Ideas to get this started again...

[cutti05]

Wow, this is exciting stuff!  I started this thread back in May but never expected such a lively discussion to stem from it!  Just happened to check it 3 months later and it sounds like the game is back in the making!  Even though I don't have any skills related to programming or game creation, I would be happy to help if needed...

[JackofAllTrades]

Actually, its even better news then that.  Not only is hero6 still in development but Paulofthewest, myself, and some of the other people from this discussion have started our own project.  Corby of Heroine's Quest has even given us several amazing unused forest screens leftover from his game.  Woohoo.

[Paladin0707077]

...wow, maybe I should just stop coming to the board for a few years. I leave for 2 months and miss out on a possible rebirth of the game...if I come back after a few years, I'll probably find a full game patched to version 2.7, Hero7 version 1.7 already complete and out, and a forum clamoring for the half-completed Hero8 they just got their third demo on :-P...

I've played one of the demos, and it only showcased the artwork and a tiny bit of the adventuring element / engine. Good to do, but it didn't have any of the combat mechanics in it.

I think that perhaps two different types of demos would be needed: one to showcase the adventuring elements like previous demos (a "traditional demo"), and one to both showcase AND test the Stats/combat mechanics (a "test demo"). Essentially, this demo would have only one scene, where the hero gets to train a few select stats (player gets to pick what and how many times for each), and then after a chosen number of "trainings", a monster or obstacle is scripted to appear, and the character sees how well they did. Characters get to see their stats and decide if they're satisfied before the test occurs, and can restart if they're not happy.

The test demo would serve multiple purposes: 1) to show users that we're serious about creating an actual QFG-style game, not just a standard adventure game that looks like qfg (QFG 5 1/2, I'm looking at you and your broken "stats" system), 2) To have willing alpha/beta testers post what they liked about progress and what needs improvement ("I lifted those barbells 20 times and my strength only went up 2 points?? WTF, cut us some slack!"), and 3) It serves to tide over people for far longer then the traditional demos as it introduces replayability into the mix ("Alright, let's see if I can pick that lock with just 1 point in Pick Locks!"). An additional advantage over a traditional demo is that it won't necessarily reveal actual plot elements: you can create "alpha beast" for the demo only, then not include him in the game at all (or as an obvious easter egg somewhere

I am a Beginning Programmer (simple C++, simple Java, PL/SQL, simple Shellscripting), and I do realize the actual demo would take months to make, but it seems to me like the basic formula for these would be as follows:
1) Start demo with preset stats (Advanced: allow player to choose a class, and have different stat-sets for each). Test no more then 5 stats at a time. Ask the player if they'd like to log or not to log this game.
2) Have stat-building objects that the player can interact with around the one scene. Have the code for stat advancement set up, and allow the players to check their stats with a single key-press at any time.
3) Have a counter keep track of how many times the character has used any skill building object, and a script that logs how many times they used each object and how many skill points they received in total.
4) After a set number of times, have a scripted event that makes use of most/all of the skills given (combat, an obstacle test, etc) that the player must overcome (advanced: have the actual combat system in the game and log what buttons the player used so you can eliminate unused buttons and/or balance out overused buttons).
5) After the skill challenge is done, if they were logging, ask the player to forward the log file to an email address for testing purposes, and to post their comments on a specially prepared forum topic so the dev team can get feedback.

The first one would undoubtedly be hard to make since you're starting from scratch, but after that, if you want to save time, almost half of the demo can be saved and reused. In fact, if you want the community to have an active role, you can take user feedback, tweak the demo to match, then re-release it as "version 2/3/pi/etc" until you've got each stat-component nice and shiny.

Now since I don't want to double-post, I'm going to make this a very long message and simply add in what I think to be a VERY VERY important element for the plot and story writing: humor. Every single QFG game had some elements of humor to them somewhere, a bit of light-heartedness that was uplifting even when the game itself was extremely depressing as a whole (QFG3 and the Monkey village, QFG4 and Punny Bones, etc). Humor, however, is somewhat difficult to come across when you're actually TRYING to be funny (example: Every "modern" Leisure Suit Larry game that's been released thus far), so finding and keeping someone who has a humorous bent should be a top priority if you want to retain the real QFG feel. Hard to do, and I'm not sure where to begin with something like that, but it's definitely a priority if you're going to start over.

Though I AM glad to hear that the original game is alive again...! Here's hoping that we can see it through this time!

[Tinkerbird]

Good grief!
First time back in about 10 months and suddenly some movement.
Been following the fortunes of this game for almost 10 years now.
I remember how excited I was when I stumbled across this site many moons ago.

I just want to wish everyone working (still!) on this project my warmest thanks. Even just attempting to keep the QFG legacy alive is a most noble pursuit.

I can still hear the QFG1 musical score in my head as clear as if I had played just yesterday.
I recently got DosBox up and running and played it again. I could not believe how emotional I was. What a story and what a game!

Please please please keep up the efforts. I feel so helpless as I have all the developer skills of a llama. All I can do is whistle the music from when our Hero has to sweep the stables out in the castle - maybe that will spur you developers on 

(Have posted before but it has been so long since i used my username that i cannot remember my password and the email address i registered with is long since departed )

[tjhief]

Wow, I've been reading through all this, it's been ages since I checked on the project...
Are you guys starting on it yet? How's it working out?!

[Kailkay]

This is most depressing. But I think I know exactly what has happened: with the advent of QFG2VGA, all the designers from every field have been playing the game non-stop. As good as Trial By Fire was, it's 're-release' has doomed the H6 project. Woe! Woe and sadness!

[Paladin0707077]

  Oh come on. If anything, that may have been what restarted interest...

[Teacup]

Hi, i am new guy on these forums and i just found about this site, so what's going on in here anyway? 

[Tipmen999]

Hello,
My name is Ti Simpson. I'm a graduate assistant in the computer science department at Mississippi State
University. I've lurked for years, and am curious if the Hero 6 project is dead? Would privatizing it have a chance
of spurring it's development?
My colleague is also a classic Sierra fan, and we figure together we could invest a few thousand dollars to
buy the whole project, and finish it up ourselves. (we might even make some undergraduates do the work  ) but that is all dependent on how much development has been done thus far. What is
lacking? We very much would like this project to see the light of day.
Thanks,
-Ti

oh, and Quest for Glory 4 is my favorite QFG, minus the bugs of course!

[Rulic]

I'm with you on the QfG4. 
Hopefully you're not too late....  Not much of a pulse here anymore.

[Tipmen999]

Jeez I know. Me and my friend are still very keen on the idea of finishing this ourselves. We've also got approval to delegate programing to our undergraduates as part of an independent study course should we ever get approval, but I'm kind of doubting anyone even comes here anymore.

[kingwarman88888]

Hello,
My name is Ti Simpson. I'm a graduate assistant in the computer science department at Mississippi State
University. I've lurked for years, and am curious if the Hero 6 project is dead? Would privatizing it have a chance
of spurring it's development?
My colleague is also a classic Sierra fan, and we figure together we could invest a few thousand dollars to
buy the whole project, and finish it up ourselves. (we might even make some undergraduates do the work  ) but that is all dependent on how much development has been done thus far. What is
lacking? We very much would like this project to see the light of day.
Thanks,
-Ti

oh, and Quest for Glory 4 is my favorite QFG, minus the bugs of course!

Go MSU go!!



I hope you guys are able to buy this! 

[Tipmen999]

     I guess no one's out there to here use calling. We've decided to make our own Remake, and yes I know thats not what the few people here who still check this site regularly probably want to here, but where starting from scratch. A brand new engine from the ground up, NO MAD or AGS. It will be way more work, but better in the end. Old admins, project leaders, artists, and musicians,  any donations of your work might be transferable, and GREATLY appreciated seeing as were programmers and not artist and most that will be outsourced as a favor from the college of art.
     We're going for more of a Quest for Glory IV style in terms of look, but we want to keep the humor as well. The good thing about our situation is that we have access to circa 30 undergraduates who we can delve out work to in lue of traditional programing assignments, and were going to split them into groups in order to better help us actually finish the game.
     If you feel you can help, or just want to show your support, my email is
wts32@msstate.edu

Thanks,
William

*Any Chance of Sticky?
 

[BMC2010]

Tipmen,

I have attempted to contact you, but your e-mail address does not seem to work. Granted, perhaps you can just tell me on here if you are looking for anyone to help with writing/plot.

[Paladin0707077]

Would privatizing it have a chance of spurring it's development?

Quite the opposite, trying to privatize it - i.e, make money off of it to pay people to make it - would cause Sierra/Activision to swing the "gavel of copyright law +infinity" at Hero6, closing it up for good. At least right now, we can pass it off as a (admittedly very long-developed and somewhat mismanaged) fan-made game that pays homage to the original game.

If you feel you can help, or just want to show your support, my email is...

Email = good. Website (slapped together if needed) = better. Show us you're at least KIND OF serious about this.