Q&A with Stu Galley

Matt Newsome contributed the following brief exchange he had with Stu Galley, author of The Witness and Seastalker for Infocom.]

Q. Do you still see the other Implementors?

Yes, the ones that still live near Boston usually gather at Steve Meretzky's house every year on Oscar night to predict the winners and watch the results.

Q. I read that you started work on HGTTG2 (Restaurant). Can you give a quick synopsis of the type of thing you would have included/did include?

I started working from "The Original Radio Scripts" (Pan Books, London, 1985). The first game ended in the middle of the third program, so I wanted to carry on with Magrathea, Deep Thought, Milliways, and so on. There would have been time travel, and perhaps a quest to find a "spork" and/or "towelette" from the restaurant.

Q. If you still have Dave Ardito's Zork I poster, would you/he be prepared to put a GIF of it on the net? (pretty please!)

I don't know where to find a scanner that's big enough. I think there might be a small version in the above-mentioned archive at GMD.

Q. I'm English -- can you *please* explain what you all meant by MSG overdose?!

Chinese restaurants in the States often add monosodium glutamate to the food they serve in order to enhance the flavor. Some people react to the substance with dizziness and other strange mental activity.

Q. Reading the transcript of the [Infocom reunion] conference on Feb 18th 1992, I got the impression that the only thing stopping more Infocom games from being made is the financial security issue. Could you not produce smaller games and release them as shareware? It's a fast way to the niche market, and people have been known to make thousands from it! What do you think?

I think it's very risky. I have heard only a tiny number of success stories among all the hopeful shareware authors. Do you have documented info that contradicts that?

Q. What does "Burma Shave" mean (from the signposts in Enchanter)?

It's a company that used to advertise in the States with a series of small signs along a highway, instead of a giant billboard.

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