Infamous Quests

Public Forums => Banter and Chit-Chat! => Topic started by: Baggins on February 22, 2015, 12:21:55 PM

Title: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on February 22, 2015, 12:21:55 PM
You can read more about the new game from the Informer Article. It sounds like what we saw on the trailer are more 'cutscenes' than actual game itself, which will be more puzzle oriented.

You can find scans here:
http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/KQ9_development (http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/KQ9_development)

Interesting details is it confirms the Gwendolyn as the daughter of Alexander, and Gart will be the son of Rosella.

The previous games are all canon to this game. It is not a reboot, but its also not a sequel, but a reimagining. Or rather perhaps better to say the framing story is a sequel, but each episode will each tell a separate story in the life of King Graham. It will avoid retreading any previous King's Quest game, with the exception that the first episode begins with a prologue retelling Graham's encounter with the DRagon in KQ1. But it won't be King's Quest 1 HD. THe rest of the game will flashback and have you experiencing how Graham became a knight of Daventry. Some later episodes will chronicle Graham's young romance with Valanice after returning from Kolyma. There might be an episode that relates Graham's life as a seasoned knight between when he was first accepted into the ranks, and when he became king.


Who knows what else later episodes have in store. There are five episodes planned in total. Choices made at various points will have consequences for later events in later episodes. They also influence the choices that Gwendolyn makes in her 'present' period storylines. Choices are also tied into the scoring system which divides choices into Wisdom, Bravery and Compassion.  Which means many points in the game require one of the three choices to be made depending on those factors. Choices are not done through conversation trees, but through physical actions that Graham takes in the environment. So they are themselves usually item puzzles.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 06, 2015, 12:02:05 PM
"single context-sensitive button"

(http://i.imgur.com/kgcVCEG.gif)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 06, 2015, 12:46:11 PM
HAHA. 

At the same time, KQ7 had the same thing except you could move the cursor.  I am seeing this as either the interaction spot can cycle around the room which would be terrible, or interactions will be based on physical location of the player.  Either way, it doesn't sound great. 

I am still going to reserve judgement until I play it.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 06, 2015, 02:42:33 PM
It sounds like they're going for a Grim Fandango style of interactivity, where you can only interact with things in close proximity to the player character.  This would certainly be the preferable option, of the two that you mentioned, but I can't help but find it ironically amusing that everyone is lauding the Odd Gentlemen for copying the control style of a game that has always been majorly criticized for its controls.   ::)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 06, 2015, 04:41:37 PM
I have not seen that much lauding to be honest.  Just descriptions.  Korba lauds, but then again, he is making the game.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 07, 2015, 03:12:09 PM
It sounds like they're going for a Grim Fandango style of interactivity, where you can only interact with things in close proximity to the player character.  This would certainly be the preferable option, of the two that you mentioned, but I can't help but find it ironically amusing that everyone is lauding the Odd Gentlemen for copying the control style of a game that has always been majorly criticized for its controls.   ::)

Kinda funny given the PC version of the grim fandango remake added in a point and click mouse cursor.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 08, 2015, 09:47:15 AM
I really don't care.  I know they're not producing a King's Quest game that is going to make any of us happy, but it may be a fun game in spite of that.  I had that optimistic hope when "Sierra" was announced that they might support indie traditional adventure games, but that isn't their business model.  So I take it for what it is, and I never in my mind think of it as "Sierra", just someone using the brand.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Collector on March 08, 2015, 12:55:47 PM
It sounds like they're going for a Grim Fandango style of interactivity, where you can only interact with things in close proximity to the player character.  This would certainly be the preferable option, of the two that you mentioned, but I can't help but find it ironically amusing that everyone is lauding the Odd Gentlemen for copying the control style of a game that has always been majorly criticized for its controls.   ::)

And the interface is the only complaint that I have ever heard about Grim Fandango. It certainly was the only one I had.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on March 08, 2015, 06:37:24 PM
This thread is the reason adventure games as a genre tread the fine line between art and being mocked.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: DosboxLetsPlay on March 09, 2015, 02:44:09 AM
I had a fairly negative attitude towards it when we got the first sneak-peek, but now that I've seen the recent new footage I am somewhere in the middle ground. Yes it won't be like we want it to be, but I saw (which seemed to be) some pretty decent deaths and awesome deaths/death messages is one of the things I loved the most in Sierra games. :)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 09, 2015, 07:33:14 AM
You would hope they would go the new grim fandango route for PC controls at least.  Let the consoles have their controls and add the mouse cursor for PC.  I get that it is being made as a console game, but they can relatively easily add the extra PC controls. 
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on March 09, 2015, 08:46:12 AM
The problem with deaths in adventure games is they're pretty much dead since Sierra packed and left the building. Pun intended.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 09, 2015, 11:00:05 AM
I'll say this - it looks like a cool game!  Really - it's fun, well designed and full of nice looking art.

But as a "King's Quest"?  I almost feel like the name is a weight around the neck of this game, rather than a boon.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 09, 2015, 12:23:13 PM
The name "King's Quest" is a big, milk-heavy teat hanging down from on high, with the Odd Gentlemen's fingers tightly wrapped around its raw nipple, as Activision impatiently waits with open slathering mouth below.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Corrigan on March 09, 2015, 12:44:20 PM
It's just not safe to eat lunch while reading these forums anymore. I'll go ahead and pass it straight to Brooms.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 09, 2015, 12:58:02 PM
The name "King's Quest" is a big, milk-heavy teat hanging down from on high, with the Odd Gentlemen's fingers tightly wrapped around its raw nipple, as Activision impatiently waits with open slathering mouth below.

I don't know if that's graphic enough a description.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 09, 2015, 01:02:16 PM
The name "King's Quest" is a big, milk-heavy teat hanging down from on high, with the Odd Gentlemen's fingers tightly wrapped around its raw nipple, as Activision impatiently waits with open slathering mouth below.

You over estimate the name.  The series as a whole sold 7 million games, TOTAL.  Nothing to write home about in today's market.  Yes, it is the top name in adventure gaming, but face it, we are a niche audience.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 09, 2015, 01:14:39 PM
The name "King's Quest" is a big, milk-heavy teat hanging down from on high, with the Odd Gentlemen's fingers tightly wrapped around its raw nipple, as Activision impatiently waits with open slathering mouth below.

You over estimate the name.  The series as a whole sold 7 million games, TOTAL.  Nothing to write home about in today's market.  Yes, it is the top name in adventure gaming, but face it, we are a niche audience.

I have to wonder what percentage of the market that was back then though, especially in the 1990-94 era.  Almost certainly you'd have to adjust that figure to match the greatly expanded size of the video game market these days.  As IQ's resident mathematician, I assume you'll have a new figure for me shortly.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 09, 2015, 01:17:21 PM
The name "King's Quest" is a big, milk-heavy teat hanging down from on high, with the Odd Gentlemen's fingers tightly wrapped around its raw nipple, as Activision impatiently waits with open slathering mouth below.

I don't know if that's graphic enough a description.


Bt

I'm sure you can believe that I edited it several times in order to maximize its graphic mental impact.  I'm quite proud of the final product.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 09, 2015, 01:21:13 PM
Your assumption here is terrible.  Sorry, but it is.  I would agree that it was a HUGE part of the market.  But, of the households that were in the market, the demographics were very similar.  This means it was easier to have games that appealed to the market as a whole.  By contrast, the market now is very different.  Also, if 100% of the market loved KQ, and the market grows 10 fold, then 10% of the market now was in that original group.  As the market expanded, they didn't go back and play the old favorites.  That is why the sales of KQ are heaviest with KQ7 and KQ8 (even though those games were not the best, or close to it).  I would assume a very small slice of today's market even knows what KQ is.  You know, like those guys from PAX who couldn't remember Matt Korba's last name, or GRAHAM's name for that matter. 
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 09, 2015, 01:36:48 PM
Your assumption here is terrible.  Sorry, but it is.  I would agree that it was a HUGE part of the market.  But, of the households that were in the market, the demographics were very similar.  This means it was easier to have games that appealed to the market as a whole.  By contrast, the market now is very different.  Also, if 100% of the market loved KQ, and the market grows 10 fold, then 10% of the market now was in that original group.  As the market expanded, they didn't go back and play the old favorites.  That is why the sales of KQ are heaviest with KQ7 and KQ8 (even though those games were not the best, or close to it).  I would assume a very small slice of today's market even knows what KQ is.  You know, like those guys from PAX who couldn't remember Matt Korba's last name, or GRAHAM's name for that matter.

I don't disagree with that.  I guess what I meant was just to say that with the vast differences in market and demographics in the early 90s vs. now, sales figures from the early 90s mean very little when brought up in comparison to the current state of the market.

Shortened story even shorter: We really have no idea how a new King's Quest game will perform in today's market, especially one where the developers profess a desire to preserve at least some aspects of the traditional adventure game style (arguments as to how successfully they preserve those aspects notwithstanding.) 
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 09, 2015, 01:39:24 PM
I think you are correct there except for the fact that the raw numbers indicate how well known a specific title may be.  If anything KQ is a full a cup as apposed to "a big, milk-heavy teat hanging down from on high."
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 09, 2015, 01:41:24 PM
Okay, well perhaps King's Quest is less of a dripping double D and more of a modest B-cup, or even just a particularly shapely pair of man-boobs.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Chadly on March 09, 2015, 06:48:50 PM
Man-boobs. Thank goodness i am not old enough or in that kind of shape to have those......yet!!!!!!  Mansierre anyone?  Misspell but remember Seinfeld?

Serious tho, If these dudes can make a classic game, such as we had in the 80's and 90's more power to them. I will pay for that.  However if its a first person style game i will not be playing it........Chadly
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on March 09, 2015, 09:24:07 PM
Man-boobs. Thank goodness i am not old enough or in that kind of shape to have those......yet!!!!!!  Mansierre anyone?  Misspell but remember Seinfeld?

I believe the correct term is: "The Bro"...   8)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 12, 2015, 07:48:44 PM
Quote
or interactions will be based on physical location of the player.  Either way, it doesn't sound great.


Back in the day KQ1-3 was 'sort of like that'. You literally had to walk up to a tree before the game would recognize that you wanted to look at that specific tree, and not the entire forest, or get confused and tell you it wasn't interested.

It was handy in later games when Graham would actually look at things from across the screen. You had a mouse to right click look at specific things.

http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Look (http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Look)

More to be see more about the "puzzleing" in the new game:

http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/File:First_Look_King%27s_Quest_Brings_Retro_Wonder_to_a_New_Generation (http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/File:First_Look_King%27s_Quest_Brings_Retro_Wonder_to_a_New_Generation)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Chadly on March 12, 2015, 09:57:54 PM
Look, in my oppion this game will suck ass, because they will try to change too many things to accomodate the modern gamer.  Hell I am a modern gamer and i don't like most of them.  i enjoy old school classic games where I had to think and use logic to get thru the game.  If its a first person adventure forget it.  If its modeled like old 80's and 90's games great i will buy it,  but thats a pipe dream at best.   I will stick will the folks at IQ for classic games! :)

                                                                                                                                                       Chadly
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Corrigan on March 12, 2015, 11:12:05 PM
Why are you so hung up on this "first person" thing, Chadly? I haven't seen any footage from the game that hasn't been 3rd person, unless I'm missing something.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Chadly on March 12, 2015, 11:55:04 PM
I don;t mean to be hung up on the first person thing Corrigan.  Its just that all todays games are first person shooters. I sold all my systems because im sick of them.  True i maybe be bitching too much, i am just tired of subpat crap in games, as that seems to be the standard anymore.  Perhaps i am living too much in the past but remember great old games.  Sure doom and Wolfenstein were revolutionary for their time, but all games seem to be that way now.  I like 3rd person games.  Diablo was great, and newer games like dark forces 2, etc are fun. I am wore  out on the genre, as I want to think not blast shit to high hell to beat a game.  Logic and puzzles are more my cup of tea so to speak.  An old classic like LOLO for the Nes system comes to mind.  I want you guys to continue making your games so maybe others will join the fold and follow, :)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 12, 2015, 11:57:20 PM
To be fair, they have said that Graham will have the option to aim a bow and arrow in a first person view at the dragon.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Corrigan on March 13, 2015, 06:42:02 AM
To be fair, they have said that Graham will have the option to aim a bow and arrow in a first person view at the dragon.

Ah!  Thanks Lamb, I had missed something afterall :) 

Chadly- While I agree that first person shooters are very popular at the moment, they are a genre in their own right.  Not "every" game on the market now is in first person (I don't like/play them myself and I have a steam library fit to burst with current games that don't fall under that category) so I don't think that's something you need to worry so much about.  The occasional action sequence (we had a first person archery mini game in QFI) fair enough, but from the look of the footage already submitted that's not going to be prevalent.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 13, 2015, 07:15:24 AM
I think this "King's Quest" will be a fun game.  It looks pretty nice, and from what I hear, there's a lot of whimsy.  They'll never invest in or make a KQ like we used to know and love, so once I accepted that - I could look at this differently and say, "Cool.  I'll check it out."

It's basically up to people like us to make more traditional adventure games - and hope that we can continue to make games that find their audience.  Wadjeteye seems to be doing a fine job with that, so the market is out there - but it's not large enough for a publisher like Activision.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 13, 2015, 07:35:43 AM
They'll never invest in or make a KQ like we used to know and love, so once I accepted that - I could look at this differently and say, "Cool.  I'll check it out."

the market is out there - but it's not large enough for a publisher like Activision.


THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 13, 2015, 08:25:31 AM
Also, while I have no problem with the game or it's marketing, I do want to say that people who are all like "Ken and Roberta liked it!" are really failing to realize that they were paid to be at that "awards" ceremony, and paid to shill for this new King's Quest.  This is how PR and promotion works when you have a company that has millions of dollars to spend on advertising.  If you look, you will find that the advertising budgets for all of the top games are almost the same or exceed the production costs of making a game.  This kind of event is nothing more than marketing - very nice looking, slick and sweet to "honor" them, but it's marketing.  People never spend money like what was laid out on the event we saw unless it will make them money.

I know a lot of people want to believe in the charm and honesty of something like King's Quest - and there is a valid portion of that which lives in all out hearts - but in the end, it's a product for a company whose shareholders demand profit.  So always keep a healthy bit of that in your mind when you think of what's coming.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on March 13, 2015, 08:56:57 AM
I laugh a bit to myself when people think that Sierra was anything different to Activision when it comes to making money. Ken would have been the first to cancel a series or game if it stopped selling.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: DosboxLetsPlay on March 13, 2015, 09:45:04 AM
@Klytos (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=8) Different blokes, different strokes. It all depends on which kind of games you like. If you're a fan of the Call of Duties, I doubt that you hate Activision. It is more likely that they don't like/haven't heard of the oldschool King's Quests and may actually enjoy the new KQ due to (what appears to be) the constant action that the trailer provided.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on March 13, 2015, 10:12:17 AM
I know a lot of people want to believe in the charm and honesty of something like King's Quest - and there is a valid portion of that which lives in all out hearts - but in the end, it's a product for a company whose shareholders demand profit.  So always keep a healthy bit of that in your mind when you think of what's coming.

I laugh a bit to myself when people think that Sierra was anything different to Activision when it comes to making money. Ken would have been the first to cancel a series or game if it stopped selling.

Klytos beat me to my point:

Once you take off the "nostalgia goggles", the same can be said about Sierra and LucasArts -- to the dispassionate observer, both companies were merely businesses in search of a profit.

However, they were extremely lucky/fortunate in one key aspect:

They were the pioneers a new game genre, where no historical comparisons could be made...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on March 13, 2015, 10:41:05 AM
I love Sierra, I wouldn't have spent a decade of my life remaking two of their games if I didn't. But I really don't do the hero worship thing and look at Sierra with the rose-coloured glasses that some others seem to. So in that respect I don't have anything against Activision.

The new game will be what King's Quest has always been, something different to the one before.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 13, 2015, 12:43:41 PM
Not enough cock-sucking in this thread.  If you don't watch it, I'm going to perma-ban all of you.  This is your only warning.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 13, 2015, 12:58:45 PM
Not enough cock-sucking in this thread.  If you don't watch it, I'm going to perma-ban all of you.  This is your only warning.

Lambonius...Rarely has our moderating team encountered a forumite as consistently unpleasant as you, and you've burned through far more chances than you deserved. 
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 13, 2015, 02:49:17 PM
Adventure Gamers has a pretty extensive preview/interview article up as of yesterday.  There's not a ton of new info there, but I did like his explanation of his favorite King's Quest games.  Kind of funny considering all the hate KQ5 gets on AG, and yet he talked about how well that one holds up (to fans who actually get the series.)  That's probably the most heartening thing I've heard yet in relation to this project.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 13, 2015, 02:59:07 PM
They show the first person mode for the bow in the video I posted in my last post.

But Graham also is a weak shot... He send the arrow all but 3 feet in front of his face before it loses speed and falls into the river...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 13, 2015, 03:03:28 PM
I laugh a bit to myself when people think that Sierra was anything different to Activision when it comes to making money. Ken would have been the first to cancel a series or game if it stopped selling.

Listen to the Coles discuss just that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL97LQ84u3g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL97LQ84u3g)

Also keep in mind The Odd Gentlemen are not a big company, they are an indie company themselves. They probably are not working from all that big of a budget. Many of the developers in Odd Gentlemen were King's Quest fans themselves back in the day. They are also happy to take their own take on the series.

Attacking them by accusing them of f not being King's Quest fans is more or less like saying that "All fans are equal, but some fans are more equal than others..." paraphrasing George Orwell. Or to say just because another team got the right to make the game, they are somehow less 'fans' of the series, than those who made games for free out of the love of the series. But in reality you don't know how big of fan they really are.

I'm a huge King's Quest fan (I even like KQ8 despite its flaws), but I've never made a KQ game! But none of this makes me any less of a fan.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 13, 2015, 03:05:10 PM
Kind of funny considering all the hate KQ5 gets on AG, and yet he talked about how well that one holds up (to fans who actually get the series.)

How much does it pain you that you can't point that out over there right now?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on March 13, 2015, 03:31:31 PM
Adventure Gamers has a pretty extensive preview/interview article up as of yesterday.


LINK (http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/28311) please.

(I'm just absolutely too lazy to be bothered to search for it...)

(FULL DISCLOSURE: Even then, I might not even read it.)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 13, 2015, 03:40:52 PM
Adventure Gamers has a pretty extensive preview/interview article up as of yesterday.


LINK ([url]http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/28311[/url]) please.

(I'm just absolutely too lazy to be bothered to search for it...)

(FULL DISCLOSURE: Even then, I might not even read it.)


Here you go (http://de.zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Link)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on March 13, 2015, 03:48:53 PM
Adventure Gamers has a pretty extensive preview/interview article up as of yesterday.


LINK ([url]http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/28311[/url]) please.

(I'm just absolutely too lazy to be bothered to search for it...)

(FULL DISCLOSURE: Even then, I might not even read it.)


Here you go ([url]http://de.zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Link[/url])


DE ?  Sorry, dude -- I'm not Sprechen el Deutsch here...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on March 13, 2015, 03:50:28 PM
Or just click the giant link.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 13, 2015, 05:25:09 PM
Yes, The Odd Gentlemen are a small company - but they have the financial backing of a much larger company, Activision.  The money Activision has to spend on promotion and advertising for this game would make a Rockefeller blush.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on March 13, 2015, 05:25:47 PM
LINC please.

(http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/u592/Goatmeal/Linc_Mod_Squad2_zpsrgvxth7h.jpg)
Clarence Williams III (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929934/?ref_=tt_cl_t2)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 13, 2015, 05:29:21 PM
Hahah, 10 points for Mod Squad reference.  Damn, sir, we are old school here.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 13, 2015, 06:18:09 PM
Yes, The Odd Gentlemen are a small company - but they have the financial backing of a much larger company, Activision.  The money Activision has to spend on promotion and advertising for this game would make a Rockefeller blush.


Bt

I somehow seriously doubt they got the same funding as an average Call of Duty game. Nor do I think they have anything to match the Rockefeller's legacy...

So far this game has mostly been advertised on world of mouth, free facebook message board, the Odd Genteman's website, and a very cheap "Sierra" website.

If you read the behind the scenes stuff for the Gabriel Knight remake it doesn't sound like Activision gave Jane Jenson and POS much of a budget for that game either... It shows in many places (as it many animations are completely removed and animation is more static, puzzles simplified to remove the need for animation in places).

In that Adventure Gamer article I noticed the part where it  mentions there is to be some villain that is tied into the entire series. It looks like it will probably be the Sorcerer who enslaved the dragon back in KQ1, and stole the mirror.

My personal guess is that sorcerer's identity will be revealed to be Shadrack (and "finally" tie up that one "loose end"). Unfortunately that also borders on 'over used' fan plot line #1 (as every fan author and every fan game has basically tied Shadrack and Black Cloaks to most of the KQ stories in someway)...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 13, 2015, 06:32:07 PM

So far this game has mostly been advertised on world of mouth, free facebook message board, the Odd Genteman's website, and a very cheap "Sierra" website.


Yes, just those places...oh, and also every major games journalism website on the internet, and the fucking Video Game Awards, which are internationally broadcast.  Come on, man.   8)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on March 13, 2015, 06:42:30 PM
Activision didn't promote the Jane Jensen project, but you'll also note they didn't release it under the Sierra Games banner.

And Lambonius is right - while they're not spending Call of Duty amounts, they are spending quite a bit.  The money they laid out for the awards show was a substantial amount.  You know that show didn't just HAPPEN because people thought it'd be "neat".


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 13, 2015, 06:51:48 PM

So far this game has mostly been advertised on world of mouth, free facebook message board, the Odd Genteman's website, and a very cheap "Sierra" website.



Yes, just those places...oh, and also every major games journalism website on the internet, and the fucking Video Game Awards, which are internationally broadcast.  Come on, man.   8)


The latter (as in journalism, not the Gamer Awards which certainly would have an advertising budget) is probably free word of mouth advertising (the "hyping' side of things). I did mention 'word of mouth'. Of course its possible Activision is bribing/sleeping with the journalists alla 'Gamersgate'....


BTW, KQ8 had a budget of 3 million. It was over budget technically.

But many games now are probably much more than that. While modern games are largely between 60 million to 140 million for the AAA titles. I somehow how doubt that Sierra "indie" line fits in the AAA budget range.

http://kotaku.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-big-video-game-1501413649 (http://kotaku.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-big-video-game-1501413649)

It's obviously going to be much higher than a fan game. But who knows where it lies between a kickstarter project and 'financed' Indie game (ie Valiant Hearts or Child of Light).
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 13, 2015, 06:58:54 PM
OF course we could ask 'how much did Phoenix" pay Roberta to get her to say a good word for Episode 1 (of the The Silver Lining)? of their obviously lower budget fan game?

What she says of that game is almost word for word what she said about the new game as well! I mean she literally says pretty much the same thing for both of them! Maybe due to the fact she has been out of the gaming industry she is easy to impress?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Corrigan on March 13, 2015, 07:37:21 PM
Or she's not impressed by any of it but she's like, whatever, I'm on a boat.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on March 13, 2015, 07:54:29 PM
I like boats!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on March 13, 2015, 07:58:31 PM
What she says of that game is almost word for word what she said about the new game as well! I mean she literally says pretty much the same thing for both of them!

Maybe it was part of some cruel contractual obligation, or she's being held hostage by some fanboy brigade  -- blink once for yes and twice for no, 'Berta!


The exact same, word-for-word, huh?  Reminds me of The Amazing Alexander...

"It was much better than Cats™.  I'm going to see it again and again."

The Amazing Alexander! (https://screen.yahoo.com/jon-lovitz-snl-skits/amazing-alexander-000000031.html)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on March 21, 2015, 09:35:35 PM
Overall I am looking forward to the release. It is clear the developers are fans of the original series and seem very aware of the legacy they are dealing with.

I echo some of Klytos sentiments regarding the rose tinted glasses that some wear when looking back at the classics. One thing in particular is how many in the community talk as if the classics all had these really in-depth stories. Most of them were story driven, but usually by a fairly basic, straight forward story. In later games they often offered extra back story that could be explored by the super-fan but the surface story was pretty basic.


I like it that the developer wants to make the Kings Quest that would have been released in 2015. As Mark Twain said "Tradition is not wearing your Grandpa's hat, it is buying a new one like he did"
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on March 22, 2015, 12:03:45 AM
King's Quest has never been about the story.  People who say that are just using "story" as a catch-all term because they can't figure out how to articulate what they actually mean.  I think most people who talk about the "story" in the old King's Quest games drawing them in are really talking about the experience as a whole, which was always far more focused on exploring the world and uncovering puzzles to solve (and then solving them to move on to new areas and puzzles.)  The thing I worry most about with this game is that it's going to be TOO story focused, without enough of the exploration and open-ended puzzle-solving that made the old games the memorable experiences they were.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on March 22, 2015, 01:15:03 AM
I agree completely Lamb that it has never been about the story. The problem is certain fans have convinced themselves that is where the magic lies. They constantly talk about "canon" and want to defend the story of Kings Quest like a fundi wants to defend the bible. Have a look at some of the stupid debates they get into over royal family lineage etc (was way more of this 10 years ago). The magic for me was never the story and was the immersion.

I did have slightly more hope for the series when I read that Ken and Roberta gave the director the following advice "They used to have this pyramid that was those three things—can’t be too much story, the interactive novel type of thing, it all needs to work together"


Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on March 22, 2015, 10:26:37 AM
idk anyone who has played esp the early series should know the model

story is about 15-20%  yea made up the numbers
anyone play KQ1 or KQ2  i mean its just a bunch of short stories all smashed into puzzles lol
later the story tried to drive the game in say mask of..
but that failed due to well.. many things but imo it was just to early for its time, engine wise, had it been just idk 3 years later the game woulda looked and ran solid but.. sierra would not have been the same soo either way.

but kq about story?
never,  about many things yes..
im confused who would think its a pure story based game, not sure any sierra games were minus, a few sierra series, and even then its never a 100% story driven model ever..
i cant waiiit for the new stuffs whoop

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on March 22, 2015, 10:39:38 AM
hehe odd thought from story driven side

mario bros on nes, the platform original (not the arcade bumper but)

this game is pure platform with 1% story, finding the princess
over the years the game curved heavily towards story, but still, if you look the only pure story driven mario imo is mario rpg on snes, most others are just fractions of story, then huge puzzles or situations to solve and then pure platforming,

hell even zelda in this term isnt story driven, but more so than the kq series, shrug
ive had the talk about mario and zelda not being to story driven before some dont agree its ok, but this made me think of that

i still remember kq1 and 2 and how it was all over the map, as a kid i talked to roberta she just wanted some of all the best fairy tales put in one box, never knew it would smack as a hit ever!
lol
fun fact

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on May 31, 2015, 07:42:17 PM
Have people been following the "behind the scenes" series at http://blog.theoddgentlemen.com/ (http://blog.theoddgentlemen.com/)

Most of what I have seen so far looks pretty impressive. Am guessing this project had a fairly healthy budget
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on May 31, 2015, 08:46:15 PM
So far, literally everything they have shown us has been all flash and no substance.  We still have not seen what the actual gameplay looks like, what the interface looks like, what puzzles look like, etc.  The whole marketing campaign stinks of classic "lipstick on a pig" syndrome.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on May 31, 2015, 10:33:57 PM
Yeah, heh, they have spent not only millions in development. but also millions on promotional material.  It's nice to work with budgets from a real company, I bet!


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on May 31, 2015, 10:45:30 PM
So far, literally everything they have shown us has been all flash and no substance.  We still have not seen what the actual gameplay looks like, what the interface looks like, what puzzles look like, etc.  The whole marketing campaign stinks of classic "lipstick on a pig" syndrome.

True we haven't seen the substance, so all I can say at the moment is it looks like a killer shade of lipstick!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on May 31, 2015, 11:43:43 PM
Haha...touche.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Chadly on June 01, 2015, 03:43:33 AM
@rugged (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=18) True we haven't seen the substance, so all I can say at the moment is it looks like a killer shade of lipstick!
Lipstick on a pig is Still a Pig! ;D       I Like Bacon.

                                                       Chadly.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: chucklas on June 01, 2015, 09:49:08 AM
I think we can guess what the interface will be.  They have gone as far as to saying it isn't a point and click game, and then they backtracked a little from there.  The game is being made for consoles.  That much is easy to tell.  I am guessing because of the controller, you will  move easily with analog stick (translated to a keyboard/mouse could be telltale style or traditional keyboard movement) and then each button will dictate some kind of action.  I am guessing there will be one primary action but no way to know for sure.  I think it will feel a lot like grim fandango.  The issue becomes when they translate the console controls to keyboards, they don't tend to work as well.  The new grim fandango suffered quite a bit when they added the point and click interface as you missed quite a bit of things due to the game mechanics having been designed for something else.  The subtle head turns in grim fandango worked extremely well with tank controls but were completely lost in point and click which led to many puzzles being difficult to solve (burning the beavers, moving the ashtray, to name a couple).  I experienced this first hand as I never played the original version of the game.  I had to consult a walkthrough even though I knew the solution, and in the case of the beavers, I still had difficulty completing the puzzle even after seeing it done on a youtube video.  Long story short, I will buy it for my xbox as I would rather play it as it was designed to be played.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 01, 2015, 03:41:27 PM
nope wont be anything like telltale, its going to be a platformer, think, trine + kings quest. the name is all that will exist

as for story, idk
ive talked to roberta about this, doesnt make sense,
kq1 and kq2 were just a bunch of mini stories from kids tales etc, that just led into puzzles, was it about story, no
did it become about story eventually yes!
but is it a story based game no no

go get LIFE IS STRANGE, and pray telltale learns from square on that game, it rocks hard
my bottom line?
i wont be buying this game, ill play it to be sure, but buy a console ver of a point and click which is vastly devoid of its original creator and intent, ill pass. esp since i dont like platform games, unlessss
it was KQ IN SPACE and u fly a ship like raidenX or something rtype zaxxon style

:)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 02, 2015, 04:04:25 AM
I really like this quote
"Meanwhile, the game itself is very open. Like the first game, it's set in a big, open forest for players to explore, and the way this is tackled also has an impact.

"The order in which you solve puzzles and the decisions about how you solve that puzzle really changes the story,"

Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/feature/a648183/how-player-choice-is-at-the-heart-of-the-new-kings-quest.html#ixzz3btCjdtIc (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/feature/a648183/how-player-choice-is-at-the-heart-of-the-new-kings-quest.html#ixzz3btCjdtIc)

I have many problems with the Telltale style, but maybe the biggest is the world never feels very open.

Quote
nope wont be anything like telltale, its going to be a platformer, think, trine + kings quest. the name is all that will exist

Not sure if you are joking but I don't think any of the press has made the game sound like a platformer. The jury is still out on whether it will be what a traditionalist would deem an adventure game

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on June 02, 2015, 04:37:08 AM
People are assuming a hell of a lot about this game.

My two cents worth: Classic adventure game fans aren't the target demographic for this because, as anyone who frequents those forums knows, nobody there actually likes anything to do with adventure games that has come out since 1992.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 02, 2015, 04:45:28 AM
People are assuming a hell of a lot about this game.

My two cents worth: Classic adventure game fans aren't the target demographic for this because, as anyone who frequents those forums knows, nobody there actually likes anything to do with adventure games that has come out since 1992.

I agree that they are clearly looking for a wider audience then the classic adventure fan. But it is also pretty obvious that they are at least attempting to make a game that will appeal to fans of the original series. Heck I was expecting to be extremely let down by the game but the more I see and read the more I have reason for hope. Of course we won't know till the release...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 02, 2015, 11:08:59 PM
People are assuming a hell of a lot about this game.

My two cents worth: Classic adventure game fans aren't the target demographic for this because, as anyone who frequents those forums knows, nobody there actually likes anything to do with adventure games that has come out since 1992.

i totally agree IF it didnt use KQ as a title, since it does this forms this  assumption and presumption one must admit that
has some shoes to fill in most minds, but as most have said if you like platformers and want to keep an open mind you might find this game wonderful
me i just dislike them, in general, minus the retro ones, if this game has that retro feel IM ALL IN..
but ive seen some early demos and .. doesnt look to happy..
but again as most said one must wait for it to come out, ill rent it, and if i likes it, buy it. but again DONT USE KQ name and think people and fans wont have assumptions about it.

idk

again just the fact its a platformer  with puzzles  just think again TRINE meets KQ..
im just curious to see what the writting and puzzles bring to the table over and above the lame duck jump duck jump logs on a raft ride (which has been done to death)

does look pretty though  game wise

but that doesnt sell me :)

annnyway im making no assumptions, just the facts jack, this is a platformer, this has been shown as many demos, non playable, this game looks again like rayman or trine meets kq. will it be? we will find out together im sure :)
but let me ask a loaded rhetorical question.

if the game does come out, and blows hard, will people still not be able to voice that opinion due to it not being KQ in reality? as its truly not a kq title even with the name just as QFI isnt a QFG title.
idk

:)

cant be worse than some of the later kq series lol
orrr cannn it hehe
bro hugs
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 04, 2015, 03:53:54 PM
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/03/06/passing-the-hat-an-in-depth-look-at-the-new-kings-quest.aspx (http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/03/06/passing-the-hat-an-in-depth-look-at-the-new-kings-quest.aspx)

Is probably the best article on the game that I have read. It does answer some of the questions like the interface, confirms that it won't be an action / platformer and is a puzzle driven game in an open world. Of course we won't know till release... but if they make the game they say they are making I think I will be happy
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 05, 2015, 12:36:36 AM
sweet
as all the live demos ive seen look just like 100% plat-former, or 90% plat 10% puzzle  0% adventure

interesting if this develops you just gave me some hope on this! cheeeeers matey

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 17, 2015, 04:07:49 AM
Just over one month till episode one releases, will you buy?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on June 17, 2015, 04:45:13 AM
Yep, sure will. I'm looking forward to it. Practically for Christopher Lloyd alone.

Now waiting for the crowd of haters to attack this thread...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 17, 2015, 03:07:26 PM
Doesn't look like the game has actually 'platforming'. Unless you count the rock jumping in KQ5 'platforming".

It you have to use a one button action on each rock to jump to the next one, with the interface.

(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/kingsquest/images/0/08/MenuinterfaceKQ9.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150617175431)

The 'walk' icon is the 'action' button/icon.

The hand is for picking up items.

The talk icon is for talking to characters.

The satchel is the inventory.

I'm guessing there will probably a 'look' icon as well, where its relevant.

The icons have a KQ5 interface vibe to them.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 17, 2015, 06:15:08 PM
well again this gives me some hope vs the demos i saw of him on a raft jumping logs n ducking etc

seemed like something like space ace or dragons lair in the 1st demo lol

but after seeing all this  well, hmm
migggggggggght have to look into getting the game hehe ty
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 17, 2015, 06:16:32 PM
Yep, sure will. I'm looking forward to it. Practically for Christopher Lloyd alone.

Now waiting for the crowd of haters to attack this thread...

oh my didnt know that either, NOW this game has a triple vote from me :)
that cat was fun to work around in telltales sound studio  pretty mellow dude vs his roles he plays hehe
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on June 17, 2015, 08:08:12 PM
The icons have a KQ5 interface vibe to them.

Copying the icon artwork does not a KQ5 interface make.  This whole game feels like a cynical nostalgia cash grab to me.  It will all hinge on how well they're able to do intelligent puzzle and exploration gameplay.  That's the key to the series.  All the rest is just a fancy dressing.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 18, 2015, 02:52:19 AM
Quote
Copying the icon artwork does not a KQ5 interface make.  This whole game feels like a cynical nostalgia cash grab to me.  It will all hinge on how well they're able to do intelligent puzzle and exploration gameplay.  That's the key to the series.  All the rest is just a fancy dressing.

The interface  will suck, but you are right the game hangs on the puzzles and exploration .

Am not sure you would bother investing so much into the production values if it was simply a cash grab. It is a high risk strategy to spend millions to just pretend you are interested in the series.
Still it is all speculation till next month
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on June 18, 2015, 02:59:21 AM
Intelligent puzzle and exploration gameplay? In a King's Quest? Have you played the originals?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 18, 2015, 03:13:27 AM
Intelligent puzzle and exploration gameplay? In a King's Quest? Have you played the originals?
Haha! Intellegent puzzle isn't the right term for me it is all about immersion and the right atmoshphere
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on June 18, 2015, 03:58:28 AM
The reason the criticism of this new King's Quest does my head in is because it's being compared to a myth. There's no King's Quest formula that was followed beyond the first two games. V is completely different to II, III is out there on it's own as is VII and MoE. KQ6 is completely different to the other games. The only common theme is Graham and his family.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 18, 2015, 04:58:28 AM
Quote
Copying the icon artwork does not a KQ5 interface make.  This whole game feels like a cynical nostalgia cash grab to me.  It will all hinge on how well they're able to do intelligent puzzle and exploration gameplay.  That's the key to the series.  All the rest is just a fancy dressing.

I agree its not the same interface.

One thing of note they did say the script for the first episode alone is as large as Grim Fandango (600 pages). The interface seems highly inspired by Grim Fandango's interface as well.

It is also said to be open world, you can pretty much go anywhere, and do anything in many different orders. The choices you make, and the order you take the game may influence events in future games as well.

As for puzzles we'll have to wait and see... It could be KQ8 style puzzles (a mix of physics, and simplistic item based puzzles, and 'trading puzzles'), or it could be KQ1 style puzzles (for most heart a 'treasure hunt', with only a few key puzzles here or there), or it could be KQ7 style puzzles (largely simplified compared to previous two games), or it could be KQ5 and KQ6 (mix of extremely hard to well thought out puzzles)... I doubt it will be KQ3 style puzzles which were really not puzzles but mostly finding items, and making spells from a manual that told you every step... and then left majority of the puzzles as spells in which the manual told you largely what situations they were useful in.

They have said there will be multiple ways to solve puzzles though much like how there was the ability to use a knife or throw water at the Dragon, and other such examples in the previous games.

How 'difficult' or how 'easy' is going to be different to different people. Or how well thought out the puzzles are, or how 'obtuse' will be left to personal opinions as well.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 18, 2015, 05:04:22 AM
Quote
The reason the criticism of this new King's Quest does my head in is because it's being compared to a myth. There's no King's Quest formula that was followed beyond the first two games. V is completely different to II, III is out there on it's own as is VII and MoE. KQ6 is completely different to the other games. The only common theme is Graham and his family.

Yep, Klytos is right. People and fans are the one with 'rose-tinted' glasses, and suffering and influenced by 'nostalgia'.

Almost every game after 2, changed the puzzle designs (KQ5 and KQ6 are more closely related puzzle wise, but still different in some ways, one being linear (except in the beginning of the game), the other being more 'open world', but with largely linear islands). KQ7 and KQ8 have some similarities in interface, but at the same time very different gameplay.

Of course if you look at the console ports as well, and official remake of KQ1, there are changes to puzzle design and ways of interacting with the environment to suit the different systems or changes to the original game.

Also King's Quest games are not really remembered for 'intelligent puzzle' design but rather 'moon logic puzzle design', or at the very least needing a firm knowledge of many obscure fairy tales stories, or other literature references, that sometimes only the game developers 'understood'.

King's Quest was originally more a vehicle for Roberta to showcase technology advances. Nothing more and nothing less. It allowed her to dabble with her childhood love of fairy tales, but it also wasn't her main purpose of designing games. The main purpose was usually to get you to buy new hardware, or force you to upgrade your PC, so she could show off improved multimedia features! Even the first game was to show off the capabilities of the IBM PCjr.

There are many other Sierra (and even from other companies, Lucasarts, Westwood studios, etc) games with much better and more intelligent puzzle design, including exploration and immersion as well.

Now a days I read more reviews that criticize King's Quest in general from old time players and new players of Adventure games, than those who passionately love the series, and mindlessly enjoy and have their own vision of what they think King's Quest actually is.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 18, 2015, 05:22:47 AM
On a side note, KQ1 and to a lesser extent KQ2 and KQ3 (and possibly KQ4, more likely with KQ4 AGI) were very context sensitive in as much that you generally had to walk up to something before the game would let you interact with it. Often there would be completely different interaction depending on if you were far away from the object or close to it. They also were not point and click games. But you had to move around with arrow keys or a joystick. Typing did allow for a bit more interactivity though, and some extra 'action' commands allowed in the parser would sometimes give you funny messages, or at least tell you that your action ultimately failed.

The new game has sort of merged the 'context sensitive' positioning style gameplay of the first game (unfortunately without the parser to try 'extra' actions and things, that parser allowed), with the simplified actions of the later point and click style games. Yes, in someways that makes it closer to Grim Fandango or Monkey Island 4.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on June 18, 2015, 09:46:59 PM
I'm just so blinded by my hatred of modern Telltale-style adventure games that I am seeing them in every shadow.

The new game has sort of merged the 'context sensitive' positioning style gameplay of the first game (unfortunately without the parser to try 'extra' actions and things, that parser allowed), with the simplified actions of the later point and click style games.

Except that there seems to be only one pre-selected interaction that you can take for any given item in the world, thus removing the element of player choice that is a crucial part of making adventure games feel like "thinking man's" games.  Without that crucial element of trial and error, it's just another action-adventure game.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on June 18, 2015, 10:03:55 PM
I saw some gameplay today.  It's context sensitive.  When you come upon something that can be interacted with, the icons pop up and you select them.  I can see where they wanted to pay homage to the past, using KQV's style icons, but it has the common modern gameplay mechanic in adventure games of context sensitive interactions.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 19, 2015, 04:42:13 AM
Quote
Except that there seems to be only one pre-selected interaction that you can take for any given item in the world, thus removing the element of player choice that is a crucial part of making adventure games feel like "thinking man's" games.  Without that crucial element of trial and error, it's just another action-adventure game.

When KQ7 and KQ8 switched to the one 'context sensitive' "smart" icon for everything concept, they created a 'pre-selected' interaction, removing the more choices previous games had.

The parser of the earliest games allowed for the most interactions. KQ5's system consolidated options even further. Then KQ7 did away with options, and  limited the number of things you could actually interact with in the world. Same with KQ8.

In that way the new one is just as 'limited' as the last couple of King's Quests.

Technically in the new game we see 'two actions' on any given object in the game world, the pre-chosen action, and the inventory (to be able to choose items picked up in the world). Presumably there will be times though when more than two icons could be shown on the screen if there is more than one action available. We also haven't been shown how the item-combining system will work (though they discuss that's something the game allows for as well).

As mentioned previous adventure games that were largely 'context based' include Grim Fandango, and Monkey Island 4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wv2g6djo2w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wv2g6djo2w)

Perhaps its more of a 'consolizing' the controls of adventure gaming?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 19, 2015, 05:27:04 AM
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure/xBythiEIqzY%5B1-25%5D

Wow,  interesting discussion from 1998 or so (before the release of KQ8)

Even back then there were people who disliked Roberta's games, and were extremely jaded.

Found this comment particularly interesting:

Quote
Speaking as an experienced adventure writer myself (text adventures on
the Spectrum, published under the FSF Adventures banner), I must say a
few words.
There is no such thing as an "original" puzzle in any adventure game, be
it text or graphic. Any puzzle has appeared in some form or another in
virtually every adventure game ever released. The get-key-with-nail-and-
newspaper puzzle is just a variation of the classic how-to-open-a-
locked-door puzzle. There are actually very few "basic" puzzles any
adventure author can do variations on.


Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 19, 2015, 05:34:35 AM
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure/Roberta$20Williams/comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure/OH_FxjekfSE/b5qAZMabaxcJ

Heh go back earlier to a discussion from 1995:

This comment is a gem:

Quote
house...@csusys.ctstateu.edu
  No one complains about KQ 1-4 because they really *ARE* great games. 
The games did start getting lame after the parser interface was removed.  Now,
is that because of the icon interface, or did the games just get lame?? 
 I think it's because of the ocon interface.  A lot of the challenge in the
earlier games was how do I use the objects.  In the newer games it's 'WHERE'
do I use to objects. 
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on June 19, 2015, 12:24:14 PM
Quote
Except that there seems to be only one pre-selected interaction that you can take for any given item in the world, thus removing the element of player choice that is a crucial part of making adventure games feel like "thinking man's" games.  Without that crucial element of trial and error, it's just another action-adventure game.

When KQ7 and KQ8 switched to the one 'context sensitive' "smart" icon for everything concept, they created a 'pre-selected' interaction, removing the more choices previous games had.

Yes, and KQ7 is a terrible adventure game.  Certainly the worst of the pre-KQ8 King's Quest games.  And it's terrible for exactly that reason (along with the very dubious decision to move the series into an art direction and animation style that the technology wasn't yet ready for.)  The fact that the Odd Gentlemen are INTENTIONALLY aping KQ7 is proof enough that these people don't "get" what makes King's Quest such a beloved series of games (the terrible KQ7 aside.)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 19, 2015, 01:45:14 PM
but its so pretty!
cool world style

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on June 19, 2015, 03:49:30 PM
Anyone heard what pricing will be?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 19, 2015, 07:32:43 PM
noper mate to early
esp if they make some odd CE which they might, for console or something

idk
my guess? 49.99 pc, 59.99 new consoles (as thats the avg price of new games these days)
but who knows? idk
witcher 3 was 179.99 CE  59.99 standard for pc which is high for a pc port but ..
ill pray for a CE of KQOG, but id love to see playable demos first vs the demos i did see, nothing matches those early demos  again looked more like trine than what im seeing now :)

whoop cant wait, loads to look forward to

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on June 19, 2015, 07:33:38 PM
I'd assume about $20 per part.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 19, 2015, 07:54:04 PM
Quote
"The fact that the Odd Gentlemen are INTENTIONALLY aping KQ7 is proof enough that these people don't "get" what makes King's Quest such a beloved series of games (the terrible KQ7 aside.)"


Actually I think the first game is aping King's Quest 1 (perhaps in particular the original King's Quest for pcJR's concept art), as far as the 'open world', play as graham... Cartoony Graham... Graham's quest ot becom a knight to mirror his quest to become a king. A passing of the torch so to speak. Although they might not quite yet make her 'queen', she does seem a bit young.

(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingsquest/images/e/ee/GrahamKQ1IBM.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100715213050) (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/kingsquest/images/5/5c/Edwardthrone.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100724124138)

Also Graham is very old, and feeble, and stuck in bed, while telling his grand daughter stories, which lead her to become a 'leader' like her Grandpa... Me thinks we have influence of KQ1's Edward and Graham ("Quest for the Crown")... Maybe Graham will 'croak' at the end of the series, after telling his story, and Gwendolyn will strive to live up to his legacy and become Daventry's future leader.

(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/kingsquest/images/9/97/Wolfhounds.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150615235053)

But its certainly taking alot of cues from several sources in the series.

On a side note, I get more 'handdrawn storybook' vibe from the new art style more than "disney" style. Character art in animated movies rarely get as much 'shading' and detail, as the many of the character designs are getting in the new game. The way its being told is very Princess Bride, with grandfather telling the story to his grand child (no not KQ7's Princeless Bride)...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 19, 2015, 08:00:10 PM
I'd assume about $20 per part.

That's assuming they sell each part individually. IF that's so that would make the entire game $100.

But since the entire game is needed to be played to get the complete story (there is a villain that is tied to all five parts), and choices in each part influences each of the other parts, I hightly doubt they could sell it for that. They'll probably be forced to either price it at Telltale's season price, or go a bit lower.

Most modern adventure games don't sell for more than $30, anything higher than that and people start complaining, that things are overpriced. Way different then when Sierra used to sell games for $59 to $79 depending on if they were floppy or CD!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 19, 2015, 08:39:37 PM
There are also rumors that each of the "Chapters" might be as long as a full-sized game such as Grim Fandango. They haven't announced how long each episode is to complete yet, that might actually count all the 'replayability' stuff included. It will be interesting to figure out the number of puzzles each part includes, including variant solutions.

http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Puzzle_statistics (http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Puzzle_statistics)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 20, 2015, 12:02:18 AM
Quote

On a side note, I get more 'handdrawn storybook' vibe from the new art style more than "disney" style. Character art in animated movies rarely get as much 'shading' and detail, as the many of the character designs are getting in the new game. The way its being told is very Princess Bride, with grandfather telling the story to his grand child (no not KQ7's Princeless Bride)...

as you wish mate.. as you wish :)

like one of my fav movies of all time odd enough
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on June 20, 2015, 04:13:27 AM
I love the movie as well. Incredible movie.

Did you know the guy who played Vizzini, Wallace Shawn? In the new King's Quest, he's doing the voice of "Manny", the intelligent knight.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on June 20, 2015, 03:21:26 PM
jesus no i didnt, this is friggen awesome casting!!

urmm
hoping for the best but expecting the worst XD still my mind has changed drastically since the first few demos!

thanks for the update matey cheeers!

cant waiiit
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on July 01, 2015, 02:36:50 PM
Us $40 to preorder all 5 chapters
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 01, 2015, 07:05:44 PM
nothing is 40$

you mean 39.99? lol and if so aww i was close in my guess,

hmm its a season pass deal thing also grr
me no likey those,

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 01, 2015, 08:33:31 PM
Each installment is $10. What what I've heard they're quite long chapters so that's a good price point.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 02, 2015, 02:56:39 PM
all i know is i preordered that sucker on steam, but ive seen no retail boxes
anyone know about those?

if they are even making retail or went the telltale route of only digi.
idk love a real box, vs just steam or such,
aww what to pick. gog .. steam.. hmm
retail. grrs want hard copies of my stuff.

cant wait though looks nicer and nicer as i look at it.
still looks somewhat platformish on the trailers though but whoop looks awesome,
does it use the consequence subs? like most telltale games or life is strange dreamfall chapters kinda thing that carry over? this leads to loads of extra plays as you might get diff endings etc.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on July 02, 2015, 09:41:32 PM
I dunno if they're going to do a box; they're not profitable at all for companies, and a lot of hassle!  We only do 'em cause we find them cool ourselves!  The shareholders of Activision are not amused!!


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 04, 2015, 07:09:44 AM
hehe bt

well I saw some pics of boxed console versions but wasn't sure if it was just a demo or something

as for pc well i know thats pure digi
but as for this game i can see if it does well a box coming out or later a ce issue with behind scenes stuff like gog would have

hmm to gog or to steam this sucker mmm

and as much as I understand the box's = non profit, its not always the case
take witcher 3 CE for example
I got my CE box and CE guide 179.99 + 39.99

well worth it, its huge, soo that made bank
the ps4 ver got a cloth map and GWENT cards (which upset me) as they sell for 100$ per deck and 20-40$ for the cloth map.
ughh

I wanna play real gwent with some real mead   oi!

so yea sometimes boxes make bank, sometimes they kill companies
i dont wanna even mention the batman on pc debacle ugh
lucky i didnt preoder that box

http://www.pcgamer.com/broken-bat-finding-the-good-and-bad-in-the-arkham-knight-debacle/ (http://www.pcgamer.com/broken-bat-finding-the-good-and-bad-in-the-arkham-knight-debacle/)

originally wb/rocksteady was supposed to do a batmobile edition, but it flopped hard much like the pc version being pulled off shelves and off steam!
ooops

lol

refunds galore there  gulp

also borderlands  another great series for boxes selling
pre sequel sucked but had a really rare claptrap box for xbox one, that you could control with your phone ! huge
bl2 had chests etc

assassins creeds always do boxes CE x10 per game  3 per region more in uk usually 
ac rev has 11 versions alone!

sooo sometimes they boxes make baaaank
most times they dont,

in the case of this kq its a safe bet to test the waters first Id suppose, esp as acti.. shudder vision.
but im soo sold on this game, when i was NOT before cheers!

here is hoping they do make swag at least
shirts pins stickas would be nice seeing a sierra logo again (miss my old sierra stickers)

bombastic post over n out
end of line-

lol

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 04, 2015, 07:22:55 AM
If they do boxes I would think it would be the same way TT do boxes, the whole series boxed up and sold at retail.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 04, 2015, 04:20:28 PM
you mean the way they used to do games?
TTG I mean,
they dont make retail anymore and got rid of the store on site for swag too
sooo I knows what bt was meaning

but yeaaa of course id want the whole shabang :)

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 04, 2015, 06:56:14 PM
I don't really follow the TT games so I really have no idea if they'd stopped making boxes or not. I do see them in a local retailer every so often - I couldn't tell you how recent the games are or not.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 04, 2015, 08:25:11 PM
yea I used to also be one to pack up and get the merch n swag ready to ship
it was... mind numbing
seriously

im sure you  cats know
it was about.. right around back to the future was the last retail box and sold with diff plates for the diff car eras
after that they stopped selling anything, when they used to sell sooo much, loads n loads

not just the boxes
but yea most of the older titles have boxes , and some of the newer ones for console do, but NOT pc, and again not avail via TTG site (its TTG not TT) but its ok as long as i know what ya mean  and I do:)

and yea we have had the convo of ttg's before
but its interesting seeing how with the new interviews from odd gentlemen, HOW OFTEN they praise telltale and give credit for creating that choice system back in jurassic park era, which spawned well every pick this and this will effect you in a later episode,
even dreamfall followed suit, and seems KQ will too, to some lvl, but yet be standalone eps + some choices

again another great game which i mentioned that praised ttg's for making this system work is Life is strange oddly a square enix game
:)

replubique etc
all great fargin games too
(no not the ttgs) the others lol
life is strange is friggen  insanely awesome.

Title: King's Questin'
Post by: Blackthorne on July 28, 2015, 02:42:35 PM
So, I'm playing The new King's Quest.

So far, it's a QTE extravaganza coupled with a lot of cut-scenes.  Seriously, it's like watching a cartoon more than a game.  Obviously aimed at a different demo than most adventure gamers.  Well, old-school adventure gamers, not these new school adventure gamers who think Tell Tale Games are the pinnacle of AGs!

It's funny, had this game not had the King's Quest Brand on it, I'd think it was a charming game for kids - but as a King's Quest, it's so so.  Picks up after the intro at the cave - opens up to the town and tourney.  I'll be interested to see what others think - so far, I don't think it's great but I also know it's not FOR me.  So, outside of that, I can say it's a decent game.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: sickfiction on July 28, 2015, 06:49:50 PM
I love it.
could have more interactions but it's beautiful and has Doc Brown in it so I'm happy.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 28, 2015, 07:04:12 PM
I'll happily buy it when it goes on a serious sale.  I refuse to pay full price for the dumbing down of adventure games on principle.  Glad people are enjoying it though.  Some of the professional reviews I've read have acknowledged the easiness of the game, but others, like the Polygon review, are utter facepalms lamenting the lack of fast travel and other modern "conveniences."  Fuck that noise.  Overall, I'm pleased that it seems to be a step in the right direction away from Telltale style, but it also seems to be very Telltale influenced in other ways, so...bleh.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Jerminator on July 28, 2015, 07:41:51 PM
I guess since it is King's Quest I'll be forced to pay the money and check it out. Just have to find the time to download it and play it.

Based on what I've seen and heard so far, I'm not going into it with much expectation of hardcore problem solving skills. I am a little anxious to see if all of the hype is worth it. To be honest, I find the art style of the characters really just unappealing altogether. I get that it's a different style, but to me it just looks like they didn't give a shit and wanted the art of the people to be as simplistic as possible to not devote as much time to it. Not judging the gameplay at all, which may be okay (we'll see) but the character art wouldn't have sold me if this wasn't a King's Quest game. The environment art does look beautiful though.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Corrigan on July 28, 2015, 08:07:31 PM
I can see the character art not being to everyone's tastes but I really doubt it's an issue of not spending enough time on it.  The concept art is very skilled and the texturing on the character models is made by printing out the maps and hand painting them traditionally.  A lot more fuss and effort to go to than is actually necessary to produce something passable.

I've not played it yet either, won't have the time or money for a wee while.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 28, 2015, 08:24:09 PM
A lot more pro's than con's I think.

It's a bit easy, but it's not just a walking QTE. There's inventory based puzzles that you've got to work out, and sure they're not HARD but they do take a bit of exploring and figuring out. And they're logical in-world, they're not "guess what the designer thought here" puzzles.

My biggest complaint would be the writing more than anything else, the tone of it's very slapstick compared with the more mature (and by that I don't mean boobs and swearing) of the classic KQ games.

The graphics are beautiful, I mean stunning. So many steps above anything I've seen in any other AG.

And Christopher Lloyd is awesome.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 28, 2015, 08:49:21 PM
My biggest complaint would be the writing more than anything else, the tone of it's very slapstick compared with the more mature (and by that I don't mean boobs and swearing) of the classic KQ games.


This is how you can tell which reviewers have played the original games and which haven't.  A lot of reviewers are praising this game for nailing the comic tone of the originals.  THE ORIGINALS WEREN'T COMEDY GAMES, YOU FUCKTARDS.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on July 28, 2015, 08:54:27 PM
Yeah, tonally, they got this game absolutely wrong.  Someone somewhere said "Graham has personality, oh yeah. He's Guybrush on Cocaine" and that nails it.

Yeah, it's beautiful, but it sits oddly with me. Apropos.

Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 28, 2015, 11:55:56 PM
I like the unsure of himself teenage Graham idea, it's actually quite fun, but while KQ had it's share of silly, it had a lot of serious too. They've not struck that balance yet, but I'm not finished so I won't call it yet.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 29, 2015, 01:01:26 AM
I like the unsure of himself teenage Graham idea, it's actually quite fun, but while KQ had it's share of silly, it had a lot of serious too. They've not struck that balance yet, but I'm not finished so I won't call it yet.

You can have unsure-of-himself-teenage Graham and still have a more balanced tone.  This game has nothing even approaching the tone of the King's Quest series.  Even the terrible KQ7 wasn't as brazenly cartoonish and slapstick as this.  It's fucking atrocious.  The closest tonal comparison I can think of is Tales of Monkey Island, and in many ways, this feels EVEN SILLIER THAN THAT.  It's like if you took the town of Falderal from KQ7 and MADE THAT THE WHOLE FUCKING GAME.  FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK JESUS FUCK.

Full rant pending.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Jerminator on July 29, 2015, 01:15:06 AM
I can see the character art not being to everyone's tastes but I really doubt it's an issue of not spending enough time on it.  The concept art is very skilled and the texturing on the character models is made by printing out the maps and hand painting them traditionally.  A lot more fuss and effort to go to than is actually necessary to produce something passable.

I see your point Jen, it may not be a matter of how much time was spent on them, no doubt that the folks probably worked really hard to get the style across. I still feel if I take my King's Quest beer goggles off for two seconds I can definitely see that the character art no matter the effort put into them did not turn out on a positive for me. Why they felt the need to totally destroy the likeness and style of some of the characters doesn't push me to play it. Hopefully it will grow on me.

I think that the character style ties into where they were trying to go with the whole re imagining of King's Quest, that the tone is a lot more wacky and lighthearted. I guess that's just not what I had hoped for the series.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 29, 2015, 04:28:26 AM
I can't decide if I'm having more fun playing the game or challenging people about it in the Facebook groups.

Nope.  Definitely more fun ranting about it than playing it.  Oh well.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 29, 2015, 04:52:12 AM
Don't compare it to KQ7. There's no Disney song for starters.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 29, 2015, 05:55:20 AM
I gave the game a go

I love the art  animations  voices
but the game is almost pure platform as suggested in the demos i played
it has about 60% platform 25% story and 15% point n click
but mainly im very unimpressed

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on July 29, 2015, 07:43:22 AM
I think being saddled with the King's Quest name is the hard part for me - and maybe reasonable others.  There's definitely a lot of people out there who just remember the name "King's Quest" and "Sierra", and not really anything about the games.

If this wasn't a "King's Quest" game - I'd think it was a funny, charming little game - but as a KQ game, it's just tonally wrong for me.

It looks like people on a whole enjoy it though, and that's a good thing.  The team who made it did a good job, for sure - though I swear the voice talent for the game cost more than making it!!


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 29, 2015, 10:48:21 AM
It's a mixed bag that, if it wasn't KQ it wouldn't have got the attention it has garnered. Because it's KQ it's judged against 20 year old games, or the memory of them which is probably worse.

Wallace Shawn and Christopher Lloyd are awesome. Perfect casting.

The further into I get the more I like it. The whimsy is toned down with a couple of well written and emotional scenes a bit further in. I enjoyed the "intro" retelling of the Magic Mirror part, but once the game opens up it really turns on some AG charm.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 29, 2015, 11:28:17 AM
Don't compare it to KQ7. There's no Disney song for starters.

That's true, but there's nothing else in the King's Quest series that comes remotely close to the childish tone of this game.  The game is clearly taking its cues from KQ7 above all others.

The gameplay of the more open-ended bit after the tournament is a bit better, but then it's marred by terrible bits like the stuff inside the well (the rope puzzle was pretty good, though) which is pure on-rails corridor running.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: sickfiction on July 29, 2015, 02:51:58 PM
anyone subscribe to this?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Broomie on July 29, 2015, 03:34:32 PM
It's decent enough so far. It reminds me of Psychonauts in terms of gameplay and Psychonauts in one of the best games ever. It's got its adventure-y elements but there's plenty of QTE sequences too. I'm questioning a few design decisions here and there but so far it's been a nice experience and I can deal with some of the quirky humour.

What I don't like is the 'zaniness' of Graham. You could look at something and act like a kid with ADHD dizzy on lemonade. I don't mind the silliness of other stuff and the guards have made me laugh out loud a few times but it's just too over the top at times. I'd much prefer Graham to just be confused and inquisitive about the world around him rather than bouncing up and down like a lunatic. People have been comparing him to Guybrush Threepwood but I disagree because he only really acts goofy in Escape from Monkey Island and Tales. He acts more like Spongebob Squarepants than anyone else I can think of which is not how I ever imagined to describe Graham.

I really like the art and environments though. The music is also very nice and ambient with familiar melodies playing throughout.

Wallace Shawn and Christopher Lloyd are awesome. Perfect casting.

Yeah they're very good, I quite like the idea of him being the stand-in narrator. And the guards are very funny too and well cast. As I said Graham is annoying but nowhere near as annoying as Gwendolyn. I feel like I'm getting an audio commentary from Hannah Montana. Just shut up and let Christopher Lloyd tell the damn story.

Overall, I'm still playing it and it may sound like my opinion is a bit mixed so far but I'm sure I'll warm to it. I just wasn't prepared for how goofy it was going to be. It could end up being a good thing.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on July 29, 2015, 03:36:53 PM
I just had a quick 15 minute play with my 6 year old son.
When he saw the dragon "dad we need a weapon"
I shuddered "we use our brain instead" (or the space key with no thought)
Then he got so excited when he saw the bow and arrow "look a weapon"
Me "it's not a weapon"
"ummm dad a bow and arrow is a weapon"
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 29, 2015, 06:03:33 PM
bt thats how i feel
if it just didnt hold the KQ name and didnt put up SIERRA then say OWNED and USED by activision at the startup

ok so using sierras name, though the company doesnt exist is ok how? idk like oh look ole school fans  a new sierra game!

ugh and how silly and lame the jokes are (they arent funny) and made for console kids it seems to be
but that aside if this wasnt kq  this game would be just decent
but since it is
ughh my head

i tried!
i wanted to like it but umm  the puzzles = platformer puzzles
lets move this over here  ok  shoot the rope arrow.. oops start over ughh etc
oh shoot those ropes on rocks

wait what shoot, why dont i seem to have a bow in my inv

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 29, 2015, 06:04:49 PM
anyone subscribe to this?

is that real?
hahahhaa
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 29, 2015, 06:10:12 PM
I have to say, as much as I think this game is way too easy, too childish, and has too many concessions to "modern" gamers (i.e. on-rails action sequences, QTE or not,) I do feel comfortable saying that this is the way I hope modern adventure games are treated from here on out.  I feel like TOG really did set out to create something that would blend those classic elements with modern ADHD gamer sensibilities, and for better or worse, that's exactly what they've done.  I'd like to see where this series goes, and hope that perhaps the subsequent episodes can bring back some of the more complex puzzle scenarios and more balanced tone.

If nothing else, if the rest of the episodes in the series are as long and have as much replayability as this one, TOG will have set a new standard for what episodic games should look and play like.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 29, 2015, 07:46:01 PM
I really don't get how they don't have the right to call their publishing arm Sierra Kaldire? Do you mean morally speaking they shouldn't?

I agree with you Lamb, I think this is a much better direction for AG than TellTale's work. Tone down the humour a notch and tone up the reality a little and I think it's pretty spot on.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 12:20:49 AM
heya klytos

yaya lol I meant morally, from an ole school sierra lover view this isnt a sierra game!

I mean they bought sierra they can do what they want, call it whatever etc
imo though this is NOT a sierra game, its activision
and well a few other companies but I dont want to get into that KS war some got into over stolen funds etc

I just meant that sierra as a team, doesnt exist, using that logo and such is just there for the ole school feel
like whoop a sierra game!
imo Im with bt,

if this game didnt have the name kq and wasnt sierra stamped, it would be decent
and I agree with you 100% on being better than telltales recent .. grr stuff, though game of thrones is a bit, pushing my edge there lol

to me  kq is very .. annoying, to many bad puns (and i love them but tooo many) as someone else said, the kid chiming in, like hanna montana .. ugh

idk again this felt more like a telltale advent with much better visuals, and more platformer minigames than a true point n click advent.

tone down the humor and up reality as you suggested and this game is def a nice one, but i cant get this kid stuff out of my head,
idk
Spoiler (hover to show)

so yep I agree with both you and bt pretty much everyone here seems to have the same viewish on the game

im still on the fence, but after ep 1 i was left with this, man this is beautiful, but zzz really got on my nerves how simple the game was and how linear..and how droll the puns became

at least IQS made MEME's a bit harder to spot or take more knowhow to spot them :)
this game seems again made for a child console gen
"we going to be in a club?! what are your availabilities for sleepovers, whats your fav color" AHHHH
this is not the graham we all knew... idk

i stand by my demo plays and by the ep 1
this felt like a BEEFED up and far superior to a telltale game, more like Life is Strange(a very great game IMO that)
only take the serious stuff away and add jokes

if they only could find some middle ground of Life is strange, and telltales illusion of choice creation (yes telltale started that with JP) then the game might be just ok

idk
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Jerminator on July 30, 2015, 03:32:18 AM
Okay I've been playing it. I am pleasantly surprised with the game. The puzzles are pretty straight forward. Definitely some hand holding but I think the level of puzzles are at a decent degree based on the style and base this game seems to try and reach. The humor and tone of the game, bleh really not what I would want. I don't totally ban it though because the charm and nostalgia seem to forgive all of that.

The art direction for the environment is really great, even better than great. A few times I paused and just admired the skill they took too capture the world. My complaint on the character models still applies. I totally disagree with the way everyone looks. The animations are fantastic, but I absolutely hate the direction here. I stopped a few times and tried to imagine a more realistic Graham in place of the one they went with and it made more sense with the environment to me. I get the slapstick writing perhaps calls for a simplistic childish character models, but again I just can't get over this.

I'm pretty far in I think but had to give it a rest for now. I went ahead and bought the complete game though. So score one for The Odd Gentlemen.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 30, 2015, 03:36:07 AM
Is it the body shapes you dislike? Like Whisper being out of proportion?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Jerminator on July 30, 2015, 03:42:22 AM
Yeah more or less Shawn. Whisper was a bit over the top, along with all of the knights with tiny heads, but not just that it's the shading they used for the texture on the models. Almost like pencil lines on a sketch. I get it's a style they are going for. I just don't like it. KQ games pretty much stuck to proportional shaded characters. Especially the lead characters.

I am enjoying it. So I'll just accept that that's the direction they took with it. I'm sure they had their reasons.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 30, 2015, 03:45:26 AM
Ah, cool. Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of that myself but I've put it down to the more whimsical style they've gone for.

I said this to Steve the other night, regardless of anything else, this is the first game I've bought on release day in about a decade. That's gotta mean something lol
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 03:54:43 AM
i shall await a nice sale for this one :(

again its beautiful but not something id be ok with saying 40$ for ? months of episodes, they drive me nuts wondering whats next lol

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 08:25:18 AM
I have to say I found the puzzles to be about on par with KQ1 or KQ2 (with the lack of  a couple of moon logic puzzles, then again there are some moon logic puzzle solutions that act as sort of alternate solutions, easter eggs in the new game).

I've calculated that there are about 52 inventory items in the game. 40 or so if you count that many of them are alternate versions of the same item that get modified, and used as separate puzzle solutions, or for achievements. Its possible to get about 48 of the total items in a single play, but depending on the path you might only find 44-46 (and most can be 'used' in some way, for actual solutions or for extra diologue, or influence the plot). Since some items only show up if you choose non-violent approach, or do certain things at certain times, or make certain decisions. That's about the total number of puzzles not counting the action sequences, conversation puzzles, tile/jumping/board game puzzles, or the alternate puzzle solutions or virtue choices throughout the game.

The with all puzzles involved is about as large as KQ1-5 each (or about twice as many puzzles as KQ1 or KQ2, ande about the same as 4 and 5, and almost as many puzzles as KQ6's long path). It really is a fullsized game on part with the arliest of KQ games in size. With replayability it almost reaches the size of KQ6 (but has even more 'endings'). It is nice that hte story is largely stand alone, with a clear villain (who might come back later), and hints of an even greater villain behind the scenes.

I give the first game probably 8.5/10. But will have to wait until next chapter to see if it improves. I hope next story is a little more 'epic' in scope, heroic, world saving.

The story however is not as epic, its not about saving the country. It's a simple quest to win knighthood, and win a chance to become king. It suppose in some ways it puts it more into KQ2 camp, as there was no life threatening 'must save' Daventry aspect to that game, nor a 'must save Kolyma' aspect to that game's story either.

There are some exciting moments, and it does foreshadow something greater, but the ending of the first story is not super thrilling. But neither was KQ2, if you think about it (or the original KQ1's ending).

The exploration once you can explore was perhaps roughly the size of Land of Serenia, without the desert, and stripping out the linear later half of KQ5 (although the linear sections which are set at the beginning of the game are probably as big as KQ5's linear sections (with no 'maze'), but unfortunately onrails and lack of puzzles early. Then again its sort of like the linear sequence in KQ3, from the moment you get off the boat to the time you get into daventry, which had very few puzzles, until you reached the dragon. Mostly those 'climbing' arcade sequences, and cave mazes. Something this game does a bit too much of, 'cliff climbing', that can lead to death.

The puzzles were mixed. There were a couple I struggled on, but mainly because I was overthinking. But it was obvious once I listened to some dialogue I missed.


Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 08:30:07 AM
Personally considering that each chapter  is about the size of an early KQ game, large and largely stand alone, I don't think $8-10 per chapter is really all that bad. I doubt that the playable epilogue you get with the complete edition will be a 'full sized' game in itself, but it sounds like a nice bonus to me.

Is it my favorite KQ game? Hardly, but I did have a lot of fun, and I'm still having a lot of fun, I've played through the first half of the game almost 6 different ways so far (just to catch the various choices, and side stories), with one 100% game so far. So replayability in this game is great, that right there I think adds to the value. These alternate paths really feel like they change things.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 08:35:08 AM
Jerminator, ya the knights look weird. Most of the human characters look fairly normal though. The game has a kind of illustrated storybook feel to it or a graphic novel feel to it.

It's somewhere between realistic style of the later KQ games KQ4-6, and the truly cartoony aspects of KQ7 (which had a lot of disproportioned indiviudals), and the cartoony style of KQ1-3, including the original manual artwork of KQ1 PCJR (which I think of as 1970's Saturday Morning Graham).

(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingsquest/images/e/ee/GrahamKQ1IBM.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100715213050)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 08:38:36 AM
Another thing is the series might also age with Graham, becoming more serious as the series goes on. Similar to what occurred in Harry Potter.

if you see some of the artwork for older versions of Graham, he doesn't look as goofy, and gets more and more mature looking, and serious.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 30, 2015, 09:03:20 AM
I'd say he's still pretty goofy in attitude from his conversations (Christopher Lloyd version) with Gwendolyn. But I think you're right in that it's going to get more serious as it goes on.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 09:20:16 AM
My grandpas were goofy with me when I was a child. That doesn't bug me at all.

Although the bad puns are bad ;). No previous KQ game had this many puns, except in deaths.

Also Graham's health is at risk. He might have to become serious to impart some life lessons before he passes... I'm thinking this series may have a bittersweet ending.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Jerminator on July 30, 2015, 09:57:25 AM
Jerminator, ya the knights look weird. Most of the human characters look fairly normal though. The game has a kind of illustrated storybook feel to it or a graphic novel feel to it.

It's somewhere between realistic style of the later KQ games KQ4-6, and the truly cartoony aspects of KQ7 (which had a lot of disproportioned indiviudals), and the cartoony style of KQ1-3, including the original manual artwork of KQ1 PCJR (which I think of as 1970's Saturday Morning Graham).

([url]http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingsquest/images/e/ee/GrahamKQ1IBM.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100715213050[/url])


One can only hope it gets a little more serious as it goes on. I only found the really goofy parts to be when Graham would ask another NPC a question and freak out and go into a rant. I don't want to complain too much because I am enjoying the game.

I think you are spot on with the illustrated storybook style of the characters. I won't keep bashing them but I honestly still don't like the style and won't as long as they stick with it. It's way too artsy for a KQ game for me. I want something with a more serious tone preferably, but that seems to be my personal preference, I haven't seen many other complaints about it.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 10:10:45 AM
Those freak out girly rants also had, the a lot of 'nerdy' KQ flavor and references LOL. He was going 'fanboi', LOL.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 10:15:10 AM
I'm glad that most of the humans in the game are more 'realistic' storybook than if it had gone full blown Disney cartoon.... The middle-ground 'Don Bluth'-style with a touch of illustrated fairy tale works better for it... for the most part. I this children's book once, that this book once that basically told the story of Jack the Giant Killer that had a similar art style.

As for the backgrounds they are luscious and remind me of higher resolution versions of KQ5. There is even this one screen you pass through at one point in the game that looks like its right out of the KQ5 elf caves.

Now KQ7... that's my least favorite game in the series... it wasn't that the artwork was bad, but the animation was horrendously bad. The companies that they used were the same ones who made those cheesy non-Nintendo Zelda spinoff games for the CD-I. That are used in the so called 'youtube poop'.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 11:35:53 AM
Anyone remember how the old Sierra games back in the day were $50-70 dollars? Brand New? Some of the DVD versions even went as high as $90... I remember it when people either bought the games or they played a friends copy... (ya that is one reason why the prices were so high... piracy, and copy protection measures)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 12:06:11 PM
took me about 1.4 hrs of gameplay to beat ep1 and epilogue
the thing that took the longest is how they left most useless areas open still but meh no biggie
but, compared to other episodic adventures this ranks around middle ground, not long  not short
but for me, nothing like the later kq titles time it took to play one

the early kq titles for sure but not the later ones
and even then  the parser era took time to type :)

so yea ill be awaiting the pc sale to mannny games to get and play before the complete collection on kq
@Baggins (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=576)   haha yea i do remember how games were 59.99 or 69.99 per game with those odd dvds going higher
but .. thats the era when ram was 56$ per meg lol
sooo
not the same mate
but ah the good ole days

same with NES and SNES .. most forget like snes super mario was i believe 49.99 or 59.99 retail, n64 were mostly 59.99 for mario or top tier nintendo characters and less for the others

lol ahh yes fond memories
(still I will await this on sale if im to get it on the pc)

if the controls are anything like im thinking, ew, as the console version felt, very console-ish,
even uses vibration as I mentioned.

all n all I keep looking at it, even on console and its pretty

just a bit to, idk what the right word is for me...
childish? in terms of the gameplay and characters
but beautiful in terms of the backgrounds (though drastically linear)

I miss looking in every nook n cranny 
not having my character go  oh whats that! oh same thing you just clicked on, as the icons dont change to much, a few times trying to look at objects lead to talking which you cant skip even after you heard the dialog.. tsk tsk hope they fix that..


btw baggins what do you mean about them being more human?

I think the main knights you fight, are a mini cameo to toonstruck.. just a thought
(http://orig08.deviantart.net/bc7f/f/2011/150/5/e/5ec1ebd5f306ffe243e0caa1becaf775-d3hluqu.jpg)
Again horn being lugnut, whisper being feedback n manny as the small fry with big eyes which oddly has a helm in this game

but to me, looks just like they took lugnut and put him in this game for sure :)
which i love.

and most of the other characters look like they came OUT of a disney movie, so ..done very well though!


Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 30, 2015, 12:08:19 PM

I said this to Steve the other night, regardless of anything else, this is the first game I've bought on release day in about a decade. That's gotta mean something lol

That you are gullible?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 12:22:27 PM
Quote
same with NES and SNES .. most forget like snes super mario was i believe 49.99 or 59.99 retail, n64 were mostly 59.99 for mario or top tier nintendo characters and less for the others

New Mario games still cost that much, or more.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 12:33:03 PM
Quote
I miss looking in every nook n cranny 
not having my character go  oh whats that! oh same thing you just clicked on, as the icons dont change to much, a few times trying to look at objects lead to talking which you cant skip even after you heard the dialog.. tsk tsk hope they fix that..


That unfortunately been a problem since KQ7, the inability to look at everything on a screen. Actually only KQ6, and KQ1 SCI allowed you to look at everything. KQ5 just gave you a lot of red xs on the screen, there really wasn't a whole lot of things to look at in KQ4 and the earlier games. Some randomized messages in some cases.

The new game at least tried to bring back 'comments' for trying to use items on other things, something KQ6 added. But alas I doubt we'll ever get the multiple icons with dialogue for nearly everything on the screen like KQ6 had, and pretty much the only reason we got that before was because of Jane Jensen, and she doesn't even do that anymore.

Quote
btw baggins what do you mean about them being more human?
The human characters that are not in armor, that are clearly human (and not 'giant' or
Spoiler (hover to show)
') are drawn in more realistic proportions, at least are the case with Amaya, Old Graham (look at the realistic old man's hands he has), Gwendolyn, and Gart, and Wente. The Hobblepots still look fairly 'realistic' but are extremely old and crouched over. But all are drawn in a illustrated fairy tale book style, including all heavily shaded and textured details, rather than photorealistic, or realist painting style on one end of the spectrum, or almost no shading or detail as things appear in KQ7 (pure cartoon style). It's the difference between Zelda artwork on Twilight Princess vs. the artwork on Wind Waker for example.  Twilight Princess is more 'story book', but 'realistic, thoughly clearly still artwork', but Wind Waker is less realist, and "Toon" like.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 12:39:20 PM
true true
on the mario

and i hear ya there on kq and nooks n crannies

gotta admit though that it does look like lugnut was tossed in as horn :)
thats ok imo  its a mini cameo esp with christopher llyod doing it.. idk
early voice casting was set for TTG's and they had most of the original toonstruck cast set for toonstruck 2, but it never happened :(

i want'sa toonstruck 2

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 12:57:24 PM
id also like to add
that much like other episodic  "illusion of choice/choice" games
later this game will have higher hours of playability.
I dont want to spoil the game but examples are obvious if you played the game that there are prolly at least 3 paths to go on, if not a secret 4th

also id like to say how much this kinda makes me want a Princess Bride(the movie) game made the same kinda way!
just like the in-between movie stuff, kinda like game of thrones how almost no character from the game is in the show but they are only mentioned in the books (barely)

ugh that game hurts my head its so bad but meh,
so in the scheme of things I prefer this KQ to most TTgs titles of late..
:)

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 12:59:07 PM

I said this to Steve the other night, regardless of anything else, this is the first game I've bought on release day in about a decade. That's gotta mean something lol

That you are gullible?

10 years first game ever on release? waaah
and had I said that line lambo did, haha woah id be ripped a new one, ty lambo for saying it for me :)

a decade really?
no ks stuff? nothing mate? really?
witcher 3? hmm
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 01:28:40 PM
WItcher 3, WOlfenstein Old BLood, King's Quest, and Dreamfall Chapters are about the only games I preordered  or bought on release this year. Not counting the number of games on Nintendo's current systems.

If they can keep up the same amount of puzzles to inventory items relation for the next four episodes of the new KQ I'll be very happy. I don't have a problem with it having about the same amount of puzzles as KQ5 or the earlier games, rather than more as in the later games, as long as there is still plenty to do.

Who knows what the complete collection epilogue will turn out to be like. But that imo is the only reason to get the complete collection, and why I wouldn't get the episodes separately. I'm also happier that each of these KQ games are largely 'standalone' stories, that fits the feel of the original KQ series more than a long story divided into a bunch of chunks.

ALso I felt like there was more gameplay going on with the new KQ than in the new Dreamfall game, Dreamfall Chapters has some beautiful areas, but you run around 'lost' doing pretty much nothing. But they are long chapters still. But this new game feels much longer, especially if you go around trying to do everything you can with the various items, and look for the secret easter eggs, and paths.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 01:33:12 PM
As for most the KS stuff, I haven't been too impressed so far. Several of the Sierra revival games/remakes have burned me... It was something I risk even with a bigger budget Sierra revival game as well. One of the reason I'm giving the new KQ some benefit of the doubt is that its an original experience, and not a mediocre retelling of a story I've already heard (other than questionable retelling of the KQ1 hunt for the Magic Mirror prologue). Many of those 'remakes' just feel 'stale', and I have more fun playing the original versions instead.

Dreamfall Chapters is about the best KS game I've played so far though. The Broken Sword 5 was descent. But since it was an original experience, and not just a rehash remake of a previous game, it kept me entertained for the most part. Although some sections felt a bit slow.

I haven't gotten around to the Tex Murphy revival yet, but I hear its pretty good too.  Truth be told the only reason I haven't gotten around to playing it is I still need to finish the previous games in the series. I'm up to the Overseer game currently.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 30, 2015, 02:20:30 PM
I'm pleasantly surprised with all the subtle differences I'm noticing on a second playthrough.  Not just the major choices, but even seemingly minor dialog choices with certain characters have lasting effects on how those characters address you through the rest of the game.  It's a nice touch.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 02:41:23 PM
Yes it is, and its cool how it affects the Gwendolyn interludes. This game is packed with lots of little 'backstories' to you can only access if you take certain routes. It makes the world seem more 'alive' and thought out.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 02:52:39 PM
As for most the KS stuff, I haven't been too impressed so far. Several of the Sierra revival games/remakes have burned me... It was something I risk even with a bigger budget Sierra revival game as well. One of the reason I'm giving the new KQ some benefit of the doubt is that its an original experience, and not a mediocre retelling of a story I've already heard (other than questionable retelling of the KQ1 hunt for the Magic Mirror prologue). Many of those 'remakes' just feel 'stale', and I have more fun playing the original versions instead.

Dreamfall Chapters is about the best KS game I've played so far though. The Broken Sword 5 was descent. But since it was an original experience, and not just a rehash remake of a previous game, it kept me entertained for the most part. Although some sections felt a bit slow.

I haven't gotten around to the Tex Murphy revival yet, but I hear its pretty good too.  Truth be told the only reason I haven't gotten around to playing it is I still need to finish the previous games in the series. I'm up to the Overseer game currently.

you havent played ... the newest tex? AHHHHhhhhh
if only he had waiting for unreal to become free, that game woulda been in unreal vs unity
but that game friggen rocks

just they have many hours of cut footage, and more puzzles they wanted to add in a new ks but not sure that will happen :(

hey lambo, you wont prolly notice to many diffs until like ep 3-4 :)
but yea you can see where its gearing out to go. again the telltale method, or life is strange
(again i recommend life is strange for those who like serious gaming vs haha)

:)

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 03:07:54 PM
Well I bought the new Tex to support the team. I hadn't played the entire series before. I'm working my way through them in order. They are absolutely awesome. It's a shame I missed them back in the day, when I actually had more time to play these kind of games!

I hope they can get at least another game out!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 30, 2015, 03:14:26 PM
hey lambo, you wont prolly notice to many diffs until like ep 3-4 :)
but yea you can see where its gearing out to go. again the telltale method, or life is strange
(again i recommend life is strange for those who like serious gaming vs haha)

No, I'm not talking about overarching choices that affect future episodes.  I honestly don't care whether or not the series has any of those.  I'm talking about little details and choices that have noticeable divergent paths within this episode itself.  You definitely won't see everything on the first or even second playthrough.  It looks like it's a 3 playthrough minimum game if you want to see it all.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 03:14:51 PM
Quote
hey lambo, you wont prolly notice to many diffs until like ep 3-4 :)
but yea you can see where its gearing out to go. again the telltale method, or life is strange
(again i recommend life is strange for those who like serious gaming vs haha)

In the short term some of the choices might influence the next episode. I have a feeling Merchant of Miracles for example will be seen throughout the series, and there is a major choice you can make with him in the middle of the game.

And the general bravery, wisdom, and compassion paths will likely continue to influence the actions of Gwendolyn in every interlude event. We  are sure to get more Gwendolyn side story in each episode.

Obviously if you were heavy on one of the three paths, characters are likely to still be influenced by that in the next episode, and call you by a related title, or have an opinion of you. As for return of other characters, directly tied into some of the bigger choices? Who knows (other than what they have told us in previews about that Dragon being a possible returning threat, or 'friend' depending on your choices, and who knows when that event will happen).

Spoiler (hover to show)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 03:21:24 PM
Quote
It looks like it's a 3 playthrough minimum game if you want to see it all.

There are some options that would take you six or seven playthroughts to see the effects... For example who you steal a 'wheel' from, and who you tip. For example do you tip the same person you steal a wheel from, do you 'not tip' anyone and just steal a wheel. Do you tip someone other than the person you steal a wheel from. So there are at least three options of tipping the same person you steel a wheel from, or 3 options of tipping someone different than who you steal from, and finally option of not tipping anyone, and keeping your money with you (this will also possibly affect the number of puzzles you can complete at state two, assuming that Merchant doesn't steal all your money but 1). But all those choices will certainly affect your relationship with various characters in the shops. And take you further or closer to their primary alignment.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Who knows what happens if you take a balanced approach, and try to align yourself with all three paths.

BTW does anyone know how to extract the subtitles out of Unreal game? Is it possible with this game?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 30, 2015, 05:10:25 PM
again mate this is NOT a new method lambo

i hate to bring them up again.. but
telltale games, abd even the great Life is Strange method play, more n more games are using this now.

you have to play at least 3 times to see each route, and thats per episode,
prolly about 10-12 plays to get all paths and see all scenes in each game of TTG's with the illusion of choice ideal going on

same with kq,
you will notice things in the current ep, but will be really noticed more in the next few

as for the middle path, this is what i was thinking is a secret 4th path, vs the baker the magic shop or the blacksmith routes  or kindness, cunning, or fighting, each scene only follows those 3 paths
true statement

Spoiler (hover to show)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 30, 2015, 06:05:45 PM
KQ6 actually had 'choices' as well, depending on what alternate methods you take. KQ1, and kQ2 also had it to lesser degrees (alternate solutions that would change how characters reacted). KQ7 had only one or two alternate choices.

The real question will it lead to completely different endings by the end, or even paths that only accessible if you made a decision in an early chapter. Real choices with real consequences, or 'just illusions'.

Honestly the first game that I know of that really did something similar was Indiana Jones and Last Crusade, and the Fate of Atlantis with its various routes.

Spoiler (hover to show)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 30, 2015, 08:20:23 PM
Nah Lambo, I wanted to play it before I made a judgement on it and had to eat my own words like some people!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 30, 2015, 09:29:03 PM
Nah Lambo, I wanted to play it before I made a judgement on it and had to eat my own words like some people!

Where's the fun in that?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 30, 2015, 09:39:38 PM
No fun, just self respect!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 30, 2015, 10:40:30 PM
I posted this everywhere else, so I might as well put it here for posterity.  My full and honest review.

Quote
Alright, I've had enough time after finishing the episode and starting two new playthroughs that I feel like I'm in a good place to share a more thorough review.


First thing's first:


I like it.  The game has won me over, despite my initial misgivings and my distaste for some of the on-rails "modern" sequences (more on that later.)

The most important element of this game is whether or not it successfully does what it sets out to do, which is to blend classic adventure gameplay with "modern" (God, I hate the way that word is used to talk about dumbed down gameplay) sensibilities.  I would go so far as to say that the result is the best mainstream modern adventure game out there right now.  Granted, the only competition is Telltale, so go figure.

Telltale really did a number on adventure games.  It's no secret that I utterly loathe Telltale's game design philosophy.  Perhaps more than just the fact that their games are not my cup of tea, I hate the way they've had this serious impact on what the world at large thinks contemporary adventure games should look and play like, and the way they should be structured and released (episodically.)  The fact that The Odd Gentlemen deliberately tried to deviate from this arguably safer approach and has successfully blended old and new deserves much praise, in my opinion.

Okay, now to specifics:


Story:

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I think the way The Odd Gentlemen is handling the narrative is the best possible way to revive the series.  The framing narrative that allows the game to seamlessly combine prequel, sequel, and reboot is brilliant.  The writing is charming, the characters fun and memorable, and the humor is both witty and kid-friendly (though your mileage may vary.)

That said, I stand by my criticism that this game gets the tonal balance wrong.  Despite the disparities between individual entries in the classical King's Quest series, there was a consistent tone (up until 7, but that's one of the reasons why I hate 7,) and while this game doesn't miss the mark completely, it is different enough that I found it very distracting and off-putting at first.  It is objectively sillier and more cartoonish in both its humor and world logic than any previous KQ game, but I think that's okay.  I can accept taking the series in a fresh tonal direction, even if it does feel somewhat derivative of other, better adventure games (Curse of Monkey Island, for example.)


Audio/Visual:


No surprises here.  The game looks and sounds great.  Your mileage may vary on the art direction, but at least it's consistent, and they absolutely own the visual style.  It fits with the more cartoonish tone, and looks vivid and beautiful on a big screen.  People have already discussed the great voice acting at length, so I won't go over it again here.  It's great.  The music is evocative and perfectly suits every scene where it appears.  The classic KQ melodic hints are great, and I hope we get more of that kind of thing in future episodes.  The classic point chime is a nice touch, but I wish it was used more frequently when you actually accomplish tasks, as opposed to just picking up inventory items.  Still, it was an effective nostalgia device, certainly.


Gameplay:

Here we come to the heart of the matter, and the area where I certainly find the most faults.  I've already said that I think this game manages a perfect blend of old and new, and once it opens up and allows for freedom of exploration and some non-linear puzzling, it becomes a really good time.

That said, they opened the game in just about the worst way possible.  It's not JUST the on-rails sequence in the well, but really the first 2 hours of the game are extremely linear, find the single hotspot, and push A to proceed.  This was a terrible decision if they were trying to draw old school adventure game fans into this game.  I've read a number of posts on different forums of people who basically gave up on the game because SO much of the first portion was straight, linear, and overly simplistic.  I can only hope that this is just a feature of this first episode, to try and gradually introduce new players to adventure game mechanics, but if future episodes maintain this pacing and those long linear stretches of gameplay, I'll be sorely disappointed.

Again, once you get to the tournament and the game opens up, the experience really starts to feel like a classic adventure, albeit a simple and easy one.

The controls work well and feel a lot like Grim Fandango on PC, but with more fluid animation and movement.  I think all the people lamenting the lack of fast travel are lazy crybaby morons, but I suppose the addition a sprint button wouldn't be a bad compromise.  A sprint button could also add some depth to the action sequences, too, if you had control not only over direction, but also speed.

My one big gripe about the controls is the lack of a dedicated Look function.  I have never bought the apologist argument that better graphics removes the need for a Look function.  There were plenty of instances in my first playthrough where I found myself really missing the ability to right-click and get a description of the item, instead of just pressing a button to do the one single available interaction.  When you have to choose between wheel substitutes, for example, it's very obvious that choosing one is going to lead you down a specific path, but you only have the option to interact with it; I'd have loved to be able to get an actual narrated description, maybe with Graham offering some thoughts about the implications of choosing that object, BEFORE I decided to pick it up.

The interactivity in the game also leaves a lot to be desired.  From the standpoint of a fan of classic adventure games, this game world feels very sparse in comparison to the old games.  There is a lot of great dialog here, and the multiple interaction responses for repeatedly clicking on certain objects are a lot of fun, but I can't help but feel like all that extra voice acting could have been better used if they had spread it around over MORE HOTSPOTS.  There were a lot of beautiful screens that are visually dense that would have really benefited from the ability to examine non-essential objects and scenery to add some more narrative flavor to the world.  The town square is a good example.  The only extra object, other than the three shop doors, is the tree in the middle, but there's SO MUCH stuff in that scene.  As is, in most cases, the only interactive objects are the items that are directly needed to progress the game.  There are some exceptions, but I think a better balance could have been reached here, and it would have gone a long way to making the game feel more like a classic King's Quest game.

The puzzles themselves, while easy, are actually quite well done, I think.  They do a nice job of getting gradually more complicated as the story goes on, which I think serves new players well.  I would have liked to have seen a few more difficult or complex multi-stage puzzles, perhaps optional, so that more hardore adventure gamers would have had some stuff they could really sink their teeth into, but the sheer fact that there actually are this many puzzles in a mainstream adventure game made in 2015 in the shadow of Telltale (fucking Telltale) is something worthy of admiration.  Thank you, Odd Gentlemen, for actually giving me something to DO in your adventure game.


Bugs:

The game runs nicely on my somewhat outdated laptop, which was a pleasant surprise.  That said, I have encountered a number of minor bugs in my playthroughs.  Nothing gamebreaking, but certainly some immersion breaking stuff.  Graham's cape has a tendency to glitch out and stretch across the screen for a split second when changing scenes and in some closeups.  I also had a few instances where the audio for dialog failed to play, and the mouths failed to move on characters, even though the characters themselves were clearly supposed to be speaking--they were gesturing and moving their heads, but no audio and no moving mouths.  Weird.  In any case, the game runs very smoothly, even on older hardware.  I've got a shitty integrated Intel graphics card and only 4 GB ram, and I had very few issues and a smooth frame rate even on highest graphics settings.


Replayability:

This was another pleasant surprise.  There is a LOT of optional dialog and content here.  The game is obviously set up to be played at least 3 times to see the full extent of the different story choices and scenes, but what I was really impressed by was the amount of small changes from playthrough to play through.  Little insignificant dialog choices seemed to have a lasting impact on the way certain characters approached you and interacted with you.  The interactions with the bridge troll for example, seem to change quite a bit depending on a few different factors.  I expect that some of the choices will have repercussions in future episodes, but it was nice to see so many little divergences within THIS episode itself.  Another step up from Telltale, I'd say.

My one major gripe about the different choices is that the main divergent path choices are far too obviously sign-posted.  Choice works best in games when you don't realize it's happening until you've already headed down a specific path.  The sense of discovery is better when you can find the different paths out for yourself, as opposed to the game clearly telling you that you were at a crossroads and then giving you a big "Are you sure?" Yes or No prompt to confirm your choice.  That kind of ruined it for me a bit.  The Odd Gentlemen should take a page from The Witcher games and make the choices a little more subtle in future episodes, please.


Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed this first episode a lot more than I thought I would, to be completely honest.  The gameplay formula that The Odd Gentlemen have created here is fun and engaging, and is a successful blend of classic and "modern" design.  That said, I think a lot of what I like about this episode is the POTENTIAL that it has to become a great adventure game series, if they increase the gameplay complexity a bit in future episodes, and tone down the narrative silliness.  The emotional beats in this game's story are really nice, and I hope that future episodes will give us some heavier moments of pathos.

As it stands, I'd give it a solid B-, maybe a B.  Its adventure game heart is in the right place, but it feels a bit too much like it's pandering to the worst aspects of modern gamers--the lazy, GIVE IT TO ME NOW, ADHD attitude.  Lose the on-rails action moments and the linear corridor runs, add a few more interactive hotspots to add more descriptive meat to the world, and give me a few more taxing puzzles, and this game could go from decent to great very quickly.  All of the pieces are there.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 31, 2015, 04:16:19 AM
No fun, just self respect!
does this mean you like the game ?
faults and all?

it needs a proper patch i found about (no joke 20+ bugs) nothing game breaking, mostly animation issues
but again the game is beautiful but its NOT a KQ game in my eyes

just wanna make sure I got you right, eat your own words because you thought it would be bad but was decent or vice versa?

im thinking you mean you do like the game so far but im unclear
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 31, 2015, 04:32:02 AM
That was aimed at Lamb who made a lot of Lambo statements about it before it came out, only to have actually enjoyed the game, albeit with a few issues. Eating his own words. A big ass scoop of humble pie. He won't see it that way though! (I look forward to his response to that...)

I love it. I think they nail the graphics, the control system is great, the voices are sublime and it's a good story. The way they frame the story is excellent. I think the tone of it is a little off, but I'm willing to put that aside as Graham is only 16 in the game, so I can wait to see if they mature him as the series progresses.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 31, 2015, 04:58:47 AM
I've never said anything I disagree with.  ;)

Honestly though, all of the issues I had with the game before playing it are still completely present and valid.  I stand by everything I've said.  The game just happens to do enough other things well that I do see it as a net positive overall.  More importantly, all of its problems are fixable problems.  Not that that means anything if they don't fix them, but the potential for a great series is there...so far.  :)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 31, 2015, 05:58:48 AM
Lambonius good review. You hit on many points I agree with.

The funny thing is most people who hate this new game, actually hated the old games, and their complaints about the new game, are more or less points you could level back at the original games.

Those who loved the original game, but have criticisms for this game, its more about how it doesn't necessarily have enough of the 'feel' or tone of the original games. This fully understandable, and I agree with it mostly.

However, in my 'willing suspension of disbelief', I put some of the tonal difference up to Graham's 'embellishing' the story and trying to make it funnier than it really should have been.

I'm not sure where I stand on how it rewrites Graham's backstory (instead of having been raised in Daventry he's now an outsider), Edward's queen's backstory is rearranged as well (her death caused Daventry to go downhill, and mirror was stolen some point at the time of her death or after), and rewrites generally all the events of KQ1 even (
Spoiler (hover to show)
). There was no reason to make Edward's quest for Graham only be the 'missing magic mirror' (check Gwendolyn's comments in the prologue about what the quest was, and a note board mid game, and you see only the mirror is missing, no comments about missing treasure chests, or shields).

I hope later on we aren't 'mysteriously' running into magic chest, or the shield in a post-KQ1 timeline, as futre chapters 's major MacGuffin point (all three treasures are clearly seen on the wall in Graham's bedroom). It also takes away from mystery of the dragon, when everyone in Daventry knows where the Dragon lives (its used as kind of test for the knights trying to move upwards to become the next king), and in the original backstory in KQ1 manual, no one knew where the "Sorcerer' took the mirror. There were only a few clues, and rumors. Only rumors that sorcerer controlled 'beasts'. So its part of the story that Graham discovered a dragon's lair under what was simply thought to be a well. In addition Graham can no longer swim, so the well has been made largely 'dry'.. Guess that was to avoid having to make swimming physics :p...


Another part of the changes to the backstory, Graham instead of being "Edward's favorite knight' for decades, he's now 'favorite knight' because he won a tournament (IE the tournament is not only to become  a knight, but prove oneself to become the next king as well).


Still this 'rebooted' story is still entertaining in its own way, and I'm sure some of these questions will be answered in later episodes. There are at least two areas you can discover in the game (which Graham says are forshadowing and one unlocks a trophy even). So it looks like we will at least be going back to Daventry in the next episode. But I hope we also get to expand into other lands as well.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 31, 2015, 06:02:10 AM
Quote
it needs a proper patch i found about (no joke 20+ bugs) nothing game breaking, mostly animation issues
but again the game is beautiful but its NOT a KQ game in my eyes

Ya, I'm actually running two versions of the game PC, and PS3. I've seen strange stretching of graphics when there is a quick scene change. PS3 version locks up every now and then, requiring a hard reboot. I've seen it nearly lock up on the PC version on my computer, but usually catch up with itself after 10-20 seconds.

On a side note, here is a tip. Say there is some minor conversation choice event, you want to experience all the variations, and decide which is best for you. If you bring up the pause menu in the middle of the last part of the conversation, or at any point during the conversation as long as character is still talking, and exit to menu, you can get back to the start of the conversation tree again, and choose a different path. For some cases this might be better than simply restarting a new game to see minor differences. Of course it might still be worth seeing if some of these choices have any other impacts in the game.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 31, 2015, 12:30:25 PM
Quote
I'm willing to put that aside as Graham is only 16
Klytos I'm trying to keep track of the timeline for the game series. Is there a quote in the game where he gives his exact age?

So far I only have the prototype artwork to go with and an off hand quote in preview that suggests that its five years between prologue and the prequel. But I didn't catch anything on his age in the game itself unfortunately.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on July 31, 2015, 03:51:57 PM
Um, I think I read that in a twitter conversation I had with Matt Korba.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on July 31, 2015, 04:26:49 PM
Cool, Klytos, if possible, I'd appreciate a link or quote. I'll use it in the timeline, as supporting evidence.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Corrigan on July 31, 2015, 08:53:22 PM
Baggins, why don't you just tag Matt in the Sierra Gamers group on fb and ask him outright? He answers folks' questions on there all the time.  I imagine it's gonna be pretty hard for Shawn to hunt down a tweet from any longer than a day or two ago, so that might be a better solution for you.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on July 31, 2015, 11:05:28 PM
No.  I insist that Shawn hunt down that tweet.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on July 31, 2015, 11:19:14 PM
lols lambo
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Jerminator on August 01, 2015, 12:02:54 AM
Yeah I was wondering what the hold up was on that request.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 01, 2015, 04:56:46 AM
THanks, Corrigan I'll try to give that a try as well. I don't follow or use twitter, so I don't know how it works.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 01, 2015, 05:40:09 AM
Hello, everyone. Just noticed this this morning. Wikia is doing a King's Quest game give away on the King's Quest Omnipedia, for anyone who wants to take part. They are giving out multiple copies on  Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Please sign up, and take part if anyone is interested.

http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Matt_Hadick/King%27s_Quest_Giveaway (http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Matt_Hadick/King%27s_Quest_Giveaway)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 01, 2015, 07:00:48 AM
this contest confuses me a bit,
where do we comment?

and what do they mean fictional ruler.. this is a bit vague

like anyone or game or someone you make up, does it need back story etc i mean not really specific.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 01, 2015, 07:35:27 AM
I'm a bit confused to.

But, I think you reply at the bottom of Haddick's blog. There is a reply option down there.

By fictional rulers, I think they mean from any series, not just King's Quest. He uploaded a bunch of characters from many series as examples. Including Lord of the Rings, and Street Fight for example.

So you might need to upload your own picture if you don't see one you like. But basically it appears to be rulers from cartoons/anime, movies, novels, games, etc.

I'm not sure if I can take part in the contest myself, being a wiki Admin, although I'm not in charge of it. This is purely Wikia's thing.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 01, 2015, 10:20:16 AM
hmm maybe u could pm me and let me know how to set this page up, its confusing me

as for the contest, it seems you post just under the trailer video, not on his page
least thats what im reading,

lemme know?
what i got so far, but im not sure ill use the blog but I might put recommended clubs/venues games foods etc. world experiences, maybe my urinal cake diaries lol(where to and not to use the bathrooms at)

http://kaldire.wikia.com/wiki/Kaldire_Wikia (http://kaldire.wikia.com/wiki/Kaldire_Wikia)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 01, 2015, 01:26:13 PM
I think you figured it out.

Ya, that place where you left your post, with the KQ trailer is still in the category of "Blog posts".
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 01, 2015, 08:28:01 PM
awesome so, not as dumb on this wiki as I thought
ok seems its just another version of wiki
so from here just edits n such, good to go

haha how do you like the two entries so far

I really wanted to go for Ming, but, figuring ted the movies made ming into a huge thing,
i chose well you prolly saw
lol

humperdink! im nooot listening lol

ty for the assist mate
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 02, 2015, 08:20:49 AM
Ya, Humperdink is a great choice heh.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on August 03, 2015, 05:00:20 AM
I never played Broken Age and would be interested in how people compare the new Kings Quest to broken age as a modern adventure?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on August 03, 2015, 05:10:53 AM
I never played Broken Age and would be interested in how people compare the new Kings Quest to broken age as a modern adventure?

Never played Broken Age, despite backing it.  The final game just never looked interesting to me.

This new KQ is worth a look, as it definitely tries to be more of a classic adventure than most modern adventures nowadays, but it's still very much an adventure game-lite, with plenty of pandering to modern casual gamer sensibilities.  How much you will like it will really depend entirely on how much patience you have for that sort of thing.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 03, 2015, 08:13:17 AM
Broken Age is crap. I know it got a lot of good reviews but I honestly don't agree. It was crap. It was Tim Schaffer pandering to his own flights of tripe and fancy. Part one had some good stuff in it but it was so nauseating I couldn't finish part 2 when it came out.

King's Quest is great. It's not the greatest adventure game out there and it certainly leans more towards the TellTale model than the classic Sierra model, but for all that it is at least five steps above anything TellTale have done. (That is about gameplay, and not the story. I personally prefer the sort of story that Walking Dead / Wolf Among Us type of thing but that's just a personal preference.) While the "intro" (although it's not called that it feels like a learn the controls intro) is a lot of button mashing, press this, walk there, press that - the game proper is fairly open world, has a lot of puzzles and inventory based solutions and multiple paths. As I said, a lot better than TellTale. But the style of control is all TT.

Storywise it's pretty good. I mean, let's face it, King's Quest is never going to win a writing award for any of them, they're all fairly basic storylines. But this one has some great moments and pretty much hangs together well. There's a few quibbles I have about the characterisation etc but on the whole I love it. So much so I bought it on the PS4 just to see what the difference was! (Nothing btw except it's heaps better on a console).
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 03, 2015, 09:32:52 AM
So the contest being setup on the King's Quest Omnipedia is being presented by both Sierra, and Wikia. Although there isn't yet much advertising on it.

So far only three people have entered it.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 03, 2015, 09:36:31 AM
Quote
So much so I bought it on the PS4 just to see what the difference was! (Nothing btw except it's heaps better on a console).

It probably looks better on the PC, but console style controllers make the game much easier to control. I like think I slightly like the sony style controllers over the fat Xbox 360 for PC controller though. Feels slightly more responsive.

I do find it more comfortable on console because I can lay back in bed and play it from across the room, instead of having to sit at my desk.

But having two copies of the game also helps with having multiple save games, and this game only lets you have 4 save games (without doing some fancy 'backups'). So I have a save designed for different paths and choices.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 03, 2015, 02:17:41 PM
Kal points out

1. you can use console controllers on windows (ps2 ps3 xbox xbox one etc and new steamos pos)
2. you can use a tv for a pc too.

this means, you can play a pc like a console and even have windows interface on the tv so you dont have to get up
you can even make a profile/user that has only games for say steam or gog for easy access (and net of course)

just a fyi  baggins :)

but I dont know I havent used my consoles in forever, but i do know when im sick i wont get on a pc ill usually stick too my wii-u or 3ds(without 3d enabled verrrtiigoo)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 03, 2015, 06:25:24 PM
While I could hook up my laptop to an HDMI tv, I don't actually own an HDMI tv (although I would love to have a big ass tv or projector). I do own two HDMI portable monitors, and one is hooked up to my PS3, and one to my PC. I just don't feel like moving my pc back and forth to move it closer to the monirtor.

I have tried running the app to get PS3 controller to work on PC, but and that is an option (except I then have to reset the PS3 controller for it to work on the PS3 again, and its time consuming to get it to register again), but I already own an xbox 360 controller so it kind of defeats the purpose except if I'm emulating PSX or 2 games, and want that pure "sony" style controller experience.

Quote
3ds(without 3d enabled verrrtiigoo)

The New 3DS for the win, with the face tracking 3D... It improves a lot :). I love my 3ds and Wii-U. I wish they'd rerelease King's Quest 5 Nes, and King's Quest 1 Sega on the virtual console (to take advantage of the new KQ resurgence)!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 03, 2015, 06:31:13 PM
On a side note the PS3 version is buggier than the PC version. It crashes every once and a while between screen loading.

I haven't seen the problem on the PC, except the PC hangs for a short period of time sometimes.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 03, 2015, 07:27:00 PM
I'd disagree about looking better on the PC Baggins. Quite honestly I have a pretty high-end PC rig and my PS4 still has much better graphic hardware.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: janx on August 03, 2015, 11:03:03 PM
Here is my (http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/ram-designs/images/2c.jpg).

I decided to go with the Xbox One option.... few reasons, one being the reviews re:controls, and I don't have a game pad etc for my PC, and the second reason, I wanted my daughter to be able to be involved, which was more likely to occur in our lounge room opposed to our cluttered study.

Now, as it turns out, I actually ended up watching my daughter (Faith, whom is 7) play the entire game. This was new to me, and felt fitting. A new generation of Sierra, being played by a new generation of me. It was Janx: T.N.G.

Below is a dump of my thoughts, as the passenger, in no particular order. I just feel compelled to get this out.


I will now play through myself, and take my paths, which will vary greatly to my daughters, so the replay-ability component is quite convenient for me. I feel as if TOG are close to getting the mix of old and new just right. Less mashing and more interactions. I want to smell those stairs!


Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on August 03, 2015, 11:19:47 PM
She is 7. She finished the game unassisted.

Janx, it sounds like your 7 year old daughter is more clever than most of the people posting on Adventure Gamers (no surprise there) and the Sierra Gamers Facebook group.  ;)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 04, 2015, 05:42:35 AM
Quote
I'd disagree about looking better on the PC Baggins. Quite honestly I have a pretty high-end PC rig and my PS4 still has much better graphic hardware.

Doesn't honestly depend on the max resolution of your monitor/HDTV can output, and max resolution output the game can do? As well as frames per second.

I mean the game does seem to go up to a resolution beyond 1920x768 HD, if you have the monitor for it.

Assuming you could max out the same resolutions, and the same frames per second on both pc and ps4 they should look essentially the 'same'.

This game is not really pushing any 'boundaries' hardware wise. That's why it runs on many different systems, the only thing being limited is the resolution and frame rate depending on hardware and settings.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 04, 2015, 05:44:21 AM
Quote
Janx, it sounds like your 7 year old daughter is more clever than most of the people posting on Adventure Gamers (no surprise there) and the Sierra Gamers Facebook group

In reality its not uncommon for younger children to be more clever than 'adults' in many ways (sometimes a greater attention span). More open to imagination. The mind is still pliable to a degree. People lose some problem solving skills over time, unless they continue to practice it.

Quote
Hint book sales will be way down.
I wonder if they'll even bother to sell hintbooks...? Although I might collect one if adds anything interesting about the game, development, etc.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 04, 2015, 08:33:11 AM
Why would they do a hint book when I'm sure there's a walkthrough online already? Yep, just googled, at least half a dozen.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 04, 2015, 10:28:03 AM
I think companies only produce hint books as collector's items anymore. I mean who actually buys them for their main purpose? Every game has pretty much free walkthroughs and 'let's play videos' within only a few days of release.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 04, 2015, 04:25:02 PM
still would be nice to see mask + these episodes added to the compendium books after these are done :)

id buy that and a real box of the game
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 04, 2015, 06:31:24 PM
Ahh a new Companion, one could only dream!

Although writing a novel for the new games would be a doozy! With its clear multiple paths, and no single 'right way'!

If I was involved I'd say split it into two books, add the An Encyclopedia back to the book, but now with even more updated entries, spanning all the games (or make the Encyclopedia its own book!). Two books will keep it from being impossibly 'big', or made with cheap super thin easy to rip pages (fourth edition was going in that direction). Also add new map artwork. KQ7 never got a 'map of Eldritch and Etheria".
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 04, 2015, 07:01:14 PM
thats a "novel" idea!

hehe
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 05, 2015, 04:59:35 AM
It could be designed like the Zelda Collector's Series guides, and given pseudo-leather hard covers. As an added bonus they could also insert the manual short stories, artwork, Guidebook to the Green Isles, and Sorcerery of Old into one of the books as well, and have it all in a leatherne bound slip case (like the Zelda guides).
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on August 13, 2015, 09:49:09 AM
*looks left*

*looks right*

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/57396-Kings-Quest-A-Knight-to-Remember-Review (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/57396-Kings-Quest-A-Knight-to-Remember-Review)

*flees*
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 13, 2015, 02:07:04 PM
hey baggins do you know
since matt doesnt really reply to much,

if someone wins the said contest on wikia, and gets just the ep1

can i upgrade in steam after that, to get ep 2-5+ epilogue,  as it looks there is no epilogue unless you buy it all in one go.

so that contest would void the epilogue.. idk seems odd

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 13, 2015, 04:25:35 PM
*looks left*

*looks right*

[url]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/57396-Kings-Quest-A-Knight-to-Remember-Review[/url] ([url]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/57396-Kings-Quest-A-Knight-to-Remember-Review[/url])

*flees*


hahahah wow

he used the same words i did
DRAGONS LAIR
ahem cough cough , do i insert hate to say I told you so here?

also it seems if you purchase episode 1, you are screwed.
the devs have ZERO support, email  forum etc, no posts on steam  nothing.
even wikia nothing..

if you say , buy, or win episode 1, you can never ever own or play the prologue,
you can upgrade to season pass , but this is just ep 2-5 NO EPILOGUE, wwwaaah

so this makes no sense, esp if you wanted to try out ep1 , then go oh i like it, i want 2-5+ epilogue
oh sorry sir you must buy the entire collection again, even though you own the ep1 already

huh???

anyway i love this review, its perfect
shows how i feel about the game, i like it but at the same time, its odd and a bit, well the review says it all...

still this lack of support is reason enough for me to stay FAR FAR away from this game
why the hell would someone have to REBUY ep1 just to get the collections epilogue, urmm
total nonsense eh

feel free to comment, but this is insane, whoever runs the PR or support needs a swift kick in the knees
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 13, 2015, 08:31:08 PM
It's marketting, they want people to pre-purchase the whole thing and to encourage it they give them a free mini-episode. I wouldn't worry about it though, after the whole thing is released I'm sure they'll do a collectors pack with everything.

Yahtzee is awesome @Brainiac (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=24) One of the reviewers I trust on adventure games being that he's an accomplished designer in his own right. I enjoyed that review (I enjoy all his reviews!)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 13, 2015, 11:45:34 PM
haha we have the same liking whoop
yahzee is a blast to watch
always  haha

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on August 14, 2015, 07:05:59 PM
marketting

Do you wwebsite as on the internet as well, @Klytos (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=8)?

 :P ;D 8) ;) Sorry, couldn't resist.

Yahtzee is hardly the only one to chime in, of course. Pushing Up Roses posted a review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ab2GygZ9fk), Paw Dugan is currently posting an episodic version on YouTube of his Twitch liveplay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWpqKb6mTvE&list=PLQG2ApQMLOtov2aUlzvNriM3Vy_jJdyRj&index=1), and there are quite a few others, obviously.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 14, 2015, 07:49:21 PM
yahzee not chime in?

you apparently dont know ben then hahaha

ever play his games? cool stuff too

anyyyway he is the perfect one to "chime"  always has been :)
he just loves too as you can tell XD

his are  "fun" reviews, if you are looking for serious stuff, look elsewhere,
but he does state the facts, as you can see XD just some are opinion based facts but facts none the less
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on August 16, 2015, 02:11:20 AM
I made a Walkthrough of KQ2015
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm (http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 16, 2015, 05:51:22 AM
nice but incomplete :)
very detailed but only follows one path it seems

also a few incorrect steps but, meh, you can do things in some orders on purpose to get achievements vs others
yours only covers about 1/2 or bit more

but very nicely done,
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on August 16, 2015, 11:01:53 AM
Thanks and what do you mean it covers 1/2 or is incomplete and missing a few steps, since i split the Walkthrough with Bravery Compassion and Wisdom, is there something else i missed :)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 16, 2015, 09:27:10 PM
well each path should imo have its own walkthrough,
or at least say,
save here... to continue this path, etc

there are quite a few variables
but i dont know the steam achievements only ps trophy, but i think they are the same

anyway its great dooont get me wrong  looks very good
just again imo there in the end should be 3 mayyybe 4 walkthroughs if the paths require them
or one HUGE one with all in it

yours just kinda touches on a few things here n there, but omits said 2nd options
like shake the tree vs use picker etc
tons of ways to approach it depending on which items you hunt first etc,. so the order can be off also !
just saying :)

its only going to get more complicated later hehe
but thats a rocking faq!

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on August 17, 2015, 02:53:28 AM
Ah now i understand what you mean and theres no save/load system, also im lazy so i give the simple solutions like shaking the tree for example to all 3 Acts, but i split the bigger solutions.

Sure there are many ways to do a solution, but does your head not hurt already where i say one act do this and another act do that now all 3 acts together.

Making a big walkthrough specifically for the 3 acts could work, but in my play through, i dident see that many solution for the 3 acts, im just to lazy to expand.

By the way, i did years ago do a full 3 act walkthrough on Indiana Jones Fate of Atlantis though.
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcIi/Indiana%20Jones%20and%20the%20Fate%20of%20Atlantis.htm (http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcIi/Indiana%20Jones%20and%20the%20Fate%20of%20Atlantis.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on August 20, 2015, 10:30:28 PM
Yahtzee is awesome @Brainiac ([url]http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=24[/url]) One of the reviewers I trust on adventure games being that he's an accomplished designer in his own right. I enjoyed that review (I enjoy all his reviews!)

And what, pray tell, are your thoughts on this one, @Klytos (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=8)?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/14472-Worst-Puzzle-in-Each-King-s-Quest-Game (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/14472-Worst-Puzzle-in-Each-King-s-Quest-Game)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 20, 2015, 11:15:13 PM
Can't disagree with any of them.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on August 21, 2015, 12:15:35 AM
The bridle/snake/horse puzzle, despite being retarded, isn't technically a dead end though.  It just makes crossing the thorn path MUCH harder.  It is possible though, as I did it several times as a kid because I was never able to "figure out" the bridle/snake/horse thing.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 21, 2015, 12:46:59 AM
That particular puzzle is the single dumbest puzzle ever.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 22, 2015, 06:43:00 AM
I posted this before, but it got moved to another article...

Here is my review.

http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Baggins/Baggins%27_Review:_King%27s_Quest_Chapter_I:_A_Knight_to_Remember (http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Baggins/Baggins%27_Review:_King%27s_Quest_Chapter_I:_A_Knight_to_Remember)


Note: please don't move this, but just commenting as I mentioned before. The Bridle Puzzle at least had inspiration on mythology... The problem is you had to know two bits of Pegasus history to understand it... That made it really tough/obscure puzzle to solve. I suppose the second aspect is that KQ back then usually offered a violent and a non-violent approach to get past obstacles. The genie gives you three items, and the genie is related to the second act of the game (to take you up the mountain, and items he gives are to use up on that mountain), so I think that was supposed to be a clue in itself as well.

On a side note there is a method to the idea of the magic sugar cube as well. An old folk remedy is to rub a sugar cube over a bee sting to draw out toxins. Also there is another concept about sugar cubes being used to remove scratches (I think this is a reference to it having kind of gritty sandpaper like quality).

I honestly figured it out the first time I played through, and got the sugar cubes. I didn't even know the mythology behind it back then....

Quote
Yahtzee is awesome @Brainiac ([url]http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=24[/url]) One of the reviewers I trust on adventure games being that he's an accomplished designer in his own right. I enjoyed that review (I enjoy all his reviews!)



And what, pray tell, are your thoughts on this one, @Klytos ([url]http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=8[/url])?

[url]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/14472-Worst-Puzzle-in-Each-King-s-Quest-Game[/url] ([url]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/14472-Worst-Puzzle-in-Each-King-s-Quest-Game[/url])


That's pretty much one big "I hate King's Quest" article.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on August 22, 2015, 09:30:54 AM
It's just bad design to have puzzles refer to things like that without giving an in-game hint or something. I've read that Pegasus mythology as an adult, but as a kid / young teenager there's no way I would have known it and there is literally nothing in the game to even get close to that idea. So you have to resort to try everything on everything until something works. Which kinda sucks too. Saying that, it's easy to write a list of faults with any games with hindsight, but games like KQ1 and KQ2 should be given more of a free pass than others like KQ5 (which I totally agree with him about, the rat / inn puzzle is fucking horrible design). They were learning as they went with those really early games.

I'll say though, the backwards ass backwards Rumpelstiltskin puzzle is the worst puzzle in KQ1.  :)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 22, 2015, 10:10:07 AM
There is actually a couple of obscure clues. If you pay attention. The first is that lamp itself is only accessible in Act 2 (the quest for the Second Door), once the pawn shop opens.

Everything the Genie gives you is for Act 2. The sword actually shows you a picture of the 'snake' this is a clue that there is an association between the genie's items and the snake. The only other item you have left to use other than the violent method is to use the bridle instead. If one noticed the clue on the sword itself.

Additionally the snake even warns you ("SSSsssssss! SSssstay away or I will ssssssstrike!"), not to get close (that it is dangerous). It isn't trying to be 'evil'. Again a clue that there is probably a non-violent approach.

But yes, I admit its extremely vague clue.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 22, 2015, 02:53:53 PM
Quote

That's pretty much one big "I hate King's Quest" article.

if you mean the new one, not really, he does point out the obvious flaws then says he hopes they dont repeat that in the next episodes,

but if you mean the older ones, yea well saying LA did games better than Sierra well, diff worlds,
shrug

but one cant deny what he says about the odd gentlemens release, its almost exactly how I thought the game was from demos and how I still feel  about the 1st ep after a few plays,

its more a platformer with a few action dragons lair sequences than it is anything close to a point n click  there is almost no pointing or clicking involved, more the grim fandango controls of walking which is ok by me, just idk if id even call this point n click,

advent  sure,  but first , platform advent, like so

ah the ole snake in the grass haha
jaja terrible puzzles
but if you look at LA's puzzles it was odd inv combos which half the crew hated inv combination and the other half loved it ,  esp like sam and max (the original)  seriously mental combinations there lol
id equate that to bad puzzles in kq but thats just my opinion
XD
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 22, 2015, 04:08:42 PM
I'm referring to an article Braniac put up, that has nothing to do with the new game.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 22, 2015, 04:11:43 PM
Quote
its more a platformer with a few action dragons lair sequences than it is anything close to a point n click  there is almost no pointing or clicking involved, more the grim fandango controls of walking which is ok by me, just idk if id even call this point n click,

Grim Fandango's controls are actually something that should be easy to convert to 'point and click'. It would just involve adding a button to get to inventory, be able to move items to click on a hotspot on screen. Add a direct walk feature via the icons etc.

They added in some of those features with the recent Grim Fandango remake.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on August 22, 2015, 08:43:50 PM

Note: please don't move this, but just commenting as I mentioned before. The Bridle Puzzle at least had inspiration on mythology... The problem is you had to know two UNRELATED bits of Pegasus history to understand it... That made it really tough/obscure puzzle to solve.


Fixed it for ya...   ;)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 22, 2015, 10:02:39 PM
Quote
its more a platformer with a few action dragons lair sequences than it is anything close to a point n click  there is almost no pointing or clicking involved, more the grim fandango controls of walking which is ok by me, just idk if id even call this point n click,

Grim Fandango's controls are actually something that should be easy to convert to 'point and click'. It would just involve adding a button to get to inventory, be able to move items to click on a hotspot on screen. Add a direct walk feature via the icons etc.

They added in some of those features with the recent Grim Fandango remake.

ya mean the revamp?
wasnt a remake but I know what you  mean,
yea double fine was supposed to also do the eye follow the mouse thing, but didnt seem to pan out,
i sadly got the revamp, was not up to par with what I was hoping for, only thing good was the bugs fans fixed long ago (ugh that elevator) were fixed
also I love the commentary

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 23, 2015, 03:02:39 AM
Quote
Note: please don't move this, but just commenting as I mentioned before. The Bridle Puzzle at least had inspiration on mythology... The problem is you had to know two UNRELATED bits of Pegasus history to understand it... That made it really tough/obscure puzzle to solve.

Technically it is mythology/history RELATED to Pegasus. Just not mythology where both is related to Medusa or Belepheron.

Amusingly as the Donald Trivette explains it in the The Official Book of King's Quest:

Quote
This place is really a classic. If you know mythology, you'll probably know what to do with the snake and a bridle--if not, you'll just have to fake it... The bridle? Oops, you didn't know about the three wishes?

You could kill it with your sword, but why not throw the leather bridle on it. What kind of  nonsense is that, you ask. It does seem a little odd, but readers of Greek mythology, know that a winged horse, named Pegasus, sprang fully grown from the head of Medusa (she was the babe with snakes for hair) when she was slain. So there is a link between winged horses and snakes.

Additionally the idea here is that "Pegasus" is a horse, and horses have 'bridles'. You don't necessarily have to know the Belepheron story (though The King's Quest Companion does make a nod to that one).

Quote
ya mean the revamp?
wasnt a remake but I know what you  mean,
yea double fine was supposed to also do the eye follow the mouse thing, but didnt seem to pan out,
i sadly got the revamp, was not up to par with what I was hoping for, only thing good was the bugs fans fixed long ago (ugh that elevator) were fixed
also I love the commentary

I haven't picked it up yet, been waiting for a good sale. I'm just going by what people have said about the new mouse control.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 23, 2015, 10:31:12 AM
they didnt really implemented proper mouse control as they hoped, they say this in the commentary also

but yes its there :)
and the bugs are gone so thats a huge plus, but the game, isnt different at all. no new additions, which I was hoping to see  some
but you do get to hear about all the back story and stuff omitted and why, and how the process was, and trust me .. double fines crew are nutbars (in a good way) so its really enjoyable vs other commentaries

id say for sure wait for sale, as the game offers nothing new so if ye own it already, for suuure wait.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 23, 2015, 10:32:43 AM
btw new witcher 3 now offers MOD support, and NG+  which makes this game insane and awesome goty imo

one mod is a Pegasus and a unicorn vs a horse horse lol

aww the original clash of the titans, muhaha nothing beats the classics.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on August 23, 2015, 12:53:44 PM

Technically it is mythology/history RELATED to Pegasus. Just not mythology where both is related to Medusa or Belepheron.


But there is NO mention of Pegasus anywhere in the game prior to that point = Bad PUZZLE.

Similarly, by that -- ahem -- "logic" -- if I throw a white jumpsuit on the Mississippi state flag, one would expect that the flag should turn into a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.   ???

Spoiler (hover to show)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 23, 2015, 06:07:56 PM
Honestly in any KQ game there is no mention to any characters, puzzles, events, locations, prior to when you encounter them. That's more or less the modus operandi of King's Quest in general, and especially in the first several games.

They just make you stumble into them. The only clue you get is from the manuals which basically states:

"Look to the fables and fairy stories of yore for clues. Leave no stone unturned, no avenue unexplored, and you will triumph in your Quest."

"Study all the ancient lores for clues. Along the way collect as many treasures as you can - treasures fit for a queen."
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 23, 2015, 06:21:42 PM
Also, 90% of her ideas came from Andrew Lang's works, like the Coloured Fairy Books, or Tales of Troy and Greece.

Quote
A: When you were a young girl, were there interests, games or books you read that influenced what you're doing now? That you find coming out in your work?

W: Yes. I hate to say though, because it sounds so dumb: fairy tales. I read the Green Book, the Blue Book, the Brown Book, the Gold Book ..." [url]http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n8/wizardprincess.html[/url] ([url]http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n8/wizardprincess.html[/url])

Anyone who had read those before playing her games, would have probably had a better idea into the references she was making!

In fact, back when the games came out there were probably more people (in particular adults) who actually had read classic fairy tales and mythology, including Andrew Lang's works. But reading is kind of a lost art.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 23, 2015, 06:57:18 PM
The idea of throwing bridles over an enchanted beast doesn't appear to be something new either.

There is also a Romanian fairy tale, called ''The Fairy Aurora" (which appears in Andrew Lang's Violet Fairy book, which he calls The Fairy of the Dawn), in which the Hero Petru is tasked with throwing a bridle over the head of several "Welwa" (a monsterous beast depending on the source, is either similar to the ugly beast that becomes a unicorn seen in KQ8, or a giant worm/snake, of some sort). When he throws the bridle over each of the beasts head, each creature turns into a beautiful horse.

Another detail of the story, is that at one point Petru is ordered by the first of the enchanted horses (a flying horse no less) to go into the sky and chop of the head of a dragon worm/snake and put the bloodied blade in his sheaf before landing back on earth. Hence the source of the 'magic snake sword' in the game!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 23, 2015, 07:03:45 PM
baggins

check out ceclia dart-thornton.
a down under author,
Ill made mute  or the bitterbynde series.

she references in the book kinda like lord of the rings all tales, fairy or semi real for their time, most dating so far back im not sure how she found em, she isnt a net savvy person.

great books, hers. MOST of the references show stuff thats mentioned here, and says exactly where these come from  pretty neat.

check just the 2nd book cover! looks like a kq box!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_the_Sorrows (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_the_Sorrows)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 23, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
If you ever wondered why there was a golden bridle and a whistle on that island in KQ4:
https://archive.org/stream/wondertalesfromm00pyle/wondertalesfromm00pyle_djvu.txt
It comes from the fairy tale "The Dwarf with a Yellow Beard":

Quote
" It can be done. Under yonder rock lies a
golden bridle. It has lain hidden there for over
a hundred years. With it lies a golden whistle.
The sound of that whistle will call the horse,
wherever he is. But he is very terrible to look
upon, for his eyes are like burning coals, and he
breathes smoke and fire from his nostrils. He
will come at you as though to tear you to pieces,
but do not be afraid. Cast the bridle over his
head, and he will at once become quite tame and
gentle. Then you can ride him wheresoever you
wish. He will bear you to the mountain where
the dragon lies and will help you to gain posses-
sion of the sword."

Perhaps some elements of Nightmare as well (KQ6)?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 23, 2015, 08:41:34 PM
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ar-Be/Athena.html (http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ar-Be/Athena.html)

Then there is another weird detail that Athena who is connected to the Greek stories concerning Pegasus, Medusa, Gorgons and anything concerning horse 'bridles'.... Very strange indeed.

Ahh, she's also connected to Perseus and the "magic sword' too, which can the hard scales of snakes/gorgons (and KQ2 has a 'magic sword')...

...and the mirror shield (see KQ3).

http://www.myth-and-fantasy.com/pegasus/plore.html (http://www.myth-and-fantasy.com/pegasus/plore.html)

It always seemed for many puzzles Roberta didn't always just resort to just one fairy tale for inspiration but sometimes merged several ideas. In KQ5 for example the Weeping Willow, the Witch of the Forest, the Heart Tree, Golden heart, and Prince are all elements that come together as part of a side story. But each part is basically inspired by different fairy tales including Rapunzel, Baba Yaga, The Old Woman in the Wood, The Heart of Princess Joan, maybe some others I haven't discovered yet.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 24, 2015, 02:56:28 AM
What the New King's Quest Series needs is more fairy tale inspiration. That was something that made King's Quest, the series that it was.

Other than blatant rips from Monty Python, Princess Bride, and modern pop culture. It's weird twist on generic fantasy tropes such as bridge trolls, goblins, and unicorns (make that 'majestic unicorns'), and odd one off references to 'magic elves', 'were-bears', 'crystal dragons', 'witches', 'ice orcs', 'minotaurs', 'spriggan' and 'yetis', or 'griffin' or 'hydra' (many of which are more King's Quest name drops than fairy tale referencing).

I can't think of anything in it that seemed to take directly fairy tale inspiration especially in the puzzle design, and stories (other than pretty much Princess Bride). Let me know if I actually missed any...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 24, 2015, 10:30:44 AM
Well I think the only benefit that having gamepad control with regards to these games (although having mouse as well would be nice), is that if they properly implement force feedback, the additional vibrations during earthquakes and stuff, or movement of giant creatures, or physical falls, etc, can be add an extra layer of immersion.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on August 24, 2015, 04:54:02 PM
I'm referring to an article Braniac put up, that has nothing to do with the new game.

For the last time (oh who am I kidding), I AM NOT OBSESSED WITH KELLOGG'S RAISIN BRAN!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 25, 2015, 03:42:47 AM
/me starts eating Raisin Bran ™  mmm
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on August 25, 2015, 08:04:25 AM
Raisin Brain, for a healthy zombie diet.

(http://www.strangekidsclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Sonny-Veronica-Terrill.jpg)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on August 25, 2015, 10:25:15 AM
/me starts eating Raisin Bran ™  mmm
Raisin Brain, for a healthy zombie diet.

...I despise you both. You shall rue the day you two crossed me when I destroy you utterly with the power of SCIENCE!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on August 29, 2015, 02:10:40 AM
KQ2015 Chapter 2: Rubble Without A Cause

https://blog.activision.com/community/games-blog/more-games/blog/2015/08/28/king-s-quest-rubble-without-a-cause-will-arrive-this-fall (https://blog.activision.com/community/games-blog/more-games/blog/2015/08/28/king-s-quest-rubble-without-a-cause-will-arrive-this-fall)

http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/28/9223837/kings-quest-episode-two-will-be-rubble-without-a-cause (http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/28/9223837/kings-quest-episode-two-will-be-rubble-without-a-cause)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Lambonius on August 29, 2015, 03:09:38 AM
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/Lambonius/weiners_zpszkvascfd.gif)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on August 31, 2015, 09:20:07 AM
"Plus, there will most likely be an endless string of puns throughout the chapter."

Oh how I've missed an abundance of puns in my gaming... :D
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 31, 2015, 02:14:59 PM
there is such a thing as OVER USE of MEME's and puns

check randalls monday, I loved the game, not true love but liked...
but 99% puns or meme with 1% just uhh I dont think I can do that .. etc

game is fun it got a bad rap.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on August 31, 2015, 04:53:25 PM
there is such a thing as OVER USE of MEME's and puns


The cake is a lie!

At least, that's what SHE said...   ::)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on August 31, 2015, 07:46:41 PM
most think thats just from portal

but portal is nothing more than a meme fest

they took that from mario bros, which in turn took it from "let them eat cake" THE CAKE IS A LIE!!
as in rotten food muahha

bowser ended up eating marios cake btw, so thats NOT a portal creation, though most of the community thinks it is :)
portal  like the writers said, is nothing more than tonnnnnnnns of meme's combined.
same as bl1 bl2 etc. same writers on those.. just not blpos  ahem ps i mean.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on September 01, 2015, 07:09:47 AM
'let them eat cake' or 'let them eat bread' (brioche is a bread, not cake) was also a myth... The Marie Antonette never actually said that...

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/antoinette.htm (http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/antoinette.htm)


http://worldmythtory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/cake-is-lie.html (http://worldmythtory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/cake-is-lie.html)

Brioche:

Quote
It’s a type of bread, but with lots of buttery and eggy goodness. If you’ve never gotten a chance to try it, see if a local bakery carries it. If you don’t live near a bakery that makes it, it’s kind of like a fine quality croissant in taste, but a bit denser. It’s delicious.




This is important, because in France at the time the law was that if a bakery sold out of the cheaper bread, they had to sell the more expensive breads like brioche at the cheaper bread’s price. Brioche was basically the rich people’s bread, you see, and a lot of bakers would deliberately not bake enough of the cheap bread. The plan was so they would run out of the cheap stuff and people would be forced to either buy the more expensive bread or go hungry. Thus the law that put a stop to it by forcing the bakers to sell the more expensive bread at the cheap bread’s price if they ran out.




So, if someone was told that there was no bread to eat, then “let them eat brioche” is a perfectly logical response. The bakeries are out of bread? Then they’ll sell their brioche to the masses. That’s the problem with this quote, there’s no context.


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/videos/category/history/the-let-them-eat-cake-line-is-a-lie/ (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/videos/category/history/the-let-them-eat-cake-line-is-a-lie/)

But I've read that the idea actually can be traced back to 'bread and circuses' which was 'cake and circuses' in some poor translations. To which the Caesar tried to keep people entertained and fed so they wouldn't rise up. But its not something that Caesar actually said, but a Roman poet.

'Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt' - Juvenal
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Baggins on September 01, 2015, 07:14:29 AM
Quote
bowser ended up eating marios cake btw


Actually Mario does get the cake at the end of the original version of Mario 64... It's the very last scene of the game past the credits...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arGEVe71Qps (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arGEVe71Qps)

(https://mooglepie.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/cakescreen.jpg)

In the DS version Mario, Wario, Luigi, and Yoshi all get the share the cake.
(http://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/4/4f/SM64DS4.png/200px-SM64DS4.png)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: DosboxLetsPlay on September 07, 2015, 02:45:07 AM
there is such a thing as OVER USE of MEME's and puns

Hella late, but the struggle is real...
(http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr01/2013/4/10/13/enhanced-buzz-30083-1365615193-15.jpg)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 08, 2015, 05:56:26 PM
ughh totally gone from the newest series,.. those two

why?  oh because he cant write as fast as the shows come out.
ughh

nice one though mate hahah
ty for the gigggggle

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on September 10, 2015, 04:20:52 AM
Anyone know what the sales figures have been like for chapter 1?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 10, 2015, 07:23:11 AM
No idea. It's not hard to get Steam numbers but as for PSN or XBOX Live, I'd not have a clue.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: rugged on September 10, 2015, 03:06:35 PM
How do you get steam numbers?
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 10, 2015, 06:55:19 PM
SteamSpy. Although it's not always accurate and doesn't account for things like what price the game sold at (like whether it was in a ridiculous 95% discount bundle for example).
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 10, 2015, 07:11:30 PM
surprisingly but Lindsey said the numbers were good (didn't mention what they were) but sales are doing very well
console, and pc
esp on console, seems the console kids are eating this good stuff up!

if only they would send me my code :)
cant waaaiiit

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on December 15, 2015, 02:26:39 PM
Chapter 2 is Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVRW3FDN-HI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVRW3FDN-HI)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on December 15, 2015, 03:01:05 PM
its out?
already?

what i found odd, is, saves dont transfer
since it doesnt use steam cloud

has anyone tried to continue ep1 to ep 2 and see if the game sees saves?

as if you uninstall the game it erases all saves..
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on December 15, 2015, 03:06:09 PM
Not sure what you mean, but the way you played, is carried on to Chapter 2

The Game saves automatically, so theres no loading a previous save. When you die, Old Graham will simply joke about it, then the Game will load just before the bad decision is made.

Sadly there are only 4 Save Slots in witch you can copy one to save it in a different slot or Delete it or Rename it. Hence your Chapter 1 Save Slot will be overwritten for the Next Chapter and the next. Careful when you Delete a Save Slot just to start the Next Chapter, as the Game is Narrative Driven, witch means the Chapter 1 Data to the Next Chapter is Essential.

At the Main Menu of the Game is a Gallery Section that will have an image shown of Graham and the deeds he has done. Depending on your Chosen Save Slot as to how you played the Chapter, the image will look different. Theres also a Left/Right Arrow for the Next Chapters, but they will only be shown when you cleared the Next Chapter of the Game.

Each Chapter will Continue from the last Chapter, so everything you did and how you played with the Choices you made, will be Included into the Next Chapter.

To Replay a Chapter, go to the Main Menu and click on Play, then click on the Previous Chapter where you will be asked if you want to make a New Save Slot or Overwrite it. Now you will watch the Ending Cutscene of the Previous Chapter to start Fresh with the Next Chapter. To start from Chapter 1, you must Delete the Save Slot to start from Beginning or play from an Empty Save Slot.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on December 17, 2015, 05:26:44 AM
Not sure what you mean, but the way you played, is carried on to Chapter 2

The Game saves automatically, so theres no loading a previous save. When you die, Old Graham will simply joke about it, then the Game will load just before the bad decision is made.

Sadly there are only 4 Save Slots in witch you can copy one to save it in a different slot or Delete it or Rename it. Hence your Chapter 1 Save Slot will be overwritten for the Next Chapter and the next. Careful when you Delete a Save Slot just to start the Next Chapter, as the Game is Narrative Driven, witch means the Chapter 1 Data to the Next Chapter is Essential.

At the Main Menu of the Game is a Gallery Section that will have an image shown of Graham and the deeds he has done. Depending on your Chosen Save Slot as to how you played the Chapter, the image will look different. Theres also a Left/Right Arrow for the Next Chapters, but they will only be shown when you cleared the Next Chapter of the Game.

Each Chapter will Continue from the last Chapter, so everything you did and how you played with the Choices you made, will be Included into the Next Chapter.

To Replay a Chapter, go to the Main Menu and click on Play, then click on the Previous Chapter where you will be asked if you want to make a New Save Slot or Overwrite it. Now you will watch the Ending Cutscene of the Previous Chapter to start Fresh with the Next Chapter. To start from Chapter 1, you must Delete the Save Slot to start from Beginning or play from an Empty Save Slot.


urm

I uninstalled KQ
when you do this  since there is no cloud save, nor local saves, there is only the option to play from ep 1 again for me
no save carried over via steam..

im confused.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: DosboxLetsPlay on December 18, 2015, 08:36:39 AM
urm

I uninstalled KQ
when you do this  since there is no cloud save, nor local saves, there is only the option to play from ep 1 again for me
no save carried over via steam..

im confused.

What's confusing about it mate?

A) If you let the game be installed like daventry, you can continue the story (jump straight into ep 2)
or
B) If you uninstall the game, it resets the progress and you have to restart the whole thing.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on December 18, 2015, 09:01:12 AM
I just opened it on release day and it downloaded a massive patch and bam, I had chapter 2. That's on my PS4 though.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on December 18, 2015, 11:37:23 AM
urm

I uninstalled KQ
when you do this  since there is no cloud save, nor local saves, there is only the option to play from ep 1 again for me
no save carried over via steam..

im confused.


What's confusing about it mate?

A) If you let the game be installed like daventry, you can continue the story (jump straight into ep 2)
or
B) If you uninstall the game, it resets the progress and you have to restart the whole thing.



urm simple logic here

A.

A Dev Should never have a game that requires continued save content and NOT support save cloud feature, or, WITHOUT saying to BACKUP saves before removing the game due to having to start over. PERIOD

this is idiotic, not by you but by the devs, Im not even going to bother playing the game until all eps are out.
I find it strange you dont see the point im making is very valid

So if someone updates to new OS and new HD clean install, forgets just that one game, ooops.
i wiped the drive i lost my saves,

Not many games dont save to cloud, and the ones that DONT tell you to BACK UP SAVES.

just heads up there

as for
B.

I really wanna scream at you, really I do. for even making that an option.
Oh yea.. urmm just start over... urm.. no no I wont,
Good thing I got it for free, or id be REALLY livid.

enjoy the game, ill be waiting for all eps to release before ever playing again.

but pls dont post to people that they need to restart or just click on play ep2 oh no saves aww sorry start over kal.

ughh






Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on December 18, 2015, 11:39:13 AM
I just opened it on release day and it downloaded a massive patch and bam, I had chapter 2. That's on my PS4 though.

vastly diff as yours saves to the console.
no saves will remove until you tell it to.

so no worries for ye..
but for steam pc users .. loads erased the game, ep 1
and went to play ep2

same just happened with Republique,  new ep came out, no ones save data was stored and THEY HAVE cloud save!

guess the bottom line is backup all saves but its hard when owning so many games. and not being on console.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: DosboxLetsPlay on December 19, 2015, 04:22:40 PM
@Kaldire (http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=477) I agree that it's bad there's no cloud saves, but doing backup saves should be set in your mind by default already for games like this. If I play a game, I usually play it all the way through in a, relatively, short period of time. For episodic games like the new KQ though, that's where you need to make backups. There are so many things that could happen which would mess up your saves.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on December 21, 2015, 11:55:48 PM
@Kaldire ([url]http://www.infamous-quests.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=477[/url]) I agree that it's bad there's no cloud saves, but doing backup saves should be set in your mind by default already for games like this. If I play a game, I usually play it all the way through in a, relatively, short period of time. For episodic games like the new KQ though, that's where you need to make backups. There are so many things that could happen which would mess up your saves.


if I had to back up all my saves, manually, whats next all my games esp with next gen gaming being what 60gb avg install.

noooo mama

i know about save managers etc but even those are headaches,
imo the devs should have said, DONT ERASE your saves as they carry over,
most where thinking there was no carry over due to lack of cloud saves, god only knew when the next ep would be out, curse the day if it happened get to the next to last episode and the os crashes, having to reinstall, and losing all my data for all games without cloud save.

shrug.

anyway im glad they did the crossover, but still scratching my head why no cloud save.
when even penny devs do it.. like 19 cent games have it, AA titles have it.
but nooot this game, ive not seen many games without cloud saves..
and I own lots on steam.


btw off topic but, BT incoming babbbbyy lol
did you happen to sort out shipments? its xmas time! only about half a year behind schedule !
lol

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on December 21, 2015, 11:57:43 PM
note even telltale games, and square enix's  life is strange held saves in cloud for this reason :P

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on December 27, 2015, 05:34:14 PM
Just finished making my Ch2 part Walkthrough of KQ2015
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm (http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on April 26, 2016, 10:15:05 PM
It's back...and gotten a little bit older.

! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eQUNWFhnzo#)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Blackthorne on April 27, 2016, 11:05:57 AM
Yeah, you know, I guess I really just don't care about this game.  I bought it when it first came out, so I get every chapter, but I haven't played beyond chapter one due to an honest lack of interest.  It just isn't for me.  They dropped the ball on this one - despite doing some things right (The art IS beautiful) they still got it wrong for the King's Quest style.  I feel like the game is cursed with the KQ name.  If it was its own thing, it'd be way better.

But as a King's Quest game, it sucks.


Bt
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on April 27, 2016, 12:08:04 PM
Just a guess -- She's been split into two separate women, a la Captain Kirk in "The Enemy Within"...
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on April 27, 2016, 05:10:36 PM
yea I won that wikia contest and well,
ive not played past chap 1
the game really isnt for me either.

though yes beautiful. but ugh.

ported games of the future look grim
band nam and SE  ughh
but this.. sad. :(

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on April 28, 2016, 06:58:02 PM
Finished my Full Chapter 3 Walkthrough, the chapter in the Game is sadly Shorter then Ch2 with more cutscenes in any Game ive ever seen.
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm (http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on April 28, 2016, 11:51:37 PM
im not sure why they dont allow for skipping of the dialog esp on 2nd play

EDIT: daventry ive noticed many English errors in your walkthrough, not that my syntax is so great.
"WITCH" should be "which" etc..


chap 1 you can get all achievements etc in 1 play
but not chap 2
and idk about 3.. I kinda stopped caring, as the saves dont let you load to a point only start a chapter over
where you have to listen to eeeeeeeeeevverything allll over again like a bad TTG

id love to see multiple endings but ughh my head hurts just playing chap 1 then going ok who do i save in chap 2,
then reload a save file and save the other.. doh..
cant wait until the game is done and everyone has to start over from chap 1 again due to some unseen thing that caused x y or z to happen 3 chapters later doh

ty for the walkthrough but alas it wont help until the game is truly over.
until then its just ONE of many paths you can take

like did you make 2 walkthroughs for chapter 2?
one for saving fuzzle or whatever and one for the other (you cannot save both)

sheesh

in this manner I wish it was as short and less blah blah .. like say the mini sode of walking dead (only about 1.7 hrs long) but all the end is is .. save yourself or die with your kids. dun dun
but on that one you can just load a save near the end of that chapter..
grr
odd gentlemen did really not think this save thing nor the skip dialog or cutscenes out very well

i want to love the game but end up playing 15 cent games more (and qfi is still my longest played game on steam)
not including my kids clicker games FACEPALM

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on April 29, 2016, 02:23:06 AM
Yea i know i have errors and the Auto Spelling thinks which and witch is ok instead of telling me that the verb im using for the text should be the latter.

For Ch1 and Ch2 i made almost 3 separate Walkthroughs for the 3 Routes, but Ch3 is giving me a headache, because there are only 2 Princesses in which i thought for a twist we would marry Hagatha or there should've been a third Princess.

Im going to Expand my Walkthrough since there are 4 Save Slots.
Vee Bravery
Neese Compassion
Vee Wisdom
Neese Wisdom
I think this is what The Odd Gentlemen intends us to do.

The save system sucks, thats one thing i can 100% agree with. Im forced to play each chapter starting and ending from there, so as you say, its gonna hurt to replay the entire Chapters when the full game comes out to follow said routes.

In Ch2 you do actually save everyone in the end, because the Merchant rides off with all the kidnapped villagers.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on April 29, 2016, 01:43:42 PM
yea but in chap 2 for steam achievements
you must play twice

as for the bravery comp wisdom line it seems no matter what you pick say in the start of chap 1

it only matters what you do in the end, 
kinda like picking wisdom, then in the end showing compassion, the king changes his story by saying something like
"well I know I said being quick witted was the way to go, but in the end compassion won them over etc."
grandpa why did you tell me this when you picked this

as for saves

just backup the save game file (its just kqsave) then you have unlimited slots technically  like console vers have many more slots than 4..
(i think 12?)

anyway also the no skipping dialog  and cuts? esp on 2nd play.. very ughh

yea yea yea ive heard it,..

esp going same routes, I could see any dialog you havent heard before not skipping but ack

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on April 29, 2016, 03:23:19 PM
I do know there are people around here that consider KQ5 the best of the lot. For you all, lemme just let you know of something right at the start of Chapter 3.

Spoiler (hover to show)

If you just want to see what I'm taking about, the first ten minutes or so of Paw's first episode covering the chapter should sate you.

! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvUjwskfJKQ#)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on April 29, 2016, 04:09:46 PM
thought thats what QFI was for!

hmmm rohem decides
should I blow it up orrr
loot it another way.. hmm

no lockpicks but I do have this nice magic orb that seems to explode when I toss it at something !

hmm pondering

this is just a platform game, nothing more its not even close to rpg which is sad.

i dont feel like im graham i feel like im someone controlling him
this is bad form.

IN QFI
I FELT like Roehm!

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on April 30, 2016, 08:22:53 PM
Ch3 Update is done
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm (http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on May 07, 2016, 02:15:04 PM
Anyone ready for Chapter 4 in August
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2016/04/25/kings-quest-2015-chapter-4-release-date.htm (http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2016/04/25/kings-quest-2015-chapter-4-release-date.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on May 07, 2016, 03:20:56 PM
nah

I tried to get back into it..
made it to chap 2 and went

ughh facepalm

ill wait until its all over n done then . idk.. maybe?

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on May 10, 2016, 04:47:26 PM
<sigh> I knew this had to happen. Since timestamps won't carry over into embeds, click the link to skip to the "post-credits scene" of Paw's conclusion of Chapter 3...and prepare to groan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYTeR38kIUc&t=19m23s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYTeR38kIUc&t=19m23s)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on May 11, 2016, 04:18:02 PM
im assuming you mean vs other kq games?

ive not played ep 2 or 3 to care..

so this makes little sense to me, the link,

btw poisonous and venomous are well

Lets put it this way, there are both poisonous and venomous snakes... soo thats just odd
someone doesnt know their  LORE and or zoology. good god odd gents grr

 
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on May 12, 2016, 08:56:17 AM
Tsk, tsk, Kaldire, not knowing such a classic reference of annoyance.

! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F64wDQJLWMQ#)

As to poisonous snakes, they are EXTREMELY rare and dependent on other organisms for said poison, as seen here:

http://www.wanderingherpetologist.com/venomous-poisonous/ (http://www.wanderingherpetologist.com/venomous-poisonous/)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on May 12, 2016, 11:12:53 PM
yep the ones that have skin that is poisonous to the touch and have venom are rare indeed but do exist in the rain forests and africa etc.

and yep i knew that was the reference you meant, grrr cant they make up their own stuff or is this like a cameo for the owl gang

can we eat the owl ever.. mmm tasty meat if not a bit gamey
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on May 13, 2016, 08:56:50 AM
Yep, it's pretty much a cameo. This is The Odd Gentlemen's equivalent to AGDI's The Madness of King Graham, basically. The difference is the game and Graham telling you you're a terrible person for wanting to abandon owlet Cedric to a grisly demise. The POISONOUS reference is there to toss in both the arguably most "iconic" annoyance of Cedric as well as the consistent retort.

Personally, I'm far more amused than annoyed.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on September 22, 2016, 02:26:06 AM
King's Quest Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home will launch worldwide Sept. 27th for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 & PC
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 22, 2016, 06:27:07 AM
Yawn.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on September 22, 2016, 09:11:05 AM
Yawn.

Followed by: King's Quest Chapter 5: The Bore, The Merrier!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on September 22, 2016, 12:14:24 PM
Whatever, i like these Episodes :D

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/09/21/kings-quest-chapter-4-snow-place-like-home-launches-september-27/ (http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/09/21/kings-quest-chapter-4-snow-place-like-home-launches-september-27/)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 22, 2016, 03:54:53 PM
ughh only on ep 4?
zzzz
I really tried but dislike this game

its NOT a kq game ugh!
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Goatmeal on September 22, 2016, 04:03:21 PM
Whatever, i like these Episodes :D

[url]http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/09/21/kings-quest-chapter-4-snow-place-like-home-launches-september-27/[/url] ([url]http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2016/09/21/kings-quest-chapter-4-snow-place-like-home-launches-september-27/[/url])


Not a slight against you OR the games (as I haven't played them).

After seeing Klytos's less-than-enthusiastic response, I was only making a funny "punny" title like they use...   ;)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 22, 2016, 08:32:27 PM
lol
episode 6 prologue "wrong turn clyde"

if you know what movie im referencing kudos!
"right turn clyde" PUNCH
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: MusicallyInspired on September 23, 2016, 07:08:12 PM
I'm really enjoying it.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 23, 2016, 07:25:29 PM
I can't play any game called Snow Place Like Home.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: seth50k on September 24, 2016, 12:45:09 PM
I can't play any game called Snow Place Like Home.

I *really* wanted to like these games, but it's too "Telltale" and not enough "Sierra".  The production value is impressive, but that's about where it stops for me.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 24, 2016, 08:57:20 PM
I don't even think it's too Telltale. It's picked a style sorta half way between the two and doesn't hit the notes on either.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: MusicallyInspired on September 24, 2016, 09:43:13 PM
It has actual puzzles though. Especially chapter 2.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 24, 2016, 10:48:07 PM
That's why I said it's halfway between the two styles.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 25, 2016, 05:35:11 PM
I can't play any game called Snow Place Like Home.

I *really* wanted to like these games, but it's too "Telltale" and not enough "Sierra".  The production value is impressive, but that's about where it stops for me.
nah its not ttg style
if it was, it would be 90% QTE and 10% dialog lol.

Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on September 26, 2016, 02:26:17 AM
Clearly you havent seen Chapter 3 of KQ2015 its exactly that, well the Cutscenes part since there arent any QTE.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: MusicallyInspired on September 26, 2016, 10:39:28 AM
There are also puzzles, though, which still beats out TTG.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 26, 2016, 07:29:03 PM
To be fair, some TT games have puzzles. But it does depend on what you mean by puzzles, nobody does old Sierra style "try every item until you find the right one to click on the object" puzzles anymore. I kinda think of TT games as more interactive stories, particularly their later series such as Tales from the Borderlands (greatest game I've played in many many years).
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 26, 2016, 08:23:14 PM
haha I also loved tales from borderlands!

and yea I meant it would be pure QTE not just some..
and no ive not played past again chapter 2 of this lame new kq game its just boring.
the "puzzles" annoy me and hurt my head how lame they are..

ill take the old LA/sierra click all items on everything mode over this junk.

and still this new dev cant make a proper save system
once the game nears the end people will have like 30 save profiles in order to do stuff different ways each chapter to effect the end game waah,
again this is where TTG got it RIGHT
REWIND... replay the chapter and see new outcomes!
autosaves! short episodes vs long ones
as much as id prefer longer episodes  ttg figured out how to not annoy people with those choices and allow for room to change them..
odd gent doesnt allow for this.. spit..
oh you want to go this way? well  replay chapters 1-3 again.. all over again..
zzzz

wake me when its over and someone mods the saves to allow MANUAL SAVING.

(what happened to save early save often!)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on September 27, 2016, 01:26:39 AM
I prefer, from a developer point of view, not allowing manual saving like the old games did. Saving becomes a game-play mechanic (take the pokie machines in the early Sierra games as an example - save and restore until you've got all the money). But so many fans are all about having as much control as they can so I hear that argument too.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 27, 2016, 03:08:44 PM
im not the kinda guy that demands or wants manual saves in all games
but in this kq  as you can see even just chapter 3
requires a few save slots which pc doesnt have,
you have to manually back up the files, (which is worse  adding a manual save option or forcing consumers to back up saves manually so they can backtrack ?)

lame save system, at least let us rewind to parts of the chapters and id have no problem with the save system.

but nope..
one of the main reasons i wont touch that game is that..
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on September 28, 2016, 12:19:21 AM
Chapter 4 is out  8)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on September 28, 2016, 12:25:34 PM
lol.. annd wank ty for that info though.
never going to use it sadly :P
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: daventry on September 29, 2016, 08:08:51 PM
Finished Chapter 4 - Here is My Walkthrough   8)
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm (http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcKk/KQ2015.htm)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on September 29, 2016, 10:27:11 PM
I will admit the trailer got me slightly interested.

! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXBgsmByjA4#)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Brainiac on October 26, 2016, 10:21:59 PM
And speaking of trailers...

! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJHOhmmnGU4#)
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Kaldire on October 27, 2016, 07:29:26 PM
zzzzz
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: roeadventue32 on March 21, 2017, 08:25:07 PM
I read about it, PC trash that violates the spirit of kingsquest hard and slow, like silverlining did, done by people that mean well but where not there and can not consider to understand the feel of the thing.

Its non-canon bs after the fact in my view, (OOC bad fanfiction) Conors game was even pushing it in my opinion (unless you supplement with the agdi fanfiction adaptation) which tries to patch things up with the cloud spirit cut-scenes, not cannon but oddly satisfying.

Agdi got it with there remakes, the right feel, with romancing the stones which was a great re-imaging that added something, but lost nothing, and there kq3 redux was gold.

It had no propaganda and anachronistic adaptive social commentary added ''read bullshit'' which I believe has no place in anything called kingsquest.

These people have there head up there butts so far they even have to change king Ghram being a noble, to start with, because that is not very politically correct, cant these a-holes even leave the past alone? The fantasy past no less. Talk about being insecure.

They should just make there own little nuttbuddy circle jerk games and leave nostalgic art to people who understand it. I am surprised they don't try to re imagine or remake peoples butt-holes in digital format to be more pc.

These games were sacred and innocent and I don't like it when people drop there pants and crap all over them, well meaning or not.

Yet some of these these people will never understand the true appeal of such games and there  adaptations and re-imagings are about up there with the Freddy Kruger or night  of the demons remakes.

Its like hellraiser with a not-Doug bradly fake or missing pinhead, holding a intervention in hell wearing a red pantsuit and funny black rimed glasses while listening to justin biber. 

*turns head and projectile vomits split pea soup to avoid getting on post*
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: MusicallyInspired on March 24, 2017, 11:50:55 PM
I still maintain that it was a great tribute to the original series with many nods and winks to what came before and in some cases full out homages. I wasn't happy with all of it, but I was happy enough overall to enjoy myself and smile knowing that, even if only for a short time and maybe even not really in its truest form, King's Quest was a thing again. If it helps you, don't think of it as canon. But it wasn't something like what Telltale would have brutalized King's Quest with. It's a similar approach, but Telltale's meddling hands would have destroyed it a lot more than TOG "did" (I don't agree they did).

Also, this is coming from someone who was a member of the KQ3Redux team, for whatever that's worth.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on March 25, 2017, 07:40:43 AM
I didn't feel too much for it when it came out, but I've recently played it all again the last few days and I kinda like it now. I've gotta remove from my head the way adventure games were in the 80's/90's because it's not one of those. I truly love the art in the game and the voice pack is second to none for an adventure game (I think only the original Gabriel Knight comes close). Where it falls for me is the characterisation of Graham into a more Guybrush character, but then I think, you know, Graham in the original games kinda sucked so they needed to do something. Graham was a cardboard cutout I AM A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR figure in the classic games, and that really wouldn't work in immersive storytelling which adventure games are now. I just wish they'd gone less comic, more heroic. Alexander in KQ6 was much more fully formed but Graham never was. I mean he never even blinked when his entire castle was missing!

I've changed my mind a fair bit about TellTale games too over the last year or so. Tales from the Borderlands was the best adventure I've played in years. Game of Thrones was pretty good too. They're not what they were, they're sorta an offshoot of what we used to play (and what I make) but I like them.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: roeadventue32 on March 25, 2017, 10:30:12 AM
Guys I am not saying that a new thing cannot be good in its own right, but that if you remake a thing or adapt it be true to the spirt of it. When agdi did it like in kq2 remake, they added tons of content and reworked part 1,2, and 3 into something in keeping with the original but only more so.

I liked the way they expanded king Ghram. Its true he bit the big one in the cedric game I hated his attitude tword his son. I preferred agdi's king ghram. I loved sierras original Rosella and Alexander, but king Ghram was re-imagened best by agdi.

King ghram was a noble, his children were aristocratic, more so Rosella, did you see her at her brothers wedding? They were already approachable enough, because the whole family are also adventurers and very good natured. Noble both by blood and by nature.

They cant leave the concept of a fairy tale king and his family alone. I like the approach agdi had in giving it more meaning, it still had the fairytale touch but was not as random.

I was fascinated by the whole first mage sub-plot and the lore of the royal lines heritage they added. With legenimor, and the father...classic deft touch.

Complete with subtle yet punny serria style humor. Tradmark tombstone messages and everything.

I say take that new age dribble and stuff it. Its ooc. I very much liked the way they handled Conor and king Ghrams response in the cloud spirit cut scenes. It was very much in character for a old king in that traditional setting...and player choice as well.

From kq2 romancing the stones: ''King Ghram could not help but smirk, for one who so recently lived as a peasant, he speaks extraordinarily well'' that says it all, when you consider he also did knight him and make him next in line. Thats just the right and in character thing.

Even as it broke the ancient bloodline leading back to the first king. As such, Daventry legacy is broken by the fathers curse.

It would make sense that daventry should lose some of its magic, golden acorns as such, because legenimor enchanted it and the pacts broken, magic undone. Thats the way it gos in fairy tail realms.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: roeadventue32 on March 25, 2017, 06:43:26 PM
Look sorry, I might have been a little hard on the game, if it was a new game, and not tied to a classic favorite, I would have been complementary. Mostly because there are precious few games along these lines.  I am looking forward to the final version of mages initiation anyway.

I am a fan of everything, agdi has done except the western comedy game...which was more annoying than funny.

The last point and click that gave me good natured laughs while having fun was quest for infamy, but that is the limit of how far I will go with comedy for what Roem was he was an interesting enough guy, and it was still a real game.

''fish on the wall cracked me up royally for some insane reason''. Also Prospero.
Title: Re: Episodic King's Quest The Odd Gentlemen.
Post by: Klytos on March 28, 2017, 12:18:08 PM
I completely agree about staying true to the rules which are already set. Otherwise, why bother playing in someone else's world?

I think Graham could have been expanded a bit, not in the way TOG did though. He's not a hyperactive child. He's a King and before that a Knight. So episode one was before he became a Knight but he still had to show that character to become one. It's just my thoughts and they're worth very little, but I'd have made him an earnest young man who's super serious all the time to the point of fault. Have him develop into a more rounded character as time goes on. That would tie in with the changes his personality went through in the classic games. I'm just spit balling here.

I like AGDI's stuff. I don't like the need to tie everything together into one over-arching story though. Sometimes bad stuff just happens and to be honest, the only really "random" bad thing in the classic series is Alexander being kidnapped. 3-4 flow together, 5-6 flow together.