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Let’s Play: The Colonel’s Bequest
tomimt, i tried to search for you 3d fan project for Colonel Bequest and couldnt find it, could you repost it plz, it would fun now that the game has some attention
Ask and you shall receive: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25945454/cb_mansion/bequest.zip
I really should return on that, it’s a pretty old build.
Finished replaying TCB last night. My memory of the game was for the most part way off. It was almost like I never played it more than 25 years ago. I had this clear picture in my mind of [serious spoilers ahead]Laura listening to a deranged Lillian in the doll house, who confessed to all the murders. End of game. So I was very surprised when Lillian got herself killed instead and in the end I had to shoot either the Colonel or Rudy in the attic. How could I have forgotten that?? Twenty-five years is a long time, but still.
I did remember how to eavesdrop, which was one of the best parts of the game for me. All this walking around in search of new events was fun at first but became a drag after a while. Even so, I saved every 15 game minutes and went back to see what I’d missed. (Sometimes a lot.) The cliche characters didn’t help. Roberta is no Jane when it comes to writing and plot. I’m not sure what part ghostly Sarah and her parents play in the story (Lillian even says something like “you don’t know who she is”) and it’s a mystery to me why Fifi and Jeeves had to be killed.
All in all, I had a good time replaying TCB. But it’s not a great game.
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
There actually is a scene with Lillian in the playhouse, but you can miss it if you advance time elsewhere.
Jeeves and Fifi are playing the colonel. Fifi has an affair with him and is aiming to marry him for his money. That bit isn’t fully fleshed out, but you do catch Fifi and Henri at it. And finding Jeeves and Fifi killed during their date proofs the con part.
Everybody who would point out that this is absolutely a pretty flawed game is right. It is, after all, a 1980s Sierra graphic adventure game running on 1980s technology designed by the nice gal to the far right on the Softporn cover who years after this would announce adventure games to be dead and panic so much that rather than shaping trends, she would frantically try to follow trends. Which included initial plans of pitching the last ever Sierra King’s Quest game as massively open 3d world, optionally multiplayer, hack’n'slay affair courtesy of all of PC gaming’s greatest 1990s hits (including early The Elder Scrolls, Diablo, Doom, possibly even Ultima Online if legend is to be believed). I still love her, though. 
However, I see this in reverse. For being that, it’s actually a pretty advanced game for its time and genre—even if some stuff was no doubt frustrating back then. In particular if you consider that your average detective adventure game requires you to bake cookies, combine the mobile phone with the back of the cat or to rid the poor beggar of his coin—all the while the actually mystery is solved in a string of a few self-contained cutscenes and voice overs, with the actual detective bits being Captain Obvious at best or not requiring any brain power (or any input much) of the player whatsoever. In best adventure games fashion it is puzzling that outside a few isolated stints it took almost thirty years for games like L.A. Noir or the last string of Sherlock games to attempt something similar and run with it at least somewhat (for better and worse). I’m mildly hopeful though. Charles Cecil of Revolution fame more recently was on record of saying that one of the biggest regrets he had was not further pushing what they had called their “Virtual Theatre system” back then in the 1990s.
I think it’s still a pretty atmospheric little game worth (re-)playing or checking out in particular if you’re into old adventure games, and this is a really nice video done on this I found more recent (heavy spoilers inside in the latter parts).
It’s also really amazing that this game had actually shipped with a notepad and all the detective tools required to get you into that snooping mood (but then that particular ship has sailed for good years ago). In some ways, underneath all the design dust and EGA feather boas, Laura and Berta still show ‘em after all these years.
There actually is a scene with Lillian in the playhouse, but you can miss it if you advance time elsewhere.
I saw both scenes with Lillian in the playhouse and when I noticed the 7 tally marks on the blackboard I was going: “Aha, here it comes, confession time!” My memory playing weird tricks on me.
Jeeves and Fifi are playing the colonel. Fifi has an affair with him and is aiming to marry him for his money. That bit isn’t fully fleshed out,
Fifi isn’t married to the colonel (yet) and if the colonel is murdered now, she won’t get a penny. So if the murders are about money, killing her and Jeeves doesn’t achieve anything.
but you do catch Fifi and Henri at it. And finding Jeeves and Fifi killed during their date proofs the con part.
That’s circular reasoning.
I guess getting rid of Fifi makes sense if unhinged Lillian just wanted to kill everybody who stood between her and her uncle, as the game wants us to believe. But Jeeves…? Like I said, I don’t care for the weak plot. Ten unpleasant people gathered together at the whim of some old guy, unable to leave the island, one dead body after another, two killers. Roberta must have been fond of a particular Agatha Christie novel.
PS: And why is Lillian killed? Doesn’t make sense. It could be argued that Rudy wants revenge for his mother and sister, but there is nothing in the game, not a single clue (unless I missed something important) that revenge is what he’s after. No, he wants money. So why not sit tight, take great care not to be murdered, and let Lillian be arrested for all the murders.
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
Welcome to Misty Acres, I will be your host for the weekend. Here, let me take your belongings to your room. Did you have a pleasant trip from New Orleans? You must be plumb frazzled! Get some rest for now and when the others arrive, we’ll begin.
Now that you’re settled in, feel free to mingle with the other guests and share notes. But no spoilers!
Has our host left the building?
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
Has our host left the building?
Not yet, just a little bored. I think I’ve been spoiled by text adventures, there is not nearly as much to play with in a graphic interface. Maybe I should have chosen Deadline.
Jeeves and Fifi are playing the colonel. Fifi has an affair with him and is aiming to marry him for his money. That bit isn’t fully fleshed out,
Fifi isn’t married to the colonel (yet) and if the colonel is murdered now, she won’t get a penny. So if the murders are about money, killing her and Jeeves doesn’t achieve anything.
That’s why I said she’s aiming to marry him, not married to him. It’s pretty obvious that Fifi is after money and it makes sense that Jeeves is either on the plan or just another conquest for Fifi. In any case, in terms of old murder mysteries, it’s not a huge leap to assume that a marriage to colonel followed by his sudden demise was in her plans.
Jeeves might even be considered to be an accidental victim in the whole affair, as they were poisoned after all. It can be reasoned that the poison was meant for Fifi alone and Jeeves was just unlucky to be horny at the moment he was.
But as I said, Colonel’s Bequest could do some more fleshing up, as it does leave a lot of things for the player to decide in what comes to motives behind some things.
PS: And why is Lillian killed? Doesn’t make sense. It could be argued that Rudy wants revenge for his mother and sister, but there is nothing in the game, not a single clue (unless I missed something important) that revenge is what he’s after. No, he wants money. So why not sit tight, take great care not to be murdered, and let Lillian be arrested for all the murders.
She tried to kill Rudy (as evidenced by the note on the door asking him to join her at the fountain; also she’s wearing her uncle’s old clothes that she wears when committing the murders). He managed to fight back and get the gun from her. He shot her, figured out what she had been doing and decided to finish the job by killing the colonel (in order to get the money—Lillian is crazy and all about getting her uncle’s undivided love and attention, but Rudy just wants the inheritance).
Didn’t the colonel explain all that at the end of the game? I’m pretty sure he does.
That’s why I said she’s aiming to marry him, not married to him. It’s pretty obvious that Fifi is after money and it makes sense that Jeeves is either on the plan or just another conquest for Fifi. In any case, in terms of old murder mysteries, it’s not a huge leap to assume that a marriage to colonel followed by his sudden demise was in her plans.
Sorry, it still doesn’t make much sense to me. It takes two to marry and the colonel just announced that his money will be equally divided among his family members etcetera. Does that sound like he’s thinking of marriage and leaving all his money to his new wife? That announcement must have been a bitter blow for Fifi, but still no reason to kill her for the money.
Jeeves might even be considered to be an accidental victim in the whole affair, as they were poisoned after all. It can be reasoned that the poison was meant for Fifi alone and Jeeves was just unlucky to be horny at the moment he was.
Yeah, I’ll buy that.
PS: And why is Lillian killed? Doesn’t make sense. It could be argued that Rudy wants revenge for his mother and sister, but there is nothing in the game, not a single clue (unless I missed something important) that revenge is what he’s after. No, he wants money. So why not sit tight, take great care not to be murdered, and let Lillian be arrested for all the murders.
She tried to kill Rudy (as evidenced by the note on the door asking him to join her at the fountain;
There was just a note. No sig, no addressee.
also she’s wearing her uncle’s old clothes that she wears when committing the murders).
You’ve got a point there.
He managed to fight back and get the gun from her. He shot her, figured out what she had been doing and decided to finish the job by killing the colonel (in order to get the money—Lillian is crazy and all about getting her uncle’s undivided love and attention, but Rudy just wants the inheritance).
Yes. But why go meet her (if Lillian put up that note) when by that time he must have realized she was the killer? Nobody else left. Sit tight, lock yourself in your room and wait for help. Or fire one of those emergency rockets.
Didn’t the colonel explain all that at the end of the game? I’m pretty sure he does.
Sure he does. But it doesn’t make much sense. 
Storywise, this game sucks majorly.
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
Sure he does. But it doesn’t make much sense.
Only if you’re not willing to jump in conclusions based upon things not shown or even discussed. It isn’t that different from what movies and tv-shows of similar nature do all the time. Only thing missing here is Poirot or Marple telling you all the missing info at the end while everyone else is looking astonished.
He managed to fight back and get the gun from her. He shot her, figured out what she had been doing and decided to finish the job by killing the colonel (in order to get the money—Lillian is crazy and all about getting her uncle’s undivided love and attention, but Rudy just wants the inheritance).
Yes. But why go meet her (if Lillian put up that note) when by that time he must have realized she was the killer? Nobody else left.
Because the rooms don’t have doors?
[spoiler]And even if there were some place where he could barricade himself, why would he? He managed to punch Clarence in the face not long earlier, why would he be scared of some little girl? Clarence might have tried to hide if he had managed to figure out what was going on, but not Rudy. That’s just not him. Rudy would be perfectly confident in his ability to take her on. And well… the fact is, he was right.[/spoiler]
As for Fifi, I don’t believe she was trying to get the colonel to marry her. It was common at the time for rich people to leave a little bit of money for the servants in their will. I think Fifi was just making sure she’d get a generous share—probably so that she and Jeeves would be free to get married.
Finished replaying TCB last night. My memory of the game was for the most part way off. It was almost like I never played it more than 25 years ago. I had this clear picture in my mind of [serious spoilers ahead]Laura listening to a deranged Lillian in the doll house, who confessed to all the murders. End of game. So I was very surprised when Lillian got herself killed instead and in the end I had to shoot either the Colonel or Rudy in the attic. How could I have forgotten that?? Twenty-five years is a long time, but still.
Well, she pretty much does confess to the murders in her diary, and I think you find it in the same act as the scene with the dolls, so I guess that’s what you remembered…
Sure he does. But it doesn’t make much sense.
Only if you’re not willing to jump in conclusions based upon things not shown or even discussed. It isn’t that different from what movies and tv-shows of similar nature do all the time. Only thing missing here is Poirot or Marple telling you all the missing info at the end while everyone else is looking astonished.
Hm, I don’t think that’s true. Poirot and Miss Marple don’t provide us with “missing info”, they base their conclusions on the same info the reader has. I managed to identify the murderer(s) many times in Agatha Christie novels. That’s one reason I loved them when I was young. 
Not all novels of course. The famous And Then There Were None (still called Ten Little Niggers when I got it from my father’s bookcase) withholds info from the reader.
BTW, I think most Sierra games suck storywise. With memorable exceptions, like the GK series.
Because the rooms don’t have doors?
Heh. Very thoughtful of Roberta. I’m not so sure I could have handled opening every single door in the house. But she could have opened all doors automatically, like she did with the French doors.
[spoiler]And even if there were some place where he could barricade himself, why would he? He managed to punch Clarence in the face not long earlier, why would he be scared of some little girl? Clarence might have tried to hide if he had managed to figure out what was going on, but not Rudy. That’s just not him. Rudy would be perfectly confident in his ability to take her on. And well… the fact is, he was right.[/spoiler]
Touché. It would not be in character. Still, if Lillian was waiting for him with her uncle’s gun, (why didn’t he check the case first, if only to protect himself?) she could have shot him straightaway and he would not stand a chance. The whole idea of him overpowering her is kind of weak.
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
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