Ancient out-of-date interview

Many years ago I did an interview with Grundislav for AdventureGamers but for various reasons it neve really got around to being published, so I thought I would fish out the exciting raw chat log from my archives and let my blog readers enjoy:

Session Start: Thu Oct 12 20:25:42 2006
Session Ident: Grundislav
Session Ident: Grundislav (grundislav@ags-C3C24B44.mia.bellsouth.net)
(SSH) oops, I see
(SSH) can you quickly repeat everything you said so far, please
(Grundislav) but I like the idea of leaving little clues and things that connect in the end
(Grundislav) from which point?
(SSH) just the stuff about the dream
(SSH) up-arrow is your friend
(Grundislav) can you skype? or is it too late?
(SSH) sorry messed up the logging
(SSH) cant really skype
(Grundislav) ah well
(Grundislav) the game starts out with Ben having another dream
(Grundislav) one that is significant in answering a question that many fans have been puzzling over
(SSH) and it will be turned into a text article anyway
(SSH) and how is progress making the game going?
(Grundislav) slowly but surely
(SSH) just begun or some way in?
(Grundislav) the past couple of weeks I've been more into it
(Grundislav) I'm pretty far along
(SSH) which bits of the game do you do first?
(SSH) i mean, the story obviously
(SSH) but after that
(Grundislav) I started working on it around january of this year, maybe earlier
(Grundislav) but not consistently
(SSH) did you start it before you redid BJ1?
(Grundislav) yes
(SSH) in fact before you finished BJ5?
(Grundislav) I got the idea to re-do BJ1 in February when I went to the Everglades
(SSH) with nacho
(Grundislav) yeah
(SSH) did you see the skunk ape?
(SSH) or find any drugs?
(Grundislav) I started on it before I released BJ5, because there was a couple of months time between when I finished the actual playable game and when I had all the music
(Grundislav) hehe no, neither
(Grundislav) but I made a lot of skunk-ape jokes
(SSH) Is there anything more to add about BJ6. I see you have no GIP thread for it...
(SSH) I can guess why
(Grundislav) but going back to your previous question, I always write a story outline before I start the game work
(Grundislav) I write down locations and potential puzzles, and then I work on backgrounds on and off
(SSH) i guess it can change a bit as you work on it
(Grundislav) yeah
(Grundislav) I write all the dialogue on the spot, and if I don't like it I go back and fine tune it later
(Grundislav) and yes, there is no GiP thread because I don't want a repeat of what happened with BJ5
*Technical glitch here*
(Grundislav) hehe it's okay
(Grundislav) I can continue now
(SSH) fabulous
* Grundislav is being logged
(SSH) and logging is on this time!
(Grundislav) hooray!
(Grundislav) so where were we?
(SSH) so, I know you won't want to commit to a release date, but what do you think are the chances of BJ6 coming out this year?
* SSH takes Grundislav's pulse
(Grundislav) sorry, I was shaving for work
(Grundislav) I would say there is a 99.9% chance that BJ6 will not be released this year
(Grundislav) I am looking towards a 2007 release date, most likely before the AGS Meetings start
(SSH) okey doke
(SSH) now, other games...
(Grundislav) hold on
(SSH) BJ1++ was your last...
(SSH) oh
(Grundislav) I wanted to add something to one of my answers
(SSH) OK
(Grundislav) about the backstory explanation
(SSH) righty ho
* SSH feels he has lost control of this interview
(Grundislav) I want to be cryptic and say that in BJ6 we learn something very important about a major character
(SSH) We don't need your steeenking backstory!
(Grundislav) hehe
(SSH) Can I ask about BJ1++ now sir?
(Grundislav) sure
(Grundislav) why the double plus sign?
(SSH) Why did you feel the need to go back and redo it?
(SSH) apart from the compass/magnet atrocity, of course...
(Grundislav) because I felt the original release was not a good entry to the series
(SSH) ++ like C++
(Grundislav) ah
(SSH) any plans to redo any others in the series?
(Grundislav) compared to the other games, it was short, with terrible graphics
(Grundislav) so after going to the actual everglades, I became inspired and decided to remake it so it would be a worthy entry
(SSH) Did you enjoy the remake?
(Grundislav) not really, I thought about re-doing the second one, but I figured it was better to finish the whole series first
(SSH) making it, I mean
(SSH) Keep redoing them until they all win awards!
(Grundislav) yes, I enjoyed it
(Grundislav) haha
(Grundislav) I don't care about awards
(SSH) I felt that the deluxe BJ1 was a great game. What do you feel was the biggest improvement?
(Grundislav) the story expansion, mostly
(Grundislav) I thought I did a better job on the graphics too
(SSH) I found the voicework very entertaining. Are you planning do do voices for future BJs?
(Grundislav) I liked that I threw in little clues from the get-go too, like if you watch the intro, the first thing Ben says is "so you want to know how a regular guy ended up half a world away, unconscious in the back seat of a car of a guy he thought he could trust but turned out to be his worst enemy"
(Grundislav) so the player says "huh?"
(Grundislav) I'm seriously considering making case 8 a talkie, so they bookend the series
(SSH) that was a big giveaway. I guess it means that either Simon or Percy are EVIL!
(Grundislav) or maybe it's someone he hasn't met yet...
(SSH) or maybe Alice.... is a MAN!
(Grundislav) MAYBE!
(Grundislav) I like it when people come up with crazy theories :)
(SSH) Have you had any fan art/fiction/etc sent to you?
(SSH) RON and Dave Gilbert have had some, I know
(Grundislav) well, I had the cover art by dan lee
(Grundislav) for bj1 deluxe
(Grundislav) and two fangames
(Grundislav) but anyone is welcome to do some if they want
(SSH) of course the games
(SSH) DUH!
(SSH) WHat did you think of the fangames?
(SSH) the duh was to myself, btw
(Grundislav) heh
(Grundislav) I thought paranormal warrior within was pretty funny
(Grundislav) and buloght's sven gordan parody/remake was also amusing
(SSH) ANything more Ben Jordany to add?
(Grundislav) thanks to the fans for being so supportive
(SSH) I'll move on to The SHivah, for which you did the voice of the detective
(Grundislav) yes
(SSH) Apart from that and BJ1+, have you done any "serious" voice acting before?
(Grundislav) not really
(Grundislav) I did a talkie of one of my RON games, but that wasn't exactly "serious"
(Grundislav) oh, there was also Fatman
(SSH) ah yes, the infamous lost scottish accent of hooky mcpegleg
(SSH) The blooper reel has some good bits in it!
(Grundislav) in the shivah?
(SSH) yes
(SSH) you getting into character, etc.
(Grundislav) ah, yes, I wish I had a private jet, I would have flown to New York and recorded the voice with Dave
(Grundislav) that would have been fun
(SSH) maybe when you sell the Ben Jordan film rights...
(Grundislav) haha
(Grundislav) maybe!
(SSH) OK, err...
(SSH) The podcast!
(Grundislav) the podQUEST!
(SSH) It's now an irregular event, but have you any plans for another one in the near future?
(Grundislav) it's a clever pun, you see
(SSH) NO?
(Grundislav) I don't, but I know Zooty is planning on doing one from Bonfirittens
(SSH) oooh, I'll be there!
(Grundislav) you can be a guest host
(SSH) I'll try and get zooty drunk first
(Grundislav) you've been on the podquest enough times to qualify for one
(SSH) I'll be driving...
(SSH) so I'll laugh at his incoherence
(SSH) Now, if you could take 1 "normal" i.e. commercial adventure game to a desert island, which would it be?
(SSH) and compilation CDs dont count...
(Grundislav) would there be a computer on the island to play it on?
(SSH) well, yes
(SSH) but no net connection
(SSH) we dont want you going blind
(SSH) so Uru Live is out
(Grundislav) going blind?
(SSH) don't try and out-Rabbi me!
(Grundislav) this is a difficult question
(Grundislav) but I'll go with the game that I've played the most times
(Grundislav) which is Curse of Monkey Island
(Grundislav) which would be appropriate anyway to the island setting
(SSH) and if you could take one "underground" (i.e. free) game?
(SSH) not including your own
(Grundislav) hmm
(Grundislav) not to sound like an ass-kisser, but probably the shivah
(Grundislav) with soviet unterzdorfenglublewhatever a close second
(SSH) OK, I can't think of anything else to ask right now
(SSH) plus the wife wants me to clean the kitchen...
(Grundislav) and I have to go to work
(SSH) I'll have a grande latte!
(Grundislav) haha
(SSH) thanks
(Grundislav) thank YOU
Session Close: Thu Oct 12 21:37:52 2006