Meteor Blaster DX Reprint

[jlued686]

Not sure how many of you on are on the Turbo List, but BT Garner just sent this out:

There were a fair number of you interested in the Meteor Blaster DX
Re-release, and I have decided to go ahead and do this.  In fact all the
digital assets were either uploaded or sent to the CD Replication house
today for the CD pressing. This is going to be a small run (300 units), and
there are a few differences between this and the original 2004 release.

2013 Updates:
  New "MindRec" opening logo when the CD starts
  Loop has been replaced with Loop v2 -- same frustrating as hell game, now
with powerups.
  Couple of bug fixes in Implode Caravan Edition
  Addition of a 5th ship to Meteor Blaster DX (seen in the Developers
Edition)
  Several new or changed hidden features
  Minor GFX enhancements in MB.

The CD packaging is also going to be different.  There will be an official
UPC code on the game, and the white tray will be replaced with a clear tray
(and the inner tray artwork is an advertisement for Xymati).  Including the
traditional white tray would have increased the cost of the project by
almost $200.

I am hoping to have the CDs in house around May 1.

Have not completely decided on pricing yet, leaning toward $15 for all Turbo
List members during the first month; $20 after that (and for non members).

I am not accepting pre-orders yet, I want to make sure that the CDs made do
actually work (I've been through this before).... but as always, let me know
if you have any questions.

-bt

What a great year for Turbo homebrew!

[Bernie]

How does one get on the turbo list?

[jlued686]

I signed up for it so long ago that I really don't remember. I think it was the mid-late 90s. But the email address is turbo-list@mindrec.com.

[Bernie]

Thanks!  I emailed and asked to be added.

[Mishran]

This http://turbo.mindrec.com/ is the site for subscribing, but I don't think the server is working properly because it sent me back a bunch of gibberish.

[Bernie]

Yeah, me too.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Woot! My Duo will be happy to finally have a nice pressed disc to play instead of those dang CDRs it hates so much.

[Bt Garner]

This http://turbo.mindrec.com/ is the site for subscribing, but I don't think the server is working properly because it sent me back a bunch of gibberish.

Use an email client that can send in plain text (the server is old and does nto know how to handle MIME encoded emails).

Send an email to turbo-list-request (at) mindrec.com
and place the word:

subscribe

in the subject line.

The server will send back an email with confirmation directions.  Send another email to that same email addy with the confirmation command (in the reply you got) and you'll be on the list.

[FiftyQuid]

Did you guys try BT Garner's email?

[EDIT] Thanks bt!

[Bt Garner]

Woot! My Duo will be happy to finally have a nice pressed disc to play instead of those dang CDRs it hates so much.

I am hoping this all works out so that I don't get any more reports of "Meteor Blaster ate my DUO!"

[Bt Garner]

Did you guys try BT Garner's email?  btgarner ( at) mindspring.com

[EDIT] Thanks bt!

that has not been a valid email for years (10+) -- I still own it, but I do not check it on anything resembling a regular basis, and honestly when I do, it's to simply mark every thing  as spam.  it is also not a good idea to post email addresses in forums like this as spammers use web crawlers to find addresses and use them for targets.  Replace "mindspring" with "mindrec" and you will have a more current address.  =)

[TheClash603]

That is awesome.  I only played the original once for about 5 Minutes and was horrified that my duo would break.

[Bardoly]

Woot! My Duo will be happy to finally have a nice pressed disc to play instead of those dang CDRs it hates so much.

I am hoping this all works out so that I don't get any more reports of "Meteor Blaster ate my DUO!"

I really hope so too.      My Duo will not play any CDRs, so I haven't been able to play my copy of Meteor Blaster DX yet. 

[FiftyQuid]

that has not been a valid email for years (10+) -- I still own it, but I do not check it on anything resembling a regular basis, and honestly when I do, it's to simply mark every thing  as spam.  it is also not a good idea to post email addresses in forums like this as spammers use web crawlers to find addresses and use them for targets.  Replace "mindspring" with "mindrec" and you will have a more current address.  =)

I removed the email address. 

[tggodfrey]

awesome

[esteban]

Damn, I don't even remember what my old email address(es) were when I was on the TurobList, but I'll definitely purchase the new pressing for $15.

[ElSeven]

holy shit, i didn't know the turbo list was still going!

[roflmao]

It's been fun to have some activity on the mailing list again.  Even though it often goes months without any activity, whenever a new email comes in it reminds me of when it was every bit as active as these forums.  I remember most of my email back then (mid-late 90s) was mailing list related.  

I plan on picking one up when it's released, bt!  Very exciting news!

[ParanoiaDragon]

Sweet, I was hoping the pressed version was going to happen!

[Arkhan Asylum]

lol "just sent this out"

I got that like 4 years ago.  (Not really, but a few weeks maybe)

lol

[roflmao]

lol "just sent this out"

I got that like 4 years ago.  (Not really, but a few weeks maybe)

lol

Really? 'cause the same email arrived in my inbox this morning. 

EDIT: Derp, it was yesterday.

[Arkhan Asylum]

There was one about the pressing awhile ago, I thought.

Maybe I am delusional, lol.

[roflmao]

There was one about the pressing awhile ago, I thought.

Maybe I am delusional, lol.

Well he did mention it a bit back, but since then me and a few others responded so he wrote the above response.

[hoobs88]

April Fool's joke?

[Bt Garner]

April Fool's joke?

The charge on my credit card bill would disagree with that.

[DragonmasterDan]

I'm definitely hyped about the repress, despite the fact that I own an original made on a CDR version.

[jlued686]

There was one about the pressing awhile ago, I thought.

Maybe I am delusional, lol.

Well he did mention it a bit back, but since then me and a few others responded so he wrote the above response.

Yeah Arkhan! Now back off or I will fucking cut you! Wanna start shit? Meet me in Fighting Street after school, asshole!!!








;)

[Arkhan Asylum]

There was one about the pressing awhile ago, I thought.

Maybe I am delusional, lol.

Well he did mention it a bit back, but since then me and a few others responded so he wrote the above response.

Yeah Arkhan! Now back off or I will fucking cut you! Wanna start shit? Meet me in Fighting Street after school, asshole!!!








;)

OMG BRING IT. 

[DragonmasterDan]

I keep trying to join the turbo list.
And keep getting back


We're sorry; your message to "turbo-digest-request@mindrec.com" has failed. The recipient's mail server responded with: "Diagnostic-code 550 - (5.7.1

[Bt Garner]

I keep trying to join the turbo list.
And keep getting back


We're sorry; your message to "turbo-digest-request@mindrec.com" has failed. The recipient's mail server responded with: "Diagnostic-code 550 - (5.7.1

PM me the emall address you are trying to subscribe from, and if known the IP address of it.

[DragonmasterDan]

PM me the emall address you are trying to subscribe from, and if known the IP address of it.

Pm'ed

[Bardoly]

@bt

In the thread, it mentions that you were only planning to press 300 copies.  Let me encourage you to press 500 instead, if the number is not already locked in, so that the need for pressed CDs can be filled.  If financing is an issue, then perhaps people would be interested in purchasing 2 copies for $25-35?  I know that I would.  If you were to promote that sales of Meteor Blaster DX would be helping Xymati to be developed for TurboGrafx/PC Engine, then I'm sure that a lot more interest would be drummed up.  I would love to see Xymati finished up for the PC Engine!

[PunkCryborg]

just joined the turbo list

[Bt Garner]

@bt

In the thread, it mentions that you were only planning to press 300 copies.  Let me encourage you to press 500 instead, if the number is not already locked in, so that the need for pressed CDs can be filled.  If financing is an issue, then perhaps people would be interested in purchasing 2 copies for $25-35?  I know that I would.  If you were to promote that sales of Meteor Blaster DX would be helping Xymati to be developed for TurboGrafx/PC Engine, then I'm sure that a lot more interest would be drummed up.  I would love to see Xymati finished up for the PC Engine!

I chose the 300 number based on the amount of interest that I have received over the past few months.  It is somewhat of a gamble, the money I spent on the CDs could have gone for the (required) business expenses that will arise with Xymati.  True, I could have gone for the 500 quantity for another $100 or so, but it took the better part of 8 years to sell off the first 500.  I just don't have the storage space for a couple hundred extra CDs to be sitting around for that long. 

Think of it this way, with supply and demand, you get your copy now, it will be worth a whole lot more in 4 years than had I gone for 500, and still had some available.

For a PCE version of Xymati to happen, a lot of things would need to happen, not only in the game code, but also in the community.  The reason I chose to go with the PC market was for 2 main reasons.  1) Number of PCs that could run the game (compare this with the number of PCEs out there); 2) the things I wanted to do in Xy were over burdening the poor Duo's CPU and memory, and this was with only a limited amount of in game stuff there (no weapons yet).

I am not saying it cannot happen, but a game this size takes a lot of time, and the PCE development takes 2-3 times as long as PC development, I am lucky if I get 2 hours a day of non stop "extra curricular" coding time.

In addition to the PC audience, very little effort is needed to move a XNA based PC game to the Xbox; further, all I would need to do is port the dX code to OpenGL and I could have a version that runs on the PS3 and Vita too.  That is a tremendous audience for less effort that a scratch made PCE version; and version that will not be able to have all the features I have in the current PC version.

Please keep in mind that everything beyond this line is speculative:

If the MB re-print shows that there is interest in the PCE scene still, then there is a game or two sitting on the back burner ready to come out (well, it's not ready, but ready to begin development on), and depending on how that does, that would certainly have some bearing on the PCE version of Xymati.

Now, ideally, I can take the game engine that the PC version of Xymati uses (MSL4) to quickly create other games (just need the digital assets and virtually any sort of 2D game can be made very easily), so if Xymati is successful, or I can get someone to license MSL4, then that would allow me to focus more time on the game making which would give more time for PCE ports, rather than releasing sadistic games like Loop v2.

[Arkhan Asylum]

awwww yeah.


Make moar turbobs.


BT: Are you going with Nationwide Disc as well?   

[Bt Garner]

awwww yeah.
BT: Are you going with Nationwide Disc as well? 

Yup.  Just got the artwork back for review (have not had a chance to look at it yet).

[Arkhan Asylum]

Cool cool.

They're pretty fast/friendly/reliable, based off Aetherbyte's experience with them.

I wonder if they're wondering "whats with all these pc engine game thingies" yet.

[ParanoiaDragon]

We had our gripes with Nationwide(them sending us an Insanity test disc comes to mind), but it all eventually worked out thankfully!

BT, as for other PCE projects that could be doable....anything any of us know about, or you talking about secret stuff(I can't recall if I know anything that general public is not supposed to know, so I don't want to spill any beans).

[Bernie]

Man, I hope this thing sells out quickly.  I would love to see more HomeBrew come out way.  I plan to buy two copies to do my part.  Shouldn't be hard to sell 300 if others do that, or online stores such as Good Deal Games buy a big quantity. 

On another note, I am not having much luck with the Turbo List.  I was able to join, but every command I try I just get an error in return.  Guess I gotta keep my eye out here. 

[Bt Garner]

On another note, I am not having much luck with the Turbo List.  I was able to join, but every command I try I just get an error in return.  Guess I gotta keep my eye out here. 

Make sure your commands are in the Subject line, and in plain text only (no colored or fancy fonts).  As I said earlier, the server is old and does not handle *any* MIME encoding.

[Bt Garner]

BT, as for other PCE projects that could be doable....anything any of us know about, or you talking about secret stuff(I can't recall if I know anything that general public is not supposed to know, so I don't want to spill any beans).

I was thinking if maybe we PCE Devs should put our heads together and see what we could come up with.  If nothing else, maybe put out a CD that has a game from each of us on it.

[Bardoly]

@bt

In the thread, it mentions that you were only planning to press 300 copies.  Let me encourage you to press 500 instead, if the number is not already locked in, so that the need for pressed CDs can be filled.  If financing is an issue, then perhaps people would be interested in purchasing 2 copies for $25-35?  I know that I would.  If you were to promote that sales of Meteor Blaster DX would be helping Xymati to be developed for TurboGrafx/PC Engine, then I'm sure that a lot more interest would be drummed up.  I would love to see Xymati finished up for the PC Engine!

I chose the 300 number based on the amount of interest that I have received over the past few months.  It is somewhat of a gamble, the money I spent on the CDs could have gone for the (required) business expenses that will arise with Xymati.  True, I could have gone for the 500 quantity for another $100 or so, but it took the better part of 8 years to sell off the first 500.  I just don't have the storage space for a couple hundred extra CDs to be sitting around for that long. 

Think of it this way, with supply and demand, you get your copy now, it will be worth a whole lot more in 4 years than had I gone for 500, and still had some available.

I completely understand your reasoning behind this.  I still wish that there were going to be 500 copies made.   

For a PCE version of Xymati to happen, a lot of things would need to happen, not only in the game code, but also in the community.  The reason I chose to go with the PC market was for 2 main reasons.  1) Number of PCs that could run the game (compare this with the number of PCEs out there); 2) the things I wanted to do in Xy were over burdening the poor Duo's CPU and memory, and this was with only a limited amount of in game stuff there (no weapons yet).

How about making it an Arcade Card release?  That should give you the additional RAM that you need (or at least be a lot closer to what you need.  The Old Rover created a thread which explores the possibility of new release TG-16/PCE games being released as ACD rather than as Super CD.

I am not saying it cannot happen, but a game this size takes a lot of time, and the PCE development takes 2-3 times as long as PC development, I am lucky if I get 2 hours a day of non stop "extra curricular" coding time.

I completely understand about having little free time.   

In addition to the PC audience, very little effort is needed to move a XNA based PC game to the Xbox; further, all I would need to do is port the dX code to OpenGL and I could have a version that runs on the PS3 and Vita too.  That is a tremendous audience for less effort that a scratch made PCE version; and version that will not be able to have all the features I have in the current PC version.

But Turbo is far more important than PC or Xbox.   

Please keep in mind that everything beyond this line is speculative:

If the MB re-print shows that there is interest in the PCE scene still, then there is a game or two sitting on the back burner ready to come out (well, it's not ready, but ready to begin development on), and depending on how that does, that would certainly have some bearing on the PCE version of Xymati.

Now, ideally, I can take the game engine that the PC version of Xymati uses (MSL4) to quickly create other games (just need the digital assets and virtually any sort of 2D game can be made very easily), so if Xymati is successful, or I can get someone to license MSL4, then that would allow me to focus more time on the game making which would give more time for PCE ports, rather than releasing sadistic games like Loop v2.

I'll whatever is in my power to ensure that this MB re-print shows that there is interest in the PCE scene still.   

[ParanoiaDragon]

BT, as for other PCE projects that could be doable....anything any of us know about, or you talking about secret stuff(I can't recall if I know anything that general public is not supposed to know, so I don't want to spill any beans).

I was thinking if maybe we PCE Devs should put our heads together and see what we could come up with.  If nothing else, maybe put out a CD that has a game from each of us on it.

That is an interesting idea, & I'm not opposed to it all.  Offhand, I can't think of any projects we have that would be small enough for this venture, maybe would have to come up with something new.

[VestCunt]

BT - I really appreciate your continued updates about this. Thanks for the PM too.

Are you dead set on a clear tray? I understand white is expensive, but black would be nice and it would at least match U.S. games.

For a PCE version of Xymati to happen, a lot of things would need to happen, not only in the game code, but also in the community.  .

I'm confused about the Xymati/Mindrec/Eponasoft relationship. It's great that you're considering work on Xymati again, but last I heard Fragmare and Eponasoft had already revived the project. I'm not even clear who Eponasoft is (a Rover side project?). Can anyone explain?

[Bernie]

On another note, I am not having much luck with the Turbo List.  I was able to join, but every command I try I just get an error in return.  Guess I gotta keep my eye out here. 

Make sure your commands are in the Subject line, and in plain text only (no colored or fancy fonts).  As I said earlier, the server is old and does not handle *any* MIME encoding.

Looks like its working, as I sent the "dir" command, and got back a list.  It adds this after though, followed by a bunch of jibberish..

##>> "This is a multi-part message in MIME format." - Failed.
MIME encoded messages are not going to get you far on this mailing list

I assume its working, as I got the list and all.  So, I guess the other mess is no big deal?

[Bt Garner]

How about making it an Arcade Card release?  That should give you the additional RAM that you need (or at least be a lot closer to what you need. 

It would, but it does not address the CPU issue, and it would make the target audience even smaller than it currently is.  Not saying that those currently in the market for Xy do not already have an AC.  Plus keeping mind the extra time needed for PCE versus PC, by throwing AC PCE on there, (which is pretty uncharted at this point, as far as I know), you are not only looking at increased dev time, but alos time devoted to creating a new compiler that can support the AC.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

... maybe would have to come up with something new.

Motherfucking Tetris!!!!   

[Bt Garner]

Motherfucking Tetris!!!!  

Dave Shadoff already did that.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

But I want a fancy version with tunes, sound effects, prettier graphics, and multiplayer!


.... yeah, I'm a retarded Tetris lover. 

[Bt Garner]

But I want a fancy version with tunes, sound effects, prettier graphics, and multiplayer!

Oh!  Well in that case, Aramis already did that. 

(I think I have his source code laying around somewhere)