Pier Solar HD

[Arm]

For those who would be interested or have played the original genesis version of PS, the game will be remade for the Dreamcast/x360/PC/Mac/Linux in HD.
A kickstarter page to help the project has opened :
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/573261866/pier-solar-hd-an-rpg-for-xbox360-pc-mac-linux-and

[Joe Redifer]

I hope they don't have any problems pressing the Dreamcast disc.

[Arm]

I hope too. I don't know if it's difficult or possible to press genuine gdroms.

[PikachuWarrior]

Since the Dreamcast can play CD-Rs (backups) without problems, they may go the cheap route and just burn it to a customized CDR instead of having to get a genuine gd-rom pressing done.

In any case, I'll be getting the Dreamcast collector's edition and keeping it sealed. I hope they modify their pledge levels to include a digital download copy either PC/Xbox, with a certain threshold for this exact reason.

Did anyone see the price of the Classic Edition for the MegaDrive/Genesis? $500! If that's not taking advantage of the inflated ebay prices, I don't know what is!

[kazekirifx]

The best way to play it will always be on the Genesis.

[Arkhan Asylum]

I just loled.

They are milking that game for all its worth and its kind of just hilarious at this point.

Is it going to say GREATEST HITS on the side of the cover art, or something?

Is this in lieu of their "invest in our games and help create them!" idea falling flat on its face?


im still laughing, btw.


That's crazy that they're going to whore it out to 5 more platforms.  They must have some expensive drugs at the Watermelon Factory.

[NecroPhile]

Please get back to me when they port it to the Turbob.  I might care then. 

[Arkhan Asylum]

Yeah right they couldn't even press a Mega CD that worked.  You think they can press a Turbobcd?

pfsssssssshttttttttttt

[TheClash603]

I played the game and it wasn't good enough to get this kind of hyped re-release.

What were the quantities of the original Genny edition?  If they are doing this to attract collectors, 700 seems to be too high of a number to warrant the cost.

[SuperDeadite]

I like how they want well over $100,000 to just upgrade a game that already exists.  My favorite part though is the highest donator prize, which gets you an invite to their Paris party, BUT the donator must still pay for himself.  In other words, buy us a party in Paris, and we'll be kind enough to invite you.  LOL  these people are scum.

[Senshi]

Yeah right they couldn't even press a Mega CD that worked.  You think they can press a Turbobcd?

yea that seems to be a problem these days...

[PikachuWarrior]

Actually the Posterity/Classic editions for the Megadrive/Genesis were limited to around 800 units. Not sure if it was more or less total, or for each region, but yeah. around 800. It's ridiculous asking $500 though. The higher pledge levels are a joke.

[TR0N]

All ready have it for the genesis.I don't see much of a reason to donate so they can do this.Beside,i thought they were suppose to be working on other games now.

[Mathius]

I went ahead and backed it to get the Dreamcast version in hopes that they fix some of the balancing and sound issues.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Actually the Posterity/Classic editions for the Megadrive/Genesis were limited to around 800 units. Not sure if it was more or less total, or for each region, but yeah. around 800. It's ridiculous asking $500 though. The higher pledge levels are a joke.

What was the first release called?

The "preorderers only because we suck at distribution" Edition, or something, right?


Nothing says awesome like having your first real public release be a reprint.  Solid move there. 

[Keranu]

The best way to play it will always be on the Genesis.

My thoughts exactly!

I'd rather support production for more copies of the original since I didn't get to buy one myself!

[PikachuWarrior]

They still have the originals, but at $69. I got it when they were $49. Inflation at its best!

[Arkhan Asylum]

They still have the originals, but at $69. I got it when they were $49. Inflation at its best!

It's not inflation, its fucking stupid.   It's clear they're going the route of Super Fighter Team and trying to turn this thing into a cash cow.


and TBH, outside of the nice artwork and cool looking characters, the game is pretty ho-hum.  Nothing to write home about.  I like the art alot.  Though some of it, I'd swear I've seen in other games before.

[futureman2000]

Yeah, game itself was sort of meh. It was awesome that they made it, and I'll buy their next genesis game... But not something that needs a 6 platform release. Also skeptical that this won't interrupt other wm projects.

[Burnt Lasagna]

My favorite part though is the highest donator prize, which gets you an invite to their Paris party, BUT the donator must still pay for himself.  In other words, buy us a party in Paris, and we'll be kind enough to invite you. 

It looks like someone actually donated that much...
They don't even tell you where this party is exactly. They just say "in Paris!". May I ask where in Paris?

[CrackTiger]

Although I'm not interested in HD versions, I think it would be cool for them to do this (especially for Dreamcast) as a legitimate project. But although people in various forums, and the headline in the kickstarter say "it's coming to you in high definition for Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux & Sega Dreamcast!", the money counter section says "This project will only be funded if at least $139,000 is pledged by Wednesday Dec 5, 9:30am EST."

Watermelon has presented itself as a business and not just a group of fans making games for fun, so I think that the more products they make and any kind of reissues and ports are cool. But doing a kickstarter for something like this is not cool, especially for $140,000+. Since they operate like a business and proudly advertise how epic and professional their products are, then why not simply produce them and then let the sales make them rich? If they reach their goal of $140+k, are they just going to make it a digital only free download on all platforms for anyone who wants it?

Pier Solar is the biggest 16-bit RPG ever and it's coming to you in high definition for Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux & Sega Dreamcast!

The Biggest 16-bit RPG Ever! We released Pier Solar on a custom 64MEG cartridge (the average SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis game size is 12MEG), making it the biggest 16-bit RPG ever!

Are Watermelon not RPG fans or something? Star Ocean is around 100 megs, Tengai Makyou Zero is supposed to be between 130 - 150 megs and I'm sure that dozens of Sega-CD and PC Engine CD games are over 100 megs without CD audio. Maybe they are repeatedly mistyping "the biggest Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge RPG ever!"?

[TurboXray]

Are Watermelon not RPG fans or something? Star Ocean is around 100 megs, Tengai Makyou Zero is supposed to be between 130 - 150 megs and I'm sure that dozens of Sega-CD and PC Engine CD games are over 100 megs without CD audio. Maybe they are repeatedly mistyping "the biggest Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge RPG ever!"?

It's just sensationalism. And in that respect, it's not taken too seriously. One of my best friends in real life makes indie movies (quite a few of my friends do). He sold the distribution rights for NA to some company that put "more firepower than any other film in history" in the synopsis (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/36817/gunheavy/). Yeah, there's a lot of blasting, but it was pure bullshit. I see the same claim of PS in the same manner. Not to be taken too seriously.

[Arkhan Asylum]

My favorite part though is the highest donator prize, which gets you an invite to their Paris party, BUT the donator must still pay for himself.  In other words, buy us a party in Paris, and we'll be kind enough to invite you. 

It looks like someone actually donated that much...
They don't even tell you where this party is exactly. They just say "in Paris!". May I ask where in Paris?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris,_Kentucky



The whole thing is just dumb.  They're making a mockery out of the whole homebrew thing.  If you are going to kickstart, come up with a NEW idea.  Don't kickstart a fuckin HD remix of a
mediocre, over hyped RPG that's been out for 2 years and has already caught enough flack for having a stupid launch.

IF they get funded, I bet they screw up the digital distribution process and hose a bunch of their loyalists with some kind of oversight. 




FWIW, That Star Odyssey game was better. 

.. aside from being published by a misinformed idiot.

[Mathius]

Tell us how you really feel, Ark. 

Honestly, their biggest over sight with the original release was with the game itself. I played for what seemed like forever and I only leveled up twice. I remained at level 3 and got my ass handed to me any time I ventured beyond the starting area. I had already cleared that area too, so I was just grinding with no results.

Also, the sound issue pointed out by Joe Redifer is a real annoyance. I really hope they fix, or have fixed, the stereo sound in the game. Having the right side louder than the left side is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

[Arkhan Asylum]

I won't get into the SuperFighterTeam annoyance rant.

Pier Solar is a great looking game.  I really like the character art and the overall aesthetic of the game.

The story? *shrug*.  It feels like something thrown together as a Lunar homage by a bunch of 13 year olds.

The gameplay? It's fine.  It's nothing to write home about, but it's nothing to stab someone about either.   It's just RPG gameplay.

I'd give the game a 75-80ish/100. 


The release itself of the game?

10/100. 

30 points for getting it out.


They lose 10 points for the following:

Not having copies available at launch to anyone but the pre-orders
Doing dumbass reprints instead of giving everyone the same product, thus creating more reprints than a 1970s D&D book.  Who cares if you overshot the costs and took a loss. Don't fuck your fans over.
Dancing around the reasons why the reprints aren't in sweet boxes with color manuals like the original one
LOL ENHANCED CD
Saying the cartridge can't be dumped (It was)
Saying their audio encoding can't be cracked or whatever (*wink wink*)
The audio issue is annoying

The whole thing to me reeked of "We wanna get paid, fuck you guys"

[jeffhlewis]

Why all the venom over this? The guys clearly worked pretty damn hard to put this game out. It may not be the best RPG on the planet but we're talking about what amounts to a semi-pro homebrew game. And people are willing to pay for it, in droves. Why wouldn't they want to make money off of this?

If you don't like it, don't support it. Simple as that.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Why all the venom over this? The guys clearly worked pretty damn hard to put this game out. It may not be the best RPG on the planet but we're talking about what amounts to a semi-pro homebrew game. And people are willing to pay for it, in droves. Why wouldn't they want to make money off of this?

If you don't like it, don't support it. Simple as that.

Hi New Guy,

Were you around when the game was released?  Were you present when team members said non pre-orderers didn't deserve the nice copy of the game?  Were you around for the excuses/lies/dancing around the truth nonsense that followed the games original release?  The idiotic fans that bad mouthed everyone and went unchecked by the team itself?

How about the team telling us to go ahead and use copied CD-Rs since the disc didn't work... followed by being told wait no, don't share the ISO of the Special You Don't Deserve This disc.    Use our ISO we are providing instead.  We took out all of the good stuff.  Or whatever.

This isn't venom.  This is pointing out obvious things.   I didn't drink the Kool Aid.

Also, I bought the game and played through it.

and after seeing where Super Magic Watermelon Factory is heading, I will most likely not be buying anything else.  

I don't support gimmick cash cow bullshit.  It's exploiting the hype behind the game, and it's extremely cheesy from a team who originally was just some dudes on the internet making some RPG called "Tavern".



You know, people ARE allowed to express dissent.   We don't need the boyscout shenanigans.

I'd be much more ecstatic about this kickstarter if it wasn't ANOTHER rehash of a game that isn't even 5 years old yet.  FFS, do something different and get off the Pier Solar bandwagon.  There will be more versions of PS than there will be other original titles from the group.   That's dumb.

[jeffhlewis]

Hi New Guy,

Hi. I'm not really new but thanks for the warm welcome.

Were you around when the game was released?

Yes. I own a day 1 copy of the game and played through it. I didn't start collecting yesterday.

Were you present when team members said non pre-orderers didn't deserve the nice copy of the game?  Were you around for the excuses/lies/dancing around the truth nonsense that followed the games original release?  The idiotic fans that bad mouthed everyone and went unchecked by the team itself?

How about the team telling us to go ahead and use copied CD-Rs since the disc didn't work... followed by being told wait no, don't share the ISO of the Special You Don't Deserve This disc.    Use our ISO we are providing instead.  We took out all of the good stuff.  Or whatever.

This isn't venom.  This is pointing out obvious things.   I didn't drink the Kool Aid.

...

You know, people ARE allowed to express dissent.   We don't need the boyscout shenanigans.

I can't tell if you're trolling or if you're actually serious. You just sound like a chump ranting about everything like this. It's not that big of a deal - it's a free market. People supporting games like this (even if they're remakes) will only lead to more indie development. And hey, it might even net the developers a few bucks along the way.

Our hobby is becoming more mainstream, and there are people willing to pay premiums to get items like this. Deal with it.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Free market has zero relevance to what I just "chump ranted" about. 

Despite being around when the game released, you must not have been paying much attention to the comedy that ensued.  Because yes, I am actually serious.  These things happened.  There was a huge thread here, and on other forums about it.  Lots of discussion about the stupidity taking place on IRC in various channels.   There was some direct pimpslapping to the faces of the people that supported or wanted to support the project.  Don't bite the hand that feeds you.


You've clearly missed the point.  Deal with it.

[Mathius]

I hate it when I see two of my friends quibble. Come on. Group hug.

Jeff, the release of Pier Solar really had the height of stupidity labeled all over it. If WM was just straight with everyone, if they just told everyone the truth, there wouldn't be so many accusations pointed at them. I love what they did for the community. The inflated egos and pride really did a lot of damage though.

[kazekirifx]

I don't care how they botched the release. I'm always happy when indie developers release games for retro systems, and encourage it. They're not a professional game company, and I'm sympathetic when they make a few mistakes or miscalculations in the release details. If I'm not mistaken, they'd never attempted such a release before.

It's petty to complain about details when we're lucky that stuff like this exists at all.

[Mathius]

I don't care how they botched the release. I'm always happy when indie developers release games for retro systems, and encourage it. They're not a professional game company, and I'm sympathetic when they make a few mistakes or miscalculations in the release details. If I'm not mistaken, they'd never attempted such a release before.

It's petty to complain about details when we're lucky that stuff like this exists at all.

I am so glad that these guys got together to make this game. I hear where you are coming from. But, after the release of Pier Solar they had some issues with faulty discs (mine was one of them), and the sound in the game. Instead of just saying, "Hey we messed up" they danced around the issue and flat out told lies. I was there and saw what happened. It wasn't pretty.

[PikachuWarrior]

so the rom was dumped already? even if it was, do emulators even play it?

[kazekirifx]

But, after the release of Pier Solar they had some issues with faulty discs (mine was one of them), and the sound in the game. Instead of just saying, "Hey we messed up" they danced around the issue and flat out told lies. I was there and saw what happened. It wasn't pretty.

That sucks I guess. They didn't do anything to fix it in the end?

[Burnt Lasagna]

so the rom was dumped already? even if it was, do emulators even play it?

Yeah, the ROM was dumped and can be emulated in Genesis Plus GX.
Genesis Plus GX also has Mode 1 support for Genesis games that use the Sega CD for extra music/content/whatever, so the enhanced music CD even works.

[jeffhlewis]

You've clearly missed the point.  Deal with it.

I get that you've got this whole eccentric-internet-guy schtick going on here on PCEFX. You just don't need to be a prick when I bring up a simple counter-argument.

I get the argument that they should have provided better support, but I think people blow things out of proportion when it comes to indie devs, especially when they're pumping out projects like Pier Solar and having to tend to their regular lives/jobs/etc at the same time. Let them make some bucks if people are willing to pay is my point.

Done arguing - happy friday everyone.

[geise]

One thing you should realize about members here is no one is ever done arguing.!  O:)

[Arkhan Asylum]

I get that you've got this whole eccentric-internet-guy schtick going on here on PCEFX. You just don't need to be a prick when I bring up a simple counter-argument.

It doesn't surprise me that you've convinced yourself this is how I act only on this forum.  It falls in line with the rest of your "I'm not fully informed" mannerism in this thread.  It'd do you well to educate yourself before coming into a thread with boyscout viewpoints and retarded assumptions about the people posting.

I get the argument that they should have provided better support, but I think people blow things out of proportion when it comes to indie devs, especially when they're pumping out projects like Pier Solar and having to tend to their regular lives/jobs/etc at the same time. Let them make some bucks if people are willing to pay is my point.

Support?    You still don't get it.  This isn't about support.  Let me lay it out for you since you're still not getting it.

1) Original public release never happened.  Pony up the cash in advance or you're screwed!
2) Team members insulted upset fans who never even got a chance to buy the game
3) Lies ensued about the project
4) Corny reprint edition was released while some lies still ensued about the disc, and the reason for the crappy edition costing MORE than the cool one. 
5) Truth came out.  Way too late.  Should have happened after step 1 so that steps 2 thru 5 never occurred.

It's clear you just got your copy in the mail and stopped giving a fuck about what was going on with PS.   I don't operate like that, and nor do a lot of people who like to stay informed about the homebrew scene.

It's common sense that you should be extremely upfront with the people throwing money at you to buy your games you work on. 

If there's a problem, fix it ASAP. 
If you made a mistake, admit it.  Don't make shit up and just roll with it until shit hits the fan. 
Above all else, don't insult the fans.  Your ego isn't that important.


That's how I do it for the games *I* work on and sell to people.  Everyone who cares is always in the know about Aetherbyte. 

However, these simple common sense things have NOTHING to do with indie development specifically.

Also, indie development for dead consoles isn't about getting paid.  Anyone who does it specifically to make $$ can get bent.

So, it's cool that they're trying to go current since it was clear awhile ago that they're really into turning this into some obnoxious business adventure complete with investment by fans...

but, it isn't cool that they're STILL beating the Pier Solar horse dead. 

Done arguing - happy friday everyone.

You never really started, but I appreciate the effort.

Can't wait to hear your reply.

[Duo_R]

I looked at the versions available to purchase...then was like cool I will get the digital version for $15 for Xbox. Then I scrolled and saw more options and was like O_O  and now not really sure if I want to spend more money on this lol. I should really just beat the Genesis version first maybe? =)

[bartre]

I looked at the versions available to purchase...then was like cool I will get the digital version for $15 for Xbox. Then I scrolled and saw more options and was like O_O  and now not really sure if I want to spend more money on this lol. I should really just beat the Genesis version first maybe? =)

I would say yes, but for some reason they decided to raise the price on copies of the 3rd print.
imo, if you like DLC, just get the 360 version.

[CrackTiger]

I'd pay $15 for an unrestricted rom of the Genesis version.

[PikachuWarrior]

It's hard to find, but it is still available online (the romz)

[Duo_R]

Is there a restricted ROM on the Internet? Lol

[Arm]

Pier Solar HD will include the full original MD version as an unlockable.

[CrackTiger]

Pier Solar HD will include the full original MD version as an unlockable.

That is very cool.

Is there a restricted ROM on the Internet? Lol

It's designed so that emulators won't play it. Only one emulator variant is said to be able to. I've also heard that the authors of some emulators will not update their emulators to support Pier Solar as a favor to Watermelon.

[BlueBMW]

It's designed so that emulators won't play it. Only one emulator variant is said to be able to. I've also heard that the authors of some emulators will not update their emulators to support Pier Solar as a favor to Watermelon.

I suppose once watermelon proves to be more of a company and less of a group of homebrewers, emulator writers may reconsider and give them the same treatment they give normal game companies.  IE, write the emulators to run it.

[SuperDeadite]

The thing about this game that really gets under my skin is that they are clearly milking it for all it's worth, but still playing the "oh i'm just a poor indi dev" card.  Wa$er$elon no longer cares about pleasing anyone as long as he gets paid.  Stop pretending you are doing something for the community, when you clearly don't give a fuck.

[Arkhan Asylum]

The thing about this game that really gets under my skin is that they are clearly milking it for all it's worth, but still playing the "oh i'm just a poor indi dev" card.  Wa$er$elon no longer cares about pleasing anyone as long as he gets paid.  Stop pretending you are doing something for the community, when you clearly don't give a fuck.

[esteban]

I don't care about Pier Solar.

You guys are wasting your time on this.

Please focus your time and energy on something worthwhile...such as the fact that Timeball is one of the most unappreciated games for our beloved console.

That is all.

_{► /ICFTD/Sea_of_Love_Full_Version_TurboGrafx_CD.mp3}

[Joe Redifer]

CD+G?