SpaceVenture Update – Stretch Goals And Such.

January 31st is the last day for the backer system:

Time is running out for getting in on the incredible SpaceVenture backer items. Please help us spread the word by telling everyone to visit http://guysfromandromeda.com before time runs out. We are also planning to deploy the official store very soon.

Ken Allen’s Kickstarter: 

If you haven’t already heard, our very own SpaceVenture composer Ken Allen(Sierra alumni and composer) is running a Kickstarter called “Under The Half Dome”

CLICK HERE to check out his Kickstarter page!

Jim Walls joins Chris Pope Live

As we mentioned in the previous update, Jim Walls, the creator of the Police Quest series will be joining Chris Pope on the Guys From Andromeda Podcast.

When?

Friday February 1st, 2013 at 6pm PST / 9pm EST (Check your local time zone info here)

Where?

www.justin.tv/andromedaguys

Ken Allen’s HALFDOME KickStarter is LIVE!

PLEASE pass around the following URL that links directly to the Kickstart: http://tinyurl.com/kenallenhalfdome


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If you played PC games 2 decades ago, there’s a chance I created its music. I’m making a new album based on some of that music & more.

  • Launched: Jan 22, 2013
  • Funding ends: Feb 21, 2013

Yeah the video is pure corn dog. It was fun to make and edit. But my forte is music (pardon the pun). Thank-you to my patient wife who directed this video.

First some housekeeping.

Links

The Project

I am producing a brand new album based on music I created during my years as a game composer, roughly 1989 – 1996.

What was once music created for vintage era PC sound cards and synth modules will now be freshly recorded for full orchestra with the same sound libraries used by today’s film and TV composers.

The album will feature a lot of work based on pieces I did for Sierra’s games, like Space Quest, King’s Quest, Oilswell, Dr Brain and more, and I’ll add some of my favorite tracks from other games not published by Sierra.

About The Album

As mentioned above, I’ll be producing all-new performances using state-of-the art workstation software and the same instrument libraries used by many of today’s film and TV composers.

The sound libraries are from the Complete Composers Collection, which includes Orchestra, Choir, Fab Four, Stormdrum 2, Pianos, Goliath, and Ministry of Rock, plus a few more.

You can find these on soundsonline.com. (No, this is not a shameless cross promo plug.)

If this Kickstarter does well, I’ll invite guest musicians and singers to perform on a several of the tracks.

If we raise enough to reach one of my stretch goals I’ll even have the album mixed in 5.1 audio, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Stretch goals will be announced as this campaign makes progress.

The album will be roughly equivalent to an audio double CD, somewhere north of 90 minutes, and will highlight some of my favorite work spanning my game composing career.

I’ve got a couple surprises in the track listing, too, so stay tuned.

Backer Rewards

Outside the US?

Be advised that sending physical goods to backers outside the US will cost extra.

I’ve made estimates for shipping. Check the rewards section for more info. I’ll do my best to keep the costs down. And if it ends up being cheaper, I’ll refund you the difference.

$5

This is the minimum pledge for this project.

At this tier, not only do you get a warm fuzzy feeling from supporting this project, but you get notified when I post updates here and YOU get to leave comments here.

This way, you get to jump in, stay informed, and then increase your pledge later. You can increase your pledge at anytime before the end of this Kickstarter.

$15

For $15, you receive a digital download of this album (in lossless format and MP3) and a PDF of the CD booklet.

You also get access to my backer-only blog, which will even include video and podcasts chronicling my progress on the production of the album as well as the music for the upcoming game SpaceVenture by the Guys From Andromeda.

Go to guysfromandromeda.com for more about this game. (Yes, this IS a shameless cross promo plug.)

You also receive a badge based on the album cover, which you can use in online forums and social networks. (Pictured badge not the actual badge.)

Plus everything from the lower tiers.

$20

For just $5 more, you’ll also get a collection of ringtones based on music from this album.

$30

At $30, you take delivery the album in its physical double CD form.

Yes, this is so 1999, but the CD cover is autographed by yours truly and the artist creating the album’s cover art. (See $150 for more about the artist.)

Plus, you get everything else in the lower tiers.

$50

At $50, you receive a digital download of the making-of videos and podcasts from the backer-only blog.

Plus, not only will your name will be listed in the Thank-You section of the CD booklet, I will call you with my personal thanks!

During the call you can ask me about stuff like what it was like to work at Sierra, or the process of creating music, or even how I got interested in composing music in the first place.

We’ll do this as a video call in a Google Hangout and invite several of your friends, or we can just do the call on the phone. Your choice.

This, in addition to all the rewards from the lower tiers.

$75

At $75, not only do you get everything from the lower tiers, but you take delivery of a t-shirt unique to this project.

It features the first page from the conductor’s score of Back To The Sequel, a fully orchestrated recording based on the opening of Space Quest 4, which will be included in this album.

$100

At the $100 level, you get to participate.

You can write up to 250 words for the liner notes on any family friendly topic. Wanna say how playing your first Sierra game blew your mind? Here’s your chance.

Plus you are listed as Associate Producer in the album credits, and you lay claim to all the rewards from the lower tiers.

$150

This summer, some friends and I will make the trek to Yosemite’s Half Dome, the beloved icon of Sierra Online, and we’ll revisit the old Sierra HQ buildings where all this magic took place.

We will film this trek and create a documentary, and then YOU get an invitation to download it.

You also take delivery of a signed and numbered 12 x 12 enlargement of the CD cover created by Sierra artist and illustrator, Rich Powell.

Rich’s website is at www.richpowell.com and his webcomic can be found here www.gocomics.com/dixie-drive. (Shameless plug #2.)

This is in addition to all the rewards from the lower tiers.

$200

For $50 more, you take delivery of a physical DVD of the trek to the old Sierra HQ and Half Dome from the $150 tier, which includes stills and footage not made available in the digital download.

The DVD case will be signed by those who participated in the climb as well as your truly.

You also take delivery of a second copy of the album CD to give to a friend, and a 2nd t-shirt that bares the phrase “A Real Pantload” in the Space Quest font.

All this loot, plus the rewards from lower tier rewards.

$500

Now this next one was suggested by one of the fans.

If you want to perform on one tracks for this album, a pledge of $500 will get you there.

The track is called Space Questin’ and is based on a song performed one of the bands from the Space Bar cantina in Space Quest 1 (VGA remake).

What to hear what your gettin’ yourself into? Here’s a link to a fresh recording of the original song performed by my friend, Brandon Blume. (Shameless plug #3)

Even if you’re not a musician, through the magic of the interwebs and NASA technology, we can record you snapping your fingers, clapping your hands, or even hitting a cowbell. You can even use this track to promote yourself as a recorded musician.

On top of that, to commemorate yourself being a recorded on a track on this album, you get a 3rd t-shirt that reads “Space Questin'” in the Space Quest font. You also get listed in the credits as a performer in the song.

That, plus everything from the lower tiers.

$750

At $750, the rewards reach the true enthusiast level.

Not only do you get everything from the lower tiers, and if you’re keeping track, it’s a LOT, you also receive a keyboard used by me in the production of this album and the SpaceVenture game, which will also be signed by yours truly.

To clarify, I will purchase the keyboard pictured above, use it to make some music for this album and the SpaceVenture game, add my autograph, and then ship it to YOU.

$1,000

I will compose a song for you.

You tell me the music style and what message you want to convey. You can even suggest lyrics or melody. Or it can just be an instrumental for a family video or home-brew game.

And for your pledge, you also receive a license to use the music for any family friendly purpose of your choosing.

If the song turns out great, I’ll include it in this album!

And if THAT is not enough, you also get everything from the lower pledge tiers.

$2,000

This is the grand-daddy of tiers for this project (unless you can come up with something even more awesome, which I’m sure you can)!

For a $2,000 pledge, not only do you lay claim to all the rewards from the lower tiers, but I will commission a company to create a customized bobble-head doll set of YOU and ME rocking out together.

Just the thought of this gets me excited. Yes, I’m cereal!

Higher?

If you’ve got suggestions for rewards at even higher tiers, click the comment link above and then click on “contact project creator”. Let me know your ideas for rewards on this project.

Image Credits

Images used here are through a Creative Commons license, except for the Kickstarter badge at the $15 tier, the image created by Rich Powell used in the $150 tier, the keyboard image at the $750 tier, and the bobblehead image used at the $2000 tier, all of which have been used with the permission of the owners.

Thank you!

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

Though I will be performing most of this music as I did when I composed the originals, I want some of the tracks to be collaborative with some friends who are also musicians. We would be using the cloud to do this and this will be my first time using a virtual studio.

So, cloud collaboration is part of the plan and among the risks.

As with every Kickstarter project, the rewards and shipping them cost money, and I’ve done a lot of research on this, but there’s always the chance I may have misinterpreted the data from my sources.

If the rubber hits the road and I discover the cost of a reward tier exceeds the pledge amount, I’ll let you know so we can work out a fair alternative.

Project Update #49: The Biweekly Kickstarter Update’s Bloody Terror: 1/21/2013

Happy Martin Luther King day, Larryettes. How is it that these updates always seem to fall on holidays?

We’re working pretty furiously and starting to get very excited. I’m going to keep it very short this week and cover a few more questions we’ve been getting.

The Alpha is coming! We are estimating two weeks ‘til the Alpha build.

Linux. Yes, we are definitely coming out with a Linux version. It may not be “Day One,” but we’re doing it. We’re considering the degree to which we can use our Linux-friendly Kickstarter patrons as testers; obviously they will be helping us to some degree, but we also have to figure out how much professional testing it will require.

Music is coming in fast and furious from Austin Wintory, and so far I’m adoring what I’m hearing…and that’s just the synth versions. It’s all going to be recorded with live instruments before it goes in the game. Austin and I are also working on a little surprise. Say no more.

The backgrounds are almost all done; the only remaining ones are a couple locations in the Casino, and the close-ups of Fawn, Faith, Jasmine, and Eve (which Colin is taking the most time with, seeing as how important they are to the game).

The text, too, is almost done; all I have left to work on are those locations that don’t have backgrounds, plus the inventory-on-inventory (which won’t be voiced, so as long as it’s done in enough time for the translators, it’ll be easy to slip into the game).

We won’t be able to afford foreign language voiceovers right out of the gate. But it’s on our “most wanted” list of additional features, should the game be popular enough to allow us to budget it as an add-on.

Lastly, I want to alert all Sierra fans to a new upcoming Kickstarter project: ex-Sierra composer Ken Allen (who did some of Sierra’s greatest music) is producing an album, Under the Half Dome, based on music from his computer game composing career…from 1989 to 1996. (By the way, Ken is also doing the soundtrack for the Two Guys’ upcoming SpaceVenture.) The Kickstarter hasn’t begun quite yet, but I believe it’s scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 22nd! For the moment, you can follow it at www.kenspace.com (Ken’s project blog), or on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UnderTheHalfdome. This is a huge deal for Ken’s fans (like me) and lovers of the best of Sierra’s golden years.

Back to work! Teambox awaits!

Josho

Larry’s Spreading His Love! (LSL on GOG.com!)

Thanks to DOSBOX master creater QBIX for point this out!
Leisure Suit Larry 1-6 on Gog.com!

 

  • genre
  • download size
  • avg. user rating
  • release date
  • compatible with
  • languages
  • developer / publisher
  • game modes
  • Bonus content included for FREE with purchase:
  • 6 manuals
  • 4 wallpapers
  • 5 hintbooks
  • 8 avatars
  • 4 handouts
  • postcard

What’s cool about it:

  • Includes Leisure Suit Larry 1-6, the VGA remake of Leisure Suit Larry 1, and Softporn Adventure. The (in)famous missing floppies containing Leisure Suit Larry 4 are still missing. No, we are not hiding them, either.
  • Play as one of gaming’s longest lasting legends: Leisure Suit Larry!
  • Al Lowe’s famously risque humor and bodacious babes that are waiting to “work out” with you!

Overview:

“What’s your sign, baby?” -Leisure Suit Larry
“Wrong Way.” -any woman.

Leisure Suit Larry has done it longer, deeper, and stronger. He’s been “around the block”, so to speak. It’s quite an accomplishment for a man wearing a suit that’s been out of style long before it was manufactured. He’s seen it all, from sleazy nightclubs and seedy bars with alleys that should be avoided at all times. He’s even gone native for a bit and grabbed a piece of the island life. His life has been full of tight spots and pulsating pectorals. His lizard’s always lounging and looking for love in several wrong places, the more the merrier! Always willing and able to perform some undercover work, our man Larry is a swingin’ single guy out for some action! His lines are as groovy as a record and his strut is something to be seen!

Leisure Suit Larry’s Greatest Hits and Misses features the loveable loser Larry Laffer in five complete adventures with throbbing suspense, pulchritudinous point-and-click action, and some parsing on the side! Hubba hubba! Help Larry score as you hit the town of Lost Wages, Nevada which “looks like a huge neon dinosaur making it with 6,000 acres of electrified sequins”, the scintillating sandy shores of Nontoonyt Island, and go to Los Angeles and paint the town red. Celebrate Larry’s finest years and remember, big things come in small packages!

Age requirements: ESRB Rating: MATURE with Mature Sexual Themes, Suggestive Themes. PEGI Rating: 16+ with Sex.

Minimum system requirements: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8, 1 GHz Processor (1.4 GHz recommended), 512MB RAM (1 GB recommended), 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7 (compatible with DirectX 9 recommended), Mouse, Keyboard.
Minimum system requirements (Mac): OS X 10.6.8 or later. Processor: Intel Core Duo 2GHz+ Memory: 1GB of RAM Graphics: 64MB of video memory Recommended two-button mouse, or Apple mouse with Secondary Button / Secondary Click enabled.

SpaceVenture Update #67 – Oodles Of Things!

Guys From Andromeda LLC is super excited to welcome Sierra On-Line and Space Quest 4 composer, Ken Allen to the project as the main composer for the game!

We wanted to make it very clear to everyone that the music for SpaceVenture is very important to all of us. Over the months we have received insane amounts of resumes from fans and industry veterans wanting to take part in creating the music for SpaceVenture. Not only did we feel Ken Allen’s music for Space Quest 4 was brilliant, but he has continued to send us newly created songs to be considered for SpaceVenture. The Two Guys agree, even the SpacePope agrees, Ken Allen is the man for the job. Yesterday we signed the paperwork and it is official!

Here is a short bio on Ken Allen:

Ken worked at Sierra 89 – 92, and created music for over a dozen games including installments of the King’s Quest and Space Quest series. After leaving Sierra he continued to compose game music for such companies as Interplay Productions, Tsunami Media, Software Toolworks, Futurescape Productions and Accolade Games. Most recently he was a producer on the team that developed the highly aclaimed MMO, Rift, and the expansion pack Rift – Storm Legion. When he heard the Two Guys From Andromeda had reunited, he was compelled to get involved. He feels that some of his best work was for their games.

Want to know more about Ken Allen? Check out the podcast that Chris Pope did with him!

Ken Allen with Chris Pope on the Guys From Andromeda Podcast

Remember the Space Quest 4 intro? Ken Allen did that, check out the intro video, it features the Roland MT-32

Shipping date for SpaceVenture:

We know one of the big questions on everyone’s mind is “When are you going to release SpaceVenture?”. Well, we have said this publicly already but wanted to state it here in an update as well. As much as we would love to have the game out this February, it just won’t be ready by then. There is still a good deal of work that must be done before the game will be ready for everyone to play.

I think everyone will hopefully agree that as long as we’ve all waited for a new game from the “Two Guys”, we don’t want a game to come out that isn’t finished or polished yet. We want to produce a game that fans will love and enjoy. The type of game that will cause a word of mouth virus to take over and spread like wild fire. No I’m not saying we’re planning to infect you with a virus! But we hope word of the game will go viral so that more and more people will want to enjoy the game. This also brings to the table the possibilities of sequels that can be funded without having to ask for money from you fine people on Kickstarter 🙂 We are shooting for a mid-year release but want to make it clear that we won’t set a date in stone until we are 100% in agreement that the game will be ready by then. Thanks again for your patience and support on this.

Backer Rewards:

We are still discussing sending backer items out early. As of right now, we are still planning to ship the backer items when the game ships. Most everyone receiving backer goods are also receiving a boxed copy of the game. Financially we are trying to avoid shipping out things separately, which adds to shipping cost. We have gotten quite a few emails from backers letting us know ways around this issue, such as asking backers to pay for early shipping. This is being discussed, but as of right now, the plan is still to ship things out when the game ships. Thanks for your understanding.

What about GoG credits?

We have purchased GoG credits and will be making an announcement about that very soon. Please continue to be patient, and we’ll have those out to everyone in the coming weeks.

Game Creation:

As you may have guessed, the game creation is still coming together and we are making a good deal of headway in the programming for the game. Scott and Mark have come up with some truly lovable characters that we can hopefully announce to everyone soon. We did want to share this video of the Scraps character being modeled:

Soon we will be showing you all some live footage of game-play for SpaceVenture! Please continue to stay patient! We are really excited about everything that is coming together and can’t wait to show everyone!

Appearances:

We’re going to San Diego Comicon 2013 (SDCC)!!

Mark Crowe, Scott Murphy, and Chris Pope will all be appearing at SDCC 2013! We will have a table set up there helping to promote SpaceVenture. We’re also hoping to have a panel there. If you have any knowledge/connections with setting up a panel at SDCC, and want to help, please email Chris AT Guysfromandromeda DOT com.

When is SDCC 2013? July 18-21st 2013

Where can I get info about coming? Right Here

Any other conventions? As of right now, SDCC is the only confirmed convention for Scott, Mark, and Chris to be at. However Chris will be appearing at Momocon in Atlanta March 8th-10th. As well as Alabama Phoenix Festival May 24th-26th.

We are also hoping to go to PAX 2013. (Seattle) If you’d like to help get that arranged please email Chris AT Guysfromandromeda DOT com

Stretch Goals

The SpaceVenture pledging options are coming to a close. We have had a good run and met not only our Kickstarter, but one of our stretch goals. As you can imagine with the game coming along, we’ve had to set a cut off point for the stretch goals on our website. The cut off date for this will be February 1st 2013. If you’d like to upgrade your pledge to get some of the really cool backer items, the time is running out. Go to http://guysfromandromeda.com and up your pledge before February 1st.

But what happens after February 1st?

We are pleased to announce the official Guys From Andromeda store. The store will contain different items than what was offered for pledging to SpaceVenture. We plan to offer a different SpaceVenture T-shirt than the backer one, official Cluck Y’egger pins, possibly a new SpaceVenture coin(this will not be a Buckazoid, it will simply be a really awesome collectible coin).

Something we also will have available in the store will be a series of collectible cards. Here is a preview:

The cards are standard baseball card size. 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. In creating these cards, we have teamed up with web comic/artist Len Paralta(geek of the week fame). This card was created with direction of Mark Crowe, Scott Murphy and Chris Pope. Scott Murphy did the writing. We plan to release a card for each character in SpaceVenture. 🙂

All items sold in the store will be shipped out shortly after purchase.

Cluck Y’egger game by Titanbase Productions

As you may have heard, Titanbase Productions created a nifty little action arcade type game for iOS devices(android being discussed). They have a $.99 promotion going on right now, so check it out if you have an iOS device!

Click here for details

Video displaying the Cluck Y’egger game:

Podcast:

We’re also pleased to announce that Jim Walls(creator of Police Quest) will be talking with Chris Pope soon on the Guys From Andromeda Podcast! Stay tuned for that, and be sure to check out previous episodes!

Click here for previous episodes

In closing…

We hope everyone is as excited as we are about all that is going on. Please continue to help support the SpaceVenture efforts by spreading the work!

Some links you might want to check out:

Official Guys From Andromeda LLC website

Official Guys From Andromeda online News Paper

Backers Rewards Site

Official Twitter

Office Facebook

Cluck Y’Egger for 99 Cents!

In honor of v1.1 being release, Titanbase has lowered the price for the game down to $.99 for a limited time! 🙂 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cluck-yegger/id540712349?mt=8

Description

Help Cluck Y’Egger defeat the evil Col. Zanderz!

Inspired by the exciting new adventure game coming soon from the legendary Two Guys From Andromeda, (aka Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy), Titanbase Productions brings the egg-splosive adventures of Cluck Y’Egger to your mobile device! Featuring 3D, console-quality action, with your feathered, spacefaring friend Cluck!

Features:
+ Capture Power-Ups for an Egg-Vantage as you battle foes!

+ A thrilling soundtrack by James Mulvale! Mike Schiff as the voice of Cluck Y’Egger!

+ Customizable controls and fluid 3D graphics!

+ Unlimited levels as you chase Col. Zanderz through the cosmos! Visit strange alien planets!

+ Free updates with new features, like the Cluck Y’Egger Armory, with new abilities, weapons, cheat codes and more!

+ Hint: Destroy Boss Ships to clear levels!

+ Hint: Use Power-Ups wisely to restore Health!

+ Free Updates: Col. Zanderz forces are planning new attack strategies!

Experience the action! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EALc5yfvCnk

Cluck Y’Egger is optimized for iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPod touch (4th and 5th generation). Try it on listed devices for the best experience!

What’s New in Version 1.1

New animations and updated graphics!

Screenshots

iPhone Screenshot 1
iPhone Screenshot 2

Cluck Y'Egger

 

View In iTunes

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
  • $0.99
  • Category: Games
  • Updated: Jan 05, 2013
  • Version: 1.1
  • Size: 45.7 MB
  • Language: English
  • Seller: Benjamin Lindelof
  • © Titanbase Productions and Guys From Andromeda LLC
Rated 9+ for the following:

  • Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

LSL KS Update #48: The Biweekly Kickstarter Update Created Woman: 1/7/2013

Happy New Year, Larryettes!

We are now officially in “crunch mode,” although, to be honest, everyone at N-Fusion and I have been in crunch mode all along. But now it’s official, which means a whole new shipment of caffeinated beverages, caffeinated candies, and caffeinated bacon.

Before I go off on minutiae about game text, I’m going to answer a few questions I’ve seen around Kickstarter and the Replay Games fora:

  • Yes, we’re still on track for a Q1 2013 release.
  • Yes, we’re still planning on foreign language releases concurrent with the release of the English version: French, Italian, German, and Spanish (or “FIGS”).
  • Yes, we’re still planning on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android versions. Linux is still a real possibility. Unity 4 makes porting it relatively easy. But it does involve whole additional testing cycles that aren’t in the budget (timewise or moneywise).
  • The Kickstarter premiums will ship about the time the game ships. We may be able to push some of the digital items (like the HD wallpaper) out sooner, but our overriding goal is to meet our ship date, and it’s an all-out push with that singular goal in mind. For the physical goods, we don’t want to do more than one wave of shipments, because that will multiply our shipping costs dramatically. (In other words, we don’t want to, say, ship out the T-shirts separately from the Calendars, because that means hundreds of extra shipping containers and thousands of extra dollars in postage.)
  • The front of the T-shirt hasn’t changed. The back of the T-shirt is now an N-Fusion-created Larry.
  • Al and I would both have loved adding a parser, but that would’ve necessitated a monumental increase in both budget and development time.

Okay, now here’s where I finally get to talk about the State of the Text.
There are currently six basic actions for interacting with everything in Larry’s world: Look, Talk, Use, Taste/Smell, Zipper, and a generic “Inventory Item On” function (along with specialized inventory object on messages when appropriate). As I mentioned during the Kickstarter, I hate generic messages, but I can’t completely get around using them.

Let me define a couple of terms. When I say “flag,” that’s a bit of programming that monitors the state of something in the game that we want to track. I’ll give you an example from the game. Under some conditions, the dog will come along and pee on Larry. After being peed on, I want the first person that Larry meets to comment on the unusual aroma. So there is a flag for Larry called “peedOn.” The vast majority of the time, this flag is off (peedOn==False). When the dog pees on him, the flag is changed (peedOn==True). Many of the characters have a line of dialogue to speak when they encounter Larry and peedOn==True. As soon as they deliver the line, the flag is changed again, back to False. And the cycle of life begins anew.

Flags change constantly throughout the game. Simply looking at a screen feature can change a flag; this is relevant when I want to have a series of messages for something, with that message changing each time you look at the item. First time you look at something, second time you look at something, and so on.
When I say “feature,” I mean a region of the screen that has its own identity and requires its own text text “handling.” For instance, look at the Come ‘n’ Go interior at :06 in the video we created for the Steam Greenlight effort. I identified 28 separate features (not counting Larry himself): the Hot Dog display, the floormat, the refrigerated case, the counter, the Clerk, and so on. The majority of rooms are not this busy, thankfully, or I’d be writing until 2013. Oh, wait, I am.

So I create messages for each of the six basic actions for each of those 28 features. Assuming only one message per feature (although many have two or more), that’s 168 messages right there, before I even start to be able to get into all the specifics that are necessary to cover different flag settings. The specific messages for those features requiring different flag settings can easily double the total number of messages used in a room.
That’s a vast amount of recording and editing, a vast amount of speech to put into a game (especially a mobile game!). And that’s before factoring in the inventory-object-on-inventory-object messages and dialogues between Larry and other characters.

(Side note: I actually started with an experiment: seeing if I could create a couple of rooms where clicking every single inventory object on every single feature would have its own message. It turned out to be immensely time-consuming since there were more than 40 potential inventory items – although, of course, some objects don’t apply to some locations — and dozens of features in each room. I stopped when I got close to 800 messages for the room, and that wasn’t even one of the more crowded rooms.)

With these kinds of totals, I’ve pretty much ended up having to use some generics. For instance, if you try to talk to most inanimate objects, you’ll get a generic message (although it’s always at least unique to the room). And when you click an inventory item on a feature, you’ll get a generic message unless there’s a good reason – comedy and/or puzzle relevance – for a more specific one.

Despite this, I think we’ll still have one of the most robust Larrys ever written in terms of sheer quantity and quality of input responses.

And now, back to work I go. Lots to do. Not enough time in which to do it.

Fondly,
Josh