Topics

Have been playing the game again on my phone. Everything works so great.

I'm really excited now for the Mage's Initiation mobile app.

Everything is perfect, but I would say, if possible, maybe make text as big as possible and also make the "run" action as fast as possible. These things aren't a big problem for me while playing Al Emmo, but I think those things could possibly make it even better.

Then again, the text size might not be as big as issue for others with larger phone screens; I'm playing on a 4-inch iPhone.

In addition to regular trailer videos, I hope you guys do a video at launch time featuring the team members talking briefly about their experiences, what inspired them, funny anecdotes, etc. I think those kinds of things help develop the personal connection with the fans. It worked for Sierra! And, it goes without saying, smile, be conversational and seem warm/turn on the charm. To this day, many people feel like they know Al Lowe, due in part to Sierra's excellent marketing.

This is probably a long ways off, but just wanted to suggest that you wait until you have a direct URL to your games' pages in the Apple AppStore before officially announcing to all your backers or people on your mailing list that a game is available in the Apple AppStore.

My friend made a game for iOS and it took Apple a long time to approve it and for it to go live, and he didn't have the direct URL to the page where people could actually purchase it until after the game was finally posted. Also, you can't even find his game when you search for the title! The AppStore search feature seems screwy! Hopefully searching by title won't be an issue for your games. It just seems like it would be better to have the link to the game's AppStore page all ready to go and posted on your site and/or in your e-mail announcement so that people could click and go right to it immediately and buy it, just in case it's hard to find by title search.

It would be sad if you made the official announcement about the iOS version and no one could find it, wasting any excitement generated by the announcement message.

I meant to get the shirt during the campaign and am just now getting to it. If I buy the Magus package (see below) would I still get a shirt? Didnt know if you ran out. Also, I assume the purchase is totally separate from the kickstarter site pledge? I'm also wondering where I say what color or size I would want. Thanks for the info

http://www.himalayastudios.com/games/mages/paypal_m.html

I was recently reading about Ancient Rome and what a horrible time it must have been to live in. Anyway, I think the setting could make for a great adventure / RPG game. They did believe in magic and sorcerers and soothsayers then, so that element could also be brought in, in addition to the obvious physical combat. There are RPG's set during that period, but no adventure games that I know of. Many are medieval Europe settings. I was just thinking how, at the end of the game, you could assassinate one of those sociopathic emperors.

Just wanted to throw that out there to all you adventure game designers!

Anyone here have any ideas for Easter eggs?

Gotta have an Al Emmo Easter egg! That gets my vote.

Also, I think it would be cool to run into some of the Himalaya design team. Maybe have a character look like an animated Daniel Stacy. Sort of like how Sierra did with Mark and Scott and Al and Roberta

Hi Rachel (FamousAdventurer77),

I am sure you are very busy with your executive producer duties, but it would be great to see you participate more in other online adventure gaming discussion forums. I often see people like Katie H. of POS (with her POS info linked in her post signature) and Steven/Blackthorne of IQ/IA participating in all kinds of discussions on various forums. Please regularly visit and participate, when you can, in discussions at adventuregamers.com, telltale forums, Pinkerton, Doublefine, POS forums, GOG forums, other Kickstarter project pages, etc. We always see people associated with other teams on such forums, but rarely any people out there (except Brandon B.) associated with Himalaya. Would be nice to see you out there more! Maintaining the personal connection with the fans is always important. I make this request out of the utmost respect.

Thank you!

Hi Himalaya!!

Are you going to have labeled hotspots in your mobile versions of the game? I hope so! Labeled hotspots are almost a must for touchscreens.

Thanks for being the amazingly wonderful adventure game designers that you are, btw!

I was recently reading rumors about how the next iPhone will likely come with a larger screen, maybe 4.8 inches. My first reaction (besides "I must get one") after hearing this was to wonder if Mage's Initiation will work on a larger screen phone. I really want to play your game on my phone!

Maybe you can't say because the iPhone 6 hasn't been announced and it's all hypothetical, but do you anticipate problems getting your games to run on larger iPhones?

I will also buy the new version of Al Emmo when/if it becomes available for iOS.

Thanks again for all you do and for being a steady rock of consistent professionalism in an indie adventure game scene that can sometimes see more than its share of drama.

How are you guys able to make complex, full-length games with a fraction of the budget of what other developers say is insufficient for them to make an adventure game?

I know you can't speak for others, but I am really curious about how you guys do it. I have seen other developers say even 500k-1M is not enough for a full, new game. Where is all that money going? Is it all about the difference in graphics quality? What is your secret?

Check out some issues that Replay Games, who has done a good job on their Kickstarter, has had with customs office frustrations and backer disappointment over how some physical rewards arrived:

https://forums.replaygamesinc.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1286&start=20

Maybe Himalaya can learn from their experience and do things in a way that would hopefully avoid some of those problems.

It would be cool if you guys had a Himalaya music theme/jingle played when the Himalaya logo animation appears at the start of games. Sorta like how the Sierra fanfare or Disney's "When You Wish Upon a Star" plays during those brand logo animations. I feel like such logo themes make people remember your brand more than the way it was (if I'm remembering correctly) done for Al Emmo, which was also a nice and cinematic way of doing the logo and which reminded me of Paramount Pictures.

Also, it would be cool if you did something unique with the Himalaya logo animation for each game. It could be similar each time, but maybe there would be something special done with the animation to coincide with the game's theme. When you dethrone Telltale to become the undisputed adventure game developer titan, there could be so many fun variations of the Himalaya logo by that time.

I really liked Sierra designer Christy Marx's Conquests of the Longbow and Conquests of Camelot.

If she even returns to adventure game designing, it would be great if she teamed up with a developer like Himalaya. Seems like they'd be a great match.

I wonder if Himalaya has ever been in touch with Christy about potential projects. I know I'd support a Marx/Himalaya Kickstarter campaign.

This is probably something for consideration well down the line, but I wanted to suggest that you make the labeled hotspot option set to on by default for touch screen devices.

I have played through several point and click games on my iPhone, and I can tell you that labeled hotspots are A MUST when playing this way. You can drag your finger over the screen and see what you are selecting and what's available to interact with. Playing without labels on a mobile device is excruciating (LSL: Reloaded suffers here, for example), and I can imagine that many customers would give up after a few minutes (assuming they didn't know to switch on the labels) and then might leave a bad review in the App Store. It can be hard enough using a mouse to play a no-hotspot label game, and with just your finger it's just not fun at all and is a major struggle sometimes doing something as basic as picking up an object.

Also, I'd consider making the "verb coin" interface the default for touch screen versions of the game, since the icon bar can be a bit of a pain with the touch screen.

Finally, consider including a special, detailed gameplay tutorial with the mobile versions of the game. It can be a bit tricky playing on a touch screen, especially if you haven't played many of these kinds of games before.

Also maybe consider making the action go back to "walk" after each action. It's annoying having to keep selecting walk just to move around after looking at something. And maybe when tapping on certain hotspots, the game will do a default "look" action. Switching back and forth a between  look and walk on a small touch screen device is really special kind of hell. I like what MI2:SE did by using the look action as the default action for various hotspots. It requires less fiddling with the interface.

Finally, let us use the walk action to open doors. It can be annoying struggling to do basic things just because of a finicky, clunky interface.

I'm just basing these things on having recently played through LSL:R and other games on my phone.

I also hope you streamline and simplify your interface in future games. Maybe only allow certain actions for particular hotspots, and list the available actions for a hotspot after it is selected... sort of like in LSL7.

Here to pester again. Was wondering if the next combat demo download will be available to everyone, or just to backers at a particular tier level. Also, any idea when it might be available?

I'm just one small backer, but I'd like to make a request. Can you do one or more of your upcoming updates at least partially in video form? It adds a nice personal touch, and I enjoy seeing video updates now and then. The production values aren't important. It can be someone just talking in front of a webcam.

Thank you for all you do, and have done, for adventure gaming!

[DEADLINE: MAY 8, 2013]

Please help spread the word (on Twitter, online forums, etc.) to all the talented artists out there. This is your chance to maybe contribute to some of the official online promotion for the awesome new Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded game. Let's give Larry's comeback the kind of epic, slick or otherwise memorable cover art it deserves. I know there are some excellent artists out there in the adventure game community.

DEADLINE: MAY 8, 2013

from Josh Mandel's latest game update:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leisuresuitlarry/make-leisure-suit-larry-come-again/posts/467281

We've been sending the Collector's Box art to various e-tailers who, although selling only a non-boxed digital version of the game, like to – or insist on – a mocked-up box for their websites. Since a lot of people have seen the Collector's Box art and thought we shouldn't be using it for marketing purposes, we're going to start a contest (today or tomorrow) for all aspiring commercial artists. Details for the contest can – or shortly will be – available on the Replay forums, https://forums.replaygamesinc.com/  There will be a separate subforum just for this contest; there, you'll be able to find the exact rules, and you're free to post your submissions on the forum for critique (although official entries will need to be sent directly to Replay per the rules you'll find on the Contest subforum).

Official rules:
https://forums.replaygamesinc.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=900

1. The dimensions of the front of the mock box should be 10.25 x 8.75. The top and left side should also be visible. Four separate files should be sent in PSD or other high-res format:
a. Complete 3-D Box mock-up;
b. Front of the box;
c. Side of the box;
d. Top flap of the box
2. Please include contact information with each entry.
3. All submissions must be sent to cs@replaygamesinc.com by midnight on 5/8/2013 to qualify.
4. The decisions of the judges are final.
5. The winner will be awarded a special credit in the game AND will have a choice of having either Al Lowe or Josh Mandel record the greeting on the winner's answering machine or voicemail. No further prizes will be awarded.
6. We can not guarantee that the winning entry will be used on any/all particular e-tailer websites. However, the prizes will be awarded independent of whether and how much the winning entry is used.
7. All entries become the sole property of Replay Games, Inc.
8. All artists are encouraged to sign their work!

SOME BACKGROUND: A Replay Games forum thread discussing the collector's edition box art, where some people express concerns about that art and other art being used to promote Larry Reloaded online:
https://forums.replaygamesinc.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=881
(a good read)

I absolutely LOVE the portraits we saw in your latest update. Brilliant artist you have. If this is who is going to be doing all the close-up art, I am very happy. This artist has an impressive knack for doing eyes; they have a real, warm human quality. The subtle expressions in these portraits are just great.

I would love to see as many close-up scenes as possible, hopefully not just in cut-scenes but in interactive sequences as well.

[It's funny, because I want to finish up "Mage's", because I'm so excited to get started on a Police adventure game.]

Would a potential new game like this be started before or after the final version Mage's is released? And what about Mage's sequels? Would you guys work on more than one game at a time?

Here is what Britney Brimhall said on Kickstarter:

Thanks guys for donating and pushing us past the $40,000 mark. SO EXCITING! I appreciate you pushing us into the next tier, BigD!
And YES—this is my DREAM, to work with Jim Walls on a Police Quest type adventure game, and I think it would be the perfect collaboration. It feels as if all my experiences in life, and my team's experiences, have sort of led up to this exact point, making us the perfect fit to work with Jim on this game. We've been discussing this, and he mentioned us in his last interview.
It's funny, because I want to finish up "Mage's", because I'm so excited to get started on a Police adventure game. Yet at the same time, am so excited about "Mage's", because it's turning out so well, and is the type of game I've been wanting to play for Ages (being a huge fan of Quest for Glory style games)! Two amazing games. I have to remind myself to take it step for step, but it feels like Christmas being able to work on two such fulfilling projects.
As we finish "Mage's", and I continue patrolling, I am certainly getting more and more ideas for an upcoming Police Adventure:) Every day on the street is really like a lifetime lived. A single day would be enough fodder for a grand adventure game!

Okay, my second attempt at an off-topic post. First was shut down to prevent rumors and speculation, which is good because it shows this Himalaya team conducts themselves with professionalism and integrity. Makes me more proud to be a backer.

Anyway, I would love to see a continually updated list with the details of current and past adventure game Kickstarters, similar to this German language one:
http://www.adventure-treff.de/forum/viewtopic.php?p=475159#p475159

If anyone out there is able to translate that information, it would be great to have all of that information easily accessible in English somewhere.

I also think it's fun to see little rankings like "top funded adventure" and "highest percentage funded of initial goal", etc.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/looking-at-leisure-suit-larry-reloaded-and-whats-ahead-for-replay-games-with-paul-trowe/

And more here:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/activision-is-planning-something-for-kings-quest-franchise-rights-reportedly-recovered-from-telltale-games/

Juiciest bits:

A new Roberta Williams game doesn't automatically mean a new King's Quest game, unfortunately. Trowe is unsure of Activision's willingness to hand over the rights to the series. Reports from a couple of years back put those right in the hands of Telltale Games, the California-based studio behind 2012′s critically acclaimed The Walking Dead series. Now Telltale is preparing to turn its attention to a similar episodic treatment of Bill Willingham's Fables. According to Trowe, Telltale is out of the King's Quest picture.

"They had [the King's Quest rights], and we were going to license it from them to make the remakes. I wouldn't do a King's Quest without Roberta. [Telltale senior VP of publishing] Steve Allison told me that they have the rights but they don't have the bandwidth." Allison offered to look into sub-licensing King's Quest out to Replay, but Trowe hit a dead end when he brought the conversation over to Activision. "I talked to the guys at Activision and they were like, 'No, we're pulling it [from Telltale] because we're going to do it ourselves.'"

This is the first public mention of Activision's plans for King's Quest since the Telltale connection was first revealed in early 2011. We've reached out to Activision for comment and will update accordingly when we hear back. Think about the possibilities though. More Leisure Suit Larry, post-release content updates, a planned F2P casino game, and the possibility of an entirely new game from Roberta Williams. It's like 1987 all over again. Trowe is just as much excited gamer as he is industry professional, but wouldn't you be too?

I wonder what revelations from Activision and Telltale will come tomorrow as journalists follow up on this story.

Just want to say here that AGDI's(aka Himalaya) King's Quest remakes are what really brought me back into adventure gaming. I will forever be grateful to them for that.

Anyway, I hope KQ is brought back the right way. Maybe all the Kickstarter adventure game-related activity will make it happen sooner rather than later.

Will you other gamers be sad if Telltale doesn't do KQ, or happy since it means we might end up getting a new KQ game that is actually an adventure game with (though modernized) the core explorative and puzzle design characteristics that, I believe, are popular among many fans of classic adventures?

If there was one thing I learned from the "Mage's Initiation" Kickstarter campaign, it was that the Mage's backers like to chat about all kinds of stuff. Do you think we could maybe get a "Misc" forum category here? Among other things, it would provide a forum here for people to promote other worthy Kickstarter projects. I want to see this site become even more buzzing with activity, and maybe an additional public discussion topic category or two could help with that, if even in a small way.

Update: I see other people were already using "General" in this way. And here I was trying to follow the rules precisely by not going off the listed topic. :-p

This was a great read:
http://www.himalayastudios.com/forum/index.php?topic=639.0

Did you ever get pics from him/her? Please tell me you did. Hope his/her sister appreciated the hard work!

These adventure game forums can turn up some interesting characters!!

What's the latest on the Himalaya Studios' Kickstarter for Mage's Initiation?

When do you plan to launch?