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Pier Solar OT – the BEST 16-bit RPG you've never played

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E

Eric C

Member
djtiesto said:
Keep us updated when more become available in the States. Really interested in a copy of this (and StarOdyssey!).
Click to expand...

I Just checked! And it looks like the re-print is now available for order! I thought they said early January...

The packaging looks like it has a totally new design compared to the pre-order versions.

It looks like they went oldschool with the B&W grid design.
LG4DW.jpg

bZpts.jpg


http://www.piersolar.com

I'll have to update the OP with this info.


EDITED TO ADD

The reprint looks like it'll be shipped in February, though.

It looks like this is the official announcement. They used to put these sort of updates on the official website. Maybe they'll get to it later.

http://tavernrpg.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-run.html

Also of note it looks like the CD is now going to be downloadable. Oddly enough, some people have been reporting better compatibility with a CD-R copy instead of the official disc.

And you'll be getting a PLASTIC case now instead of a cardboard one. One of the reasons they said they went with cardboard was because a CD wouldn't fit securely into the standard plastic cases.

You'll still get the stickers so you can enter into the contest for the WHITE SEGA NOMAD I posted about on page 1.



Now my pre-order better show up in the mail today!
 
S

Slermy

Member
I just tried to order this and my order is showing up at $45,00 USD. That comma concerns me. Nevermind, it shows up properly further in.
 
S

Starwolf_UK

Member
Slermy said:
I just tried to order this and my order is showing up at $45,00 USD. That comma concerns me. Nevermind, it shows up properly further in.
Click to expand...
I believe this is due to some countries (France? I think it was a French lesson I heard about it) using the , as the decimal point.
 
E

evilernLeGG

Member
Just ordered my copy.

I'm a little bummed about the change in packaging though...

On one hand, I LOVE the hard case Genesis/MD boxes... but the artwork in the cardboard + the CD with the awesome art is what I would rather have...

Oh well.
 
M

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
Trying to order it, but the reprint edition doesn't mention the enhanced soundtrack CD...
Edit - Yeah, doesn't come with one. Oh well, no sale.
 
C

charlequin

Banned
BGBW said:
Shame I don't have a Mega Drive (was a SNES kid) as this looks pretty cool.
Click to expand...

Pretty much my feeling. Glad these guys are finding success on this. If they ever feel like they've pretty much saturated the physical-cart market and do a DD release, I'll definitely partake.

I hope someone in this thread who ordered it will post some shots of the packaging, cart, and the game. :D
 
E

Eric C

Member
Mejilan said:
Trying to order it, but the reprint edition doesn't mention the enhanced soundtrack CD...
Edit - Yeah, doesn't come with one. Oh well, no sale.
Click to expand...

I found that surprising too.

I guess one could think of the included CD as a pre-order bonus. :D

It will still play CD music though, you'll just have to burn a CD-R yourself. But, That is kind of lame IMO.




But if you read on the official forums some people are reporting issues with the included disc though. But many are saying they can get a CD-R copy of the disc to work.

The Development Team claim it's an issue with a decaying laser on the Sega CD itself. Those lasers are almost 20 years old after all. And not everyone has that problem only some

When I get my copy I'll try it on both my CDX and my Model 2 and see how it plays.

charlequin said:
I hope someone in this thread who ordered it will post some shots of the packaging, cart, and the game. :D
Click to expand...

My package hasn't shown up yet :( I wanted it before the weekend.
 
E

Emitan

Member
Don't own a Genesis. If it came with a ROM, I'd buy it. I don't want to buy a new gaming system just for this.
 
C

charlequin

Banned
gregor7777 said:
Is there any legal way for them to DD the game running on a Genesis emu?
Click to expand...

Uh, sure: license a Genesis emu or package it with an open-source Genesis emulator with a compatible license. (I think Genesis Plus, which is licensed under GPL2, would work since the ROM is a separate piece of content and not a linked binary, but don't quote me on that.)

The reason they're not doing a DD release is that it'll pretty much scupper their ability to sell actual carts and leave them sitting on a big capital investment. (Which is why I'd love to see them open up a DD release only after they've stopped printing and selling new carts.)
 
E

Eric C

Member
So the REPRINT was announced yesterday.

Since I made the OP a few days before the REPRINT was announced, all my info I had up was based on the PRE-ORDER version. I tweaked everything in the OP to more accurately reflect the REPRINT version.

I'm still not 100% sure how EXACTLY they're going to handle the download of the CD. When I asked, I got 2 somewhat conflicting responses from different members of the development team. But I'm sure that will all be sorted out soon. But I am confident you'll be able to download the CD and it will work with the cartridge, so no worries.

I also added some samples of the SEGA CD music to the OP I'll also post them below.

SO WHAT DOES THE MUSIC SOUND LIKE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dudBuSkj_QY
Here is a small comparison of the title screen. First Cartridge Music, next what it sounds like with the CD

Below are just a few of the over 50 tracks in the game. That's what it should sound like if you use the optional CD.

Alina's Theme - Pier Solar Sega CD PCM Sound Track
The Flowing Waters - Pier Solar Sega CD PCM Sound Track
Boss Remix - Pier Solar Sega CD PCM Sound Track
Forest Theme - Pier Solar Sega CD PCM Sound Track
Sea Of Tears - Pier Solar Sega CD PCM Sound Track
Kruller Town - Pier Solar Sega CD PCM Sound Track
 
F

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Starwolf_UK said:
I believe this is due to some countries (France? I think it was a French lesson I heard about it) using the , as the decimal point.
Click to expand...

Actually, this is the European standard notation. Yep, completely backwards.
€12,00=€12
€12.00=€1200
Though that's still inaccurate, since you only use it for the thousands: €1.000.000

GAF teaches GAF® :p
 
F

Freyjadour

Member
The color fading on the text looks absolutely awful.

A neat idea and certainly admirable, but first impressions scream Lunar clone. There's a price I'd pay for that sort of thing, and $45 isn't it.
 
G

gregor7777

Banned
charlequin said:
Uh, sure: license a Genesis emu or package it with an open-source Genesis emulator with a compatible license. (I think Genesis Plus, which is licensed under GPL2, would work since the ROM is a separate piece of content and not a linked binary, but don't quote me on that.)

The reason they're not doing a DD release is that it'll pretty much scupper their ability to sell actual carts and leave them sitting on a big capital investment. (Which is why I'd love to see them open up a DD release only after they've stopped printing and selling new carts.)
Click to expand...

Gotcha, yeah, I just wasn't sure if anyone besides Sega was able to package a Genesis emu but I suppose that's been done a bunch of times already.
 
E

Eric C

Member
d+pad said:
So, how long is this game supposed to be/last ... on average?
Click to expand...

I'd compare it to about the length of the original Lunar. I'd say 25-30 hours would be a fair estimate for most.

I think my personal time was around 25 hours, and I didn't try to rush or take my time.

When my copy comes in the mail I'll give some more detailed impressions of the game, I want to be sure my impressions are valid for the final build of the game. But there's not a lot of level grinding in this game at all IMO. I spent almost no time level grinding. If level grinding is your thing you can still do that if you want.

EDITED TO ADD
Maybe I'm just REALLY fast with RPGs. Someone else is reporting they've been playing well over 40 hours and not anywhere near finished with the game yet.
 
E

Eric C

Member
Well they posted a download link for the CD on the official website, so I added that to the OP.

I'm still waiting for my copy to show up.
Shipping from China + Christmas Season + East Coast Blizzed
means I'm waiting a REALLY long time for it to show up.

Still the only review is that Spanish one, and he was a beta tester *i think*. They said they are just starting to send out review copies to websites. I actually expected more reviews much sooner.

Since it looks like only the people that finished the entire game are the developers themselves and the people that beta/bug tested it like me. I decided to post a review of the game on post # 2 of this thread. I wasn't initially planning on reviewing the game myself.

Since the REPRINT is for sale now I think it's only fair that people have some idea what the game is like. I talked with people that have the final version and I'm confident all my impressions are valid for the final build of the game.
 
V

Vito

Banned
I think I'm going to order this but the fact they're not including the CD is pissing off my OCD self. Do you think they might change their mind?
 
D

Diablohead

Member
Vito said:
I think I'm going to order this but the fact they're not including the CD is pissing off my OCD self. Do you think they might change their mind?
Click to expand...
It's a shame that they can't charge £5 more for a cd to be included, maybe the music playing problem from their burned batch is worse then we know.

Once my pay get's in I want to grab a copy of this still, the plastic box seems to be clear, am I right? in that case I would use an old game case I have laying around or buy one from ebay and have an authentic black pal box including shelf hanging tab :D
 
D

d+pad

Member
I ordered this last week despite the fact that I no longer own a Genesis/Mega Drive. Guess I'll have to buy one soon :D
 
E

Eric C

Member
Vito said:
I think I'm going to order this but the fact they're not including the CD is pissing off my OCD self. Do you think they might change their mind?
Click to expand...

The official pressed CDs they included are receiving a lot of complaints on the official forums. The number 1 fix is to make a CD-R copy of it. And that CD-R copy seems to be working best for most people that were having problems.

So yeah, I think the included CD is probably gone for good.

They claim GoodDealGames had a similar issue with pressed CDs with the Sega CD and switched to CD-Rs for it's new games. I've never dealt with GoodDealGames so I have no idea about that.
 
R

realraptor

Member
Would love to see some more games via 16 bit style. It would be really interesting if this were released for the SNES (minus the CD).
 
E

Emitan

Member
d+pad said:
I ordered this last week despite the fact that I no longer own a Genesis/Mega Drive. Guess I'll have to buy one soon :D
Click to expand...
I did the same. You're not the guy who keeps outbidding me on Ebay are you?
 
D

d+pad

Member
Billychu said:
I did the same. You're not the guy who keeps outbidding me on Ebay are you?
Click to expand...

Ha! No, definitely not. I ordered it though the official site. I'm guessing you bought one of the first-run copies?
 
E

Eric C

Member
Finally got my copy in the mail today! Took just a little less than almost 1 full month to get it in the mail from China.

I didn't take any pics because it's the JPN version, and so far the JPN version has been the most photographed. But if people want a photo of something specific I'll try and take one. Maybe I'll take a photo of the poster later.

Even the plastic blister pack the game comes packaged in is nice. It has the WM WaterMelon logo embossed on it.

The game's cardboard case is a nice thick cardboard. It's not that thin flimsy cardboard that Sega started using. But the reprints are getting a plastic case... I'm probably just going to get some cheap sports game and use the plastic case from that to store my cartridge long term.

The manual... They GLUED the manual to the cardboard case! So it's like part of the case. I wasn't really aware they were going to do that... Honestly I would have preferred a separate manual.

The cartridge, it feels like a real cartridge. They got the plastic the right texture and thickness and everything. Instead of the SEGA logo on the back it has the WM WaterMelon logo on the back. It even has the official style security screws on the back, no philips heads on this cartridge! Were SEGA Genesis cartridges ever made in China? I wonder if they managed to use an official factory for this.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Hrmm... This looks cool, but there's no way in hell I am paying $45 + shipping and finding a Megadrive / Genesis to play this.

What was their reason for choosing to develop a game on the Megadrive / Genesis? I would have jumped on this if it was available for download on the PC.
 
E

Eric C

Member
Zefah said:
Hrmm... This looks cool, but there's no way in hell I am paying $45 + shipping and finding a Megadrive / Genesis to play this.

What was their reason for choosing to develop a game on the Megadrive / Genesis? I would have jumped on this if it was available for download on the PC.
Click to expand...

It's $45 and free world wide shipping BTW. That's still cheaper than the previous 2 Genesis cartridges made by a competing company "Beggar Prince" (2006) "Legend of Wukong" (2008). And personally I'd say "Pier Solar" is better than both of those games. But yes $45 for a Genesis game isn't cheap. But making cartridges in such small production runs isn't cheap either.

They were all fans of the Genesis, they all met on a retro Sega message board. They wanted to make a game for the Genesis. So they made one. People do that kind of thing with Atari game cartridges all the time nowdays, even some NES cartridges are starting to get made, like Battle Kid. Dreamcast CDs too.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Ericsc said:
It's $45 and free world wide shipping BTW. That's still cheaper than the previous 2 Genesis cartridges made by a competing company "Beggar Prince" (2006) "Legend of Wukong" (2008). And personally I'd say "Pier Solar" is better than both of those games. But yes $45 for a Genesis game isn't cheap. But making cartridges in such small production runs isn't cheap either.

They were all fans of the Genesis, they all met on a retro Sega message board. They wanted to make a game for the Genesis. So they made one. People do that kind of thing with Atari game cartridges all the time nowdays, even some NES cartridges are starting to get made, like Battle Kid. Dreamcast CDs too.
Click to expand...

Ah, okay. So it's pretty much targeted at their own small community. As long as they are having fun, I guess. Maybe someday they'll put up the ROM and sell it on their website or something. I'd be happy playing this on an emulator, but I'm not about to steal from these guys.
 
S

Starwolf_UK

Member
Ericsc said:
If anyone is interested. Someone made a live-stream

http://www.livestream.com/spekkio

^Thats the cart music not the CD music
Click to expand...
This is still going if anyone is interested. At the time of this post its at least 15 hours in (at least they player thinks they've played for as long) and seems to some of minigame bit going on, not been paying too much attnetion. (where I think they are)
The magic school exam. Seems to have taken the form of Bomberman and its been going for about 10 minutes or so...
Edit: they're past that. We might be back to an RPG yet.
 
M

M3d10n

Member
Ericsc said:
It's the only Genesis game to make use of an enhanced audio CD. If you don't have a Sega CD fine, the cartridge will play just fine with regular music like any normal cartridge. If you do have a Sega CD the cartridge can access the CD and stream some of the highest quality(at least in bit rate) PCM music ever heard on the Sega CD.

This is a feature that has never been done before on any game, not even by SEGA themselves.
Click to expand...
No.
003-32x5kt.jpg
 
E

Eric C

Member
Starwolf_UK said:
The magic school exam. Seems to have taken the form of Bomberman and its been going for about 10 minutes or so...
Edit: they're past that. We might be back to an RPG yet.
Click to expand...


After you unlock it. You can also go back and play that as a multiplayer mini game. I LOVE Bomberman so that was one of the best minigames ever IMO


M3d10n said:
No.
003-32x5kt.jpg
Click to expand...

??
What is that?

Does it have a CD too?
 
B

British Monsoon

Member
Flux is an audio-visualiser screensaver thing - you put a music CD in the Mega CD and the cartridge plays a bunch of patterns that are affected by the music. It's not a game in any way, and isn't using a optional disc to enhance the cartridge's sound, so it doesn't really count ;)

In other news, I'm still patiently waiting for my copy :(
 
E

Eric C

Member
Bootaaay said:
In other news, I'm still patiently waiting for my copy :(
Click to expand...

Are you in the US? a lot of people(like me) in the US reported getting it Friday and Saturday .

Hopefully you'll get it Monday. Then I won't be the only one on neogaf talking about it.
 
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