What do you think of my Galaga Marquee?

[phizzle]

I wanted a galaga style marquee, but I also wanted to add a little mame. So I came up with this...

What do you think?

Do you have any suggestions?

[Birdtales]

Looks good, here was my attempt at a Galaga Mame theme. I like yours too.

[mahuti]

They're both cool, but it seems like the word MAME is just out of place on the Galaga marquee. What extra value does the word MAME add? Nothing in this case. The MAME X marquee feels a little more personalized, and the name makes more sense in that connotation. In the Galaga MAME marquee, why not just make it "GALAGA" drop the mame. No one (outside of the various  MAME forums) EVER says to me "Wow, MAME that is such a great program" They just say "WOW, I loved Galaga, (or defender, pacman, etc)

<rant >

I wish MAME could have a different name. I mean, I love the program and all, but it doesn't have a very good arcade *ring* to it. It would be great if it was supercade, or ultracade, or arcadeforall or some other silly name that otherwise I'd be too embarrased to use on my cabinet without a good reason. An arcade machine is such a showpiece, it has so much cultural baggage, you know? When you see a machine you remember the memories come flooding back. The word MAME on a machine to the uninitiated just makes it seem like you have a bad arcade game they never heard of (until they see it in action, of course.) No slight against all the MAME cabinets out there, but the word mame itself doesn't really add any personality, legitimacy, or added interest to the average arcade cabinet.

</rant>

It's so hard to come up with a good marquee that has a real nostalgic feel without just throwing a bunch of screenshots, marquees, or characters all over it. Throwing the word "MAME" on a marquee doesn't do it for me.

Anyway, this is just one man's opinion, but I wouldn't be too broke up by making it simply a galaga marquee if I were you.
 

[AceTKK]

yeah, the word "MAME" is pretty devoid of personality, but Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator sounds awesome IMO.  As long as the subscript is there I think it's ok to use MAME in your art.

-Ace-

[Zakk]

I think the same could be said for almost any product.  People looking at the first FORD probably thought, "coolio thingamajig, but it sure has a plain name that doesn't mean anything to the uninitiated, it should be something like SUPERHORSE or MAGICRIDE".  I think MAME MACHINE is as good as FORD MODEL T.    Just think, general electric probably sounded pretty bad at first too.  

[caykroyd]

I agree with Mahuti!

MAME will not go on my machine, but t is so hard to think of a good name.  I also like the galaga theme, but since it is a multiple arcade machine emulator, I think multiple games should be encompassed in the theme.  My two cents.  Now I just have to brainstorm on whiat those multiple games will be.  I think building the arcade is the easy part.  Artwork and naming is the hardest.

[Carsten Carlos]

I would drop the word "MAME" in this big size, too - but apart from that I really like your marquee.

I'm thinking of adding something like "... and many more powered by MAME" or just "powered by MAME" in very small letters, like the size of the copyright-notices original marquess have. Maybe this could be an option for you, too?

So this is for the people that are interesting in having a closer look at something - and it would look much more professional this way. I don't want to show at first sight that this isn't a "real" arcade cabinet.

[mahuti]

I think the same could be said for almost any product.  People looking at the first FORD probably thought, "coolio thingamajig, but it sure has a plain name that doesn't mean anything to the uninitiated, it should be something like SUPERHORSE or MAGICRIDE".  I think MAME MACHINE is as good as FORD MODEL T.    Just think, general electric probably sounded pretty bad at first too.  

General Electric, MAME Machine and Ford Model T are all boring names in my opinion, and if I had never heard of them, I would place little stock in what they are about. SOMETIMES, though, boring words can BECOME cool words through marketing (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Apple, Sony). There are very few uninitiated to these product names because we are inundated with their symbols and values from the time we are old enough to see and hear. The word MAME does not have good marketing behind it, and to the uninitiated is confusing, meaningless, and weird.

I'm not totally anti mame cabinet names... it's fine if it works for the individual. In this case, it seems Phizzle cares more about retro-galaga theme than the MAME name. The word mame on this marquee is more about trying not to sell this machine off as a galaga, or about trying to convey that it is something greater than *just* galaga. It's my opinion that it's placement here is doing neither. The 2 could be combined in a meaningful way, but I don't feel that is what is happening here.

[paigeoliver]

People looking at the first FORD probably thought, "coolio thingamajig, but it sure has a plain name that doesn't mean anything to the uninitiated, it should be something like SUPERHORSE or MAGICRIDE".  

I think Ford should have gone with the name SUPERHORSE! =)

[creatine28]

How are you guys printing your marquees?  And on what type of paper?   I need to print a Centipede one and I'm not sure how I should go about it?  Kinko's or my own printer?

Thanks!

[mahuti]

Duratrans. You can ask for it by name. I don't know if Kinko's has it available, but it is very common nationwide.

[Carsten Carlos]

Hey Creatine28,

have you got a good Centipede marquee-grafix? I'm still trying to retouch a bad one I got from somewhere on the net, if you've something better may you contact me?  

[shmokes]

Well...there's nothing wrong with putting MAME somewhere on your cabinet (or anywhere...to each his own, blah blah), but you're putting it on a lighted marquee where there is supposed to be something flashy and catchy and pleasing.  MAME isn't.  

In fact it sounds like maim.  Whenever I have guests over and I say, "follow me, let me show you my MAME machine..."  They always get uncomfortable and make up excuses as to why they suddenly have to leave, and maybe next time.

Okay...that's never actually happened, but...  I think it's kind of like clothes.  I pretty much refuse to wear anything made by Tommy Hilfiger because (aside from being overpriced) I don't care if he makes the coolest, most perfect fitting shirt on the planet I feel no need to paste his name across my apparel.  MAME is the coolest damn program in the world, but it's got an ugly name.  MAME won't feel bad if you don't give it credit.  MAME loves you either way.

my 75 cents (sorry...it got a little long)

[phizzle]

I actually have a powered by mame idea,

here it is in all its glory.

tell me what you think

[Brax]

Personally, I'd leave the Galaga marquee looking original but if you wanted Mame on it I think it would look better on the black in the bottom right corner. You could have "Powered by Mame" there.

[paigeoliver]

I actually have a powered by mame idea,

here it is in all its glory.

tell me what you think

The only real problem with that marquee is that it is using three different fonts. That makes it look strange.

[Carsten Carlos]

The colors in your first picture were much better. And yes, three fonts are quite confusing! If you really want the word MAME in that big size, maybe you should try to make it in galaga-fontstyle, too?