Total noob question from a non-noob

[erictrumpet]

Hi all, I don't consider myself a noob but this is totally a noob question. Please go easy on me

Okay here it comes. What exactly is meant when people say "Neo-Geo games" in reference to that 7th button? What games, specifically? Was Neo-Geo a type of multi-game platform back in the day? Is it a type of home system like Nintendo? What confuses me is that some games I play in MAME have NEO GEO on the splash screen, as though Neo Geo is a game publisher, like Namco or Capcom or whatever. I guess that's true of Nintendo too, which is a home system as well as an arcade game company. Help! (I told you this was a noob question! )

This is of interest to me because I am designing my CP and I want the 7th button at least in the Player 1's button bank because it will work well as the Defender reverse button. But if I knew specifically what games people are talking about when they say "Neo Geo games" I might add the 7th button in the Player 2's button bank as well. If the 7th button is used for games that were never coin-op arcade games (which would explain my unfamiliarity with them as I am not interested in emulating anything but coin-op arcade games), then I am not sure I want my cab playing them at all. Thanks for any info and for not flaming me too badly!

Eric.

[D10]

NEO GEO was both an arcade system and a home console.
 The 7th button they are refering to is having a panel setup with a fighter six button configuration, and the 7th button kind of offset on the bottom row. Most NEO GEO used 4 button layout, and under MAME(tm) you set the 7th button up like button (A) on the NEO games.

[MameJunkie]

Yea what ^^^^ said.
Just to add something.  In MAME, all the Neo Geo roms also requires the neo geo bios.

[erictrumpet]

Thanks for the replies -- I should have said, I know WHERE the 7th button goes, and which 4-buttons of the typical 7-button button bank are used for Neo-Geo games, but I just did not know WHICH games they apply to.

Thanks
Eric.

[brophog]

Neo Geo games, like most games from systems past, still use a fairly minimal amount of buttons. The Super Nintendo had 6 buttons but most games really used only 2 or 3. The Neo Geo has four buttons but most non-fighters only use 2 or 3. The rare non-fighter game that does use all 4 buttons still typically only have 3 primary buttons with the 4th accessing a menu or calling a timeout.

Fighters, on the other hand, don't fit well on the typical 2 by 3 layout because most fighters on the system use button combinations to pull off moves. These games are better played in either the curved button layout or a straight line layout where it's easy to access any combination of the 4 buttons.

[thebrownshow]

This should answer your questions:
http://www.klov.net/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=8846

[Megaweapon]

There's also a good Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_Geo

[AC.]

Good question. On my 1st system, I built in a 7th button on P1 and P2 - only knowing that NEOGEO games sometimes used it.  I have NEVER had a need for the 7th button.

Hypothetical question, not involving any discussion of using roms incorrectly: assume someone unintentionally acquires a full rom pack.  are the NEOGEO games included in it?  or are they seperate?

[Jess--]

completeley ignoring where roms etc came from etc.....
most rom packs that I have seen referenced elsewhere include neo-geo. dont ask me where, I will not say.

if you have any game start up saying NEO GEO then you have the neo geo bios somewhere on your system and mame knows where to find it, at that point you are good to go with any neo geo game.

[erictrumpet]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I have a few games which say "NEO GEO" at launch -- the Metal Slug series, for instance. Are these coin-op or console games? How can I tell if the games I am playing are coin-op? I guess if they are in the KLOV then they're coin-op, right? I never acquired or installed anything special, I am just running straight vanilla Mame32, so I doubt I have the capability to run NEO GEO console games if they require something extra.

Eric.

[RayB]

MAME is strictly an arcade machine emulator. A multiple one at that.

[erictrumpet]

MAME is strictly an arcade machine emulator. A multiple one at that.

Ah, I see... MAME like, emulates multiple arcade machines... it is, then, an emulator of multiple arcade machines... one might even call it a multiple arcade machine emulator, or Muarcmachem. Or, Marmamu for short. But that's such a cumbersome name. Let's stick with MAME, whatever the hell that means.



Eric.

[Setabs]

MAME is strictly an arcade machine emulator. A multiple one at that.

Ah, I see... MAME like, emulates multiple arcade machines... it is, then, an emulator of multiple arcade machines... one might even call it a multiple arcade machine emulator, or Muarcmachem. Or, Marmamu for short. But that's such a cumbersome name. Let's stick with MAME, whatever the hell that means.



Eric.

I don't read sarcasm very well so go here or here

[thebrownshow]

Hi all, I don't consider myself a noob

 

[erictrumpet]

I figured I'd get some eye rolling for that statement but hey I had to qualify what was only my second post to these forums. Frankly I expected to get flamed to no end but thankfully I was greeted instead by friendly informative posts!

Eric.