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Poll: Should KQ stay dead?

Started by Sir Perceval of Daventry, February 24, 2013, 07:55:57 AM

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Should King's Quest stay dead?

Yes--It's had its time
4 (21.1%)
No--more entries can be made
15 (78.9%)

Total Members Voted: 19

snabbott

Or one of these.



Run away! Run away!

Would it help to confuse it if we run away more? :P

Steve Abbott | Beta Tester | The Silver Lining

darthkiwi

I think I mentioned this before, but Cedric actually works really well from a design perspective: whenever he says "I'll wait here!", it's a signal to the player that they're going somewhere dangerous and should probably save their game, eg. the desert, the forest, Mordack's labyrinth, even the inn - which is actually pretty clever, since it's a warning that the building is more dangerous than it appears.

Of course, the fact nobody ever realises this because Cedric is so incredibly irritating kind of undermines the whole idea. XD But he's not a bad bit of game design - at least in theory.
Prince of the Aquitaine. Duke of York.

Knight errant and consort to Her Grace the Empress Deloria of the Holy Roman Empire, Queene of all Albion and Princess Palatine.

Jafar

The town and bakery are safe places that Cedric won't follow you into...unless you count the potential for making the game unwinnable by spending your gold items unwisely. :P
The Unofficial The Silver Lining Official Sarcasm Cleaner Upper's Assistant

Defender of All Things Against Connor

Jarada Knight: The Honourable Marshmallow

Official Useless Information Finder

And who knows what else?

Bludshot

darthwiki I see where you are coming from, but even that use of Cedric is iffy.  It is more common that Cedric says something after it is already too late, like entering the inn, or falling off a cliff, or when he mentions the hole in the boat...in the middle of the ocean.

And as Jafar said, the town and bakery are harmless. 
Deep Thoughts with Connor Mac Lyrr
"Alack! The heads do not die!"

Neonivek

Yeah but Cedric is sort of in that sweet spot of being a lovable character and annoying sometimes.

Jafar

Actually, the inn is a valid example of Cedric-usefulness, I'd say. He warns you that he has a bad feeling about the place (which should be a sign to save), and you only die if you get the Innkeeper's attention, so you still have a chance to turn around and leave. :P
The Unofficial The Silver Lining Official Sarcasm Cleaner Upper's Assistant

Defender of All Things Against Connor

Jarada Knight: The Honourable Marshmallow

Official Useless Information Finder

And who knows what else?

Bludshot

I didn't know you could flee, I guess that isn't surprising you only have to learn once that apparently the innkeeper likes to blackjack people for no clear reason.
Deep Thoughts with Connor Mac Lyrr
"Alack! The heads do not die!"

Neonivek

Quote from: Bludshot on March 08, 2013, 11:08:18 PM
I didn't know you could flee, I guess that isn't surprising you only have to learn once that apparently the innkeeper likes to blackjack people for no clear reason.

This is Kings Quest, it honestly is part of the fun. Of COURSE a Kings Quest Innkeeper is a murderous scumbag, but the question is if that little girl is going to kill you as well.

darthkiwi

Quote from: Bludshot on March 08, 2013, 09:30:44 PM
darthwiki I see where you are coming from, but even that use of Cedric is iffy.  It is more common that Cedric says something after it is already too late, like entering the inn, or falling off a cliff, or when he mentions the hole in the boat...in the middle of the ocean.

And as Jafar said, the town and bakery are harmless.

Good point; by the time you're falling off a cliff or sinking in the ocean, Cedric's "Oh no, Graham, we're in trouble!"-type comments make you go "Uh, yes Cedric, I've noticed, thanks." And you're right about the town and the bakery; I guess the developers just couldn't find a good place to put Cedric in those instances, or something.

In his defence, Cedric's reasons for staying out of the desert or woods ("You'll DIE!") or even the inn ("I have a bad feeling about that place") are much more ominous than his reasons for not going into the town or bakery ("I'll wait here"), where he doesn't actually give a negative reason beyond being attacked by a dog once.

I still think the decision to give Graham a buddy character was a promising one, and if they'd made his warnings more consistent and useful - maybe even used him as a source of information or hints for each screen - he could have been a really interesting element of the game.
Prince of the Aquitaine. Duke of York.

Knight errant and consort to Her Grace the Empress Deloria of the Holy Roman Empire, Queene of all Albion and Princess Palatine.

Neonivek

And if Cedric wasn't as constant with a high pitched voice that could be a ghosts voice.

Admit it! you could imagine a ghost doing all his lines!

Sir Perceval of Daventry

Cedric is lovably annoying. I always liked him.
He was supposed to have much more to do. The only reason he stays out of certain places is because the programming/memory/whatever couldn't handle it and the game build would crash when he was on the screen in certain scenes. Originally he was supposed to be more of the classical wise/helpful Owl and he was to give Graham more help and advise, but his role got changed to that of the cowardly Owl when the memor just couldn't support it.

GrahamRocks!

If I ever decide to start into the Let's Play business and I do KQ5, one of the first things I will say is: "Now, I'm going to say something that might shock you. I... do not hate Cedric the Owl. At all."

Neonivek

Cedric hurts my ears if the sound is on too loud but he is hillarious.

"Watch out Graham a bear! Use your wand on the bear to turn him into a fish!"

GrahamRocks!

That... actually would have been an interesting alternate solution to that puzzle.

Numbers

Cedric: Ooh, watch out for the bear, Graham! Maybe you can use your wand on it!

Narrator: Graham gives the wand a good shake, but it only fizzles, and dies.

Bear: *punches Graham*
I have no mouth, and I must scream.

stika


Bludshot

I always loved the fact that the bear punches you to death.  The most common bear-related death out there don't you know. >__>
Deep Thoughts with Connor Mac Lyrr
"Alack! The heads do not die!"

GrahamRocks!

I never saw it as a punch, I saw it as a swipe of his claws.

darthkiwi

Quote from: Sir Perceval of Daventry on March 14, 2013, 09:51:59 AM
Cedric is lovably annoying. I always liked him.
He was supposed to have much more to do. The only reason he stays out of certain places is because the programming/memory/whatever couldn't handle it and the game build would crash when he was on the screen in certain scenes. Originally he was supposed to be more of the classical wise/helpful Owl and he was to give Graham more help and advise, but his role got changed to that of the cowardly Owl when the memor just couldn't support it.

That's really interesting. I love how a system limitation changed a really significant part of his character. :P
Prince of the Aquitaine. Duke of York.

Knight errant and consort to Her Grace the Empress Deloria of the Holy Roman Empire, Queene of all Albion and Princess Palatine.

Blackthorne

That bear straight up punches you.  Man, he fights like Ali!!!


Bt
"You've got to keep one eye looking over your shoulder
you know it's going to get harder and harder as you
get older - but in the end you'll pack up, fly down south, hide your head in the sand.  Just another sad old man, all alone and dying of cancer." - Dogs, Pink Floyd.