Space
Quest 1 Funfacts EGA version
Scott
and Mark first met eachother during work on "the Black Cauldron"
game. The two got together and decided to do a game of their own,
in their favorite genre - science fiction. The Two Guys were determined
and in their spare time programmed what later became the first four
rooms the Sarien Encounter. Ken loved the demo and gave them green
light to proceed. Mark did the graphics, key puzzles and the basic
storyline while Scott programmed and provided the sardonic humor
and dialog. The rest, is history.
Mark
Crowe: "The idea of having alter designer egos did not occur
until late in development. We were winding down and had to start
thinking about things like credits. I thought it would be a hoot
to be these two alien dudes and have our picture on the back of
the box. It just went with the whole wacky space thing. I think
the point back then was to make fun of the other designers of the
day who had this rock star mentality and had to have thier mugs
all over the product. Scott concurred and I picked up these funky
red mohawk bald head things for us to wear. We did not have time
to throw together space costumes so Scott came up with the idea
to wear touristy hawaiian shirts and go have our picture taken in
Yosemite like we were on vacation. The "Two guys" thing
we borrowed from a east coast pizza chain "Two Guys from Italy".
I thought "Yeah! Scott and me--we're just two guys makin' software!"
Thus, the Two Guys were born."
 Kick
one of your dead crew mates in Space Quest 1 EGA and you'll lose
one point! But who would do such a thing?
Type
"holy shit" when playing with the slot machine. Beating
the machine will be an easy one! This works only in game version
2.2.
The
title theme song is composed by Mark Crowe.
The
Apple IIgs version of Space Quest 1 replaced the purple sky of Kerona
with a dull looking orange. Please click
here for a screenshot.
When
you sell the land skimmer upon your arrival in Ulence Flats you
can only "look skimmer" in versions 1.1a and 2.2, getting
one of two messages ("You watch as the skimmer is driven away
by it's new owner." OR "The skimmer is attempting to leave.
Get out of the way, you geek!"). In version 1.0x you can't
look at the skimmer or it's owner as it flies away.
There's
a weird bug that can occur when loading your navigational droid
into the cruiser. If you stand in front of the ladder and enter
(warm up your typing skills) "climb ladder" and then "press
button" really quickly (the idea is to hit enter on "press
button" before Roger is finished climbing the ladder), the
droid will not load straight up into the ship but at a diagonal
- up and to the left. Is this the prescence of an earlier, different
loading animation intended for a different type ship? This bug is
only present in game versions 1.0x and 1.1a and NOT in version 2.2.
Additionally, in any version of Space Quest I EGA you can keep the
droid loading continually by hitting F3 and enter over and over
again -- in the case of this bug, the droid dances diagonally across
the screen.
Okay,
here's a weird one. A telephone number Sierra used back in 1988
was (209) 683-6858. The last four numbers are "6858" is
the code used to disable the Star Generator.
The
song played by ZZ Top is called "Sharp Dressed Man" from
their 1983 album "Eliminator". The Blues Brothers are
playing "Can't Turn You Loose", which is included on the
soundtrack "Blues Brothers 2000".
When starting Space Quest 1, you are asked to enter your name. If
you don't enter a name your name will automatically be "Roger
Wilco". Many people think this name was introduced in Space
Quest 3, but as you can see here, that's not true.
The
first version of Space Quest 1 EGA was released in 1986 and the
game kept coming out in newer versions until the end of 1987. There
are a few pretty interesting differences between the oldest and
newest version which are listed below. One of the version numbers
out there are: 1.0X, 1.1A, 2.2 and possibly many others.
- Version 1.0X didn't use the menu version 2.2 used (which you bring
up with the escape button). Instead, pressing escape will bring
up the PAUZE feature. Speed control is much much better in version
2.2. If you run "fast mode" in 1.0X the game is almost
unplayable. This is because later versions included the latest AGI
interpreters engine available.
-
After entering a new screen, your character will stop. In version
2.2 he'll continue walking.
-
Some changes were made concerning the parser. The most notable difference
is that you can "insert cartridge in slot" in the underground
settlement of the Keronians to read about Slash Vohaul. This is
actually the ONLY command which works with versions 1.0X. Later
versions also allowed the command: "put card in slot".
While inserting something into a slot makes a lot of sense, I think
many non-native speakers got stuck there. Imagine you can't use
the command TAKE or GRAB but only GET. Can get quite a challenge
that way.
 -
In version 1.0X you could type "Ken" (referring to Ken
Williams, the big boss of Sierra in those days) in the first screen
of the Arcada. Ken would walk into the screen and complain that
the game was behind schedule. This does NOT work with version 2.2.
My guess is that Ken made the Two Guys remove that gag in later
releases.
 -
To your left is a Model DX Retrieval Unit from the data archive
room, right? WRONG! In 1.0X of the Sarien Encounter this unit is
described as a D12 model. The DX Model also has a longer claw.
-
Then, of course, we have the famous Droids'R'Us scene, which was
later changed on into Droids'B'us. Interesting detail is that also
the coupon supplied with the game package was changed. Needless
to say, the Droids'R'us coupon is a collectors item (read about
the law suit in the VGA section of the funfacts).
-
The slot machine "holy shit" gag / debug doesn't work
in version 1.0X, which surprised me. Also, I found out the slot
machine is a little bit harder to beat in 1.0X, but that might as
well be my terrible luck.
 -
The biggest difference is actually the Orat puzzle. Let's start
with version 2.2. Orat is in his cave waiting for you to walk in.
If the spider droid falls down from the sky, returning to the cave
will reveal an empty one. Guess Orat decided to go hunting for Grell.
If you want to make Orat collide with the spider droid, you'll have
to successfully visit the holographic image. In version 1.0X the
Orat puzzle is a little bit more refined. You see, Orat isn't there
at all unless you've spoken with the Keronian leader. Who, of course,
sends you out to capture the Orat. Now you can capture that savage
beast using either your dehydrated water or with help from the spider
droid. When the droid is on the scene, get your butt to Orat's cave
and hide behind the rocks - as seen on the left bottom side of the
screen. Orat will appear from the hollows you see in the top right
position of the screen. He walks very slowly this time, way different
if you were alone with the guy. The spider will enter momentarily
and both guys will head straight for each other until physical contact
has been established. Unless you're in the way. I found the message
that comes with the explosion is pretty funny: "The cave
interior now features a lovely new jagges Metal / Liberated Entrails
motive. The stench? Whew! Not even an all-text adventure would attempt
that description." But that certainly isn't the end of
story. Do you remember that natural land bridge which cracks beneath
your feet if you walk on it? With version 2.2 it's possible to cross
the bridge only once: from east to west en-route to the underground.
With version 1.0X you might have a serious problem. I'll explain.
As I told you, Orat isn't there when you first enter the cave. You
must first meet the Keronian leader in the underground. This means
you'll have to cross the bridge one time. After you've spoken to
the guy, he'll kick you back onto the surface. That's the second
time you'll need to cross the bridge. That is, if you want to meet
Orat. And of course, when you've completed your assignment you need
to get back underground, thus crossing the bridge one last time.
This leaves little room for error. Everybody knows the bridge will
cave-in after 5 crossings. This means if you did everything according
to the book there is no return. Yes, you can cross it again but
walking back is not an option anymore. To me, this entire scene
is much more challenging than in version 2.2. And much more fun
too.
Webmaster's note 2019: This doesn't seem to be correct as
I, and others who own version 1.0X, have discovered that Orat does
indeed show up before visiting the hologram underground. Perhaps
this isn't true of all 1.0X versions? I'm leaving this up for
posterity, but know that there's a strong possibility that this isn't
actually factual information judging from others' experiences.
As
you can see in the menu bar of Space Quest 1 EGA, you can get a
maximum of 202 points. But if you know some tricks, you can actually
get 205 and even 207 points! Here are some tips:
- When you've entered the Deltaur through the airlock, get inside
the trunk as usual. When you've reached the laundry room, exit the
trunk and close it. Climb on the trunk and use your army knife to
open the vent. Climb in the vent and return to the laundry room
again. This will award you with some extra points.
- You'll also get an extra point if you kiss a Sarien guard. Scott
Murphy adds: "Kissing the Sarien was all Ken Williams' doing.
We let him do some programming and just because he runs the company
he thinks he can do whatever he wants. Go figure."
- Try talking to a Sarien guard. When he asks you if you've played
King's Quest II, say "yes".
- Get the second grenade in the weapon room after you've dropped
the first to kill the Star Generator guard. Simply give the droid
your ID-card again and quickly take the other grenade.
This
will earn you 205 points! Game version 1.0X is slightly different,
though. The One point score in the vents on the Deltaur has been
re-allocated in later versions. In version 1.1a and 2.2 you get
one point for exiting the vent back into the laundry room. In version
1.0x that point is found by entering the vent, going left to the
ladder, down one screen and right until you crush your nose on another
vent. "Kick vent" for the extra point. Here is the breakdown:
Version
1.1a and 2.2:
Ride trunk to laundry room (3 points)
Enter vent (2 points)
Kick other vent, one screen down (0 points)
Exit vent back to laundry room (1 point)
Version
1.0x:
Ride trunk
to laundry room (3 points)
Enter vent (2 points)
Kick other vent, one screen down (1 point)
Exit vent back to laundry room (0 points)
BUT
WAIT, there's more! In version 1.0x you can get 207 of 202 points!
When the escape pod crash lands on Kerona, type "get kit",
then "look kit", then "get kit" again and you'll
take the Xenon Survival Kit twice. There will only be one in your
inventory but you'll get an extra 2 points - 207 of 202 (of course,
you must do the other extra's described above)!
When
you shoot a Sarien, you'll earn a couple of points. However, if
you shoot another one, you'll start losing points (you're blowing
your cover!). Now, the interesting part is that there's a bug in
the point system. Continue shooting Sariens until you've got no
points left. When you shoot another Sarien, you'll get 254 points
all of the sudden! For gun food, just walk out of a room, and return
over and over again. Sariens appear at random.
Included
in the box of the original release of Space Quest 1 EGA are two
coupons. One for the Droids-B-Us store and the other one for the
Oasis Bar. The fun is you can actually use these coupons in the
game. When buying your droid at Droids-B-Us, Roger will give one
of the coupons automatically, but in the bar you have to type "GIVE
THE COUPON". For your trouble, you'll receive 5 bucks and a
Keronian Ale from the bartender. These coupons aren't included in
most collections and budget releases.
As
shown in the pictures above, there are actually two versions of
the Droid-B-Us coupons out there. It's obvious that the lawsuit
had something to do with it. It seems that Sierra was forced to
change the the "R" from earlier game versions into the
"B". My guess is Toys-R-Us were pleased enough with this
change and left Sierra alone after this change was made. Click on
the coupons for a close up.
 Some
of the first Space Quest 1 boxes have the picture of The Two Guys
mirrored by mistake (see picture on the left). According to Scott
Murphy some doofus doing the final layout for that box put the film
in backwards. There are only a few thousand of these out there.
The Sierra Newsletter Vol 1 #2 announces this little mistake.
Space
Quest 1 Funfacts VGA version
All the foreign versions of Space Quest 1 (and SQ4Disk) also have
the English language files included. Just go to the control panel
and click on the Sierra About Logo. The last button on the right
changes it from English to whatever the foreign language you're
playing. Apparently, SQ1VGA and SQ4Disk are the only Sierra games
that include this option.
 When
you die during the skimmer sequence, the amiga version of SQ1VGA
let's you choose to "try again". The original PC version only
gives you the options to "Restore", "Restart" and "Quit".
At
the end of SQ1VGA, the scene changes from the last scene
to the credits and a familiar tune is played. This little piece
of music is poking fun at Star Wars. John Williams, composer
of the
Star Wars music, always adds the same tune to all of the Star
Wars films as they change
from the last scene to the credits. You can download a MP3 clip here (191
KB). It's from the
Star Wars soundtrack and the Space Quest 1 VGA soundtrack. The
similarities are obvious.
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