Quest for Glory II: Trial By Fire [ADGI Remake]

Released in november 1990, Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire marked the end of an era for Sierra. The only game to use the SClo.5 engine and the last game to use 16 color EGA graphics, Trial by Fire followed in its predecessor's footsteps by maintaining the elements that made the first game a success, such as the well-defined non-player characters, the fine blend of adventuring and roleplaying elements, the class-specific solutions to various puzzles and the goofy and pun-laden humor. In addition to that, the sequel also introduced several new elements such as a guild-like organisation for each class, the ability to tell people about certain subjects, the ability to bargain with merchants and the introduction of the paladin class and the honor statistic that was closely linked to it.

After its release as a stand-alone game, Quest for Glory 2 was also included in the Quest for Glory Anthology in 1996 and the Quest for Glory Collection in 1997. Both collection packages contained the first four games of the series plus the VGA remake of Quest for Glory 1 that was released in 1992. Trial by Fire has always remained popular with the fan-base for its storyline, its many hidden jokes and puns and its introduction of several characters who'd play a key role in the QFG series, such as the independant warrior Uhura, the wise paladin Rakeesh and the loathsome wizard Ad Avis. Nevertheless, it being the only game in the series that was confined to 16 color graphics and a parser-only interface that required typed commands to play, getting into the game was a challenge to new players who had to get used to the more primitive graphics, the typing interface and a confusing maze of streets all within the first 15 minutes of the game. Because of that, a good deal of players gave up on the game before getting to the more captivating parts.

We at AGD Interactive have always had a soft spot for Trial by Fire in our hearts and plans to remake this game were made even before our first project, King’s Quest 1 VGA, was released. A few quick screenshots posted on our site also gave us the impression that a remake of QFG2 would be in high demand indeed. The project's foundation, a set of QFG2 screens connected to each other without alleyways, dialogs or a lot of interaction, was made in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2003, shortly after the release of KQ2+, that the project was fully picked up again. Several additional members came and went, but over the years, QFG2VGA evolved from a basic project that allowed a hero in QFG3 savannah outfit to walk through a limited section of collaged game screens to a full-blown adventure-rpg worthy of the name Quest for Glory. Around 2004/2005, we reached the point where most animations had been created and a very basic path from the start until the end could be traversed. We at AGD Interactive however, believe that true quality can only be achieved through an extensive process of refinement. The world of Quest for Glory 2 was a complex world and the finetuning process that took place the years after literally called for the fixing of thousands and thousands of bugs. Looking at the finished product now, however, we are glad that we took the time to refine and stabilize the game and make a true labor of love out of it, rather than something we were eager to rush out of the door.

While it’s true that trying to please everyone usually results in pleasing noone, we nevertheless
have tried to cater to the wishes of a variety of gamers. Those who dislike the tedious treks through the Shapeirian street maze can configure the game to simplify the layout and those who disliked having to type subjects to ask about can
interact with NPC’s through easy to use dialog trees. However, we have not forgotten the fans of the original QFG2 and those who liked to think up whacky topics to ask characters about or enjoyed the vastness of Shapeir’s alleyways will be able to re-experience those enjoyable times to their heart’s content. We have added small extra’s here and there to make the game just that little bit more enjoyable, but beneath the new interface, the new features and the updated graphics is still the old game we all knew and loved. We'd like to thank all our loyal fans for continuing to believe in us and in our ability to see this project throush to the very end. We hope that you will enjoy playing the game as much as we enjoyed making it for you.