Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: SlammedNiss on September 04, 2016, 07:28:16 am
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(http://i.imgur.com/efWxKh2.jpg) (http://www.ebay.com/itm/262602079686)
(click the pic to see the auction)
Yes, I know it's a CP, but $115 shipped for a piece of bent metal that's crappily overlayed with a piece of ugly baby blue vinyl with a few generic labels? Is this what our hobby, as a whole, is coming to?
Make sure you check out some of his OTHER (http://www.ebay.com/sch/bruce1arcade/m.html?item=262602079686) auctions as well.
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Yup that looks like....
Meadow Muffin!
I believe is the term used round here lol
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Is this what our hobby, as a whole, is coming to?
I wouldn't consider this an example of where the hobby is going, rather a very good example of the way the operators themselves have contributed to the destruction of their industry. This part was obviously on location, and it shows the minimal effort so many of them put in, to keep the games producing quarters for them. Poorly executed conversions, wrong controls for games, etc. were rampant for quite a while toward the end.
Few self-respecting members of this community, would put so little effort into the appearance of their panels. But if they did, even they would be more likely to get a pass, as it's just for them, and not intended for public use.
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Sadly it seems that this type of listing is getting to be normal -- The lister probably doesn't realize it is not an original DK jr. CP and just looked at comparable prices for a DK Jr. CP to come up with the listing price since (s)he has no clue what a piece of bent rusty metal should sell for !
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Is this what our hobby, as a whole, is coming to?
I wouldn't consider this an example of where the hobby is going, rather a very good example of the way the operators themselves have contributed to the destruction of their industry. This part was obviously on location, and it shows the minimal effort so many of them put in, to keep the games producing quarters for them. Poorly executed conversions, wrong controls for games, etc. were rampant for quite a while toward the end.
Few self-respecting members of this community, would put so little effort into the appearance of their panels. But if they did, even they would be more likely to get a pass, as it's just for them, and not intended for public use.
To play Devil's advocate somewhat, operator's were running a business, not a personal collection of cosseted machines. Like any business, it's all about making money. They also will have had substantial overheads to cover before even making a profit. Downtime for a cab = lost revenue, so quick & nasty fixes were often the order of the day, unfortunately.
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You should thank the ops that bastardized these games. The op hoards that I've come into kept the cp's, marquees and PCB's and then junked the cabinets. BTW, these are the ops that bought games brand new and if they didn't do that, we would have even fewer games surviving today.
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To play Devil's advocate somewhat, operator's were running a business, not a personal collection of cosseted machines. Like any business, it's all about making money. They also will have had substantial overheads to cover before even making a profit. Downtime for a cab = lost revenue, so quick & nasty fixes were often the order of the day, unfortunately.
I'm very familiar with overheads ;). I know you stated that you were playing Devil's Advocate, but I think you may be missing my point. When you paid your quarter at an arcade, you were paying for more than just a chance to play a game. You were purchasing an experience. Part of that was using controls designed specifically for the game, as well as all of the "bells and whistles" of the cabinet art, design, etc... When the Atari computers, and second-gen consoles arrived on the scene, many of the arcade ports offered very good gameplay, on par with the arcade versions. But using poor controls, and sitting in front of a TV while playing, didn't feel at all the same.
When operators started cutting corners, they devalued the experience. Bad controls, lackluster artwork, poor conversions and disrepair, made the home experience more and more acceptable, sometimes even preferable. In the end, these practices contributed to the demise of an industry they relied on for income. I believe the adage is "Penny wise, pound foolish".
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To play Devil's advocate somewhat, operator's were running a business, not a personal collection of cosseted machines. Like any business, it's all about making money. They also will have had substantial overheads to cover before even making a profit. Downtime for a cab = lost revenue, so quick & nasty fixes were often the order of the day, unfortunately.
I'm very familiar with overheads ;). I know you stated that you were playing Devil's Advocate, but I think you may be missing my point. When you paid your quarter at an arcade, you were paying for more than just a chance to play a game. You were purchasing an experience. Part of that was using controls designed specifically for the game, as well as all of the "bells and whistles" of the cabinet art, design, etc... When the Atari computers, and second-gen consoles arrived on the scene, many of the arcade ports offered very good gameplay, on par with the arcade versions. But using poor controls, and sitting in front of a TV while playing, didn't feel at all the same.
When operators started cutting corners, they devalued the experience. Bad controls, lackluster artwork, poor conversions and disrepair, made the home experience more and more acceptable, sometimes even preferable. In the end, these practices contributed to the demise of an industry they relied on for income. I believe the adage is "Penny wise, pound foolish".
I do see your point. Must admit, I hadn't quite seen it in those terms, but yes, I guess operators were damaging their own trade with all the nasty, quick fixes they performed. I think the death of the arcade was coming no matter what, though, with the advancement in console tech. I agree consoles aren't a patch on the whole arcade experience of playing, but I think many were willing to forgo that for the thrill of being able to play 'arcade quality' games at home.
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Good points Randy.
I think they over priced them as well which didnt help.
At Least over here anyway many games were priced at £1 a pop in the last years which was a expensive way to play really.
On the flip side though I dont recall any severe bodges made to the machines but I do sadly remember several being turned off and left to rot because they did not function correctly.
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I don't know what that panel came from. To me it looks like maybe even a poker machine conversion. But to answer the question is that what this hobby is coming to? The answer is yes in that parting out games is profitable to sellers on eBay.
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Is this what our hobby, as a whole, is coming to?
I wouldn't consider this an example of where the hobby is going, rather a very good example of the way the operators themselves have contributed to the destruction of their industry. This part was obviously on location, and it shows the minimal effort so many of them put in, to keep the games producing quarters for them. Poorly executed conversions, wrong controls for games, etc. were rampant for quite a while toward the end.
Few self-respecting members of this community, would put so little effort into the appearance of their panels. But if they did, even they would be more likely to get a pass, as it's just for them, and not intended for public use.
Oh, it got so bad at times. Here are things I have found in recent memory.
Time Soldiers conversion wired wrong, had no red. Was on location that way 10 years.
Golden Axe conversion, 4 way sticks, on location until 1994. I literally stopped my first game after about 60 seconds and tore it apart and fixed it. How many kids days were ruined when they dropped their only quarter into this and didn't understand why it sucked.
4 Player NBA Hangtime conversion of a gauntlet. No isolation transformer, no fuses, no line filter. Tax stickers until 2003.
Does your local mall have a Tilt? Go there and you will find games that have had bad monitors for years still powered up every day like there was nothing wrong with them.
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Damn that Golden Axe story nearly brought a tear to my eye Paige!
Did you drop to your knees and shout WWWHHHYYYY!?
Think I would of...
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
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Does your local mall have a Tilt? Go there and you will find games that have had bad monitors for years still powered up every day like there was nothing wrong with them.
Quoted fro great truth. I run into this all the time. Monitors that look like they are smeared with vaseline, they are so fuzzy. Colors completely blown out. Six button fighter games where only 3 buttons work. Joysticks that only work left or right, but not the other...
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
Holy meadow muffin....
Think ime in the wrong job LOL
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
Holy meadow muffin....
Think ime in the wrong job LOL
They have never sold one. They constantly have 4 models for sale. Go through their feedback, they only ever sold one cabinet and it was YEARS ago and it was their "cheap" one.
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
Holy meadow muffin....
Think ime in the wrong job LOL
They have never sold one. They constantly have 4 models for sale. Go through their feedback, they only ever sold one cabinet and it was YEARS ago and it was their "cheap" one.
At that price I wouldn't be surprised!
Thats a more money than sense thing right there.
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
Holy meadow muffin....
Think ime in the wrong job LOL
They have never sold one. They constantly have 4 models for sale. Go through their feedback, they only ever sold one cabinet and it was YEARS ago and it was their "cheap" one.
At that price I wouldn't be surprised!
Thats a more money than sense thing right there.
Just one of the 600 dudes out there who pretend to be an actual company composed of full time cabinet builders when in reality they are one guy, with a day job, who rarely sells anything at all other than a 60 in 1 on craigslist.
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I considered selling some myself a while ago or renting out in pubs etc but decided the extra hassle and potential legal issues made it a no go.
Ile just enjoy building, tinkering and playing instead :)
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
I love Jace Hall. He's a legendary old school developer (one of the driving forces behind Blood!) and an all around top bloke, but that is just ghastly.
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
Anyone read any of the listing? Beyond just the typos, there are these gems:
"Note: The software that enables this rotating marquee feature will be completed sometime in 2014. Software update will be provided free of charge at that time."
and
"After nearly 9 Months we personally delivered this one of a kind game to HDFilms studios in North Hollywood, CA."
followed by:
"Now you can own your version of this game!"
If you can have your own version, how is the first one of a kind?
I think I found the name of my next project: 'Jace came to me in 2011 looking to make the "Uiltimate Game Machine Of All Time".'
I am curious how they set up Hyperspin but don't include any emulators or ROMs ; its implied there is no software configuration at all.
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Yeah I thought that was funny myself.
As for HS I presume they are trying to flaunt ebays rules.
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There's nothing quite like playing pacman with pixels the size of your fist 18" from your face. And don't forget the ache from having to move your head to see all the screen.
<goes back into hyperspin menu>
Epileptic fit in 5...4...3...
This would have made far more sense as a pedestal. But all things to all people. :dizzy:
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SWTHIT...
eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jace-Hall-Signature-Series-4-Player-55-LED-Ultimate-Video-Arcade-Game-MAME-TM-/330832696118?hash=item4d072a5336:m:m_bWpMNiCp1qK3jbPQq8kRA)
and
"After nearly 9 Months we personally delivered this one of a kind game to HDFilms studios in North Hollywood, CA."
followed by:
That right there shows it isn't a real company with real facilities and is instead just one dude with a day job, kids, a nagging wife and a CNC setup out in the garage. Those cabinets should be only 1 or 2 days to do if it was a full-time deal, not something that takes months of lead time.
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Just one of the 600 dudes out there who pretend to be an actual company composed of full time cabinet builders when in reality they are one guy, with a day job, who rarely sells anything at all other than a 60 in 1 on craigslist.
I don't think someone is pretending when he describes their part-time family business history and explains who 'we' is. According to the listing, Jack and Jan have a CNC machine. He says it'll take 6-8 weeks to build a machine. I'd much rather have him be upfront about it than wonder where the hell my item is.
He gives you enough information to make a decision. That's what a listing is for. It sounds like you don't want to buy it. Me neither, but that's because of the information provided, not because I made suppositions about his operation.
DISCLOSURE: Jack built/drilled a custom control panel for me in 2006. I can't defend a lot of the points that have been brought up, but he gets my support on this one.
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Just one of the 600 dudes out there who pretend to be an actual company composed of full time cabinet builders when in reality they are one guy, with a day job, who rarely sells anything at all other than a 60 in 1 on craigslist.
He says it'll take 6-8 weeks to build a machine. I'd much rather have him be upfront about it than wonder where the hell my item is.
Yeah, that part is true. I do monitor repairs. Some weeks I can manage to get in 6 hours of work on them. Other weeks it is zero. One bad monitor in my repair chain can set everything else back a month.
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Adding another 'WTF is this' item
(http://i.imgur.com/qbZF7T2.jpg) (http://www.ebay.com/itm/182546607881)
HERE (http://www.ebay.com/itm/182546607881) OR Click the pic!!
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Doesnt seem to link to anything mate?
But going purely off the pic I cant decide if thats kinda cool in a ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up wierd kind of way or damn hideous!
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/182546607881 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/182546607881)
Haven't seen something like that since the early 90s.
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Cheers PBJ,
$300 for a box, tv and 2 pads seems a little expensive to me!?
Having now seen the side pics ive decided its Fugly!!
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Doesnt seem to link to anything mate?
But going purely off the pic I cant decide if thats kinda cool in a ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up wierd kind of way or damn hideous!
Clicking the pic links to the auction. At least it's supposed to... That's the way I have the BBCode set up....
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Didnt work for me matey, maybe because ime on tapatalk?
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This forum constantly chews up the bbcode, it's a pain in the ass hot linking images.
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Lol. It's made of wainscoting. That's gotta be a hillbilly/redneck creation.
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That CP has been on Ebay for at least two years. I usually do oddball searches that yield interesting arcade related items. This CP showed up more times in these searched listings.
What is it? Your guess is as good as mine. ::)
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To play Devil's advocate somewhat, operator's were running a business, not a personal collection of cosseted machines. Like any business, it's all about making money. They also will have had substantial overheads to cover before even making a profit. Downtime for a cab = lost revenue, so quick & nasty fixes were often the order of the day, unfortunately.
I'm very familiar with overheads ;). I know you stated that you were playing Devil's Advocate, but I think you may be missing my point. When you paid your quarter at an arcade, you were paying for more than just a chance to play a game. You were purchasing an experience. Part of that was using controls designed specifically for the game, as well as all of the "bells and whistles" of the cabinet art, design, etc... When the Atari computers, and second-gen consoles arrived on the scene, many of the arcade ports offered very good gameplay, on par with the arcade versions. But using poor controls, and sitting in front of a TV while playing, didn't feel at all the same.
When operators started cutting corners, they devalued the experience. Bad controls, lackluster artwork, poor conversions and disrepair, made the home experience more and more acceptable, sometimes even preferable. In the end, these practices contributed to the demise of an industry they relied on for income. I believe the adage is "Penny wise, pound foolish".
I grew up near the largest casino in the United States. Their retro games are bastardized so bad that it's unplayable. I've seen better machines in laundry mats. I even fixed one for a laundrymat so my daughter and I could play it. But Foxwoods is all up on maintaining their lame @ss scammy ticket machines.
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/182546607881 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/182546607881)
Haven't seen something like that since the early 90s.
Funny thing is a decent coat of paint and a better freebie TV (one with digital controls instead of a dial) would improve the eye appeal of this thing 1000%. I have no problem with folks trying to do something on the cheap - but it blows my mind that some folks can be this lazy....
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Well, at least he lowered his price? And that shipping to boot!
(http://i.imgur.com/efWxKh2.jpg) (https://www.ebay.com/itm/263676807247)
Click the pic above or here. -----> https://www.ebay.com/itm/263676807247 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/263676807247)
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Why would anyone vet buy that rusty beat up piece of metal????? No way he sells that!
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Might be worth that if he advertised it as a Centuri Swimmer control panel.
https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9988 (https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9988)
DeL
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Well, at least he lowered his price? And that shipping to boot!
(http://i.imgur.com/efWxKh2.jpg) (https://www.ebay.com/itm/263676807247)
Click the pic above or here. -----> https://www.ebay.com/itm/263676807247 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/263676807247)
Is it that the CP is higher on one side in the pic or are the button holes on either side of the joystick off center?
Or is it just me seeing an optical delusion? :dizzy:
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Thats a sega/zaxxon/frogger panel. There aren't many parts out there i can recognize, but thats one!