Interest Check: SegaXtreme Collaborative Project

[nando]

Mario64 would be awesome, but something like that would probably get shut down in a hot minute - unless worked in secret then released all at once when finished, like the PC port.

I like the idea of Diablo 1 - I think you'd probably have to support the RAM cart, but that's probably not a huge deal now like it was when the games were new (I wish I hadn't sold mine!).

 

[slinga]

I propose a puzzle game/escape room/impossible quiz where the challenges are Sega Saturn themed. Each level is an individual puzzle (single room) where the player needs to open/walk out of the exit door. Some or all of the puzzles will require out-of-the-box thinking. With multiple contributors we can think of some really great puzzles.

Example levels and their solutions:

1) Bridge to exit door is broken. A NPC tells the main character "The bridge has been broken for x years, y days, and z seconds." Solution: Player must exit the game and set Saturn's clock back to that date. When the game starts again the bridge is back.
2) Exit door is blocked by a palette swap of the main character. When the player walks near, the NPC says "I'm not moving. You don't control me." Solution: Player must plug in a controller into the second controller port and that moves the character.
3) Exit door is blocked by 6 palette swaps of the main character. Solution: Player must plug in a multitap 🙂 into the second controller port and that moves the characters.
4) Exit door is blocked by a bouncer who says "Let me check my list to see if you are banned. You aren't allowed in." Solution: Exit the game, delete the "BANNED.LIST" save game file. When the game restarts the bouncer can't find his list and lets you in.
5) Exit door is blocked by a bouncer who says "Let me check my list to see if you are allowed. You aren't allowed in." Solution: Exit the game, copy the "ALLOWED.LIST" save game file, edit it to allow yourself in, copy it back to the Saturn. When the game restarts the bouncer finds you on the list and lets you in.
6) Exit door is blocked by a giant cat. Solution: Plug in the Saturn mouse and move it near the cat getting the cat to move.
7) Exit door is blocked by a flock of birds. Solution: Plug in the light gun and fire a shot to scare them off.
8) Exit door is blocked by a NPC listening on a walkman and refuses to move until his song is over. Solution: Player must hit the "Y" or "Z" button (which have the stop and play\pause logos above them) to stop the NPCs music. Maybe have the three logos as a hint in the stage.
9) Exit door is blocked by a NPC who says they are waiting for a very important phone call. The phone is seen on the screen. Solution: Have someone call your Netlink causing the phone in the game to ring.

Obviously this requires having a lot of Saturn peripherals. Maybe we have a disclaimer saying we recommend this on an emulator except for the most die hard of Saturn fans?

 

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I would support with tests a Diablo port, since i doesn't versed with coding. But something is buggling me about this port. The port version needs more RAM than what the base console can give. But splitscreen multiplayer would be good too

The PS1 was capable of running it. We could probably see what cuts they made for it and see what could be done.

 

[EmeraldNova]

I propose a puzzle game/escape room/impossible quiz where the challenges are Sega Saturn themed. Each level is an individual puzzle (single room) where the player needs to open/walk out of the exit door. Some or all of the puzzles will require out-of-the-box thinking. With multiple contributors we can think of some really great puzzles.

Example levels and their solutions:

1) Bridge to exit door is broken. A NPC tells the main character "The bridge has been broken for x years, y days, and z seconds." Solution: Player must exit the game and set Saturn's clock back to that date. When the game starts again the bridge is back.
2) Exit door is blocked by a palette swap of the main character. When the player walks near, the NPC says "I'm not moving. You don't control me." Solution: Player must plug in a controller into the second controller port and that moves the character.
3) Exit door is blocked by 6 palette swaps of the main character. Solution: Player must plug in a multitap 🙂 into the second controller port and that moves the characters.
4) Exit door is blocked by a bouncer who says "Let me check my list to see if you are banned. You aren't allowed in." Solution: Exit the game, delete the "BANNED.LIST" save game file. When the game restarts the bouncer can't find his list and lets you in.
5) Exit door is blocked by a bouncer who says "Let me check my list to see if you are allowed. You aren't allowed in." Solution: Exit the game, copy the "ALLOWED.LIST" save game file, edit it to allow yourself in, copy it back to the Saturn. When the game restarts the bouncer finds you on the list and lets you in.
6) Exit door is blocked by a giant cat. Solution: Plug in the Saturn mouse and move it near the cat getting the cat to move.
7) Exit door is blocked by a flock of birds. Solution: Plug in the light gun and fire a shot to scare them off.
8) Exit door is blocked by a NPC listening on a walkman and refuses to move until his song is over. Solution: Player must hit the "Y" or "Z" button (which have the stop and play\pause logos above them) to stop the NPCs music. Maybe have the three logos as a hint in the stage.
9) Exit door is blocked by a NPC who says they are waiting for a very important phone call. The phone is seen on the screen. Solution: Have someone call your Netlink causing the phone in the game to ring.

Obviously this requires having a lot of Saturn peripherals. Maybe we have a disclaimer saying we recommend this on an emulator except for the most die hard of Saturn fans?

Right now I'd be more concerned with finding people willing to work on a project, not pitching a whole design. Also, part of the point is to spread the word on the Saturn Homebrew Scene, so the game needs to be available to as wide an audience as possible. Intentionally narrowing your audience with required peripherals would be counterproductive to that goal. Our best bet is to pick an already popular title with readily available source code so that we can create an executable that will convert the files from the official release into a bin/cue.

 

[slinga]

I think Ponut's point is that depending on what the project is, people may or may not volunteer.

 

[Ardiloso]

Hey, what about a Sonic kart racer (like Mario Kart 64) using XL2's engine? Maybe using some tracks from Sonic R and Sonic & Sega ASR with original ones.
Saturn lacks this genre and I think people would be interested.

 

[kronikoverkill]

Lot of good ideas on here. First time poster, long time lurker, but I echo the thoughts on here that porting DOOM correctly optimized for the Saturn hardware would right a wrong in its history and vindicate the original team who were led astray on the development from John Carmack. Plus, since the game is open sourced, assets can be easily retrieved.

I think a pipe dream would be a port of the Metal Gear Solid demo. I'd love to see how this engine could be optimized for the Sega Saturn hardware and the demo is short enough to not make it a massive project (potentially). This would require some significant reverse engineering but would be amazing.

 

[EmeraldNova]

I see lots of ideas being proposed, which is good. But we still need people if we are going to do anything. It would be helpful if people would also post their willingness to work on said project.

 

[Ponut]

Well, there's little willingness to work on it that can stand against actually working and researching it.
I took at look at DOOM's '97 source code and it appears that the column display code would work if we pointed it to the correct addresses
to an RBG0 bitmap, rotated 90 degrees. Might require some patching of the address space to set a new address every column, not sure.

 

[kronikoverkill]

I see lots of ideas being proposed, which is good. But we still need people if we are going to do anything. It would be helpful if people would also post their willingness to work on said project.

Solid point. A movement needs a leader for sure. If there were somebody on here that could potentially post notional development roadmaps for the most feasible ideas maybe that would give the community a bit of understanding the level of difficulty and time to be involved. If a game doesn't require say any PSX reverse engineering, the assets and game code are already open sourced, then maybe a listing of potential development challenges would give us an idea and maybe structure who can volunteer doing what.

 

[EmeraldNova]

Let's try something like this: If anyone that wants to contribute tries to detail what they want to contribute and what they're interested in, it'll help narrow down a project best suited to the community to get more hands on the project.

Projects of Interest: RPG, FPS, Platformer (I will, however, contribute work on any project with a large showing from the community.)

Experience: Documentation, Project Management, Utilizing SGL/Jo-Engine for 2D games, Scientific Computing

Weaknesses: VDP1/VDP2/SCSP/68k Utilization outside SGL, 3D Projection and Rendering

 

[slinga]

Projects of Interest: Cloning classic simple games and adding a multitap twist.

Experience: C, basic Jo Engine 2D

 

[OriginalName]

I feel terrible jumping in here when so many users are already making so many different suggestions, but maybe Sonic CD would be a good choice for a port.

I know that Trekkies already has a bit of experience looking into the way that ROMs were implemented into Sonic Jam when looking into Phantasy Star Collection. Sonic Jam always felt incomplete to a lot of Sega fans because of the lack of Sonic CD... seems like it would be a really logical fit that fills a void for the system. With the advancements that have been made with implementing higher-quality FMV through the Lunar: SSS translation effort it could even improve upon the quality of the intro and outro videos in Sonic Jam.

On a practical level, I think that it would make sense for a SegaXtreme-"branded" release to appeal to a demographic that would be interested in joining the SegaXtreme community. While many Sega Saturn fans would appreciate ports of PC classics to the platform, I don't think that DOOM or Diablo fans (for instance) are likely to take an interest in SegaXtreme. Meanwhile, I think that something like Sonic CD on the Saturn could really attract some attention from the enormous Sonic fan community, many of which already have an interest in retro Sega hardware and would fit right in here. An influx of new members would really breathe life into this community, meaning that there would be more members to participate in the next group project.

 

[Ponut]

Well, I'm here again with my sorrow and dread, but the Sonic fanbase is awful. It's true that Sonic Z-treme by XL2 pulled in a lot of people and is the sole person in this sphere to be featured on really big channels and groups, like Digital Foundry. But the "sonic fans" complained about having no fish eye (vomit) or not being able to run the game properly because emulators.

DOOM is less about the game DOOM, and more about the engine for our uses. XL2 has already integrated his engine in Trenchbroom, which is an excellent tool for making maps. If we ported the DOOM engine in a well-working state and could lay it out such that it could read a modded .wad we fed it, that opens a big door for Saturn homebrew because there are so many tools built around DOOM engine. Sure, it won't be gzdoom or whatever, but the classic engine still has a lot of support.

But none of this is happening so, you do you.

 

[EmeraldNova]

I agree that the Sonic fan community is objectively terrible. I don't agree that this isn't happening. A WAD compatible, working DOOM engine seems like an achievable over time. As I said, I'm in if you guys are.

 

[black_kawa]

I too belive that the DOOM port would be a good thing to the community, since the ability to plays WADs would increase interest in the system, being that the main goal of the project.

 

[kronikoverkill]

I too belive that the DOOM port would be a good thing to the community, since the ability to plays WADs would increase interest in the system, being that the main goal of the project.

I'm trying to get spun up on C now as well as compiling for the SH2. I'd love to participate but at the moment until I'm more comfortable with the Saturn, its going to be a bit. I again agree DOOM is the best candidate for all the reasons mentioned, plus the history of righting a wrong in the Saturn's life cycle.

 

[rorirub]

A WAD compatible, working DOOM engine seems like an achievable over time.

Will it run nuts.wad, though?

 

[Ponut]

I agree that the Sonic fan community is objectively terrible. I don't agree that this isn't happening. A WAD compatible, working DOOM engine seems like an achievable over time. As I said, I'm in if you guys are.

If we made the absolute nuts decision to start trying to get DOOM compiling live on stream, you know I'd be there with you on that one 🙂

 

[TrekkiesUnite118]

If we made the absolute nuts decision to start trying to get DOOM compiling live on stream, you know I'd be there with you on that one 🙂

Why don't we just agree on that then and start seeing what we can do with Doom? My skills are the following:

Programming:
Most comfortable in Java (Useless for Saturn code, but could be helpful for making cross-platform tools).
I can fumble my way through C/C++ enough to be dangerous. So I could probably do basic game logic kind of stuff.

Graphics/Assets:
Video Editing (I can do a pretty decent job at making Cinepak files, but that's probably not useful for Doom)
Graphics Editing with GIMP - I had to do most of this stuff for Grandia using GIMP/Crystal Tile so I could probably help convert Graphics data over or something.
Sound Editing with Audacity - Again I've had to do this for a few other hacks I've messed with over the years so I could probably help with converting audio data over. I also have a Roland SC-88 I could record Doom MIDIs off of if we wanted really good quality music or something. I also have tools for ADX encoding if we wanted to try using that.

I also could probably help us set stuff up like an Agile board or something to help keep things organized as a group project.