Gary Owens Signing Off

I had feared Gary Owens may not have much time left. I will always remember him best for his narration duty on Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers and Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier, but if only because that was where I first heard him. He had such a long list of TV and radio credits! And with a legendary voice like his, it is no wonder. He was reported to be the narrator of ‪‎SpaceVenture‬, but offhand, I do not recall if any recording took place (aside from an interview with Chris Pope). Those are mighty big shoes to fill! Rest in peace, Mr. Owens!

Gary Owens, Space Quest IV: "The powerful quad-quark drives rev to life. Time and space bend under the fibrillations of the time-rip transfluxers. Your adrenaline (and stomach) reel with the hyperbolic hyperbole. And finally, finally..." I hope something amazing happens!

Source: Variety.com

Game Over Day at Gridline Games

In all my years of writing, no story has been more difficult to explain than the A Day at Gridline Games stories. In essence, they are satirical takes on office life, often based on real life experiences encountered during Space Ruckus: The Great Invasion's development. A game project of mine that was perhaps troubled from the very start, with too much ambition and not enough resources to actually make it happen. Working with and keeping together the team necessary to produce Space Ruckus was often a nightmare scenario. In one notorious case, a musician left the project in a fit of rage simply because I had recruited another composer to help with the soundtrack. In hindsight, I may have tampered with the sacred musician's code! In another particularly troubling case, a modeler began posting his Space Ruckus models on a public forum for all to see. This may not have been quite so bad had he let us know in advance, but he was soliciting feedback on a very important asset from a group entirely unrelated to the project. Ay, there were times when I just wanted to say, "SPACE RUCKUS IS CANCELLED!" Then, drop everything and dash off to Disneyland. Or any old place, really.


Highway to...

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from Space Ruckus and The Grig Post! May your holidays be bright and merry, and may all your heart's desires be met.

Space Ruckus' developers have moved on to other things over the years, but I am almost certain that they are together in spirit for the holidays. Be on the lookout for Micheal Cross' A Night at Camp Ravenwood in 2014: http://www.ravenwood-game.co.uk. Everyone else at camp will definitely be on the lookout! Micheal was and is the greatest concept artist in which Space Ruckus ever had, and his new game is sure to be a hit. If you happen to be in the mood for some awesome game and film music, also be certain to check out Aubrey Young's music site: http://aubreygyoungmusic.com. Aubrey once composed a few tracks for Space Ruckus, and they are still the very best in the project's collection. And for those that missed it, the Space Ruckus site received a face lift this year, but it had less to do with Space Ruckus itself and more to do with building a slightly better template for use in other places: http://www.spaceruckus.com. All things considered, it is still a prettier vault for all that old content!

As for Space Ruckus' very own Bill Grig, he looks on from Ralin V with a smile on his face. Peace has come to his and the Velorian people. All that war effort was really just a drain on both economies. Working together has accomplished so much more for both races. They have nearly wiped out all diseases! It would seem that the Velorians still do not care much for the Ralin V fleet's silly helmet design, though. You cannot win them all!

Peace to everyone this holiday season, and a very happy new year!