The Yahrrcade (Pirate Themed Showcase Cabinet)

[dermoerder]

<update>
Intro Video!



<update>
Built!





<update>Went with a pirate theme and I'm calling it the Yahrrrcade! More posts about that are below.






<original post>
So I've been compiling the games, tweaking emulators, writing scripts, taking screen-shots and organizing things for months whenever I've had the time. I've finally come up with a model that I'm pretty happy with, started to cut some wood and concluded that it was finally time for my project thread. When I first got the idea (from Sasquatch! on the SA Forums. Thanks if you're reading this) I thought it would be a simple thing to throw an old system in a box with an X-Arcade and call it a day but I don't seem to be capable of half-assing projects like this. Now I have a 4 player showcase cab with as-complete-as-possible collections of every console and arcade system I care to play up to PSX/Dreamcast spread across a couple of terabyte drives, that is going to take up half of the living room. No turning back now!



The marquee is just one I shoved in there to hold the place, so don't mind that, and Baseball Stars 2 happens to be a game I really like . The color scheme will be red on black to match all of my buttons. That's a 36" CRT VGA monitor in there that I managed to find on Craigslist for cheap from a guy who just wanted to get the damned huge thing out of his house. Once that made it home(with me pressed up against the windshield in order to fit it in my car) it became clear that a showcase-style cab would suit the huge screen better and I redesigned what I had. It's for the better anyway. The normal upright cab was starting to look like an airplane with the size of the panel compared to monitor I was using.

Really the most difficult part of all this was doing all the grunt work of getting each game to work for the newer consoles and putting together screenshots for all of these things. Now I just have to figure out how to use a circular saw without cutting off any fingers and I'm set.



Thanks to everyone here for contributing to such a great resource, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you guys. Tomorrow I'm hoping to finish the control panel if not the entire podium, so I'll be back with my pictures. If this goes well I'll probably want to bang out a simpler MAME system for some friends later on. Fingers crossed.

</original post>

[shateredsoul]

please update as you build, I'm looking forward to building mine too.. I also have terabytes of games. I'd like to hear more about how you setup the software side (which frontend are you using? do you have the full psx collection? saturn?)

I always wondered if I should just go through my ps1, saturn, and dreamcast games to remove the ones I don't want (i.e. Barbie, Sesame Street, etc..).

Also, I was considering having some systems setup to play with an xbox 360 controller (ps1, n64, dreamcast, saturn, ps2, wii, gamecube), are you setting up all of these for your joysticks?

[dermoerder]

OS
Windows XP - As much as I'd rather not even run Windows, there was no way I was going to get all of these emulators working on Linux. Not only are the Linux versions generally really unstable but half of them just straight up don't exist. I would certainly stick with Linux for a MAME-only system if possible.


Pereipherals
Lightguns - I looked at the EMS Topguns for a while... but with GlovePIE as mature as it is, Wiimotes have become a really good way to play the gun games. Once you put one inside a Buckshot you can't even tell it's a Wiimote! I picked up a wireless Wii sensor bar which, once I build the cab, I will split into to halves to be placed in the middle of the screen on either side and wire it to run off an AC adapter. I'm also trying to write a GlovePIE script to allow me to use these guys for Dreamcast's Samba di Amigo but it's proving difficult so if anyone has something along those lines...


Gamepads - I had four original XBox controllers which happen to be plain old USB with a proprietary plug on the end so I hacked those off and put USB plugs on the end. The control panel top opens on a hinge and has plenty of room underneath to store the controllers. These are necessary for Dreamcast, N64, etc. Unfortunately since they lack four shoulder buttons it will be difficult to pull off PSX on these so I've been looking at the P2900 and P990. These guys have both the six face buttons necessary for N64 and the four shoulder buttons for PSX and should be just great if not for all the negative reviews online. I may just get one to see if it's workable but for now the XBox controllers will do.

Rock Band Things - I'll put a couple of guitar hooks on the side of the cabinet housing the monitor for the guitars(wireless PS2 through a PS2->USB adapter). The microphone(USB)  can live in the control panel and the disassembled drums(USB) can live inside the podium which has a door for storing things.

Dance Pads - Mounted on wood.





Emus
Frontend
Maximus Arcade - I think I would actually like to use Hyperspin but the 4ghz Pentium 3 in there can't seem to keep up since Hyperspin does not yet take advantage of hardware acceleration. Still, MaxArcade is really smooth and is easy to set up.

Arcade
Makaron - This seemed to have the highest compatibility for Sega Naomi.
Sega Model 2 Emulator - Pretty self explanatory.
Mame - Of course.
Zinc - Street Fighter etc.

Atari
Jaguar - Project Tempest seems to do fine.
Older Ataris - I haven't gotten around to this yet but the older Ataris seem really well emulated so I don't think it will take much effort once I do.

Nintendo
Gameboy - Desmume
NES - Nestopia
SNES - Snes9x
N64 - Project64 1.6

Sega
Master System - Kega Fusion
Genesis -  Gens
Saturn - I decided that there was nothing worthwhile on this system, except maybe Bomberman, but I couldn't get that to work so I ditched this system.
Dreamcast - nulldc 1.6. Very time consuming going through and removing the non-working games.

Other
Sony PSX - ePSXe. Haven't gotten my hands on all of this yet so I haven't had the pleasure of sitting down and taking title shots. Really looking forward to it though...
NeoGeo CD - Nebula. There's like 4 exclusives on this system that weren't on the AES/MVS so might as well.


PC Games
Stepmania - It was probably around 8 years ago that I mounted two dance pads for this... and they're still in working order, so I'll just shove the pads behind the cab when not in use.
FoFix - Rock Band/Guitar Hero. I hope the next version has better pitch detection because the vocal stuff is unusable. The rest is spot-on though.
Armagetron Advanced - Have to have Tron.
Ascii Portal - Fun platformer.
Bionic Commando Rearmed - Really badass revamp of Bionic Commando. Everyone should get this.
Nation Red - Zombie killing madness, playable on gamepad, going to look into playing double-joy-style like SmashTV.
Oni - Old beat-em-up game.
Ultrastar - Where FoFix lacks good vocal support, Ultrastar is perfect.
VVVVVV - A very creative little platformer, look it up.
River City Hacky Sack - An old flash game I had lying around.
Flash shooting games - Going to try to get a handful of flash shooting games working on here to use with the wiimote lightguns.

I'll have more specific software and scripting info later on.

[shateredsoul]

I noticed you're using nulldc 1.6, would you be willing to share your list?

Why did you ditch the Saturn? Astal? Panzer Dragon? Bug? Fighter's Megamix.. it doesn't have the greatest games, but you should at least try. I have it running through Maximus Arcade.

Also..

can your system handle the dolphin emulator? pcsx2? Nintendo DS isn't too painful to add either (quite a few wortwhile games on there too)

[dermoerder]

I noticed you're using nulldc 1.6, would you be willing to share your list?

Why did you ditch the Saturn? Astal? Panzer Dragon? Bug? Fighter's Megamix.. it doesn't have the greatest games, but you should at least try. I have it running through Maximus Arcade.

Also..

can your system handle the dolphin emulator? pcsx2? Nintendo DS isn't too painful to add either (quite a few wortwhile games on there too)

List? You mean my compatibility list?

I got about halfway through testing the Saturn games and taking title shots before deciding I just didn't care. I never had a Saturn and have no attachment to it so I just decided to save myself the trouble.
As for Dolphin and Pcsx2, not even close . The Pentium 4 just lacks the features that these newer emulators need to operate at full speed. This actually got me thinking that I should, whenever I eventually get some deal on a newer badass multicore system, build a "MegaConsole" system and just not worry about shoving all that crap into the cabinet. That sort of thing would really do much better on my HDTV than the giant CRT anyway.

Nintendo DS: I considered hacking my old wacom tablet or a usb touchpad into the control panel to accommodate the need for a mouse on the DS but including mouse stuff seemed to be crossing a line into what I think should be another project. I know I could include just those games that don't need touch input but I don't think I feel motivated to do so. Scribblenauts is fun though, just not on the cab.

[shateredsoul]

I meant compatibility list for the dreamcast, actually.. I can probably find that online somewhere. I'm sort of hoping that Makaron development continues so that it can go back to developing the dreamcast part of the emulator.

Good points for not including the Satur

For the Nintendo DS, I was thinking about platformers and games like space invaders extreme. Technically, you'd be able to use your trackball as the mouse.. which is good enough for most games. 

How do you do screenshots on the epsxe emulator? When I tried doing that, I kept getting black screens. Looking forward to your updates!

[dermoerder]

Partially completed control panel! This thing is going to need a few gallons of wood putty/bondo but at least it's really sturdy.






It took a while but I think I'm finally getting the hang of the circular saw. Thought I might be able to wrap it up but it got dark when I had to run off to the hardware store for an appropriate router bit.
Bigtime thanks to the friends of mine that are letting me use their garage and carpentry toolset.

[dermoerder]

I meant compatibility list for the dreamcast, actually.. I can probably find that online somewhere. I'm sort of hoping that Makaron development continues so that it can go back to developing the dreamcast part of the emulator.

Good points for not including the Satur

For the Nintendo DS, I was thinking about platformers and games like space invaders extreme. Technically, you'd be able to use your trackball as the mouse.. which is good enough for most games. 

How do you do screenshots on the epsxe emulator? When I tried doing that, I kept getting black screens. Looking forward to your updates!

Yeah, here is an ls of my Dreamcast titles which is everything that I was able to get working one way or another, except maybe for some Japanese games that I just couldn't make any progress with for lack of english, even if they technically worked just fine. I also removed some redundancies that worked, like any games that were released in the EU as well as US with the same or a different title.
http://pastebin.com/fFyxcGti

I don't have a trackball, but there may actually be enough room to throw one in later. Not gonna worry about it for now.

For ePSXe screenshots I just did an  alt-PrintScrn with the emu in fullscreen mode and pasted it into Gimp. Used that on everything that doesn't have its own screenshot facility with no problems so far.

[dermoerder]

Control panel is mostly assembled:


Been doing the wiring for a couple of days - I don't think I have any fingertips left!  Rough work shoving those quick disconnects on, those suckers are tight. Ran out before finishing player 3 and 4 but it's pretty much there, and what is hooked up is working great.

[oldgamesrbetter]

Control panel is looking nice and big. Plenty of room for four players. Looks great!

_____________________________________________
ARCADE VORTEX http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=99724.0

[dermoerder]

Alllllmost done with the pedestal holding up the control panel today. Would have finished but I had to go pick this up:



I love Craigslist. Now I just need a few extra rooms for these things.

[eds1275]

Your link didn't work.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/12/11/review-buckshot-controller-for-wii/

[dermoerder]

Whoops, thanks.

[eds1275]

Also, I like the design but I don't see a trackball anywhere! Beer and Golden Tee/World Class Bowling are an awesome combo.

[dermoerder]

Pedestal is done. Leaving the large access door off of the back until painted since the hinges are already an attractive black and will not benefit from painting.


As for the trackball, I deemed it(in combo with the optipac) too expensive to worry about but the more people talk about it I start to reconsider...

[dermoerder]

I was on my deathbed sick for a week or two there but I finally got better and a second set of hands to help me start with the big part of the project.

I think all this MDF was as heavy as the car:


Frame:


Some support to go under the Biggest Monitor Ever(TM)




I also cut a large access door into the back panel. Will hinge it on after painting. Tomorrow I hope to maybe finish off this whole bit, and then I'll just need lots of paint and some sheets of plexi. The painting will be a whole new learning experience...

[dermoerder]

Put the main box all together and started sanding and filling in all kinds of stuff with wood putty.... until I ran out. Gonna need a LOT more.


The marquee spot is really large, looking forward to seeing that lit up.

[dermoerder]

As for art, I decided to go with a pirate theme in the style of Monkey Island. I'm excited to design the bezel in this style and will probably use a treasure-map design for the control panel. Here is the Marquee so far. May change the blue to something else but that's an easy detail to alter.



I generally use GIMP for everything since I never need to do anything complicated and run Linux on everything but the Arcade box, but hot damn did it ever choke on these large images. The marquee is 14700X2250 and GIMP was just unable to handle it whenever it wasn't crashing. Got the trial of Photoshop CS5 on the Windows machine in order to do my art now and it's going just great. Gonna get to work on the CP now.

[dermoerder]

Looking for opinions on the art, please!

Again, might not stay blue but this is the general idea:


And I think this is just what I was going for. The large red circles represent, obviously, the buttons, and the compass roses are around the joysticks.


Marquee is next. Just have to get this done before the Photoshop demo runs out!

[emphatic]

That theme is hilarious! Classy execution as well. 

[dermoerder]

Thanks!

Threw the textures up on the model with a very early version of the bezel. May keep these colors on the actual cab, may reverse them, still thinking about that one.

[Hawkweber]

I love the control panel art - using the islands for the buttons and the compass points for the joysticks is genius.

[Havok]

Is that a little Monkey Island action going on there?

[Benevolance]

This theme is completely awesome.

[drventure]

Love that CP (and the compass roses  )

You need to grab a couple of prop blunderbusses and shoehorn a couple AIMTRAKs in them!

Great concept!

[dermoerder]

Is that a little Monkey Island action going on there?

Yeah absolutely, I mentioned it above somewhere. Stealing all style elements shamelessly from Ron Gilbert. Found a couple of fonts that made it possible to reproduce the logo and I'm going to make the instructions on the bezel look like the back of the game box with the excerpt from Guybrush's journal, etc... that is, if I can get it to look okay. I'll try to work Murray in somewhere too.

[Havok]

Yeah absolutely, I mentioned it above somewhere.

LOL - missed that bit. And I thought I was being clever.

Love the concept!

[dermoerder]

All put together:


And primed!



Almost there! Still need to get the acrylic...

[dermoerder]

Mostly painted!

[dermoerder]

Got it in the house! Acrylic sheets cut for bezel and marquee, but not attached yet because I was too drained from moving the thing to bring the giant monitor out of the closet to put it in.




(Sweet pirate arcademat courtesy of the last woot-off)

Took four men to get the thing on/off the car. We tried with three but ran into problems without a crane.


Now! I'll need to wrap up the software end of things and rewire the CP...

[Benevolance]

Looking good! The mat is a pretty sweet touch.

[dermoerder]

Up and running!

When  I finish up the software end of things I'll do a write-up and share all of my scripts and whatnot. What a relief it is to finally have this thing going, though.

[dermoerder]

We've had lots of people over to play games since my last post in this thread but it was only today that I got around to making this intro movie:

[dermoerder]

By the way, I spent a ton of time while putting this together taking title screen shots for the games from Dreamcast, N64, Playstation, etc which I was unable to find anywhere online. Is it kosher to share these sort of things? I don't see why not. I'de hate for someone else to have to spend the time over again for no reason.

[Pixelhugger]

I love the islands as button surrounds. Perfect.

[shateredsoul]

By the way, I spent a ton of time while putting this together taking title screen shots for the games from Dreamcast, N64, Playstation, etc which I was unable to find anywhere online. Is it kosher to share these sort of things? I don't see why not. I'de hate for someone else to have to spend the time over again for no reason.

yeah it is, as long as you're not using someones work.  If you did it, it's your choice if you want to share. very nice of you to do that.

[emphatic]

Wow, that came out really nice! 

[lord-jaffa]

What was the font you used for the writing on the control panel? (pause/exit etc!)?

[leapinlew]

I give the cabinet a 10 and your image hosting a 1. I hate imageshack. I clicked one of your images. I saw the image, but I also got 2 popups.

[Rick]

I give the cabinet a 10 and your image hosting a 1. I hate imageshack. I clicked one of your images. I saw the image, but I also got 2 popups.

I use Imageshack ... properly.  And by that, I mean, I only embed the "Direct" links, so you don't get any popups or such.  If there is a viable alternative, I'd be happy to hear about it.  (By viable, I mean something with batch upload, and that might be able to provide me with 'batch' direct links as well - that's my pet peeve with Imageshack.  I would love to select a bunch of images, and be provided their direct link, so I can cut/paste the appropriate "IMG" tags around them.)