So I saw an Ultracade machine at walmart....

[skid_68]

I thought that was illegal. It wasnt a dedicated cab. It told you have to pic from multiple games to play. It was out of order, so I didnt see it running. With similiar shortcut instructions like mamewah. Sooooo illegal or not?

[Bones]

Ultracade illegal??

Nah, he prides himself on his high level of integrity. This guy will never do anything immoral or illegal.........

 

[daywane]

trash it

[Crazy Cooter]

There used to be an Arcade Legends at the CostCo near my house but it's no longer on display.  It's not sold... it's just "no longer on display".

for the whole low down on Ultracade & Arcade Legends, read this post:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,32730.0.html

[DrewKaree]

Tell the manager you know they aren't the owners of the games (they usually aren't) but that as a customer, you have problems with the manufacturer of the game and some of his shady dealings you are aware of, and request that he have the person who owns the games remove it as soon as possible.

Let him know you have many friends who enjoy the gaming hobby and we don't appreciate the machine, and WILL make our displeasure of THAT machine operating there be known.  Make a show of writing down the store number (NOT the phone number, the location number, usually at the returns desk on the picture of the manager on duty) and asking for the physical address and phone number of the store so you can let people know, should your request not be taken seriously.

I have NO problem with dropping an e-mail on their web site (that the corporate folks will see), writing a letter, or making a call.  Putting that much pressure on them for something in their store they don't control should get that machine out of there fairly quickly.

[Ken Layton]

Was this a machine for sale to the public in the main part of the store with other merchandise?

Or was this a machine placed in the front entry area by a local amusement game operator? Need a little clarification here please. 

[Crazy Cooter]

It was For Sale.

I discussed "things" with people that stopped to look at it.  I also spoke with the store manager.  I don't know if it got sent back or what, but it was taken away before I left and so were all references to it.  I haven't seen another one.

I'm doing what I can.

[Ken Layton]

Hmmm......If it showed up at Sprawl-Mart then it's also possible it might pop up in some other local stores near you like Target, Shopko, or K-Mart. So it might be worth a quick stop by those stores for a look see.

[skid_68]

The one I saw was not for sale. It was in the arcade area up front with other games. Ive seen the whole ultracade pretending to own MAME thing going on. So this just bugs me too.

[daywane]

I repeat ... Trash it ...run like hell 

[usedelectronics]

I found this pretty amusing today..
I dropped by the local arcade/mini-golf place, Scandia.
There was a converted "ultracade" machine in there.

DEAD! Turned off, with the typical hand written out of order tape over the coin door.

It was the only machine in the place that was non-functioning.
I had to laugh.

[DrewKaree]

Talked to a friend of the family who covers this area for Wal-Mart (read: a "higher up").  Those "mini-arcades" in the front of the store are more than likely from a game operator in the area, and he said those things almost always cause more headaches than they are worth, so if you say something to the manager and nothing changes, a barrage of letters or e-mails from us will be the most persuasive.  Letters specifically, because "it's the consumer going to great lengths to alert us to something unsatisfactory".

That, and because it's such a ridiculously small revenue-stream and such an easy problem to fix 

If all of that fails, you are to let me know the information I told you to get, so I can pass it on to him.  That's a last ditch thing, though, because he said it'll sound like a vendetta thing if that was done first - at least with the letters and e-mails there will be some record of customer dissatisfaction. 

[Gunstar Hero]

That's not punishing Mr. Ultracade tho. That's troubling an op who's probably already pissed he got snookered into buying that POS. 

[rchadd]

stick superglue in the coin slot and leave quickly

[daywane]

I repeat ... Trash it ...run like hell

[DrewKaree]

That's not punishing Mr. Ultracade tho. That's troubling an op who's probably already pissed he got snookered into buying that POS. 

Oh yes it is punishing Mr. Ultracade! 

Allow me to explain

Said op, perhaps already pissed that he got snookerd by Mr Trademark, is now FURTHER pissed that Mr Trademark's actions are affecting him, thereby making Mr Op not only a willing member of the opposition/posse to stop him, it also makes him one of the more vindictive (therefore willing to go to greater lengths to exact his pound of flesh!) members of the Justice Group.

Wonder Twin powers......ACTIVATE!  Form of....a pissed off Op   Form of.......a losing-money-by-the-day Op!

WINGO, MAN! 

Not only have you NOT destroyed the Op's property, you've also won him over to our side (even if it IS by default).  Destroying the machine clearly ISNT' the way to go, but making it known to the Op that machine not only isn't welcome, but it's due to the actions of the a-hole who he bought it from.  After his reply to KevSteele, I'm betting he has the same attitude AFTER the sale to the people calling him about problems, which seems to be the norm.


Now gimme another point 

[RayB]

Maybe the best way to get your message across to the Op would be to slide a note into the machine.

[Tailgunner]

Or if you're up for a bit of reverse engineering, ask him if you can borrow it for a month.

[ntjedi]

The Dave and Busters in Michigan has an Ultracade machine there.  REMOVED 'cause I was not really bad and made a bad joke.     I complained to many people about the machine thou and told them about the hobby and why the maker of the machine was evil.

(damn im still lame) 

EDIT: oh and by the way I have yet to see anyone play the machine when I am there. 

[Crazy Cooter]

lol.

Print out this banner and tape it to the middle of the screen.

[ntjedi]

lol.

Print out this banner and tape it to the middle of the screen.

Sounds like a plan, I will have to visit D&B again this weekend.

[Shape D.]

lol.

Print out this banner and tape it to the middle of the screen.

Or make a new marquee with it.

[DrewKaree]

The Dave and Busters in Michigan has an Ultracade machine there.  I "accidently" spilled my beer on it on my way to play Battletech (but now I miss the beer). 

(damn im lame) 

EDIT: oh and by the way I have yet to see anyone play the machine when I am there. 

Seriously, you guys aren't getting that someone who at least has an interest in video games being around for a bit (the operator) put his hard earned money into purchasing that game.  Now, just because the guy made a bad choice back THEN in light of what Foley is doing NOW doesn't make it the operator's fault, and if anything, paints the people who would do physical harm to the machine as brain dead.

Sorry for the harsh words, but it's not being grasped that when you see an Ultracade out and about, Foley has already gotten PAID for that machine!

You're no more hurting him than if you walked through the parking lot at the mall and keyed every Ford because you don't agree with them using plastic gas caps! 

Post the sign on the machine, speak to the op, take whatever civilized means you feel are necessary, but STOP telling everyone that you have/want to/will destroy the machine!


Use your flippin' HEADS!  Let's say you had a party, everyone's playing your cabs, and you head upstairs to take care of something.  You come back down, and someone's shattered the glass/plexi or poured a beer on your cab, rendering it useless.  I bet you're glad they chose to demonstrate their protest to the manufacturer of your cab on the machine you spent your money on, hey?

I understand the joking nature of the posts, heck, mebbe I've even done it myself a time or two, but it doesn't help our cause AT ALL if someone maybe agrees with us, points a few people here who may not know, but wish to help, and they see crap like this!

In dealing with Ultracade and everything that IS Mr. Foley, it's the ONE area that SHOULD NOT joke around about solutions to making our feelings of him and his products known in an effort to slow/kill/shut down his business.

[ChadTower]

Just do what everyone else does, find Foley and give him 12 or 13 chair shots to the head.

[Daniel270]

Why not do something a tad more civil?  Post flyers at all the areas that still have working arcade games?  Speak with owners who have some of Foley's machines and tell them what's going on.... 

[ChadTower]

Because the owners won't care.  They sunk capital into that machine and that machine is going to continue to be a stream of revenue for them.  That's all they will care about.  They may not buy any more but they're not going to dump an existing revenue stream because you're unhappy.

[ntjedi]

Seriously, you guys aren't getting that someone who at least has an interest in video games being around for a bit (the operator) put his hard earned money into purchasing that game.  Now, just because the guy made a bad choice back THEN in light of what Foley is doing NOW doesn't make it the operator's fault, and if anything, paints the people who would do physical harm to the machine as brain dead.

Sorry for the harsh words, but it's not being grasped that when you see an Ultracade out and about, Foley has already gotten PAID for that machine!

You're no more hurting him than if you walked through the parking lot at the mall and keyed every Ford because you don't agree with them using plastic gas caps! 

Post the sign on the machine, speak to the op, take whatever civilized means you feel are necessary, but STOP telling everyone that you have/want to/will destroy the machine!


Use your flippin' HEADS!  Let's say you had a party, everyone's playing your cabs, and you head upstairs to take care of something.  You come back down, and someone's shattered the glass/plexi or poured a beer on your cab, rendering it useless.  I bet you're glad they chose to demonstrate their protest to the manufacturer of your cab on the machine you spent your money on, hey?

I understand the joking nature of the posts, heck, mebbe I've even done it myself a time or two, but it doesn't help our cause AT ALL if someone maybe agrees with us, points a few people here who may not know, but wish to help, and they see crap like this!

In dealing with Ultracade and everything that IS Mr. Foley, it's the ONE area that SHOULD NOT joke around about solutions to making our feelings of him and his products known in an effort to slow/kill/shut down his business.

Ok you got me, all I really did was stand in front of it and complain to anyone that would listen.  Im not really into wonton destruction of others property, i was really just joking around and agree with all of your comments to date.

It was a bad joke and I take it back.  I'm sorry if I gave off the wrong impression. 

[RayB]

Seriously, I think anyone standing around an Ultracade and complaining about it, even if it's to management of the particular establishment, is probably going to be viewed as a member of the tin-foil crowd or a big fat nerd at best.

 

[rchadd]

why would an operator who bought a ultracade care about what DF is doing regards mame?

he bought the machine from DF and presumably making money off it = happy

mame means nothing to operators.

[Shape D.]

why would an operator who bought a ultracade care about what DF is doing regards mame?

he bought the machine from DF and presumably making money off it = happy

mame means nothing to operators.

But mentioning that some of the games may be illegally played in the system, say namco ones for example, would get their attention.

[Gunstar Hero]

Okay okay.

I have the solution.

Let's just set every Ultracade we see on fire.

If it takes out a Walmart or D&B with it who cares? One less giant, overcrowded, overhyped business... although I do sorta like D&B. 

And give Mr. Ultracade the 13 chair shots to the head.

See. That way everyone is happy but the op, and screw him for getting in the way of our happiness!

[RayB]

But mentioning that some of the games may be illegally played in the system, say namco ones for example, would get their attention.

Wrong. Ops have been buying and running bootleg game boards since forever. Why would this be any different?

[Trimoor]

Talk to the op and ask if you can make a copy of the HDD.  I'm sure they would oblige if you made it worth their while...

--(In total disregard of everything DrewKaree said)
Stick a cherrybomb in the coin return.  Then steal the drive.

[rchadd]

why would an operator who bought a ultracade care about what DF is doing regards mame?

he bought the machine from DF and presumably making money off it = happy

mame means nothing to operators.

But mentioning that some of the games may be illegally played in the system, say namco ones for example, would get their attention.

i'm sure namco would have closed DF down by now if he ultracade was running any of their games illegally. the main thing the ultracade uses in their advertising that all the games are legallly licenced

[Sephroth57]

Talk to the op and ask if you can make a copy of the HDD.

[ChadTower]

You people have no imagination.  Go into the store, shoplift a high power handheld drill, and wave it around the monitor. 

[Crazy Cooter]

i'm sure namco would have closed DF down by now if he ultracade was running any of their games illegally. the main thing the ultracade uses in their advertising that all the games are legallly licenced

They did.

They sent him a cease & desist letter.  He never had permission to sell their games on his machines.  They also made him remove any artwork etc.  He sent out a letter (and posted it on his website) to his distributors to not sell any of the machines or use Namco or any of their games in their advertisements.

What foley was doing was including "busted boards" (the actual rom chips) with each machine.  Namco had their lawyers make contact...

[Sephroth57]

this man just needs to be dealt with mafia style, someone has to have connections. A couple clubs to the kneecaps and this will all be over, he will mysteriously announce a close of the buisness and we win 

[daywane]

lol.

Print out this banner and tape it to the middle of the screen.

Or make a new marquee with it.

I like this idea
I like this idea alot. If I was around one I swear I really would. I would glue that puppy right on there.

[daywane]

The Dave and Busters in Michigan has an Ultracade machine there.

[Shape D.]

They did.

They sent him a cease & desist letter. He never had permission to sell their games on his machines. They also made him remove any artwork etc. He sent out a letter (and posted it on his website) to his distributors to not sell any of the machines or use Namco or any of their games in their advertisements.

What foley was doing was including "busted boards" (the actual rom chips) with each machine. Namco had their lawyers make contact...

But mentioning that some of the games may be illegally played in the system, say namco ones for example, would get their attention.

Wrong. Ops have been buying and running bootleg game boards since forever. Why would this be any different?

because its still illegal, they can claim ignorace if they want. but if they have namco games on that machine, they can get fined for it. if they are fined for it mr foley will have some answering to do.

[daywane]

can we complain to ebay and have all those cabs taken off for pirated roms?

[Shape D.]

can we complain to ebay and have all those cabs taken off for pirated roms?

Those probobly don't have them on them. theres a notice on his site telling their sellers to take the games off. and I'm willing to bet the ones he makes now don't include those.

[RayB]

because its still illegal, they can claim ignorace if they want. but if they have namco games on that machine, they can get fined for it. if they are fined for it mr foley will have some answering to do.

Fines?! Do you think there are copyright police patrolling around handing out tickets? No. Namco has to get their lawyers and take the Op into court. They would also have to establish what copyright infringement occurred, and what the damages are, etc, etc. Be realistic. This won't happen to one lowly Op. It's not worth it to Namco. And the Ops know it.

[Shape D.]

because its still illegal, they can claim ignorace if they want. but if they have namco games on that machine, they can get fined for it. if they are fined for it mr foley will have some answering to do.

Fines?! Do you think there are copyright police patrolling around handing out tickets? No. Namco has to get their lawyers and take the Op into court. They would also have to establish what copyright infringement occurred, and what the damages are, etc, etc. Be realistic. This won't happen to one lowly Op. It's not worth it to Namco. And the Ops know it.

Lowly Op?  Its Walmart. They have money.

[Crazy Cooter]

If walmart is selling Ultracade machines with Namco games on it, report it to Namco.  They'll take care of it.  I'm working on speaking with someone there regarding some other stuff now.

[dan57fina]

last week i printed out one of the banners on adhesive paper and went to the local price-market only to find an ultracade.i opened my wallet, took out the sticker, and just as i was about to plant that thing on the glass, i heard "you really don't think that you are gonna do that and walk outta here without paying for it, are you?" and then i just walked out

[Sephroth57]

last week i printed out one of the banners on adhesive paper and went to the local price-market only to find an ultracade.i opened my wallet, took out the sticker, and just as i was about to plant that thing on the glass, i heard "you really don't think that you are gonna do that and walk outta here without paying for it, are you?" and then i just walked out

dude you gotta be more stealthy, you need a black ninja suit

[Stingray]

Beause there's nothing more inconspicious than a guy dressed as a ninja in Wal-Mart.

-S

[RayB]

Listen, when you see machines in store, be it Walmart or 7-11 or the corner independant... and be it video game, soda machine or gum dispenser... they are [usually] owned by local operators who put the machines on location and split the earnings with the location owner. Check the machine for a sticker with the operator's business name and phone number.

[missioncontrol]

last week i printed out one of the banners on adhesive paper and went to the local price-market only to find an ultracade.i opened my wallet, took out the sticker, and just as i was about to plant that thing on the glass, i heard "you really don't think that you are gonna do that and walk outta here without paying for it, are you?" and then i just walked out

dude you gotta be more stealthy, you need a black ninja suit

and night vision goggles........

[Crazy Cooter]

last week i printed out one of the banners on adhesive paper and went to the local price-market only to find an ultracade.i opened my wallet, took out the sticker, and just as i was about to plant that thing on the glass, i heard "you really don't think that you are gonna do that and walk outta here without paying for it, are you?" and then i just walked out

Should have just looked at the guy and said: "It's my machine."  You'd be surprised what you can get away with if you look like you're supposed to be doing it.

whoa, deja vu.  Have I typed that here before?

[JODY]

I hope it was in the closeout isle