Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-679780-20170331170636/@comment-679780-20170331211700

Genesjs wrote: Mystic Monkey wrote: Genesjs wrote: Mystic Monkey wrote: Genesjs wrote: Mystic Monkey wrote: Ultrasonic9000 wrote: It is an interesting thought. Did you know: Dreamcast games are still being made by indie developers to this day. It's why I think if there will ever be a Sonic Adventure 3, if the game is at least a gigabyte then it can fit on a GD-ROM for the game to be on Dreamcast. (I imagine Sonic Adventure 3 graphics and renderings like the Storybook games graphics.)

So if independant programmers can still make games for the Dreamcast, don't see why not Sega can't recycle old Mega Drive cartridges they may have lying around to reprogram Sonic Mania into them. Not very many games have been made since the Dreamcast stopped being supported though, and the GD-ROM disc format that the console primarily used for it's games back in the day was discontinued back in 2007, although it is possible to run games on the system through it's support of MIL-CDs, a format that would add multimedia functions to music CDs when the Dreamcast played them. For example, MIL-CD music releases were to feature enhanced navigational menus, internet capabilities, and full-screen video. Hackers back in the day were able to exploit this feature to allow the Dreamcast to play games on CD-ROMs, and it can still be done to this day. Naturally, developers can use this method to develop new games for the system if they so desired, but it's I wouldn't recommend any developer do this unless they're specifically aiming to sell their game to a niche market and don't care about turning over a good profit. So if Sega wanted, they could make a Dreamcast game, just not on a GD? Pretty much. Nice,

I always wanted to make a Sonic fan game and put it on a Dreamcast CD just for the heck of it.

But that also means the idea for SA3 special edition on a Dreamcast disc maybe possible.

Though you're right about Sonic Mania on a Mega Drive cartridge. I dunno enough about the process if it's even possible. I'm far from being an expert on programming for games and game hardware myself, but I've learned over the years that stuff like this can be a good deal more complicated than the average person realizes. It's not impossible to make stuff like this a reality, but unfortunately money makes the money go round in a lot of instances, including making games for older gaming hardware. Even if a company very well could, it could easily come up with any number of justifications to not make games for older hardware just on finances alone depending on the various factors and nuances in making a game for whatever older platform they are presented with. But as long as one has the resources and knowledge to properly use them, one could pretty much make a game on just about any platform they choose, including the Dreamcast -- you just got to keep in mind on what resources are needed and how easy it is to get them (if it's even possible at all), and figure out everything else you'd like to try and do from there.

But yeah, I suppose that kind of fan game might be possible. I just wouldn't recommend attempting to sell it or something, because lawyers. Hm, I guess it depends how it can work.

For example, if Takashi Lizuka decided there will be a SA3 but like having Christian Whitehead make Sonic Mania would choose me to produce the game (an honour I'd die over), well it all depends on my budget and options if I want a collecters Dreamcast edition or not.

For starters when it comes to quality I'd used models from the Storybook series over modern models to go with dreamcast like vibes but will try to keep the game compact enough to fit on a disc the Dreamcast can play. That means I would need to find a supplier who not only produce the right kind of CDs I need the Dreamcast can use but can also produce them by the bulk for the collectors edition, which would be a few dozen million.

The advantage however is we live in a time of CDs and DVDs so finding a supplier on behalf of Sega may not be as difficult as finding a third-party supplier who can still make Mega Drive cartridges these days.