like TSL has, but I just feel that when TSL is released, people will rally and make it somehow possible for the next parts to be released. It won't be tomorrow, but it'll
be. :yes:
If you're starting a petition one day, I want to be signature number two--since of course you'll be number one, dark-daventry. ;D
Quote from: Haids1987 on August 10, 2009, 12:29:00 AM
Quote from: dark-daventry on August 09, 2009, 03:53:03 PM
Ok, so maybe that was a little bit dramatic, but I am passionate about King's Quest.
:o A little bit?
Just kidding. ;) You know what is so cool? Whenever I sign onto the forum and see that you've been on a posting binge, dark-daventry, I get all excited because you're always so positive and energetic about TSL. It makes me warm and fuzzy to read your posts because they're always so lively and happy. Even when people are being all whiny and depressing, you jump right back up and bring everyone back to optimism. Thanks for your awesome attitude!
Back on topic...I think that you're right. I have full confidence that the TSL team will eventually pull this together and release the last few chapters, even if it takes another nine years to do so. It might go through a bunch of twists and turns like TSL has, but I just feel that when TSL is released, people will rally and make it somehow possible for the next parts to be released. It won't be tomorrow, but it'll be. :yes:
If you're starting a petition one day, I want to be signature number two--since of course you'll be number one, dark-daventry. ;D
Well, I try. The reason I'm so energetic about this project is because it's a childhood dream come true. I'm only in high school, and I'm having one of my dreams finally come true. My first ever video game was probably King's Quest. It's very near and dear to my heart, and to see that it's having a revival always makes me happy. The best part though, for me, is that even if this whole things fails miserably, the fact will still remain that an
effort was made. That's the most important part to remember. No matter what happens, I have solace knowing that fans stepped up to the plate and tried their hardest. I have always been passionate about King's Quest, and always will be. When I become a grown man, when I have children, I intend to pass on the legacy that is King's Quest. For it is the future generations that will drive this world. It is my generation and beyond that will reinvigorate interest in these classics. The adventure genre has already seen a resurgance, thanks in part to Lucas-Arts and Monkey Island, but also in part to the KQ fandom. What amazes me most is that the KQ fan community has remained the largest of all of Sierra's properties. We're not just a community though. I consider the whole KQ fandom a family. Especially the community of TSL. We have stuck together through good times and bad, we have kept coming back no matter what happens. I've been through some pretty rough times here at TSL, some times I'd care not to repeat, but in spite of those, I keep coming back. I keep coming here because I enjoy it, and I can relive my childhood. I have always been, and always will be, a King's Quest fan. Nay, a fan of Adventure games in general. To me, it's the genre of games that fits me the best. First Person shooters are too competitive for me, RPGs are too complex for me, MMORPGS are too public for me (not to mention they can drain your life), but Adventure Games are just right. They have the perfect mix of plot, challenge, and intrique. They're fun. The adventure genre isn't afraid to mix Quirkiness with a great plot. And, it's pretty much impossible to cheat in them (I have a tendency to turn on god mode on most video games that support it). But you know what the irony is here? In real life, I'm usually a pessimist. I'm almost always glass half empty. But I suppose that because KQ is so close to me, that I'm not a pessimist for it. It's one of the things that really made my childhood memorable.
We don't need to have confidence in the team, as that's already been proven. What we need is patience from them. The chances are that when this game becomes a success, the team working on it now won't neccesarily be the same team. It is entirely possible that chapter 3-9 could be made by a company like Telltale (which would actually work for them. They have a tendency to release game in episodes, and TSL has chapters, which are essentially the same thing. Also, Cesar works for Telltale, and the plot and stuff for the entire trilogy is pretty much written, so they wouldn't need to do much on the writing side. The current TSL team would probably transfer over what they have now... When you think about it, Telltale is the perfect company to make the remainder of TSL.) So all in all, we only need patience, not confidence.
The fact is that TSL has performed a miracle. It's done the impossible. All because of the fans. When the C&D was sent out, the fans banded together to fight for a common cause. All differences were put aside, all animosity tossed out the window. The only thing that was on our minds was the successful return of TSL. When I heard that TSL had been granted the right to continue, I was screaming like a little girl all throughout my house. My excitement could not be contained. If we have to, we will fight again for the rest of TSL. I will not rest until KQ has the grand finale it so deserves. It is, to me, the crown jewel of all adventure games. It's a series that with EVERY GAME tested the boundaries of what was possible on that machines of the time. Other games would work within what they had. Not KQ. Not Sierra. They pushed and challenged the boundaries to their limits. I am a life long fan of King's Quest and The Silver Lining. LONG LIVE KING'S QUEST! LONG LIVE THE SILVER LINING!
Wow, I wrote a long response, didn't I? I best most people wouldn't bother reading this whole thing lol... I'll make sure that you're signature number 2! How about signature 1 and a half? If that's even possible lol...
;D I'm not sure how to respond to all that bouncy energy, but it made me happy. Thanks again for yet another bout of sheer optimism for all of us TSL fans out there. :) I'm sure that you will pass your love of KQ down to your children one day. I've been a KQ fan since I was three ("GAH! Daddy, the witch is hiding in my closet! Don't let her turn me into gingerbread!" ::)), and I'm just as much of an obsessed fan as I ever was. That's nineteen years worth of King's Quest love. <3
And sure, I'll settle for signature one and a half. :yes:
What's strange is that when KQ8 came out, I remember my dad and I were playing it, and despite all the blood and violence it had, I didn't once get nightmares from it. I was intrigued by it instead. Rather weird. But KQ5 was scary for me. I hated Mordack, and his evil minion things gave me tons of nightmares. Plus, I think Cedric was in a few of them... LOL XD j/k. But if he was, he'd say "Oh, graham, watch out! It's a POIsonous snake!"
Quote from: dark-daventry on August 11, 2009, 09:55:16 AM
But if he was, he'd say "Oh, graham, watch out! It's a POIsonous snake!"
Ha, that my favorite one-liner from KQV! My next favorite is, "Wherever did you find my golden locket?" XD I remember that being one of the lines on the little documentary they had on the original King's Quest Collection.
lol Cedric has always been an annoyance for fans, but he has some funny lines. But I really like the lines from MoE. It's not the best KQ game (if it can even be considered one lol) but Connor has some lines that weren't intended to be funny, but are. Such as one of my personal favorites: "'Tis beyond my reach!" and "Lo, what's this? A FEATHER?" XD ROFLOL. He's got some pretty funny lines... But back on topic, I am sure we will get the rest of this game someday. It's only a matter of time in my eyes. All we have to do is have patience and wait.