Questions for Aaron Conners
Posted: July 26, 2005 • 6:13 am
I have decided to help Jim a little by making this topic : Questions for Aaron Conners. I will gather all the questions asked by various members on the board so it would be easier for Jim. I will update this topic when new questions will be asked. But hurry up if you have questions, i will add them here. In case if i forgot to put your questions, just reply to this topic and i will add them to the list. Jim, this is easier for you then sending you updates trough PM.
Ok here it goes :
I also decided to put in some categories to make it easier for Aaron to answer the questions.
Questions about Tex Murphy Legal rights (questions : 4)
Dr.Paul: Since you have the rights to Tex Murphy, then I presume that it is up to you to approve or deny permission to do fan-fiction or fan-game?
Dr.Paul: In particular, we have recently considered writing a TM fan-fic story with the intention of developing it into an interactive fiction text adventure game. What are the odds that we would have permission to do this and how involved would you expect to be?
Dr.Paul: By involved, I mean things like making sure we don't defame the series or create something so bad that it will be an embarrassment. Also making sure that it is consistent with official Tex history. Basically, are we likely to get sued?
dkbtf: What what will aaron do of UAKM, PD and overseer?
Questions about Chris Jones (questions : 3)
Crowley: Is Chris Jones employment- and contract-wise still with Microsoft, with you on your new endeavour or what?
McDonis: What is Chris Jones status?
Questions about the Pandora Directive (questions : 1)
Crowley: I've seen a picture from Pandora Directive which looks like it's from the alien autopsy tape, except that it is in color. Also the alien's groin area appears to be censored by pixelation. This picture can be seen at least on the back of the European Pandora Directive box. What is the story behind this picture?
Questions about Under a killing Moon (questions : 2)
dkbtf: Under a killing moon is now considered as an abandonware by many people. What is thinking aaron of this?
Ruben: What happened just after the end of UaKM? I mean after watching Overseer that scene could be HILARIOUS: Tex dancing with Delores Lightbody and suddenly Sylvia come in Tex’s office!! How did Delores react, why is Sylvia back, may Tex forgive her?
Questions about Game Development (questions : 4)
Caevyn: If developing a game with few resources i.e. time/money/people would you prefer to build upon existing technology - e.g. 3d graphics/physics engines - and save time or build everything from the ground up for complete control?
Caevyn: Have you guys checked out any open source packages for rendering or sound etc and if so do you think any of them are good enough to produce a commercial quality game
Michel Pronk: How do u keep motivated in writing a complete story I myself tend to go of track at one point and the story itself seems to loze steem.
Michel Pronk: How did u ever think of the idees of the games itself
Questions about DIS (questions : 7)
Hammerhead: Was DIS larger than just the Colonel's personal office space?
Hammerhead: Were there any other employees at DIS aside from Tex & Xavier, & if so, could you describe them to us?
Hammerhead: Are there any cases for CAPRICORN or other government agency that Tex may have unknowingly worked on during his brief time at DIS, & if so, could you tell us about them?
Hammerhead: Where did Tex live while he was working for the Colonel at DIS? Was there living space at DIS?
Hammerhead: What can you tell us about Xavier Jones?
Hammerhead: What's his background, aside from also having worked for the Colonel?
Hammerhead: Did he ever leave DIS for other things, & if so, what?
Questions about speeders in the Tex Murphy Games (questions : 9)
Hammerhead: In UAKM & PD, Tex had an aerodynamic looking speeder, but in the past & present stories of Overseer, he (and Dalton I believe his name was) had a, shall we say, blocky looking speeder. In a world that tends to get sleeker & more aerodynamic, what is the story behind this change in the speeder's appearance?
Hammerhead: Is the blockier look an older car than Tex's grey speeder, or did speeder manufacturers go back to the "Flying VW Beetle" speeder look out of nostalgia?
Hammerhead: Also, if Tex's grey speeder was a newer design than his "Flying Beetle", why did he trade for an older car?
Hammerhead: And, is it possible that, since Dalton's car looks so much like Tex's, that Tex AND Chelsee both overlooked a simple possibility: that Dalton was offering Tex & Chelsee a lift in Tex's own stolen speeder?
Hammerhead: When did the first speeder fly off the assembly line, and who built it (Lotus?)?
Hammerhead: What are the physics behind the speeder?
Hammerhead: What enables it to hover (I'm thinking anti-gravity plating, as Tex's speeder in UAKM & PD shows no means for jet exhaust, like a harrier would do)?
Hammerhead: Also, what powers the speeder? (Hydrogen-cel, solar panels, water, fuel rods, battery-power, some other power source? )
Hammerhead: Is it possible that speeder technology was derived from study of the Roswell debris, as a means of explaining its design and ability to fly, as well as its power source?
Questions about the trilogy "Polarity, Chance and Trance" (questions :
dkbtf: Can aaron tell we more about the polarity, chance, trance trilogy?
dkbtf: What is the state of advancement of this trilogy?
Jen: What is the state of the "once and future trilogy" script?
Jen: Has it been committed to paper?
Jen: Novelization format or ideas written on cocktail napkins? Has it been fully fleshed out?
Jen: Is the story are complete?
tathorp: Speaking of the trilogy, any plans to formally put out the Chance-Trance-Polarity storyline as a novel regardless if there is funding for a new game?
tathorp: For that matter, is the trilogy still the ultimate plan of attack?
Questions about another Tex Game (questions : 15)
Kivanc Avci: In your personal view at the moment and the possibilities and if there was financial support to make another TEX game, what would be implemented in the tex game like game-play, storyline etc, would it be like PD or Overseer?
Kivanc Avci: If the next Tex Murphy game would be done with rendered characters. How would he plan to make the game in such a manner that we would have the quality of the previous game with movie sequences?Kivanc Avci: What for thechnique would be used to add that extra realism to rendered characters?
Kivanc Avci: Does Aaron see the future of Tex on the console more brightly?
Kivanc Avci: Would a new Tex Murphy game on a console bring a much more wide public?
Kivanc Avci: If Aaron had to chose for a console game or a pc game, which would he prefer and why?
Kivanc Avci: Which possibilities brings an online game apart of a packaged game?
Kivanc Avci: Would the quality improve with an online game?
Kivanc Avci: Could it be experienced the same as a pc game?
Kivanc Avci : If there are plans about a new Tex Murphy game, which characters wether the game is in FMV or CGI would appear in the new game?
Kivanc Avci : Would there be puzzles in a new game?
Kivanc Avci: And if so would it take bigger parts for the story like in PD, how does Aaron think about the puzzles in previous games?
Kivanc Avci : Would a new Tex Murphy game begin where it was left behind in Overseer ?
Ikon: Someone, let's say, won a lottery and came to you with $10M, could you make the kind of TM game you'd really like to?
Sowden: Back along time ago, I remember reading something you said somewhere that in the new trilogy that there would be s speeder car chase. I was wondering if that was still in the deck of cards. And (this may borderline a future Tex game boundry), but do you think that this kindof techology would still be avaliable to you guys and whoever your working with now?
tathorp: Assuming the worst case financial scenario being that a Tex Series is not funded by Take2, what are your thoughts or are there any contigency plans to 'put Tex to bed' and finish the trilogy to make us shutup and give the character closure?
Questions about adventure genre (questions : 4)
Vracar: What do you think of the current status of true adventure games in the market?
Vracar: What can be done to increase the genre's hold on the market, and find more adventure games being made and finding their way into people's homes?
Vracar: Also, what pitfalls do developers have to navigate if they want to create a true adventure game?
Vracar: Is the genre fine as it is, or does it need to change?
Questions about Tex Murphy "himself" (questions : 3)
Ruben: What about Tex’s family?
Ruben: We know the last family reunion was 15 years ago. Is there any trouble between Tex and the rest of the family?
Ruben: What happened between colonel Dobbs and Tex?
Questions about/for Aaron Conners (questions : 17)
Sowden: I have been doing alittle research on Links, and I was wondering if the Links community is as big as we are?
tathorp: We all know what AC likes the Spade, Marlowe, etc. old time novels. What more recent adventure/mystery/noir titles can he recommend?
tathorp: I'm curious to AC's feedback on the following: Many recent articles have talked about the death of gaming since most new titles are rinse-and-repeat knock-offs. The renissance of gaming is set to return as people realize that story is what makes the game
tahorp: Could Aaron please elaborate on how a few days of shooting FMV is more expensive then generating, texturing, skinning, and animating rendered characters?
tathorp: After almost a decade, are CJ, DVJ, etc. still interested in reprising their roles?
tathorp: Any chance of resurrecting TMRT?
Ruben: Could you do some sort of OFFICIAL TEX TIMELINE for us to discuss?
Greenender: What is your favourite Tex game and why ?
Greenender: Why Overseer ended in such a strange way ? Was it so because you wanted to raise somehow the chances for a new Tex game ?"
Greenender: How was it possible for Tex in UAKM to fly (and maintain) a speeder, when he was so broke ?
Greenender: What happened to Ardo after the closing of the Golden Gate hotel (in PD)?
AMac: Do you play any video games?
AMac: What kind of games do you like?
AMac: Concerning GTA's Hot Coffee mod, as a developer, what are your feelings on the current backlash against videogames and their content(sex, violence)?
AMac: Do you think it's fair to impede on developers freedoms and creativty, and do you think the line should be drawn somewhere, such as violent rapes, or killing cops, etc..?
demonlawyerA while ago someone on this site found a movie made by Adrian Carr and had Chris Jones as executive producer and I think someone else was involved. Aaron wasn't involved and I wondered whether this was because Aaron was working on his own projects, wasn't interested in the movie side of things or whether this signalled a breaking of the fellowship?
michel pronk: I almost looks now that games have a sell by date of weeks seeing as how compenies make updated versions of their own game year ofther year. Look at Need for speed, fifa football and alike. It almost looks like games are used like fast food. What do u think of that tendency that tends to be here now
Questions about the diference in writing the games and the books (questions : 5 )
michel pronk: How did u ever came up with the idee to also write the novels to the games?
michel pronk: Was it easy to write the game or did writing the noval the easy task?
michel pronk: Did u write more storyies we might not know about yet?
michel pronk: What gave u more funn making the game or the novel?
michel pronk: Would u consider writing more tex novels or any other ones for that matter?
I am still updating...
Total of questions : 81
Total members who asked questions : 18
Ok here it goes :
I also decided to put in some categories to make it easier for Aaron to answer the questions.
Questions about Tex Murphy Legal rights (questions : 4)
Dr.Paul: Since you have the rights to Tex Murphy, then I presume that it is up to you to approve or deny permission to do fan-fiction or fan-game?
Dr.Paul: In particular, we have recently considered writing a TM fan-fic story with the intention of developing it into an interactive fiction text adventure game. What are the odds that we would have permission to do this and how involved would you expect to be?
Dr.Paul: By involved, I mean things like making sure we don't defame the series or create something so bad that it will be an embarrassment. Also making sure that it is consistent with official Tex history. Basically, are we likely to get sued?
dkbtf: What what will aaron do of UAKM, PD and overseer?
Questions about Chris Jones (questions : 3)
Crowley: Is Chris Jones employment- and contract-wise still with Microsoft, with you on your new endeavour or what?
McDonis: What is Chris Jones status?
Questions about the Pandora Directive (questions : 1)
Crowley: I've seen a picture from Pandora Directive which looks like it's from the alien autopsy tape, except that it is in color. Also the alien's groin area appears to be censored by pixelation. This picture can be seen at least on the back of the European Pandora Directive box. What is the story behind this picture?
Questions about Under a killing Moon (questions : 2)
dkbtf: Under a killing moon is now considered as an abandonware by many people. What is thinking aaron of this?
Ruben: What happened just after the end of UaKM? I mean after watching Overseer that scene could be HILARIOUS: Tex dancing with Delores Lightbody and suddenly Sylvia come in Tex’s office!! How did Delores react, why is Sylvia back, may Tex forgive her?
Questions about Game Development (questions : 4)
Caevyn: If developing a game with few resources i.e. time/money/people would you prefer to build upon existing technology - e.g. 3d graphics/physics engines - and save time or build everything from the ground up for complete control?
Caevyn: Have you guys checked out any open source packages for rendering or sound etc and if so do you think any of them are good enough to produce a commercial quality game
Michel Pronk: How do u keep motivated in writing a complete story I myself tend to go of track at one point and the story itself seems to loze steem.
Michel Pronk: How did u ever think of the idees of the games itself
Questions about DIS (questions : 7)
Hammerhead: Was DIS larger than just the Colonel's personal office space?
Hammerhead: Were there any other employees at DIS aside from Tex & Xavier, & if so, could you describe them to us?
Hammerhead: Are there any cases for CAPRICORN or other government agency that Tex may have unknowingly worked on during his brief time at DIS, & if so, could you tell us about them?
Hammerhead: Where did Tex live while he was working for the Colonel at DIS? Was there living space at DIS?
Hammerhead: What can you tell us about Xavier Jones?
Hammerhead: What's his background, aside from also having worked for the Colonel?
Hammerhead: Did he ever leave DIS for other things, & if so, what?
Questions about speeders in the Tex Murphy Games (questions : 9)
Hammerhead: In UAKM & PD, Tex had an aerodynamic looking speeder, but in the past & present stories of Overseer, he (and Dalton I believe his name was) had a, shall we say, blocky looking speeder. In a world that tends to get sleeker & more aerodynamic, what is the story behind this change in the speeder's appearance?
Hammerhead: Is the blockier look an older car than Tex's grey speeder, or did speeder manufacturers go back to the "Flying VW Beetle" speeder look out of nostalgia?
Hammerhead: Also, if Tex's grey speeder was a newer design than his "Flying Beetle", why did he trade for an older car?
Hammerhead: And, is it possible that, since Dalton's car looks so much like Tex's, that Tex AND Chelsee both overlooked a simple possibility: that Dalton was offering Tex & Chelsee a lift in Tex's own stolen speeder?
Hammerhead: When did the first speeder fly off the assembly line, and who built it (Lotus?)?
Hammerhead: What are the physics behind the speeder?
Hammerhead: What enables it to hover (I'm thinking anti-gravity plating, as Tex's speeder in UAKM & PD shows no means for jet exhaust, like a harrier would do)?
Hammerhead: Also, what powers the speeder? (Hydrogen-cel, solar panels, water, fuel rods, battery-power, some other power source? )
Hammerhead: Is it possible that speeder technology was derived from study of the Roswell debris, as a means of explaining its design and ability to fly, as well as its power source?
Questions about the trilogy "Polarity, Chance and Trance" (questions :
dkbtf: Can aaron tell we more about the polarity, chance, trance trilogy?
dkbtf: What is the state of advancement of this trilogy?
Jen: What is the state of the "once and future trilogy" script?
Jen: Has it been committed to paper?
Jen: Novelization format or ideas written on cocktail napkins? Has it been fully fleshed out?
Jen: Is the story are complete?
tathorp: Speaking of the trilogy, any plans to formally put out the Chance-Trance-Polarity storyline as a novel regardless if there is funding for a new game?
tathorp: For that matter, is the trilogy still the ultimate plan of attack?
Questions about another Tex Game (questions : 15)
Kivanc Avci: In your personal view at the moment and the possibilities and if there was financial support to make another TEX game, what would be implemented in the tex game like game-play, storyline etc, would it be like PD or Overseer?
Kivanc Avci: If the next Tex Murphy game would be done with rendered characters. How would he plan to make the game in such a manner that we would have the quality of the previous game with movie sequences?Kivanc Avci: What for thechnique would be used to add that extra realism to rendered characters?
Kivanc Avci: Does Aaron see the future of Tex on the console more brightly?
Kivanc Avci: Would a new Tex Murphy game on a console bring a much more wide public?
Kivanc Avci: If Aaron had to chose for a console game or a pc game, which would he prefer and why?
Kivanc Avci: Which possibilities brings an online game apart of a packaged game?
Kivanc Avci: Would the quality improve with an online game?
Kivanc Avci: Could it be experienced the same as a pc game?
Kivanc Avci : If there are plans about a new Tex Murphy game, which characters wether the game is in FMV or CGI would appear in the new game?
Kivanc Avci : Would there be puzzles in a new game?
Kivanc Avci: And if so would it take bigger parts for the story like in PD, how does Aaron think about the puzzles in previous games?
Kivanc Avci : Would a new Tex Murphy game begin where it was left behind in Overseer ?
Ikon: Someone, let's say, won a lottery and came to you with $10M, could you make the kind of TM game you'd really like to?
Sowden: Back along time ago, I remember reading something you said somewhere that in the new trilogy that there would be s speeder car chase. I was wondering if that was still in the deck of cards. And (this may borderline a future Tex game boundry), but do you think that this kindof techology would still be avaliable to you guys and whoever your working with now?
tathorp: Assuming the worst case financial scenario being that a Tex Series is not funded by Take2, what are your thoughts or are there any contigency plans to 'put Tex to bed' and finish the trilogy to make us shutup and give the character closure?
Questions about adventure genre (questions : 4)
Vracar: What do you think of the current status of true adventure games in the market?
Vracar: What can be done to increase the genre's hold on the market, and find more adventure games being made and finding their way into people's homes?
Vracar: Also, what pitfalls do developers have to navigate if they want to create a true adventure game?
Vracar: Is the genre fine as it is, or does it need to change?
Questions about Tex Murphy "himself" (questions : 3)
Ruben: What about Tex’s family?
Ruben: We know the last family reunion was 15 years ago. Is there any trouble between Tex and the rest of the family?
Ruben: What happened between colonel Dobbs and Tex?
Questions about/for Aaron Conners (questions : 17)
Sowden: I have been doing alittle research on Links, and I was wondering if the Links community is as big as we are?
tathorp: We all know what AC likes the Spade, Marlowe, etc. old time novels. What more recent adventure/mystery/noir titles can he recommend?
tathorp: I'm curious to AC's feedback on the following: Many recent articles have talked about the death of gaming since most new titles are rinse-and-repeat knock-offs. The renissance of gaming is set to return as people realize that story is what makes the game
tahorp: Could Aaron please elaborate on how a few days of shooting FMV is more expensive then generating, texturing, skinning, and animating rendered characters?
tathorp: After almost a decade, are CJ, DVJ, etc. still interested in reprising their roles?
tathorp: Any chance of resurrecting TMRT?
Ruben: Could you do some sort of OFFICIAL TEX TIMELINE for us to discuss?
Greenender: What is your favourite Tex game and why ?
Greenender: Why Overseer ended in such a strange way ? Was it so because you wanted to raise somehow the chances for a new Tex game ?"
Greenender: How was it possible for Tex in UAKM to fly (and maintain) a speeder, when he was so broke ?
Greenender: What happened to Ardo after the closing of the Golden Gate hotel (in PD)?
AMac: Do you play any video games?
AMac: What kind of games do you like?
AMac: Concerning GTA's Hot Coffee mod, as a developer, what are your feelings on the current backlash against videogames and their content(sex, violence)?
AMac: Do you think it's fair to impede on developers freedoms and creativty, and do you think the line should be drawn somewhere, such as violent rapes, or killing cops, etc..?
demonlawyerA while ago someone on this site found a movie made by Adrian Carr and had Chris Jones as executive producer and I think someone else was involved. Aaron wasn't involved and I wondered whether this was because Aaron was working on his own projects, wasn't interested in the movie side of things or whether this signalled a breaking of the fellowship?
michel pronk: I almost looks now that games have a sell by date of weeks seeing as how compenies make updated versions of their own game year ofther year. Look at Need for speed, fifa football and alike. It almost looks like games are used like fast food. What do u think of that tendency that tends to be here now
Questions about the diference in writing the games and the books (questions : 5 )
michel pronk: How did u ever came up with the idee to also write the novels to the games?
michel pronk: Was it easy to write the game or did writing the noval the easy task?
michel pronk: Did u write more storyies we might not know about yet?
michel pronk: What gave u more funn making the game or the novel?
michel pronk: Would u consider writing more tex novels or any other ones for that matter?
I am still updating...
Total of questions : 81
Total members who asked questions : 18
