Blog Archive

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Richard Eter: Call Me Richard

Richard Eter is a part time contributer for this website and full time game designer.  His games Fuck Quest and Fuck Quest 2, Romancing the Bone, have been downloaded over 2 million times.  Follow him on twitter @rich_eter or visit his YouTube page.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The question I most often DON'T receive these days is, "What's up with Fuck Quest?". That could be simply because I haven't checked the e-mail address in some time that such a question would be sent to, but it's more likely because no one has asked it in a while. I'm not gonna say it was never asked, but it certainly was never asked often. If you haven't heard of Fuck Quest, I wouldn't be surprised. If you have heard of it, I wouldn't be surprised either.

Today, on the Simple Times Blog site, I will answer the question of what is up with Fuck Quest, but first, let me begin with some history.

Why would I post such a thing on the Simple Times blog? Does the Simple Times have anything to do with Fuck Quest? Yes and no. It does in that the Simple Times was and is written by my number one fan, Squeaky... and through the years, as much as any muse I may have had, he has inspired me to keep up the race. I also imagine that Fuck Quest in many ways became part of his psyche as he wrote the stories of the Simple Times. But, it's also a sort of crossing of art, not literally, but perhaps spiritually. As he partook of Fuck Quest, he wrote. As I created Fuck Quest, I read his writings. So, it would make sense that I would land her to now post my blogs... sharing my ideas an art on the same forum as a kindred spirit.

You may now being asking, who am I? I have often asked myself the same question. Who is Rich Eter? I've honestly never even figured out how Eter should be pronounced... I once thought Eter like rhyming with "Sweater", but the assumption has been pronounced like "Eater" as in Dick Eater... so, I've mostly gone with that... but I would never want to be called Dick... I like Rich or Richard. And the only dick eater around here is the chicks I may take to bed with me... maybe not even them in some cases. My name did begin as a joke... I didn't even invent it. Why should I have? Most people's names were given to them by someone else... usually their parents. My name was given to me by the person who set up my first forum account at the old AGI Message Board back in 1998. He may as well have called me Ash Hole or Bass Tard. Well... I am Rich Eter... and it's a name I'm fond of... even if I've only ever used it in the digital world.

With the invention of me back in 1998, also game the invention of Fuck Quest. It was a game created using AGI, the Adventure Game Interpreter. Many of the games made in AGI featured names ending in "Quest"... and I wanted to make an offensive game, so I picked the most offensive and yet simple word to put in front of it... this was the word "Fuck", and the game was made to make fun of all the failed efforts of other game makers. It was meant to be offensive. It was meant to be cruel to those who annoyed me with their blatant rip off games. It was meant to be the first ever completed fan game made in AGI; it was meant to be made quickly. And it was meant to be a joke. It was all these things, but it became a lot more.

Having the word "fuck" in the title, it only followed for me that the game should also contain fucking. Well, to make the game as offensive as I could, I made these fucking scenes in the game as realistic and offensive as I could. Well, this turned out to perhaps be a stroke of genius for it ended up making the game into a porno.

The game was everything I wanted to be. And, somehow, perhaps just based on the title... it took off. It was not well reviewed... in fact, just about everyone hated it. But, it was like a trainwreck... people just felt compelled to download it and play it through. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the only place I initially ever posted it was on the AGI forum, it made its way across the internet posted on all sorts of sites... and over the years received millions of downloads. It has even seen hackers translate it into different languages. It even found its way in 2004 into a magazine as number 40 out of 50 of the most controversial games of all time. All along, it was poorly reviewed. Still, there was a small number of people who actually saw the real humor in it... saw what I was trying to do. These were yes, people like Squeaky.

Fuck Quest took me approximately four days to make. And it shows. Because of its "success", I decided a sequel was in order. I started making a sequel only days after the first game was released. A few months later, at the end of 1998, I released a teaser that was unplayable but already featured better graphics and a more intricate story than the original Fuck Quest game. Fuck Quest 2 did not take a simple four days to make. I worked on it on and off for about six years. It was many times over more complex than the original, even if people didn't recognize that. I released it in December 2004. It had a lot more sex, a lot more paths you could take, and a much richer storyline... haha Rich..er. It even had a cliffhanger ending for the ill-fated Fuck Quest 3. Fuck Quest 2 never got the coverage of the original game, or the downloads, but where it did, it was much better reviewed, and people really seemed to like it.

Fuck Quest 3, as a game does not to this day over 6 years after the release of the last one exist. I started making plans to make it even before FQ2 was released, hence the cliffhanger ending. Because of what AGDI had done with their King's Quest 2 remake, I decided to use the AGS system for Fuck Quest 3 just like they had. I designed the system, did some programming. By spring of 2005, I had worked out the entire system it was gonna work with. I had drawn and coded the basic infrastructure of the game. Basically, then, I just needed to write the story, create the graphics and program the content. Easier said than done? No doubt!

It was around that time I broke up with my girlfriend. Towards the end of FQ2, she had been a muse, and a huge supporter. I gave up it for a while.

Time passed...

Then came the summer of 2006. Infamous Adventures had just released their version of King's Quest III and I was inspired again. And reading the Simple Times, I decided to do something I considered at the time much simpler... instead of moving forward with Fuck Quest 3, for which I had no idea of what to do with the story, I decided to remake Fuck Quest 1 in AGS. I even went so far to screen grab the graphics from the AGI Fuck Quest 1 and just draw over them... but this was crappy, and I actually wanted to make a game that rival the graphics that ADGI and IA had made in their King's Quest remakes. It was in August 2006 that officially began the AGS remake of Fuck Quest 1 and with all new graphics. I simply built off the system I had designed for Fuck Quest 3 and went with that.

It was also this time, specifically August 2006 that I met a new girlfriend. As I worked on the Fuck Quest 1 remake, hand drawing scenes, coloring the graphics on the computer, drawing all new amazing sprites, that I really began to fall for this girl. You could say she became my muse. I decided to expand on Fuck Quest 1... take the basic storyline, which was almost none existant... I even had the concept of tying it into the story of Fuck Quest 2... and leaving even more possibilities open for FQ3. I thought when I was done, I would move on to FQ3... and if anyone else wanted to redo FQ2 in AGS, I would let them. My girlfriend continued to inspire me. She was as amazing sexually as she was intellectually. A fantastic muse.

So, I worked on FQ1 remake vigorously at times... less so other times. It was a period of great excitement. I added tons of sex scenes not originally there. I took background characters and completely fleshed them out. I added all new characters. The game was to be amazing... It was basically gonna be the best Fuck Quest game yet... as pleasing as Fuck Quest 3 would've been... a spiritual placeholder for Fuck Quest 3 until I could be bothered to finally get around to making that!

And then what happened? I can vividly remember the last time I worked on Fuck Quest 1 remake... it was in March 2009. It was around the same time that things really began to sour with that girlfriend of mine at the time. I won't go into the details of what happened with her here and now... but I pretty much lost her that month... and the following months were just a relationship decay bringing us to a point that we were no longer dating, and no longer even talking. She was officially an ex-girlfriend. I had lost my muse. I was absolutely heart-broken. And even now, in many ways still am... but can't really do much about it as far as she is concerned. The horse is still waiting for me to mount her again.

I shouldn't really blame losing my muse on the loss of interest in making Fuck Quest. That was a part of it, but maybe I was also tired of it. Needed a break. Alongside making Fuck Quest 1, I had agreed to work with IA on their remake of Space Quest 2. I probably put as much time into that game as FQ1, but somehow working concurrently, I wasn't originally running out of steam. But by 2009, I was just tired. I lost so much interest in making games at all, or even really being creative at all. So much was wrong. 2010 didn't fair much better.

And that brings us to today... in March of 2011... when it has been literally two years since I even touched FQ1. Will I work on FQ1 again? I would sure hope so. I know a lot of people would like it... especially my true fans like Squeaky. I know I've been creative a lot more lately... doing writing, drawing, even shooting movies under my other less alias name... (you know the one my parents gave me... not just a friend of mine). So... perhaps, FQ1 will continue on again. Perhaps I need a new muse? Perhaps I just need some inspiration from fans. Maybe just a creative spark? Who knows. Let's just see what happens.

I plan on continuing writing blogs here on this Simple Times blog... probably mostly having nothing to do with Fuck Quest, but maybe sometimes. But certainly a lot to do with creativity and neato ideas and just crazy stuff.

Let's just see what pours out, folks. Let's hope for more Simple Times... just like it used to be.

-Richard

16 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 22, 2013

    So, it's 2013 now and both the Twitter and YouTube accounts seem to be dead...what's Rich up to these days? Working on any games? It would be awesome to have a new release!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 03, 2014

    So, it's 2014 now and nothing's changed :( Different Anon than the previous poster. I hope you're not having that bad of a dry spell. Crowd-fund or something. If you got millions of downloads for FQ, you've got a fan following willing to chip in, I'd think. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 30, 2015

    and low and behold 2015 has arrived. i am a devoted fan, ever since i first discovered fuck quest in 2006 or so? I would really like to see the remake and eventually fuck quest 3. please rich! come back to your fans!

    ReplyDelete
  4. 2016.. all still quiet?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a different anon from the other two anons. I first played FQ around 2000. I found it ridiculous and vulgar but I was impressed someone had completed a playable game. Most fan made AGI games were unfinished back then. Today I discovered FQ2 and played it all the way through on archive.org. It was a genuinely fun game. I think you have a lot of creative talent. As Anonymous #2 said, come back to your fans.
    -Anonymous #3

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJune 06, 2017

    The yearly poster hasn't posted yet, 2017 and apparently still nothing. Is Richard even still alive?

    ReplyDelete
  7. New anon here. 2019, and still nothing. Shame, both games were fun.

    ReplyDelete
  8. And here we in 2020. I have no clue is Richard is ever coming back, but I hope he does.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Did anyone find out how to put on the mask and what to do with the liquor and the poison taco in FQ2? I would be grateful for some hints.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousMay 30, 2021

    2021 here. Come back, Richard.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 2022 is right around the corner. Will we see Richard's long anticipated return?

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMay 03, 2022

    i played both games in school, and i NEED THE 3RD ONE!!!!!\

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousJuly 27, 2022

    a new anon here. huge fan.

    to the 2020 anon fan in troubles: you must give the poisoned taco to the guard of Jennifer home. (knock the door). Then you must wear your Brad mask BEFORE you knock her door after you're inside the palace.

    Summer 2022 here and still no FQ3, we really need and miss you Richard look how many people loves you during all years... :(

    ReplyDelete
  14. please make more!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. 2023 has arrived, and no news. Come on Eter, give us FQ3! :(

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJuly 26, 2023

    This game will never be released 😀 never ever wait for this game people. I have waited since 2005

    ReplyDelete