Frequently Asked Questions.
Here are some of the more memorable or frequently asked questions throughout the years. Have one? You never know when this could be updated.
Question: What happened after Overseer and radio theater? What was that you mentioned about an upcoming trilogy? What were you referring to?
Answer: The "Trilogy" consists of three connected stories:
"Chance", "Polarity", and "Trance", all of which revolve around Tex Murphy, as well as his past, present and future. Part I ("Chance") begins a few weeks after the cliffhanger at the end of Overseer, which happened (in Tex's timeline) a month or two after the conclusion of the Pandora Directive case. (For those who haven't played all the games, Overseer was a retelling of Tex's first case "Mean Streets" -- from years earlier, which Tex related to Chelsee over dinner at the Golden Pagoda.)
Contrary to some rumors, the Trilogy stories had existed only in "outline form", accompanied by many, many pages of notes, drawings, conversations, etc. It's possible that they could be written in novel format, or perhaps as movie screenplays, but ideally they would become fully developed, multi-pathed, interactive computer games.
Question: Are there other games that you worked on that never made it to fruition?
Answer: I have been involved in a few projects, notably The Black Pearl with (Mark Hamill). Mark and I worked together on a game script and were very optimistic about the finished game. Unfortunately, the programmers on the project (and the engine they tried to use) were not very good. Management decided to try to shake everything up (except the engine and programmers, of course), and the project ended up getting canceled. Chris and I both worked for Microsoft - in different divisions - for a few years. The only thing we worked on together was a story and design for an unreleased game called "Guardian." It was one of several planned games based on "AI", the Steven Spielberg movie.
Question: How long did it take you to write UAKM and PD?
Answer : If I remember correctly, it took me about 3 months, writing nights and weekends (~20 hours per week) to write the first draft of The Pandora Directive. It didn't take quite as long to write the first draft of Under a Killing Moon, but I spent more time editing UKM than PD. All told, both books came out to 80,000+ words and took ~300 hours from start to finish.
Question: I know Roger Ebert stirred up some controversy when he said that games dilute narrative, and that story and gameplay are just mixing two different things that don't enhance each other, like chess boxing.
Answer: Well, I don't totally disagree. Stories are very tricky in an interactive medium. Having written novels and screenplays in addition to game scripts, I would say that the games are by far the most difficult to do well -- which may have something to do with why there are so many poorly done stories in games. The problem is that the writer doesn't have total control over the story experience. You have to think like a designer and take into account what the players will be thinking and doing. It's also a balancing act between how linear the story is (which makes it easier to pace) and how interactive and free-form it is (in which case you gave the players some control, risk losing the flow and possibly confusing or irritating some players). In a book or movie, the story is told exactly the way you want it, which makes the job much simpler.
I would say that the two can definitely be mixed, but it's a volatile mixture that must be done just right.
Question: Barring Tex, who is your favorite character in the Tex games?
Answer: It's difficult for me to pick favorite characters, since most all of them originated from deep within the dark recesses of my psyche. But, off the top of my head: In UAKM, I really enjoyed Clint (the bum in the dumpster), Rudy (the Upholsterer with the fat wedgie), and (of course) the luscious Eva Schanzee.
Starting with Pandora, I think the performances stepped up to a new level, ranging from acceptable to incredible and, while there are too many notable characters to list them all, here are my Top Ten:
10 ) Big Jim Slade. Tex's perfect foil.
9 ) Delores Lightbody. I think her appearance in Overseer was the most hilarious of them all.
8 ) Sylvia Linsky. I fell in love with Rebecca Broussard, so I can't say Tex was an idiot, can I?
7 ) Nilo the Landlord & Archie Ellis. For some reason, I always think of Nilo and Archie as figurative bookends on either end of the character spectrum. Nilo was such a hysterical bastard (on AND off camera), and Archie was funny, sincere, and one of the few people that Tex could feel intellectually superior to. And that scene with Jackson Cross...BRUTAL!
6 ) Sonny Fletcher. Henry Darrow turned his character into the conscience for the entire Tex Murphy Mythos.
5 ) Louie LaMintz. Everybody's best pal.
4 ) J. St. Gideon. Michael York took my half-assed speech and turned into the closest thing to Shakespeare I've ever seen on a computer screen. Just amazing.
3 ) Jackson Cross. In my clearly biased opinion, Barry Corbin created the best computer game villain, ever.
2 ) Chelsee Bando. Suzanne Barnes took a minor role in UKM and turned it into the most influential character in Tex's world. Even off-screen you'd swear that those two are really married.
1 ) Gordon Fitzpatrick. As personified by the incredible Kevin McCarthy, it's the one role (along with Tex) I never get tired of watching.
Question: Out of the endings to Pandora, which was your favorite?
Answer: I really enjoy them all, especially because they're all so different. The "clown" ending kills me, but I'd have to say that "dinner at Chelsee's apartment" has to be my favorite.
Question: What is your all-time favorite scene from the Tex games?
Answer: I can't pick just one.
For sheer acting talent, I'd have to say "Gideon's Soliloquy" in Overseer.
For sexy film noir, I'd choose the scene where Tex first meets Regan in his office.
For romance, I'd say "Dinner in Chelsee's Apartment".
For action, I'd definitely pick breaking into the Big Surf Lodge (where Slade is in the shower).
For theatrics, I'd say the "Chess Match" at the end of Overseer.
For terror, it has to be Jackson Cross shooting Archie Ellis.
But, if I had to pick just one --
DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
Believe it or not, I LOVE the scene in Overseer where Tex and Chelsee are in his speeder flying to the Golden Pagoda, which transitions (neatly, I think) back to Tex and Sylvia (both dressed to the nines), then back again to Tex and Chelsee as they look for a parking spot. It's cool, it's classy, the transitions are great, the effects are spiffy, the humor is warm, and it tells you everything you ever need to know about Tex and the two women in his life.
Question: There was a lot of difference humor wise between UAKM and Pandora. What prompted this change of tone? Was it the natural progression of the character? Of your writing? Was it the general mood swing the adventure gaming world seemed to experience at that time?
Answer: Great observations, I would say all of the above, to varying degrees. UAKM was my first real writing gig, so there was a certain amount of amateurishness to it...there was also a lot of hysterical shit that I have no recollection of ever thinking, much less writing. We have to remember this was the era of Leisure Suit Larry. The fact that we included Nazi mysticism and Eugenics was pretty high-minded for the time. So I would say that UAKM was a necessary evolutionary step for us, which we then leapt from to Pandora.
Question: When you start to develop a Tex story do you begin with an idea for a case, an antagonist, or with a character arc that you'd like to see Tex explore?
Answer: As you might gather, I'm a big history buff, and I especially love old unsolved cases, murders, mysteries, etc. Frankly, I've never been a huge sci-fi guy, but I really enjoy the juxtaposition of Tex (in the future) dealing with mysteries from the past (both his and OURS). I've come across scores of interesting "story seeds" in my readings, and I file them away in the back of my mind for future use.
For the Trilogy, I combined about a half-dozen story lines drawn from real life and combined them with ideas already started in the earlier stories. For the new game, I was inspired by a show on Discovery and then spent a few weeks of research, which turned up some unbelievably thrilling details -- all based on factual evidence! Then I started thinking, how would Tex deal with this? Then I started thinking about some of the gaps in Tex's history, and how it would be nice to fill them in. Voila! A new story that keeps Chris Jones awake at night out of sheer excitement! (No kidding)
Question: What do you enjoy reading?
Answer: As for my literary tastes, they're pretty wide-ranging -- I like a little of everything and I lot of a few things. My top three books of all time would be: LOTR, A Confederacy of Dunces, and Where the Wild Things Are.
Question: In UAKM when Tex looks at the window on the wall of the Slice 'o' Heaven, in the Alley behind Rook's, near the fire escape. He says: "It feels like somebody's watching. Someone really weird" And in PD, at the same window he says: "Somethings going on behind that window. Something I don't want to know about"
What is behind that window?
Answer: One of my favorite writing chores was doing Tex's LOOK Voice-overs. It was especially fun if the artists put lots of interesting things into each playable area. In the Alley behind the Pawnshop, I noticed that one of the windows high up on the neighboring building appeared to be lit. Immediately, I imagined that Tex would assume someone was watching him (he has a tendency to be slightly paranoid...when he pays attention, that is). It wasn't until later that I thought of Sal Lucido -- if the Lucidos lived above the Slice O' Heaven (just as Louie lives above the Brew & Stew), it would make sense that Sal (a natural-born Peeping Tom) would be spying on Tex.
So, I guess you could say it was initially unintentional. However, I've found that our characters sometime do and say things that take us by surprise -- that may sound bizarre (and possibly schizophrenic), but it happens occasionally. And sometimes story elements have synched up by sheer luck. I guess you could say the mystery window "became" part of the story unintentionally. But when we reused the area in Pandora, I definitely wanted to tie in the earlier voiceover, specifically for our true-blue fans who would be the only ones to notice such a trivial detail. Granted, Sal Lucido was long gone, but he did have certain connections...
And, since the building was abandoned, almost anyone could have gotten in unnoticed...
And the NSA seemed to know when Tex came and went from the Ritz, didn't they...?
Question: Ever since Tex threw his gun out the window, he hasn't bothered to replace it. I got to thinking...MacGyver and Tex are a lot alike. Very handy and no guns. Do you think Tex will ever get a new piece?
Answer: One of the things that makes Tex so endearing (and easy to relate to) is the presumption that he will NEVER, EVER get a piece...
He may, however, get a new gun.
Answer: The "Trilogy" consists of three connected stories:
"Chance", "Polarity", and "Trance", all of which revolve around Tex Murphy, as well as his past, present and future. Part I ("Chance") begins a few weeks after the cliffhanger at the end of Overseer, which happened (in Tex's timeline) a month or two after the conclusion of the Pandora Directive case. (For those who haven't played all the games, Overseer was a retelling of Tex's first case "Mean Streets" -- from years earlier, which Tex related to Chelsee over dinner at the Golden Pagoda.)
Contrary to some rumors, the Trilogy stories had existed only in "outline form", accompanied by many, many pages of notes, drawings, conversations, etc. It's possible that they could be written in novel format, or perhaps as movie screenplays, but ideally they would become fully developed, multi-pathed, interactive computer games.
Question: Are there other games that you worked on that never made it to fruition?
Answer: I have been involved in a few projects, notably The Black Pearl with (Mark Hamill). Mark and I worked together on a game script and were very optimistic about the finished game. Unfortunately, the programmers on the project (and the engine they tried to use) were not very good. Management decided to try to shake everything up (except the engine and programmers, of course), and the project ended up getting canceled. Chris and I both worked for Microsoft - in different divisions - for a few years. The only thing we worked on together was a story and design for an unreleased game called "Guardian." It was one of several planned games based on "AI", the Steven Spielberg movie.
Question: How long did it take you to write UAKM and PD?
Answer : If I remember correctly, it took me about 3 months, writing nights and weekends (~20 hours per week) to write the first draft of The Pandora Directive. It didn't take quite as long to write the first draft of Under a Killing Moon, but I spent more time editing UKM than PD. All told, both books came out to 80,000+ words and took ~300 hours from start to finish.
Question: I know Roger Ebert stirred up some controversy when he said that games dilute narrative, and that story and gameplay are just mixing two different things that don't enhance each other, like chess boxing.
Answer: Well, I don't totally disagree. Stories are very tricky in an interactive medium. Having written novels and screenplays in addition to game scripts, I would say that the games are by far the most difficult to do well -- which may have something to do with why there are so many poorly done stories in games. The problem is that the writer doesn't have total control over the story experience. You have to think like a designer and take into account what the players will be thinking and doing. It's also a balancing act between how linear the story is (which makes it easier to pace) and how interactive and free-form it is (in which case you gave the players some control, risk losing the flow and possibly confusing or irritating some players). In a book or movie, the story is told exactly the way you want it, which makes the job much simpler.
I would say that the two can definitely be mixed, but it's a volatile mixture that must be done just right.
Question: Barring Tex, who is your favorite character in the Tex games?
Answer: It's difficult for me to pick favorite characters, since most all of them originated from deep within the dark recesses of my psyche. But, off the top of my head: In UAKM, I really enjoyed Clint (the bum in the dumpster), Rudy (the Upholsterer with the fat wedgie), and (of course) the luscious Eva Schanzee.
Starting with Pandora, I think the performances stepped up to a new level, ranging from acceptable to incredible and, while there are too many notable characters to list them all, here are my Top Ten:
10 ) Big Jim Slade. Tex's perfect foil.
9 ) Delores Lightbody. I think her appearance in Overseer was the most hilarious of them all.
8 ) Sylvia Linsky. I fell in love with Rebecca Broussard, so I can't say Tex was an idiot, can I?
7 ) Nilo the Landlord & Archie Ellis. For some reason, I always think of Nilo and Archie as figurative bookends on either end of the character spectrum. Nilo was such a hysterical bastard (on AND off camera), and Archie was funny, sincere, and one of the few people that Tex could feel intellectually superior to. And that scene with Jackson Cross...BRUTAL!
6 ) Sonny Fletcher. Henry Darrow turned his character into the conscience for the entire Tex Murphy Mythos.
5 ) Louie LaMintz. Everybody's best pal.
4 ) J. St. Gideon. Michael York took my half-assed speech and turned into the closest thing to Shakespeare I've ever seen on a computer screen. Just amazing.
3 ) Jackson Cross. In my clearly biased opinion, Barry Corbin created the best computer game villain, ever.
2 ) Chelsee Bando. Suzanne Barnes took a minor role in UKM and turned it into the most influential character in Tex's world. Even off-screen you'd swear that those two are really married.
1 ) Gordon Fitzpatrick. As personified by the incredible Kevin McCarthy, it's the one role (along with Tex) I never get tired of watching.
Question: Out of the endings to Pandora, which was your favorite?
Answer: I really enjoy them all, especially because they're all so different. The "clown" ending kills me, but I'd have to say that "dinner at Chelsee's apartment" has to be my favorite.
Question: What is your all-time favorite scene from the Tex games?
Answer: I can't pick just one.
For sheer acting talent, I'd have to say "Gideon's Soliloquy" in Overseer.
For sexy film noir, I'd choose the scene where Tex first meets Regan in his office.
For romance, I'd say "Dinner in Chelsee's Apartment".
For action, I'd definitely pick breaking into the Big Surf Lodge (where Slade is in the shower).
For theatrics, I'd say the "Chess Match" at the end of Overseer.
For terror, it has to be Jackson Cross shooting Archie Ellis.
But, if I had to pick just one --
DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
Believe it or not, I LOVE the scene in Overseer where Tex and Chelsee are in his speeder flying to the Golden Pagoda, which transitions (neatly, I think) back to Tex and Sylvia (both dressed to the nines), then back again to Tex and Chelsee as they look for a parking spot. It's cool, it's classy, the transitions are great, the effects are spiffy, the humor is warm, and it tells you everything you ever need to know about Tex and the two women in his life.
Question: There was a lot of difference humor wise between UAKM and Pandora. What prompted this change of tone? Was it the natural progression of the character? Of your writing? Was it the general mood swing the adventure gaming world seemed to experience at that time?
Answer: Great observations, I would say all of the above, to varying degrees. UAKM was my first real writing gig, so there was a certain amount of amateurishness to it...there was also a lot of hysterical shit that I have no recollection of ever thinking, much less writing. We have to remember this was the era of Leisure Suit Larry. The fact that we included Nazi mysticism and Eugenics was pretty high-minded for the time. So I would say that UAKM was a necessary evolutionary step for us, which we then leapt from to Pandora.
Question: When you start to develop a Tex story do you begin with an idea for a case, an antagonist, or with a character arc that you'd like to see Tex explore?
Answer: As you might gather, I'm a big history buff, and I especially love old unsolved cases, murders, mysteries, etc. Frankly, I've never been a huge sci-fi guy, but I really enjoy the juxtaposition of Tex (in the future) dealing with mysteries from the past (both his and OURS). I've come across scores of interesting "story seeds" in my readings, and I file them away in the back of my mind for future use.
For the Trilogy, I combined about a half-dozen story lines drawn from real life and combined them with ideas already started in the earlier stories. For the new game, I was inspired by a show on Discovery and then spent a few weeks of research, which turned up some unbelievably thrilling details -- all based on factual evidence! Then I started thinking, how would Tex deal with this? Then I started thinking about some of the gaps in Tex's history, and how it would be nice to fill them in. Voila! A new story that keeps Chris Jones awake at night out of sheer excitement! (No kidding)
Question: What do you enjoy reading?
Answer: As for my literary tastes, they're pretty wide-ranging -- I like a little of everything and I lot of a few things. My top three books of all time would be: LOTR, A Confederacy of Dunces, and Where the Wild Things Are.
Question: In UAKM when Tex looks at the window on the wall of the Slice 'o' Heaven, in the Alley behind Rook's, near the fire escape. He says: "It feels like somebody's watching. Someone really weird" And in PD, at the same window he says: "Somethings going on behind that window. Something I don't want to know about"
What is behind that window?
Answer: One of my favorite writing chores was doing Tex's LOOK Voice-overs. It was especially fun if the artists put lots of interesting things into each playable area. In the Alley behind the Pawnshop, I noticed that one of the windows high up on the neighboring building appeared to be lit. Immediately, I imagined that Tex would assume someone was watching him (he has a tendency to be slightly paranoid...when he pays attention, that is). It wasn't until later that I thought of Sal Lucido -- if the Lucidos lived above the Slice O' Heaven (just as Louie lives above the Brew & Stew), it would make sense that Sal (a natural-born Peeping Tom) would be spying on Tex.
So, I guess you could say it was initially unintentional. However, I've found that our characters sometime do and say things that take us by surprise -- that may sound bizarre (and possibly schizophrenic), but it happens occasionally. And sometimes story elements have synched up by sheer luck. I guess you could say the mystery window "became" part of the story unintentionally. But when we reused the area in Pandora, I definitely wanted to tie in the earlier voiceover, specifically for our true-blue fans who would be the only ones to notice such a trivial detail. Granted, Sal Lucido was long gone, but he did have certain connections...
And, since the building was abandoned, almost anyone could have gotten in unnoticed...
And the NSA seemed to know when Tex came and went from the Ritz, didn't they...?
Question: Ever since Tex threw his gun out the window, he hasn't bothered to replace it. I got to thinking...MacGyver and Tex are a lot alike. Very handy and no guns. Do you think Tex will ever get a new piece?
Answer: One of the things that makes Tex so endearing (and easy to relate to) is the presumption that he will NEVER, EVER get a piece...
He may, however, get a new gun.