Felix & Son Arcade | Custom Game and Artwork

[meyer980]

Guys, just got my hand on a really rare game! It's a Felix & Son cabinet from 1981, which as we all know, was the first appearance of Fix It Felix Jr., alongside his father Felix Sr. It was so popular, he of course went on to eventually have his own game.

Wait a second, what you talking 'bout Meyer?

Ok, anyone that knows me or reads my signature knows that I love the story of Wreck It Ralph. Specifically, I love the idea of this scrappy company Tobikomi competing with Nintendo - probably stealing ideas from each other. UnclearHermit doing a full-sized Wreck It Ralph cabinet really got me thinking, they must have created other games, right? Well, here's mine: Felix & Son (a Mario Bros Clone).



I've coded my own game to play inside a cabinet with newly designed artwork. This build will be using one of Haruman's Pretendo kits (sadly, space is a very limiting factor for me right now). Haruman was kind enough to take my artwork and do the mockup you see above. The final cabinet will have two joysticks with two buttons each.

The Game
You can see some of the gameplay below. I've done my best to make it a spin of Mario Bros. It is two player simultaneous. Felix Sr. and Jr. are trying to keep some animals from sneaking into a building they manage. I did all of the game graphics, sounds, and coding.



The Build
I've purchased the kit from Haruman, using an Intel NUC I've had laying around for the computer (it's good enough for the 80's and 90's stuff) and will be using buttons, minipac, and joysticks from Ultimarc. Each player will have just two action buttons, start, and coin. Unfortunately, COVID is really putting a damper on my style. I can't get to my building space for at least a few weeks, until restrictions are lifted. I've purchased everything though - so once it all arrives and I can leave my apartment, I'll start posting build pictures!

For those curious, I've put several additional photos and more details on my blog. But let me know what you think! http://sergiostuff.com/2020/04/15/felix-son-arcade-game/

[Drnick]

 

[Alejo I]

That's just lovely 

[nipsmg]

Nice.. What did you write the game in?

[wp34]

This is a really clever idea.  Nice work as usual.

[meyer980]

Thanks for the nice words Drnick, Alejo, and wp34!

Nice.. What did you write the game in?

I continue to use Gamemaker Studio 2's Gamemaker Language, which I've used in the past. This is my first time doing all original sprite work and making a platformer which required some physics. Thankfully lots of good tutorials out there.

If anyone is interested in adding it to their cab, PM me and we'll figure it out (not looking to make money, I just don't want to post a public link). At the moment I've only compiled it for Windows.

[UnclearHermit]

Very nice 

[morton]

That looks like a game that is right in line with the original which I thought was a really well done game based on the play I've seen. A classic game but made recently. It's not easy to do IMO. Yours looks like it's as you said, right in line with a company competing with Nintendo in the day. Superbly done.

I am blown away at the dedication some show here. This is just awesome. I've seen mention of that Game Maker software before and always assumed the learning curve was steep. Should look into it more for myself.

Ralph is a great franchise for Disney IMO and gets them working with properties that may not have been as keen to get into or back into movie properties (I'm looking at you Capcom... SF was brutal). Not that I am team Mouse, but I do appreciate when we get our nostalgic fancies tickled heh. Always helps when kids and adults can enjoy the same material. Then again, I don't know why people keep labeling us as Adults. Such a loaded word lol

[meyer980]

That looks like a game that is right in line with the original which I thought was a really well done game based on the play I've seen. A classic game but made recently. It's not easy to do IMO. Yours looks like it's as you said, right in line with a company competing with Nintendo in the day. Superbly done.

This is very high praise, thank you. That's exactly what I was going for.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Wonderful idea. The design is awesome, too; the only thing that bugs me is the Donkey Kong-blue of the cab, which looks like it belongs on a different cab. Maybe use a different shade of blue? Matter of taste though, looking forward to reading about your build!

[matsadona]

 

[meyer980]

Wonderful idea. The design is awesome, too; the only thing that bugs me is the Donkey Kong-blue of the cab, which looks like it belongs on a different cab. Maybe use a different shade of blue? Matter of taste though, looking forward to reading about your build!

I struggled with choosing the cabinet color too. Ultimately, I went with blue because my wife and I agreed it looked best with my artwork and also that's the color of a Fix It Felix jr cabinet. I did try other colors but just didn't love any of them.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Build what you dig, mate. We`re looking forward to any pics of your progress!

[Arroyo]

Kudos for writing your own game.  Seems you are getting a knack for it, between this and the Wreck it Ralph.  Will be interested to see how this one turns out.

[meyer980]

Kudos for writing your own game.  Seems you are getting a knack for it, between this and the Wreck it Ralph.  Will be interested to see how this one turns out.

Thanks Arroyo! The software is pretty much complete (unless bugs are found) so PM me if you'd like a copy for your cab.

[meyer980]

I'll post more photos and details but it was a successful weekend!

[jdbailey1206]

I can assume your rocker switch issue got resolved?

[meyer980]

I can assume your rocker switch issue got resolved?

I took your advice, and just did a temp wiring job until a new switch arrives this week. I called 5 different stores in St. Cloud (even a retired guy who sells parts out of his house!) and nobody carried something similar enough to use. So, I'll have to be patient.

[meyer980]

Here are some more photos. While working, I kept telling myself to take more pictures of the process but failed. I want to say the Haurman's kit was a real pleasure to assemble. I'd definitely recommend him to others. My control panel even already had under-mount screw threads pre-installed which is something I wasn't expecting. I had bought carriage bolts and everything, it was a joy not to need them! Depending on your needs though, you will have to make little changes here/there, like choosing how to mount a marquee light or where to place your monitor. Anyway, it was a fun weekend of building and you can read more about the game and cabinet here: https://sergiostuff.com/2020/04/15/felix-son-arcade-game/

[jdbailey1206]

I can assume your rocker switch issue got resolved?

I took your advice, and just did a temp wiring job until a new switch arrives this week. I called 5 different stores in St. Cloud (even a retired guy who sells parts out of his house!) and nobody carried something similar enough to use. So, I'll have to be patient.

Awesome!  Arcades are definitely a labor of love.  I'm sure you would of had no problem finding a switch if we were in different times but in two weeks when you have it all wired up it wont matter.  I still have to play the software and I'm fighting for personal time so it may take a hot minute.  Two questions meyer:  Why did you not label your buttons and where did you get your bezel printed?  Again awesome work meyer.

[pbj]

Next do a project for the better movie Pixels.

[meyer980]

Awesome!  Arcades are definitely a labor of love.  I'm sure you would of had no problem finding a switch if we were in different times but in two weeks when you have it all wired up it wont matter.  I still have to play the software and I'm fighting for personal time so it may take a hot minute.  Two questions meyer:  Why did you not label your buttons and where did you get your bezel printed?  Again awesome work meyer.

Exactly, waiting was the smart move. To your questions: I got goldleaf buttons from ultimarc, and they don't seem to have labels for them. If I wanted to add some, how would I do that? Haruman had a printer-partner, so to make things easy I just used him. That way all the wood and artwork came together in one package. It's a sticker on the front of plexi. Thanks for the compliments, tt was lots of fun to make. Let me know if you have any problems with the game!

[Mike A]

They put a sticker on TOP of the plexi?

[jdbailey1206]

I took a closer look at your monitor bezel and I can now see that you had the artwork printed and applied it to the monitor bezel.  At first glance I thought you had it printed directly to the monitor bezel as I had done with my FFJR build.  To clarify the button labels:  What I meant to ask was why you labeled "Controller" under the joysticks on the CP but did not label above / below each of the buttons as most control panels do. 

[meyer980]

They put a sticker on TOP of the plexi?

Yeah, it's a die-cut vinyl sticker on plexi. Isn't that pretty normal? This is just a personal use thing, I understand there are higher quality methods like printing straight on glass. But it seems like those cost a good bit more too, yes?

I took a closer look at your monitor bezel and I can now see that you had the artwork printed and applied it to the monitor bezel.  At first glance I thought you had it printed directly to the monitor bezel as I had done with my FFJR build.  To clarify the button labels:  What I meant to ask was why you labeled "Controller" under the joysticks on the CP but did not label above / below each of the buttons as most control panels do. 

Oh sure, good point! You're right, I could have and probably SHOULD have done this. While doing the CPO artwork though I let MAME multi-game stuff get into my head a bit and figured for other games the labels could be confusing (something labeled jump might not be jump in other games). I chickened out. If I were to do it again, I'd probably label those buttons. It would be more authentic to a dedicated machine.

[Mike A]

It should be printed on the bottom of the plexi. The entire point of plexi would be to protect the artwork.

[JDFan]

It should be printed on the bottom of the plexi. The entire point of plexi would be to protect the artwork.

^ This - unless you put a second piece of plexi over the top of the one with the sticker on it - So artwork sandwiched between the 2 pieces of plexi - If the art is on top of the plexi it will get damaged/worn fairly quickly.

For best results they should have printed the artwork so that it could be attached to the back side of the plexi not over the front.

[meyer980]

It should be printed on the bottom of the plexi. The entire point of plexi would be to protect the artwork.

Yes, and in places like the control panel / marquee, the plaxi is covering the artwork. I'd argue that the main purpose of the bezel plexi is to protect the monitor though, which it still is.

I agree with you and JDFan that it would be ideal to have it behind. Perhaps a future upgrade or the next build.

[Mike A]

I thought the CP was what you were referencing in the post I read. However, the artwork should be on the backside of the bezel too.

[uptown47]

Wow!! Excellent work!! Outstanding

[vertexguy]

[
Oh sure, good point! You're right, I could have and probably SHOULD have done this. While doing the CPO artwork though I let MAME multi-game stuff get into my head a bit and figured for other games the labels could be confusing (something labeled jump might not be jump in other games). I chickened out. If I were to do it again, I'd probably label those buttons. It would be more authentic to a dedicated machine.

This sounds like an opportunity for innovation in this field.  Just imagine small LCD displays for your button labels that can be programmed to change dynamically with each game.    Not for everyone, but neither are LCD marquees.

By the way I love the look of this cab.  Feels very classic retro.

[PL1]

Just imagine small LCD displays for your button labels that can be programmed to change dynamically with each game. 

Related thread:  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,145970.0.html


Scott

[meyer980]

Here's what it's all about folks. Actual kids - playing something I made! Seriously, this was the coolest thing to watch.

[yotsuya]

Just to add, I’ve done a sticker on top of a plexi bezel. Really doesn’t matter if it’s home use only. If your kids are carving bad words into the plexi with a switchblade, you have other problems going on.

This is an awesome project. Can’t believe I didn’t see it before.

[uptown47]

Here's what it's all about folks. Actual kids - playing something I made! Seriously, this was the coolest thing to watch.

That is inspiring and heartwarming. A massive congratulations. You've done what probably only 0.0001% of the Dads on the planet could do. You should be well chuffed with yourself. Nice one :-)

[meyer980]

Here's what it's all about folks. Actual kids - playing something I made! Seriously, this was the coolest thing to watch.

That is inspiring and heartwarming. A massive congratulations. You've done what probably only 0.0001% of the Dads on the planet could do. You should be well chuffed with yourself. Nice one :-)

haha thanks! Full transparency, they are not my kids. They belong to a good friend of mine. I actually gave him the cabinet to keep. My amazing wife decided we didn't have a good space for it in our apartment. Someday we'll have a house lol

[Arroyo]

Very clean final product, I'd be very proud of that one, especially the game editing