Roberta Williams/Josh Mandel discussion
Congrats to the Telltale team for announcing the return of mid-30 year old males (and anyone else old enough to remember this series) to the world of computer gaming!
Can anyone from TT comment on Roberta Williams's involvement in terms of story & design, if such plans even exist?
Can anyone from TT comment on Roberta Williams's involvement in terms of story & design, if such plans even exist?
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Would that be considered a contradiction in terms?
It may sound harsh but we have to understand she and her husband truly got screwed over many, many things. Their nerve-wracking departure, and the eventual downfall of Sierra, was profoundly unpleasant.
One thing's for sure, she must have something to say about the first new King's Quest game in over a decade.
More or less. They're both still very bitter about what happened after Ken Williams agreed to sell Sierra to CUC in '96ish.
They've had enough people ask for their involvement in "fan" projects that Ken eventually put up a post on his site essentially saying the only way Roberta would be involved with King's Quest again is if she had creative control of the project.
To be fair, that statement isn't entirely about Roberta being a control freak so much as her having been burned by her name being tacked on to KQ 7 and especially KQ8.
I remember reading a quote from Roberta Williams in which she said in essence that the only person who truly understands KQ besides her is Josh. Does anyone have the exact quote, or know where it came from?
Yeah meng.
Josh was the official voice of Graham for KQV and KQVI. He also lent his voice for the fan remakes (AGDI's KQI, KQII; IA's KQIII). Plus he was the designer of Sierra's own KQI Remake (1990).
Aside from the fact that he makes an excellent King Graham, I think bringing Josh back could only help in making Telltale's game feel (or more appropriately, sound) like a King's Quest. I've spoken previously on my hope for Roberta Williams and Mark Seibert's involvement; I thought I should also show my support for Josh Mandel's excellent voice.
Josh Mandel, one of the original designers of King's Quest, the voice actor of Graham, and a man whom Roberta Williams herself proclaimed is the only other person who knows King's Quest as much as she has has given his seal of approval:
"Telltale and I have spoken a bit lately, but there's nothing more I can (or should) say about it!
But I would love to be King Graham for Telltale, and I trust them completely with the property.
--Josh"
Note that Josh has a history of being brutally honest with his opinions on King's Quest. He called out Roberta on taking Mask of Eternity in an un-KQ direction; he publicly disagreed with the designers of TSL over their plotline. He is a purist, a traditionalist. If he "trusts TT completely" with his game, I'd say that's a strong vote of confidence in this game, and a good sign that it won't disappoint.
"I have been reading with interest all of the various comments that everybody has had about KQ8 (Mask of Eternity). I find it interesting that everybody has their own ideas about what King's Quest IS. And everybody seems to have a bit different idea.
It seems, on this board, anyway, that quite a few people have the idea that King's Quest is (or should be) non-violent...no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And it must be cute, funny, have fairytales in it, and have lots of puzzles and inventory objects. First of all, I have to say that King's Quest comes from ME and each one is different and has its own flavor. Some have a darker tone, and others have a lighter tone. Some touch upon violence, and some don't. King's Quest reflects the mood that I am in when I go to tackle another one.
King's Quest really is a reflection of me and how I'm feeling about the subject and upon the reference material I am using and how I approach the subject. Basically, King's Quest comes from me and my heart and it always isn't going to be exactly the same, because I'm not always exactly the same, and I, like most people, feel a need for a change of pace and a sense of moving forward and of trying and experiencing something new.
With KQ7, I was in a "Disney-esque" mood. Some people really liked it, others didn't. Earlier King's Quest's reflected my moods during those times: KQ3 was very dark, and it utilized lots of magic and magic spells with the basic idea of finding ingredients for "black magic" spells and then casting those spells. (Certain religious groups were upset with me over that one!)
KQ1 certainly had violence. Sir Graham had a dagger and could kill the dragon (and it didn't get you "stuck," by the way, if you did so), and you could also kill the goat. It's true that I also had non-violent ways of dealing with those situations, but, that's because I chose to handle it that way for that particular game.
I've gotten into trouble over the years for all the various ways that my main characters can "die." And they die a lot! I am known for changing course a lot, and changing my style a lot. I like change, and I like to keep people guessing. KQ7 felt very Disney-esque, and I felt like doing something different for KQ8 but yet, still keeping a "King's Quest" feel to the game. Each game in the King's Quest family has been different.
Almost each time I do a new King's Quest, people get up in arms and say it's going to be "different" and won't feel right. Yet, each time, it DOES wind up feeling like King's Quest but each in its own way...and people just kind of KNOW that when they are playing it.
That's because I know, in my heart, and what I am feeling, that it is, indeed, King's Quest. The components that make a King's Quest are (in my mind, anyway and since I am the creator of the series, I guess that holds some weight):
A land, or lands, of high fantasy
Fantasy creatures from myth, legends, and/or fairytales both good and bad
Situations to be found in those same types of stories
A "quest" type story
A calamity in the land with one "hero" to "save the kingdom"
A story of the "good" hero against the "evil" bad guy
A story that everyone can relate to, i.e., a "reason" for having the hero go out and risk his or her life for "saving the kingdom."
Interesting worlds to explore
High interactivity
Interesting characters
Great animation
Great visuals and music.
Within that general framework, I feel that I can have some "leeway" to accomplish those tasks."
Cesar Bittar (head of the TSL project, ex-employee of TT) said:
"yep. I know Josh and Dave had been talking since last year.
Dave also wanted to get in touch with Roberta."
So, TT has been in touch with Josh since last year. That's a pretty long time for them to be in touch.
The fact that they wanted to get in touch with Roberta (who is happily retired) is also nice.
You mean Telltale, right?
Still, he trusts them. That's a good sign
Fixed
I hope TTG are getting some input from Mandel on story and all that.
I wouldn't say it means much yet, but the fact that they're reaching out is definitely a sign that they're at least trying.
I agree. I think this is the important point. Also, it's worth noting that Josh mentioned he wasn't allowed to divulge more info, which suggests he at least does have SOME bit of insider perspective on the project.
LMAO that's an interesting point. The easiest way to avoid people speculating based on something that's been said is just to say nothing in the first place.
Yeah, but in that case it'd be much easier to simply say "I don't know anything," rather than "I'm not at liberty to say."
Or he could have just not commented at all. But he didn't. He specifically chose to let it be known that he had been contacted by Telltale, that he knew more than he was allowed to say, and that he had faith in their handling of the license.
That is what I have gotten as well since such a line is PR talk for "I know something is going on, but for legal reasons, I cannot say." The same thing happened with the voice of Duke Nukem who blantally told the fans to read between lines after he said "I can't talk about Duke Nukem Forever. Think about it, if I can't talk about it, what does that tell you?" when asked about the series being resurrected after being cancelled last year; this was a year before it was announced that Duke Nukem was sold to that company who makes borderlands.
KQ1SCI was designed and rewritten solely by Josh Mandel, who has claimed Roberta only asked him to change one small thing at the end of the game.
KQV's credits are (in order) such:
Designed by Roberta Williams
Creative Director: Bill Davis
Creative Consultant: William Skirvin
KQVI's credits are (in order):
Written & Designed by Jane Jensen and Roberta Williams
Produced by William Skirvin
Directed by William Skirvin, Jane Jensen and Roberta Williams
Text & Dialogue by Jane Jensen
Note also that Roberta took a month long vacation during KQ6's vacation after discussing basic design issues with Jane. Some key elements, like the Black Cloak Society, were only discussed loosely and not too seriously at the early stages of the game's design and Roberta was unaware for several years that that idea even made it into the final game. Note also that Roberta felt her ideas for KQ were used up after KQV and wanted to hand the series over to other designers.
KQVII's credits (in order) are:
Directed by Andy Hoyos, Lorelei Shannon and Roberta Williams
Designed by Lorelei Shannon and Roberta Williams
Produced by Mark Seibert
Writing/Dialogue/Story by Lorelei Shannon
Based on Characters Created by Roberta Williams
KQVIII's credits are (in order)
Designed by Mark Seibert and Roberta Williams
Produced by Mark Seibert
Directed by Mark Seibert
Writing/Dialogue/Story by Roberta Williams
Roberta went into KQ8 with a brand new idea and wanted to reassert her own vision over the series once again. However, Ken Williams claims that midway through development (after he left Sierra in 1996), Roberta lost gradually creative control and other ideas which weren't her own began to get injected into the game, and corporate pressure from above also changed the game, demanding more monsters and the like to keep the game 'relevant.' Roberta had always intended for KQ8 to be fully 3D and with action, but not as much as we ended up geting
As Ken was no longer in charge of Sierra and thus was uable to protect the the integrity of Roberta's vision, KQ8 became designed by committee and it slipped out of her control. In fact, the game went through three separate design documents. The first two, from 1995-1996, to around early 1997 reflected Roberta's vision. The last and final design totally deviated from it, to the point that Roberta wanted her name taken off KQ8 and only allowed her name to be put on it after some token changes were made to make it a little bit like she originally intended it to be. She kept delaying the game, trying to reassert control and get it back to her original intentions until finally Sierra's new management threatened to bring litigation against her and she handed the game over. Ken has said she was moderately happy with the product in the end but it reflected a much wider product vision and was not a Roberta game.
Of course MOE is an entirely different story, and Ken's comments support that.