04.21.08
The Ghost of Games Past
I find this extremely fascinating: Game history! An old backup of Infocom’s shared network drive from 1989 reveals interesting details about the development of the never-released sequel to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy game, which I have never played. I haven’t actually read the article itself, either, though I’ve skimmed some of the sources he’s reproduced there, but I took a look over the comments and was excited to see several of the old Infocom employees chiming in.
The insight into the workings of a game studio anno 1989 is interesting enough, but observing how the old contributors react to having their old mails released and analysed makes it all the better. I certainly think Andy Baio would’ve done well to try to contact these people and ask them for permission before posting their old mails on the web, but Bywater is the only person who (rightfully) seems angry about it.
Now, this doesn’t really have more than an academic interest to me, because I was never into text adventures and I never had the chance to play any of Infocom’s games when they were still new and exciting (I was 3 years old when Infocom was shut down in 89), but this of course got me thinking. Do you think that somewhere in the basement of a building owned by Eidos, there’s an old server with early design documents for Deus Ex 3? Do you think it has all the source code for Deus Ex? Do you think it has the White House prototype mission? 
There are three companies I’d definitely like to see the server backups of: ION Storm Austin, Looking Glass Studios, and Black Isle. Black Isle was working on Baldur’s Gate 3 when they were shut down in 2003. And maybe we’d even find out what Project Washington (aka. Torn) was all about.
Casper said,
April 21, 2008 at 13:17
I would totally like to see ION Storm Dallas server backup
Jonas said,
April 21, 2008 at 13:24
lol yeah I imagine you would.
Where’ve you been recently? Haven’t seen you online in ages.
Casper said,
April 21, 2008 at 13:34
New computer!
I got my new computer some days ago, so I spent a lot of time on that, should I buy Vegas 2?
Also I have been trying to read some of the literature for my 20-25 page paper on Gears of War. Im planning on your help for that
Casper said,
April 21, 2008 at 13:36
Also im not allowed to use msn on my new workplace, also they have a filter, so I can basicly visit about 10 pages on the web without getting a blank page. Hurray!
Btw. Now the anti-spam word have been “gone” for 3 post!
Jonas said,
April 21, 2008 at 14:38
You should 110% buy Vegas 2. Though it may require more tactical playing than you’re used to, it has almost the same cover system as Gears of War.
Casper said,
April 21, 2008 at 15:07
I will buy it at once then! Is there a good co-op option?
Jonas said,
April 21, 2008 at 16:02
Of course, there are co-op options all over the place. You host.