Mission Control Project: 5 years on, what to do with the leftovers?

[yotsuya]

The Epic Fail Cabinet Guy could stand to take some lessons from you. Excellent job!

[Ed_McCarron]

Amazing.  The cabinet.

As for the video, if that's your real hair, I am -so- jealous.

[wp34]

Not only a totally originally cabinet but now an off the hook video.  Way too cool.  

Glad to hear you are enjoying playing the finished product.  Thanks for sharing your build with us.

It was funny but somehow also choked me up toward the end.

Me too.  I lost my father a year ago this week.  That shot of the tools at the very end reminded me of his shop.

[Pixelhugger]

if that's your real hair, I am -so- jealous.

Sadly the hair, like the pixelated spandex, is an enhancement.

[Santoro]

Just awesome Mitch, Congrats!   It came out just as amazing as I knew it would.



What's next?

[BobA]

A great video and a truly fitting tribute to a fantastic build. 

[Nada]

Wow! I can't believe it's done! Great Video.  Honestly, I would love to see stills and a video of the FE working etc... Don't even worry about fancy editing or titles, I just want to be able to see what it's like if I was standing there about to drop a token in to play a game.

Great Inspiration in this thread.  Are you going to go forward with the coffee table "making of" book idea?

P.S. That was nice of you to put in the shout-outs! 

[Pixelhugger]

I lost my father a year ago this week.  That shot of the tools at the very end reminded me of his shop.

Man, I'm really sorry. I do believe, like I said earlier, that the people responsible for who and what we are continue on in what they've contributed to what we become. Doesn't really make it easier but I think it helps put at least some sense into it.

Thanks for sharing that.

[Pixelhugger]

It came out just as amazing as I knew it would.

As always thanks for the vote of confidence Dave. I always knew (hoped) I'd finish at some point. It was at times both motivating and demoralizing when people lost confidence in that, so I always appreciated it when people like you would point to the demands of kids and real life to put things in perspective.

What's next?

I dunno. Maybe another kid?

I've been tempted by what Ben Heck has done portable-izing consoles and would love to do a wood and metal version of a 2600. Especially now that LCD's have gotten so good.

[BadMouth]

MOAR shots of the finished cab!!!!  

[Pixelhugger]

P.S. That was nice of you to put in the shout-outs! 

Thanks but... are you kidding!?   The video itself is solely for the people who have followed this thread. Thats the only reason for making it. That and to loose any respect I had from coworkers at my job. Everyone who contributed (for better or worse) deserves credit for pushing my slow a&*$%! forward...

Honestly, I would love to see stills and a video of the FE working etc... Don't even worry about fancy editing or titles, I just want to be able to see what it's like if I was standing there about to drop a token in to play a game.

Great Inspiration in this thread.  Are you going to go forward with the coffee table "making of" book idea?

I guess that's what the website will come down to. The coffee table book and "one-off-commemorative-magazine-a-la-when-some-British-royal-gets-married "idea of sheer self indulgence has reduced itself to.. well... pretty much the same exact thing only in browsable PDF form on a website. Page turn effects and all.  

I had really wanted to learn Flash and get the website up to coincide with the unveiling video, but it was becoming clear that would delay me by months at best. So to answer Santoro, that's really what's next.

And to address jfunk about not having a project to follow over the years or something to check in on, I've always wanted the website to pick up that responsibility.   Much like the EGM magazines I'd check for at Safeway after school. To that point, and now that there's no more construction, planning and tweaking to obsess over, I'm hoping to post skins and marquee/cp art there on a hopefully regular basis. Something to give people a reason to lurk or browse. I lost many many hours ogling Zappers Robotron 3000 site and others like it back in the day, and I think that's left me with a permanent interest in developing something that does the same for others. That's why peoples comments that they've enjoyed following the thread, or in the case of jfunks that "the anticipation was half the fun" mean so much to me. That's exactly what I've wanted to give back because that's exactly what I've taken from so many other projects here over the years.

[Pixelhugger]

MOAR

Excellent!

[yotsuya]

I guess that's what the website will come down to. The coffee table book and "one-off-commemorative-magazine-a-la-when-some-British-royal-gets-married "idea of sheer self indulgence has reduced itself to.. well... pretty much the same exact thing only in browsable PDF form on a website. Page turn effects and all.  

Does that mean that The Franklin Mint will be selling commerative plates that can only go up in value*? Sign me up!





*Note: Not all plates rise in value.

[Martijn]

Out of this world!!  This thread has it all, discussions, emotions. Ever since i found BYOAC this topic has been alive. Its like BYOAC Forum was made just for this build 

I especially like that so many people from pixelhugger got involved. For most its a one man show to build and this forum to help.

I you will enjoy Mission Control as much as i did reading this thread.

Best Thread ever! 

[leapinlew]

Good job bro.

 

[HaRuMaN]

Awesome!  Was cool to see my name in the credits there...

Incredible work, and the video is just the icing on the cake.  Makes me want to undertake some kind of epic build!   

End of the video kinda choked me up, too.  Reminded me of my granddad out in his garage...

[dexxy]

Wow...just...WOW!

[dfmaverick]

Look at the size of that thing! That's no moon...it's a space station.

Incredible job. I knew it was big but I guess I'd never noticed how substantial it was until the video.

Video was a trip. I can just see your family off camera aiming the fan at you.

Now that it is done, I felt obligated to go back and see when I first commented on the thread since I made it into the credits (2005). Thanks for that.

Just a beautiful build. Congratulations.

[Zakk]

Hmm, I don't think I really like the completed project.  Can you tear it down, and make it, you know, happier? 

[Rando]

Dude,
I don't know you, but you're awesome.  And the cab is gorgeous.  And the video was amazing.  And I hope you continue to have a good time with it all!

Nice.

[CheffoJeffo]

Part of me wants to ask if it will fit in my basement, but the rest of me is totally horrified.

Global financial meltdown. Check.
Rioting in the streets. Check.
Xiaou2 (or CheffoJeffo) not being banned. Check.
PH completing MissionControl. Check.

The four horsemen are queued up and ready to roll.

Press Start to Proceed.

 

PS -- Awesome -- how does she play ?

[upprc04]

Amazing work and a great video to show it off!

[dfmaverick]

The four horsemen are queued up and ready to roll.

I guess I wasn't the only one expecting my house to be swallowed up by the earth last night.


Now that the prototype is finally finished, when does it start rolling off the assembly line?

[Pixelhugger]

Hmm, I don't think I really like the completed project.  Can you tear it down, and make it, you know, happier? 

In my defense Zakk, you haven't seen the kittens playing the piano in the frontend yet.

[Malenko]

you forgot me in the credits. I look forward to the final countdown video version 2.0

[Pixelhugger]

What the ?!!?

Really? Aw crap

[shrunkenmaster]

Stunning workmanship my man, you're an inspiration to many 

[Mikezilla]

This thread was the first thread I looked at when I first joined these boards over a year ago, I had to go through the whole thing. Since I am a noob I couldnt contribute to anything but man, seeing this complete is amazing!! The video was glorious, I love that song haha! The craftsmanship is absolutely superb! 

Makes my cab look like dogshit. 

Congratulations on a job well done!!! 

[TOK]

Nice job! You have to start a vert one now! 

[mr.Curmudgeon]

I bet the whole community feels the relief you feel right now; those long, intense labor pains suddenly gone; seeming so distant with that beautiful baby staring you right in the face; gleaming with newness, promising your renewal ...and just begging you to play another round of Robotron, or Defender, or Joust, or....

Congrats, Pixel! I'm jealous of your workmanship and awed by your perseverance. Bravo!  

[Pixelhugger]

P.S.: it's weird to see my name in the credits. I just searched the whole thread so that I could remember what I said.

Yeah, finding stuff in here can be a needle in a haystack...

Design #1 makes me think about Day of the Tentacle, probably because of the font and the "cartoonish" look of the overall design due to that font.

Design #2 makes me think about a more serious theme, probably not NASA-category but at least not cartoonish. The rocket and the motion curve would need to be redone/enhanced because they block the title too much. Not enough contrast or something, sorry if I'm so vague but visual design isn't a strong point of mine.

and then

To me it looks like those "cut here" lines.

Talking about those lines however, the spacing between the dashes at the bottom of the trackball needs to be corrected IMO. Sorry if it has already been mentionned but this is like the longest thread ever. 

[Pixelhugger]

those long, intense labor pains suddenly gone; seeming so distant with that beautiful baby staring you right in the face; gleaming with newness, promising your renewal

You forgot "keeping you up all night" 

[Pixelhugger]

you forgot me in the credits. I look forward to the final countdown video version 2.0

Oh, you were kidding. DOH!

Going through 41 pages to check, at least I found YVAN.   

[Pixelhugger]

Look at the size of that thing!...  I knew it was big but I guess I'd never noticed how substantial it was until the video.

That makes two of us. Once we got it inside I realized I had waaay underestimated it's size and footprint. There was literally only 1 place in the house it could fit and even then it has to be pushed flush against the wall in the corner, hiding one side and the back. I had always thought I'd angle it 45º in the corner, but it'd stick out so far it'd cover half the french doors.  

Ah, well. There's always a remodel.

[javeryh]

Look at the size of that thing!...  I knew it was big but I guess I'd never noticed how substantial it was until the video.

That makes two of us. Once we got it inside I realized I had waaay underestimated it's size and footprint. There was literally only 1 place in the house it could fit and even then it has to be pushed flush against the wall in the corner, hiding one side and the back. I had always thought I'd angle it 45º in the corner, but it'd stick out so far it'd cover half the french doors.  

Ah, well. There's always a remodel.

There's really only one solution to your problem: You need to move!    This thing NEEDS to be displayed in the middle of a room (like a basement game room or something) so you can see it from all sides.  

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

I joined BYOAC back in 2007.  I've quietly followed this thread since then.  I've never had anything to add (nothing that would've been of value, anyway) ... In this case, I was quite content to sit under the tree and simply watch it grow. 

Sometimes, certain actions in life take on a meaning, a purpose larger than themselves.  This is going to sound cheesy, but I know I'm not the only one around here for whom this is one of those moments.  Like the poster who mentioned how he felt at the end of the Harry Potter series, there's a certain breath of ... well, uncertainty now.  The beautiful thing about this (and Pixel, you essentially said it yourself,) is that this is not an end, but a new beginning.

I am sure your family (past, present, and maybe even future) is very, very proud of you.

Congratulations!  Enjoy it!

[Pixelhugger]

I was quite content to sit under the tree and simply watch it grow.

...and about as fast. 

Thanks for speaking up! It's funny, because you never know who is listening or how far your posts reach. I've always thought the huge number of views of this thread is due to the same handful of people repeatedly checking for progress, but I guess there are those who (like I did for years) watch anonymously from the side.

I am sure your family (past, present, and maybe even future) is very, very proud of you.

Well I did get three emails from my mom this morning. Although they were all the the message.   

Thanks Ryori very nice thoughts.

[gbeef]

Wow this is awesome to see complete. Great work and attention to detail.

[nostrebor]

Workmanship, workmanship, workmanship! I have been fabricating things from wood and metal and concrete since I could walk, have worked with many an artisan along the way, been a part of building incredible things... and I stand in awe of your workmanship.

Congratulations Pixel on a job well done. Your gramps would be very proud.

[nostrebor]

By the way, that cabinet I started before yours all those years ago... it's still not finished. So don't worry when life gets in your way. It happens to all of us.