Q&A with Chris Jones and Aaron Conners

By Jonathan Yalon, HebrewQuest.com

 

Let us start from the end… While many adventure gamers are obviously looking forward to your upcoming game, Three Cards to Midnight, I'm sure that a lot them have asked themselves: "Will these guys create a 'Tex Murphy 6' game?" Do you own the rights for Tex Murphy? Do you consider designing a new Tex game?

C: We don't currently own the rights, though we think they might be available. For now, we're looking to get established in the online gaming area and then we'll consider the possibility of doing another Tex game.

 

What are your favorite adventure games – of the ones that you designed, and of others?

C: Indiana Jones games, the Sierra games, stuff like that.

A: All of Tim Schafer's stuff.

 

Technological speaking, Access Software games had always been ahead of their time: introducing VGA graphics (Mean Streets), digitize speech (Countdown), video dialogs (Martian Memorandum), Full FMV with 3D movement (Under a Killing Moon), 8 different endings (The Pandora Directive), and DVD technology (Overseer). In your opinion, what are the next technological trends the gaming world should expect today?

A: We don't think new technology is really the important thing. We have all the technology and tools we need to make great adventure games. What we really need are better stories and more creative game designs.

 

You have created your widely-known adventure games during the 90's, a decade when the genre was practically dominated by two gaming giants: LucasArts and Sierra. What guided you through the competition?

C: Technology, ironically enough. Things were really ramping up back then – full 3D, FMV, all the things you mentioned earlier. But, as Aaron just said, we think it's now all about execution and content.

 

Chris, when people talk about Access Software's adventure games, they usually refer to the last three games of the Tex Murphy series. Why do you think games like Martian Memorandum and Countdown are underrated?

C: Honestly, you had games up to a certain point that didn't get on the radar because they weren't driven by new technology. Plus, we didn't have much money for advertising, so we really relied on word of mouth. Luckily, the people who found the games really liked them and bought enough of them to justify the last three Tex games.

 

Aaron, you wrote two novels based on Under a Killing Moon and The Pandora Directive. Since it seems they're out of print, do you know how one can buy them nowadays? And do you plan to continue your book writing career, by a chance?

A: They're for sale on amazon.com and other sites. I've also heard lots of stories of finding them in old bookstores and garage sales – it's become a bit of treasure hunt! And I do intend to write more novels; I have one half finished, in fact.

 

It's commonly argued that the FMV-adventure sub-genre faded in the end of the 90's because many of the games released at the time were mediocre, if not worse. Do you share this conception, and in your opinion, which FMV adventures did make a good job (other than the games you designed)?

C: I agree that's what happened, but everyone was just learning how to do it and we (in that category) really didn't a fair chance.

A: But there were a lot of bad games. Very few of the FMV games were any good. Gabriel Knight 2 was good.

 

Your previous games were largely based on photographed materials. Based on the screenshots you have already published for Three Cards to Midnight, it seems that the new game presents less realistic and more mainstream animated graphic style. What was the reason for this change?

C: We're trying to appeal to a casual game market and this style seems to suit that market very well. Of course, we're trying to elevate the quality of the casual game.

 

In theory, making FMV games today could have been simpler than it was a decade ago. Do you think that "FMV is dead"? Will the next Tex Murphy game, if created, feature FMV graphics?

A: I don't know if FMV is dead, but there's still a real bias against it. It will take a good game with FMV to come out and change people's minds.

C: We're really more concerned with telling a great story and integrating it seamlessly into the gameplay. If we think FMV is the best way to do that, we'll use FMV.

A: Of course, we may have to recast all the actors – it's been 10 years!

 

Your previous games included several timed sequences that could easily cause the "death" of the playing character, unlike LucasArts' adventures back in the day and most of the adventure games that are being released nowadays. Looking back, do you believe that these scenes were really necessary, and will Three Cards to Midnight include timed sequences?

C: No and no.

 

Recently, some of the legendary adventure game designers (e.g. Ron Gilbert, Jane Jensen, Steve Purcell, David Grossman and Ragnar Tørnquist) have chosen to get back to the adventure game business, after long years of absence. In your opinion, what has changed over the last two years that caused this phenomenon, of which you two are now a part of?

C: The casual market has opened up a lot of opportunities. It's big and hungry for content.

A: Plus, the expectations for a casual game are more manageable, unlike console games, which cost millions and take years to produce.

 

Three Cards to Midnight is expected to get released over the next few weeks. What are your expectations about the game? What will you consider a success?

A: One Meeellion copies!

C: Of course we want it to be a success, but what we really want to do is show that there is an audience for good story-based games and to entertain those people.

 

Good luck with Three Cards to Midnight and your future projects!