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Author Topic: ECHO BASE - (11/28/12 Complete, Files Available)  (Read 59131 times)

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shponglefan

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #40 on: September 18, 2012, 08:56:24 pm »
Maybe a mashup of the two?

IMHO, too many different elements.  Especially for the intent (game list).  The list itself should be the first thing that catches the eye, which is why I think I liked the original option #1 best.  The most prominent element is the bright yellow highlighted game text.  My eye starts there and then travels down.  Everything else is secondary.

With the other designs, too many other things compete for visual attention.  I find my eye jumping too much.  I think less is more in this case.

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #41 on: September 18, 2012, 09:42:34 pm »
#2 still looks more arcade-authentic to me.
For this reason I'm leaning back toward #2's idea. I've worked a bit more on it...

I got rid of the onscreen logo since it's on the marquee and front of the control panel so I don't need it again and it cluttered things. I changed the game list to better highlight the selected game. The short vertical cross-tie lines in the blue divider are animated to slowly move to the left. Also the bottom instructional line is animated with this:

sharpfork

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #42 on: September 19, 2012, 12:56:06 am »
Your artwork is spectacular, I'm really digging this project.

What tools/software/how-tos did you use to do the design work?

 :cheers:

yotsuya

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #43 on: September 19, 2012, 01:06:16 am »
#2 still looks more arcade-authentic to me.
For this reason I'm leaning back toward #2's idea. I've worked a bit more on it...

I got rid of the onscreen logo since it's on the marquee and front of the control panel so I don't need it again and it cluttered things. I changed the game list to better highlight the selected game. The short vertical cross-tie lines in the blue divider are animated to slowly move to the left. Also the bottom instructional line is animated with this:

THIS!  :applaud:
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #44 on: September 19, 2012, 01:21:45 am »
Your artwork is spectacular, I'm really digging this project.

What tools/software/how-tos did you use to do the design work?

 :cheers:

Thanks!

The cabinet design was done in Sketch Up. Lots of people here use it and once you wrap your head around how it works it is a great tool for designing the build. As I said in the first post the cabinet was designed based upon the classic Williams (Moon Patrol/Joust/etc) games.

Artwork wise I use a poor man's version of Adobe Illustrator called DrawPlus, but any vector illustration software would do the same thing. I learned by trial and error over the years. These particular graphics were drawn by me using reference images of snowspeeders, AT-ATs etc.

The pixel artwork for my "cockpit" menu ideas was taken from old Star Wars games (X-Wing) and put together and edited in Photoshop.

Vigo

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #45 on: September 19, 2012, 11:49:11 am »
Wow, I really love the look you are putting together with this. Just unadulterated, classic Star Wars. :cheers:

I like the vector one as well. Are you doing any old consoles on this? The cockpit one would probably be good for NES games or something along those lines.

ChadTower

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #46 on: September 19, 2012, 11:55:36 am »
One thing that bothers me about #1 is that there were no x-wings in the Battle of Hoth. Unfortunately I don't have an 8-bit snowspeeder cockpit image.


They were in orbit clearing exit lanes for the transports.

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #47 on: September 19, 2012, 12:02:23 pm »
^ Indeed.  Luke heads to Dagobah in his X-wing directly from Hoth.

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #48 on: September 19, 2012, 12:16:20 pm »
I like the vector one as well. Are you doing any old consoles on this? The cockpit one would probably be good for NES games or something along those lines.

Hmm, good idea... Still undecided about consoles though.

One thing that bothers me about #1 is that there were no x-wings in the Battle of Hoth. Unfortunately I don't have an 8-bit snowspeeder cockpit image.

They were in orbit clearing exit lanes for the transports.

^ Indeed.  Luke heads to Dagobah in his X-wing directly from Hoth.

I was thinking more of the defense of Echo Base, but I guess I can rationalize it.  ;)

One small update to fix another thing that was bothering me. Vector games could only draw straight lines so I fixed up my AT-AT to be more authentic.


vanrose72

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #49 on: September 20, 2012, 01:29:06 pm »
I was thinking more of the defense of Echo Base, but I guess I can rationalize it.  ;)

One small update to fix another thing that was bothering me. Vector games could only draw straight lines so I fixed up my AT-AT to be more authentic.


I love the authenticity! This rocks!  :applaud:

TGov

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #50 on: September 21, 2012, 12:54:30 pm »
Nice call on the straight lines for the vectors.  The layout is looking great.   I need to figure out how to do my own front end artwork.  I have the artwork part down, it is the implementation and getting it to work that is the hurdle ;)

sharpfork

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #51 on: September 27, 2012, 12:39:14 am »
What are your printing plans?

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #52 on: September 27, 2012, 06:47:27 am »
What are your printing plans?
GameOnGrafix for the Marquee and CPO, SoulDraw for side art. I've used both before.

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #53 on: October 08, 2012, 07:06:14 pm »
And The build has started...

Put in a long day of work, but didn't take too many pictures to document what was done so far. Eveything is pretty standard and by the book as far as the way most people are building their cabinets around here.

Cutting the sides:



We also built the kick plate, bottom, top and the angled panel where the wheels will mount. This was enough to mate the sides and stand the cabinet up before calling it a day. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the cabinet standing up, but I did snap a few after we brought it into the shop and laid it on the side.




We did have one boo-boo. As we were moving it indoors it slipped and fell onto the back left bottom corner, causing a little crushing of the MDF. We slapped some glue on it between the layers and clamped it tight to rebind the MDF where it separated. I'll just need to sand it out when I get to work on it again and it will be as good as new. Will be undetectable once painted.



« Last Edit: October 09, 2012, 01:29:39 am by DrChek »

shponglefan

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #54 on: October 08, 2012, 07:18:57 pm »
Good stuff.  Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.

TGov

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #55 on: October 08, 2012, 09:22:48 pm »
Awesome, glad to see the woodwork started!

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #56 on: October 11, 2012, 06:31:23 pm »
Got a lot more done today. Construction is about 90% done now. Just need to build the monitor mount and do a few small details.


This is the back, with vents on the bottom and vent/handles on the top. Still need to install the lock on the door.


Finally, a shot of the speaker panel with the speaker slots. I'm using the 4x2 speakers that came out of the TV I'm using.


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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #57 on: October 11, 2012, 07:10:27 pm »
I just want to state for a record that while I am really not a big artwork maven, I LOVE the artwork and menu screen designs for this build.

Doing very well, you are.

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #58 on: October 16, 2012, 10:01:02 am »
Build is now complete. Next step is painting which hopefully will happen soon. I'm just waiting to hear back from a buddy about spraying it.

Meanwhile I cut the control panel...


...and sent off the artwork files to be printed. The side art is already done and on its way to me from SoulDraw. The marquee and CPO are in GameOnGrafix's hands.


Once the cabinet is painted I'll move it back to the house to apply art and install the monitor, controls and internals.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2012, 10:02:50 am by DrChek »

koolmoecraig

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #59 on: October 16, 2012, 06:43:41 pm »
I wish you didn't go with so many buttons but the whole thing looks awesome.  Can't wait to see it finished.

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #60 on: October 16, 2012, 06:53:08 pm »
I wish you didn't go with so many buttons but the whole thing looks awesome.  Can't wait to see it finished.

If it wasn't for a few must play fighters I'd have used less. Far from a frankenpanel though.

yotsuya

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #61 on: October 20, 2012, 04:08:34 pm »
Your panel looks fine. It looks like a perfectly laid out 2p fighter panel. Great job!
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

MinerAl

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #62 on: October 25, 2012, 03:11:32 pm »
Will you play the vector Star Wars titles with the trackball?

Without a yoke, I'd go with the 8-bit Hoth/snow speeder menu.

Your vector menu is excellent (as is all the art), save it for your next cab with a yoke.  :)

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #63 on: October 27, 2012, 05:51:06 pm »
My side art was not plotter cut so I had to take some time the other night and trim it with an X-ACTO knife. Unfortunately, I was a little careless in how I was holding my metal ruler and not only trimmed the art, but also trimmed the side of my finger!!!

All in all it wasn't so bad and most importantly, the artwork is trimmed nicely without getting a drop of blood on it.  ;)

For the not so squeamish, here is a picture of the damage:



Moral of the story: Make sure your finger isn't hanging over the edge of your cutting guide.

sharpfork

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #64 on: October 27, 2012, 06:23:40 pm »
That finger slice looks like a nice straight cut.  :-\

Somewhat related, I bought a shirt from Target today that reminds me of this project's earlier graphics.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #65 on: October 29, 2012, 10:22:45 am »
I applied the artwork to the CP last night. I love the quality of the CPO material that GameOnGrafix uses, but I hate applying it. The adhesive is so strong and the material is so thick that it is difficult to work with and I always feel like I'm totally screwing it up. Of course when finished it always looks fantastic.

I also put in all the controls. I loved MDF for it's ease of wood working, but it is a pain to work with when trying to use the metal threaded inserts to blind mount the U360s. The U-TRAC gave me a problem as one of the threaded inserts wound up not perfectly aligning with the mounting hole so I could only get three of the four mounting screws in. It feels very solid with just the three so I'm not too worried about it.





I'll try to get the wiring done tonight.

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #66 on: October 29, 2012, 10:55:41 am »
Looks great! :cheers:

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #67 on: October 29, 2012, 03:09:44 pm »
Using this method,



I'll be making this aluminum plate to put on the back.


EDIT: changed the model number  ;)
« Last Edit: October 29, 2012, 07:47:19 pm by DrChek »

yotsuya

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #68 on: October 29, 2012, 03:14:51 pm »
Looks good
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

Arturius

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #69 on: October 29, 2012, 03:58:42 pm »
This looks awesome so far, looking forward to seeing how it finishes!
Getting there, just rather slowly...

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #70 on: October 29, 2012, 05:35:39 pm »
Spectacular looking artwork. :cheers:

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #71 on: October 30, 2012, 12:04:18 am »
Looks great Dr Chek!  I hate to hijack your thread, but since I think that I might end up with a similar control panel I'm interested in picking your brain. 

Although the trackball separates the P1 and P2 sticks, can you still use them comfortably to play Black Widow and Robotron or is the distance between them too great?

I need some opinions as I struggle between the decision between 2 player and 4 player control panel.

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #72 on: October 30, 2012, 03:13:31 am »
While I'm waiting for my controls to come in and construction to start I'm toying around with MaLa layout ideas. Both center around the idea of making the front end look like a classic game itself.

Option #1: 8-Bit Style
For this one I'd put the screenshot in the large display area of the X-Wing cockpit with basic operation instructions in the empty block above it. I have this one set up so that the star field in the background slowly pans down, adding a bit of motion.

Option #2: Classic Star Wars Vector Style
This one is less developed at this point, but since it has the vector style I won't be able to do screenshots. I was thinking of putting the basic instructions as text at the top in the same why that the original arcade game does with the "INSERT COIN" and "PULL TRIGGER..." messages.

Opinions on which I should pursue?
Bit late but I LOVE the second vector one - well done on the whole build so far

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #73 on: October 30, 2012, 04:12:59 am »
Although the trackball separates the P1 and P2 sticks, can you still use them comfortably to play Black Widow and Robotron or is the distance between them too great?

The distance between sticks is about 14". I haven't actually played twin stick games on it yet but I can tell you it is comfortable gripping both sticks at once. The overall width of my panel is only 25".

Bit late but I LOVE the second vector one - well done on the whole build so far

Thanks! Vector one is what I'm going with.


UPDATE: Wiring done!

« Last Edit: October 30, 2012, 04:16:20 am by DrChek »

Arturius

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #74 on: October 30, 2012, 04:47:10 am »
That is great wiring, my last CP looked like I had thrown spaghetti at it!
Getting there, just rather slowly...

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #75 on: October 30, 2012, 09:19:02 am »
The design work and the art is amazing, I'm loving this build!  :cheers:

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #76 on: October 30, 2012, 05:17:16 pm »
In light of the recent news I've reworked my side art...


Stay tuned for more changes.  >:D

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #77 on: October 30, 2012, 05:26:05 pm »
BWAHAHAHA  :laugh2:

not sure how i feel about that news though

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #78 on: October 31, 2012, 01:53:15 pm »

DrChek

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Re: ECHO BASE - Star Wars Themed Build
« Reply #79 on: November 02, 2012, 07:38:36 pm »
Small Update:

No pictures but the cabinet was sprayed with the primer coat today. Painting should be done next week and hopefully I'll have the cabinet back at the house next weekend to start putting the internals in.