"supapin" updates

[supafraud]

"supapin" is the working name for my project retrofitting old EM machines with a Unity 3d based brain, I'll post updates here.

So I have most of the game logic down and I'm still trying to figure out the hardware. Here is a crap demo of the score reels and credit reel logic. Right now for testing the inputs are mapped to:

5 - inserts a coin
1 - starts a game
space - scores 10 pts
enter - scores 100 pts
right shift - scores 1000 points
T - ends the game

http://supafraud.com/temp/reels/reels%20working.html

Still have an issue with rapid scoring sometimes knocking the reels out of alignment but I can fine tune that.

Getting some new hardware in this week to help get the output working. Still would love it if someone made a unity plugin out of the pacdrive sdk but I'm in talks with a arduino guy who might make it happen with that hardware...

[supafraud]

Now controlling hardware with pacdrive by passing commands to LEDblinky from unity. It seems fast in the test environment but I don't have my high load switches or mosfets yet to test it on solenoids. Should have a wired up playfield with working software soon. Still going to explore the arduino option to eliminate lag.

[ChadTower]

Very cool.  Love this concept. 

How about stuff like crude game logic?  Drop banks completing that trigger a special, etc?

[supafraud]

yep, working on that stuff now. I want to make it so that the software supports all (or at least most) EM game rules as well as custom features. For example I have added high score support, music and custom sound effects so far.

[ChadTower]

Nice.  I'm sure you can do a whole lot of neat things with an EM playfield if you're not limited to how many steppers can be fit into the cabinet.

[supafraud]

exactly, ive got 2 machines that have some big empty spaces on the playfield, I could also drop the playfield lower into the coffin to add extra lanes and ramps etc. The big test is going to be getting the high voltage solenoids playing nice with my low voltage driver boards. I know the theory behind getting it to work and my unity project is now passing commands to the driver board but I won't know how well it really works until I get all the parts in (this week i think) and start soldering stuff together. I'm going to try to get most of the inputs on the playfield wired up today and see if i can install a switch to give power to the flippers while I test it out. I'll post videos as soon as I have something to show.

[ChadTower]

I wouldn't change the playfield.  That's probably going too far, IMO.  Breathing new life into an old EM is great.  Adding new rules, etc, cool.  For me the line would be at modifying the topside of the playfield. 

[PL1]

Right now for testing the inputs are mapped to:

5 - inserts a coin
1 - starts a game
space - scores 10 pts
enter - scores 100 pts
right shift - scores 1000 points
T - ends the game

Before the project gets too big/complex, you may want to consider aligning your keystrokes with Visual Pinball/Future Pinball standard keystrokes.

See the first table, Mode 5 - Pinball map here and pg 14 here for quick reference if needed.

By using the same keystrokes, it should make it easier for people to translate and transition between the VP/FP and supapin/EM worlds.


Scott