6/24/20 - It's Probably Over

Hi Everyone,

I never posted an update last year and that is because I never heard back from Dianne.  I tried contacting her multiple times over a period of a few months, leaving messages, but never got a callback.  I want to respect her privacy so, I do not want to call her again and keep bothering her.

There are only two possibilities at this point.

1. The footage, The 11th Hour source code disks, and other Trilobyte treasures are gone forever.  They were brought to the dump about 4 years ago now and will never be found.  Heck, some of the items may have gone to an electronics recycling facility and been completely wiped.  Even if not, finding the items in the dump and them being in-tact are VERY slim.
2. Dianne does have the material and is not willing to part with it or to speak further on the matter.  There could be multiple reasons for this including anything from nostalgia, distrust, or just wanting her privacy.

I am still debating one other path.  While I have undergone this journey with the permission of Rob Landeros, I do not work for him or Trilobyte.  What I could do is find Dianne's address and send an honest-to-God snail mail letter explaining that fact and that I would pay for her to send anything she has to me directly, and pay to archive/digitize it out of my own pocket.

Granted, I believe I'd still need to return everything to Trilobyte as legally it is their intellectual property.  However, it might give Dianne more peace of mind to know that the material is in the hands of someone who cares, doesn't seek to profit off of it, and is archiving the material in some fashion.

The only other options are ones I've discussed previously and would be painful at best, impossible at the worst.  I could try working with the extracted video frames, build a custom AI model specifically designed to correct and upscale blocky footage, and try that.  However, I am not knowledgable with AI modeling and creating the sample set alone would be a HUGE effort.

Regardless, it was a great experience getting to connect with so many people tied to the game.  For better or for worse.  If anyone knows Dianne personally and would feel comfortable asking her about the footage, by all means, please do so and then reach out to me.  Even then, the footage may be lost forever.  Luckily we are still left with the legacy of The 7th Guest, and the game itself to enjoy.