Interview: WaterMelon Games (Pier Solar)

[Melf]

With the release of Beggar Prince last year, the Genesis homebrew scene really began to gain some steam. Though not a homebrew in its own right, the game has since set off a chain of fan translations and projects that are slowly coming to the attention of gamers everywhere. But before Super Fighter Team's sleeper hit dropped into our anxious hands, another group of developers began working on a project that, if completed, will be the first original Genesis game created and sold in a decade. Sega-16 contributor extraordinaire Zebbe tracked down the bunch and made them give up their wonderful plans. Read the full interview (http://www.sega-16.com/2007/09/interview-watermelon-games-pier-solar/) and try not to get too excited!

[Joe Redifer]

Wow. Great interview! Almost exactly like a review for Pirates! Gold! or something.

[Genesis Knight]

Zebbe's a lucky Svede for getting this interview - great questions; great answers. It seems as if good times are truly here again for Genesis fans between this and Beggar Prince. I'll be seriously bummed if it's only on SegaCD, since I don't have the hardware and don't really have a desire to get into it.

Overall, though, I'm very pumped over both this TRPG project and the promise of future development. I can't wait to see what the future holds, and I'm 100% dedicated to supporting any dev teams like this with my own hard-earned cash. I'll pre-order whatever you guys (SuperFighter, Eidolon, whatever) make. Thanks for giving us so much of your time and energy.

[Joe Redifer]

LOL, Genesis Knight did you even read the initial post in this thread or click on the link? There's no interview anywhere, just a review for Pirates Gold.

[Genesis Knight]

Worked for me.

http://www.sega-16.com/Interview-%20Tavern%20RPG%20Team.php

[Melf]

LOL, Genesis Knight did you even read the initial post in this thread or click on the link? There's no interview anywhere, just a review for Pirates Gold.

LIES! The initial post is perfect!


*turns and runs away*

[Joe Redifer]

Great article. I'm really looking forward to the game. Even though I have a Genesis + Sega CD + 32X, I find myself hoping for a cartridge for some reason. Most likely because it'd be easier to produce a box and instructions for a cart game like Beggar Prince did vs the giant Sega CD box and instructions to fit. Plus, I always welcome a game with tons of MEGA POWER!

I can draw and animate monsters in the available space, no problem. However I do not know what the exact palette the Genesis needs is, so I'd end up using the wrong colors. I'd probably also end up using too many colors.

[AD2101]

Wow that got me really amped. I hope this game gets finished because I would buy this in whatever format it came in. A Sega CD release would be awesome to better accomodate the impressive tracks Ive heard, and hold nothing back graphically. I really don't care about the size of the case just as long as I can hold this game in my hands one day would be good enough.

[108 Stars]

Please ask any questions you have in this thread:

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?p=52256#post52256

[Mr Smith]

What I read it was awesome, however, my concentration lapsed about halfway through and I couldn't be bothered to finish it... maybe later.

[megabomberman]

Give that man his status as the kaiser! Finally a team of developers are going to make an Rpg for the megadrive that isn't just bog standard drivel... Not the same, Monsters are coming - you be a warrior - kill monsters for good of world, lameass storyline, proper characters and the screen shots look amazing, I will be on the pre order list the second you give me that chance!

Special mention goes to zebbe.. The only man for the job!

[Genesis Knight]

Give that man his status as the kaiser! Finally a team of developers are going to make an Rpg for the megadrive that isn't just bog standard drivel... Not the same, Monsters are coming - you be a warrior - kill monsters for good of world, lameass storyline, proper characters and the screen shots look amazing, I will be on the pre order list the second you give me that chance!

Props to TavernRPG and all that, but SuperFighter is and always will be the first team to do this. And if you're calling what they did 'bog standard drivel' then that's just not fair.

[megabomberman]

I must come on to defend myself straight away! I have not played beggar prince yet, but I will be the first man to purchase it it as soon as this 3rd run begins, it also looks amazing and from what I've heard it is! When i refer to bog standard drivel, I mean my collection of Rpgs, I am currently playing Sorcerer's Kingdom.....

A prime example

The other rpgs I have are sword or vermillion and Crusader of Centy (which while nice has a worthless storyline) now thats what I mean...

Kudos to Superfighter team, they have lead the way but I am praising Tavern here by their own right I'm not comparing

Just said I'd clear that up

[Genesis Knight]

Sorry, then. I just bristled a little at the implication. :D

[Vehemont]

That was a great article Zebbe!

[Zebbe]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone! I wish I could do more to this project, and I will, but most likely not any practical contributions.

Joe Redifer: Contact the team. They will give you tools to work with, their 64 colour palette of the 512 available for example.

[0x15e]

People with a Mega CD aren't many these days, and those who also own a 32X are on the IUCN Red List. Wouldn't a 16-bit cartridge be the best solution if you seek any form of profit in this game?I may have just missed it, but where is the implication that this game will use / require a 32X? As one of the four people that have the whole Genesis+CD+32X combo, I'd be really excited to see a 32X CD game that wasn't all FMV.

Regardless, I'm preordering this as soon as it's possible.

[Zebbe]

There is no implication of that, but I just said that to make sure the team didn't get any ideas ;).

[108 Stars]

Props to TavernRPG and all that, but SuperFighter is and always will be the first team to do this. And if you're calling what they did 'bog standard drivel' then that's just not fair.

I love Beggar Prince and SFT has really shown us that it is possible to release a MD-game in this day and age.

But they were not quite "the first team to do this"; there were several original Mega CD releases, Fonzie himself programmed Mighty Mighty Missile. And while SFT was mainly bugfixing and translating an already existing game, this here is the first really all-new game for the MD afaik; no translation or port of some kind.

And no, there won´t be a 32X-version.

[Genesis Knight]

Of course there's always been SegaCD stuff. Beggar Prince was the first large-scale *cartridge* release of its kind for Genesis, no question.

[Joe Redifer]

Joe Redifer: Contact the team. They will give you tools to work with, their 64 colour palette of the 512 available for example.
I work on a Mac when I do creative stuff. Most internet peeps use Windows for whatever reason. That means their tools wouldn't be compatible with my awesomely creative workspace.

[108 Stars]

I work on a Mac when I do creative stuff. Most internet peeps use Windows for whatever reason. That means their tools wouldn't be compatible with my awesomely creative workspace.

you do not neccessarily need our tools.

The character animator for example is only meant to see how the average bitmaps you pixeled look in motion. Nice to have, but not a must.

The process of drawing it does not require special tools. Characters have a fixed palette, and you can only choose from these 15 colours for example. You can do it with whatever program yoou want, just leave the file as bmp.

For everything else we can either send you a sheet with 430 of the MDßs 512 colours so you can just copy the colours from there, or you let Fonzie convert your work to MD-compatible colours.

All you have to do is not exceed the maximum colour count. 30 colours for backgrounds, 15 (?) for monsters, and the pre-defined 15 for characters. The tool would still convert it if you use more, but some shading would be lost.

If you wanna try, PM me.

[Zebbe]

Some of the "tools" are just images with "models" to work with. I think you would do fine with it.

[TulioAdriano]

I work on a Mac when I do creative stuff. Most internet peeps use Windows for whatever reason. That means their tools wouldn't be compatible with my awesomely creative workspace.

Hi Joe. I am TRPG tools programmer. As the other people said, the tools doesn't do much more than animate the Static Formated BMP Sheet that the game process and then write a file to the game database. Anyone that can create a regular 256 Color BMP file can interact with your team perfectly. :D



Of course there's always been SegaCD stuff. Beggar Prince was the first large-scale *cartridge* release of its kind for Genesis, no question.

You are right as far as I know, but still GoodDeal Games was the first to release anything 16 bit some years ago. I don't know when SFT started BP development. TRPG was started in 2004. The difference is that the team was mostly Fonzie and me for quite some time. Today we have 5 active members and some other members not so active.

It doesn't matter anyway, as long as the Sega 16 bit community is able to get more nice games, everything is allright. It is all about having a good time with good old Genny. :cool:

Seeya!;)

[ary incorparated]

sick respect,man im really looking forward to this,the things people hear had in mind,thinking if they should have done more rotations more sprite scaling back in the days more colours more semi translucency etc you guys trying to reach that and pushing it as hard that it will look like snes standart while not cool.i want to do the guitar parts with pleasure,but i have to buy something to record first(lol).

[Jules Walter]

Sorcerer's Kingdom=surprisingly good
It's never been all about the story. Keep in mind you're playing a game, not reading a novel... Hell, novels aren't all about the story either, the writing itself tends to be just as important.

Back on topic though, I hope we get to see a finished product. Complete homebrew RPGs outside pretty much never happen outside of RPGMaker. Beggar Prince is different, since it's a localisation. Speaking of which, can't wait to see what superfighterteam's got coming next, either.


And no, there won´t be a 32X-version.
WILL WE NEVER SEE A RPG ON THE 32X?
Oh, wait, no one actually cares about the 32X.

[Genesis Knight]

I know I'd like to see some 32X homebrew games. Heck, I'd buy a 32X again if the game was good enough.

[Melf]

WILL WE NEVER SEE A RPG ON THE 32X?
Oh, wait, no one actually cares about the 32X.













... I care...

[108 Stars]

Back on topic though, I hope we get to see a finished product. Complete homebrew RPGs outside pretty much never happen outside of RPGMaker. Beggar Prince is different, since it's a localisation. Speaking of which, can't wait to see what superfighterteam's got coming next, either.

Believe me. You WILL see the finished product. Developement has begun in 2004, and this project has come too far to end unfinished.



WILL WE NEVER SEE A RPG ON THE 32X?
Oh, wait, no one actually cares about the 32X.

This is exactly the reason why there won´t be a 32X-version.:)

[segagamer]

Looking forward to the release of this game in 2008...