On TV

Leo Hi. I have some friends in high places who can get us on TV. Wanna go for it? ???
Leo I don't mean "us", I mean SCI and AGI
Brian_Provinciano How so? What kind of stuff would be on TV about it? Would it be like a news report? Please give me more info!
Leo I think I could get it on Tech TV's Call For Help. It might be brief, and might not work out at all. I also might be able to get it on Tech TVs The ScreenSavers. I can't promise anything though. I wanted to check with you guys in case we got too much of Sierra's attention.
aaronix Leo - that's awesome! Who do you know from the Call for Help staff?

I did a segment with Chris Pirillo (host) on TechTV's Call for Help a few months ago... (see the following URL for the page that went with the show segment: http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/howto/story/0,24330,3383421,00.html .)
Also, Im currently an author on a book project (sponsored by Microsoft, AOL, Apple Computers among others...) with Chris Pirillo (host of Call for Help) and John Dvorak (PC Computing Chief Editor) entitled ONLINE! scheduled for release late this spring....

What a small, small world this is! :D

Eigen, Sp4hn, Lightfoot and I (from this forum) are currently hard at work on an SCI fan-made game called "They Live" which will be a compliment story to Night of the Living Dead trilogy... Let me know when you make the request to get SCI/AGI on the air via Call for Help, and I'll call Chris to see if I can get portions of our fan-made game aired on that particular segment along with any other specific fan made games that you guys might like to see aired like Space Quest: Lost Chapter, or Al Pond, or etc.....

Leo - if you need any help getting this segment setup on TechTV, let me know....

AaronW.




aaronix FYI - don't click on the link within my posting. In order to view, you need to copy and paste the full URL path in your browser....

AaronW.
CapTAmerik@ It's great that you all are so supportive of the idea, but I think we need to consider the chances that we take, by going live with this. I'm sure Sierra wouldn't appreciate 'us' taking the bragging rights about their engine.

For myself, I'm working on getting exposure in Dutch software-magazines (surely not to attract any Sierra eyes), but that is as far as I would take it.

Just my two cents,
CaptAmerik@
Kon-Tiki I'm sure Al Lowe wouldn't care less 'bout it (or in the contrary, he'd encourage it), but, if I'm correct, he doesn't own the rights. Be carefull with the copyrights when doing this. You can go on in an underground kinda way (like Cappy does), or take it on really carefully and diplomatically, so that Sierra won't rise up against us. Try to get some information 'bout it first, then see what you do.

-Kon-Tiki-
Zonkie Wouldn't it be okay if the show would start by saying how great those Sierra games were, and then starting that the engine was free for use and how a community of fans have started to program their own games and then give some examples? So that it would be clear how much we admire Sierra for creating SCI etc and that we aren't simply "robbing" them of the technique, but rather try to keep SCI alive.
Lightfoot I thought copyrights had a 15 year limit before the they became public domain.
aaronix Wow.. I didn't realize that Sierra might not be to thrilled with this kind of attention.... Maybe we could call a Sierra Rep and get a confirmation from them first?

Or is that essentially the same as stepping into a lion cage with a large hungry lion? ???

AaronW.
Lightfoot Sierra is really stubborn.

I run a Net Cafe and I contacted them about Site Licensing for Sierra games. They wanted ludicrous amounts for Half-Life and mod's which if I recall correctly was released five years ago.

I don't know how they would feel about SCI, but I wouldn't let on that we are using it, rather that we would like to. Then they should not bother investigating.

You'd think they would be thrilled seeing as no one is using it except us, as far as I know. But you never know with a company like Sierra. They don't even have old games like KQ1 for download on their website. They should, I wouldn't buy it unless it was 5$ for the entire series.
Lightfoot I was wrong, in canada, the copyright expires 50 years after the death of the creator.
RJD I think we should wait to see if the rumored Space Quest 7 is true. If nothing comes up, I think we should go for it! If you haven't heard about the rumors go to the link.

wiw.org/~jess/sq7.html
The Ultimo I reckon that we should do it carefully. But, they shouldn't really to be able to flame us for making original games. There is only two or three that are remaking their games, and they know about SQ: TLC that Vonster did.

The SQ7 project has on board one of the co-creators of SQ6 and Sierra aren't saying anything. Then, Tierra have been remaking games like KQ 1, 2 and also Quest for Glory. Sierra hasn't stopped them, and Roberta Williams loved what they did with the games.

I think it would be good for publicity, to get a few more people re-interested in the good old days of adventure gaming.

- Ultimo
mr-t
Lightfoot wrote:

Sierra is really stubborn.

I run a Net Cafe and I contacted them about Site Licensing for Sierra games. They wanted ludicrous amounts for Half-Life and mod's which if I recall correctly was released five years ago.

I don't know how they would feel about SCI, but I wouldn't let on that we are using it, rather that we would like to. Then they should not bother investigating.

You'd think they would be thrilled seeing as no one is using it except us, as far as I know. But you never know with a company like Sierra. They don't even have old games like KQ1 for download on their website. They should, I wouldn't buy it unless it was 5$ for the entire series.


They would be charing a large amount because Counter-Strike (an HL mod) is the most popular online FPS.
Kon-Tiki Maybe we should ask Roberta Williams and Scott Murphy 'bout it first (don't know 'bout Ken Williams, maybe we should ask him as well...)
When they all agree, I guess it's fairly safe to say you can go ahead with it.

-Kon-Tiki-
Brian_Provinciano SCI Studio itself is mine, not Sierra's. Asking Sierra would be like asking Intel and Microsoft if I can show my programs since they use Microsoft Windows on PCs. Also, as I repeatedly state, I make it for creating new games, not for editing Sierra's. Besides, SCI Studio can't really break copy protection, since it doesn't edit scripts. You would need to use external tools to accomplish that. Another thing is that I'd make a good $$$ bet that Sierra wouldn't even respond to the query, or if they did, it would be a vague prewritten response.

I don't worry about Sierra anymore. They are too busy with Half Life and such than to deal with the old stuff. They aren't the same people who developed the adventures, and couldn't really care less. The only thing about they pay attention to is when they can rerelease them again for another extra buck.

Also, I really respect The Williams, Scott Murphy, Al Lowe, and all the greats, but they no longer own/work for Sierra, and would have no official say in the matter. In my opinion though, their opinions on their projects are the only ones that really count. If Roberta Williams loves Tierra's remakes, then awesome! If the faceless people now at Sierra have a problem with them, I couldn't care less. They may _own_ King's Quest, but it will always be the Williams' game. They can technically buy it, but can never really buy it from them, know what I mean?

I say go for it, as soon as I release 2.15 with all the bugs fixed (soon). Heck, I'll even go on the show as a guest if I can. It's only a two hour flight from here. I'd love to be on the Screen Savers and meet Leo, Patrick, Martin, Yoshi, and maybe even Woz! There's no question it would SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY boost the traffic. Think of how many people will be like "hey, I rememebr those games, I always wanted to make one of my own...".
Leo Great! I think aaronix could do a better job of getting us on though. He has been on Call For Help before, and knows Chris/ I just know some people, who might not even work for TechTV anymore... I can still try, though.
The Ultimo Well, if this all does happen, would somebody be able to send me a tape? I don't live in the UK, as I'm in Australia and we don't get these shows. :'(

- Ultimo
RJD I can try. I'm in South Florida.
aaronix Ok... Leo - so long as Im not stepping on your toes, as this was your original posting after all!!!! ::)
I'd be happy to talk to Chris about this.
I think it would be a terrific story! And I know they are always trying to fill air time with quality unique stories..
and this is a story that hasn't been done (at least I think anyways...)

AaronW.
aaronix Ok, I've sent the message on it's way to Chris, who's the host of Call for Help on TechTV.

I'm pasting below for you all to read.

I'll also post his response when it comes in.

================================

Chris,

I know you
aaronix #########################
Chris Wrote:

Very cool! But how do I play 'em? :)

C


#########################
My Reply:

Terrific Question!

Visit the following website:

http://www.classicgaming.com/agisci/fangames.shtml

You'll find a TON of fan made games to choose from.
The value of the gaming experience depends on several factors
including the creators ability to:
1) Commit time to the project
2) Spend time with the AGI Tool Tutorials
3) Create nice looking scenes & sprites
4) Come up with a terrific story!

If you want a couple of really good examples of pure talent,
I suggest:

1) Space Quest - The Lost Chapter
For this one, visit the official website at
http://frostbytei.com/space/

2) Time Quest
3) V: The Graphic Adventure

Some of the other games offered from this site don't include the Sierra Adventura Game Interpreter (they lack the executable to start the game).
Generally you can copy over the executable to fix, but it's generally easier to stick to the games that are already bunded with interpreter.

Simply download the .zip for the game (by clicking on the 3.5 disk icon from the page).
You'll need to log into your GameSpy account (or create new FREE account) as you'll need to download file from GameSpy's FilePlanet, using Free Public Servers, not HighSpeed Servers Paid Service.
One major convenience is that these games are usually only a couple hundred kilobytes, so it's a fast download for average 56k user.
Extract the files from the .zip to a new folder.
jump into your new folder, and run the executable file


Here's a couple more URLs for downloading different fan made games.

http://www.hot.ee/alpond/al.html (for the cool Al Pond series)
http://www.hot.ee/alpond/fan.html (for more free games)

This should get you started. :)

AaronW.


###########################
Pending Response from Chris
aaronix Response from Chris: (from earlier thread)

Too coool. ;)

C

########################
My Reply:

Let's put a segment together for your show, Chris!!! :D

########################
Pending Response from Chris...

aaronix Response from Chris (from previous thread):

Workin on it. :)

C

##########################
My Reply:

Too Cool!!! I'll be standing by... :-)

##########################
Pending Response from Chris...
Brian Provinciano . My hard drive died and I lost everything! I hadn't backed up in two weeks, and it will be at least a month before I have it back. Damn IBM brand stuff sucks! That's my second bad hard drive in a row, the third in our family in the past year, two of which were IBM!

I will be buying a new HD tomorrow and reinstall everything, then whip up a quick compiler fixed SCI Studio 2.14. Then, shortly after, release a rewritten 2.15 as it was lost.

Oh well, my HD died Thursday, so I'm over it, but just do me a favor--don't buy IBM brand hard drives, you'll be doing yourself a favor! They only have one servicing location in all of North America, and it takes them 14 days just to get to the device after they receive it!

Sorry about this, but when 2.15 is done, all of Tech TV's viewers will have a great, solid tool to work with.
Timmy Awww Brian! Doncha just hate it when that happens? I certainly do, I hate rewriting code - 99% of the time I forget an addition that I've made.

Ahh well bad things happen to the best of us at times.

Good luck getting back on track Brian!

Oh, a word of advice: buy a Seagate HD. They're the best in the business.
aaronix ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
IT'S A GO!!!!!!!!!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Here's the latest email from TechTV Booking Manager:

Hi Aaron-
I was forwarded your email by Chris. I then sent it through our
confirmation process with a big thumbs up from me and it came back APPROVED.
Please drop me a line and we can talk about possible dates. I hope you are well
and thanks for the pitch. This should be a kickass segment.


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
My Reply:

Good to talk with you again.

I agree. This is going to be a VERY COOL segment! I know it hasn't been done before either!
Just the idea that you can still play these adventure games is cool, not counting the fact that easy-to-learn tools exist to create your own adventure game!!! :)

I'm excited about coming up to San Fransisco for this segment. What are your thoughts on timing?

I'd really like to have Brian Provinciano join us on this segment if at all possible. He's expressed interest in doing this segment. More importantly, he's the creator of the tools that enable you to remake your own adventures games, and a powerhouse of AGI/SCI gaming tools knowledge!

Is this do-able?

AaronW.


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Waiting on Reply from Booking Manager:

===================
In the Meantime:

Brian - If they give a thumbs up to have you on the segment (which I'm REALLY HOPING is going to be the case), I'm going to need you to email me a phone number to contact you at....
Also - you're going to need to bust out the revision to your SCI tools QUICKLY (depending on production scheduling).....
Brian - if you have any questions - call me at work (805) 418 2144....

AaronW.
aaronix ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Reply from Booking Manager:

We can defintely do two guests, especially since
it is value added. I am looking at early March at this point. Please take a look
at your calendar and let me know if that looks good to you.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
My Reply:

early March sounds like a winner! Any chance of getting a Thursday or Friday slot?

My Son's birthday is March 10th, so if there's ANY WAY to do this in the first week of March, I'd be most appreciative! :)

=================

Ok Brian - Please call me at your earliest possible convenience, as I'm going to need you to get in touch with TechTV contacts to confirm your attendance, directions, shooting date, etc.....

For Everyone else's Information - Call for Help is filmed and aired LIVE. They will repeat the show rerun three times, if I am not mistaken on the day of the shoot. So Brian and I will need to get a firm date in March hashed out for all of you to tune in to, and setup VCRs for video taped copies, etc.....
mr-t Could you please send me a copy? 94a Huia road, Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand
Eigen Would it be possible to see it on the Internet somewhere. Like the interview with Al Lowe was once on the TechTv site.



-Eigen



aaronix Eigen - I know they'll have a webpage dedicated to the segment usually with a rehash of the content covered.
However, last time I was on the show, they didn't stream the segment on the net - so chances are - no... they probably won't do it this time either...

AaronW.
aaronix Ok Everyone:

The confirmed date for the show is Friday, March 7th.

(high overview) They want to cover:

1) How newbies can play fan made games.
2) How semi-newbies can modify existing Sierra Online adventure games for fun.
3) How not-so-newbies can create an adventure game from scratch

all in very simple terms as 90% of the computer population still don't even know where the "on" button is....

Set your calendars and check your view times for the show so you can watch the segment.

I'll be on the show for this - and I'm working on getting confirmation from Brian as well. (IM REALLY HOPING BRIAN WILL BE THERE, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET TO WATCH ME MAKE A FOOL OUT OF MYSELF WHILE I TRY TO EXPLAIN THE DETAILED ART OF CREATING THE ADVENTURE GAME FROM SCRATCH..)

AaronW.

AaronW.
Leo You guys should thank RJD. It was his idea, not mine
Xqzzy Rcxmcq Idea: They should have a list of fangames currently available for download and coming out soon, and they should tell about this forum!
Zonkie Yes, they should definately have links to the pages of the community either on the show or on the webpage regarding the show. Will there also be a section on AGI in the show?

Would it be possible for someone with a tv-card to tape the show on the computer and upload it somewhere? I guess there are many people that don't live in the USA but would like to see it. Sending tapes to all these would be quite a big business...
Leo Is there anyway RJD could go on Call For Help too? It wa sorignally his idea, and without him, we wouldn't be going on air in the first place! Since he is pretty young (12, I think) we could show the veiwers that it is easy to use, and that anyone can do it. He is wise beyond his years, and knows SCI more than you'd think. He ahs fooled around with AGI, too, I think, but I don't know how much.... What do you think? Would three guests be too many? I think it woould make more people watch.... How bout it aaronix? Is it too late?
Leo (It's Ok with him, as long as he doesn't need to pay for much if anything) (He's not that rich)
Draco Man. Ryan (RJD) gets all the breaks. lol. Well, hope all you guys have fun with this. Ryan, you're a freaking genius. lol. Plz post a time (Eastern, USA) so I can watch too. Man, I gotta get into this kinda stuff. Ryan, I hope you become like that college kid that made his own algorithm (whatever that is...). "Be all that you can be!"
RJD I'd REALLY appreciate it! ;) I'll understand if it doesn't work out, though....
mr-t Hey, please tell them about Fuulong Moon!
send me an e-mail, and I will tell you all abouttt itt ;)
Brian Provinciano. I would be very happy to be on the show! That would be outstanding!

Though I don't have a new HD yet, but since I want SS to be as good as possible for the show date, I'm using another computer for the time being. I have installed my C++ compilers and stuff and am down to business! Stay tuned for the compiler fixed SCI Studio 2.14 in a day or so. Then, I will have a new one done soon enough.

Thanks to all!
aaronix Brian - You've ABSOLUTELY got to call me at this point! I can't be more blunt than this: If you don't confirm your spot, they'll simply drop you from the segment, and that's not good! I'm not very difficult to reach, and I don't bite - call me at work (805) 418 2144 on Monday. If you get my voicemail, simply leave your information on a message.

Or if you feel more comfortable, just email me your contact information so I can call you or pass to TechTV so they can call you and confirm your spot.

I know it seems like we have plenty of time for the details, but it only SEEMS that way. We have to give them firm committments so they can work the segment around the number of guests appearing. They need plenty of lead time to hammer out the details. Once the date is firm for ALL guests appearing, then the show producer calls to setup the content. Setting up the content is a lengthy and tedious process.

RJD - You should call me as well, so we can discuss. No promises, but if you can cover all your bases (travel, lodging, food) I might be able to convince them... You just need to realize that TechTV doesn't pick up any tabs! This would be 100% on your dime.... and I'm pretty sure you HAVE to be accompanied by an adult/legal guardian. Seriously though, don't get hopes up, as they might have rules against 18 and under for legal risks. Regardless of what they decide though, Thank you for coming up with this terrific idea! If I can't get you on the show, I will DEFINATELY try to find a way to work your name into the segment so at the very least, you'll hear your own name on the show.

AaronW.
Brian Provinciano. I have emailed you my info, so you can contact me. Otherwise, I will phone you on Monday as you requested.

I am 18 and have travelled alone many times, so it shouldn't be a problem. I will pick up my tabs if need be, anything to get SCI Studio the publicity. I am greatly looking forward to this, and hope it all works out.

Thanks,
Brian
Joey if it does get put on, send me a message when it will be on.
RJD I appreciate it, aaronix, but I won't be able to pay for it. :-
Draco NOOO. C'mon Ryan ur a freaking child prodigy or w/e. lol. u try the skool announcement donation idea?
RJD. Sorry, Draco. My parents said no.
dreamweaver
Timmy wrote:

Awww Brian! Doncha just hate it when that happens? I certainly do, I hate rewriting code - 99% of the time I forget an addition that I've made.

Ahh well bad things happen to the best of us at times.

Good luck getting back on track Brian!

Oh, a word of advice: buy a Seagate HD. They're the best in the business.

Well Seagate is good but always have bad sectors . Always bad sec ,bad sec and bad sec because it's too hot when run ;D. But with bad sectors you can backup your data.
I recommend you use Maxtor , it's good and use Quantum technologies .
The best is use a CDRW to backup everything once a week.
Brian_Provinciano SS3 is coming along exteremely well, so it'll alright. I back up like twice a day now, but I used to back up about once a week, but a week of lost code can be a lot. I'm working so hard right now, a day is like a week of normal coding. The loss wasn't a big deal for SCI Studio though. I lost 2.15 stuff, but since I've scrapped 2.15 and gone straight to 3.0, I didn't really lose anything, since 3.0 is mostly a rewrite anyways.

Well, stay tuned for 3.0, and I'll be on TechTV March the 7th!
The Ultimo Do they have a website for TechTV where you can download their shows? I'm in Oz, and we don't get it.
RJD. The Ultimo: you can try
http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp

No Promises on there being downloads there, though
Brian_Provinciano By request by Al, they encoded and uploaded his interview shortly after it's airing. I will make the request so don't harass them please.

I can always encode it myself, but I will still need their permission before uploading it. SS3 is almost ready. It's going out to it's testers soon--just need to do a few more tweaks. When they A-OK it, it'll be out in public release.
Eero R Well, I certainly will download it when it becomes available. Too bad I don't have C-band satellite dish, I could record it then.
The Ultimo Thanks for that Brian. Definately gonna have to download it when you get it up... if you do.
rwfromxenon Good luck on Friday!
Pikachu14 Hehehe. I got a countdown on my site.

T minus 003:08:43:30 seconds till release of SS3.

And I so hope I can get this streamed...
Brian_Provinciano It's done and in beta testing right now. AFAIK it's perfect. As soon as the testers say it's okay, I'll release it. I'm planning a release wednesday. The new tutorial, help file and site are also done. I'm just working on the TechTV demo game.
Pikachu14 Weh...weh...wednesday? But that's TERRIBLE! Now I've gotta change the countdown on my site! ;D

Actually, that's wonderful news. Two days early!
Up yours, Rafke!
Kon-Tiki Ok, speeded up SS3 release asks for speeded up writing. There goes my night and day tomorrow ::)

Anyways: Good to hear it's finished. There'll be lots more SCI games now :)

-Kon-Tiki-
Pikachu14 So where is it? Timer on my page says "T + 8 hours" already!
Kon-Tiki Patience, I was sleeping 'till 13.00h ::) Just a few more things and you can start working. It won't be the real script, but it should be usefull nonetheless. The script's deadline is still set on the 20th of march (It was just impossible to finish it today).
Anyway, you can start drawing today ;)

-Kon-Tiki-
Pikachu14 I was talking to Brian, silly.

Edit: Great work on that script!
Brian_Provinciano When I said Wednesday, I didn't mean 12:00am, heh, I still consider that Tuesday night. I'm just making the finishing touches. Be patient. I don't want to pull a Vice City and release something before it's polished. heh
XFan2003 ;D Oh man...i cant wait!!! This is gonna be so great...lol that rhymes... A little song comes to mind at this point in time......"Im so excited....and i just cant hide it..." lol...I cant wait to get started on my Ace Ventura game.



Tom