Your biggest pet peeve of when others use your arcade

[romshark]

So you've got an arcade cabinet, or at least an arcade controller. You invite friends over to play, or have family members to show it off to, ect.

What do they do to your stuff that bugs you the most? Too violent with the equipment? Maybe playing after eating fried chicken, and not washing their hands or even a napkin? I'm sure some members have horror stories to share.

Not as dramatic, but when I have controls with "coin-up" buttons, it annoys me when the person taps it a bunch of times really fast. I prefer coining up as you need it. It's especially bad for games that remember how many credits after quitting. I boot up a game and it goes straight to "credits: 15. Press P1 or P2 start." (I like watching attract modes, and having credits sometimes keeps it from cycling.)
The worst one is when they did it to my real Naomi setup. That system remembers the credits. I think I have to do a reset in the test menu. This wiped out the credits, but also my settings.

[vaderag]

I'm a coin basher... :s
I wish i wasn't, but I am...

[pbj]

You should be grateful that people will even look at them, much less play a game.  I've had several collectors ask me to stop shaking their precious, precious pinball machines. 

Give me a break.

[BadMouth]

Back when all I had was an X-arcade tankstick on a pedestal, one of my friends would have such a death grip on the joystick and move it so forcefully that he would be lifting half the CP by the joystick without realizing it.  The CP would literally be hanging by the joystick and he'd be so focused on the screen that he wouldn't even notice.
The new cab is always "not working" when he visits.

One of my friends kids just moves the joystick as violently as possible and mashes random buttons until they exit mala which shuts down windows on exit.
Then they tell me the game shut off and beg me to fix it.  The new cab is always "not working" when she visits.

Another one of my friends let their toddler climb all over my driving cabs unsupervised.  The kid took a dive off the base of one one and cracked their head on the base of the other.

This was a deciding factor in doing away with the bar in my basement.  All my friends were having kids and then bringing them to parties at my place and not watching them.
One would even open the door, shove his kids in, then stand outside all evening. 

There were panes of glass, fluorescent tubes, scrap sheet metal, etc laying around the workshop in the corner.  Nobody seemed concerned with monitoring the kids except for me and one other friend whose kid was actually well behaved enough to not need watching anyway.

Worst of all was the one friend who would insist on playing the original Mortal Kombat all evening and would only play as Sonya.

[pbj]

Worst of all was the one friend who would insist on playing the original Mortal Kombat all evening and would only play as Sonya.

LOL I like that friend.

[Malenko]

asking me to turn down the difficulty.   All of my games are set to medium, except Maximum Speed (its on easy, the AI doesnt change you just get more time) and NeoGeo is set on 3 instead of 4.

[gildahl]

I turn off the coin-up buttons and force the use of real coins when I have kids over.  By keeping the supply of coins seemingly limited (I'll usually provide more if they insist), it seems to have a positive effect on the kind of engagement they have.  I also turn off the ability to continue play on titles supporting that option.  The most annoying things are when they lean heavily on the CP and when they somehow manage to get the machine back to the desktop (still haven't figured out what button mashing combo does that).

[bandontherun]

Somehow the kids have managed a button combo that deletes my favorites list in MameWah...
That said on my ArcadeSD Galaga can- I only have it set up for quarters - no free play so that seems to make people care more about the game for some reason...


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[Osirus23]

They expect me to build them one.

[yotsuya]

They expect me to build them one.

For cheap.

[Jamesbeat]

I turn off the coin-up buttons and force the use of real coins when I have kids over.  By keeping the supply of coins seemingly limited (I'll usually provide more if they insist), it seems to have a positive effect on the kind of engagement they have.  I also turn off the ability to continue play on titles supporting that option.  The most annoying things are when they lean heavily on the CP and when they somehow manage to get the machine back to the desktop (still haven't figured out what button mashing combo does that).

Same here - there is some combination of button presses on my cab that brings up a menu in advmenu, and without a keyboard I can only exit and reboot the machine.
I have never found what combination does this, but when a guest gets on the cabinet, they seem to find it almost instantly, and they can never remember what they did so I can disable it.

[BadMouth]

They expect me to build them one.

For cheap.

Last Saturday I got the "why don't you go into business building these?"

...Because If I charged what I thought they were worth, I'd still only be making about $5 per hour.
Of course everyone thinks I'd be selling them for a few hundred bucks.

I've only ever sold one....it was to a friend....several years ago.....for couple hundred bucks......and I'm still making service calls once or twice a year.

[DeLuSioNal29]

They expect me to build them one.

For cheap.

+ 1.  I get asked all the time.  And I especially love it when they say that I can make the building/restoring of arcade machines a business and quit my job.

Lately though, I've been giving them outrageous prices and then they leave me alone.

D

[yotsuya]

They expect me to build them one.

For cheap.

+ 1.  I get asked all the time.  And I especially love it when they say that I can make the building/restoring of arcade machines a business and quit my job.

Lately though, I've been giving them outrageous prices and then they leave me alone.

D

Amen. And no, just because it's a bartop doesn't mean it's going to be super magically cheaper. I've built two full-size MAME cabs for basically cost, but they were for two friends. Never again.

[RandyT]

It is funny that an individual who would never dream of chucking your $40 PS4 controller across the room, has no qualms about pounding his fist on the controls of your $2000 "pride and joy".  But some people have grown up with the "drive it like you stole it" mentality when it comes to publicly used stand up arcade machines.  Somewhere, there is a mental connection between those machines and one you have in the living room.  This might be a compliment to the owner of some nature, but it's delivery can be unpleasant.

I've had several collectors ask me to stop shaking their precious, precious pinball machines. 

This one hit me a little close to home.  I have only one pinball machine, and am not a "shaker" when it comes to playing it.  If someone were man-handling my machine, I would probably wince a bit, but they are built to take it.  But I can definitely see someone being overprotective of an old EM machine which might have become more fragile with age.  It's not like one can just go down to Walmart and buy another when it breaks.  I plan on building a long-overdue digital pin this summer, and I think I would be much more protective of that one.  Things like hard drives and flat panels don't like being knocked around as much.

But yes, I am usually just happy when my friends drop by and actually want to play.  I'll put up with their idiosyncrasies for the sake of seeing them enjoy themselves. If you are too fussy about how they play, they'll likely never want to again.

[pbj]

Shaking is part of the game with pinball and they have been designed accordingly since the beginning.  If you chose not to shake you aren't playing as intended.

[RandyT]

Shaking is part of the game with pinball and they have been designed accordingly since the beginning.  If you chose not to shake you aren't playing as intended.

Understood.   It's probably also important to disclose that the first pinball games had no flippers, so it was integral to gameplay.  I'm also more of a "nudger" than a "shaker".  The difference is just a matter of amplitude.

But overall, I'm a bit more of a fatalist when playing pinball.  Sometimes the ball goes your way, and sometimes it doesn't.  Trying to force it where you want it to go, still often ends in a lost ball, leaving you only tired for the effort.  When the game yields itself, I take full advantage and do very well.  When it doesn't, I don't lose a quarter.  It's my game. 

[P.H.U.]

They expect me to build them one.

This one.

[Token]

Glass touchers and button mashers 

They are not always children.

[Xiaou2]

It is funny that an individual who would never dream of chucking your $40 PS4 controller across the room, has no qualms about pounding his fist on the controls of your $2000 "pride and joy".  But some people have grown up with the "drive it like you stole it" mentality when it comes to publicly used stand up arcade machines.  Somewhere, there is a mental connection between those machines and one you have in the living room.  This might be a compliment to the owner of some nature, but it's delivery can be unpleasant.

I've had several collectors ask me to stop shaking their precious, precious pinball machines. 

This one hit me a little close to home.  I have only one pinball machine, and am not a "shaker" when it comes to playing it.  If someone were man-handling my machine, I would probably wince a bit, but they are built to take it.  But I can definitely see someone being overprotective of an old EM machine which might have become more fragile with age.  It's not like one can just go down to Walmart and buy another when it breaks.  I plan on building a long-overdue digital pin this summer, and I think I would be much more protective of that one.  Things like hard drives and flat panels don't like being knocked around as much.

But yes, I am usually just happy when my friends drop by and actually want to play.  I'll put up with their idiosyncrasies for the sake of seeing them enjoy themselves. If you are too fussy about how they play, they'll likely never want to again.

 Your quotes show the reason why you earlier posted that you got Bored with pinball machines...

 You simply cant play pinball without using "English".   The game was ALWAYS intended to be NUDGED!

 The older EM machines play slower than the new machines, due to using a lower playfield angle.. and possibly less powerful coils.  They also placed the flippers much further apart.  Because the ball moves slower... any tap on the cabinet will make the balls vector change drastically.  This is why the flippers were so much further apart than the newer machines.

 Even though the vector effects are minimized on the new machines... they still are a MAJOR part of how the game is supposed to function.  The flippers and drains will eat your ball like Madd... unless you know how to nudge properly, to keep the balls vectors from going into certain areas.  As well as having to consider the ball spin... as certain areas of the game will create the spin, and the spin will cause the balls vectors to drastically alter when your flipper hits it.

 The only time I ever cringed about pinball abuse, is when someone slides a machine fully sideways a full 6inches.   Or when they do a "Death Save"  by kicking the front leg when the ball hits the drains apron angle.    The machines can handle all of this... UNLESS... the leg bolts were loose / damaged.. from previous poor assembly / maintenance practices.  Otherwise.. the machines could easily stand up to any abuse... ESPECIALLY the older EMs,  which are build like Tanks.   Delicate?!   There is nothing delicate or dainty about an EM!  lol   The EMs well generally outlive the Digitals.   The only real failures are from dirty corroded contacts.   No Transistors, diodes, or Caps to pop / burn out.  No static electricity, no bit rot.  No whimpy assemblies that crack with the smack of a few hard balls.

 I love both styles of machines, and while Im no master-class pinball player.. I have learned to love pinball After I figured out the art of the Nudge.  Sorry, but you are still a clueless Pinball NOOB.

[RandyT]

Sorry, but you are still a clueless Pinball NOOB.

I often have to walk away from tables set to award free games, with credits still waiting.  Maybe I'm just lucky.... or maybe it's because I have put time in on just about every table I have run across for the last 40 years, and really enjoy the game.

Once again, you assume way too much from virtually no real information.  BTW, you might want to read the second post I wrote, just shortly after the one you couldn't wait to reply to.   

[Jamesbeat]

Button mashers don't bother me really, I mean, the buttons and joysticks are built to take abuse in a public setting, and our home machines have a really easy life by comparison.

Has anyone had someone really damage their machine by some overzealous gameplay?

[harveybirdman]

My kids wear out microswitches on action button 1 pretty regularly.

[Jamesbeat]

My kids wear out microswitches on action button 1 pretty regularly.

Wear them out or break them through rough use?
They are not the same thing.

[dmckean]

My kids wear out microswitches on action button 1 pretty regularly.

Wear them out or break them through rough use?
They are not the same thing.

Microswitches just wear out quickly on games where you mash a fire button, there's no getting around it. On my stick they'd last about 6 months or so. I eventually switched to leafs on my stick for buttons 1 and 2 only and then there was no longer a problem.

[paigeoliver]

I have been collecting for 16 years and can count the number of switches I have had to replace on games on one hand (not counting switches that were already broken when I got the game). Never had to replace a joystick that wasn't already gone when I got it, and the new Happ trackball I put on my mame cabinet in 2003 still hasn't worn the rollers enough to be able to physically feel the wear (you can see the stripe but you can't feel it).

My pet peeve is grown women who hit the glass when they loose.

My second pet peeve is the fact that kids spend way too much time fighting over my Pole Position cockpit (sometimes cramming into it 2 at a time) and not nearly enough time learning to play anything with a joystick.

[eds1275]

I have a 10" or so deep control panel. I let people know beforehand that you CANNOT superman the trackball. There has been lots of blood, crying, and broken fingernails as well as lectures as to why I should have made it supermanable. It's my machine, I built it how I wanted it, and super man style trackball has never been my technique.

Also accusing me of "cheating" because I am good at the games I like - street fighter, mortal kombat, golden tee, bullseye, shuffle shot... sorry I will not dumb down my talent in a versus game unless you are a child. Even then I keep the game so close sometimes I accidentally win.

[yotsuya]

I have a 10" or so deep control panel. I let people know beforehand that you CANNOT superman the trackball. There has been lots of blood, crying, and broken fingernails as well as lectures as to why I should have made it supermanable. It's my machine, I built it how I wanted it, and super man style trackball has never been my technique.

Also accusing me of "cheating" because I am good at the games I like - street fighter, mortal kombat, golden tee, bullseye, shuffle shot... sorry I will not dumb down my talent in a versus game unless you are a child. Even then I keep the game so close sometimes I accidentally win.

I still love your story of the guy that got pissed, broke your cab,  and ran away.

[eds1275]

I still love your story of the guy that got pissed, broke your cab,  and ran away.

I don't. Next time someone starts snorting cocaine off of my freezer I'll start by busting heads instead of yelling.

[vaderag]

This is what worries me about sticking my cp down with magnets!! Not sure what the answer is, but may be asking for trouble!!

[Slippyblade]

This is what worries me about sticking my cp down with magnets!! Not sure what the answer is, but may be asking for trouble!!

What is what worries you?

I've used rare earth magnets as CP hold downs and they work just fine.

[WindDrake]

#1: People hitting the cabs when they lose.
#2: Violent play. It's a joystick, not a ---smurfing--- prybar.

Other than that? Meh. Shake the pins (I do)!

The superman story by eds1275 is funny, though. I think my CP is only ~18 deep, so if you do that, you'll end up with smashed fingertips. Only ever had one person do that.

[jennifer]

     While out on route I had some kids tear the coindoor off my Red Barron, steal the money and then pee in the hole, This kinda made me angry (although Jennifer did fix it)... Other than vandalism I like when people get violent with my games, especially the new builds. Not are they only enjoying it as intended but it makes the burn it period seem a bit more complete....Pinballs, Oh yes it takes a fair amount of violence to be good at it, I wrap my tilt bobs with foam and anything goes.

[eds1275]

The superman story by eds1275 is funny, though. I think my CP is only ~18 deep, so if you do that, you'll end up with smashed fingertips. Only ever had one person do that.

Damn people.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156595762855246&l=7b7c64dd65

[rackoon]

I have a cab in my classroom and it drives me crazy when students hit the joystick real hard after a hard loss. I even had one kid knee the coin door and snap the bezel off the coin return. 

[paigeoliver]

I have a cab in my classroom and it drives me crazy when students hit the joystick real hard after a hard loss. I even had one kid knee the coin door and snap the bezel off the coin return. 

Well thats why they sell those parts as replacements.

[lisowskikevin]

They expect me to build them one.

For cheap.

Last Saturday I got the "why don't you go into business building these?"

...Because If I charged what I thought they were worth, I'd still only be making about $5 per hour.
Of course everyone thinks I'd be selling them for a few hundred bucks.

I've only ever sold one....it was to a friend....several years ago.....for couple hundred bucks......and I'm still making service calls once or twice a year.

This one is my favourite! Can completely relate.

[paigeoliver]

That very reason is why I would usually only dump them at public auction and not personally sell them, so I wasn't doing lifetime tech support on windows 98 for a cabinet that I would be lucky to turn a $300 profit on.

I've only ever sold one....it was to a friend....several years ago.....for couple hundred bucks......and I'm still making service calls once or twice a year.

[Cynicaster]

I have a 10" or so deep control panel. I let people know beforehand that you CANNOT superman the trackball.

I’m not familiar with the term “superman” as it relates to trackball usage, but I assume it refers to the boorish Golden Tee technique that is popular among local pub dude-bros who could never dream of grasping the concept of "input saturation".  Highly correlated with this behavior: consumption of Bud Light, thinking Nickelback is a good band, a propensity to skip leg day at the gym, and a misplaced belief that cargo shorts are the only waist-down garment available to mankind.   

Yeah, I hate that too, and I always tell people it’s not allowed on my cabinet because there is just not enough room for it.  But there is always somebody who doesn’t believe me when I say they are guaranteed to smash their hand into my bezel, and they try it anyway.  Luckily I’ve got 6 years and no cab damage to speak of yet, but it’s still freakin’ maddening. 

[eds1275]

I wouldn't mind if they would stop telling me that I built it "wrong" (I did adjust the sensitivity to reflect the fact that you can't fire your arm through the machine) giving me tips on my "next" machine that I have to build to fix the serious flaws, and if there was no damage.

These are also the people that tell me that I cheat because I am good at the games I like.