The Official Tierra Entertainment Newsletter 12/03/02 This is the fifth and perhaps most anticipated newsletter to date being sent out by the Anonymous Game Developing Team at Tierra Entertainment (yeah, we say that EVERY time, don't we?). With this being the season of giving, we have a copious supply of exciting announcements to make, gifts to bestow, and information to present! Below, you will find a short list of topics to be discussed in this newsletter: King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones Release Date The Release of the Music Pack Link to Quest Studios KQ2:RTS Music Page Music Competition at Quest Studios Tierra's New Website Future Plans Next Priority (KQIVGAv3.0, QFGIIVGA) Server space Conclusion King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones (KQII:RTS) Release The time has finally come; the game is polished, buffed, complete, over and done with, and ready to make its way to a computer screen near you - mystery feature and all! After more than a year of grueling work to make this game reality, we at Tierra have hopefully come another step closer to realizing the goal of reviving the adventure genre. Including over 140 backgrounds; highly detailed specialized close-up shots; realistic and colorful dialogue pictures including new characters; over 2 hours of breathtaking original music; new geographical areas to explore; exciting and complex (yet logical) puzzles; a completely revamped plot; a story with an atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife; and much, much more. King's Quest II+VGA is the most original fan-based game yet created and we feel that it is akin to playing an entirely original game! No need to reminisce over the long-lost days of skimming the shelves of the local video game chain for that long awaited, highly anticipated adventure game release, because they are back -- in full color, waiting to be downloaded, free of charge, for the Holiday! Thank Santa and his little elves, folks - they must have been working overtime this year. If you believe what you've read was a misprint, consider yourself part of the pack, and also, fortunately, completely wrong! This occasion is one to be celebrated by not only the fans, but the Anonymous Game Developers as well. The event seems surreal and is a very exciting time for everyone, including its creators. The Music Pack When initially inducting musicians to the Tierra team, it was quite evident that Tom and Dianne Lewandowski of Quest Studios were an extremely talented pair. In KQII: RTS, this couple has completely outdone themselves and made a mark in adventure soundtrack history. Their two hours plus of original music is nothing short of awe-inspiring and sits amongst the ranks of the most beloved classic adventure gaming fanfares ever released by Sierra. The voluntary work they've put into this project is phenomenal; they've dedicated more time and energy than most highly compensated employees. The enhancements offered to the game through the music pack should not be missed - although the game will play without the add-on digital music pack (the game includes a default MIDI soundtrack, too), it is highly recommended to download the music pack for the maximum gaming experience. The download size has been optimized for an endurable download by using ogg vorbis, and the game was designed with digital music in mind. Trust us, if you don't download it, you're missing a HUGE part of the gaming experience! Link To Tom's KQII:RTS Music Page Still not convinced? Need proof? For more information on the KQ2VGA digital music pack and to hear some samples in ogg vorbis format, please visit: http://www.queststudios.com/quest/kq2rts/kq2rts.html Competition at Quest Studios If all this recent activity in the realm of adventure gaming has whet your appetite, then be sure to stop by Quest Studios for dessert! A competition is underway to discover the biggest adventure gaming brainiac of them all, by way of a trivia competition; the winner will be handsomely rewarded with a free copy of their very own Space Quest 4 soundtrack CD! Check out the competition at the following address: http://www.queststudios.com/quest/contest/contest.html Tierra's New Website Another game, another month, another Website! To compliment the release of our newest game, we decided to completely redesign the entire Website! We feel that the adventurous and tech theme more accurately reflects Tierra's goals, and the vivid color choice is a breath of fresh air. Please be certain to bookmark the new site address at www.tierraentertainment.com. (www.tierragames.com will also do the trick, as it's directed to the previously mentioned domain name). The old site at qknowledge.net has permanently been laid to rest, as it was horrendously outdated, dark, dreary, difficult to navigate, and hosted by a very unreliable company. Although it may still be viewable online from the old address, it will continue to be outdated - just more so than it was before! So, if you want to keep yourself updated on all the latest and greatest goings- on at Tierra, it's in your best interest to bookmark the new URL. It would also be appreciated if any sites that are still linking to the old Tierra page, could update their links as well. For those who have already seen the new site, we've been pleased with your enthusiastic response to the change. A few people even found the site BEFORE we posted news of it to the public (now those are some dedicated fans!). Be sure to take a thorough peek, as many updates have been, and will continue to be, made! Future Plans This story of Tierra Entertainment has a happy ending. Or at least a happy middle! To make our priority of increased productivity in the creation of adventure games reality, we've decided to take drastic measures-Anonymous Game Developer #1 is moving from the United States to Australia to join the other half of Tierra's game making team! Staying with Anonymous Game Developer #2 for heaven knows how long, they have put life on hold and will dedicate every waking moment to the release of more adventure games! With a ticket in hand and nearly everything packed away, Anonymous Game Developer #1 will be "Down Under" in exactly one month from today! Next Priority After the release of KQII:RTS, Tierra's main focus will be the release of King's Quest I VGA v3.0. This long overdue third version of the game will include bug fixes, interface changes, and optional language packs! It should also have a slightly smaller file size than before. The following translations currently exist: Dutch German Icelandic Spanish If you would be interested in translating King's Quest 1 VGA into a language that is not listed above, please make a post in our General Forum "Translation Aid" thread. Once version 3.0 of King's Quest I VGA is released, we will put our full concentration towards what is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated Tierra release of all time - Quest for Glory II VGA! Server Space So, you wanna play King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones? Technically, we've got what you want - but we need a way to transfer it to you! If you, or anyone you know, would like to mirror the King's Quest II+ VGA game or music pack, please email us ASAP at tierragames@hotmail.com. It would be eternally appreciated and you would be held in high regard by both Tierra and its fans! Conclusion This concludes the fifth addition of the official Tierra Entertainment newsletter. From all the developers at Tierra, we would like to wish you Happy Holidays filled with happy gaming. If you are pleased with our newest release, King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones, please be sure to spread the word to others, as increased support leads to an increased chance of the survival of the adventure game genre! We've been looking forward to releasing this game which, we're proud to say, supersedes all our previous work in every aspect; please be sure to drop us a line in the Tierra forums and let us hear about your gaming experience! Site address: http://www.tierraentertainment.com Forums: http://pub57.ezboard.com/broyalquestforums Email: Tierra@tierragames.com - o -