Space
Quest 7: The Fangame
 Fans
in control! If there's one fangame people are waiting for with great
anticipation than it's the SQ7.Org
project. A short look through their website really shows how far
this project has got. The game itself has been in production for
about two years now. And of course they've had their setbacks. They
dropped the idea of using the AGAST game engine and started all
over from scratch, working on their own SLAGE engine. Teammates
have disappeared into thin air and harddisks have crashed. Yet,
they're still going. Much stronger than before.
They
have released a bunch of images and a very short teaser movie, just
to keep the fans quiet. But to be honest, that material is nothing
compared to what they have in store for us. The project doesn't
release much information because it doesn't want to create a hype
around a game that hasn't been released yet. Yes, even fans sometimes
have to resort to cruel corperate ideas. Hell, we fans don't even
know anything about the plot... Sariens are involved, or so I heard.
To make things even better, the release date is unkown and probably
a long time off.
So
what's taking so god damned long? Patience, my friend. The Great
Wall of China wasn't built in ten years either now was it? My point
exactly. It would be silly to copy their entire website and show
you the images they have released. After all, you can find it all
on their website.
SpaceQuest.Net will keep you updated about the latest news.
When
the project was still in its infancy, I contacted Gene Angel who
worked on the project back then. I conducted an interview to get
some information about the project. Although extremely outdated
and a bit cheezy, I decided to include it here anyway. In tradition
of SQ7.Org, the
interview didn't tell anything new either.
Frans: "Okay, let's start."
Gene Angel: "Let's make it sound official!"
Frans: "(sarcastic) Right. So, could
you please tell our fellow Space Questers who you are?"
Gene Angel: "Oh! Sorry could we start over?"
Frans: " - Sigh - ........ What an asshole
...... (long pause) Okay ........ (rewinding the cassette tape)
........ Name and occupation?"
Gene Angel:
"Ey, I heard that! I'm Gene Angel, Working AS ThE Head Of The
Newest Space Quest Project (wastehotnesqp)."
Frans:
"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What was that? (brief pause)
So, Gene, you're working on the Space Quest 7 project, right?"
Gene Angel:
"Geez, were did I got myself into this time?
Uhhhm I mean, Why yes I am! The project is moving along nicely.
I am the head of the project. I'm the boss. I make all the final
choices. Stuff like that. Feels good having total control! MMmmmmwahahahaahaha
(over done dirty laugh)."
Frans:
"(laughs) Good for you, Gene. Yeah, right! You
couldn't even control your own dog. I heard Josh Mandel is
on the project, is that true?"
Gene Angel:
"Who? Oooh, you mean Josh. Let me see. That's the nerd right?
...... Yeah, we were all very stoked about him coming aboard. Hopefully
he'll help the project be more official, then more of a fan game.
Which is the main goal."
Frans:
"Do you guys have any plans to make this project commercially
available?"
Gene Angel: "That's a good question. If you mean do we plan
to sell the game the answer is definitely no. However we do hope
to have commercial quality. That's one of the main goals in the
SQ7 project."
Frans:"HOPE
TO HAVE?"
Gene Angel: "Why do you interrupt me all the time?"
Frans: "I ask the questions here, Gene."
Gene Angel:
"- Sigh - Anyway, we're trying to work *with* Sierra. Hopefully
they'll give us the green."
Frans:
"How many people are currently working on the project?"
Gene Angel: "There are about 9 of them. They came from beneath
my bed! Huge monsters, they're just waiting for me to go to sleep.
And then they will eat me alive!!! Mom, help me, do something about
it! ...... Oooh, sorry. I got carried away, what was that question
again?"
Frans:
"Oooh brother..... Does Josh have a job? What is he doing right
now? Does he work full-time on the project? Or just like you, not
all that full time."
Gene Angel:
"Josh does have a Job. He's working for Vicarius Visions last
I heard. Which just released the latest version of Tony Hawk 2 for
the Game Boy Advance. No one really works full-time. It's more of
a spare time thing. If you have the time you work on it. If not,
then maybe tomorrow. It works like that."
Frans:
"What kind of graphics are you guys trying to use?"
Gene Angel: "Well we are using the AGAST engine. They allow
some great techniques that aren't possible with other engines. You
can expect a lot of cool shading effects, full sound support, maybe
even fog. We are using 3-D renderings of certain parts of the game,
but the game will be played mostly in traditional 2D settings."
Frans:
"Could give me a basic plot?"
Gene Angel: "Well... (nervously searches for some papers)....
What I *CAN* tell you is that Vohaul is gone, and the Sariens will
take it over for him. There will definitely be some interesting
plots themes going on. Nothing I can really reveal just yet."
Frans:
"Why do you think fans want to see old characters again?"
Gene Angel: "It's not so much as we want to bring back old
characters, as it is that Vohaul is kinda recycled by the Two Guys.
You probably know how your steak looks like after you chewed on
it for several days. We wanted something a little more fresh, and
Josh has come up with some really cool stuff for the Sariens. We
only really saw them once in SQ1, and we don't really know much
about them."
Frans:
"Like the Sariens are new, sheesh! Does the game going to have
voices?"
Gene Angel: "Yes, we plan to support full voice work and CD
quality sound."
Frans: "So the game is going to be released
on cd-rom then?"
Gene Angel: "Though we will try to help out people with narrow
band connections. Give them other options."
Frans:
"Are you talking to yourself again? I asked if the game was
going to be released on cd-rom. Do you actually listen to what I
say?"
Gene Angel: "We're thinking of possibly using ISO's so people
can burn the game onto cd's. We may or may not distribute CD's."
Frans:
"And what about Gary Owens, who was the narrator of Space Quest
4 and 6, will he make his comeback in the computer game industry?"
Gene Angel:
"Well, as much as we would love to have Gary...that's just
not thinking realistically."
Frans:
"$$$, right?"
Gene Angel: "Exactly! You took the words right out of my mouth!"
Frans:
"Calm down, Gene. Do you guys have a budget or a sponsor?"
Gene Angel: "I talked to Josh about this. Our budget is limited
to the 47 cents in my pocket. We might do a sponsor, but I really
doubt it..... Really truly doubt it. Don't blame me, Josh is the
only one in the team with a decent job. I told him he should cough
up the half-a-million bucks needed for our game. But you know Josh,
he just looked at me, and then he laughed at me. Weirdest guy I
have ever seen.
Frans:
"Yeah, I'd bet! Well, okay....... Hey Gene! Would you look
at the time! I gotta go, my pod is double hoovered."
Gene Angel: "All right, my butt hurts anyway, and I'm missing
the Cowboys game!"
Frans:
"Talk to you later, thanks!"
...............
Gene Angel: "That was it right? So, when do I get my cash?"
Frans: "Cash? Now what a minute!"
-disconnects from the internet-
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