Anyone interested in this remake? (Archived)

[navynuke04]

I was just messing around seeing what I could do with AGS. Before I knew it I had pretty much an entire room done out of KQ3. Granted this isn't any sort of update on the graphics, or story, but merely a point and click conversion. If enough people like the idea, I might finish the rest of the game...

The link is here

EDIT: Note; link above does not contain the very first build, but a scripted introduction with updated music and updated graphics by MI and Muzlak.

[Erpy]

Hmmm...I'm not so certain if a mere conversion from parser to point & click is worth the amount of effort you'll have to put into it. And then there's the problem of how you're going to handle the spell construction.

[AdventureGameAficionado]

It's pretty cool, but I think you'd be wasting your time just making the game point'n'click using the original EGA graphics... a VGA remake, however, would be excellent...

http://www.agagames.com

[navynuke04]

I'd be more than willing to make a VGA remake, however I have absolutely no talent when it comes to graphics. That's the main reason I haven't made a game yet. I finally decided I'd just use the EGA graphics and play around to see what I could come up with. If someone wanted to go into this project with me and help out with the graphics, that would be excellent...

[navynuke04]

Oh yeah, and if I were to do a KQ3VGA remake, it'd be in Tierra's KQ1VGA style. Just updated graphics, no plot improvements. I say this because I wouldn't want Tierra to cancel any plans they may have of revamping KQ3's plot with a future remake. I loved KQ2VGA:RTS story and I can't wait to get more of it with KQ3VGA.

[Vildern]

Wow, twas cool, playing in that room!

[navynuke04]

For those of you interested... I've got the entire first floor of the wizards house scripted. Things that I don't have in yet (and am kind of worried about...) are the wizard's tasks, the timed trips and stuff. I'm still relatively new with AGS and am figuring it out as I go. Hopefully I'll figure out how to randomize things, set timers, and do variables... still it's a fun learning project for as long as I'm without an artist. I know a lot of people have asked about doing something like this, but the answer has always been pretty much the same. Too much time involved just to convert from text parser to point'n'click. Maybe this will please some of those people if I manage to get the whole thing done...

[MuzlakOofmay]

Ok, I'm not sure how AGS scripting works, but I can explain how to do it in C, and you can figure out in the help files the corresponding functions. (Originally I put a ; at the end of that sentence but then erased it and made a . .... ARG too much programming!)

for the timed trips you would say something like this...

Code: Select all

int time; bool wizardontrip=false;
int pushbook=0, lookontopofcupboard=1,getfly=2;
void MakeWizardGoOnTrip() {
time=timeGetTime(); //however you get time in AGS
wizardontrip=true;
}

//this function would see if it's ok to do a certain action (like pushing the lever) :

bool CheckWizard(int action) {
  if(action!=PushBook && action!=getfly 
&& action!=lookontopofcupboard) {
    if(wizardisontrip) {
        return true; //it's ok
  } else {
        return false; //you did something bad, and the wizard is there!
  }
}
 return true; //it's not a bad action that you were trying to do.
}

void CheckWizardReturn() {
   if(wizardisontrip) {
        if (timeGetTime()-time==1800000) {
              //he's gone for half an hour and is on a trip
              wizardisontrip=false;
     }
}

That should pretty much do it. However, the functions that i used obviously are not AGS scripting but I'm pretty sure the syntax is similiar if not, the same. I'm sure there's some other function rather that timeGetTime() to get the current time. Of course, on CheckWizardReturn() you'd also have to check to see if the player is inside the house without the wand, but that should pretty much do what you're looking for.

[navynuke04]

Thanks, I'll refer back to that when I start doing that part. Right now I'm just trying to get all the backgrounds in. Hopefully I'll have enough time after the holidays. Right now, my family is here and I've been spending all my time with them. Not to mention my little sister has been hogging the computer. She is not used to a cable modem and is loving it...

[Veggita2099]

A remake of KQ3 would be nice. As far as spells go what would be cool is if you had to find pages of the spellbook throughout the land. Then when you go to cast a spell you just combine the spell paper (which would be a item) and he would automatically say the spell.

[the sniggering mason]

I don't know if tierra want or need it but why don't you offer the script to them when your done with it, maybe they can have some use for it if they do a remake of the game.

mason

[navynuke04]

That's a good idea, if they want it... If I manage to get it all done, I'd gladly release the script to Tierra.

[dancingbanana]

Yes, I'm just a random lurker. But, in my opinion, King's Quest 2 and 3 were the worst of the series. There was too much of the waiting game, too much time involved without any back knowledge. Alexander (or Gwydion) should have known how long Mannanan usually disappears for, and the entire pirate ship sequence was incredibly tedious. The land seemed small and crowded together-desert, mountains, ocean, forest; how much terrain could you possibly need? And the spells were just excessive copy protection. Having to type everything out, including the incantations, drove me nuts. If I hit the wrong letter, I would have to go back and redo that entire spell. Also, it didn't make sense to me for him to be concocting all these magical items. The cookie, sure. But did he just think, "It sure would be fun to understand animals, so even though I'll, you know, die if I get caught, let's go for it!"

I think it would be way better for the game to not take place so much in Llewdor(? something like that?) and instead be more about Alexander discovering who he is and finding his way home. Add in a couple stops or something. Maybe I'm just stupid, though. I know a lot of people like that game.

[Erpy]

I agree about the time limit with Manannan. A first-time player doesn't know Manannan's schedule before getting ashed at least once. A possible solution would be to incorporate a day/night cycle that's combined with Manannan informing the player that he expects a meal at sunset. The player will be alerted by the setting sun that his time is running out.

As for the spells; the ones in the manual were the only formulas in the book that Gwydion could read. The other ones were in an unfamiliar language. I agree that typing the spells was somewhat tedious. I guess Sierra was a bit too protective of this game.

If you think Llewdor was crowded together, take a look at Serenia. Desert, forest, snow-capped mountains. Not too logical geology-wise. Then again, over-analysis of fantasy-games often leads to the analist ruining his own fun.

[Pro Ace]

Well, EGA isn't too terribly bad in my opinion. I like the way you made into a point and click with EGA style graphics, navynuke. VGA is good but I still miss the old style of adventure games . When I played kq3 for the first time I HATED the time thing. IMHO I think it should be taken out completely or use Erpys idea of day and night!

Edited by: Pro Ace at: 12/31/02 5:56:55 pm

[Vildern]

It wont be KQIII without the 'time thing'.

[Pro Ace]

Instead of putting a clock just have "clues" in the game about what time to do what. For example, Mannan could say "I want the floor mopped after im done napping" and you know that you have about an hour to mop the floor...or...or...cough...maybe...uh...oh, nevermind

[Vildern]

Maybe its a good a idea, instead of unknown dead lines, make a known dead lines. but I just hope they would keep the dead lines (like..clean this before I shall..or...I shall come back in the dusk...so you have 12 hours from now to gather your ingredients to plant how to kill me...or something like that).

[navynuke04]

These are all good ideas. Maybe Tierra will take them into consideration if/when they decide to remake KQ3VGA. Right now, I'm just wanting to do a point'n'click conversion. I have no artistic talent so I don't think I could come up with a day/night cycle, even if it was in EGA. Oh well, maybe when I find a person to help me with graphics, I can make better games....

[BeetleB]

Regarding the whole timer deal, I never found it to be that irritating. I think it would be fine just to put a timer on top and have it run down to when Mannanan is next supposed to show up.

The only irritating thing is when you're just waiting around for him to show up. There should be some option such that you don't have to wait (e.g. going to sleep and waking up a minute before he's due back).

[Storm]

I didn't mind the timer as much as I did all that long path going down from the castle! I mean, once might be ok, but if you remake it, PLEASE have the magic map get you all the way to the top!

[navynuke04]

It sounds like a lot of people are interested in this remake, but not a straight point'n'click conversion. If I'm going to put the time in to change these things around to the suggestions you all have made, I wonder if it would also please people to update the graphics. I would definitely be interested in teaming up with even a mediocre artist to do this remake. I seem to keep motivated better when working with someone who wants to finish the project as much as me.

So what do you all think? Should I just make a straight point'n'click conversion and not change anything, or should I keep the EGA graphics and make the minor changes listed? Maybe I should update the graphics, but keep to the original plot, with only the minor changes... I could always attempt a Tierra style remake and update the plot also... The only thing is, I don't want to step on Tierra's toes. I know they want to do a remake of KQ3, and I don't want to get in the way. They canceled their SQ2 remake because someone was already remaking it... I don't want that to happen here...

Well, give me some feedback so I know what would be the most popular remake.

Thanks

Edit:

P.S. - I'm half way to Knight status!!!

Edited by: navynuke04 at: 1/9/03 12:52:38 am

[MuzlakOofmay]

Good work on the half navynuke04. I'd personally write a letter to tierra about your remake in case they haven't taken notice of it yet. I wouldn't want you stepping on Tierra's toes either (jk lol). Anyways, I'd suggest going to either a sierra fan board (here) or a game development board (gamedev.net) and ask for a musician as well. Aside from the intro music and ending music, KQ3's musically pretty much stinks, as there is none. However, I personally REALLY like the music at the intro. Anyways, I'd look at some photoshop boards for an artist, and make sure you have a decent amount of the game done before you ask for artists (maybe able to walk through all the lands of Llewdor). GOOD LUCK! I played the game, and I personally liked it. Oh yeah, don't bag on that eerie book music either! I was scared so much that I would always mess up and die during the spells!

EDIT: Just noticed I'm halfway to knight as well :p

Summer on the Viking Farm

http://www.nancycarterdesign.com/spongefactory/

Edited by: MuzlakOofmay at: 1/9/03 1:53:58 am

[Erpy]

I'd personally write a letter to tierra about your remake in case they haven't taken notice of it yet.

Hey, whose forums were you posting on again? Of course, we noticed it.

Hmmm....Does this mean that if we were running around with the idea of remaking KQ3, we can stop now?

[BeetleB]

Hmmm....Does this mean that if we were running around with the idea of remaking KQ3, we can stop now?

Umm...No!

KQ3 was among my favorites, and whoever remakes it, better do it really well (mild threat here). Of course, if I had any graphics skills, I'd do it myself (as if we haven't heard that one before).

Unless, of course, they finish before you and do an outstanding job (which is always a possibility...).