Pier Solar could come to Dreamcast

[melancholy]

Pier Solar, the 16-bit RPG made exclusively for Sega Genesis, might find a home on PC, Xbox 360, and Dreamcast next year. Right now, there is a Kickstarter campaign going on to bring this epic RPG to a broader audience. PC and 360 owners can pledge $15 to get a digital copy, featuring a full HD makeover of the game, while Dreamcast owners can pledge $49 to get a direct port of the original Genesis version. Considering the huge success of this game and the cost of obtaining a Genesis copy, this could be your best chance of playing this amazing homebrew effort.

Check out the details on Kickstarter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/573 ... -linux-and

[DaMadFiddler]

Been waiting to see when this one would get posted. Overall I'm not a fan of Kickstarter, but WaterMelon seems pretty on top of things (I already have Pier Solar for Genesis), and I would definitely join in this one if my company hadn't just gone under.

[DaMadFiddler]

Still need to get a copy of GunLord, too....

[melancholy]

Even though I am glad they are finally releasing this to a wider audience, I'm conflicted on their methods. The digital version is cool for 360/PC owners, but why spend the effort recreating all of the artwork? They spent years making all the original sprite work just to scrap it for what will be their biggest distribution method. I mean, the comparison shots they have posted are nice and all, but they are nothing amazing. Hopefully they will allow you to switch between HD and SD.

And a SD port to Dreamcast is really cool, but $50 for a pressed CD when they sold a manufactured Genesis cartridge for $35? How does that make sense?

[Nico0020]

Nice I'll be buying the Dreamcast SD port. I always wanted to give this game a try and was curious if it there was interest in a Dreamcast port. I'm curious what the packaging will look like. Personally I am partial to the JP style DVD boxes we have been getting with our homebrew games.

And a SD port to Dreamcast is really cool, but $50 for a pressed CD when they sold a manufactured Genesis cartridge for $35? How does that make sense?

yea this crossed my mind, but well I don't mind it at this point. I love having these games on my Dreamcast. It's always a pleasure to play something new on the old console. They made a full homebrew RPG, so I'll let them set their price point.

btw is there a limit to "preordering" these, or as long as I pay the proper amount before the kickstarter is over I can have the Regular edition of the Dreamcast print?

[DaMadFiddler]

It doesn't look like they have a limit set on the "regular" edition.

[cube_b3]

Still need to get a copy of GunLord, too....

Do you own the previous games?

If not. It is always a good idea to wait for the Beginners Bundle that bundles reprints for all previous games bundled with NEO XYX for maybe a 100$. Not a bad deal when each game would cost you 20$ this way.

[DaMadFiddler]

Just saw that this project reached its funding, with 7 days left to go. Does anyone know if Dreamcast copies will be available for regular sale after the fact, or if they are only available through the Kickstarter campaign?

[cube_b3]

The best way to find out would be to pledge 5! ask them, update your pledge if they are not planning to offer it again.

Edit: Pledged a dollar. Will let you know their answer as soon as they inform me.

[DaMadFiddler]

I'm between jobs and money's pretty tight at the moment, otherwise I would have just pledged 50 and not worried about it.

[cube_b3]

Well yes, it would be available i'll ask them next how much would it retail for.

It is a silly move to release a version 1/5th of the Dreamcast price on a superior system.

[DaMadFiddler]

If you're talking about the $15 download for PC and 360... first off, that's 1/3 the Dreamcast price, not 1/5. Also, that's just for the digital download. The Dreamcast version is a physical disc with a case and printed manual, and is priced the same as the other physical copies.

[DaMadFiddler]

An update:

The game has reached its funding goal, and has added a series of stretch goals. As of this post, it has nearly reached the second stretch goal with 6 days to go:

[cube_b3]

If you're talking about the $15 download for PC and 360... first off, that's 1/3 the Dreamcast price, not 1/5. Also, that's just for the digital download. The Dreamcast version is a physical disc with a case and printed manual, and is priced the same as the other physical copies.

I made that post without checking the price. I assumed it was 10$.

But as Melancholy pointed out why is it more expensive then the MD version?
_______________________

Well they told me the game that releases after the kick starter would be priced 10 - 15$ higher. So I'll probably put down the money.

[mankrip]

At that price, they should make a real port instead of just emulating it.

[DaMadFiddler]

At that price, they should make a real port instead of just emulating it.

It is a real port, not an emulation. The graphics and audio are all being completely redone, and if the next couple of stretch goals are met, it's going to have a significant amount of extra content as well. You will also be able to switch between the new and original Genesis-quality graphics on the fly, and they're debating doing the same with the music (though they have stated that this may not happen due to the complexity of emulating the FM chip).



Bah... of course, almost the instant I posted it, they took down the graphic I hotlinked and replaced it with a new one, breaking my link. Here's the written version (as of this writing, the Kickstarter is about to hit 160k):

145k - Japanese Translation: Pier Solar HD now translated in Japanese, on every single platform!

150k - Dreamcast Extras: 16x9 Widescreen support, VMU integration, VGA support: We are sweetening up the Dreamcast version with everything we can think of! VGA will look stunning, and with 16x9 support it will be the perfect match. We aren't leaving out anything and thats why your VMU will be integrated with Pier Solar!

160k - Pier Solar HD Directors Cut: We are going to add in tons of stuff we left out of the final version of Pier Solar due to technical limitations on the original SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis cartridge. We're talking tons of new sidequests, mini games, and never-before-heard songs!

10+ new sidequests!

4+ new minigames with 2-4 player action!

New battle features!

175k - Pier Solar HD for Android & OUYA: Pier Solar HD for Android devices and the OUYA!

200k - Pier Solar HD for Wii U: Pier Solar HD for the Nintendo Wii U!

[melancholy]

I'm not exactly fond of the 160k goal, as it makes my Genesis copy inferior now. Though a Wii U port would be kinda sweet.

[DaMadFiddler]

Heh... guess you'll have to re-buy

Honestly, I'm a little surprised it wasn't a part of the project to begin with, for just that reason. It adds real value to the package (in addition to just better graphics and sound), and gives even people like you and me who already have the Genesis version a reason to reinvest.

It is a bit odd that they'd do PC, Mac, Linux, Dreamcast, 360, Wii U, Android, and Ouya, but not iPhone or PS3. Not that I'm complaining; my choice would be Dreamcast anyway. I wonder if perhaps PSN has some restrictions or prerequisites that make it harder to publish on than the other platforms... I know WiiWare had less desirable terms for small developers than PSN/XBLA, but by all accounts, Nintendo really went out of their way to improve this for the Wii U.



...Incidentally, the Kickstarter has 4 days left, and has passed $170,000.

They have also added two new bonuses: at $175k (the Android/OUYA tier), they've added a documentary about the developer as a digital download for all backers. At $200k (the Wii U tier), all backers who pledged $49 or more will get a DVD of said documentary in addition to the download.

Here's the text from the post:

One Year at WaterMelon: The Movie (OYAWM) will chronicle the love, sweat, and tears over the next year of WaterMelon team's development pursuits. Everything from Pier Solar HD to our new Super Nintendo and SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis games, ProjectN and ProjectY. We promise it's going to be chock full of excitment, action, and some serious climactic twists.

You can rest assured that we are going to fill it to the brim with special features such as: the history of WaterMelon, interviews, and tons of other exclusive and exciting footage!

How to Unlock One Year at WaterMelon: The Movie?

One Year at WaterMelon: The Movie will be unlocked and free for EVERY single backer if the campaign reaches 175k. Upon reaching 175k, every single backer will receive an HD digital download of OYAWM! This is of course in addition to the Android and OUYA stretch goals!

If the campaign reaches 200k, not only will we release Pier Solar for HD and does every single backer receive the HD digital download of OYAWM, but all backers pledging $49 and above will receive a Kickstarter exclusive special edition DVD (you get the HD download of the film too!).

[Ex-Cyber]

It is a bit odd that they'd do PC, Mac, Linux, Dreamcast, 360, Wii U, Android, and Ouya, but not iPhone or PS3.

Probably something to do with the approval processes. Apple is infamously capricious about both technical restrictions and details of app design, and IIRC Sony requires up-front "concept approval" i.e. they want a full rundown of the game and can just reject it if they happen to think it doesn't "belong" on PS3 or whatever.

[DaMadFiddler]

$178,000+

It looks like this may very well hit all the stretch goals; the only one left is the Wii U port at $200k.