"Before King's Quest IV was released, word leaked out that Graham would have a heart attack and might die. Fans were upset enough to write in, asking to save Graham. I wanted King's Quest IV to have some pressure applied to you: a timed game, taking place over a 24-hour period, so you roam around during the day and eventually it turns to night. I don't remember other gmes using the scenes at night; it looked creepy.
The story always comes first, but the technology plays a big part in what you can't do. When Wizard and the Princess shipped for the IBM PC, you could play it in B&W or in 4 hideous CGA colors. When we created EGA support for King's Quest IV, we got higher resolution (to get facial expressions and body language). For music support, Ken met someone at a trade show, made a few calls to Roland, and suddenly we could add an orchestra to the games. That did a lot of establishing the mood. I loved King's Quest IV's terrifying "Zombies' Night" and joyful "Cupid's Theme" songs. King's Quest won the Software Publishers' Association's "Best Adventure Game" aware in 1989.
I knew the female lead is just fine for woman and girls who play the game, but wasn't sure how it would go over with some of the men. And you know what? It wasn't as controversial as I expected. However, it was real strange at first designing the game; quite a different point of view. Having the woman die bothered me more then I expected."
The quote originated in the Roberta Williams Anthology manuel.
