Staff of Kings 360/PS3 test animations

Perhilion

New member
What co. do you work for?
Also:
An amusing anecdote to share:

I was out at the local bi-weekly bullwhip workshop here in San Francisco (http://www.laughingbear.org/whippery.html) when someone riding by on his bicycle stopped to watch. We invited him to come try it out and he said, "I guess I should, I worked on the Indiana Jones game."

"Staff of Kings?" I asked.

"Yeah... the ones that didn't ship," he replied.

Turns out he's a level designer at LucasArts (which is in the city here, over in the Presidio), and was working on the next-gen Staff of Kings until work was stopped. He's now working on Star Wars games.

(And yes, after about 5 minutes he was pulling off a basic cattleman's crack with my 7' nylon.)
Didn't ship?? Does that mean they actually exist somewhere?? There's discs of next-gen SoK out there somewhere??!! What did Lucasarts do with them??
Raiders_Of_The_Lost_Ark_Government_.jpg
 

InexorableTash

Active member
"Ship" is software jargon. It's the very last step in software development, but it is the most important one so it is used as shorthand for success. A common refrain once a bug is fixed is "Ship it!"

Given what I know of the project, it didn't make it as far as code complete, let alone stabilization, final quality assurance, or release to manufacturing.
 

Indy's brother

New member
indyjones2131 said:
"Well, hopefully they'll get it right for the next Indy game"

"Yeah they're... HEY! Nice try, but I'm not saying a thing"

"Oh you've said plenty..."

Hahahaha!!! (*hi-fives*) That's pretty great IJ2131!
 

micsteam

New member
Awesome !! Thanks for sharing I never saw these !! I think we'll get a game in the near future with Disney's involvement, cross your fingers... maybe make the game they set out to do in the first place !! :hat:
 

micsteam

New member
P Tom can you find a way to get that video on Youtube ?? This way we can all save it to our playlists. Let me know, thnx !!
 

P Tom

Member
Considering that the animations originally came from Youtube before they were removed, probably by LucasArts based on the posts on this thread, I don't think the animations if re-uploaded on Youtube will stay there for long, again.

And besides, as I have mentioned earlier I haven't found a way to save the animation onto my harddisk. Everyone's welcomed to try.

And it seems that there is still a video missing, something to do with a dialogue between Maggie and Indy. Have never seen it.
 

Lance Quazar

Well-known member
P Tom said:
I've revisited this link posted earlier



The video includes the Maggie/Indy dialogue that is missing from the gamestrailer link, funny I couldn't play the video on my home PC but it works at my workplace.

And you can try to save it, if you use Firefox. :hat:

Funny how the animated Indy (with dialogue) looks like a creaky, aged, modern-day Harrison Ford instead of a 1939 Indy in that clip. Obviously the animation wasn't finished, but, man, does he look tired.
 

HovitosKing

Well-known member
micsteam said:
Awesome !! Thanks for sharing I never saw these !! I think we'll get a game in the near future with Disney's involvement, cross your fingers... maybe make the game they set out to do in the first place !! :hat:

Have to say I agree with this. Two things Disney is generally good at: coming up with a decent story and making money off of their IP. Now that Indy is in their grips, no way they don't cash in big-time. Especially once the new Star Wars film dollars are flowing in.
 

Dust McAlan

New member
Been doing research for a video I'm planning that examines Staff of Kings and its development...this thread was invaluable.

Interestingly enough, the PS3/XBOX versions were being internally developed by Lucasarts, while the Wii/PS2/DS were done by A2M, and the PSP by Amaze. What's even more interesting to note is that while the Wii/PS2 versions were nearly identical (basically the PS2 was a straight port with no motion control options), the PSP was radically different. You can see the opening here, which gives more insight into Magnus Voller/Dr. Kingston.

It's strange to realize that the version of Staff of Kings we saw released were really ports of the main Lucasarts-developed title, and that while the Wii/PS2 versions were decent, there's clearly more to the story written for the game and gameplay itself.
 

Lambonius

New member
I disagree that the Wii/PS2 versions were decent. Staff of Kings was an embarrassing game, woefully light on story, puzzles, engaging action, with levels that were basically linear corridors where you ran straight from point A to point B. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, rotten, very bad game.
 

micsteam

New member
Here here Lambonius, I could not agree more !! I went out and bought a PS2 just to play Staff of Kings (I'm an Xbox guy) and was blown away at how bad the game was !! The E3 trailer for the game from ( I think) 2007 was and is AWESOME !! and totally sold me on the game. It's really to bad that LucasArts didn't stay with it and finish what they started. I have or did have ( I'd have to find the links) to actual programming/animation from when LucsArts was building the game and it would blow you away, it was eons better than the final product with Indy looking spot on like Harrison Ford. :confused:
 

Lambonius

New member
Staff of Kings just doesn't even belong in the same league as the other 3D Indiana Jones games. Even Emperor's Tomb (which felt pretty linear and dumbed down compared to the great open exploration of Infernal Machine) is lightyears better. Though not as great as the plot and tone of Fate of Atlantis, Infernal Machine was a very good game, with tons of secrets and a great sense of exploration and scope, and is, so far, the gold standard for 3D Indiana Jones games (sadly, since I'd love to see them surpass it with contemporary production values.) I'm itching to see it re-released on Good Old Games.
 

indytim

Member
Lambonius said:
I disagree that the Wii/PS2 versions were decent. Staff of Kings was an embarrassing game, woefully light on story, puzzles, engaging action, with levels that were basically linear corridors where you ran straight from point A to point B. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, rotten, very bad game.

Agreed. I love Indiana Jones. I love video games. But Staff of Kings on the Wii was a hellish gaming experience that I never wish to repeat. The game wasn't even properly finished. I managed to 'break it' on several occasions, at one point walking through a 'solid' wall and had Indy floating around the screen in some kind of interdimensional void - maybe that was a nod to Crystal Skull!
 

Lao_Che

Active member
We're lucky to have got Staff of Kings at all. ;)

Now if someone would just ask Disney for a crack at a new game. Clone the rebooted Tomb Raider or Uncharted but just give us a good game.
 

Lambonius

New member
Is it too much to ask for an Indy game with the story depth and cohesion of Fate of Atlantis, the action of Emperor's Tomb, and the large, explorable levels of Infernal Machine, with some solid adventure-game-style deduction puzzles? Come on, Disney.

Sidenote: I would like to personally kick the testicles of the person at Lucasarts who thought that those elements would be better replaced by "whip waggle."
 
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