Starfighter

[eaviii]

Don't know who's been following on some of the other boards. Our site is being updated to include (finally)an early  "Starfighter" demo (3 playable levels, limited sound). There is also a "Space Paranoids" update with a new game version (explosion fix and diagnostics settings save), full cabinet art, and startup/shutdown/desktop screens. The Daphne multicab desktopX frontend has been added as has a small nonplayable Bishop of Battle demo (just the talking head). Finally, we should be adding a small Death Race (Exidy '76) based game (close but not exact). The updates will be going on for the next few days for those interested.

www.roguesynapse.com

Doc

[SaiNRuB]

I would like to say hi and welcome eaviii.

Its amazing to see all the work and collecting you guys have been pursuing, very motivational. I look forward to seeing more of The Bishop Of Battle cabinet, I loved the story in the movie Nightmares. Hearing the Bishops voice in the demo again after so long really gave me a flashback to being seriously spooked.

The Starfighter Cabinet you guys recovered is a awesome find. Congratulations because that is something I personally idolized as a kid. I look forward to seeing progress on all of the things going on with these projects. I would love to see some pics of the control panel images, it seems the thumbnail image is linked to a image of the game, but no biggie all in good time im sure. Fantastic stuff, i spend a good hour looking the site over.

I noticed that their is a shot of a mini multi williams that looks awfully familiar.

[eaviii]

. . .

[SaiNRuB]

I got the Williams minimulti at auction- It totally rocks! Is it your work? Superlative quality-
Doc

No I believe that is Nannuu's handiwork but I could be mistaken. Awesome pics Doc, how do you suppose the targeting controls were meant to be controlled with the 3 different types of weapon loadouts?

This is awesome lol

[Gunstar Hero]

So that's the "real" Last Starfighter cab?? 

[SaiNRuB]

I think i may know the answer to my own question about how Alex controlled which type of weapon he was using.

I guess its the switches? (RED / GREEN / YELLOW)

Id just activate the Death Blossom first and then id take it from their I guess

[TOK]

A million years ago, I had an Atari 800XL computer and 300 baud modem. I had a pre-release version of a Last Starfighter game I got from a Pirate BBS. Not even sure if that game made it to market, but it's pretty cool.

It started with the ship on the landing pad and some text about the Kodan Armada. The screenshots on your page reminded me. Is that the version yours is based on?

[Will]

Really nice work rogue!!I really like the alien playing pinball you set up:)I will try and test space paranoids very soon...

[JODY]

The Last Starfighter roms for the Atari 5200 are available.  Can play them with a 5200 emulator in a cab.

[eaviii]

Cool- Glad you guys like it-

In order-

SaiNRuB- You're right on the switches. They are hidden by the right joystick in the photo. On the prop, they are 2 way toggles so not sure how I will make that work (maybe replace with similar/identical momentary closed rocker switches). The demo has the "m","l", and "p" buttons set up for weapons switching so they could easily map via iPac.

Gunstar Hero- That is actually the cabinet from the documentary from the Collector's edition DVD. No one seems to know what happened to the original. Rumor is that it was destroyed. The documentary one was apparently built exactly the same and is in every sense, a prop (balsa handles, pushbuttons with tissue paper as springs, no back).

TOK and Jody- The 5200 emulation is out there. I found it a while back and played it some before starting work on the game (that was a couple of years ago). I'll see if I can find the link. It is pretty cool. The best port was Star Raiders 2 which was the true console version of Last Starfighter (hence the Kohdan enemy). Of course, I am biased because Star Raiders rocked.

Will- Thanks re: the pinball martian. You probably noticed he's playing "Revenge from Mars."  I wanted a photo with him there, the Creature at the Creature pinball and Robby th Robot at Tzone.    Required moving too many big things to happen.

Very cool and thanks again for the "Welcome"

Doc

[Nannuu]

The mini found a good home!  A fantastic home actually  .  That is great work on Starfighter.  My dad literally still watches that movie a couple times a month.  That's a great flic.  I'd love to make a Starfighter cabinet for him.

[Stingray]

I probably speak for a lot of the guys here when I say that I'd love to see detailed pictures and maybe some measurements of that cab. I'd love to build one!

-S

[clanggedin]

Your Starfighter looks almost like, mine

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,24691.0.html. I would love to get a copy of the game once it is released to play in my cab.

[eaviii]

I keep meaning to get detailed measurements up- I have a buddy who's an architect and he might draft some basic construction blueprints for a case of beer. At some point, we will definitely post everything needed to build the cab.

Stingray, the MAME version rocks- Very cool indeed- Have you tried the demo in it? How cool! Would love to see your artwork and I knowsome of the prop forums guys would love to as well (as a couple are working on their own cabs). How did you do the emblem? I need a better one than the actual one for the game. The one on there is basically a piece of paper lightly affixed to the outside of the cabinet. As I said, mine's in every sense a prop so not finished for real world use.

Working on a meteor gun level now and then a couple of others and audio dissection-

Doc

[clanggedin]

I did the artwork in Illustrator and I am more than willing to share what I have done. It is not perfect in anyway when having to trace from a bad photo of the cab used in the movie.

You should scan the emblem on your cab and one of the guys in the artwork forum (or me) will vectorize it for everyone to use.

If you would like a copy of the sideart just PM me. I'll have to try your demo when I get some free time in the next day or so.

BTW... I would more than happy to pay $$ for plans to build my own replica Starfighter cab.

[eaviii]

Cool- I will be glad to scan the sideart- if folks would want to vectorize, that would totlly rock- Can scan the marquee too maybe-

No need for $$- I don't think it will be a problem to get my buddy to do the blueprints (I assume he can very easily work backwards from the finished cab)- Will start with beer, always start with beer . . .
Once done, I would post it for free download on the site. I suspect the blueprints will only be useful for the outside anyway (the inside is prop- ledges to easily remove the monitor for side shots, no wiring/switches considerations and no speaker housings!!!).The cab will need a little creative group modification to get a functioning Starfighter.

Very cool-

Doc

[Nannuu]

I'd be more than happy to draft up the plans if you can post or email me measurements.  Same with the artwork.   

[eaviii]

Just a few more screengrabs and update stuff- Things are still moving along. Fixed a few things in the demo already (missile explosions now always visible)- I got a wireframe starfighter from Miniaturizer Ray and placed it in a new scanner (I hated the distorted textures on the spheres)- The scanners look 100% better now.

[zorg]

Cool- I will be glad to scan the sideart- if folks would want to vectorize, that would totlly rock- Can scan the marquee too maybe-

do not hesitate, scan it, someone will trace this piece as soon as available. did I say that someone may be me

[Flinkly]

as for the game, i tried to play it a week ago, and the dang thing just goes too fast.  i couldn't control the sights well enough to connect any shots.  all in all, it's way difficult to play.  i don't think i hit a single bad guy.

[zorg]

Cool- I will be glad to scan the sideart- if folks would want to vectorize, that would totlly rock- Can scan the marquee too maybe-

do not hesitate, scan it, someone will trace this piece as soon as available. did I say that someone may be me

bump,
any news about scanning ?

[eaviii]

Have not yet gotten around to scanning the artwork yet- I did buy a new camera to photograph and measure the cab for the blueprints

[zorg]

for the side art, I guess a lot of puzzled HI-Res photos ill be enough, there is no such details that a photo could not render well.

thank's

[Chris]

Doesn't Pixelhugger already have this art vectorized?

[clanggedin]

I have a vectorized version of the sideart that I did off a really crappy photo of the cab I found last year some time.

I just uploaded my artwork to the Artwork Library. I know it needs some work, like the starfield neeeds added to the logo.

Anyway, If anyone else wants to use what I did it's free for the taking.

[zorg]

I have a vectorized version of the sideart that I did off a really crappy photo of the cab I found last year some time.

I just uploaded my artwork to the Artwork Library. I know it needs some work, like the starfield neeeds added to the logo.

Anyway, If anyone else wants to use what I did it's free for the taking.

thank's for upping thoses
just a note I modified the file names in order to be more representative. and I also have a question ?
is the file http://www.localarcade.com/4images/details.php?image_id=865&mode=search usefull knowing we have this one http://www.localarcade.com/4images/details.php?image_id=866&mode=search

did you agree to remove the first one ??

[Chris]

The second one is specifically for a UAII cabinet; the first is more generic.  Neither is complete for a cabinet actually shaped like the movie prop.  I would leave them both for now.

--Chris

[zorg]

The second one is specifically for a UAII cabinet; the first is more generic.  Neither is complete for a cabinet actually shaped like the movie prop.  I would leave them both for now.

OK

[clanggedin]

You can remove the first one actually. It's very easy to modify the background on the second one to have a full black background. I figured it's better to up the one with both sides in it than the one with a single side.

If you send the artwork to Scott at Mamemarquees.com then he can remove the background completely and print just the emblem and side text.

That's how I did mine. I haven't touched those since then except to make thumbs for the library.

BUT... If you guys want me to up the right side with the full black background instead I can do that too.

[zorg]

You can remove the first one actually. It's very easy to modify the background on the second one to have a full black background. I figured it's better to up the one with both sides in it than the one with a single side.

that was exactly my concern, when I suggested to remove hte first one. 
as you original uploader agree i will remove the file.

BUT... If you guys want me to up the right side with the full black background instead I can do that too.

hummm not usefull.

[eaviii]

Just an update- For what it's worth I have assembled and charged my camera and have not forgotten the need for cabinet measurements and photos. Hopefully this weekend (real work began for me again)-
I decided to nix the meteor ship and use the comand ship for 2 command ship levels (a meteor level and the final). It just looks better and is thematically more consistent. Updated the frontier and included the command ship. New missiles for the command ship and working on arrays for meteor movement- The frontier with command ship burrowing away-


Hole complete . . .




Bishop of Battle saucer! How did that get in there? Also occasionally working on that-

I promise to get the measurements and photos soon-

Doc

[eaviii]

Finally took some pics and measurements of the cab itself-
For the blueprints . . .









And the hires captures (well as high as my hosting service allows) . . .
















A start thus far . . .

Doc

[zorg]

thank's for providing those measurement and pics.

just a sugestion, maybee you can use the model image available here for the measurements

[eaviii]

Very cool- My cabinet seems a little different from the model- More rounded edges and the marquee seems different- Wonder what they based the virtual on?

Dco

[Rook3]

If I had to guess, they probably just watched the film and went from there. Like so many movie prop replica makers do.

Rook

[Rook3]

*EDIT: (6/28) - Has anyone been able to start vectorizing the cabinet art, or work on the cabinet plans?

[Nannuu]

I'll do the plans but it will take a while.  Work has been busier than usual lately.

[eaviii]

Just a brief update- Software moving slowly ahead- One of the guys on Replica Props forum (Vegas Vader) did the emblem in Adobe Illustrator- Will post the hires .ai and .jpeg for download soon-The lores (hosted) jpeg is below:



Doc

[ViriiGuy]

Ohhhhh
Simply Amazing!!!!!
*Tears Swell up* That is the single most amazing thing I have seen in a loooong time.
The Last Starfighter is one of my all time favorite movies. I now know what Cab #2 will be.

I just have to figure out cab #1

Bravo!!!!!!!
I look forward to seeing this finished, and look forward to having one of my own.

[TOK]

Since there is interest in the Last Starfighter theme, I thought you guys might like this. It's my PSP running the NES version of the game. Sorry for the photo quality, its tough to photograph the screen without glare.