Pier Solar, the new Genesis RPG can now be pre-ordered! [Archive] - Page 4

108Stars

11-13-2008, 04:46 PM

You really got no e-mail? Please check your spam-folder; it is true that the game has been delayed. :(
We are very sorry, but it can�t be helped. We have our coder and Creative Director have even given up on a paid job in order to spend the time on the game, and we are under enormous pressure; up to a point where we can do no more.

We don�t want to release a flawed game because of the rush, and that would be the result of the December release; so we must ask our customers to have a little more patience with us. We deeply aplogize, we just want to deliver the best we can.

I want to quote Shigeru Miyamoto here: ""A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever"

We still plan to keep you informed on our progress, but we do have one request:

A lot of time goes to waste with our browsing forums and answering specific questions everywhere; we have to reduce that as it is really time-consuming.

So we encourage everyone to register on our own board http://www.piersolar.com/board/index.php; it is free of charge of course. This is where we want to concentrate our communication now, so that instead of having to answer the same question a few dozen times on different boards we have the answers in one place.

Thanks for your understanding.

megasdkirby

11-13-2008, 05:15 PM

You really got no e-mail? Please check your spam-folder; it is true that the game has been delayed. :(

Unfortunately, this does not surprise me, as I was awaiting this.

I hope everything turns out ok though.

otaku

11-13-2008, 08:56 PM

Bummer :( I hate delays but if its to make the game a quality one then it is worth it

Wraith Storm

11-14-2008, 12:56 AM

You really got no e-mail? Please check your spam-folder.

Nope. I checked both my E-mail accounts, spam folders, and trash cans and I still have nothing relating to Pier Solar!

I hope my order wasn't lost!!! @_@
Who should I contact about this?

Regardless, It's sad to hear about the delay but in the end it'll be worth it!

Xander

11-14-2008, 08:53 AM

I did not receive an e-mail either. It worries me.

tkusina

11-14-2008, 01:13 PM

No email here either.

108Stars

11-14-2008, 02:08 PM

Sorry, my mistake;
I have checked back with our admin and it appears he only sent the mass-e-mail to the people redistered in our forum yet, the buyers will probably get it tonight.

Sorry for that confusion, I don�t even know why it was not sent to everyone at once :rolleyes:

No need to worry though, non of your orders is lost.

And, like I said in my last post, please ask your questions on the PS board rather than here in the future; otherwise I can�t guarantee a quick reply.

If you have already ordered and questions about that, please do not pm me either: write a quick e-mail to sales@piersolar.com

Hwj_Chim

11-14-2008, 10:45 PM

Sorry about that I could not find an email on your web page.I can't wait for this game. Keep up the good work you guys.

Iron Draggon

11-17-2008, 07:24 PM

I got the email on November 15th, and this was my reply:

I am so sad to hear this... not for myself, but for everyone involved... best of luck with it... I'll glady wait as long as it takes... no hurry at all... I've got plenty of time to wait for it... and I'll be happy to upgrade my preorder to a posterity pack now... I trust you'll resume preorders for those... in fact, if you'll do that, I'll just buy one and let my classic pack preorder stand...

neotokeo2001

11-19-2008, 06:10 PM

kainemaxwell

11-19-2008, 07:26 PM

For example:

eBay - Game protecting cases - SNES size (http://cgi.ebay.com/SNES-N64-plastic-box-protectors-10-nintendo_W0QQitemZ330273636522QQcmdZViewItem?_trks id=p3286.m20.l1116)
Are those kinds of cases easy to open and reopen?

megasdkirby

11-19-2008, 07:29 PM

Are those kinds of cases easy to open and reopen?

Those are the same ones my local video store used to have to protect the games.

It's nice, but it will yellow over time. Also, if you keep opening and closing the flap, it will come off.

I rather use poly/cello bags, as they are cheap and easily replaceable.

kainemaxwell

11-19-2008, 07:38 PM

Will this cart work on a Sega CDX?

Zebbe

11-20-2008, 04:11 AM

Yes :).

Wolfrider

11-26-2008, 03:31 PM

Website redesign everyone!

The version is considerably less.... flashy. (Oh-ho, see what I did there?) Drop us a line and let us know what you think.

And in development news - things are going quite smoothly since announcing the delay. We've seen some new stuff on the graphics front which I think will be to everyone's liking. We're also in the process of hammering out a better system for updating - so expect more (and more frequent) news soon.

Cheers

www.piersolar.com

Wolfrider

12-09-2008, 04:52 PM

A new update on how the game is progressing is available to read at our website. Enjoy.

www.piersolar.com

Gemini-Phoenix

12-12-2008, 12:04 AM

Website redesign everyone!

The version is considerably less.... flashy. (Oh-ho, see what I did there?) Drop us a line and let us know what you think.

I noticed this, and at first I thought I had the wrong site, as it is quite easy to accidently access the .co.uk site. I was quite disappointed that the cool flash site had gone, as it really did reflect the quality of the hard work being put into the game, and was easially one of the most impressive sites I have seen.

Xander

12-12-2008, 08:33 AM

it really did reflect the quality of the hard work being put into the game

QFT. But according to your blog post Wolf, I guess you had people complaining that the website was too slow for their modem 56k.

Daria

12-12-2008, 09:45 AM

I thought the flash site was annoying myself. It looks nice now, although somehow it looks like you all work at Working Designs.

Gameguy

12-12-2008, 03:40 PM

QFT. But according to your blog post Wolf, I guess you had people complaining that the website was too slow for their modem 56k.
I liked the look of the old website, but it was very slow on my PC. I actually have high-speed internet, not dial-up. I like the look of the new website too, and it loads much better.

I'm very impressed by the look of this game, and I liked playing the demo. Prior to playing it I couldn't stand RPGs, now I'm going to try them out again. For a game to turn me onto another genre that I previously didn't like it has to be exceptional. Excellent work.

Sosage

12-15-2008, 02:35 AM

Cool. Ordered my copy. Free bump hoping other people who haven't seen this take notice.

Coldguy

12-15-2008, 12:48 PM

Anyone know the ETA of when this is coming out, last time it was Christmas, now it is May of 09?

megasdkirby

12-15-2008, 12:54 PM

Good question, and not to be a pessimist, but I fear that it will be postponed again come May '09.

Just a feeling...that is why it is best to think of it as "When it's released, it's released".

Wolfrider

12-15-2008, 04:06 PM

Good question, and not to be a pessimist, but I fear that it will be postponed again come May '09.

Just a feeling...that is why it is best to think of it as "When it's released, it's released".

We haven't announced an official date yet but we are planning for a Spring 09 release. We'll know a date for sure once we start moving further along but from what I've experienced lately Spring 09 is a pretty likely scenario.

(And yeah, we received a few complaints about the site and it's reliance on flash. It worked well for building initial hype but now we're focusing more on user friendliness.) :)

Cheers

Cellplanman

12-16-2008, 01:14 AM

how can i get my hands on a copy?

Wolfrider

12-16-2008, 01:00 PM

how can i get my hands on a copy?

You can preorder (or donate!) at our website: www.piersolar.com

Price is $35 US and includes the following:

1 x 64MEG Pier Solar game cartridge.

1 x Audio/Data CD allowing enhanced HIFI soundtrack and sound effects, when used in conjunction with the Sega Mega CD / Sega CD add-on.

1 x 24 page glossy printed story book similar to those found with Japanese Sega Genesis Games.

1 x Uniquely styled gloss cardboard clamshell with incorporated storage for both the Audio/Data CD and booklet.

1 x Pier Solar Poster.

SegaAges

12-16-2008, 02:40 PM

Yeah, Me being a programmer, I can understand the delays. I am going to wait until closer to the release to get a copy.

Me personally, I am working on a project that has a release date of second half of 09, when the date was supposed to be march of this year.

I am assuming that the people doing this are not dedicated their entire day to nothing but ps.

that is a problem we have over here. every single person is getting pulled in multiple directions.

Like me, for example, I am working on helping convert all oracle tables and legacy vb code to sql tables with 3.5 framework.

I got pulled into helping with taking the entire way that you apply for a job here, and rewrite it. There is alot of crap there as well. Fully automated screening, questions, submittal, etc.

The work I do, the clients are actually internal for my company, but the ps guy's clients are us.

As long as you guys keep posting updates on your site, I say do what you have to do, once the updates stop, I might get worried, but me, personally, I just would rather wait until I know when these are starting to get shipped to get my copy.

Wolfrider

12-16-2008, 04:54 PM

Speaking of, a new update has emerged! Check it out at www.piersolar.com

Gemini-Phoenix

12-17-2008, 05:28 AM

Another concern of mine: How will the game be shipped?

I just recently bought something from Amazon which came in a fragile box and they shipped it in just a jiffy bag, offering no protection whatsoever to the item enclosed. As a result, it arrived squashed. I am somewhat worried that the same fate may happen in regards to my Pier Solar game, and it would be a shame for it to be shipped and damaged during transit...

Wolfrider31

12-23-2008, 09:16 PM

The shipping methods are still being finalized but he game will be well protected, and if anything happens during shipping you can be sure we'll take care of it.

On another note, Tuesday's update has arrived and with it a contest to win a free copy of the game!

www.piersolar.com

Wolfrider31

12-30-2008, 04:50 PM

This week's update has been posted. Check it out to see the finished packaging and a little update on what's been happening development wise.

Also our contest to win a free copy of the game is still open, check out the site for the details.

Cheers all! www.piersolar.com

Dark_Sol

12-30-2008, 05:13 PM

I really liked the cover art. It's very good.

Hwj_Chim

12-30-2008, 07:50 PM

that is really good packaging good job on that.

swlovinist

12-30-2008, 08:35 PM

That cover art looks AWSOME...I cant wait!

aboblyndsae

12-30-2008, 09:45 PM

In what form will you be selling Pier Solar once it's completed? I'm on the fence about preordering it, but it looks very promising, and I'd like to play it eventually.

kainemaxwell

12-30-2008, 09:58 PM

Sweet looking cover art!!

Gemini-Phoenix

12-31-2008, 11:14 AM

I know this may sound like a silly question, but had the ability to play a Mega Drive game with an enhanced Mega CD soundtrack CD ever been done before with any previously released game for the console?

Off the top of my head, I can't recall any Mega Drive carts ever coming with an enhanced CD Rom for the Mega CD which allowed for greater soundtrack during the game. It's always been one or the other (Eg, Puggsy, Eternal Champions, Earthworm Jim II etc) where you either have the game on cart or on CD, never one with the other.

I know there were Mega CD games which were enhanced by the pressence of the 32X unit, but can't think of any which used a cart for the game, and CD for the soundtrack

So in all essence, could this be considered ground-breaking technology for the systems, and a new possibilty beyond what was originally conceived was ever possible?

Also, what limitations are there in regards to the soundtrack minus the Mega CD? If the game is played as a cart-only (Which I imagine is how many people will no doubt be playing it, as I believe not many will have the benefit of having both the Mega Drive and Mega CD), how much does the in-game soundtrack suffer? Are the same tracks used, but less of them? Or are they 16bit-ized versions of the majestic orchestral tracks included on the CD?

fonzie

12-31-2008, 11:21 AM

Wolfrider31

01-06-2009, 04:52 PM

Weekly update completed and a few new shots are ready for your consumption. Huzzah!

www.piersolar.com

Iron Draggon

01-06-2009, 06:09 PM

Plop :) Thanks for the feedbacks regarding the boxes :D

There is no megadrive games that use enhanced soundtrack discs. Its really a new feature exclusively developed for Pier Solar ( we had to find a solution to please Megadrive & Megacd owners, please note that our game started as a megacd and not a cartridge one).

Yes, this can be seen as a "ground-breaking technology" because it really add something to the game... It is unknown why Sega never tried to do same previously...

I can't give more details about what it exactly does, that will be a surprise people will see when they receive their copies.

Both soundtracks (disc & cartridge) share the same compositions, and each is optimized regarding the limitations... Don't worry, the cartridge soundtrack is hi quality (we didn't do a disc because we weren't able to do something good with cartridge).

you know, it sure would've been nice if Sega had just done something like this, instead of making so many games for the Sega CD that were basically just the cart game with an enhanced CD soundtrack... it would've saved them and everyone who bought those games a ton of money... I wonder if they could've done something similar with some of their 32X games as well... again they did the same thing with those, they just released a bunch of games that had already been released on Genesis & Sega CD, with no major improvements... so why not just do something like this instead? perhaps if they had followed this route, they might have stayed viable alot longer

Gemini-Phoenix

01-07-2009, 10:00 AM

Bearing in mind it's been more than a decade and the people working on Pier Solar have had all that time to exploit every last little trick that the Mega Drive and Mega Cd has to offer. They also have over a decade of understanding of the hardware under their belt (I would imagine) plus the benefit of various techniques and research which would've previously been pioneered by large corporations and developers - In all essence, most of the hard work has already been done for them and the foundations have already been laid.

I am sure that there's many things that the original Xbox was capable of, but never had chance to explore due to Microsoft wanting to roll out the X360 early. All that potential gone to waste, and the same can be said for the Mega Drive / Mega Cd / 32X ~ I'm sure that if Sega wasn't faced with the impending PlayStation and Ultra 64 threat, they wouldn't have been forced to rush out the Saturn and would've put more time and effort in making the most out of the Mega Cd and 32X hardware

The Pier Solar team have a better understanding of the hardware than would've been available over a decade ago, and as a result they are trying to create what will no doubt be the most visually impressive game on the system to date. If you look at the difference between early titles (Such as OutRun or Hard Drivin') and the other end of the spectrum (Like Virtua Racing) there are obvious differences - Now imagine the same level of advancement between the last few games of the system and what Pier Solar is going to be...

fonzie

01-07-2009, 05:43 PM

Well, part of what you said is true, other part isn't so to me...

Mainly because PierSolar don't use any SDK/toolsuite/librairies... So it can't take advantages of previous programming knowledge seen in games released prior.
Why this? because of the fallowing points :

- Most games were coded in ASM, with their own optimized routines... And PierSolar is coded in C, with his own optimized routines as well :P
Please note that on a 8mhz cpu, there is no library possible, call a "printf" equivalent to display a score and you drop to 1fps.

- Most games used Sega (or other companies) tools & drivers to make maps / sound, and PierSolar uses custom tools & audio drivers.

- The pixel arts gurus are gone for years... Since we don't rip gfx and want to make an unique atmosphere, we try to make something that look good but it surely take ages compared to the 80-90's dudes could do with their pixel art tools and mad training...

- We don't (didn't) have access many documentation when it comes to complex parts like megacd, BUT, we have great debugging tools (and the hardware is quite simple as well).

...

While the difference between a early and a late ps2 game is obvious and easy to understand, because they used upgraded SDK's and libs...
I don't think the difference between an early and a late md game show great difference (apart from the sound, as the official sega drivers were improved)... its just a matter of MEG power and programmer motivation ^^.

Haha, sorry for this long answer :D H�h�! I just wanted to say our game isn't based on previous programming work / knowledge because of the reasons pointed out.

...
And for the next gen / xbox... Yeah :D Comes also in mind that there is a budget bottleneck... Just a bit hard to do a game that look like a movie for few millions of USD :D

Alric

01-07-2009, 06:38 PM

Easy, pre-order. Can't wait.

Wolfrider31

01-13-2009, 04:35 PM

Weekly update completed! Check it out at www.piersolar.com!

Wolfrider31

01-20-2009, 04:40 PM

Another one for the week of January 20th with a video preview of the game. By... well... not by us. But that just makes it cooler!

www.piersolar.com

jdawg131

01-22-2009, 08:29 PM

Just pre-ordered. I was very, very tempted to get the Japanese style packaging, but decided to go with USA version.

Cinder6

01-23-2009, 01:48 AM

Aargh. How long will the preorder bonus apply? (It might be mentioned earlier, but this thread is getting pretty big.) I'm assuming I'll be safe if I order January 31st...

Looking awesome, though. I'm really looking forward to it. When I first heard about it (when it was still called Tavern RPG), I was intrigued, but wasn't letting my hopes get up that it would actually see release.

AB Positive

01-23-2009, 09:58 AM

Wolfrider31

01-23-2009, 01:31 PM

Count me along those that were sort of watching development in a lurking sort of way. I see there's a playable demo and I must say I'm going to check it out tonight.

for $35 and a batshit insane amount of extras... plus needing more RPG goodness on my sega... I think I'll end up getting this :)

Haha, the demo is quite old. It'll give you a sense of how the game is going to play out (at least in the beginning) but the quality of the graphics, interface, writing, and well, everything has improved substantially.

Aargh. How long will the preorder bonus apply? (It might be mentioned earlier, but this thread is getting pretty big.) I'm assuming I'll be safe if I order January 31st...

Not sure what you mean by pre-order bonus. The posterity package was a preorder/donation deal where for a little extra money your name would be included in the manual and credits. That, unfortunately, is no longer available. You can still pre-order the game though, and all the extra goodies are included in the basic version as well. :)

Cinder6

01-23-2009, 02:09 PM

Not sure what you mean by pre-order bonus. The posterity package was a preorder/donation deal where for a little extra money your name would be included in the manual and credits. That, unfortunately, is no longer available. You can still pre-order the game though, and all the extra goodies are included in the basic version as well. :)

Ah, okay. When I first read the order page, I thought it was saying you only get that stuff if you preordered--such as the poster and book. Good to know.

Dark_Sol

01-25-2009, 03:34 PM

Not sure if answered already. How many copies would be produced?

Wolfrider31

01-27-2009, 09:45 PM

Not sure if answered already. How many copies would be produced?

We're currently re-evaluating the number of cartridges being produced. Initial demand was higher than we expected (which is awesome news). We'll get back to you when we have an official number.

Also, Tuesday's update is ... up.

www.piersolar.com

Nionel

01-28-2009, 12:30 AM

dao2

01-28-2009, 11:29 AM

finally got around to preordering, looking forward to it! ;p

Vlcice

01-28-2009, 11:34 AM

Wolfrider, I'm curious about the battle system. I recall seeing you or someone else mention that the demo is out of date, and that the battle system has been completely redesigned. How does it work now?

Wolfrider31

01-28-2009, 12:17 PM

Hey, I just played the demo for this a couple days ago and I loved it, great work guys, I'm really looking forward to the final product when it's released.

I would also like to mention, not to toot my own horn or anything, I wrote a preview article for the game based on the demo version that was released, it's on my gaming blog over at RF Generation and it was recently put on the front page of the site.

Hey, thanks for the support. :) It's really incredible how many people have taken it upon themselves to spread the word. We really appreciate it.

As for the battle system, the core mechanics of the system are still the same, but there are some aesthetic changes to make the battles more intuitive and cleaner looking. There's also been general tuning and refining to the core system so it should feel a bit different when you play the final product.

Wolfrider31

02-03-2009, 04:58 PM

Update! An the winner of our free copy of Pier Solar!

www.piersolar.com

Wolfrider31

02-11-2009, 09:02 PM

Whoops. Forgot to update the thread. Tuesday's update is... up... :)

www.piersolar.com

Wolfrider31

02-17-2009, 08:13 PM

Another update folks. And some new screenshots.

www.piersolar.com

Chaz From Phantasy Star 2

02-17-2009, 11:28 PM

This is such an incredible game....... move aside, Sonic and Phantasy Star IV...... a new king of Genesis videogames has hit the shelves, and it's not moving for nobody.....

Wolfrider31

02-18-2009, 12:16 PM

Thanks for the praise. :)

If anyone's wondering: We originally had other shots posted, but I didn't realize they were earlier than they should have been, and were not representative of the final product. We took them down. Sorry. :)

xDerekRx

02-19-2009, 04:32 PM

Hi I think its awesome what you are doing here. Releasing a game like this.

Any way you guys would convert this to Sega Saturn! Id pay 100 :)

That aside, is there any box/cart art pictures?

tofu

02-19-2009, 05:07 PM

Are you guys looking to turn a profit or just recoup product costs?

A new Genesis/Megadrive handheld is being released by my company and packaging a brand new 2009 game into it might be good for sales.

Wolfrider31

02-19-2009, 06:49 PM

Hi I think its awesome what you are doing here. Releasing a game like this.

Any way you guys would convert this to Sega Saturn! Id pay 100 :)

That aside, is there any box/cart art pictures?

There are box shots on the forums and are shown in the YouTube video on our news page (I think) Search around, they look pretty gorgeous.

Are you guys looking to turn a profit or just recoup product costs?

A new Genesis/Megadrive handheld is being released by my company and packaging a brand new 2009 game into it might be good for sales.

At the moment we're just looking to recoup production costs. As far as any partnership being formed you may contact us officially through our website - though I can't speak as to whether or not we're open to such partnerships. :)

Edit: Actually here's the box shot. They look even better in person.

Wolfrider31

02-24-2009, 08:16 PM

Tuesday's update is here!

www.piersolar.com

RASK1904

02-27-2009, 04:18 AM

Ordered and paid can't wait! Those boxes on the order page are tricky. Had to go to there web site and read the trouble shooting. Guess I didn't notice the BRIGHT RED BOXES RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FASE!!! Well now that thats over. Looks f'n awsome!

Wolfrider31

02-27-2009, 01:45 PM

That's great to hear! Thanks for your support!

Progress on the game has been considerable and we're excited to finally have people play. Just a little while to go!

Wolfrider31

03-03-2009, 04:43 PM

Update time!

www.piersolar.com

Wraith Storm

03-04-2009, 12:52 AM

I appreciate the updates. I look forward to them each week!

I gotta say, the game looks to be comming along nicely! Keep up the good work and I am patiently awaiting my copy..... well...... maybe not patiently..... I wanna play it NOW!!!!!:bawling:

realdeal

03-05-2009, 10:15 PM

wow awesome thread im interested seem like this would be awesome for people interested in rpg i got a chance to try it out and had a lot of fun

the only thing i want to say is it can be a bit addicting though i need to see what i can do man decisions decisions http://photosnag.com/img/3012/y09w0131xdtc/82(2).gif

Hwj_Chim

03-06-2009, 01:05 AM

This just keep looking better. I can't wait to get my copy

Wolfrider31

03-10-2009, 06:42 PM

Thanks for the praise guys. :)

This week's update has been posted. Check it out at www.piersolar.com

RASK1904

03-19-2009, 01:24 AM

Not to scare you, but in anticipation of your new game for the Genesis, Pier Solar, coming out. I went to your web site and it says you guys could ship as late as May 1st! That's only 43 days!!! I hope you guys are really close to done! I'd say it would be alright with me if you needed some more time but.... I can't wait! Hows it coming? Almost ready? How about an update this week. It's getting close! Oh yeah it looks really awesome. I was playing FF3 on Snes this week just to see what you guys are up against and damn that game is HOT!!! Good luck! We will see soon!

Gemini-Phoenix

03-20-2009, 11:16 AM

I would think that the goalposts have moved a little since that date was posted. If i'm not mistaken, that was back when the initial date of release was going to be December 24th 2008, but now things have changed (For the better), I think the game will possibly be delayed slightly longer...

Personally I don't care how long it takes, so long as it actually comes, and is amazing when it does, even if it's this Christmas, or even next! The longer we wait, the more polished the game is going to be, and not a rush job like some of the crap EA / THQ / Activision / Ubisoft are churning out these days just to meet a certain release date, when the game is blatently not finished, or has bugs (Lego Star Wars on DS for example...)

Don't rush the guys, there's absolutely no pressure at all. Most of the people supporting this project know that it's an achievement, and they're more than willing to wait as long as it takes. After all, what's the rush? It's not as if Mega Drive's aren't already obsolete! Lol. It's taken this long, i'm sure we can all be patient and wait a little longer...