Noah Falstein on Insult Swordfighting

Kweepa · Mon 27/02/2006 20:02:38

There's an interesting article in Game Developer Magazine (March 2006) on the inspiration behind Insult Swordfighting:

Quote from: NoahFalstein
For the INDIANA JONES game, we had needed a mini boxing game to replicate a scene from the movie [which was cut in the box office version]. I had greatly enjoyed SID MEIER'S PIRATES, which has a simple swordfighting interface. The player could strike high, medium, or low, and advance or retreat; so I stole... that is, I lovingly paid tribute to Meier's interface by using it for Indy's boxing match. Somehow I forgot to mention where I got the idea from in the first place.
After the game shipped, Gilbert had moved onto a game about pirates -- the first MONKEY ISLAND game. One day he stopped by my office and casually mentioned that he was thinking of using the Indy boxing interface in his game, saying, "It might make a good pirate swordfighting interface."
"I don't think that's such a good idea." I said, improvising fast. "This is a comedy games, and that's not very funny." It was a pretty lame excuse, but my colleague seemed willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. I found myself desperately searching for an alternative approach so I wouldn't have to admit my "loving tribute."
How can you make a swordfight funny? It was a tense moment. I've since learned that high pressure and difficult constraints can spur creativity. And then I thought of the classic swordfight in the movie and book The Princess Bride.
In The Princess Bride, and indeed in a lot of old pirate classics going back to Errol Flynn, the sword wielders' physical dexterity ran a distant second to their skills with insults and rejoinders.
It was decided. The MONKEY ISLAND fighting interface settled on matching insults to appropriate, funny responses as a core mechanism. We had turned a difficult limitation ("swordfighting isn't funny") into an inspiration for what proved to be one of the popular features of the game. And I had kept my own pirating secret. That is, until now.

Scummbuddy · Mon 27/02/2006 20:39:09

That was an interesting read. Thanks for that. I love hearing about behind the scenes converstaions that went on at LucasArts back in the glory days.

Like how they would have intermittent Nerf fights between cubicles.

Hammerite · Tue 28/02/2006 16:20:52

now theyre just a faceless conglomerate

Squinky · Tue 28/02/2006 16:24:58

This is pretty cool. I used to play Sid Meir's Pirate's all the time, it and Hero's Quest (Quest for Glory) are all time favorites of mine. Cool to see how it ties together.

Nacho · Tue 28/02/2006 18:22:01

I recently played Pirates, the EGA version... and man, still rocks. I actually "finished it" (there's a bug, if you reach 99,999,999 pieces of gold you can't earn more).

And I thought in using the interface for making a "street fighter" with Guybrush and the others in AGS... but failed to see the relation with Indy 3's game! Entertaining reading. Thanks.

Squinky · Tue 28/02/2006 18:30:27

I still have the box for the old floppy version, but I lost the map....so, it's pretty much lame o try anything in it. It runs god awfully fast anyway.

Pirates Gold has so many bugs as to be unplayable at points, and the newer one is good, but too easy in my mind.....You just can't go back I guess...

Kinoko · Thu 02/03/2006 06:14:47

I used to play that game a lot on my old Amiga but I never finished it. I didn't like all the trading and whatnot, just sailing around and exploring and swrod fighting. that really was an interesting read though!

Grapefruitologist · Thu 02/03/2006 07:16:24

Pirates... that sounds familiar.
Hmmm, I think I'm remembering now!
Is this Pirates the same Pirates that I used to play a demo of a few years ago?
I don't remembering swordfighting in it, though...
Hmm, now I want to play that game! I forget where that demo is!
Does it have a parrot at the beginning, and you sail around the carribean and your ship gets blown up alot? That Pirates?

Ghormak · Thu 02/03/2006 07:36:59

http://www.mobygames.com/game_group/sheet/gameGroupId,43/Ã,Â This Pirates.

I used to play Pirates! Gold so much.

Squinky · Thu 02/03/2006 17:03:53

The original was the best, and it was always my goal to get a big ass warship and pack it full of unhappy pirates and cannons and go ransack the biggest town I could get. Then I realized you could do way better with a smaller more manueverable ship that didn't get blown to hell on the way to the port....

Pirates Gold was good too, and so is the newest one, but it appears to be way too easy in my mind, once you get all the special swords and a good frigate you are set for the game.

Ghormak · Thu 02/03/2006 18:25:59

I hear you about the new one. I also didn't like how when you took on an escort mission, the ship would ALWAYS be attacked by the exact same kind of ships every time. Where's the sense of adventure there? "Ok, I'd like to fight a French Barque. I guess I'll escort a governor then." I want to sail around not knowing if anything is going to attack!

I'm pretty sure the old games didn't have any "guaranteed" encounters. Not that they had the escort missions either, but still... The remake lost a lot of its charm once I realised.