Current State of the Arcade, 2013

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Here are a list of games that I currently have, and if they are on the way out, staying, or staying for a long time. If this thread seems lame, I'm sorry, but it is the only thing I can talk about any more.


ASTEROIDS. In perfect condition when it comes to gameplay. This needs a proper bezel and proper buttons. But to even notice that you'd need to be extremely hardcore. Status: OK.

CENTIPEDE: I can't say I will have Centipede forever. Jim Cleverly got it working when he came over on Saturday. (I bought a new chassis for it.) (Jim is great with monitors.) I won't have it forever, but to me, Centipede screams "real arcade." People love it, it's approachable, and it's good to have for now.

CRYSTAL CASTLES: I purchased a burn-free 13" monitor for my Moon Patrol a couple of years ago. Before giving Moon Patrol's cabinet to Jim Cleverly, we (he) swapped the monitor into Crystal Castles, which is a cocktail game. So this is the best it has ever looked. Status: never leaving.

ELEVATOR ACTION: The newest addition! It was on location for years, but that seems to be a good thing, as I have had it on all day for two weekends now, and it runs like a champ. I got a different/repro/correct control panel overlay for it that I should install this week. Status: never leaving.

GAUNTLET II: The "alternating row of the spites" problem (where they don't display) that was there when Flack had it is still there. I am tempted to buy a new Gauntlet II board and see what is going on if I swapped it. But that's a 100-200 dollar experiment.

I keep being wishy washy on this one. I can fix the alternating sprite by wiggling a cable, and then the problem is fixed until I turn it off and give it time to cool down. Part of me wants to sell it, but part of me APPRECIATES the fact that I have one of Flack's favorite games at my place.

MARBLE MADNESS: I am thinking about selling this one because I can't get to board 4. I could probably get $800 for it, as well. Might do it if I need just $800 for a pinball table or something.

MAPPY: Looks and plays great. Installed the high score save ROM. Status: Never leaving.

MR. DO! I am swapping mine and cash for a better one, so mine is on the way out, but will be replaced by something nicer. Status: doomed, but not really.

MS. PAC-MAN: Never any trouble, and also gives me Pengo, Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man. Although I'd sell it because there are a million places to play Pac-Man these days. (True story: went to the 1UP today. A guy was playing Ms. Pac-man and died and banged his fist against the control panel. In 2013! A guy got frustrated by Ms. Pac-Man in 2013.) Status: OK.

POLYBIUS / MULTI-GAME: Honestly, I would sell this cabinet except that Melissa likes it the best. (She enjoys Donkey Kong, Frogger and BurgerTime.) So she is keeping this one around. NOTE: if I did sell the game, the control panel, joystick and Aardvark-designed bracket stays with me.

Q*BERT: I am getting. 4.90 volts on the +5 line, and that is up from what I had been getting. When I don't get enough juice, the game wigs out. It didn't wig out the last time I had it on. So this is the last game I am concerned about, gameplay-wise. If I can just get it to 5 volts on the +5 line then it would be rock solid. Status: never leaving.

QIX. It plays and sounds great. It takes about four minutes for the monitor to "adjust" itself, with the horizontal (really, vertical) hold. Once that happens it's good to go. I will admit that the appeal of owning this is being "Guy who owns a Qix" because nobody who isn't already into arcade games is going to try this one, and even then it is pretty well-emulated. Status: OK for now.

TEMPEST: The monitor fix that a dude did for me really, really held up. Looks and plays great. Status: OK.

WARLORDS/ARKANOID: Still an Arkanoid in a Warlords cocktail cab. I can't find a goddamn harness. But I have the board and almost everything else. Status: If I don't get this converted soon, it is on the way out.

WILLIAMS MULTIGAME: Heyyy the 25" monitor rocks and so does everything about this. Except for the ugly, butt-ugly Tekken art on the control panel. I should fix that this year? If you are not into "Williams" games, this just means that it plays Robotron, Defender, Stargate, Joust, Sinistar, Bubbles and Splat. Status: OK.

ZOO KEEPER: Plays and looks great. Need to get the side art on it some day. Status: OK

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I guess the next goal for the downstairs is to make room and put in either a Black Hole pinball or Tron pinball.

[pinback]

ASTEROIDS. In perfect condition when it comes to gameplay.

Does it still do that rapid-fire thing?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Asteroids has one problem that I forgot about. It has a rapid-fire mod.

Nobody wants the rapid fire.

[AArdvark]

What's the status on Funhouse?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Oh, I ended up selling Funhouse for Centipede and cash.

About one week after I sold Funhouse, I began to regret it. You know what? I'll come out and admit that I regret no longer being a "pin" guy. I regret the loss of LIFESTYLE. That's silly and goofy but I don't care. I want a pin down there.

[Flack]

The Polybius cabinet is too iconic to be sold. If you ever decide to sell that cabinet I will come buy it, no questions asked.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Thank you, Flack. I finally updated the Wikipedia to PROVE that it was abominated into this world by me. (Though it's got a much nicer control panel now.)

I think I am going to sell as much of the above list as possible for a pin.

[pinback]

Asteroids has one problem that I forgot about. It has a rapid-fire mod.

Nobody wants the rapid fire.

Also the "fire" sound effect sounds like you're stepping on a duck.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Yes I believe we covered that Pinback!!

[pinback]

Yes I believe we covered that Pinback!!

Not in this thread you didn't. I'm going to keep bringing it up until it is fixed.

[Tdarcos]

Asteroids has one problem that I forgot about. It has a rapid-fire mod.

Nobody wants the rapid fire.

I'm curious as to why. Does it have anything to do with interfering with the most common successful practice to stay alive, destroy everything except one small boulder, leave it so the game doesn't start over with a fresh batch of large boulders, then keep killing the spaceship guy each time he shows up, or is it a different reason?

Oh, I ended up selling Funhouse for Centipede and cash.

About one week after I sold Funhouse, I began to regret it.

Hmm, seller's regret instead of buyer's regret. Unusual. May indicate psychological problems requiring treatment. See a psychiatrist immediately.

"If the price you ask someone for something you're selling doesn't make you cringe with guilt for being too greedy, you're not asking enough."
- Carleton Sheets (guy who did real estate infomercials a few years ago)

[pinback]

Asteroids has one problem that I forgot about. It has a rapid-fire mod.

Nobody wants the rapid fire.

I'm curious as to why.

1. It deviates from the original design, and so makes it not a "real" Asteroids machine, which I assume for collectors is important.

2. It actually makes playing the game harder, because you still can only have four shots on the screen at a time. A good player times their shots carefully so as not to be left without at a crucial time, so THIS good player had to spend a lot of energy fighting the rapid-fire system, trying to hit the button lightly and quickly enough that only one shot came out, as it should.

And of course, if the "four shot max" rule didn't apply, it would just completely break the game.

[ICJ]

Tdarcos, that was a funny post. More posts like that and fewer where you quote the Wikipedia, PLEASE.

Pinner, the problem is that the mod was one from the 1980s. Meaning there is no documentation on what it's doing or how to get rid of it. Probably a matter of removing it and replacing a ROM, and I don't have a ROM burner. So that's why I have never futzed with it.

[pinback]

Pinner, the problem is that the mod was one from the 1980s. Meaning there is no documentation on what it's doing or how to get rid of it. Probably a matter of removing it and replacing a ROM, and I don't have a ROM burner. So that's why I have never futzed with it.

I just figured a mint-condition, properly working Asteroids would be the JEWEL in any serious collector's arcade.

I am biased, though, so I realize now that I am probably wrong.

Good day to you.

(What IS considered the Rolls Royce of arcade collecting?)

[ICJ]

Pristine, dedicated Major Havoc.

[pinback]

No.

[Tdarcos]

Pristine, dedicated Major Havoc.

And, following the Peter Principle he got promoted to General Failure.

"Who is General Failure and why is he reading my disk?"

"Lease a Catera. See your Cadillac Dealer. Who is Lisa Catera?"

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

No.

The Royals Royce of arcade collecting is Major Havok, Environmental Discs of Tron or Warlords cocktail.

There are others that are quite rare. There are others that aren't as rare but expensive -- everyone would like a Food Fight (unique cabinet and joystick). But those three games are the ones I most-often hear as someone's "holy grail."

I am sorry you don't like that information. I am not saying I necessarily like it either. This is an article by the best arcade journalist going about what he believes are the 15 most valuable classic arcade games:

http://www.rotheblog.com/2008/08/arcade ... ade-games/

[AArdvark]

Only ever played two out of those fifteen. In fact, never even heard of any of the others except Star Wars and Computer Space. Rare indeed.

Off topic: do people make indie arcade games? Not teh Mame ones but dedicated new, one-off type arcade games?


THE
TOO LAZY TO GOOGLE
AARDVARK