I've been following the forum for a while and done a ton of research but not really sure where to begin. I want to build an upright machine that will let my sons (11 and 13) and I play retro games. I can handle the woodworking and assembly of the cabinet, but the more research I do on software/ hardware, the more confused I get. I am planning to have my sons help build and setup the unit. In a perfect world, I would like a 2 player unit with a trac ball and 2 light guns but I know that might not be a smart way to go for a first build. I'd like the unit to be capable of playing as many games as reasonably possible but I am especially interested in the following: Centipede, SuperMario games, Dungeons & Dragons, Frogger, Dragons lair titles, Gauntlet, Space Ace, Area 51 (or other 2 player shooter) Donkey Kong, Pac man, among others. The problem I am having is I am being given all kinds of conflicting advice. examples are - need Mame, don't need Mame, need to use Pi, dont need pi, front end- no front end, need Daphne for laser games, dont need Daphne for them, we should buy a pre-loaded console like X arcade, we shouldnt do that, roms and emulators are easy to use, roms and emulators are a nightmare to use . . . Everytime I do reasearch and find what I think is an answer, it creates more questions. Ideally, I'd like to start off with something that will let me get up and running without massive amounts of headaches. If all goes well and we can learn a few things, I could see us building 2 or 3 units with different (or perhaps increasingly more involved systems). I know there will be a learning curve with whatever system we go with, but at this point, I don't even know were I should start based upon what we want.
Can anyone give us a little guidance on what software and hardware we should be considering and any pointers you think we should know?
We are open to any advice or suggestions you are willing to provide.
so to summarixe, we want to build
-2 player game
-with trac ball and joysticks
-as many games as possible but would especially like as many of above as possible
-not a nightmare to code or program. some is ok as long as at a beginner / intermediate level or sufficient help resources can be found
-light guns if possible
Thanks
Welcome aboard.
As Scott said above you may want to reel your plans in a bit for a first build, Especially since you are unsure about the software side of things.
Most emulators are pretty easy to set up and play on their own, However if you have not used them before and you try to get several together to work at once it will quickly become tedious.
Add lightguns into the mix and you will be pulling your hair out and heading for the tallest roof you can find in no time.
That being said I will offer some pointers to you based on my experiences building a similar cab for myself (Allbeit over the course of several years).
Firstly hardware wise:
If you ultimately want to have lightguns and other devices do not go the pi route, Stick to a PC.
Pi's are great for console emulation but for arcade games they are not the best and if you want to add extra hardware you are in for a real rough ride.
Not sure if you already have a decent PC setup for this purpose if not get the highest single core clock speed processor you can muster in it which will help with 3D games like time crisis which are total resource hogs!
For your joysticks & buttons use a quality encoder or interface board otherwise you will regret it later, Dont buy cheap make life easy on yourself.
I use the MiniPac from ultimarc in my builds but the Ipacs are equally as good.
If you want extra hardware I recommend Ultimarcs Aim Trak Lightguns and spinner/trackball. They are not the cheapest but they do what they are suposed to do. The AT's will work on a LCD so you do not need a CRT, But obviously CRT is better if you can get one
Software wise well thats a big open area and everyone has differing views.
MAME is fine, But the main thing to remember about it is that you need a matching rom set to the version of MAME you are using, Otherwise things wont work correctly.
I.e. if you get a 1.34 rom set you need MAME 1.34, Its generally recommended to use the most up to date version at the time you are doing it.
Dont fall into the trap of having every game on your cabinet that MAME has to offer, Its a MASSIVE list and most of them are junk or unplayable.
Either nit pick with games you want or use the no filler list Scott suggested.
Some games (Area 51 may be one cant remember) Require CHD files to go with the roms, These are basically the files that used to be contained on CD's or HDD's and are required for some games which you need to download seperate.
Again nit pick them as the whole set is over 1TB if I recall.
If you want it to look "nice" you will need a front end, Theres loads out there with varying complexity.
I use hyperspin these days which is a steep learning curve if ime honest but there are some good video tutorials on youtube (Look up simply austin he does some great ones also gigapig).
But others are available just do your research and try them out for yourself, They can be as simple or complicated as you want them to be.
Dont fall into the trap of using maximus arcade though, That FE is as dead as fried chicken!
Ultimately this hobby is all about trial and error and seeing what works.
Download some emulators and roms, have a play see how they work and interface then go from there. If you have specific questions ask and someone will be able to help.
But that should get you started.
Good luck.