MSR *WILL* be finished, come hell or high water... hell more likely.

[nodtveidt]

I didn'tsee it but it must have been fun.

I left the file on the server; if you want it, send me a PM. I just removed all references to it.

It was more fun to make than anything, I think... I went to great lengths to mask the fact that it was a fake:

-I had revealed the size of the original ISO earlier on this forum; I made sure to pad the fake ISO with enough dummy data to be the same exact size.
-Almost all of the audio tracks play fine for awhile, but then are modified... I added sound effects to most of them. Only the warning track, title tracks, and the bonus tracks were left intact. This was done to preserve the OST, and since most people previewing the tracks are only gonna listen to a few seconds, I made sure to put all the funny noises long past the typical person's attention span. track17 is my personal favorite. And of course, each of the audio tracks, despite being modified, are still the exact same size as the originals.
-In order to conceal the extra audio, I made it as streaming ADPCM instead of a redbook track. Since you cannot see ADPCM streams in the files, no one would have known it was there.
-The bootstrap/cd error program and the title program work the same way they would normally... it will even utilize the backup RAM files, if present. But when you go to start a new game (or, optionally, load a game or use one of the bonus features), you get...
-Rickrolled. This one's different than most, as I did not have time to do a complete video player. So instead, I just took a number of frames from the music video, grayscaled/reduced them, and have them play in a loop in the middle of the screen. And of course, the audio plays as streaming ADPCM rather than redbook, so suspicion would not be raised just by looking at the files.

The song is actually kinda symbolic, really... the song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", also applies to this project... we're never gonna give up until we have MSR pressed and in the hands of the customers.

BTW TOR, we're having a retrogaming convention in France with a big PCE stand. Do you think it you could send us a copy of MSR so that we can make a presentation of it?

When is it going to be? I'm out of CDRs at the moment but should be getting some more soon.

On a more serious note... I mentioned this on the Facebook page, but again for those who ain't watching the Facebook page...

I was able to rip MSR's raw data as a MODE1/2352 binary file. According to TheOldMan, this is the correct format for pressing. CDRWIN is able to rip the data, but first it had to be mounted to a virtual drive. Daemon Tools was not cooperating with CDRWIN, so I installed Alcohol 120% instead, and it did the job beautifully. So from here, I guess it's just a matter of getting discs that work, and a burner that is compatible with CDRWIN, as none of ours currently are.

[RegalSin]

Insanity was formatted differently and the masters were made a special way

Whatchu talking about?

[_joshuaTurbo]

I'd say this was quite a successful april fools joke!

Wait... wait... Some people got concerned that your joke was in bad taste and were bothered by it and your response is "f*ck you?" You gambled and lost. Sometimes it happens. For those who were bothered, you're just adding insult to injury.

I think given the nature of the whiny ass 'look at how much time I wasted!!' complaint and the fact that all he deserves is a 'f*ck you' is perfect grounds for the response. Had anyone else called rove out on this I bet he would have reacted more polite.

[Arkhan]

I was able to rip MSR's raw data as a MODE1/2352 binary file. According to TheOldMan, this is the correct format for pressing. CDRWIN is able to rip the data, but first it had to be mounted to a virtual drive. Daemon Tools was not cooperating with CDRWIN, so I installed Alcohol 120% instead, and it did the job beautifully. So from here, I guess it's just a matter of getting discs that work, and a burner that is compatible with CDRWIN, as none of ours currently are.

Oh good. You got it to work.  lol, that means I won't have to do it for you again (with the real build instead of a beta ISO).

Though, you'd be wise to get CDRWin to function properly and use that to do the ripping in order to remove all further doubt about the pressing issues.  If you can't get it to work (CDRWin is kind of a dick), I can do it for you.   I've got CDRwin operating on a few machines.  Sometimes the entire trick is to use a different version of CDRWin (like 3.0D9erAlpha instead of 3.0D9erBeta).  Other times the trick is to reboot your computer, or to use different ASPI drivers.  Or, buy an old ass computer and set that shit up.  There were times my laptop that Insanity was built on wouldn't work, and then 20 minutes later it would decide it wanted to work.  Couldn't tell you why.   I blame modern operating systems, goony drivers, and CDRWin's age.

AFAIK, when I told Keranu how to do it w/ CDRwin, he didn't seem to have any trouble, so you could probably use him too.   I'm convinced two identical machines will have different success with CDRwin. It's that goony.

Look for the frog ASPI drivers.  Those sometimes have better results, and can be used w/ CDRwin.  

Insanity was not really done in any overly special way.  More like, it was done the right way.  Blame the devkit.  You can't just use the ISO it creates.  You have to use real CD creating tools to set the disc layout up properly for machines to stamp.  CDRwin is the best tool for the job.  You don't even need to pay for it!  Best results come at 1x, and demonstration mode operates at 1x only.   Pretty nice perk, lol.

However, had I known for sure MSR wasn't being prepared in the way OldMan finally mentioned, and that you were manually relocating the data yourself, I would have said something.  Manually relocating the data track is one way to get errors.

Though, I did mention all of these details a few times on IRC when Insanity was pressed and the entire channel was erect in the pants about new pressed CDs and wanted to know how it happened.  This included all of the details and comical stories about CDRwin, and 1x SCSI CD burners.   I probably shouldn't have assumed everyone remembered that crap.   When I kept saying "Insanity didn't do anything special", I assumed it was already understood that you had to do the MODE1/2352 setup, hence me being confused as to why your stuff wasn't working.  I had some suspicions, but didn't say anything since you seemed sure it was being done right.

Maybe it's time this information gets posted so people can refer to it so this doesn't happen again.

EDIT: OH, and make sure you f*ckin' close out the disc session.  Omitting that step is problems.
 
Anyway, the April Fools Joke wasn't TOO bad, but it was a bit in bad taste considering all of the problems MSR has had.  Kind of like adding salt to a knife wound.

[ProfessorProfessorson]

I'd say this was quite a successful april fools joke!

Wait... wait... Some people got concerned that your joke was in bad taste and were bothered by it and your response is "f*ck you?" You gambled and lost. Sometimes it happens. For those who were bothered, you're just adding insult to injury.

I think given the nature of the whiny ass 'look at how much time I wasted!!' complaint and the fact that all he deserves is a 'f*ck you' is perfect grounds for the response. Had anyone else called rove out on this I bet he would have reacted more polite.

The joke was dumb. I just stated the obvious, and I am not going to dedicate hundreds of post about it. I knew it was a april fools joke when Byron showed it to me on yahoo. Why do you think I only checked the audio tracks? You think I'd actually been stupid enough to waste a actual cd-r on some shareware I already played and didn't care for years ago on pc? The fact that I wasted time checking the audio tracks is 5 mins or so I will never get back, sure Shags, oh well, whatever. My curiosity on seeing what Rov was up to got the better of me. I was hoping there would be some kind of legitimate laughs to be had at least to justify all the BS.

You of all people should know I have a excellent sense of humor, considering the jokes I've played on you Shags. What was real tragedy was that the audio tracks were not even remotely funny. It was like Dave was at the helm. This was pretty much the kind of dumb no laughs prank Nintega would do if he could. Anyone saying this garbage was funny is just trying to make Rov feel better about it. The fact of the matter is this could have been passed off as a Nintega prank.

There is a reason why legitimate game makers don't pull this kind of crap. At any rate, whats really funny is the fact that I shat on Rovs bad joke, and on April fools of all days, you guys think I really give a shit one way or the next, so who is the real fool here? I only shat on his joke for the sole act of doing so, because it deserved it. If the announcement was real, posted now, or later, I'd not have said a word. I don't care if Rov rips off off whoever (ponzi scheme pre-order anyone? Oh wait, they call it kickstarter programs now....), or if you guys get this game out or not. Its other peoples problem. If I really cared I'd have posted about this elsewhere, like on Digital Press. BUT.I.f*ckING.DON'T. Byrons the one that messaged me about this. You wanna bitch, bitch to him.

You guys are just retreading someone elses prior work, and I mean, its taken you years to do that even, while a couple of guys at NG:Dev.Team crank out awesome titles at a steady pace on multiple formats, let alone all the other indie developers out there cranking out awesome stuff on other systems. My advice, next time you get a bug up your butt to do a Nintega quality april fools joke, instead spend that extra effort on improving the actual game, let alone getting it into peoples mail boxes. That, or at least do something that is actually funny (see Duty Calls), and doesn't require loyal friends to spin it in a positive light. Till then, I will check back later, say in a couple more months, see if you guys ever start work on a original title of your own after you finally finish and press this remake...

As Sini pointed out, if you wanna talk about real jokes, the best one in fact:



54 pages of post and 7 and a half months later.....

[Sinistron]

Being that this "MSR is finished!" thread is eight months old already- it's pretty much one big April Fool's gag from the start.  To heap a joke on top of a joke when you have people waiting like Pavlov's Dog- people that have pre-ordered- to f*ck with their patience even more- it's really in bad taste.  Agree with Mike here that the energy being wasted on jokes- and honestly even updates at this point- should be used in putting the money you've received for preorders where your mouth is.  Finish the f*cking thing- it's past old.  I can't believe there was even a real recent discussion about a Neutopia III- as if that's ever gonna happen with or without a possible lawsuit.  Reality check time.

[ProfessorProfessorson]

Yeah I agree. And to be honest, I think if Ark had the same budget Rov got off the pre-order money, and a little extra manpower like Rov had, and the same amount of time, Ark could have done 2-3 solid releases by now, arcade remakes or not. Its clear here who is the more capable PCE indie developer currently. Just sad he has to carry all the weight on his shoulders while the other clown spends time building up for his "Big f*ck You" April Fools joke.

[Arkhan]

Yeah I agree. And to be honest, I think if Ark had the same budget Rov got off the pre-order money, and a little extra manpower like Rov had, and the same amount of time, Ark could have done 2-3 solid releases by now, arcade remakes or not. Its clear here who is the more capable PCE indie developer currently. Just sad he has to carry all the weight on his shoulders while the other clown spends time building up for his "Big f*ck You" April Fools joke.

Well, Aetherbyte is two-programmers-strong, and we picked up sunteam_paul for art now (see: Atlantean)....  so no more of me making the art.  Insanity looks like shit.  

I wish PP and Atlantean were out by now, but between our HuCard (thanks to OldMan) project and my school-crap, I haven't gotten to do much since like, October.   I expect stuff to be out this year though.  Unless I hit some huge-ass-snag on Atlantean, I should be able to wack it out in routine fashion.

Aetherbyte happenings are for a different thread though, probably.  


EDIT: and I guess, to be fair here, an RPG is a bit of an over-ambitious single-man programming job, as demonstrated with MSR.  Every possible problem that could have happened, did happen by now.  This includes technical problems and real life problems.

It sucks pretty bad.  It's unfortunate.  We're going to make sure we help Frozen Utopia get the project done.

and, don't forget, Aetherbyte's fortunate enough to have OldMan around.  I roped his ass in despite him at one point saying, cigarette in mouth:

"nuh uh, f*ck no!  I had my fill of messing with that years ago.  All that 9 bit crap", (something like that).   

That's a funny image to look back on, since it was me staring at him through a bonfire at like, 11pm during the summer, shortly after pulling out a bunch of C64 books and hardware that I got from someone online.   We just got done laughing at how funny the cover of the one book was.   

http://www.everythingcommodore.com/e107_images/newspost_images/machine_language_for_the_commodore_64.jpg

He's old (obviously), and full of a lot of technical details and practices that have been lost with time.   He's also been around with the Turbo stuff since I was like 1.  I have learned more from him than I did at college.  My degree should say "OldMan University" instead of "Cleveland State University", in all honesty. 

He's the one with the 1x SCSI burner, and the dinosaur computer that requires percussive maintenance that we used to belt out the masters at 1x speed while watching Herculoids and shit... lol

[KingDrool]

My God...the drama.

Indie games: serious bizness!

[Gogan]

I think what I sent to you in pm just now sums it up nicely:

This is a example of how you do a April Fools joke the right way:

http://1000words.kodak.com/thousandwords/post/?ID=5558724772984513411&utm_source=www.kodak.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=AprilFools_040112&utm_campaign=Corp-Homepage

What you did was just f*cked up. Maybe you guys sat around privately thinking it was going to be a laugh riot, but its not. With money being tight for some people right now, and all the other stressful bullshit going on in the world, people don't need this kind of crap going on, and not everyone is keen on the whole April Fools gag stuff. Sorry, just how it is. Making your potential fan base stress over money and shit from worrying about possible pre-order refund dilemmas, and treating them with a garbage release as a joke, its not f*cking cool, no matter what day of the year it is. Its not just bad taste, its one of the worst things you can do to your customers right now. Especially the ones who do not post here who may not get the heads up that it was a dumb joke...

What's the point of a pm, if ur jus gonna post it public? 

[Charles MacDonald]

Blah, let's just all get along and enjoy life. No drama.

[Sinistron]

Being timidly polite through a long string of nonsense isn't "all getting along"- it's just being timidly polite.  Speaking your mind isn't "causing drama"- it's just speaking your mind.  You suckling noobs and frail older cats here really gotta start manning up.  The vaginas here trying to pass themselves off as actual people have turned into a punchless punch-line ran long and dying.  No one's abusing anyone's mom- no one's threatening anyone.  There is no "drama".

[ProfessorProfessorson]

I think what I sent to you in pm just now sums it up nicely:

This is a example of how you do a April Fools joke the right way:

http://1000words.kodak.com/thousandwords/post/?ID=5558724772984513411&utm_source=www.kodak.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=AprilFools_040112&utm_campaign=Corp-Homepage

What you did was just f*cked up. Maybe you guys sat around privately thinking it was going to be a laugh riot, but its not. With money being tight for some people right now, and all the other stressful bullshit going on in the world, people don't need this kind of crap going on, and not everyone is keen on the whole April Fools gag stuff. Sorry, just how it is. Making your potential fan base stress over money and shit from worrying about possible pre-order refund dilemmas, and treating them with a garbage release as a joke, its not f*cking cool, no matter what day of the year it is. Its not just bad taste, its one of the worst things you can do to your customers right now. Especially the ones who do not post here who may not get the heads up that it was a dumb joke...

What's the point of a pm, if ur jus gonna post it public?  

Rov wanted to move the conversation public with his big f*ck you post, so, hey, why not. Does it matter really in the scheme of things? No, not really. This entire thread is one big 55 page flat joke. The longest running gag here so far besides Nintega himself.

[Necromancer]

Wahhhhh!  You're not shipping the game quick enough!  Gimme my zwieback!

P.S. - Byron made me do it.

[Gogan]

Ah, ok, under those circumstances, I get it. Carry on :-"