| Sierra
Newsletter Fall/Winter 1988
 The
Fall/Winter 1988 (volume 1 number 4) issue is a quite interesting
magazine for Space Quest fans. First of all, the Space Quest II
game was already on the shelves for some time and was selling quite
well. Second, the upcoming Space Quest III was deliberately postponed
by the Two Guys for a few months so that they could make use of
Sierra's new SCI engine.
The
magazine features several articles about the new game GoldRush!
(the last AGI game), Manhunter New York and King's Quest IV. And,
of course, articles of the new SCI technology (the same engine that
SQ3 uses. It enabled real music to be used in computer games for
the very first time and it featured a much higher resolution).
The
entire magazine can be viewed and downloaded from the following
site: http://sierra.icequake.net.
has gathered all the Space Quest related articles of this issue
for you below.
Heard
It In the Hallway (Sierra's Rumor Mill) -
Space Quest III part + more
A very
early look at what lies ahead for Sierra in 1989/90, by
Johnny Magpie
First
the bad news. In 1989, there will not be a new King's Quest, there
will be no Police Quest III nor a Leisure Suit Larry III. Chances
are, we won't even see anther hot new action game from Game Arts
of Japan. Roberta Williams (designer of the King's Quest series)
is taking a sabbatical from Daventry for a while, and Jim Walls
(Police Quest) is taking a 10-7 from his work at the Lytton police
station.
Now
for the good news...
Space
Quest III is on schedule for a February release, and it promises
to be the very best Space Quest yet. Originally schedules for release
in 1988, the project was held back by the Two Guys from Andromeda
so they could use Sierra's new SCI technology to get the job done.
According
to Scott Murphy "... We wanted to do a hot soundtrack for the
game (they've enlisted help from Supertramp recording star Bob Siebenberg
to do the music) and dazzling special effects that are expected
from space games. We needed the new graphics resolution [of SCI]
to design the dogfights in the game. We wanted to be competitive
with Steven Spielberg and we couldn't do it unless we improved our
graphics resolution..."
Look
for Two Guys Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe to make a cameo role in
their own game!...
Speaking
of Mark Crowe, Mark just finished work in a self-proclaimed "B-Grade
Horror Movie" called Night Drop. He's now starting work on
a horror adventure game. Mark isn't saying much about the project,
but "expect it to be a whole lot scarier than Uninvited was..."
Don't expect it in 1989 though, it's slated for a January 1990 release!...
Looking
ahead a little less farther, we see Sierra's first true fantasy
role-playing game since Ultima. New Hero's Quest (working title)
promises to be what 3-D Animated Adventure was to Interactive Fiction.
Hero's Quest is being designed by accomplished dungeonmaster Lori
Ann Cole. Expect it to have the look of the Sierra family of games.
Mark Crowe's brother, Jeff, is designing the graphics for the game.
Expect to see FRP Games as you've never seen them before!...
Also
look for a new sequel to the shocking Manhunter series in 1989...
(the article continues with non Space Quest related stuff)
Comin'
Atcha! ad - complete
 The
advertisement is some kind of teaser for several upcoming Sierra
titles of the year 1989, which includes Space Quest 3. Monolith
Burger, a Skull Fighters and the Two Guys can be seen in public
for the very first time. Please click on the image (192
KB) on the left for a complete view.
Sierra
Ships New Titles for IIGS -
SQ related part only
Apple
IIGS owners can look forward to loads of exciting new titles to
add to their software library! Shipping now are King's Quest II,
King's Quest III, Space Quest II, and Manhunter: New York, four
of Sierra's hit 3-D Animated Adventure games.
...
(article continues with non SQ related stuff)
Space
Quest II is the latest in Sierra's line of 3-D Animated Adventures.
Join sanitation engineer turned space hero Roger Wilco as you face
the evil scientist Sludge Vohaul and his monkey-suited minions.
The
graphics in the Apple IIGS version are as sharp and defined as anything
Sierra has ever done. As for sound effects, they are phenomenal!
Listen to Vohaul's life support system, as digital sound effects
give you the full chilling sound of his evil heartbeat. Listen to
the woosh of airlocks, the blast of laser guns and Roger Wilco being
zapped electrically, all in super stereo sound!
...
(article continues with non SQ related stuff)
Three
More Sierra Games Go for the Gold!
- complete article
Very few software products are good enough to command sales of 100,000
units, and only the very best titles earn the covetted SPA Gold
Medal from the Software Publishers Association. The SPA actually
does an audit of company sales figures to verify sales levels of
bestselling titles, so it isn't a small achievement when one is
awarded.
With
this in mind, Sierra is proud to announce that it has been awarded
not one - but three - SPA Gold Medals since our last newsletter
in May. Titles awarded gold medals include: King's Quest III, Space
Quest and Thexder.
According
to Sierra Marketing Director John Williams, the achievement of these
awards is a special thrill for the company. "Each of the titles
awarded the Gold Award continues to be a top seller," said
Williams. Williams was especially happy about the success of Thexder,
Sierra's first arcade title since 1985. "We were pleased to
see that Sierra customers still love a good arcade challenge. Thexder
went over well here in America - it was our bestselling title last
Christmas."
Sierra
now holds eight SPA Gold Medals, and is preparing to receive its
first Platinum Medal (for sales in excess of 250,000 units) sometime
before next newsletter.
Sierra's
Top 5 Bestsellers:
1.
King's Quest IV
2 Police Quest
3 King's Quest III
4 Space Quest II
5 Leisure Suit Larry
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