[4/1/2024] -Pi4/5 Support Incoming -Major League SkeeBall -- SkeeBall Controller

[nipsmg]

After purchasing a SkeeBall Model H and following the Skee-Ball threads on BYOAC, I've started creating a suite of SkeeBall games to run in my cabinet.  This thread will chronicle progress on the software.  I plan on eventually releasing it publicly.

Most of the games ideas were taken from other software that's been developed by other members including ThatPurpleStuff and a posting by SJAAK.  Others come from dart games.


Want to be a tester??
Info here : http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,156300.msg1646011.html#msg1646011

Pi5 Support Coming This Spring / Summer -- Spare Time Permitting

Want to try out the Alpha SDK and E-Book for Creating Add-On Games?
Info here :
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,156300.msg1655066.html#msg1655066

Download the software with optical support -- alpha release
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,156300.msg1690637.html#msg1690637

Features:

• Resolution Independence - Defaults to 720p but will letterbox for any 4:3 resolutions
• Cross Platform - Made as a DesktopGL MonoGame project, it can be complied to run on Linux, Windows, Mac, etc.
• High-Score Keeping
• In-game instructions and game information
• Attract Mode
• Developer SDK (Developers can create new games and extend the platform via an SDK to be provided at release)

Video

Is youtube embedding broken?!

Alpha Gameplay Demo
Graphical Menu Implementation
Attract Mode Demo
Games:
Bowling
Number of Players
1-4 players (selectable)
Game Description:
Bowling plays and scores just like normal bowling.  The 10 - 50 hole award 1-5 pins respectively with the 100 pockets being an automatic strike or spare.  There is a constantly rotating number of extra pins that can be added to a throw, indicated by a Extra Pins indicator on the game screen (idea taken from ThatPurpleStuff's bowling implementation)
Game Features:

• 1-4 players selectable at round start.
• Exciter Animations (With sound) for Strikes, Spares, Turkey, and Gutter balls
• Ambient bowling alley background sound

Screenshot:



Classic
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
Classic SkeeBall.
Get the highest possible score in 9 balls
Game Features:

• Authentic SkeeBall Sound Effects

Screenshot:


Skeeball Bonus
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
A riff off of FreeSkee by ThatPurpleStuff.
Classic Skeeball Gameplay with a bonus multiplier! Hit the same pocket repeatedly for up to 5x bonus!

Game Features:

• Classic Gameplay
• Bonus Multipliers by hitting same pocket multiple times.

Screenshot:


Skeemax
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
A riff off of FlashPoint by ThatPurpleStuff.
Classic Skeeball Gameplay with a bonus multiplier! Time your shots for maximum bonus!

Game Features:

• Classic Gameplay
• Constantly rotating bonus multiplier

Screenshot:


Stanger in the Alps
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
This is essentially the Cliffhanger game from ThatPurpleStuff's skeeball software with a name change (an ode to Lebowski fans).
Progress from 10 through 100 in a few balls as possible before time runs out.

Game Features:

• background music
• Sound Effects

Screenshot:


Whack-A-Hole
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
Whack-A-Mole. 
Score the most points in 9 balls by trying to hit the mole.  Only balls that hit the mole score.
Game Features:

• Background music
• Mole Sound Effects

Screenshot:




Skricket
Number of Players
2 (not selectable)
Game Description:
A riff on the classic dart game, cricket.
Each players gets 3 tries to attempt to hit the numbers listed on the left.  After hitting a number 3 times, the player "closes" that number.  If other players have not yet closed that number, the player can hit it again and gets the value of the hole added to their score.  The object of the game is to close all numbers first with the highest score.
Game Features:

• Sound Effects from Scorpion 9000 Cricket

Screenshot:




X10
Number of Players
1-4 (selectable)
Game Description:
A riff on the classic dart game (3/5/7/901).

All players start with 310 (or 510,710,910 depending on the game variant).  The goal is to get to 0 first, hitting zero exactly.  Each player takes turns throwing 3 balls each round.  If a player goes under zero, their score gets reset to the score they had at the beginning of the round.  The winner gets to 0 (exactly) first.

Game Features:

• Sound Effects from Scorpion 9000
• Number of players selectable at round start
• Game Variant (310/510/710/910) selectable at game start.

Screenshots:



X20 ZAP
Number of Players
1-4 (selectable)
Game Description:
A riff on 321 ZAP from Merit Games (a popular game on the Scorpion 9000 Arcade Dart Board).

All players start with zero, and the goal is to get to the game score (320/520/720/920 depending on the variant) by hitting holes and adding the value of the hole to your score.  Each player throws 3 balls each round.  If the player goes over the game score, the overage gets subtracted from their round starting score, and they lose their turn.  The winner gets to the game score first.

The Twist:  If at any time while playing your score exactly matches another player's score, that player is "zapped" back down to zero and has to start from zero.
Game Features:

• Sound Effects from Scorpion 9000
• Number of players selectable at round start
• Game Variant (320/520/720/920) selectable at game start.

Screenshots:


Riskee
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
This is a riff off "Skeel of 40s" from FreeSkee.

There is a "Bonus Chooser" to the right of the scoring area that starts off with the following bonuses:

• 2 Balls
• 4 Balls
• 6 Balls
• 8 Balls
• Clear Bombs
• 250 Points
• 500 Points
• 750 Points
• 1k Points

Scoring works as standard scoring with the following additions:

If you hit any hole other than 40, your score increases by that amount, and one of the open bonuses is replaced with a bomb.
If you hit 40, the bonus chooser spins.  You are either awarded a bonus, or hit "Clear Bombs" or hit a bomb.

Clear Bombs will remove any of the bombs in the bonus chooser.
A bomb will force the bomb defuser to pop up.  It will count down from 5. 
If you hit a 100 pocket before time is up, the bomb will defuse.  If you hit any other pocket or time runs out, the bomb goes off and you lose all your points.

Game Features:

• Animated graphics and sound effects.
• Bonuses (extra balls AND/OR points)
• High Scoring Ability

Gameplay Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssnRh9_296I&feature=youtu.be

Screenshots:





ToDo

• Add in high-score system
• Add final sound effects for classic
• Sound Effects for 310/320ZAP
• Game Over graphics for classic
• Add a sound effect for going over the game score in zap/x10
• Convert bowling scoring grid into drawable components (fixes text overlay on top of bowling exciter animations)
• Implement FreeSkee variant
• Implement FlashPoint variant
• Remove text-based menu and implement graphical menu
• Finish attract mode implementation
• Implement system-wide game instructions functionality
• Add system-wide game-over drawablegamecomponent
• Add system-wide "You're up player X" component.
• Code clean-up and refactoring
• Create sample game project for SDK
• Blog post for Game Creation
• Add round displays for x10 and zap

[Nephasth]

LOVE to see the dart inspired games!!!

[nipsmg]

Added sound effects to x10 / zap games.  Updated first post.

[nipsmg]

Started work on the graphical menu.  This is the concept art and what the final menu system should look like:

[nipsmg]

• Updated Classic graphics.  The yellow is now an "Unlit" yellow color.
• Added "GameOver" sprite to Classic to flash GameOver
• Added "Winner" sprite to Classic to light up the arch for each 100 scored
• Added "skeeball song" sound effect for Classic when >100 scored
• Updated screenshot in top post and updated todo list.

[nipsmg]

I've uploaded a video of the current alpha version.  Happy to get feedback.
There's still a bunch here that's not 100%.

Is youtube embedding broken?!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97h6z8fQizI&feature=youtu.be

[nipsmg]

• Added system-wide instructions functionality
• Added system-wide "gameover" badge functionality.

[nipsmg]

• Added system-wide game over indicator (can be overridden/hidden)
• Added system-wide "Player Up" indicator(can be overridden/hidden)
• Added PleaseWait indicator for dart type games to put a pause in between players.
• Fixed bowling scores drawing on top of exciter animations
• Added a seven segment display to display current round in zap/x10.  Games limited to 20 rounds. (Higher for larger scores)

[Le Chuck]

Loving this!

[nipsmg]

Thanks LeChuck.

I've made some more incremental progress on this.

I started adding in the menu screen pictured above.  I've set up the code to dynamically load a logo and screenshot based on the game name to populate the menu. (This will allow users to add games in later via the SDK).  The code is still far from perfect but getting there.

My goals are to try to get the main menu screen implemented and have an inactivity timeout on the menu go back to the main "launch" screen by months end.

[nipsmg]

New video demonstrating completed menu system.
Menu system dynamically loads game type information from config file -- Allows for games developed via SDK to be added.
Dynamically loads logo and screenshot from content directory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJaGjzYSnkk&feature=youtu.be

[nipsmg]

Attract Mode has been implemented.

There are configurable timeouts for :

• Title Screen
• Attract Mode Screen
• Menu Screen
• Game Screen

When at the title screen, and the timeout occurs, a game is randomly picked and launched.  AFter 10 seconds, the game will launch its instructions screen.  5 seconds later it clears.  If a user hits any key while the game is showing in "Attract mode", it will dump right back to the title screen.

When in the menu screen, the game will dump itself back into the "Title screen /attract mode" loop after the timeout occurs.  Any keypress resets the timeout.

When in a game screen, if the timeout expires without any user interaction, the game will dump back into the menu screen.

The video below shows the Title screen / attract mode loop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAaO1qqhs9g&feature=youtu.be

[Mike A]

This is a cool project. I need to pick up a skeeball machine one of these days.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah that's probably why this thread isn't getting a lot of feedback.  You have to have the space to house a skeeball machine, actually buy one, and then convert it to run via  a pc.  Probably 8 or 9 guys that have done that so far.  Not that I don't want to mind you. 

[nipsmg]

Yeah, either that or build one like thatpurplestuff. 

The good news is converting it to run a PC is stupid simple. All of the electronics come out with a couple of wingnuts and maybe 12 screws.
The switches wire right up to an ipac (note: .250 fastons not .187, made that mistake).

A 27.5 inch tv fits pretty perfectly in the top box and almost fills all of it.

And... this software is cross platform.  Supposedly there's a version of monogame that will run accelerated on OpenGL ES.  It takes all kinds of hacks and I haven't found a good step-by-step on how to do it.. but if I can I would eventually LOVE to just run this off a rPI and call it a day.

[Nephasth]

Should add the 4-player Model S version with sounds.

[nipsmg]

Would love to get the sound samples from someone, I’d totally be for it.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah, either that or build one like thatpurplestuff. 

The good news is converting it to run a PC is stupid simple. All of the electronics come out with a couple of wingnuts and maybe 12 screws.
The switches wire right up to an ipac (note: .250 fastons not .187, made that mistake).

A 27.5 inch tv fits pretty perfectly in the top box and almost fills all of it.

And... this software is cross platform.  Supposedly there's a version of monogame that will run accelerated on OpenGL ES.  It takes all kinds of hacks and I haven't found a good step-by-step on how to do it.. but if I can I would eventually LOVE to just run this off a rPI and call it a day.

You could probably get away with an old netbook as well, it'd still be small and low power but you wouldn't have to mess with all of those hacks.  I still want to build an outdoor skeeball, but it's just finding the time to design it and actually build it. 

[Nephasth]

Would love to get the sound samples from someone, I’d totally be for it.

I have a 4 player Model S CPU in storage...

[nipsmg]

Awesome!  If you feel like pulling that bad boy out at any point in the near future and getting samples I’ll commit to adding the 4p game.  I’ll actually probably start working on it soon anyways, just minus the audio samples.

How does the 4P game work?  Alternating turns? Anything special I should know about?

[nipsmg]

So I looked it up.  Looks like it’s 3 balls per player for 3 rounds.  According to someone on one of the forums, there is ‘different music in the 3rd round..

I’ll have to do more research into how the game indicates  the winner, and see if there are any other interface things I need to know about.

[Nephasth]

Old video of mine...

[nipsmg]

Is that buzzing the ball reease solenoid?!?

[Nephasth]

Is that buzzing the ball reease solenoid?!?

Indeed it was. The guy I bought the 4 player kit from also sent me a spare solenoid. I swapped it out not long after I took that video, and the machine has had no buzzing issues since.

[mflis]

I have a model H and there is always the concern about it crapping out which has made me think about a project just like this - and even more glad that someone has undertaken it.  Any thought about output as well - IE like "Ring of Fire" (like the whack a mole) where the actual hole  lights up (via a led strip or some such)?

[nipsmg]

I have a model H and there is always the concern about it crapping out which has made me think about a project just like this - and even more glad that someone has undertaken it.  Any thought about output as well - IE like "Ring of Fire" (like the whack a mole) where the actual hole  lights up (via a led strip or some such)?

Yes, that's definitely on the horizon.

My goals are basically:
- Get machine refurbished and initial software done.
- Play test/get feedback on software.
- Add LED and LED controller.
- Update software / SDK to support LED output.

[nipsmg]

New game added: RISKEE

Gameplay Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssnRh9_296I&feature=youtu.be

Screenshot:

This is a riff off "Skeel of 40s" from FreeSkee.

There is a "Bonus Chooser" to the right of the scoring area that starts off with the following bonuses:

• 2 Balls
• 4 Balls
• 6 Balls
• 8 Balls
• Clear Bombs
• 250 Points
• 500 Points
• 750 Points
• 1k Points

Scoring works as standard scoring with the following additions:

If you hit any hole other than 40, your score increases by that amount, and one of the open bonuses is replaced with a bomb.
If you hit 40, the bonus chooser spins.  You are either awarded a bonus, or hit "Clear Bombs" or hit a bomb.

Clear Bombs will remove any of the bombs in the bonus chooser.
A bomb will force the bomb defuser to pop up.  It will count down from 5. 
If you hit a 100 pocket before time is up, the bomb will defuse.  If you hit any other pocket or time runs out, the bomb goes off and you lose all your points.

----

Updated top post to reflect new games.

[nipsmg]

I REALLY need to break through my procrastination and implement the high-score system... I just am wavering on exactly how to do it.

The software relies on the there being the following buttons on the machine:

Up, Down, Left, Right, Select, Back, Info

I'm thinking after a game if you have an eligible high score it'll pop up an instructions-styled window that says "enter high score" and will just have the 3 available letters, classic arcade style.

I was toying with allowing up to 8 characters, but having to scroll up and down through them with button pressed for that many letters could be a pain in the ass. 

Opinions?

[mflis]

I vote for 3 letters

[jimdeprado]

Very cool project!  Looking forward to following this.

I also vote for 3 letters.

Jim

[nipsmg]

FINALLY implemented a globally available high-score system. 

High Score support can be (and is) enabled on a per-game basis. 
The following games have high score support:

• Classic SkeeBall
• Riskee
• Bowling
• Wack-A-Hole

The following games do not have high score support

• Skricket - Scores don't *really* matter except against your immediate opponent.  Having a high score doesn't mean you're 'better'.
• X10 - You win by hitting 0 - no high scores
• Zap - You win by hitting a number exactly, all "high scores" would be the same. Pointless
• Stranger in the alps - You "win" by getting to the top of the mountain.  I first need to come up with a scoring algorithm for time left and number of balls used.  Ideas?

Screenshots Below:



Video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EmrnjiWh10&feature=youtu.be

[PL1]

Stranger in the alps - You "win" by getting to the top of the mountain.  I first need to come up with a scoring algorithm for time left and number of balls used.  Ideas?

How about 2 lists?
-- Fewest rolls
-- Fastest time

If someone manages to set a new best score on both lists in a single try, name them the "Peak Climber" until someone beats one of the scores and knocks them off the peak or beats/ties both scores and replaces them as the new "Peak Climber".


Scott

[nipsmg]

That's actually not a bad idea, but based on the way I implemented high score recording globally, adding the ability for 1 game to score 2 lists would require too much rework.

I've defined a game state "CalculatingScore" where gameplay will freeze and allow for a score calculation animation to happen (much like how megatouch games "count up" the score based on various properties after a round. ) I'll probably have to add that in.

[nipsmg]

Finally implemented a freeskee variant to the software:

Skeeball Bonus
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
A riff off of FreeSkee by ThatPurpleStuff.
Classic Skeeball Gameplay with a bonus multiplier! Hit the same pocket repeatedly for up to 5x bonus!

Game Features:

• Classic Gameplay
• Bonus Multipliers

Screenshot:



I'm getting pretty close to checking off everything I wanted to do before a first release (see list in first post).   I'll be looking for beta testers soon.  If you're interested, please let me know.

Note:  You don't need a SkeeBall machine to beta test, there are keyboard keys mapped for each pocket and all machine functions.

[nipsmg]

I have been using skeeball sounds captured from youtube videos because I haven't been able to find any high-fidelity recordings of the sounds.
I found a sound effect generator and a freeware music tracker program and I attempted to recreate them from scratch.

They're not perfect, but I think they're better than the crappy mp3s with background noise I was using before.

This is the "skeeball song" audio I've been using:
 
The recreated version is in the attached zip.


I also got the skeeball start jingle from a youtube video with a ton of background noise.

I attached a zip with the following files:

• SkeeballStart-Synth.wav - The "Game start" song for skeeball machines.
• SkeeballSong-New.mp3 - A remake of the skeeball song (I'm not a musician, and I tried getting the lower harmony notes by ear, but it's not bad)
• SkeeballPockets.wav - Synthd sound effects for scoring each individual pocket.  The 4 player version of SkeeBall has sounds similar to these.

I'd love any feedback.

[Nephasth]

I'd love any feedback.

Personal opinion... Model H sounds all the way. The model S sounds are not the ones from my childhood.

[nipsmg]

I'd love to get an index and examples of all the model H sounds. if you know of any source let me know, I'll see what i can do to recreate them.

[Howard_Casto]

I'd love to get an index and examples of all the model H sounds. if you know of any source let me know, I'll see what i can do to recreate them.

You might want to try one of those websites that has stock sounds you can buy....  I've had decent luck finding various arcade electro-mechanical sounds on those sort of sites.

[nipsmg]

I think I'm done with games for now. 

Should be ready for beta testing this week.

Added a FlashPoint variant:


Skeemax
Number of Players
1
Game Description:
A riff off of FlashPoint by ThatPurpleStuff.
Classic Skeeball Gameplay with a bonus multiplier! Time your shots for maximum bonus!

Game Features:

• Classic Gameplay
• Constantly rotating bonus multiplier

Screenshot:



Should be ready for beta testing this week.

[nipsmg]

Valentines Day + long weekend with the kids = a bit of a delay in the initial alpha release.

Played quite a bit with my son and found some nasty bugs:

• Riskee (if the last ball hits the bonus wheel, the game is scored and ends prior to the bonus wheel finishing and scoring.. could result in either too low a score or improperly recording a non-zero score if a bomb was hit)
• High Score Bugs: Adding a high score results in all initials below the insertion point being set to the initials just entered.

Will fix these in the next day or so, then get a version out for testing.