If you had a home computer in the 1980s , you probably played at least one adventure game from Sierra On - ancestry . Here ’s a abbreviated history of the company - and the game - that helped define a propagation of computer geeks .
Hi-Res Adventures
In 1979 , Roberta Williams ’ husband , Ken , a software engineer , bought an Apple II . When he was n’t coding , she was playing early school text - establish computing machine game likeColossal Cave Adventure . These early game featured brusque bits of text to describe the environment the player encounter , and then used a simple verb - noun command system ( i.e. , “ get stone ” ) to interact with the world . After bring through every secret plan she could observe , Roberta convinced Ken to help createMystery House , a game she had written based onAnd Then There Were None , an Agatha Christie novel about ten hoi polloi immobilize inside a house with a grampus .
But rather than make just another schoolbook adventure game , Roberta upped the ante by drawing simple digital video of 70 room inside the titulary mansion . Now , when a actor entered a new area , they saw a picture on the top one-half of the filmdom , with the normal verbal description and bidding user interface below . It sounds simple by today ’s monetary standard , but it was actually the first computing machine adventure plot to have graphics .
The couple soldMystery Housein 1980 in Los Angeles data processor stores and via mail guild for $ 24.99 . The packaging consist of a Ziploc baggie turn back a 5 1/4 " floppy disk and a photocopied didactics manual . Surprisingly , the game became a smash hit , sell 10,000 transcript , a phenomenal amount at the time . So , under Ken ’s existing line name , On - Line Systems , the twosome start creating more plot for what they call the Hi - Res Adventure series .
Between 1980 and 1983 , the company produce six Hi - Res Adventures , includingThe Wizard and the Princess , the first computer secret plan with color computer graphic , and their first licensed game free-base on Jim Henson ’s film , The Dark Crystal . However , their most ambitious project was 1982’sTime Zone , consisting of 1,500 field to explore , spanning over six twofold - sided floppy disks . study most game at the time did n’t even fill a exclusive - sided floppy , Time Zonewas a massive biz ; however , at $ 99 , it was n’t a massive success . The unattackable sales of the other Hi - Res games more than made up for it , though .
King’s Quest
As their business organisation get , Ken and Roberta moved in 1982 from L.A. to Oakhurst , California , near Yosemite National Park . They also vary the company ’s name to Sierra On - Line to reflect their young base of procedure near the Sierra Nevada hatful cooking stove .
That same yr , Sierra get into into a partnership with IBM , who want a secret plan that would show off the capabilities of their forthcoming place computer . instigate by her sexual love of childhood fairy tales , Roberta wroteKing ’s Quest , which told the level of Sir Graham , a untried knight who must go in search of three hoarded wealth that will save the kingdom of Daventry from destruction .
Although they could have used the same graphic - and - text formula of the Hi - Res serial , Sierra went above and beyond and rather developed a semi-3 - five hundred vivid environment . Players move the whizz of the game around the screen using the keyboard arrow key , and then interacted with the environment with the same verb - noun commands used in text - based games .
Although the idea was revolutionary , it almost give way by unnoticed . King ’s Questwas written for the IBM PCjr , a computer thatTIMEcalled , “ one of the biggest flop in the chronicle of computing . ” For a variety of reasons , include a in high spirits monetary value , misfortunate expandability , and an uncomfortable keyboard , it ’s estimated that only 500,000 models were ever sell . And as the computing gadget slump , it endanger to takeKing ’s Questdown with it . gratefully , Sierra maintain the rights to the plot and scrambled to port it to other systems , like Tandy , Apple II , Atari ST , Amiga , and Commodore , where it chance a large and enthusiastic consultation .
In all , there were seven subsequence toKing ’s Quest , making it the longest - running and most - successful of Sierra ’s game series .
Space Quest
AfterKing ’s Quest , Sierra created many “ edutainment ” games for tike , as well as a video game version of the new Disney animated fairy tale , The Black Cauldron . As they polish off developing onBlack Cauldron , employees Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe desire to get forth from phantasy preferences for a variety , so they pitch the idea of a sci - fi lampoon akin toThe Hitchhiker ’s Guide to Galaxy . The collaboration of the self - dubbed “ Two hombre From Andromeda ” became 1986’sSpace Quest : The Sarien Encounter .
quad Questfollows Roger Wilco , a janitor aboard an interstellar starship ( his name is borrowed from the abbreviation of the radio communication , “ Roger , Will Comply ” ) . When Roger stumbles out of the broom closet where he ’d been napping , he get a line he ’s the only surviving member of the gang – the eternal rest were toss off by the malign alien , the Sariens . Now it ’s up to him to prevent the destruction of his home planet of Xenon at the hands of Sarien leader , Sludge Vohaul .
The game was fill with humor , include cunning references to famous sci - fi franchises , most of the puzzles had fishy solutions , and even dying in the game was good for a laugh . Unfortunately , not everyone got the jape . For example , Sierra was litigate by toy R Us because a store in the game was call Droids R Us . Even the sharp dressed men of ZZ Top did n’t take account their pixelated likenesses as the star sign banding at a saloon ( the other band in the streak , the Blues Brothers , ostensibly did n’t mind ) . When Sierra remadeSpace Questin 1991 with update sound and art , they change the store name to Droids B Us . However , despite the suit , ZZ Top was still in early interpretation of the remake , though they were later on supervene upon with an alien band .
Space Questbecame a Brobdingnagian collision , selling over 100,000 written matter , and spawned five sequels . If you were one of the many who loved the serial , you might be interested to know that The Two Guyshave latterly reunitedand are working on another spoof sci - fi adventure game together .
Leisure Suit Larry
The comedy inSpace Questwas intelligibly influence by pic likeBlazing SaddlesandAirplane ! , but it never had any of the more adult humor that peppered those sarcasm . That variety of crude - but - not - too - vulgar bodily fluid was reserve for 1987’sLeisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards . The game star lovable loser Larry Laffer , and the whole point of the biz – and its five official sequels – was to avail Larry get golden .
For many people at the meter , the estimation of a video plot for grown - ups was quite novel . However , LSL was actually revolutionize by an earlier Sierra game from 1981 calledSoftporn Adventure . The text - only game put the player on a similar seeking as Larry and boast much of the same bathroom humour and none - too - subtle double - entendres . In fact , some of Softporn ’s jokes and scenarios were recycled for LSL by series creator Al Lowe .
Sierra releasedLeisure Suit Larryin 1987 without flourish in an effort to avoid any spoiled promotion . Still , many retail merchant refused to carry the biz because of its field of study topic . But thanks to unspoiled countersign of mouth , the game deal over 250,000 copy in its first class , and was named one of the best game of 1988 by the Software Publishers Association . Sierra mark a foreign unusual person in its sales figures – they ’d sold more hint account book for the biz than they had copies of the biz . This ledLarryto receive the unofficial title of the Most Pirated Game Ever .
Proving you ca n’t keep a upright military personnel down , Larry is making a comebackthanks to Kickstarter . Al Lowe has teamed up with Replay Games to bring youLeisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards Reloaded , a remaking of the original game for PC , Mac , and tablets .
Other Games
Police Questdebuted in 1987 and spawn two direct sequel . make by former police officer Jim Walls , the game was a naturalistic crime drama with many puzzler that could only be figure out if the player used proper law procedures . This reportedly led to the secret plan ’s use as a education tool in some police department . The serial subsequently morphed intoDaryl F. Gates ’ Police Quest : SWATafter the former LAPD Chief signed on as a consultant , and proceed away from puzzles to more action - oriented gameplay .
Roberta Williams guess into Gothic horror with 1995’sPhantasmagoria . The secret plan used genuine actor performing over computer get background , and included video cutscenes , some of which featured controversial moments of graphic vehemence and an implied rape . As a result , many retailer refused to sell the game and it was in reality banned in Australia . Despite this , it sold over 1 million transcript , shit it the best - sell Sierra plot ever , and inspired a sequel , Phantasmagoria : A Puzzle of Flesh . Roberta has also called it the game she is most proud of in her vocation .
Quest for Glorywas a five - game series that bring role - playing element to the key signature Sierra escapade secret plan , to put up clever yield on the tropes of the phantasy genre . The series give the player the choice to be any one of three characters , whose panache of play would have an impact on the final outcome of the game .
End of an Era
After 15 years create influential game , Sierra On - Line was purchase by CUC International in 1996 for a report $ 1.6 billion . By 1999 , they were no longer creating games , but just published them for lowly , independent studio . For about the next tenner , the company would be bought and betray many time before finally landing with Activision , which shutter Sierra in 2008 , bringing an end to a truly remarkable era in computer game . * * * Did you have a favorite Sierra On - Line secret plan back in the mean solar day ?
