Hi, Al.

1. Today is the era of Internet. You have spent more than 20 years in the game industry. Do you think that the power of adventure games can be combined with Internet to give birth to (massive) on-line multiplayer game adventures?

I once did, but then, after years of trying (see next question) to come up with a solution, I decided that the technology just wasn't advanced enough to allow us to accomplish such a game. Now, it is (although I question your parenthetical word). I think players can share duties in an adventure as long as they have a way to also discuss potential solutions. IM provides that. But the puzzles must be created in such a way as to further these goals.

2. I asked you this question because you said that Leisure Suit Larry 4 was meant to be some kind of network adventure game, but the project failed. Has the time come for Larry 4 to be made?

That was the original plan, but it turned out that "Pre-Inventing the Internet" was a little more difficult than we suspected! (English) Readers can see the whole story at my web site, www.allowe.com/l-land.htm

No, it's not time for Larry 4, because that implies a step backwards. I've always wanted to move forward, not only in the technology, but in the amount of humor, the quality of graphics, the level of the voice-over talent, everything.

3. Do you know that there are free project like Sarien - http://sarien.sourceforge.net, for emulating AGI engine, and FreeSCI - http://freesci.linuxgames.com for emulating the SCI engine to allow games to be played on multiple OS's and platforms? Sierra, the company, isn't supporting any of these projects. They know about their existence but that's all. The guys from these projects are reverse-engineering the AGI and SCI engine, which is a slow process. Why does Sierra have such an attitude?

Yes, I know about those and other attempts to reverse-engineer Sierra's languages. If I were in charge of Sierra, and I had no further use for tools we had abandoned, I would open source them, and allow anyone to use them as long as they provided Sierra with a credit in the game. I'd consider it "giving something back to gamers." Of course, I'm not in charge of Sierra and never will be.

4. What are your personal feelings towards such projects?

Truthfully? I would never spend my time that way, because if Sierra wanted to "crack down" on them, they could, and all their work could be lost. I think it would be far better to work on an engine that was more advanced that either AGI or SCI. I would caution anyone working on a "fan game" that they should not use any of Sierra's art or animation or characters. Create your own ideas; don't copy someone else's.

5. Sierra didn't release its AGI engine, or its early SCI engine to the public. Why not? Are they trying to sell it for money? Or, are they are waiting for better times for the adventure game industry to come?

As far as I know, they have simply abandoned all those tools for better ones. I know of no games currently in development at Sierra that use SCI (and none have used AGI for a dozen or more years!). Years ago, I suggested that Sierra license SCI, but they didn't think the small amount of money it would bring in would be worth the hassle of collecting and supporting it.

6. There are free projects, developed and maintained by volunteers all over the Internet, like Linux, Apache Web Server, that are big successes. Do you think that if SCI or AGI became a free project, it would become the most powerful game engine ever developed, because there are so many people interested in taking part in such project?

No. I believe in capitalism. If you want to create a great engine, do it. If it's really good, you'll be able to license it to others and receive something for your efforts.

7. It's believed that the adventure game industry is dead. But games like Monkey Island from LucasArts are selling many copies worldwide. Sometimes there are cycles in the evolution of game industries. Do you think that the glorious time of adventure games will ever return?

I hope that someday soon story-based games will become popular again. And surely, someday people will develop a sense of humor again, and long for games that make them laugh. Will those games be "Adventure Games" (as in days of old)? I doubt it. I think the market has moved on and a new genre will emerge, melding story with other forms of game play to create something even better.

8. Some of the Sierra "Quest" game series have so much loyal fans that even now they respect and long for Roger Wilco, Larry Laffer, and Sir Graham. The need for new series led to fan-made sequels, like the sequel of Space Quest - The Lost Chapter - http://frostbytei.com/space/. What will be your reaction if you see a fan-made sequel of Larry?

There are already Larry fan games; I won't mention any specifically, but they exist. The ones I've seen are okay, but suffer from primitive graphics, obtuse puzzles and unprofessional writing. Can someone write a great game? Sure, but it's a lot of work and it doesn't come quick and easy.

9. What's going on with Larry, Larry Laffer? Does Sierra hold the right to use Larry for new games in the series? Since you created Larry and he owes so such to you, do you feel like you have been robbed?

The contract that I signed with Sierra clearly stated that the games I created were "work for hire," a rather specific legal phrase in the USA that means Sierra keeps all the rights. I was well paid for the work I did; I knew what I was getting into. No, I don't feel robbed. But I do wish they wouldn't just let Larry die without a "proper burial."

10. If someone invites you to take part in the development of fan-made sequel of Larry, will you accept?

No. I've had my fun with Larry. But no one should use Larry (or any of the other Sierra-owned characters I created) in his game. If someone wants to create a new game, let him create his own character, and I hope that he would be even better than Larry.


Larry, Larry Laffer

11. What do you think Larry is doing at the moment? Drinking soda on a beach, while doing some undercover work for CIA? :)

I picture Larry in a small prison cell in the basement of Sierra's office, where he's fed Diet Coke and salami, with a well-used subscription to Playboy, and he's never let out to exercise. Larry, of course, would never know that such a situation was supposed to be punishment! <grin>

12. You are one of the best adventure game developers ever. You, your games and humor have been an inspiration for a lot of people. Who inspires you? Whom do you admire?

I appreciate humor in many forms, stand-up comedy, movies, musicals, writing. As you might suspect, I love the Farrelly brothers, and nearly any dumb bawdy comedy (i.e., most American "coming of age" movies). That said, I also like great creative writers, like songwriters Dave Frishberg and Bob Dorough. And weekly humor columnist for the Miami Sun, Dave Barry always makes me laugh. David Letterman. Billy Crystal. On and on and on…

13. Your games have been teaching us many things for a long time. And you are a good teacher. What would you like to teach us today?

Don't steal software, whether it's games, or music, or DVDs that you copy to your hard drive. People like me (and you, if you want to get into the business) work day and night for months, perhaps years, to create something that they hope will please you. If you like it, they've succeeded. That should be worth a little something from you, i.e., a little money. Yeah, I know you're short of money. Yeah, I know no one will ever know. But you know. And when companies can no longer afford to make adventure games because they don't make back enough money to pay off their development costs, you'll stop getting new games to play. Have I made my point?

14. And finally, what is the one interview question that you have never been asked, but wished you could answer?

Q. "Do people often confuse you with Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

A. "Yes, they do!"

No, wait. I've got another one:

Q. "Isn't your web site www.allowe.com ?"

A. "Yep. Come on by! And while you're there, sign up for my free daily joke email, CyberJoke 3000™."

15. Okay, Al. Thank you for your patience and have a nice day with your LoveMaster 3000!

Who told you about that!?!