Dream17

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Dream17 (informally D17) is a fansite containing detailed information about the videogames produced or published by Yorkshire-based developers Team17. The site lists every Team17 game released to date, as well as a few TBA titles and some cancelled titles, as well as titles developed based on Team17's franchises such as Worms.

The site was founded by Ben "Squirminator2k" Paddon (known informally as S-2k), and has a "staff" of 5 like-minded Team17 fans. The site is effectively twinned with Superfrog: The Tribute Site, as that site is operated by Pooka, one of Dream17's Staffmembers, and links back to Dream17 in various places (primarily, to their forum).

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[edit] History

The site's earliest roots can be found in a Worms - The Directors Cut fansite that S-2k set up in 1999. The site, called The Worms - Directors Cut Experience, contained extremely detailed information about this rare, Amiga-only edition of the game. The site became very popular among Worms fans, and eventually S-2k was invited by Ross "KilJaeden" Currie to join the staff of GameSpy's Worms site, known at the time as The Worms Universe. Following a "merger" with another well-known Worms fansite, The Allotment, the site became known as Wormtopia, with S-2k keeping a watchful eye over the WormsDC content.

When Wormtopia dissolved, S-2k briefly relaunched his old WormsDC fansite before, at the end of 2003, expanding the site into The WorMatriX, an attempt to fill the void that Wormtopia had left. The WorMatriX (shortened to WMX) still contained all of the WormsDC-related information, as well as fairly comprehensive information regarding other titles in the series.

A few months later, in March of 2004, S-2k launched Dream17. Most of the information concerning the Worms titles had been carried over where available. For a short time, WMX and D17 ran parallel, and had front-page link buttons to each other. However as D17 grew S-2k realised that WMX had become largely redundant, and closed the site down. WMX may yet be revived, however, in a project being led by former WMX "staff" member, Braininator.

[edit] Legal downloads

In the months leading up to Dream17's launch, Squirminator2k successfully convinced Martyn Brown, Creative Director at Team17, to allow the site to host full downloads of Team17's Amiga back-catalogue. Every single Amiga title released is available in both ADF format, with most titles available the Software Preservation Society's own "perfect image" IPF format. Some Amiga CD32 titles, notably Ultimate Body Blows and the CD32 version of Worms, are available. The only other site legally authorised to offer Team17 titles for download at the time was Back2Roots, who had some Team17 titles available as ADFs and ISOs respectively (it should be noted, however, that Dream17's ADFs are usually images of cracked/pirated versions of the game, whereas Back2Roots were usually images of the original disks, where available. Dream17's IPFs are from SPS' own archives and, therefore, are mastered only on original disks). Recently, Back2Roots has gone offline, showing no sign of return.

Dream17 is also the only place you can officially and legally download the Worms Armageddon screensaver included in Hasbro's Armageddon Collection (a PC compilation released in Europe including Worms Armageddon and Addiction Pinball).

Attempts to procure permission to host some of Team17's PC titles, such as Worms, World Rally Fever and Arcade Pool II, have so far been refused. This is most likely because Worms and Reinforcements United is still in print in the UK, (Sold-Out Software publish most of Team17's previous games under their budget range) and Arcade Pool II, while not in print, is still available for purchase online via Trymedia. Dream17 has also tried to get permission to host a disk image for PlayStation-exclusive title X2, but a license agreement has prevented them from doing so.

On 3rd March 2006, S-2k stated he intended to increase their catalogue of downloadable CD32 titles, their priority currently being the CD32 version of Alien Breed: Tower Assault. On the 6th of April the Dream17 crew were forced to removed their CD32 titles (namely Worms and Ultimate Body Blows) and PC demos due to issues concerning webspace, however Worms has since been made available again along with the much anticipated Alien Breed: Tower Assault. Current plans are to reinstate Ultimate Body Blows to the site, and to upload the CD32 versions of Arcade Pool and Super Stardust. There are no plans to make other CD32 titles available at present.

[edit] SuperFrog features

As well as Interviews with present and former Team17 Staff, Reviews of new Team17 titles, and articles concerning Team17 as a company, the website runs a feature based on cult Team17 character SuperFrog in its Viewpoint category. Originally called Ask SuperFrog, a feature that migrated from The WorMatriX, visitors could email questions to SuperFrog to which he would offer answers. Most of the time, SuperFrog's answers were often tongue-in-cheek, with reference to other videogame characters (not just restricted to those conceived by Team17). SuperFrog's answers were written by Euan Mumford (also known as "Worm Mad"), who portrayed SuperFrog as a cocky and slightly arrogant, with a severe disliking of the Worms characters. Ask SuperFrog would often go weeks at a time without an email, and the section was closed and replaced with The SuperBlog.

In the SuperBlog, Euan Mumford continues his portrayal of SuperFrog in this "official" blog covering the exploits of the character. Here, SuperFrog's character was expanded to that of a has-been yearning for success once again. The blog is up and running once again, however at time of writing it has not been updated since mid-February.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links