How to hack a normal arcade machine

[XPelargos]

Hi there everyone.  I just joined this forum to ask a couple of questions.

I just started college and we've got a couple of arcade machines in the common room, and the Tekken 3 machine is a lot of fun.  However, since students are already paying high tuition, the students and the RA agree that the machine should be free or make one quarter buy a lot of plays.  I would also like to change the round limit from 3 to 5. 

Is there someway to access the machine's BIOS to change the round limit and how much a quarter can buy?  If there is, please respond and thank you very much.

[leapinlew]

CHOO CHOO

Next stop! Post hell!!

[leapinlew]

Next you'll think Taco Bell is overpriced....

One thing to consider is that the college probably doesn't own that game. Your not stealing from the college as much as your stealing from some guy who provides the games and maintenance of those games.  That guy probably has a family and he's probably trying to save some money so his kids can go to college. You should be grateful that you are fortunate to even have games available to play while your receiving a higher education.

This is a sad commentary on America's youth and where it's headed. 

[bleemus]

 

Agreed, you should be glad they have an arcade at all.  Most colleges are doing away with them, or letting them deteriorate to the point that they are no longer even worth visiting.

If you want to hack up an arcade, do whatever else does here; build your own, or go buy one.  Then you can legally hack it up all you feel like.

[gamecreature]

Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't know who owns or opperates the machine.

The person with the key to the machine has access to the machine's operator settings. Find that person and state your case to him. Most likely they have their reasons for setting the game they way it is (such as, why mess with it if people are putting quarters into it?)

[Texasmame]

I suggest tipping it asunder and lighting it ablaze.   

[Q*Bert_OP]

well, if ya have access to inside the coin door, go into the self-test mode...

[Kremmit]

CHOO CHOO

Next stop! Post hell!!

Why?  He didn't ask about pirating game software.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to know how to work on the inside of an actual arcade machine.  Now, if the machine's owned and operated by someone else and you do it without permission, that's possibly illegal and definately morally wrong, but we don't know who owns that machine.  It may belong to the dorm in the first place. 

To the original poster:

IF you have permission from the appropriate person, most older games settings are changed via a bank of dipswitches located on the circuit board.  Newer games are changed via an on-screen menu instead, which is usually accessed by pressing a button located inside the game cabinet.  If your machine has a service switch inside, try that first.  If it's got dipswitches, then you'll want to locate a copy of the manual for instructions on how to set them.

[sfrascella]

What's wrong with college students these days? They need to get their priorities straight.

You should be more concerned with how to tap a keg of beer and pump it so it doesn't come out all foam? 

[CheffoJeffo]

I'm with Lew on this ... it doesn't appear to me that this guy has appropriate access to the machine and calling on the RA as a figure of authority seems to confirm. If he had legitmate access, then I would bet that the actual owner of the cabinet would have the requisite knowledge.

I used to be (way back, when Double Dragon and Rygar were new) responsible for the games in my residence and they were owned by a flesh-and-blood operator who relied on the machines to feed his family. "Our" share of the split did not go go the University, but rather to the students. Perhaps some research by the OP is in order before deciding who should pay what.

To the OP: First lesson ... don't rip people off because you *think* you are entitled. I'll bet a lot of folks here pay more in taxes than you do in tuition ... doesn't mean we can come in and steal from you, does it ?

Cheers.