El Paraíso de la Aventura - Interview - Al Lowe

INTERVIEWS

Interview with Al Lowe (Leisure Suit Larry)

-- by Khuzul, Ronsherma, Risingson y Danda. --

Al Lowe, the creator of the wonderful Leisure Suit Larry saga, Freddy Pharkas and Torin's Passage, agreed to talk to us (in behalf of all his fans from Spain) in an exclusive interview for El Paraiso de La Aventura.We want to thank him for having answered our questions so kindly and mainly for being one of the best designers of adventure games of all times.

1. Now adventure games work very well in Europe, actually better than in the US (ironically the place where they were born). What do you think about it? Are American gamers tired of adventure gaming or there is some truth about the saying that "Adventure is dead" (at least in your country)?
I think it's wonderful, magnificent. Here, things are quite different. Ten years ago I was sure that by now software stores would be like bookstores. That is, lots of titles, backlists, titles sitting on shelves for years. Instead, here they are like "mall music stores:" nothing but pop titles, that last for a few months, if not weeks. "Thinking titles" are just ignored. And there is no humor. For me, it is quite sad.

2. Most recent adventure games use the third dimension in real time. There has been a great controversy between "old-fashioned" gamers, who prefer traditional 2d graphics with a cartoon style, and others who want to see 3d models from different angles of vision. What do you think about this controversy? Will the cartoon-like style fade into oblivion?
I think there will be both, just as there are still 2D cartoons and movies. But, I must admit, I was looking forward to 3D myself. There are many humorous things I could have done, once you had control of the camera in Leisure Suit Larry's world! Just think about it…

3. It is a pity indeed that the great video of the LSL8 test is the only image we have now of your aborted transition into 3d. Would the "late" Leisure Suit Larry 8: Lust in Space have been made in full real-time 3d as Jane Jensen's Gabriel Knight III or would it have made use of pre-rendered settings?
No, our plan was to go real-time. Just imagine what we could have done with those close-ups!

4. Did Sierra draw a line to what you could say or show in the LSL games any time? Or at least, did they ever tip you tactfully about "dropping" something?
There have been 2 Sierras, you know; the original was the company started by, and run by, Ken & Roberta Williams. Even though it got huge (and sold for over $1 billion), it was a great place. Ken had great insight into the future and knew what people wanted. They were never satisfied with the way things are; but constantly fought for improvements. Ken trusted me and knew I wouldn't put in anything too obscene. The other Sierra came after Ken was bought out by a big corporation. They asked me to omit some things because "if we don't, Wal-Mart won't sell the game." (Ironically, even though we then omitted those things, Wal-Mart still didn't sell the game!)

5. In Spain, there have just been released two adventures that offer the possibility of being played by two players (maybe they are the first actual multiplayer adventures). Looking back to the time when you tried to create a multiplayer LSL4, how did you plan to cope with the "primitive" network of that time to create a game playable enough? Do you think possible to create now an on-line adventure game with the same concept of "traditional" adventure games, without any new features?
Back then, we wrestled with the problem and came to the conclusion that (with the technology of the time) (and maybe the limitations of the designer!) it was not yet possible. Now, I believe it is absolutely possible to play a game as one member of a "group."

6. Looking backwards, do you think that the risk of dying in the old Sierra adventures made them less attractive or playable? (Many adventurers regard Sierra-On-Line today as "that company that made adventure games where you could die!")
I don't know. I always viewed it as the only thing I could do when you tried to do something so stupid that it could only result in your death. Once we limited what you could do (by eliminating typing via the "grope 'n' click" interface), there was no need for death. Frankly, by that time, I was bored with the possibilities myself. After Larry 3, there was never any way to die in my games.

7. Are you still in touch with former colleagues and friends from your Sierra-On-Line time?
I see Ken & Roberta Williams often. In fact, we're having dinner together and going to see an NBA game tomorrow night! Most of the others have scattered across the world, although we swap occasional emails. We had a wonderful on-line "reunion" a couple years ago. I should find that tape and post it to my web site.

8. Now that you DON'T work for Sierra, could you say what you think about the games from other companies? (e.g. Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle...)
Knowing me, and my sense of humor, you already know how much I love the Monkey Island games especially. Day of the Tentacle was great. I thought Loom was an early masterpiece. In general, I thought it was pretty much Lucas and Sierra, although other companies had occasional winners, like Steve Meretzky's games. I was always soft for anything funny.

9. The music of the LSL series features some of the best songs we have listened to in adventure games. What is your personal favourite? -Don't say "For your thighs only! ;) And the best score?
Gosh, I'd have to say Love for Sail! was the best because we finally outgrew MIDI and had real live musicians playing actual musical instruments, no samplers, no MIDI, no synthesizers. As a professional musician, I especially wanted the music in my games to be unique. I found so much game music to be totally uninspired, redundant, repetitive. (And by that, I don't mean the "looping" we all had to do!)

My personal favorite aspect of the Larry games' music was hearing my silly little composition (the Larry theme song) performed and interpreted by so many great composers, arrangers and musicians…and in so many different ways. Each game, the new composer would come up with a fresh treatment. If I had known that the series was going to last for 12 years, I would have spent more than 20 minutes writing that song!

10. Do you think there are some good adventure games created by relatively unknown companies that are obscured by successful series that everybody seems to prefer (as the Monkey Island Saga for instance)?
I'm sure there are, but ironically, I don't know about them either. At the last Computer Game Designers conference I attended 18 months ago, the few adventure designers present were surprised to learn that the genre was still successful in Europe. We were so glad to hear it!

11. What do you feel about those gamers that still acknowledge what you did for adventure gaming and keep playing your games (even the original LSL from 1987!!!)
It pleases me so much! You should see the wonderful list of supportive emails I've received from fans all over this planet (and you can, by visiting www.allowe.com ). While I knew that Larry was popular, and sold a lot of copies, (and was one of the most widely pirated games on Earth!), I honestly had no idea how my humble offerings had touched the lives of so many wonderful people.

12. Do you think adventure games now are harmed by being too "politically correct"? Why nobody follows now the "healthy nastiness" you displayed in your games?
I don't understand it at all. I would think someone else would have "picked up the torch" and carried on the tradition of Benny Hill. Why is that?

13. Have you ever considered to do the contrary to what Douglas Adams did (as he turned from novel-writing into games)? Would you like to write humorous stories in book form?
I actually am at work on a book of collected humor. It should be out some time in 2001, although I hesitate to promise when. I'll post it on my site when it's done!

14. And last, would you like to send some message to your Spanish fans?
First, I want to invite them to drop by my web site, www.allowe.com Hopefully, they can find an English-Spanish translation site first, as it's English only (as am I!) And, I want to thank them for buying my games in the past. Last, I want to put in a plug for Leisure Suit Larry's Ultimate Pleasure Pack, which Sierra is still selling. It contains absolutely everything Larry that I ever created, all for exactly the same price as the first Larry game sold for 13 years ago! <sigh> 10 years of my life for a lousy 40 bucks. Oh, well. Sierra in the 80's was a special place at a special time and by doing something we loved we made people happy and even changed a few lives. How many people get to say that?

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