Dominus on 23/6/2010 at 06:47
Dorian Hart : It's so odd to watch. I was thousands of miles away at the time, in Scotland. When I returned from vacation, my company had vanished.
Chris Siegel : Someday Tim will FRIEND ME. :) Weird to watch, I miss you all. There are lessons learned there that I carry with me. Tim was like a mentor to me, Mahk's game theories I still preach, Rich critical design eye, that went beyond visual into the audio which is all but forgotten in most games. I apologize for every arrogant ass thing I did there...years of therapy has helped me with that:) So, who is going to do the reunion cookout? I'm still close to Boston, and have a yard big enough for it.
Tim Stellmach : Full disclosure: I was not available in the office that day, so the part of me is actually being played by John Rhys-Davies.
AntiMatter_16 on 23/6/2010 at 09:36
It sure is weird to watch. Kinda makes you feel like you were there. It really seems like it was something special, a perfect storm of talent that produced Thief.
The videos evoke memories of when I was back in college, in those few days right after finals when everyone was leaving and everything was up in chaos. A lot of people would be gone, and the whole dorm would have an unsettling quiet, sort of a sinking ship feeling. Yet despite that, a few familiar people would still around with their doors open, playing xbox, and having a good time that you'd hang out with for a bit before going back to your room to pack things up.
d'Spair on 23/6/2010 at 11:28
I wonder what would all these great people have said if someone told them that in 2010 there would be a strong community of LG fanatics preaching all their games. I don't think they would've believed it.
Somehow I think Looking Glass passed away at the right time. Shortly after the studio was closed the new era of console-oriented and casual games flooded the market. I'd rather see Looking Glass dead then alive but making games about third person cover system or growing (
http://www.floodg.com/flowerz.html) flowers.
Beleg Cúthalion on 23/6/2010 at 20:54
Who's the woman in video two at around 5:40? I had been waiting for Terri Brosius and she was the closest in appearance.
Queue on 23/6/2010 at 21:18
Quote Posted by d'Spair
Somehow I think Looking Glass passed away at the right time. Shortly after the studio was closed the new era of console-oriented and casual games flooded the market. I'd rather see Looking Glass dead then alive but making games about third person cover system or growing (
http://www.floodg.com/flowerz.html) flowers.
I agree with this, completely. Though there is always the lingering question of "what if" when wondering about what could have been in the gaming world if Looking Glass had of continued, in the end it's best to burn out bright instead of losing your luster with those whom you have made a connection and mean so much. Thief 1&2 are brilliant and will forever remain iconic in the gaming world because Looking Glass folded when it did--right before what would be the inevitable progression that we witnessed in T-DS (one in which so many disliked).
Looking Glass would have had to evolve to pander to the growing console market and tastes of the younger console users in order to stay in business. Think of what Thief 3 would have been if Looking Glass stayed in business: A modern setting?
Look what happened to Sierra On-Line. One of the first and one of the finest for their era, eventually consumed by the market and relegated into obscurity instead of reverence.
So, Looking Glass remains iconic pioneers, and quite possibly the best studio to
ever have existed , because they went out before being cheapened and misshappen by increasingly vapid and attention-deficit riddled consumers. And, strangely enough, that makes me very happy as they now hold a special place in my heart that I doubt they would have if there were in business today.
[Edit] P.S. Thanks for posting this, Dominus. Sad, but very intriguing to watch.
d'Spair on 24/6/2010 at 09:19
Quote Posted by Queue
So, Looking Glass remains iconic pioneers, and quite possibly the best studio to
ever have existed , because they went out before being cheapened and misshappen by increasingly vapid and attention-deficit riddled consumers. And, strangely enough, that makes me very happy as they now hold a special place in my heart that I doubt they would have if there were in business today.
Word.
Dominus on 24/6/2010 at 14:06
(
http://www.timstellmach.com/)
Tim Stellmach: "It’s been just over 10 years since LookingGlass Studios went out of business, and I lost my first job in the game industry. My coworker Mike Chrzanowski (two-time coworker, actually, since he’s now at Vicarious Visions) videotaped the last day of business, and has just put it up on YouTube.
I can’t help but have a mixture of reactions, of course. I thought at the time that it was odd (and Mike is very often odd, usually in a good way), but I sure am glad now that he did it. Memory is such a hazy thing, and it’s good to see all of this again.
I don’t even remember helping to come up with that puzzle that Marc Leblanc mentions, the one where you have to take the severed head to the retina scanner. I always thought that puzzle was awfully clever, and now I know why!
I’m pretty sure that’s me in the background audio of Steve Pearsall’s shot, talking about how the then-unreleased Deus Ex was going. I’d just recently taken a week’s vacation down in Austin, and had spent some time visiting Ion Storm and giving them comments on the game. Hence my “Special Thanks” appearance in the game credits.
I was so damn young! I was so happy, even with what was going on, just to have shared it with people I liked and respected so well."
Goldmoon Dawn on 25/6/2010 at 05:31
Awesome videos man. Thank you for bringing this to our attention Dominus. :ebil:
