Dreamcast Propeller Arena Revisited [Archive]

dsullo

05-27-2003, 11:25 AM

In the past two months I have seen 2 different sources that have a copy of Propeller Arena for the DC. Below is a link (to an excellent Dreamcast Page) where former owner of VGD (Tom Keller) acquired to GD Rom for Propeller Arena.

http://www.dreamcasthistory.com/index1.html

There was also an ebay seller that had the game for sale as well. I do not believe it sold.

For those who don't remember Propeller Arena was canned at the last minute (after the Sept 11th Terrorist Attacks), Sega felt that being able to control a plane , flying in NY was not apropriate subject matter.

Personally, I am dying to get my hands on this game. Any word on copies leaking out to the public, like Half Life?

Dustin

buttasuperb

05-27-2003, 11:30 AM

I haven't heard anything, but I sure as hell hope we get to play it.

IntvGene

05-27-2003, 12:22 PM

This is the last DC game that I really want. I know why Sega didn't release it, but they had to know that it would come out sometime, and it sounds like the game was pretty much complete when they canned it.

I know that there some great people working on DC stuff, and they know how much this game is in demand. I think it is only a matter of time before we can play it.

Anyway, here is a link to a 23 meg promotional video of the game. You get to see a lot of the game:
http://217.153.29.18/%7Emichal/pliki/DCProArena.mpg

dsullo

05-27-2003, 12:46 PM

Cool thanks I will download that video and check it out. I guess we will keep on waiting....

Captain Wrong

05-27-2003, 03:02 PM

Rumour I heard, and it's been a long time so I can't remember the source, was that the game had some serious problems and 9/11 was used as an easy out to can it. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

kainemaxwell

05-28-2003, 05:01 PM

Dustin, what'd you think of the promo video (if you downloaded it yet)?

digitalpress

05-28-2003, 09:03 PM

Rumour I heard, and it's been a long time so I can't remember the source, was that the game had some serious problems and 9/11 was used as an easy out to can it. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

That may very well be true, but you have to admit that screen shots like this are a little creepy to look at, even today.

http://sega.gamerweb.com/media/proparena/propnew_04.jpg

Six Switch

05-28-2003, 09:25 PM

Yea I can see why it was canned.I think I heard it wasto have online support too,that could be fun.I hope I get to play it one day... x_x

Charlie

05-28-2003, 09:51 PM

I have two unreleased Sierra prototypes: Sierra Game Room and Half-Life. I know lots of people that have Half-Life protos though. Rumor has it the programmers who made it made serveral (IE, over 100) copies of it.

I don't know how either game handles though... they won't boot up for some goddamn reason.

dsullo

05-28-2003, 10:23 PM

Hey Kaine23

I dowenloaded the video and watched it twice. It looks awesome. I wish I could play it.
thanks

briskbc

05-28-2003, 11:49 PM

There was an eBay auction for both Half Life and Propeller Arena GD Roms that ended recently for about $1100. They (Porpeller Arena) must be out there in some form or another. It may only be a matter of time before you can download a copy.

Charlie

05-29-2003, 12:25 AM

I'm shopping around for someone to dump my protos with... Adam convinced me it was a good idea. To be honest though, I want to be compensated for it.

kainemaxwell

05-29-2003, 07:30 AM

This looks like a game I will definitly want to play if/when the game's dumped.

I watched the video and I gotta say it was pretty damn cool. The graphics and sounds looks great and the online capabilities would have propelled this game to new heights. With the photo-realistic graphics now, I can see how people would be worried after 9/11 like with some the bombing missions shown in the promo video and all...

digitalpress

05-29-2003, 07:44 AM

I watched that video too. Looks good, but no better than Air Force Delta or Iron Aces. The online play is a great idea but I guess you wouldn't be able to use that anymore anyway right?

Haohmaru

05-29-2003, 07:59 AM

For reference:

You need a DC System disc to play GD-R burns on your DC system. A mod chip won't do it.

Regarding Propeller Arena - it might be too recent, but I'm considering either releasing it commercially for a nominal fee (like $5-10), but I think it'll get dumped immediately which is both a blessing and a curse. Anyone what has any prototypes knows that as soon as they're dumped they're worth less than half what you paid for them.

If dreamcasthistory.com would either recieve enough through donations or through game sales (regular DC games), I'd also consider releasing it. As it is now, however, I'm out $1100.00 for the pleasure of having Prop. Arena. =)

digitalpress

05-29-2003, 08:23 AM

If dreamcasthistory.com would either recieve enough through donations or through game sales (regular DC games), I'd also consider releasing it. As it is now, however, I'm out $1100.00 for the pleasure of having Prop. Arena. =)

Ah, one of the owners!

How about giving us a game review? I'd really like to hear how the game plays, particularly when compared to the other flight/combat games on the Dreamcast. If you can... thanks!

Cafeman

05-29-2003, 09:55 AM

me too -- give us a review!

asharru

05-29-2003, 11:20 AM

I know lots of people that have Half-Life protos though. Rumor has it the programmers who made it made serveral (IE, over 100) copies of it.

It's dump is everywhere on the net. Shit, I made two physical copies of it. Wasn't Radeon hosting it on his FTP for a while? I wish prop arena would be released as easily. How bout you be a cool guy and release sierra game room to the public? Compensated? LOL Not like you wrote it now did you? If I had an chance to pick up any dreamcast proto, the first thing I would do is make it available to the public. But I guess you're not one to share. x_x

Captain Wrong

05-29-2003, 12:00 PM

NoahsMyBro

05-29-2003, 12:29 PM

I wish prop arena would be released as easily. How bout you be a cool guy and release sierra game room to the public? Compensated? LOL Not like you wrote it now did you? If I had an chance to pick up any dreamcast proto, the first thing I would do is make it available to the public. But I guess you're not one to share. x_x

I'm not about to reread this thread right now, but I believe the guy that said he owns the prototype and wanted to be compensated ALSO SAID HE PAID $1100 for the privilege.

Now, I'd love to have a copy of Propellor Arena. Just the other night I printed up color labels for my burned Half-Life. But I didn't have the funds/balls/whatever to go buy the game for over a grand, and if he feels like holding on to it, I don't see that you or anybody else has any grounds to complain.

It's not like he was the only person on the planet that had the means to acquire a cure to cancer or worldwide stupidity, and refused to release it for the common good. It's a game.

digitalpress

05-29-2003, 12:51 PM

kainemaxwell

05-29-2003, 01:00 PM

I still gotta get my Half-Life copy once I get some extra funds. Give us a PA review please!

asharru

05-29-2003, 01:07 PM

I'm not about to reread this thread right now, but I believe the guy that said he owns the prototype and wanted to be compensated ALSO SAID HE PAID $1100 for the privilege.

Uh... Steve?

You might just want to re-read the thread after all. You've got your people and quotes mixed up.

Indeed. But if I did aquire a copy of prop arena for a thousand bucks (which wouldn't happen since I have $5.73 in my savings account) I would release that to the public as well. I'm a strong believer in the freedom of data, but that's just me. :)

NoahsMyBro

05-29-2003, 01:41 PM

Well, shoot, that's what I get for doing the forum half-assed while at work!

OK, from looking at this more carefully while I eat my 4-point grilled chicken over mixed vegetables concoction (saving up the calorie-consumtpion for those Domino's Pizzas at Joe's every so often!), it appears to me that Charlie has some proto(s), maybe Prop. Arena, that he expects compensation for before he releases it/them. Haohmaru appears to have a copy of Prop. Arena, for which he paid $1100.

Is that correct?

IF so (& at this point I'm so confused I doubt this is right), than that suggests there is at least 2 copies out there, right?

Nevertheless, my original point was that if somebody goes to great lengths to procure something for themselves that nobody else has, I don't think they have a moral obligation to release it to the rest of us, however much I would like it or appreciate the gesture.

-- Steve

dsullo

05-29-2003, 08:44 PM

Haohmaru paid a hefty fee for the game and should be compensated. I am willing to pay for the game, make a donation or both..whatever it takes.

Maybe he should do preorders or prebuying and once he receives enough preorder dollars to cover costs and how much he originally paid then do a mass release to those folks. May not be the best idea , but I would go for it.

Dustin

zot wildstarr

05-30-2003, 12:21 AM

I would also be willing to donate to the cause.

Oobgarm

05-30-2003, 07:19 AM

Donations? I'm there. Hopefully everyone can agree on terms.

kainemaxwell

09-26-2003, 06:27 PM

Anyone hear any updates on this?

TheRedEye

09-26-2003, 06:44 PM

Did no one go to the Lost Levels booth at CGE? I had Propellar Arena on display!

kainemaxwell

09-26-2003, 07:00 PM

Did no one go to the Lost Levels booth at CGE? I had Propellar Arena on display!
Got any pics?

Querjek

09-26-2003, 07:15 PM

Did no one go to the Lost Levels booth at CGE? I had Propellar Arena on display!
I did, but I never got a chance to play it-there was always somone else playing it. I got in some quality watching, though.

Raccoon Lad

09-26-2003, 07:20 PM

I played it!

It wasn't THAT great of a game anyway. It was fun, but nothing revolutionary in terms of gameplay. Fly, shoot, blow up aircraft, get blown up, repeat.

A small step below 18 wheel pro trucker in terms of enjoyability.... same arcade-ish style gameplay though.

TheRedEye

09-26-2003, 11:46 PM

The game was kinda fun, I suppose, but I think the real draw would have been in the online capability. I mean, not only are you dogfighting against a bunch of other real people, you're also talking to each other via the microphone!

So yeah. I don't think you're missing much by not having a copy of the existing prototype(s), but I think we're all missing out on not having the online play.

kainemaxwell

02-08-2004, 11:18 AM

Any updates on this?

Flack

05-10-2004, 01:43 PM

Propeller Arena was posted to alt.binaries.cd.image.dreamcast this morning.

kainemaxwell

05-10-2004, 03:00 PM

Ack, and I can't get newsgroups to work! :( It'll be on Suprnova soon I'm sure...

AB Positive

05-10-2004, 03:12 PM

I wonder, if the online client is mature enough in the proto image, couldn't someone make a pirate server along the lines of the PSO v.2 server for propeller arena?

-AG

kainemaxwell

05-10-2004, 03:48 PM

It's on suprnova.org now.

ManekiNeko

05-10-2004, 05:52 PM

And guess who's downloading it?

It'll be interesting to see how this turned out. Actually, I'm more interested in playing all the Saturn games available on BitTorrent, but as long as it's there, I might as well try Propeller Arena as well.

JR

kainemaxwell

05-10-2004, 06:30 PM

I'll be starting dling it shortly, and finding the cd covers too.

allsport11

05-11-2004, 07:47 AM

Grabbing it myself now. Won't be able to try it till I get home though. Will give my impressions of it later. ;)

Jive3D

05-11-2004, 10:44 AM

This is great news! I can't wait to check this game out.
Long Live the DC.

kainemaxwell

05-11-2004, 11:50 AM

Anyone download this yet and willing to host for those of us struggling to dl it?

Push Upstairs

05-11-2004, 01:56 PM

Sounds like a game worth trying...

:bawling: And me with lowly 56k

Vroomfunkel

05-11-2004, 03:53 PM

Don't worry ... I predict a flood of copies will appear on ebay within days, if not hours. If not already ...

Within a couple of weeks you should be able to buy one for less than $5, no problem :D

Vroomfunkel

NoahsMyBro

05-11-2004, 06:08 PM

I downloaded it today. Tonight I'll get it burned and see what it's like.

I don't suppose anybody knows where I could find a torrent of PBA Bowling, if any are still even up?

-- Steve

buttasuperb

05-11-2004, 06:30 PM

How do I burn this?

I use disc juggler, and it won't work.

I don't need to waste too many more cdrs.

:(

Goblin

05-11-2004, 07:12 PM

How do I burn this?

I use disc juggler, and it won't work.

I don't need to waste too many more cdrs.

:(

I can tell you it doesn't work with nero either. I used the cdi to nrg program that I've used for all the other leaked games, and it doesn't work. After wasting 2 cdrs I'm not interested in trying it again until someone else confirms success.

kainemaxwell

05-11-2004, 08:09 PM

Anyone using Alcohol 120% for burning and can confirm success?

kainemaxwell

05-11-2004, 08:10 PM

Anyone try it with Alcohol 120% yet?

Ze_ro

05-11-2004, 10:06 PM

I burned it with Alcohol 120% with absolutely no problem, and it works perfectly.

DiscJuggler is a crappy program. Don't use it.

--Zero

kainemaxwell

05-11-2004, 10:47 PM

DiscJuggler was the firs tprogram I tried with no success, Nero didn't work either till I found Alcohol 120%.

Atarian75

05-11-2004, 10:53 PM

Man, everyone really seems to hate Disc Juggler. I have never had a problem with it. Nero on the other hand I can never get to work. Oh well.

kainemaxwell

05-11-2004, 10:58 PM

I have no issues with Nero burning regular cds, just DC titles. But back on subject, for those who finally managed to get PA, how's it?

Flack

05-11-2004, 11:20 PM

I burned it with Disc Juggler 4.10, no problems. I grabbed the image from the newsgroups, not that BT site.

Whoever released it modified the bootup screen. Where it's normally gray with Sega in light blue, it now also says Megaplex or Metaplex in rainbow colors on the right hand side.

The game looks really, really good. I'd say the graphics are on par with the PS2. In the quick battle mode, you just pick a plane, pick a city, and then fly around shooting planes. Yeah, you can crash into buildings and blow up but you don't take the building down. I can't for the life of me understand why this was pulled. Of course the places you fly have nicknames and one is "Tower City" but that could have easily been changed.

For what it's worth, the P38 handles like ass. Fun game though, I would have paid money for it.

EDIT: A couple of other notes.

The game self-boots. No boot disc needed.

The game has a complete audio soundtrack.

Although I played it just a little, I saw no signs of the game being "unfinished" in any way. Maybe those signs will come later.

Ze_ro

05-11-2004, 11:22 PM

It's a fun game. It has a "deathmatch" type feel to it, so if you can imagine playing Quake 3 Arena or Unreal Tournament while flying a plane, then you've probably got a good idea of what the game is like.

This game isn't a very serious flight game or anything like that. There's none of that "formation flying" nonsense here... in fact, there are power-ups and special moves you can do. For example, if you do down, down-right, right + X, your plane will do a very quick 90 degree right turn... down, up + X will do a loop and so on.

Also, the game is fairly faithful to the "Propellor" part of the name. All the planes are World War 2 style planes. So keep in mind that you're flying a Sopwith, not an F-16. Your engine can (and will) stall if you're not careful.

The game is definitely an AM2 creation... it has that AM2 style that many of you Dreamcast fanatics will probably recognize almost instantly. The game is very bright, happy, and carefree, and features some rather poor translations and speech. The music is sort of a pop-punk soundtrack. Not what I would have expected, but I think it works well.

This game could have been pretty successful if it had been released. It certainly wouldn't have "saved" the Dreamcast, but I would have bought it.

--Zero

Ze_ro

05-11-2004, 11:26 PM

Yeah, you can crash into buildings and blow up but you don't take the building down. I can't for the life of me understand why this was pulled.

I may be wrong, but I thought I remember hearing that there was a very powerful nuke weapon, and the cover art featured some planes using the nuke around some rather tall buildings... could have ruffled a few feathers given the timing.

But you're right... change the cover art, try to alter any possible 9/11 similarities, and release it anyways. It's too bad that this game was sidelined by something like this. At least we can finally enjoy it.

--Zero

kainemaxwell

05-12-2004, 07:25 AM

Anyone else having problems dling it via BT with bad tracker or error datas and dls not starting?

esquire

05-12-2004, 09:15 AM

Anyone else having problems dling it via BT with bad tracker or error datas and dls not starting?

Use Azureus. No problems here.

http://azureus.sourceforge.net/

kainemaxwell

05-12-2004, 10:36 AM

Never mind.

Push Upstairs

05-12-2004, 01:24 PM

those link don't work

kainemaxwell

05-12-2004, 09:11 PM

Anyone else having problems dling it via BT with bad tracker or error datas and dls not starting?

Use Azureus. No problems here.

http://azureus.sourceforge.net/

Download not working.

GaijinPunch

05-13-2004, 01:37 AM

Kinda sucks there are torrents of this thing all over the place. Someone paid $1500, and was going to make copies to people for a small amount, to cover the cost, but had problems ripping it.

As far as I know, that source still hasn't gotten the game succesfully ripped, so he's holding a $1500 GD-ROM. :(

anagrama

05-13-2004, 06:04 AM

Flack

05-13-2004, 08:25 AM

anagrama

05-13-2004, 08:58 AM

Maybe he PAID $1500, but I doubt what he's holding is worth $1500 after this week.

Maybe not, but I think around half the cost was recouped through contributions, and it will still hold some value, since it's one of a handful of official copies.
I'd bet that an original Half-Life GDr would still net around $500-$1000 now, despite that fact that copies have been around for ages.

Jive3D

05-13-2004, 09:52 AM

I burned it last night with the newest version of DiscJuggler, no problems at all.This game is great! The levels are a lot of fun and the music is good.

A Few Questions for other people playing the game...

First - one thing that I noticed about the sound is thet most of the music comes from the left channel and most of the dialogue comes from the right. The mix is WAY off and I dont think that it's my stereo config. Anyone else notice this?

Second - how do I become a contributer to get a REAL GD-rom copy of the game from 'that guy holding the $1500 GD-rom?'

Third - I'm jonsin' to set up some online play - has anyone successfully done this?

Fourth - I'd love to get online with this sucker. One question though - I don't have a phone line, so if I got lucky enough to aquire the BB Adaptor (since I have cable modem), would I be able to connect to whatever the server is with my DC, will I need a different version of the browser software in order to use the BBA? And what are my chances of even finding one?

NoahsMyBro

05-13-2004, 11:51 AM

I burned it last night with the newest version of DiscJuggler, no problems at all.This game is great! The levels are a lot of fun and the music is good.

I also burned it and tried it out (briefly) last night. I second everything you said. It was a neat game, and I definitely would have bought it given the opportunity.

As for how I got & burned it, that was as much challenge as playing through a large game! First I downloaded a torrent of a .rar file. After finding and installing a utility that worked with .rars, I extracted the .cdi, along with a .nfo file. I still don't know what the .nfo file is. I then looked for cdi2nrg. Never found it, but did find cdi2nero, which I downloaded and installed. I then tried to convert the cdi file, at which point I ran out of disk space! @_@ So I made room on my drive. Reconverted the file. Burned the .nrg to a CD-R, as Nero isn't on my laptop. Took the CD-R to the desktop PC, launched Nero, and burned the image. Loaded the game up into the DC hooked up next to the PC, and started it up. Finally I got to try out the game I'd longed for since hearing about it years ago. AND YES, it was very, very cool.

A Few Questions for other people playing the game...

First - one thing that I noticed about the sound is thet most of the music comes from the left channel and most of the dialogue comes from the right. The mix is WAY off and I dont think that it's my stereo config. Anyone else notice this?

I'm not sure about this. I was playing through a VGA adaptor, and it sounded to me like the sound was almost exclusively coming through the right speaker. However, my PC speakers have a short in the wires, and if the wires aren't laying just right I'll lose sound on the left, so my problem may have been that.

Also, the Options were extensive, and did allow you to adjust the sound, including I think the balance.

Second - how do I become a contributer to get a REAL GD-rom copy of the game from 'that guy holding the $1500 GD-rom?'

I didn't know this was a possibility, but if anybody knows, I'm interested too.

kainemaxwell

05-13-2004, 12:02 PM

You dled PA from suprnova, didn't you?

Jive3D

05-13-2004, 12:05 PM

I'm really interested in getting info on playing this sucker online - there must be some interest with you folks - let's get a server going if it's possible. I'll buy the friggin BBA if other people are out there and wanna play it.

anagrama

05-13-2004, 12:29 PM

Second - how do I become a contributer to get a REAL GD-rom copy of the game from 'that guy holding the $1500 GD-rom?'

I didn't know this was a possibility, but if anybody knows, I'm interested too.

Check DreamcastHistory.com - the guy who bought the original GDr posts on their forums. There's a huge thread about it (unsurprisingly ;) )

Flack

05-13-2004, 01:37 PM

Second - how do I become a contributer to get a REAL GD-rom copy of the game from 'that guy holding the $1500 GD-rom?'

If I understand right, you won't get a GD-Rom copy, you'll get a copy just like the one you have. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the project. Honestly, I don't feel too bad about this. If those guys who paid $1500 really wanted to split the cost and distribute the game amonst people, they should have done it a year ago.

I still don't know what the .nfo file is.

An NFO file (read: info file) is a file that is commonly distributed with pirated software. Open it with notepad or any other text editor of your choice. Most likely, the ASCII art will appear distorted. If you want to see the graphics in the NFO file, download an NFO file viewer like DAMN NFO Viewer (http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/4/1/4-1-35.shtml).

Does anyone have a list of controls used in the game? Like how to change your speed, weapons (?), and the special maneuvers?