Been going to my local arcade lately - their gun games seem perfect..how?

[SpatzST]

I was there last week and I was trying out some of the gun games that run on LCD panels.. the aiming was perfect, didn't feel laggy or anything.. How is it that good? I have the Aimtrak system but it always feels like im dragging my cursor, I can never get the pointer to feel exactly center on the gun. sometimes the guns lose signal to the IRs.

So are these machines doing something different? More IR points? better gun hardware?

I was playing Big Buck HD, uses the same size screen I have at home just about.  I haven't been able to get my guns to work mostly at all on a big screen even from a distance, so how is Big Buck doing it from only a few feet away?

I guess the real question is is there a better way to setup IR sensors so guns are more accurate?  Like what if I had an IR sensor on the top and bottom of my TV?

[pbj]

The games you have at home weren’t designed to be played with IR guns.

Modern arcade games are.

[paigeoliver]

They are using better hardware with software written with that exact hardware in mind. Also, if the gun is on a swivel mount instead of loose then it probably isn't actually a light gun in the first place.

[SpatzST]

The games you have at home weren’t designed to be played with IR guns.

Modern arcade games are.

true, good point.

I took note next time I went that some games appear to have IR sensors on the top and bottom of the cabinets, and other games looked like they had 4 corners or different variations.  Is there a way to use multiple light bars for large size TV's?

[BadMouth]

Aim trak uses one board with a few IR emitters in the center of the top or bottom of the monitor.

The Sega Type-II setup uses 10 or 12 boards with (2 IR LEDs each) positioned all around the monitor.

In addition the Aim Trak's LEDs are always on, while the Sega LEDs around the monitor strobe at different rates so the gun knows where it's at when only some of them are visible (to the camera in the gun).

EDIT: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,149019.msg1553623.html#msg1553623

[BadMouth]

I have the Aimtrak system but it always feels like im dragging my cursor

Make sure multimouse is enabled so MAME is getting raw data from the aim-trak instead of the windows mouse which is affected by mouse settings in windows.
Also increase the sensitivity in MAME's in game menu until the cursor doesn't lag.

I can never get the pointer to feel exactly center on the gun.

That's just par for the course for IR guns.  Unless you can hold the gun in the exact same spot every time and not move it while pointing it (like it's mounted to something), then it isn't going to be dead on perfect.  (which is why I don't even bother having it on my cab despite having one in the parts bin)

I guess the real question is is there a better way to setup IR sensors so guns are more accurate?  Like what if I had an IR sensor on the top and bottom of my TV?

Not really.  Aim-Trak is as good as it gets for the home gamer right now....for better or worse.
Having more LEDs won't accomplish anything if the software for the guns isn't designed for it.

[pixel]

I have the Aimtrak system but it always feels like im dragging my cursor

Make sure multimouse is enabled so MAME is getting raw data from the aim-trak instead of the windows mouse which is affected by mouse settings in windows.
Also increase the sensitivity in MAME's in game menu until the cursor doesn't lag.

I can never get the pointer to feel exactly center on the gun.

That's just par for the course for IR guns.  Unless you can hold the gun in the exact same spot every time and not move it while pointing it (like it's mounted to something), then it isn't going to be dead on perfect.  (which is why I don't even bother having it on my cab despite having one in the parts bin)

I guess the real question is is there a better way to setup IR sensors so guns are more accurate?  Like what if I had an IR sensor on the top and bottom of my TV?

Not really.  Aim-Trak is as good as it gets for the home gamer right now....for better or worse.
Having more LEDs won't accomplish anything if the software for the guns isn't designed for it.

 I disagree.   The LCDTopguns I picked up years ago,  had excellent accuracy... after I figured out the two bars were in the wrong orientation.

 Yeah... you have to stand back quite a bit,  and without a lot of lights on,  if any... but it was actually decent.  All others Ive owned, were completely Useless.


 Even better,  is that someone posted a video with them,  modded with a wide angle lens on the front, ... which allowed closer stance, 
and even more accurate targeting.


 The Single bar solution is Whack.

[Loafmeister]

LCD TopGuns:  Interestingly, I too had excellent accuracy but the "secret" (for a lack of better words) was all in the calibration. For it to be successful on my cab, I had to calibrate it initially outside of the monitor's actual size.  I can't remember the full details and it was very odd, but it worked!

[Titchgamer]

I prefer the AT’s to the Topgun 2.
The Topgun was accurate when calibrated but proved to loose calibration often and was a general PITA to re calibrate on a cabinet.

The AT’s I find to be accurate enough and easy to recalibrate on the fly.

[voltz]

Who's to say that the lcd's they were using before were lagless?

[shaolindrunkard]

I had a couple of Top guns years ago. Sold them pretty quick. Its just nothing like the real thing and honestly I doubt it ever will be. Even when they were accurate have that stupid reticle on the screen just ruins it for me. Honestly I think if you want some good light gun action at home, you could build a cab around a crt tv and stick a PS2 in there somewhere and a use a couple of guncons, at least it would be closer to the real arcade feel.