KQ6 development

This article concerns the development of King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow. It is a repository of details concerning early prototype ideas for the game up to its final finished version. The game was written and designed by Roberta Williams and Jane Jensen (Text & Dialogue was by Jane Jensen). They were also the game directors along with William D. Skirvin.

Background
From the opening sequence of the game, there could be no doubt that if King’s Quest V redefined what computer gaming actually was, King’s Quest VI provided the quality standard for the next generation. The state-of-the-art “floating camera” sequence that opened the game, featuring young Prince Alexander as he sets out to find his “girl in the tower,” gave computer gamers the world over a real view of what the new age of multimedia computers could bring to classic storytelling. The character graphics were based on motioncaptures of real actors, giving the game an unprecedented ‘feel’ of reality. The King’s Quest VI love song “Girl In the Tower,” a soulful duet featuring the voices of Bob Bergthold and Debbie Seibert, rivaled the best motion picture anthems of the year. Continuing in a long tradition, Jane Jensen, who would go on to design the industry bestselling Gabriel Knight”!: Sins of the Fathers, assisted Roberta Williams in game design of this epic.

Welcome in the King's Quest 6 Hintbook
Welcome to the world of King's Quest VI! This astonishing journey through the imagination was 14 months in the making, and by far the most ambitious project Sierra has ever attempted. The King's Quest VI team is not ashamed to admit they're delighted with the results. We hope you will be, too. Come on, let's take a look... May 1991. King's Quest VI begins. Series creator Roberta Williams and co-designer Jane Jensen meet for the first time to discuss the design. Jane and Roberta worked together for the whole month of July and part of August to come up with the design ideas.

After five months of hard work and long hours, the documentation for the design was complete. The rest of the thirteen person development team begins work. Project manager and co-director Bil Skirvin and the King's Quest IV artists begin the storyboard and characer sketches. Shortly thereafter, the background painter, John Shroades, begins the pencil sketches for the game's 80 background paintings.

The video-capture animation process begins. Roberta and Bil have carefully chosen the actors and costuming for the entire game. The 2000 plus character actions in King's Quest VI will be produced by capturing the movement of the live actors on video, then on the computer. In the end, the animation and backgrounds must match up believably. Michael Hutchison leads the efforts of the animators as each cell of the video-captured actors is artistically enhanced on the computer to more closely fit the hand-painted backgrounds.

While animation and backgrounds are in progress, Jane writes the scripts. The scripts define for the programmers what the game response will be for any player action, including the timing and placement of the animation. The scripts also provide the more than 6,000 lines of written messages that will appear in the final game.

As the art progresses, the team's programmers, lead by Robert Lindsley, begin the intricate process of weaving the game elements together with code.

Meanwhile, team composter, Chris Braymen leads music in writing original themes for each of the game's major characters and locations, and producing innumerable sound effects that take place during game play.

Robin Bradley is the game's quality assurance tester. He will play each scene in the game over and over again, making sure that the programming, art, text, and design are running smoothly.

Incredible as it may seem, all these elements begin nearly simultaneously. The different team members coordinate their efforts, and slowly, the game takes an amazing and complex shape.

July, 1992. The last few months of the project are critical. Every aspect of the game is tested again and again, day after day, and polished to perfection. The days grow long and the team grows tired, but a special kind of excitement is in the air. The game will ship in less than two months!

September, 1992. More than a year after it was began, King's Quest VI is finished. The team turns its baby over to marketing and distribution, who have been working alongside them to promote the product since it's early stages. King's Quest VI is ready to ship--But work on the game is hardly finished. After initial distribution, it will be translated into five languages, as well as being converted to a CD-ROM full voice version.

From there, King's Quest VI will go on to astound and delight an audience of a least half a milllion game players. We hope you're one of them!

I: Opening Sequence:
The opening sequence introduces Alexander and Cassima and sets up the background and motivation for Alexander's quest in the Land of the Green Isles. Game credits can be displayed on the title screen before this cartoon, during this cartoon, or on a separate screen.

1. Alexander decides to leave Daventry.

Plot Summary:

After the titles, we fade in to the "Daventry Throne Room" screen. Alexander is sitting in the throne room of the castle in Daventry. His head is in his hands and he looks melancholy. The Magic Mirror hangs silently on the wall. Valanice comes into the room.

Valanice: "Alexander! You've been fretting about that lovely girl you met in Mordack's castle for too long now! You've got to get on with your life."

Walk Valanice up to Alexander.

Fade to the "Close-up of Alexander and Valanice" screen.

Alexander: "I can't get her out of my mind, Mother. One moment I'd found her and everything was different. The next she was being sent back home. Now it's like she's disappeared without a trace. I can't find anyone who's even heard of the Land of the Green Isles, much less knows where it is! Who would have thought that something like Geography could ruin my life?"

Valanice: "I understand how you feel, Alexander, but there are many beautiful girls right here in this kingdom. I only want you to be happy, Alex. I hate to see you so... purposeless. You've got to stand up and make a decision about your future."

Alexander: "I know you're right, Mother. It's just... Nothing else seems like it could possibly be right without her."

Valanice: " [sigh] Oh, Alex. I wish there were something I could do."

Alexander: "I'll be alright, Mother. I promise."

Fade back out to the "Daventry Throne Room" screen. Valanice pats Alexander's hand and then walks out of the room. Alexander, heartbroken, continues to brood in his chair.

Alexander: "I can't forget your face, Cassima. A face that could haunt a man forever. Cassima, where are you?"

Suddenly, the magic mirror begins to dazzle. We hear a far-away woman's voice calling Alexander's name. Alexander says "What...?" He gets up and walks over to the mirror.

Fade to the "Close-up of the Magic Mirror" screen.

The mirror dazzles for a moment, then clears. We see Cassima staring out a high stone window. It is nighttime and out the window we can see a number of star patterns clearly (these will serve as Alexander's clues for finding the isles). Cassima is crying.

Cassima: "Oh, Alexander, I need you. I have never been so unhappy. Why do you not come? Have you forgotten me so soon?"

The mirror fades back to a dazzle. Fade back to the "Daventry Throne Room" screen.

Alexander: "But... what?!"

Alexander: "Mother! Mother, come quick!"

Valanice rushes in. The two meet in the middle of the room and grab hands.

Fade to the "Close-up of Alexander and Valanice" screen.

Valanice: "Alexander! Your face is so white! What happened?"

Alexander: "I've just seen her - Cassima! She was in the magic mirror! Mother, she needs me!"

Valanice: "But... what about finding the isles?"

Alexander: "Stars, Mother! The magic mirror showed me the night sky and I can navigate by the stars!"

Valanice: "I can see that there's no talking you out of it. But I have a bad feeling, Son. Please be careful. If I lost you again, I don't know what I'd do."

Alexander: "Oh, Mother. Everything's going to be fine. I promise. Now I must go prepare my ship."

Alexander and Valanice hug. He leaves the room. Fade out to the "Ship's Voyage" screen.

Transition: Fade to Alexander at sea.

2. The journey to the Land of the Green Isles.

Plot Summary:

The journey is shown with a far shot of a ship on the "Ship's Voyage" screen. Use alterations in the weather and waves (night - stars matching magic mirror vision, day, calm, rocky) to indicate the passage of many days. Fade to the "Close-up of Alexander on ship" screen. Alexander is looking anxiously out to sea, as though urging the boat to fly faster to his love.

Print a message, "Three long months Alexander follows the stars to reach the other side of the world, where the mysterious Land of the Green Isles lie scattered on the ocean."

Show Alexander raise a spy glass. He looks in various directions through it. Fade to a black screen with a small, round inset that shows the distant ocean as seen through a telescope. The inset pans over ocean. Suddenly we see an island on the horizon. Zoom in to the island.

Fade back to the "Close-up of Alexander on ship" screen. Alexander, obviously excited, points and yells "Land Ho!". We see crewmen start to scramble.

Fade back out to the "Ship's Voyage" screen. The boat rocks and gets caught in the strong currents, reefs, and rocks that surround the island. They are obviously struggling.

Overlaid over this screen as we watch the ship struggle, we see text. A crewman shouts "Prince Alexander! We're barely holding against the currents! It's like a whirlpool here!" Another crewman shouts "Sir, the rocks!" Just then, use a screen shake to imply that the ship hits something. Show the boat start to sink. Iris to message screen. "...The next morning."

Fade to a shot of a beach. Alexander is lying face down on the sand, alone. It is morning. Slowly Alexander rises, staggers, and rights himself. He looks around. We'll print some text here about Alexander mourning the loss of his crew.

The game is now under player control.

Puzles & Noes & Clues:

None. Computer controlled cartoon.

Changes and Cuts
One thing of note is that the intro sequence is different in each version of KQ6 (Disk, CD, and Amiga), and sometimes different depending on what graphic mode is being used (EGA vs. VGA). Different info, or more details are mentioned in each version of the intro (however these made it into the released versions of the game), and different panning around the palace (more of the Great Hall is panned around in disk version).

According to the design documents, in the original version of the intro, the crew of the Johannes Bey would have apparently been killed in the Dangerous Currents and Rocky Shoals around the islands.

The Realm of the Dead would have apparently been larger, an unfinished screen of the surface of the realm can be found in the game's files.

There was a concept art for a close-up of the Genie's snake disguise. There was a sketch of a room of the catacombs, with a niches floor to ceiling filled with dead bodies, and a statue of a Winged One standing on a pillar above. Close up sketches were done for Charon, Lady Aeriel, and Lord Azure.

In early development the copper coin would have had the image of Valanice, rather than King Graham. The "Drink Me" potion bottle was empty, forcing Alexander to literally act as if he had died, with the Pawne Shoppe owner getting in on the act to trick the Genie.

There was a painting of the floor of the Castle of the Crown tower looking from above, that never made it into the game.

The Royal Scribe: Jane Jensen
he co-designer of EcoQuest as well as King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow, Jane Jensen has gone on to become one of Sierra On-Line's newest and hottest designers.

Which King's Quest game(s) did you work on? Doing what?

I worked on King's Quest VI as co-designer and co-director with Roberta. Do you have any uplifting, insightful, or humorous stories about Roberta and/or the making of King's Quest?

The best part of the development process of King's Quest VI for me was the time that Roberta and I spent designing at her house in Bass Lake during the summer of 1992. They were long days, intense brainstorming days, and I was usually exhausted by the time I got home and unable to turn my brain off to sleep. Yet, we had a lot of fun making up all the silly puns for the Isle of Wonder (neither of us are humorists by nature, yet we seemed to do okay at it together), out-doing each other adding twists and turns to the puzzles and then feeling quite devious about how "challenging" we were making things for the player, adding layer upon layer of story and puzzles and locales until we could scarcely remember all the points ourselves and had to run for paper to jot down notes. People really seem to enjoy the game, yet I don't think any player could have had their brain turned to mush nor enjoyed themselves any more intensely then we experienced that summer creating the design.