It's a strange and amazing hobby!

[philby85]

Like most people here I was a kid in the 80's. Many years ago I saw mame loaded it on my pc and thought wow how cool.
It wasn't until this year I decided to build a cab. I bought a old neo geo lowboy cab and mamed it.

It is now located in my house in my home theatre room. My three kids love it.
When I bought it in the house, fired it up and played galaga again for the first time, i was choking back the tears. My kids were shocked but comforting, "It's ok Dad it works"  God bless em.

What was is it about these games, the time period that drives us to build these cabs. It's more than a link to your past, your childhood? It's an undefinable kind of magic. My kids have the latest consoles pc's etc but they will mame it up with the best of them. The graphics and sound are outdated and the gameplay simplistic by nature. But they always ask dad can we play some mame?

We drive ourselves to incredible lengths to complete these cabs with the art and skill of a cabinet maker. We tinker with the pc's endlessly, trying new front ends, hacks versions etc. We have a community of people from all walks of life thats share colaborate and sometimes get emotional It's pretty amazing 25 years ago there were have been very limited access to form a community from a hobby. It's in this way the internet astounds me.

My kids will grow up with the latest games, but with a link to the past. I really hope that they will continue the legacy for years to come and remember fondly the day dad cried while playing a video game.


cheers

Philby

[philby85]

Oh ok I get it I'm a big girl cause I cried

Well I will just get back to my flower arranging and knitting

[BobA]

Well said Philby.  The emotional part of this hobby is a very large part of it.  Like restoring a car from our youth or a room full of memories.  These cabs will always be a link to our past.   

[philby85]

Cheers Bob, appreciate your reply. Gotta Love Arcade gaming!

[Chris2]

The widespread use of the phrase "a link to the past" amuses me.

[saint]

I get more kick out of watching my kids play than I do playing myself. These days, my 17 year old nephew keeps coming by after school with his girlfriend to play airhockey.

[Xam]

To answer the question " What is it about these games..." you simply need to look at the Wii and why it is kicking the 360 and PS3's butt, despite having simplistic games and inferior graphics...The games are fun! Fun trumps graphics and capabilities every time.

My kids love firing up the old NES and Atari games...they also love MAME. I'm getting ready to introduce them to Odessey2...we will see on that one.

Xam

[Xam]

I get more kick out of watching my kids play than I do playing myself. These days, my 17 year old nephew keeps coming by after school with his girlfriend to play airhockey.

Can't say I blame him Saint...Air Hockey is one of my alltime favs...wish I had room for one. Tell him not to get too competitive with his girl...my wife won't play me anymore...she says I am "mean" when I play.   

Xam

[leapinlew]

I had a decent 7 foot air hockey table. The room isn't the big thing needed with an air hockey table. What you really need is a way to absorb the noise. We had to get rid of our air hockey table. The kids loved it - but when they would play - you couldn't have a conversation in the same room.

Now that I think about it - we had wood floors. That probably didn't help.

[SodaPopinksi]

Two things that stand out for me especially is the memories and the game and cabinet graphics. The memories of spending quarter after quarter at the local arcade or being totally psyched after getting the latest greatest NES game when I was a kid. The more simplistic visuals... I think the older games especially, with their colorful yet simple graphics force you to use your imagination a bit more as opposed to the latest games with pixel shaders and such that are more like "what you see is what you get." There's a charm to the look of the 80's games, and also many of the cabinets that housed them. Their simplified controls are great too where non-gamers can easily pick up and play. Lately I have preferred playing an updated Tecmo Super Bowl over Madden 2007 for example, on one hand Madden is very realistic, but there's something so cool and charming about the simple Tecmo characters... I use my imagination a lot more when I play it.

[langdoguk]

Good post Philby , the memories of the 80's are all good  .
An ideal Sunday for me would be to sit back and watch the Goonies then trash the kids at many a mame game . (and maybe a beer ).Is it because we were limited for choice back then ? I don't know if when my kids grow up they will miss things from now , loads of new games , movies ,consoles ,etc , but not a lot of once in a blue moon magic I wouldn't think , nothing now that will stand the test of time .
 

[philby85]

Good post Philby , the memories of the 80's are all good  .
An ideal Sunday for me would be to sit back and watch the Goonies then trash the kids at many a mame game . (and maybe a beer ).Is it because we were limited for choice back then ? I don't know if when my kids grow up they will miss things from now , loads of new games , movies ,consoles ,etc , but not a lot of once in a blue moon magic I wouldn't think , nothing now that will stand the test of time .
 

Hey langdoguk,

yeah limited choice could have something to do with it. My kids have lots of games so and dont play just one game all the time. Because the variety is there. When i played games on my c64 or amiga etc. I only had a few so I played the bejesus out of the game. I'm hoping my kids enjoy the mame cab enough to remember it and even play again like i have as they get older.

cheers

Philby

[danny_galaga]

cant quite put my finger on it, but i suspect you are an aussie (",)

[vorghagen]

cant quite put my finger on it, but i suspect you are an aussie (",)

I was just thinking the same thing!!
Must be something about the way it's written that when you read it, it just sounds.... kinda....... y'know.....

[BobA]

Either the way it was written or the Aussie flag his avatar is hoisting.

[vintagegamer]

When it comes up at work that I have 2 acrade machines, people are simply blown away and most end up saying "I always thought that would be cool but had no idea where to even begin".  And to be honest, I was one of those folks too, until a friend in my neighborhood sold me an Asteroids cab.

Whenever you go to the movie theatres today, or anywhere else that "used" to have a ton of arcade games, I'm always sad to see how few offerings there are today.  You can also tell that pinball machines are becoming a thing of the past too, as you only end up seeing 1 or 2 in the same place.  It's hard to see that, after having seen entire arcades in malls when I was a kid.

Like someone else posted, having one of these is definitely like having an old car today-  it helps people remember a better era.  I'm so glad to have a couple machines, and I hope to keep them alive as long as I get to be!

VINTAGEGAMER

[Zebidee]

Before I'd ever built a Mame machine, I went to an arcade operator to talk about an empty cab.  While there I saw a 7-8 year old boy playing Time Pilot, complaining to his Dad about how hard it was, but he had nothing to answer with.  So I casually yet politely interjected and asked "Are you right handed"?  He nodded in answer.  "Then keep going up and to the right as much as possible, spray back and forth and keep shooting.  If you need to dodge away, do it but go back to the top right ASAP"  He absorbed this and it seemed that his game improved immediately. 

This was a pretty simple but amazing experience.  I used to go to the local milk bar in the early 80's with only 20c, but come home with blisters between my fingers from playing Time Pilot ..... then I learnt to bring one of my Dad's handkerchiefs as well as 20c ...

BTW, I'm aussie too so its 20c not quarters ....

[crashwg]

BTW, I'm aussie too so its 20c not quarters ....

So would that make it a "fifth" and "fifths"?

[Zebidee]

Ok, to be technical we would call it "two bob".

You don't hear it much now, probably because it isn't worth much anymore.  Obvious exceptions are phrases such as "It isn't worth spending a bob on", "It isn't worth two bob", and other variations.

[Zebidee]

I should have mentioned the classics "couple 'a bob", and "a bob 'er two" which could mean anything from 20c to a small fortune, as in "I bet yer 'e has a bob 'er two" when drawing a friends' attention to a man who obviously has a lot of money.

[Crowquill]

I'm not sure that there's a hobby that can quite compare to this one. Most of us get into it to play games and that's definitely a big part of it, but there's so much more.

There's the technical aspect of it: building computers, working with all the different types of controllers, adapting existing equipment to make it all work. Now that I've started collecting JAMMA PCBs I'm troubleshooting problems on the PCB itself and repairing monitors.

The woodworking aspect: Engineer and construct a cabinet using a variety of materials and equipment. Also repairing and modifying existing cabinets.

The artistic aspect: Coming up with a theme and colors, Designing artwork, sometimes even integrating it into the cabinet's design. Also, examining and recreating existing arcade artwork.

I think the complexity of this hobby is what's sucked me in this far. I love to learn new things and so far it seems that there's no end to the information out there with new things popping up all the time. I'm also impressed on a regular basis of the ingenuity of other hobbyists out there.

[Xam]

I think you are right to a great degree Crow.

I find it very theraputic going out to the garage and fiddling with the arcade stuff. Also...nothing compares to watching a pile of wood start to materialize into something. Even if your skills are very rudimentary (as are mine) you can still make something nice looking.

Also...it has been fun teaching my boys a few things throughout the process.

Xam

[AMDman13]

I just remember buying the latest and greatest consoles as a kid with hopes that the graphics would be as sweet or as authentic as the arcade. Needless to say I was almost always disappointed. NES really stunk at this. The Robocop port comes to mind here. The whole time I dreamed of owning a real arcade. 

[vidmouse]

So I casually yet politely interjected and asked "Are you right handed"?  He nodded in answer.  "Then keep going up and to the right as much as possible, spray back and forth and keep shooting.  If you need to dodge away, do it but go back to the top right ASAP"  He absorbed this and it seemed that his game improved immediately. 

Zeb --  so what do you do if you're left-handed?  Keep going down and to the left?  (not trying to be funny, really never knew this about this game)

[Tiger-Heli]

Zeb --  so what do you do if you're left-handed?  Keep going down and to the left?  (not trying to be funny, really never knew this about this game)

Up and left works well for me.  (I never knew that either, but I figured out going up works better, and noticed that I tend to go up and left instinctively, although I can see how up and right would work also.

[ChadTower]

I get more kick out of watching my kids play than I do playing myself. These days, my 17 year old nephew keeps coming by after school with his girlfriend to play airhockey.

That's only when you're looking.  Lock the bar and the hot tub.

[Zebidee]

Zeb --  so what do you do if you're left-handed?  Keep going down and to the left?  (not trying to be funny, really never knew this about this game)

Up and left works well for me. 

Statistically, most right handed people are also "right-sighted" as well.  That is, coordination/spatial ability is likely better to the right and and their reactions to action in the right visual field will tend to be better.  In right handers, the left side of their brain is a little more/better developed than the right (remember that the brain's left side controls the right, and vice versa).   This is only a generalisation though.

Obviously the opposite is true for left handers.  Except that the "generalisations" are less likely to be true, the correlation is less clear.  Left handers are more likely to be "ambidextrous", and do some things like a right hander would.  This is probably because they learn to live in a largely right-handed world. 

But every person is different.

Back to topic, in Time Pilot you need to pick an upper corner to focus on, it really doesn't matter.  This minimises the amount of crap you have to worry about.  So if you are right handed, right is usually natural.  But what is most important is that you do what feels comfortable to you (now I feel like a sex-ed teacher). 

Why up? Oh dear ... well the WWI biplanes' bombs go down ....

[Tiger-Heli]

Should have added that I am left-handed.

Zeb --  so what do you do if you're left-handed?  Keep going down and to the left?  (not trying to be funny, really never knew this about this game)

Up and left works well for me. 

Why up? Oh dear ... well the WWI biplanes' bombs go down ....

Also, most "squadrons" tend to enter from the top corners rather than the bottom.  If you are pointing upward, you can just blast a clear opening.  If you are pointing down, you have to turn and shoot . . .

[Zebidee]

Also, the parachutists always fall DOWN, so you will miss them if you always go down.  And these guys are worth a motza if you don't die and can get 4-5 in a time zone.

BTW, are you rescuing them or are you running them down?  I choose to believe rescuing, but it seems like you are running down enemy pilots falling from the planes you have shot down ....

[Tiger-Heli]

Rescuing - that's why they have the red cross on the parachute (At least that's how I always took it).

[Zebidee]

I understand that, but sometimes it just made me think that they were enemy guys waiting for medical help , which made it worse ... but then I'd mercilessly run them down anyway for a few more points! Ah well, the evils of war I guess....

[danny_galaga]

I just remember buying the latest and greatest consoles as a kid with hopes that the graphics would be as sweet or as authentic as the arcade. Needless to say I was almost always disappointed. NES really stunk at this. The Robocop port comes to mind here. The whole time I dreamed of owning a real arcade. 

hehe. i used to dream of actually owning a console! an arcade machine was even more out of sight. now we can have them all! muahahaha!

[javeryh]

The greatest thing about this hobby is the look on people's faces when they come over to play for the first time. 

[More Cowbell]

The greatest thing about this hobby is the look on people's faces when they come over to play for the first time. 

I'm still waiting for that one person to be totally blown away like I would have been if I had seen my setup 2 years ago. Our neighbors and friends are all fuddy duddys or something because I generally get yawns from people or that look of "you did all that work to play those old games?"

[ahofle]

Hahaha, exactly.  I need some better neighbors too -- most aren't too interested in playing old arcade games. 
Arcades used to be pretty crowded.  What the hell happened to all those people?    I guess nostalgia isn't for everybody.

[Chris G]

The greatest thing about this hobby is the look on people's faces when they come over to play for the first time. 

I'm still waiting for that one person to be totally blown away like I would have been if I had seen my setup 2 years ago. Our neighbors and friends are all fuddy duddys or something because I generally get yawns from people or that look of "you did all that work to play those old games?"

I've had two friends in particular that were blown away about it.  One guy was swearing at me for how lucky I was to have one since he knew he could never get his wife to agree.  The other guy said he wanted one as soon as he bought his house.  I told him to be prepared for a lot of work, and maybe he should start out small.  He says "No way - I want THAT!"

[Zebidee]

The greatest thing about this hobby is the look on people's faces when they come over to play for the first time. 

... The other guy said he wanted one .... He says "No way - I want THAT!"

My best friend had this reaction 6 months ago.  So he got me to make him one!  He didn't tell his wife until the last moment though. 

[vintagegamer]

I work in the AD area at my job, so I work with all the fellow computer geeks who consider something like this a true milestone to have in one's home..  It even brought a guy out of the woodwork who has a Defender machine in need of some medical attention- I told him I paid $300 for my new monitor and to have it installed, and looked at me like I just pi$$d away 300 clams..   I told him "dude, try looking at the prices for some of that equipment on the web if you were to do it yourself-"   These people don't realize that although it's a 'game', it's also an 'antique'.   That is the joy of these machines.. no matter how old they are, they still retain their youthful "come play me" game appearance.  I'm forever hooked.

VINTAGEGAMER

[Breaker]

Hi all,

I have to chine in on this one...

Like philby85 I was a kid (okay teenager) during the 80's and I spent my fair share of time in arcades. Like most, I loaded up MAME on my PC a few years ago and thought it was quite cool to see the games I remembered come alive on the screen...but it was lacking something, and it lost interest. A couple of years later, on a quiet evening, I once again looked up MAME on the net and also discovered BYOAC. I was soon hooked, spending untold hours reading through the posts on the site and realized what MAME was missing....it's own CAB! My odyssey began in the fall of 2005 and I'm also finished.

That's a bit of the background, but to address the spirit of this thread...all of my efforts...the planning, purchasing, construction, finishing and programming of my arcade machine has been a labour of love. I actually think I'm taking my time completing the control panel (the last piece) because I want to prolong the experience. I too remember the first time I fired-up MAME on my 27" arcade monitor and played Robotron, Pac-Man or Galaga...playing with a keyboard wasn't perfect but I didn't care! What really brought me back was that magical moment when, after a few hours of reading and configuring, I pressed enter, waited 30 seconds (or so), and was greeted by the opening scene of Dragon's Lair. That was truly an emotional moment. I had a friend in high school who could play Robotron all day on a single quarter and finish Dragon's Lair with ease; I used to watch with amazement! This is the strongest connection for me....the carefree times spent with friends...the music, the movies, the first date, the graduation dance. Ya, I'm rambling, but for me this collection of MDF, microchips, laminate, glass and plastic has created a connection to a time I look back on with great fondness. Perhaps this is why we toil so tirelessly on our CABS? Some would say the past is the past, don't dwell on it...heck we aren't dwelling, we're celebrating! For me the CAB is a tangible connection to the people I grew up with and the influences during those formative years that shaped who I am today. I think Stephen King may have said it best in a line from 'Stand By Me'....

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

The game is never over,
Breaker.

 

[philby85]

Great comments Breaker, enjoyed reading your post. I agree with what you said. We are celebrating a time in our lives, those formative years. Those care free days when I'd get paid for my before school paper round on saturday and by that afternoon it was all gone donated to the arcade!

cheers

Philby