It has been an exceedingly busy and interesting week, and it continues to be so, exceedingly. Short post, then. I'll try to answer some reader mail tomorrow, and then I'll be quite quiet for a while, as I take a long trip on an aeroplane across the Atlantic Ocean to spend a week in my favourite city in the world.

Before all that, however, some exciting news: ICM - International Creative Management; one of the biggest Hollywood (and elsewhere) agencies - has asked to read my screenplay, "The Dark Places". You can't really ask for anything more than that. Well, you can, but I'm good. Hopefully they'll like what they read, and I will, naturally, keep everyone updated.  ¶ 21:44   

  Today: Mostly with the being up early and the meetings. Good day though, and I have some exciting news - which will have to wait until tomorrow, because tired now. Need sleep. Up since six in the A.M.  ¶ 22:57   

  Just curious: did you ever consider becoming a long term US resident? I'm think you could easily pass for one of us as popular US culture and language aren't a problem. Besides, having an accent is no big deal in most cities here.

But I can understand why not. I've lived overseas and while it was interesting, there's no place like home.

-howard

Well, I did live in the US for a number of years, and I have friends and family there, but I don't think I'll ever become a resident. I enjoy visiting - and I go quite often; after my upcoming trip I will have visited four times this year - but I'm quite happy where I'm at. At least for the time being. Never say never, however.  ¶ 13:22   

  Dear Ragnar,

Love your blog and I am a regular reader. Loved the game TLJ. Hurry up with the next installment already.

Something that may only be a connection in my mind is the similarity between April Ryan and the hero of the animated series "The Maxx". Was this an influence in the writing of your game or am i completely insane? A sipmle yes or no will suffice.

Regards,

Good question. I don't really think so, but I did see some episodes of The Maxx back when, and I believe I read a few issues of the comic-book as well. Can't remember a whole lot of it, however, so whatever influence it had must have been subconscious and part of the general tapestry of inspiration that I pull threads from.

Hi Ragnar,

I was just writing to let you know that Joanna Berry (known as Tulis on The Divide), the author of Kindred and Artisian has just released a new TLJ fanfic which you may find interesting. It's called wanderer and it tells of how Brian Westhouse came to Arcadia. It's in the downloads section of The Divide.

Enjoy,
David (Pirateguybrush)

Posting this here so that people can go check out Joanna's story. I know for a fact that she's an extremely talented writer, and I'm sure this is a cracking good tale.

Unfortunately - and I hate to say it - I can't read the story myself. Since it may revolve around characters, settings, or situations that we ourselves might be working on, I don't want to be influenced (consciously or otherwise) by someone else's work - for both legal and practical reasons. But I'll certainly read it when we're done telling our story, and I hope The Divide - and our amazingly patient fans - will still be around!  ¶ 13:17   

  Hi all. You may experience some spottiness to my journaling in the upcoming weeks, so I hope you'll all be very, very patient with me and stick around even when there's nothing New and Interesting to read. If not exactly "stick around", because there's really no place to stick, then at least check back regularly, just in case I've managed to write something Interesting and New. Because I just might.

First off my apartment has turned into a battlefield. They found fungus in the basement walls and ceiling, and now they've torn down half my bedroom to get to it. Unfortunately, until the building administration decides to pay for the repairs - which may amount to as much as $20,000; a cost all apartment owners will have to share - my bedroom will remain completely unusable. They're bringing in more people to peek into and poke at the rogue 'shrooms on Monday - at 7 AM in the morning, no less - so there will be no decision made until Tuesday, at the earliest. Which means that I plan to spend as little time here as humanly possible, especially when they start tearing down and rebuilding the walls; hopefully before the end of next week.

Then I'm heading off to New York. I'll be gone for about a week, and don't expect to hear much from me during that time. Won't have a laptop, and probably won't have access to mail or web. Will be exceedingly busy. Will enjoy it immensely, one hopes.

And on top of all that there's a whole lot of work that needs to be done - and hasn't - and I must prioritise that.

Of course, I will try to pop in and post some reader mail at the very least.  ¶ 22:08   

  Recently I bought several DVDs of old Cryo adventure games. Although in my opinion the games themselves are not that great, these DVDs feature the possibility to play the game in 5-7 different European languages (even Swedish, but no Norwegian - sorry!). In some of the newer games you could even switch the language while playing and set different tongues for speech and subtitles. So for me as language nut these provide a great opportunity to improve some of my foreign language skills.

When I recently finished another session of 'The longest Journey' in English (which ranks as one of my favorite adventure games - Kudos!), I thought that it would be very nice to have a similar DVD for this great game with all the languages it was translated into (I think about 9-10?), and with the possibility to set different subtitles as well.

In order to save space (so as to be able to include all the languages on one DVD) the FMV-sequences could be kept in English (with subtitles), since they mostly contain chapter titles only. The low resolution videos could be skipped also, since every system equipped with a DVD-drive should be able to play the high resolution versions.

I think the topic of creating a DVD may already have been discussed many times in your company. But maybe you could use this DVD-rerelease to promote 'TLJ 2'?

I would really be nice to read your opinions about this!
Thanks in advance!

I totally agree, Mathias, and it's a great idea. Unfortunately Funcom doesn't own the rights to all those different language version. Local distributors do, and I have no idea when the current contracts expire. The only version (I believe) that we own the rights to is the English speaking version. So until those rights are worked out - and we'd probably have to pay for them, seeing as each territory translated and recorded its own soundtrack - it won't be possible to release a multi-language DVD version.

But it would be nice, I agree. UbiSoft did in fact publish a limited edition dual language French/English DVD version, although I think it'll be really difficult to get a hold of it now.

Your old blurb on the right rocked. Bring back the old blurb!!!1

Or at least compromise: meld the two together.

I feel the blurb needs to go through a constant evolution, until it reaches perfection. Much as the human species itself. Yes.

Dear Rangar,
Last summer I borrowed my friend's copy of TLJ so that I could finally experience what I had hear so much about for myself. Needless to say I'm now a fan and am egearly awaiting TLJ.S. While I was trying to convince other friend to try it out, I realized that I never actually paid for the game (though I am apt to pirate sometimes like everyone else I firmly beilive that it is proper to pay for good things). I recently saw a copy in a local EBgames and it made me wonder: At this point so many years later, do you guys still see profit from sales? If I went and picked up a legitimate copy (obviously pretty cheap by now) would you be getting anything or would it just go into the coffers of EB? I'll likely purchace it anyway if only for the art and manuals. I'm still curious though. Thanks.

Funcom still gets a cut - albeit small - from every sale, and the more copies that are sold, the more the stores order. Which, in turn, creates retail demand for the next game. Which is good. So, yes, buy - please.

Plus: piracy is a wicked, wicked thing, and could easily spell the death of small publishers/developers like Funcom, so don't. After all, we don't spend years of our lives and millions of dollars to make games so that people can simply steal them. Unless we make back the money we've spent, we're out of business and everyone loses their jobs.

One last thing. As far as I know the version of TLJ that's available in stores now probably does not have a printed manual. As far as I know, it's on one of the CDs as a PDF file. This sucks, I know, but that's what publishers do when they release cheaper versions of their games - manuals are expensive things apparently. I happen to like the TLJ manual (especially since I wrote the damn thing), so I wish this wasn't so, but there you go. Not much I can do about it.

Still: buy, or don't play. It's illegal to steal. And not particularly ethical.  ¶ 18:28   

  I liked Marek's description of this journal, so I'm stealing it:

"His weblog, called Voyage To Mars (No relation to Mars or voyages or both), deals with the trials and tribulations of being a game designer and trying to have a life at the same time. Ragnar is a busy man, but that doesn't stop him from posting movie reviews and frequently interacting with his fans. Great stuff!"

I never liked my faux post-modern Blog description (stage right), and with some minor surgery the above will fit quite well. My apologies to Marek (whom I already owe an e-mail - I promise to answer those questions on Monday or Tuesday!) but, hey, forgery is flattery. Or something like that.  ¶ 13:34   

  It's been an eventful and busy week, to say the least. Starting off with a trip to the emergency room Wednesday night and capped by yesterday's exhausting day-long moving company gig, there's been little time or opportunity (or indeed energy) to Blog.

The E.R. story isn't particularly interesting, aside from the fact that I was quite convinced I was going to die. After watching Hitchcock's Psycho on TV Wednesday night (probably not a causative factor in subsequent events, but it is a scary film), I experienced some pretty serious extended heart palpitations and rapid fluttering that culminated in me calling the Norwegian equivalent of 911. They didn't send an ambulance, but told me to see a doctor right away - and I wasn't about to argue. Thus I found myself in the E.R. at midnight, hooked up to the EKG machine, and feeling slightly nauseous. To my great relief, it appears that there's nothing wrong, and there's likely no cause for worry. Apparently, these things can just happen, for no good reason whatsoever.

In my head, though, things were touch and go for a while.

The rest of the week was a blur of Important Meetings and other manifestations of the Busy, including an intriguing trip to the biggest film studios and post-production facilities in Norway on Friday. Yesterday, as mentioned earlier, I spent the day helping my oldest brother and his family to move - and that took a solid ten hours from when I left my apartment until I returned, exhausted, at 8 PM. Needless to say, the remainder of the evening was spent in a near-catatonic state on the couch. I managed to see a somewhat interesting Iranian movie that ended right in the middle of the story, and the first half of The Matrix Reloaded on DVD, which ended with me falling asleep (both an indicant of my state and the movie itself, which I hated when I saw it in theatres, but I'm willing to give everything and everyone a second chance).

I also booked my tickets to New York this week; it'll be a five day trip, two of which will be spent at a seminar/conference, the rest of which will be spent enjoying the city and shopping for Christmas presents. Looking forward to that.

So there it is: My very good reasons for this past week's silent running. There's a lot more exciting stuff to write about, but I'll leave that for later. Right now, I have some much-needed 'being lazy' to get back to.  ¶ 13:11   

  I might be jetting off to Nuevo York in a couple of weeks - which would be nice, because La Manzana Grande dons its finest threads in autumn. I visited New York for a few short days this June, but summer is never the best time to breathe the Manhattan air, so I'm hoping the early November trip happens. If it does, I'll probably stay on a few days extra, meet up with old friends and do some tactical Christmas shopping.

Today I had to pull up my sleeves and help out in the back yard of my apartment building after work. I got to paint, which is a very Zen activity - like washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or that most Zen of all activities; stretching out on the couch - so I enjoyed that quite a bit. Unfortunately, it got too dark too quickly to finish painting the bike shed, which means I'll have to pitch in again some other day.  ¶ 22:32   

  One movie that hasn't held up all that well: RoboCop. I remember being madly in love with it, appreciating its slightly radical satirical tone, simultaneously celebrating and damning the ultra-conservative, money-driven, consumerist Reagan-era USA.

You were never quite sure about Paul Verhoeven, then or later, whether he was joking or if he was serious. I suspect a bit of both (Showgirls vs. Starship Troopers, for example). In some ways, RoboCop was a landmark movie...in 1987. It hasn't aged well at all.

Now it all seems just a tiny bit silly; a dated commentary about a corporate future filled with bad ties, parodies of TV shows and commercials that fail to outrage in today's reality-infested climate, big hair, and staunch, robotic super-heroes with Dirty Harry-esque one-liners. "Dead or alive, you're coming with me." Yeah, yeah. It was the greatest thing in the world in 1987, just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, yo-yos, and the Commodore Amiga. Now, though, you feel a bit embarrassed about it all, like meeting class-mates who never got past high-school.

I'm not knocking the movie. It's just that some things should be left where they belong: in the past. Like RoboCop. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Like yo-yos.  ¶ 22:43   

  "No New Hand-Drawn Films Being Turned Out at Disney".

I've commented on this in the past, and I have no desire to repeat myself. I'm sure old Walt is spinning in his cryogenic chamber right about now. It's a sad, sad day when Disney - Disney! - abandons traditional cel-animation for greener, computer-rendered pastures. Surely there's room for both?

Hopefully, Brother Bear and other already-in-production Disney animated features (unless they're dumping everything, something I have a hard time believing) will do good enough business to make the suits reconsider. Because, let's face it, the kids don't care whether or not it's in 3D. As long as the story is excellent, as long as the characters are interesting and the art brilliant, the audience will come.

Ironically enough, The Lion King DVD just became the fastest-selling re-release in home video history, selling in excess of three million copies in two days. So 3D is better than 2D how exactly?

(And no sardonic comments about how The Longest Journey: Static is abandoning its traditional 2D roots for full 3D. Games are different. They really are.)  ¶ 22:20   

  The latest issue of Edge has a fawning two-page preview of Broken Sword 3. They have been hyping the game - and its creator, Charcles Cecil, "the nicest man in the industry" - for months now, which is a bit strange, because Edge has often been biased against sequels and adventures.

It's a good thing that they are hyping it, of course, because from what I hear, Revolution is going much the same direction with their adventure franchise as we are with ours. In fact, Mr. Cecil has stated the following, which may apply equally well to our game:

"The direct control interface has allowed us to introduce a much more diverse range of gameplay, from the traditional investigative adventure gameplay to exploration and (cerebral) action events. The game is unique in the way that it plays – it is not an action adventure, nor is it a traditional adventure. It’s a totally new mix of adventure, exploration, stealth and combat. The Sleeping Dragon is still primarily cerebral in its gameplay."

If gamers respond as enthusiastically to BS3 as Edge has, I believe the adventure genre may be in for something of a mass-market revival. And that is obviously something we're all hoping for.

At any rate, BS3 is due for release before Christmas, which gives us plenty of time to play, enjoy, and analyse the game before we're too far along with ours. While we have no interest in stealing or ripping off anyone else's work, we don't live in a vacuum, and one of the designers' most important jobs is to be aware of what other developers do well (and not so well), and then use that experience and knowledge to improve our own games.

What intrigues me the most is that Revolution has come to much the same conclusions as we have in regards to the next generation of adventure games, and that must mean at least one of us is doing something right.

Talking about games, I've been meaning to write up some comments about the games that I'm currently playing, and this seems like a good opportunity to do so.

There are two games in particular that I've been playing these last couple of weeks, both of which I'd like to recommend. The first is Colin McRae 04 on the Xbox, the second is The Simpsons: Hit & Run on the GameCube. Two very, very different games - both equally addictive.

CMR04 features some of the finest driving I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, especially from the 'cockpit' perspective, where dirt and snow pile up on the windscreen, adding immensely to the atmosphere and reality of the game. The sense of speed, the sound cues telling you that your vehicle is breaking apart, the weather effects, the constant concentration necessary to keep your car on the road at breakneck speeds - it's an extremely intense and satisfying experience, well worth checking out.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run is pure Simpsons bliss. For starters, being able to drive around Springfield is a dream come true. And the game is often funnier than any of the recent years' episodes (sadly, the show has declined into a parody of itself, and it's far from its heyday). Featuring all the characters from the show, voiced by the same actors and written by the show's writers, this is a perfect example of how to adapt a property from one medium to another. On top of that, the gameplay is fun and addictive - it's become something of an obsession of mine to unlock everything in every level - and while the third-person on-foot camera may be the "Worst. Camera. Ever.", it doesn't detract too much from the experience, as you do tend to spend most of the game behind the wheel. Quibbles? I wish the entire city was continuous and seemless, as it is in Grand Theft Auto, and not split into individual levels. I wish time would pass, affecting traffic and non-player characters. I wish there was less linearity in the story missions. I wish I could play more characters (you 'only' get to play as the Simpsons themselves, plus Apu). And I wish the plot was not as inane, confusing, and unnecessary. Other than that? As good as anyone could have hoped for. Better, even. Get it.

I still have a bunch of game sitting on the shelf that I haven't gotten around to playing yet: Silent Hill 3, F-Zero: GX, and I must get hold of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic one of these days - although I'm thinking of saving the latter for Christmas, when I may actually have a shot at playing it for any amount of time. And there are lots of games on the way this autumn that I simply must get - so stay tuned for more mini-reviews and opinions as the holiday season (also known as "The Gaming Season") approaches.  ¶ 13:12   

  'voyage to mars' (the journal) has dropped down to number three (gasp!) on the Google search. We've been trumped by Amazon.com and a book entitled (you guessed it) "Voyage to Mars: NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth". Those meddling kids! Our time at the top was brief but illustrious. We shall return.

Was supposed to be elsewhere this long weekend, but events conspired against me. Had plans to drive up to our cabin in the mountains, but it'll have to wait until...well, spring, I guess, seeing as it'll start snowing up there soon, and I'm in no rush to head towards the snow.

Seeing SWAT tonight (or is it "S.W.A.T."?), and that ought to be good. I'm in the mood for some slam-bang, brainless action with big explosions, and that gorgeous bad-boy Colin Farrell is an added bonus. (If I absolutely had to switch sides...)

...aaand I forgot to post this earlier, so here's my two-word review of S.W.A.T.:

Piece. Crap. (And toss in an 'of' in there as well.)

Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh, because after a horrendous first half where all the clichés were paraded out like a, uh, a Parade of Clichés (slick European villain - check; protagonist's pretty girlfriend moving out - check; exercise montage set to a soft rock soundtrack - check; lame romantic sub-plot that never goes anywhere - check; inane motivational speeches - check; inappropriate comic relief - check), the second half was a definite improvement, and there were moments - moments - near the end where I was almost entertained.

But, to be honest, it was a piece of crap. Every "plot twist" was so obvious, it's as though the writers were following the 'Plot Twists 'R' Us' roadmap to the letter. The dialogue was horrendous, just awful, written by someone who's obviously never heard real people talking. The plot, when it finally kicked in, well past the halfway point, was wafer thin. And the whole thing was interminable. It just went on and on, and the two hours easily felt like twice that.

Not recommended, then. Not in the slightest.  ¶ 16:04   

  I believe I set a new speed record walking home from work today; around forty minutes. I have absolutely no idea how far it is, but that's pretty damn fast. It usually takes between forty-five and fifty minutes.

And that's not all. I impressed myself today (it's not often that happens, by the way; I'm not easily impressed with myself) by writing the outline for a brand new story in less than one hour. And it wasn't half bad. Needs work, of course, but it's a solid start. Which just goes to show that it's possible to do anything quickly, as long as you're either a) inspired, b) in a rush, or c) both.

(Just to avoid any confusion: The above story is not related in any way, shape, or form to The Longest Journey. That story took a lot longer than an hour to write.)

Tomorrow we're finally having the Shadowlands release party - a little late, but with online games it's better to wait until you're absolutely and positively sure that everything's gone all right, which it has - and then I'm taking Friday off, just because. I might leave the city for a few days, but I haven't quite decided yet. There's lots of work to do, but since I have four weeks of vacation left this year I feel I deserve to take one lousy Friday off.

Luckily, I can transfer two whole weeks to next year, which I plan to do, and I'll take a few extra days off around Christmas, but that still leaves me with more than a week to spare.

If I had the money, I'd go to New York. If I had more money, I'd go to Japan. But since I don't have any money, I'll have to stay put. Besides, even if I did have the money I don't think I'd really have the time. There are deadlines. There are always deadlines. It's a tough life, lemme tell ya...  ¶ 23:22   

  Listening to Beth Orton and "Pass In Time", which I received in the post this morning. Absolutely worth getting. Sublime, melodious acoustic pop-rock. Great for writing and, well, listening to.

And finally I wanted to ask you if you've heard of Silje Nergaard. I once saw her live at a Jazz evening in Holland and I liked her. I found out she also performed at our Northsea Jazz Festival (ever heard of it?) and I got a few of her songs. If you don't know her, I recommend you check her music out :).

I've both heard of and heard Silje Nergaard, and I second RaMa's recommendation. She's a talented jazz vocalist, and quite famous in my native land.

An ice-cream truck just pulled into my street, ringing bell and all. Let's get this straight: The first ice-cream truck I've ever seen in Oslo, let alone on my street, shows up on a chilly evening in October. It's going to snow in a few weeks. This is not the time for ice-cream trucks to do good business. Or any business. What an absurd moment.  ¶ 20:43   

  Hi,
In your journal you recently said (of TLJ) "the graphics were just wonderful, the acting solid, and the story was (for a game, at least) quite good" This should have read "the graphics were solid, the acting wonderful and the story was brilliant". By saying the acting was "solid", but not really praising it as much as the other aspects, are you saying you weren't as pleased with it as with the other aspects? Will you bring back the major cast members of TLJ for the sequal? And I know it would look egotistical to shower yourself with praise over the story, but what aspects (if any) weren't you pleased with?
David

The cast was wonderful, and we are definitely going to contact some of them for the next game. "Solid" was probably a bad word to use; I was really happy with the voice-overs in the first game.

Overall, I was happy with the story also. In hindsight, there are things I would have done differently, and the dialogue would have benefited from some editing, certainly.

Mostly, though, it's just a question of me growing and evolving as a writer, and it's difficult to look back at something you did five, six, seven years ago and be completely happy with it. But generally I think it was a pretty good effort; the players seemed to enjoy it, and that's the most important thing.

I just wanted to personally thank you for your recent comments on having two strong female characters in the upcoming sequel to TLJ...in case you needed affirmation of how much it means to your fans, I can only say that I’ve converted three of my female friends – who would never have played computer games earlier – into TLJ addicts because you write games like no one else, with brilliant, believable characters and amazing stories.

He-he, the only problem is that you now have four very anxious fanatics waiting for a game that comes even close to TLJ! Actually, there are probably thousands of us!

Thank you very much, Riada. That means a lot to me, to have female gamers appreciate the female characters and consider them believable. While our games are meant to be enjoyed by everyone, it's especially important to me to know that girls and women can enjoy the games too, because there are so few games out there that make an effort to portray "real" female characters.

That's not to say we're not going to have male characters in the game, of course. In fact, I think there are more intriguing male characters in the next one than there were in the last one; at least three of which are very big, and very important, characters - and there's some love interest as well, something that was slightly lacking the last time around.

Hey,

Being a huge TLJ fan, I was reading through your journal tonight. I'm checking it at least once a day, eagerly waiting for every small bit of information about "the next chapter"! So there I was, looking at yet another mail from a worried person. Don't these people have a bit of faith? I agree that most sequels suck (being it movies or games). Only a small percentage live up to the often high expectations. But the onces that do often have one thing in common. They're made by the same people that were involved in the original. Why? Because they know the formula, that "touch" that made the original a classic. As long as TLJ doesn't fall into the wrong hands, I'm sure it won't disappoint. Voila, I hope this reduced the pressure a bit! Keep up the good work, use the "touch", I'm looking forward.

Ah, did I say how much I loved the first game? ;-)

regards,
Chris

Thanks, Chris! I certainly appreciate the vote of confidence. I can understand that some people are skeptical, but it's always good to keep an open mind and hope for the best. And the long, long wait will be more pleasurable if you're waiting for something that you hope and believe will be worth the wait.  ¶ 12:24   

  The October issue of PC Gamer UK featured a list over the top one hundred PC games ever. The Longest Journey was on it:



[The above image is used entirely without permission, but then again it's a screenshot from our game, buster, so who you gonna sue? Thought so.]

Why am I making a big deal out of this? Thirty-sixth place is not exactly the cream of the crop, is it? It's not like we've won anything.

You're right. But let me tell you a little story.

Long before I ever played my first adventure game, I made my own. I'd read about adventures (which back then were text only) in a magazine article, and the concept fascinated me. Being able to live inside and interact with a story like a character in a novel was simply the Greatest Idea Ever - especially to a voracious reader like myself. Without any notion of how to go about it, I wrote my first adventure.

That must have been twenty years ago, perhaps more, and I was much smarter back then because I actually made it work. Sort of. Of course, it wasn't a very complex adventure, and there were technical glitches. As I remember it, anything you picked up was still there afterwards - I hadn't a clue how to handle dynamic objects. And I don't think there were any real puzzles either, just a bit of walking around.

But it was glorious, like a book come to life.

Eventually I got to play the real thing, starting with the Zork games, and moving onto other classic Infocom games, all of which I adored...and none of which I actually completed, because they were frighteningly difficult and the language-barrier was extremely high. But I enjoyed them all immensely, and when I found out that there was a program called "The Quill" for the Commodore 64 - a toolkit and script language for creating adventures - I had to have it. It made life much easier, because it didn't require any actual programming.

And so began my most productive period of adventure game development. My crowning achievement, as I remember it, was a game called "The Peasant's Quest", which was intended as a parody of King's Quest, a game I hadn't actually played (we didn't have a PC) but which I'd read about.

As time went on, I played more games and made less. Adventures were still my favourite genre, and I was excited to see how the genre began to evolved into a more cinematic experience, with pictures and sound, and, eventually, animation.

When Loom came along, I was entranced - the story and the gameplay were groundbreaking. And then there was Monkey Island, with its stunning visuals, amazing writing, and funnies. And then came Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, with even better graphics, and two playable character. And then, in 1993, Day of the Tentacle arrived on CD-ROM, with voices. And it was followed by Gabriel Knight, which had a mature storyline and famous actors. And suddenly adventure games were like movies that you could act in, living worlds that spoke and sang and which looked absolutely beautiful.

This, I knew, was something I would love to try my hands on again. Now, of course, adventure games required more than a writer-slash-designer. You needed artists and programmers and musicians and actors. You needed lots and lots of money. I never thought for a second that I would actually get to make an adventure - and certainly not one that would measure up to all those wonderful games I had played for so many years, made by such talented and creative people.

And then along came a little project called The Longest Journey, and with it a whole bunch of extremely talented artists, programmers, and musicians.

Bliss.

To have received recognition that places The Longest Journey amongst such illustrious company, therefore, means the world to me. Thirty-sixth place may not be something that secures us a spot in the limelight, but there are only a few adventures ahead of us on the list, all of them deservingly so. And just to be recognised as one of them, as a classic, that's absolutely wonderful.

From first reading about adventure games, and then playing them, and then reading about the people who make them - and then, finally, writing and designing one myself; from adventure fanboy to adventure creator...but still the fanboy at heart. There's my own personal longest journey.

(And hopefully it won't end for a good while yet.)

Here's to thirty-sixth place! Yay!  ¶ 20:44   

  It's another brilliant day today, and after enjoying my tall latte and focaccia sandwich with cream cheese in front of the laptop, I'm abandoning the Internet - and the apartment - for some fresh air, the bookstore, and whatever surprises the day may hold...and I don't intend to be back online until tomorrow evening. Enjoy your weekend, people.  ¶ 12:46   

  GameSpy's readers have voted The Longest Journey one of the most underrated games of all time. Check it out.

On a slightly similar - though strangely contradicting - note, PC Gamer UK listed TLJ at number thirty-six on their list of the Top Hundred Games Ever. My thoughts on that tomorrow. (After which I promise to shut up about anything TLJ-related for a while.)  ¶ 12:40   

  The long-promised FAQ is finally online, and you can read it here. There's currently no link to it from the front page, but I'll fix that soon.

From now on the policy is: If it's in the FAQ, I'm not answering it. So if you're wondering about something, look it up before writing the e-mail - it's quicker for you, it's less work for me. If it ain't in the FAQ, if you're wondering about something completely different, or if you have comments, suggestions, random thoughts, poetry, jokes, shopping lists, recommendations for CDs, DVDs, books, games, love-letters, grand philosophies, hate mail - anything, really - just write. I love getting reader mail, and I even post some of the e-mails here, in my journal. But please: Before asking a question that you think may have been asked before, read the FAQ. It really is quite informative.  ¶ 23:19   

  I'm attempting to get through an enormous backlog of Reader Mail, and this is the last one for today, promise.

Let me tell you a bit about my latest foray into The Longest Journey.

The first time I played it was shortly after it came out. I don't remember what lead me to the game, but I imported it over to the U.S. (this was quite a bit before the North American release). Boy, was I surprised to see the parental rating for the game stuck to the bottom of the box, hidden away. I'm used to the giant white box that is plastered to the front, obscuring the whole damn cover from view.

However, I digress.

I played it, loved it. Favorite adventure game, bar none.

But, I know you don't need any more blind praise than you already get, so I'll continue.

I played it again a few months later. Still loved it, found more nuances I had missed the first round. And I played it many times after that (about six or seven, all told).

Then, about three months ago, I played it again. Except, this time was different. I had just graduated, and summer was dropping in on me. This was before my shit job, and my $3500 film, so I was just relaxing. Glorious relaxation.

I locked myself in the computer room (which only I use, cause everyone else in my family is computer illiterate), with only a bag of cheese puffs (generic, but not bad) to sustain me.

Then, I made a journey--pun intended. Not the "oh, look, I'm playing a computer game and boy is it fun" kind of journey. No no no. This was me in the thick of it. By locking myself away, eating all meals in there on a side TV table, turning off the television, and leaving myself to it without interruptions, I was able to completely immerse myself in the world of April Ryan. To become enmeshed in the twin universes of Stark and Arcadia. To truly, honestly care for each and every one of the characters.

When I finished (after two days, only catching some zzzz's on the couch in between--timing that to when April slept in the game), I felt some tremendous sense of accomplishment. I felt grand. I felt a joy and also a melancholy for what had occurred. I felt what April was feeling when the journey ended. "You mean...it's over?" After all of that struggle, and suffering, and pain, there was...this? Well, damn, now what?

I recommend this method to all readers who can do it (if, of course, you post this and they see it--no pressure). It's like playing the game anew.

This all brings me to my point (yes, I have one).

I am worried. I am worried about TLJ.s, and what is going to happen to it once I play.

I know you've heard all of this before, and I know you've dispelled all the worry about the new "action-adventure" style that it's been given (what did you say it was? Point-and-Click 2.0?), and about the plot. But, see, I just worry that this--like almost all revisitations in a grand design--will seem almost to pale in comparison to the original. I'm afraid--genuinely afraid--that TLJ.s will make me regret ever playing it. Harsh though that sounds, I'm sure you know what I mean.

I'll compare it to Men in Black, if you will. The first one was great, the ending was heartfelt and a great closing. Then, the sequel came out, and ruined the happy filmscape of the previous one. Ruined the characters, ruined everything I cared about. I am almost trying to black it out of my memory because of that.

So, I thought, seeing as how you now know what this game means to me, that maybe you could give me--and all those worried--some kind words, or words of comfort. Not a lot to ask, I think.

I still eagerly await it, but my heart still makes me wonder...and fear...for the future.

Sincerely,
John Hall

I think a recent post of mine (this one) addressed this very issue, and I actually agree with you; messing with treasured memories can be a frightening and dangerous thing. So we tread cautiously, on hallowed ground.

My words of comfort are these: We love the first one too, and we don't want to do anything to ruin it.

There are no guarantees, however, and as with all "sequels" (a word I use hesitantly, as it's really the next chapter of a continuing saga) there is a chance that some people will be disappointed. But stick around and see what we have in store, and hopefully your fears will be quelled.  ¶ 19:00   

  Can I ask one more (without hope in answer -_- ) - if You hear Röyksopp, Kings of Convenience (or solo album of Erlend Øye). Unfortunately, I don't know more Norwegian performers ( maybe still A-ha, Anneli Drecker). But if they writed and recorded similar music readily I heard something about.

This is so fine music in autumnal weather....

For a small country, Norway actually has a lot of talented musicians and bands. Some of my current favourites are Briskeby, Nils Petter Molvær (contemporary jazz), Seven, Lene Marlin (melodious and melancholy pop; nothing groundbreaking, but pleasant background music), a-ha (still going strong, and better than ever) - some of these may be available internationally, and all are worth checking out. I'm not especially well versed in, or current on, Norwegian music, and if any of my Norwegian readers have suggestions or recommendations, let me know. I'm always in the market for new music.

Yeah, it was about 3 in the morning in my quaint little city just north of New Orleans. I'd just finished TLJ for the first time and I realized, hey!, I just finished what was probably the best storyline in a videogame ever (Myst series put to shame). Just the fact that you would be brave enough to mix such theological and mythological ideas together warrents great merit. And the acting on the part of characters like April and (my favorite) Captain Nebavey proved that there is still some hidden talent left in the industry. Not to mention, it blends into a terribly believable story. I realized that I needed more and found my way to The Divide fan site where I chanced upon the info that a new Journey will be released soon. Blessed be the sweet drunken Mo'Jaal and all his minions if this is the truth. I'm currently working the film department at University of New Orleans and trying for a few schools in Florida with an intent of working my way into the FMV/storywriting side of gaming. So maybe by the time the third one's in full swing you guys at FunCom could use a few more artists! Heh. Pipes dreams. Anyway, I just wanted the thank whoever necessary for a great Journey the first go around, and to say that I'm sure the next one will be just as deep and intriguing. Thanks, and much luck.

Thank you, and good luck yourself! This industry certainly needs more writers and directors who understand storytelling in addition to gameplay.

I've always believed that a degree in film is a good start for anyone interested in getting into the creative side of game development - especially writing and design.

Hi,

I don't care how long it takes, just make TLJ.s the best it can be.
Deadlines are BAD. Don't rush it out for xmas, but spend as much time as possable polishing it. And if you run out of ideas (unlikely I know), hire more staff - don't just throw in more combat and stupid jumping puzzles.

Good luck,
David

Don't worry, we're not rushing it for Christmas, and certainly not this Christmas. We will polish extensively when that time comes, and there will not be any stupid jumping puzzles. In fact, we're staying far, far away from stupidity altogether.

I'm not sure I agree about deadlines being "BAD", because deadlines make you finish things, which is Very Important. But too-tight deadlines are certainly not particularly productive, nor are unrealistic deadlines. Personally, I need deadlines in order to do my best work. I work well under pressure - and luckily there is plenty of that, and more to come.  ¶ 18:46   

  Hi!
I was just wondering if there is a book on the story of "The Longest Journey" or if it will be published?
Thanx for your answer.
Btw that was one of the best adventure games I played.

Ales

No book yet, but that may change. We're certainly thinking about it. It would be nice to retell the original story prior to the release of the second chapter.

And on a similar note:

I just purchased and finished playing the game a few days ago. Beautiful game, compelling story, incredible voice acting. I see you've smartly recycled the musical assets into a CD package, though I think the music itself was under-implemented in the game itself (and one production qualm is that the music themes are painfully cut-off if the scene changes abruptly--I began flinching every time it happened because it was so emotional jarring after developing an emotional groove with the game. And I was always affected as a musician/composer: Just don't like hearing music chopped off so abruptly. But enough typing in parentheses).

Would you consider putting together a book for the artwork? I.e., provide an art book containing the characters and locations, and (some) information on each specific piece of art as it relates to the amazing story? I think it would be a huge success (well, *I* would buy it). The game, is, after all, a successful compendium of art: story-telling/writing, drawing, music, and acting. I personally think the artwork is too gorgeous to be left without its own dedicated presentation medium--and, who knows? It might even be PROFITABLE? I've heard of a lot of people keeping the game installed on their computer just to "revisit" locations. It would sell well in conjunction with or slightly before the second game's release...

I really think adventure games like TLJ will energize a new era of interactive story-telling. Please, tell all involved "thanks" for such a wonderful adventure game, and congratulations to you personally for the story and the directing.

"Wow"
Ethan Young

Thank you. And thanks for the great idea - I'll certainly talk to marketing about it. We might be able to do something in connection with the release of the next Journey, as we do have a lot of conceptual artwork from both games.  ¶ 18:05   

  Beautiful autumn day today, absolutely perfect in every conceivable way.

We spent yesterday moving offices - from the 4th floor to the 5th, gathering the entire team (which is now quite large and growing ever larger) in one section - and our new digs are very nice. Currently a bit tight, perhaps, but we're pulling a wall down to give the designers more space.

Right. Need to do something else now than be online.  ¶ 21:46   

  Tonight's Quickie Review: Hitchcock's Rear Window; an expertly staged thriller that has aged incredibly well, aside from some light - and almost charmingly 1950s - sexism. With one impressive set (which feels both theatrical and real at the same time, just like New York), one small apartment, and a handful of speaking roles, Hitchcock managed to stage a tight drama that never feels claustrophobic, and although I've seen it too many times to be surprised by the plot, the interplay between the stories taking place in the various apartments is still fascinating. Even the non-speaking characters, observed from a distance, have character. And the scene where Lisa sneaks into Thorvald's apartment is classic Hitchcock - tense and thrilling, and we really have no idea how it's going to play out. I was lucky enough to happen upon the movie by accident just as it started, and I ended up watching the whole thing even though I had other plans, which is a true testament to its timeless appeal. While Vertigo remains my favourite Hitchcock movie, this is certainly a close second.  ¶ 23:52   

  Hi Ragnar

It was a pleasure to read through your lengthy text.

Pleasure and lengthy, quite ambivalent words in one and the same phrase, but that's what you do all the time, is it not?

The best entertainment in my opinion is the one that is challenging, but not overstraining, one that let's you follow on the go ('on the read' that is in your case'), but doesn't neither make one feel lagging behind nor being ahead and always know what is coming. You just found the right balance for my taste.

I marvel at your capability of writing a long text about something that could be summarized as 'TLJ.s will be a great game. Either you will like it or not.' (You never reveal more, you know that.) and still keep the interest of the reader. Anyway, I trust you. I don't know why, but I trust you all the same.

Congratulations!

grin

Thanks for summarising my article so succinctly. Sometimes it's good to be long-winded, other times it's better to be concise. (Except when you get paid by the word, of course. Then it's always smart to be long-winded.)

Hello RT,

I just read your post on Alias and I am glad to hear that you are becoming a fan. I've watched it from the beginning, and I have got my mom and some of my friends hooked on it. It should've occured to me that I should have recommended it to you. Your protagonist in TLJ was a chick, it's no coincidence you would dig Sydney Bristow (a veritable Buffy Summers). Which brings me to the true meaning of this email, how do you feel about the state of woman in tv and I suppose vides games, too. It seems to me there have been leaps and bounds made for females.

I have transcended from a mere 'fan' of Alias to a full-blown, albeit transient, disciple. Two episodes of season one to go, and I'm fearing the oncoming withdrawal. There is very little else worth watching.

As for your question, I think there have been great leaps made in recent years with the portrayal of women on TV - especially on genre shows like Buffy and Alias - but I'm not sure that the trend has carried over to other media, like movies or games.

Television is by necessity very character-driven, which makes it a good place to foster and develop strong female protagonists (and, I suppose, antagonists; women make great villains, as any man would probably attest to). Movies have less time for character development and are often more action- and plot-driven, and rely a great deal on traditional male archetypes - this is a broad generalisation, by the way, and not a Truth. Comic-books have always featured strong female characters (Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Elektra, Death), and they've been years ahead of everyone else in almost every area. The current generation of storytellers - me included - have grown up reading the great comics of the 70s, 80s and 90s, and the influence is bearing fruits as, amongst other things, strong and complex female characters.

Sadly games, as usual, lag far behind. When there are female protagonists, they often fall into the 'Lara Croft' stereotype of sexy, resourceful, athletic, masculine women with little to no depth or feminine characteristics (aside from the, uh, obvious ones). Lara Croft was a great character, but the many, many pale copies certainly aren't. There is some hope, however. Jade, the lead in Beyond Good & Evil looks intriguing and original; there's Syberia, with Kate Walker; and the Japanese survival horror games usually have strong, albeit slightly under-developed, female protagonists.

Of course, I'll have to toot my own horn for a second and mention that there will be two strong, and very dissimilar, female characters in The Longest Journey: Static. The mold is being broken, one punch at a time.

As a feminist (yes, really), my 'agenda' includes writing and developing strong female characters who will appeal equally to both sexes, strengthening the case for women in games: as prota(&anta)gonists, as designers, as players. The industry certainly needs it, and the games will benefit greatly from this sea change.

There's still a ways to go, but I actually think that comic-books, and now TV, are paving the way for more nuanced, interesting, and influential female characters - and hopefully the rest of the world will follow suit.  ¶ 17:52   

  For some strange and inexplicable reason, I'd written "tussle-haired" instead of "tousle-haired" in the previous post - twice. Never mind the fact that 'tussle' has absolutely nothing to do with 'tousle', and never mind the fact that I write for a living. Good God. Fixed now. Most of the world will never know of my embarrassment. Except that I just told everyone about it. Oops.  ¶ 01:40