Was the graphical “Loom” for Lucasfilm easier or more difficult to write than your Infocom games?
Far, far more difficult. The amount of code and data that need to be created to make anything happen in a graphical game is staggering. The Infocom games were generally designed, coded and debugged by a single person, working with a handful of testers. But “Loom” required a full-time staff of six people, plus a shared staff of engineers, sound designers and a large testing department. I did maybe ninety percent of the coding myself, but the sixteen month effort nearly flattened me. Is originality important to you? Originality is great. It can get you in the history books. Sometimes it can even make you rich. But there’s nothing wrong with a superior execution of an old idea, either. In the long run, it’s not important to be the first. It’s important to be the best. Do you still program or are you solely a designer? I am only a designer. I miss programming sometimes, but I just don’t have time to keep up with the latest languages and operating systems. Have you been impressed by any gam
