Sierra's Creative Interpreter
Encyclopedia
Sierra's Creative Interpreter (SCI) is the scripting language
created by Jeff Stephenson of Sierra On-Line for its adventure game
s after the older AGI
, and the runtime environment for such adventure games.
Although ports for the Amiga
, Atari ST
, Macintosh and PC-9801 platforms exist, the primary development was for the IBM PC
platform.
language, SCI is completely object-oriented
.
in 1988, SCI0 (0.000.xxx) allowed for 320x200 graphics with 16 colors as well as a music-card compatible soundtrack. It also supported parser-based keyboard input which a game could be scripted to use if it wishes to do so (non-adventure games usually didn't).
Games using SCI0 (in order of release):
Later versions of SCI0 added bilingual support for international versions; their version string reads "S.OLD.xxx". Games include:
The last SCI0 game, Jones in the Fast Lane, already used the graphics engine from SCI1 and thus was available in a 256 color version.
Most SCI1 games are completely mouse-driven, using an icon-based interface; contrary to popular thought, it is up to the game's script code, not to the interpreter, to implement the user interface. For example, even though Quest for Glory 2 is parser-driven and King's Quest 5 is mouse-driven, they use compatible interpreters, as it is possible to use the interpreter from QFG2 with the EGA version of KQ5.
The version numbering scheme is somewhat confusing for the reason that the third number in the version string (the build number) has only three digits, even though four are needed. For example, the game Space Quest 4 Version 1.052 ships with an interpreter labeled "1.000.753", whereas the game Conquests of the Longbow Version 1.0 ships with an interpreter labeled "1.000.168"; nevertheless, the latter interpreter is newer because the build number is actually 1168, not 168. Also, in some cases the "1.000" is replaced with "T.A00", which however does not indicate a separate development fork.
SCI1 games include:
Interpreters with build numbers >1000 have slightly modified file formats and improved foreign language support (resulting from a code merge with SCI0's S.OLD fork), but are otherwise like earlier SCI1 versions. Games include:
Separate 16-color packages were no longer available; EGA owners instead would be presented a 640x200 graphics display that simulated 256 colors via dithering.
extender or by running it in Windows 3.1's Enhanced Mode. Most notable is the support of high-resolution 640x480 graphics, as well as better movie support. There are two known revisions, 2.000.000, and 2.100.002. Games include:
engine that can run SCI0 games. FreeSCI works on Linux
/Unix, Microsoft Windows
, Dreamcast, and GP32
. The FreeSCI engine is now integrated into ScummVM
meaning that it can now be used on many more platforms.
SCI editors can be used to uncover unfinished game elements that had been concealed in the game's resource files by the developer during the game's development. These hidden resources include unfinished artworks, puzzles, scenery, voiceover or music recordings as well as gags inserted by the development team. Examples of game titles from which such hidden resources have been uncovered include King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!
(SCI1.1), Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
(SCI1.1), Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!
(SCI1.1), King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride
(SCI2), and Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier
(SCI2).
Scripting language
A scripting language, script language, or extension language is a programming language that allows control of one or more applications. "Scripts" are distinct from the core code of the application, as they are usually written in a different language and are often created or at least modified by the...
created by Jeff Stephenson of Sierra On-Line for its adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s after the older AGI
Adventure Game Interpreter
The Adventure Game Interpreter is a game engine which Sierra On-Line used through most of the 1980s to create and run animated, color adventure games...
, and the runtime environment for such adventure games.
Although ports for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Macintosh and PC-9801 platforms exist, the primary development was for the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
platform.
Design
While AGI was a proceduralProcedural programming
Procedural programming can sometimes be used as a synonym for imperative programming , but can also refer to a programming paradigm, derived from structured programming, based upon the concept of the procedure call...
language, SCI is completely object-oriented
Object-oriented programming
Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm using "objects" – data structures consisting of data fields and methods together with their interactions – to design applications and computer programs. Programming techniques may include features such as data abstraction,...
.
Versions
Although continuously developed between 1988 and 1996, five major versions can be isolated:SCI0
First used for King's Quest IV: The Perils of RosellaKing's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella
King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella, released in 1988, was the first major graphical computer adventure game with a female protagonist. The player takes on the role of Princess Rosella, daughter of King Graham of Daventry and the twin sister of Gwydion/Alexander...
in 1988, SCI0 (0.000.xxx) allowed for 320x200 graphics with 16 colors as well as a music-card compatible soundtrack. It also supported parser-based keyboard input which a game could be scripted to use if it wishes to do so (non-adventure games usually didn't).
Games using SCI0 (in order of release):
- King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella
- Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places)Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places)Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love is the second game in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games by Sierra On Line. Like its predecessor, it was developed for multiple platforms, including DOS, Atari ST and Amiga...
- Police Quest II: The VengeancePolice Quest II: The VengeancePolice Quest II: The Vengeance is an adventure game produced by Jim Walls for Sierra On-Line, and released in 1988. It is the sequel to Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel and is part of the Police Quest series.- Gameplay :...
- 1988 Christmas Card
- Space Quest III: The Pirates of PestulonSpace Quest III: The Pirates of PestulonSpace Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon, the third game in Sierra Entertainment's Space Quest series, was released on March 24, 1989, and was developed using an early version of Sierra's SCI engine.-Plot:...
- Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 1Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 1Hoyle's Official Book of Games is a series of games produced by Sierra Entertainment. Volume 1, released in 1989, featured multi-player card games. Volume 2, released in 1990, featured 28 varieties of Solitaire. Volume 3, released in 1992, featured board games...
- Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero
- Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating PectoralsLeisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating PectoralsLeisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals is the third entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games published by Sierra Entertainment. It was developed for multiple platforms including DOS, Atari ST and Amiga...
- The Colonel's BequestThe Colonel's BequestThe Colonel's Bequest is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line in 1989. This graphic adventure game was the first of the short-lived Laura Bow Mysteries series created by Roberta Williams and used many elements from the original Mystery House. It was created with SCI0. It uses 4-bit color ...
- Codename: IcemanCodename: ICEMANCodename: ICEMAN is a graphical adventure game made with the SCI engine and published by the American computer game company Sierra On-Line in 1989. The lead designer was Jim Walls, who also created the Police Quest games...
- Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail
- Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 2
- Mixed-Up Mother GooseMixed-Up Mother GooseRoberta Williams' Mixed-Up Mother Goose is a computer game first released by Sierra On-Line in 1987. It is, in essence, an edutainment title, directed specifically at young gamers, as well as an adventure game.-Plot:...
(Version 1.011)
Later versions of SCI0 added bilingual support for international versions; their version string reads "S.OLD.xxx". Games include:
- King's Quest I: Quest for the CrownKing's Quest I: Quest for the CrownKing's Quest: Quest for the Crown is a 1984 adventure game, originally published for the IBM PCjr simply as King's Quest. The story and the general design of the game was developed by Roberta Williams....
(1990 remake) - Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon (international versions)
- Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating PectoralsLeisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating PectoralsLeisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals is the third entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games published by Sierra Entertainment. It was developed for multiple platforms including DOS, Atari ST and Amiga...
(international versions) - Jones in the Fast LaneJones in the Fast LaneJones in the Fast Lane is a life simulation game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1990. The objective of the game is to attain certain amounts of money, happiness, status, and education. The exact amounts needed are defined by the player when the game begins...
(disk version)
The last SCI0 game, Jones in the Fast Lane, already used the graphics engine from SCI1 and thus was available in a 256 color version.
SCI1
Released in 1990, the most notable improvement in SCI1 (1.000.xxx/T.A00.xxx) was the support of 256 color graphics, still at a resolution of 320x200; EGA 16 color graphics were still available (games were usually sold in separate 16 and 256 color versions). Some people prefer to call the 16-color SCI1 interpreters "SCI01". With the shift to SCI1, Sierra began using a digitized painting process for background artwork, rather than the pixel-by-pixel process of previous engines: the difference is readily apparent if one compares, for example, King's Quest 4 against King's Quest 5.Most SCI1 games are completely mouse-driven, using an icon-based interface; contrary to popular thought, it is up to the game's script code, not to the interpreter, to implement the user interface. For example, even though Quest for Glory 2 is parser-driven and King's Quest 5 is mouse-driven, they use compatible interpreters, as it is possible to use the interpreter from QFG2 with the EGA version of KQ5.
The version numbering scheme is somewhat confusing for the reason that the third number in the version string (the build number) has only three digits, even though four are needed. For example, the game Space Quest 4 Version 1.052 ships with an interpreter labeled "1.000.753", whereas the game Conquests of the Longbow Version 1.0 ships with an interpreter labeled "1.000.168"; nevertheless, the latter interpreter is newer because the build number is actually 1168, not 168. Also, in some cases the "1.000" is replaced with "T.A00", which however does not indicate a separate development fork.
SCI1 games include:
- 1990 Christmas Card - The Seasoned Professional
- Quest for Glory II: Trial by FireQuest for Glory II: Trial by FireQuest for Glory II: Trial by Fire is the second video game in Sierra's Quest for Glory series, and the sequel to Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero .-Gameplay:...
- Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 3
- King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! is a 1990 adventure game released by Sierra. Released in November 1990, it featured a significant improvement in graphics . It was also the first King's Quest installment to replace the typing user interface with a point-and-click user interface...
(disk version) - Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge LizardsLeisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge LizardsLeisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards is the alliterative title to an adventure computer game first released in 1987, the first part of the Leisure Suit Larry series. It was a completely graphical adventure game with 16 color EGA graphics. It utilizes the Adventure Game Interpreter ...
(enhanced remake) - Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time RippersSpace Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time RippersSpace Quest IV: Roger Wilco and The Time Rippers was released on floppy disks on March 4, 1991, and released on CD-ROM in December 1992 with full speech support and featuring Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens as the voice of the narrator. It featured 256-color hand painted graphics and a fully...
(disk version) - Mixed-Up Mother GooseMixed-Up Mother GooseRoberta Williams' Mixed-Up Mother Goose is a computer game first released by Sierra On-Line in 1987. It is, in essence, an edutainment title, directed specifically at young gamers, as well as an adventure game.-Plot:...
(CD-ROM version)
Interpreters with build numbers >1000 have slightly modified file formats and improved foreign language support (resulting from a code merge with SCI0's S.OLD fork), but are otherwise like earlier SCI1 versions. Games include:
- Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover WorkLeisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover WorkLeisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work is the fourth entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games published by Sierra Entertainment. It is the first title in the series available for play on Macintosh, as well as to have 256-color graphics and a...
- EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (disk version 1.0)
- Jones in the Fast LaneJones in the Fast LaneJones in the Fast Lane is a life simulation game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1990. The objective of the game is to attain certain amounts of money, happiness, status, and education. The exact amounts needed are defined by the player when the game begins...
(CD-ROM version) - King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder (CD-ROM & international disk versions)
- Mixed-up Fairy TalesMixed-Up Fairy TalesMixed-Up Fairy Tales was a graphic adventure game released by Sierra On-Line in 1991. It was made for younger players than those of Sierra's King's Quest or Space Quest series...
- Police Quest III: The KindredPolice Quest III: The KindredPolice Quest III: The Kindred is an adventure game produced by Jim Walls for Sierra On-Line, and released in 1991. It is the second sequel to Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel and is part of the Police Quest series.- Gameplay :...
- Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter (enhanced remake)
- Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (international versions)
- Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood
- Castle of Dr. BrainCastle of Dr. BrainCastle of Dr. Brain is a video game of the educational genre released in 1991 by Sierra Online. It is a puzzle adventure game.-Gameplay:The object of the game is to successfully navigate the puzzles Dr. Brain has set up in order to become the mad scientist's assistant...
SCI1.1
Apart from considerable internal changes, SCI1.1 (1.001.xxx) added support for animated movie sequences (first used in KQ6) as well as scaling sprites: characters would become smaller as they walk into the distance, giving a pseudo-3D effect. (The interpreters from some early SCI1.1 games bear a "2.000.000" version stamp; this is most likely an inconsistency which should be ignored.)Separate 16-color packages were no longer available; EGA owners instead would be presented a 640x200 graphics display that simulated 256 colors via dithering.
- 1992 Christmas Card
- EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (disk version 1.1, CD-ROM version)
- EcoQuest II: Lost Secret of the RainforestEcoQuestEcoQuest is a series of two educational adventure games developed by Sierra Entertainment. The original concept was developed by Sierra VP of Creative Development, Bill Davis...
- Freddy Pharkas: Frontier PharmacistFreddy Pharkas: Frontier PharmacistFreddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist is a comic Old West adventure computer game created by Al Lowe and Josh Mandel and published by Sierra On-Line in 1993...
- The Island of Dr. BrainThe Island of Dr. BrainThe Island of Dr. Brain is the second game in the Dr. Brain series by Sierra Online. It was released in 1992 and was only available to play in DOS.-Summary:...
- King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone TomorrowKing's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone TomorrowKing's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is the sixth installment in the King's Quest series of adventure games produced by Sierra Entertainment...
- Laura Bow: The Dagger of Amon RaThe Dagger of Amon RaRoberta Williams' Laura Bow in: The Dagger of Amon Ra is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line in 1992. The game is the second and final installment in the Laura Bow Mysteries line of adventure games, the first of which was The Colonel's Bequest...
- Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! is the fifth entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games published by Sierra Entertainment. Originally developed for DOS, a remake was produced in CD-ROM format a year after its release. The enhanced version of the game offers...
(disk and low-res CD-ROM version) - Mixed-Up Mother GooseMixed-Up Mother GooseRoberta Williams' Mixed-Up Mother Goose is a computer game first released by Sierra On-Line in 1987. It is, in essence, an edutainment title, directed specifically at young gamers, as well as an adventure game.-Plot:...
(Version 2.000) - Pepper's Adventures in TimePepper's Adventures in TimePepper's Adventures in Time is an educational game/adventure game released in 1993 by Sierra On-Line. The project was based on a concept by Sierra VP of Development/Creative Director, Bill Davis, who also designed the game's main characters...
- Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death AngelPolice Quest: In Pursuit of the Death AngelPolice Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel is an adventure game produced by Jim Walls for Sierra On-Line, and originally released in 1987 built on their AGI.It was remade in 1992 using 256 color VGA graphics and the SCI engine....
(enhanced remake) - Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero (256 color remake)
- Quest for Glory III: Wages of WarQuest for Glory III: Wages of WarQuest for Glory III: Wages of War is a hybrid adventure/role-playing video game released in 1992 for the MS-DOS PC and Apple Macintosh. It is the sequel to Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire....
- Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time RippersSpace Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time RippersSpace Quest IV: Roger Wilco and The Time Rippers was released on floppy disks on March 4, 1991, and released on CD-ROM in December 1992 with full speech support and featuring Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens as the voice of the narrator. It featured 256-color hand painted graphics and a fully...
(CD-ROM version) - Space Quest V: The Next MutationSpace Quest V: The Next MutationSpace Quest V: Roger Wilco – The Next Mutation is an adventure game released on February 5, 1993.-Premise:Space Quest V is unusual in the series in that it is primarily a specific parody of Star Trek; while there are some references to other fiction movies, like Predator, Alien, and The Fly, the...
SCI2
Often called SCI32 (along with SCI3), SCI2 (2.xxx.xxx) runs in 32-bit mode by using the DOS/4GWDOS/4GW
DOS/4G is a 32-bit DOS extender developed by Rational Systems . It allows DOS programs to eliminate the 640 KB conventional memory limit by addressing up to 64 MB of extended memory on Intel 80386 and above machines....
extender or by running it in Windows 3.1's Enhanced Mode. Most notable is the support of high-resolution 640x480 graphics, as well as better movie support. There are two known revisions, 2.000.000, and 2.100.002. Games include:
- Gabriel Knight: Sins of the FathersGabriel Knight: Sins of the FathersGabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line, Inc....
- The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight MysteryThe Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight MysteryThe Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery is a computer adventure game released by Sierra On-Line in 1995. Unlike the first Gabriel Knight game, released in 1993, The Beast Within was produced entirely in full motion video...
- King's Quest VII: The Princeless BrideKing's Quest VII: The Princeless BrideKing's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride is an adventure game released in 1994 by Sierra On-Line. It featured high-resolution graphics in a style reminiscent of Disney animated films...
- Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! is the fifth entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games published by Sierra Entertainment. Originally developed for DOS, a remake was produced in CD-ROM format a year after its release. The enhanced version of the game offers...
(hi-res CD-ROM version) - Mixed-Up Mother GooseMixed-Up Mother GooseRoberta Williams' Mixed-Up Mother Goose is a computer game first released by Sierra On-Line in 1987. It is, in essence, an edutainment title, directed specifically at young gamers, as well as an adventure game.-Plot:...
Deluxe - PhantasmagoriaPhantasmagoria (computer game)Phantasmagoria was a notable outing for designer Roberta Williams, best known for her family games like the King's Quest series. Featuring graphic gore, violence, and a rape scene, the game stirred controversy over age restrictions and target audiences in the maturing game industry. It was banned...
- Police Quest: Open Season
- Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of DarknessQuest for Glory IV: Shadows of DarknessQuest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness is an adventure game/role-playing video game hybrid. It is the fourth installment of the Quest for Glory computer game series by Sierra Entertainment.- Release :...
- ShiversShivers (computer game)Shivers is a single-player horror-themed PC adventure game, released on CD-ROM by Sierra On-line on September 30, 1995.-Plot:The Player steps into the shoes of a teenager who is dared by his friends to spend the night in the grounds of a haunted museum - Professor Windlenot's Museum of the Strange...
- Space Quest 6: The Spinal FrontierSpace Quest 6: The Spinal FrontierSpace Quest 6: Roger Wilco in The Spinal Frontier is the 6th computer game in Sierra's Space Quest series, released in 1995.-Development:...
- Torin's PassageTorin's PassageTorin's Passage is a graphic adventure game developed and released by Sierra On-Line, designed by Al Lowe. The game holds the distinction of being a family friendly game by Lowe, designer of the adult-oriented Leisure Suit Larry series of games....
SCI3
The last version, SCI3 (3.000.000) could not only run under DOS or Windows 3.1, but also natively under Windows 95. Games include:- Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail!
- Lighthouse: The Dark BeingLighthouse: The Dark BeingLighthouse: The Dark Being is an adventure game developed and released by Sierra On-Line.- Gameplay :The game is a first person adventure with a point and click interface, similar to Myst.- Plot :...
- Phantasmagoria II: A Puzzle of FleshPhantasmagoria: A Puzzle of FleshPhantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, also known as Phantasmagoria 2 and released as Phantasmagoria II: Fatal Obsessions in some European countries, is a full motion video based game released in 1996 by Sierra Entertainment...
- RAMA
- Shivers Two: Harvest of SoulsShivers 2Shivers II: Harvest of Souls is a horror-themed point-and-click PC adventure game, released in 1997 by Sierra On-Line.-Gameplay:The game was innovative in that there was a series of rock music videos by the fictional band Trip Cyclone, which provided the player with hints to solving the game's...
Related software
FreeSCI is an open sourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
engine that can run SCI0 games. FreeSCI works on Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
/Unix, Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Dreamcast, and GP32
GP32
The GP32 is a handheld game console developed by the Korean company Game Park. It was released on November 23, 2001, in South Korea only.- Overview :The GP32 is based on a 133 MHz ARM CPU and 8 MB of RAM...
. The FreeSCI engine is now integrated into ScummVM
ScummVM
ScummVM is a collection of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system , it now also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies like Revolution Software and Adventure Soft. It was originally written by Ludvig Strigeus...
meaning that it can now be used on many more platforms.
SCI editors can be used to uncover unfinished game elements that had been concealed in the game's resource files by the developer during the game's development. These hidden resources include unfinished artworks, puzzles, scenery, voiceover or music recordings as well as gags inserted by the development team. Examples of game titles from which such hidden resources have been uncovered include King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! is a 1990 adventure game released by Sierra. Released in November 1990, it featured a significant improvement in graphics . It was also the first King's Quest installment to replace the typing user interface with a point-and-click user interface...
(SCI1.1), Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and The Time Rippers was released on floppy disks on March 4, 1991, and released on CD-ROM in December 1992 with full speech support and featuring Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens as the voice of the narrator. It featured 256-color hand painted graphics and a fully...
(SCI1.1), Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! is the fifth entry in the Leisure Suit Larry series of graphical adventure games published by Sierra Entertainment. Originally developed for DOS, a remake was produced in CD-ROM format a year after its release. The enhanced version of the game offers...
(SCI1.1), King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride
King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride
King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride is an adventure game released in 1994 by Sierra On-Line. It featured high-resolution graphics in a style reminiscent of Disney animated films...
(SCI2), and Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier
Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier
Space Quest 6: Roger Wilco in The Spinal Frontier is the 6th computer game in Sierra's Space Quest series, released in 1995.-Development:...
(SCI2).
See also
- SCUMMSCUMMScript Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion is a scripting language developed at LucasArts to ease development of the graphical adventure game Maniac Mansion....
- SCI GamesSCI GamesThis article lists all the known versions of SCI games.- Supported Platforms :SCI games were originally available on:- International Translations :This table will show information about translations/international versions:...
- Adventure Game InterpreterAdventure Game InterpreterThe Adventure Game Interpreter is a game engine which Sierra On-Line used through most of the 1980s to create and run animated, color adventure games...
- Game engine recreation
External links
- The success of Sierra's Creative Interpreter (SCI)
- FreeSCI homepage
- The SCI Programming Community
- SCI Studio: The Complete SCI Game Development System
- The Ultimate AGI & SCI Web Site - Dead Link
- Modern installers for the Sierra AGI and SCI games
- Updates to run SCI3 based games on XP/Vista
- ScummVM homepage