Designing Leisure Suit Larry IV or VIII.

[Tawmis]

The idea came to me to post some threads about other Sierra games, when I was just digging through my email and found an ancient story I had written where the next King's Quest game would be Edgar (from King's Quest IV) seeking out Rosella to try and win her hand in marriage. It was, in my head, a cool idea because Edgar would technically be a king (with his mother - spoilers! - now dead).

So, I thought - given the chance, if you were brought in to help, or pitch ideas, or help direct (so let's avoid answers like, "I'd call in Jane Jensen/Al Lowe/Roberta Willians/Scott Murphy/Mark Crowe/Christy Marx/etc" - and assume they're there too ) - to work on the next game.

So in this case - if you were a part of the creative team, what would you hope for in the next LEISURE SUIT LARRY?

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm. To be brief: Less Lovage, more Laffer! Seriously, I would love to see a Larry that was more subtle than MCL etc. (although that shouldn't be hard).

I thought that Al and Co. made a fine start with LSL1 Reloaded. I know reviews were mixed, but I liked it.

If we were to design LSL4, I'd like to see what drove Larry and Patti apart in the first place (so that he was an office boy and she was an FBI agent). Perhaps Larry found that he was happier as a swinging single, which turned Patti off? Perhaps Patti missed her days as a piano virtuoso? Maybe Patti got a contract playing piano in the big leagues with a major orchestra, even - so she had to go on tour and leave Larry playing housebound hubby. That would never do for our favourite swinging single, so he dusts off his leisure suit and goes out on the prowl again! Naturally, he's rejected by every woman he comes across - and when one of them happens to be Patti's BFF, who takes a few happy snaps and emails it to Patti from her mobile...

Oh boy oh boy! Let's just say that Patti will go ballistic.

However, I'm not sure that plot will do for LSL4. I can't remember much about LSL5, but weren't Larry and Patti still on speaking terms in that game? IIRC, they were even friends. So... I'm not too sure.

[Tawmis]

Hmm. To be brief: Less Lovage, more Laffer!

Well, that's obvious.

I thought that Al and Co. made a fine start with LSL1 Reloaded. I know reviews were mixed, but I liked it.

I think the reviews were mixed because of a certain person who ran Replay Games.

If we were to design LSL4, I'd like to see what drove Larry and Patti apart in the first place (so that he was an office boy and she was an FBI agent). Perhaps Larry found that he was happier as a swinging single, which turned Patti off? Perhaps Patti missed her days as a piano virtuoso? Maybe Patti got a contract playing piano in the big leagues with a major orchestra, even - so she had to go on tour and leave Larry playing housebound hubby. That would never do for our favourite swinging single, so he dusts off his leisure suit and goes out on the prowl again! Naturally, he's rejected by every woman he comes across - and when one of them happens to be Patti's BFF, who takes a few happy snaps and emails it to Patti from her mobile... Oh boy oh boy! Let's just say that Patti will go ballistic.
However, I'm not sure that plot will do for LSL4. I can't remember much about LSL5, but weren't Larry and Patti still on speaking terms in that game? IIRC, they were even friends. So... I'm not too sure.

I don't think Larry initially has any memory of Patti at the beginning of Leisure Suit Larry V?

The ending of Leisure Suit Larry III broke the “Fourth Wall” by showing Larry Laffer and Passionate Patti coming to the Sierra studios and making games based on their adventures, living happily in a mountain cabin in Coarsegold. Al Lowe never planned a 4th game to the series, and was being asked to continue the series; only he was at a dead end because he couldn’t find a way to start it since the scenario had completed a story arc.

Swearing that there would be no Leisure Suit Larry IV, Al Lowe began developing Leisure Suit Larry V – and to do so, he claimed “the disks were missing” and that Julius Biggs (the owner of America’s Sexiest Home Videos) had stolen the ‘missing floppies’ of the game and caused Larry Laffer to become amnesiac. And thus, Leisure Suit Larry V assumes that time has passed, and in that span, Larry Laffer is now in the adult film industry, working for a Mafia-connected company known as PornProdCorp. His job? To find models for America’s Sexiest Home Videos.

Meanwhile, Patti is recruited by the FBI to dig up incriminating evidence on two record companies which are suspected of hiding subliminal messages in their songs. At the same time, PornProdCorp schemes to eliminate the competition in their industry by donating money to CANE (Conservatives Against Nearly Everything).

[Rath Darkblade]

Right... but when Larry and Patti meet again at the end of LSL5, I think they recognise each other and re-connect? I can't remember what happens then. Any idea?

[Tawmis]

Right... but when Larry and Patti meet again at the end of LSL5, I think they recognise each other and re-connect? I can't remember what happens then. Any idea?

They do - because, if memory serves me right - he has dreams about her on the plane.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DFT3vnXgRAM/ ... B-%2B1.png

[Tawmis]

I'd design Leisure Suit Larry IV...

Patti has successfully become a part of the FBI, and keeping busy - while Larry is a stay at home husband. He decides to clean the bedroom, which is a mess and discovers what he thinks is Patti's "back massager" (if you know what I mean). He thinks it's funny and "turns it on" - and the end result is a white flash from the black "back massager" - and suddenly Larry's memory has been wiped. (This is clearly a nod to Men in Black).

Larry then begins looking around, and sees pictures of him and this beautiful, amazing looking woman who he can't piece together. Larry goes on a quest to discover who she is.

So, the game for me - would be similar to Leisure Suit Larry 2. He wouldn't be sleeping with women - but the women he's doing quests for - all teach him something that reminds him of Patti and helps rebuild his memory of her.

Patti comes home to an empty house; and finds that Larry doesn't return after several days (because he's out trying to figure out who she is, collecting pieces to rebuild his memory), and assumes he's left her because she's a working woman.

[Rath Darkblade]

Oh dear. Meanwhile, all these other women send her some kind of "memento" (e.g. a picture of them doing things with Larry?) that only strengthens her suspicions. Then, when Larry comes back, he has to persuade her that it's not true.

(I thought of making him come back to see that Patti left him, but that's too much like the ending of GK3 - or the beginning of LSL2 and LSL3).

I once wrote a top ten list of Sierra games that shouldn't be made. Here's a pitch for my LSL entry...

Instead of Larry Lovage, Larry Laffer has a daughter who follows in her father's lounge-lizardy footsteps - but being much more clever than Larry, she also solves murder cases in her spare time. The game is called... *drumroll*

"Leisure Suit Laura in the Land of Lillian Prune" (naturally).

[Datadog]

However, I'm not sure that plot will do for LSL4. I can't remember much about LSL5, but weren't Larry and Patti still on speaking terms in that game? IIRC, they were even friends. So... I'm not too sure.

I vaguely remember a plot twist in LSL5 that implies Mr. Big was responsible for breaking up Larry and Patti. There was something about him humming the LSL4 theme song in the White House that prompts Patti to take him down.

Instead of Larry Lovage, Larry Laffer has a daughter who follows in her father's lounge-lizardy footsteps - but being much more clever than Larry, she also solves murder cases in her spare time.

I'd be genuinely interested to see what a "Leisure Suit Laura" game would entail. But would she actually wear a leisure suit, or is she just "Leisure Suit" in name?

So in this case - if you were a part of the creative team, what would you hope for in the next LEISURE SUIT LARRY?

I had some thoughts for a couple installments:

Initially, I want to do two things: 1) bring back Patti, and 2) bring back the spy angle. I feel like the CIA might look at Larry's shameless behaviour and regard it as an asset to their one of their operations. They rig a game show for him to win and send him on a vacation where they need him to root out an enemy assassin - who may be one of many women at this resort. So for the first half of the game, you're just Larry doing Larry things in your investigation.

And for fun, I want to set it at a ski lodge. Not only does any place with a giant roaring fireplace automatically seems like a romantic setting, but you'll get some new outdoor activities not explored in previous games. Plus the cold weather will give the character designers something to work with besides "scantily-clad".

But the game's twist is that Patti is your target. And she's actually CIA while you're working for the KGB. So then after rekindling their love, Larry and Patti spend the last half of the game doing daring spy escapes across the mountain, where Larry uses all the skills he learned from the other women to help them survive. And together they escape the KGB and fly off to Paris for a happy ending.

And then Paris would be the setting for the sequel. But I think what would put some fire in the Larry formula is to make a game about "being in a relationship" rather than starting one. But they're both swinging singles at heart, so they get a crazy idea for staying together: try for a threesome. So the whole game is in the vein of LSL6 or LSL7 where you and Patti become each other's wing-men to find a special someone for both of you. And in this game, you can hit on men and women alike, taking both Larry and Patti (and maybe the player) out of their respective comfort zones.

And that's my Thursday morning Coffee-Hasn't-Kicked-In-Yet pitch. Or maybe it's the plot to a Richard Linklater/Judd Apatow movie. One of those.

[Rath Darkblade]

However, I'm not sure that plot will do for LSL4. I can't remember much about LSL5, but weren't Larry and Patti still on speaking terms in that game? IIRC, they were even friends. So... I'm not too sure.

I vaguely remember a plot twist in LSL5 that implies Mr. Big was responsible for breaking up Larry and Patti. There was something about him humming the LSL4 theme song in the White House that prompts Patti to take him down.

Um, that was me who asked that - not Tawm. However, since the coffee hasn't kicked in yet, that's okay...

Instead of Larry Lovage, Larry Laffer has a daughter who follows in her father's lounge-lizardy footsteps - but being much more clever than Larry, she also solves murder cases in her spare time.

I'd be genuinely interested to see what a "Leisure Suit Laura" game would entail. But would she actually wear a leisure suit, or is she just "Leisure Suit" in name?

To be honest, I didn't really think too far beyond the "Leisure Suit Laura" name. The name just grabbed me, and I thought "I simply HAVE to write this down!" *G*

Being his daughter (and, presumably, a little more worldly), I doubt she'd wear a leisure suit. Can you imagine Laura Bow in a leisure suit? Laura Bow is who I was getting at... a LSL and LB mash-up!

Hmm... maybe "Leisure Suit Laura" might wear a leisure suit for Hallowe'en or dress-up parties? Not sure.

I had some thoughts for a couple installments:

Initially, I want to do two things: 1) bring back Patti, and 2) bring back the spy angle. I feel like the CIA might look at Larry's shameless behaviour and regard it as an asset to their one of their operations. They rig a game show for him to win and send him on a vacation where they need him to root out an enemy assassin - who may be one of many women at this resort. So for the first half of the game, you're just Larry doing Larry things in your investigation.

And for fun, I want to set it at a ski lodge. Not only does any place with a giant roaring fireplace automatically seems like a romantic setting, but you'll get some new outdoor activities not explored in previous games. Plus the cold weather will give the character designers something to work with besides "scantily-clad".

But the game's twist is that Patti is your target. And she's actually CIA while you're working for the KGB. So then after rekindling their love, Larry and Patti spend the last half of the game doing daring spy escapes across the mountain, where Larry uses all the skills he learned from the other women to help them survive. And together they escape the KGB and fly off to Paris for a happy ending.

And then Paris would be the setting for the sequel. But I think what would put some fire in the Larry formula is to make a game about "being in a relationship" rather than starting one. But they're both swinging singles at heart, so they get a crazy idea for staying together: try for a threesome. So the whole game is in the vein of LSL6 or LSL7 where you and Patti become each other's wing-men to find a special someone for both of you. And in this game, you can hit on men and women alike, taking both Larry and Patti (and maybe the player) out of their respective comfort zones.

And that's my Thursday morning Coffee-Hasn't-Kicked-In-Yet pitch. Or maybe it's the plot to a Richard Linklater/Judd Apatow movie. One of those.

This idea is interesting. I'm not sure that I can picture Larry working for the KGB after the events of LSL2, though (when the KGB were chasing him all over the world).

[Datadog]

Um, that was me who asked that - not Tawm. However, since the coffee hasn't kicked in yet, that's okay...

Whoops! Sorry about that. I messed up the multi-quote.

Hmm... maybe "Leisure Suit Laura" might wear a leisure suit for Hallowe'en or dress-up parties? Not sure.

She'd probably be more of a hipster if she did walk around in a leisure suit. Or an LSL cosplayer at a convention (which might be a fun game on its own).

This idea is interesting. I'm not sure that I can picture Larry working for the KGB after the events of LSL2, though (when the KGB were chasing him all over the world).

The idea would be that he doesn't know he's working for the KGB, but they never forgot all the trouble he put them through in LSL2 and have been watching him ever since. And now they've figured out to use Larry's "unique set of skills" as a secret weapon against the CIA.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm... maybe "Leisure Suit Laura" might wear a leisure suit for Hallowe'en or dress-up parties? Not sure.

She'd probably be more of a hipster if she did walk around in a leisure suit. Or an LSL cosplayer at a convention (which might be a fun game on its own).

Hmm... "Leisure Suit Laura" was always meant to be a mash-up between LSL and Laura Bow. Since LB is set in the 20s and LSL in the 80s, I find it highly unlikely that LB would wear a leisure suit.

If "Leisure Suit Laura" is Larry's daughter,would wearing a leisure suit make her a hipster, or just really out of date (fashion-wise)?

I like the idea of her being an LSL cosplayer. It would be especially funny if she had the blue shirt and medallion.

This idea is interesting. I'm not sure that I can picture Larry working for the KGB after the events of LSL2, though (when the KGB were chasing him all over the world).

The idea would be that he doesn't know he's working for the KGB, but they never forgot all the trouble he put them through in LSL2 and have been watching him ever since. And now they've figured out to use Larry's "unique set of skills" as a secret weapon against the CIA.

ROFLOL! I like that. Maybe they even approach him in a bar and lace his drink (or something) to make him fall asleep/forget his earlier connections with the KGB before kidnapping him to work for them.

"Velcome to behint ze Iron Curtain, Kamerad Laffer. Ve are preparet to let ze bygones be bygones! Ve offer you ze employment, da?"

[Datadog]

ROFLOL! I like that. Maybe they even approach him in a bar and lace his drink (or something) to make him fall asleep/forget his earlier connections with the KGB before kidnapping him to work for them.

"Velcome to behint ze Iron Curtain, Kamerad Laffer. Ve are preparet to let ze bygones be bygones! Ve offer you ze employment, da?"

I was thinking of going straight-face with them pretending to be American first before later removing their moustaches to reveal they're Russian (because moustaches are a standard KGB disguise; everybody knows that.) But now I think it might be funnier if they start out as a Boris-and-Natasha couple with thick Russian accents, but they keep name-dropping hot dog brands and American Football teams to earn Larry's trust.

The game show they could rig to send him on vacation could be "Wheel of Fortune". The winning phrase would be "Hi, my name's Larry; Larry Laffer", so he'd win before the game even starts.

[Rath Darkblade]

I was thinking of going straight-face with them pretending to be American first before later removing their moustaches to reveal they're Russian (because moustaches are a standard KGB disguise; everybody knows that.)

False moustaches, yep - along with glasses, fake moles, fake (bushy) eyebrows...

But now I think it might be funnier if they start out as a Boris-and-Natasha couple with thick Russian accents, but they keep name-dropping hot dog brands and American Football teams to earn Larry's trust.

Larry would have to be as thick as borscht to trust them because they talk about Armour Hot Dogs and the Cleveland Browns.

Oh, wait...

The game show they could rig to send him on vacation could be "Wheel of Fortune". The winning phrase would be "Hi, my name's Larry; Larry Laffer", so he'd win before the game even starts.

Hmm, a rigged game show? Surely they're never rigged!

I like all these ideas. Since we're going for ridiculousness, maybe once the KGB have captured Larry and strapped him to the table to undergo exquisite torture (unless he agrees to work for them), in walks Vladimir Putin to pitch the offer. (Because he's an ex-KGB man himself...)

Or maybe Putin can host the game show. (And since we're talking KGB here... "WHEEL! OF! POISONS!!!" *clap clap clap*)