Its Here: Ultimarc AimTrak Light Gun Module

[Ginsu Victim]

Andy,

Most of us appreciate your hard work in putting this together for us.  Don't let one bad apple convince you otherwise.  Especially a know-it-all who hasn't tried your product.

+1

keep up the great work Andy!

Count me in. I definitely appreciate what Andy does for this community.

[BobA]

Good work Andy

+1

[Cananas]

I can't understand how one person can do a 'review' without testing it...

I have played with an actlabs, a Guncon2 (with and without the first gun chip tried by Andy), an LCDTopGun, and now the Aimtrak.

Xiaou2, I only can say that actually, the best solution is the Aimtrak (with the latest firmware). The accurate is very similar to the LCDTopgun, but with less lag. And you can stay closer to the monitor, one of the Andy's target.

Ah! and remember that the Aimtrak works perfectly in 64bit OS (XP/Vista/7). And that's the future, man.

So, until you test the Aimtrak, your words are a waste of time.

[1UP]

He doesn't NEED to do a review--he knows it doesn't work--he has ESP!!  Also he knows kung fu and worked in an arcade once.  Why question his expertise?

OK, we can argue about the merits of various gun systems all day, but here is one reason why I'd rather buy this kind of stuff from Andy.  I got my Aimtraks a few weeks back, set them up and all seemed good.  Then I did the firmware upgrade on one of them, and the unit became unable to be calibrated.  Andy worked through troubleshooting it with me, over the course of about 10 emails.  We finally determined that the unit had malfunctioned, and without asking, he sent out a new unit, free of charge!  From overseas!  Fired it up, flashed the firmware update and it worked like a champ!

A lot of companies would have said "send it back at your expense and we'll give you a refund" or just ignored my emails altogether.  Andy gave me what I wanted, which was a working gun, without any further expense.  Besides that, he announced a product everyone wanted, listened to our feedback, and delivered it a few months later, at a reasonable price!  Everyone else that has made gun board announcements has gone AWOL.

[northerngames]

if something happend to mine I would buy the aimtrak again over anything else out there becuae it is the best thing I have used to date.

I appretiate what andy has done with these also becuase they are the best thing out there at the moment and he did what was requested by many to the T and it is the best light gun solution out there.

I have owned and tried all the lightgun's except the wiimote and the aimtrak beats them all period hands down.

Xiaou2 if you dont even have one and you never tried one how can you argue with proud owner's of aimtrak's about their accuracy compared to arcade's when you know nothing about them lol.

now your telling others how they work and are built without even seeing/using one.

We get the point that there not for you for whatever reason but you must understand that we dont care and understand your point there not for you and perhaps its time for you to make your own post about your dislike's about the aimtrak that you never seen, used or have.

your argument here of why you dont want to buy one is not going to change anyone's mind and if it does that's what they get for listening to someone that has never seen nor owned one in the first place 

[ids]

Im not an electrical engineer.  Andy never directly said anything about number of bars,
and CONNECTING that data to Accuracy -vs- Costs.
...

Wow, S/N ratio gotten worse lately?  It's one thing to have an opinion, another to trash talk from a standpoint of ignorance.

Might we all request the gathering of facts before annoying us all so much?

Thanks

[Xiaou2]

If all the LEDs were turned on all the time, the optical signal processing in the gun would not be able to deal with the large variation in numbers of LEDs being visible. A practical maximum is 4 light points. In theory the gun would be able to see all the LEDs if pointed in the center of the screen.

So given that the max is 4 LEDs, there is no way the gun could know which one(s) its looking at all of the time unless they were being controlled.

1) How is it that Topguns use more than 4 Leds?
2) What if there were 2 senors per gun?

I would have expected an arrangement with many LEDs around the screen to turn on and off each LED in turn so that the gun knows which one its pointing at. This is an option but would mean having a control board mounted in the cabinet with drivers for the LEDs, and the gun connecting to this board rather than plugging direct to USB

 If this would indeed give better accuracy, Id be all for it.  I dont think others would mind
either.  Its no more complex than hooking up a trackball.

Its a strange experience reading these posts, becuase I spent 9 months of my life working through this and all of the suggestions made here I played with and dismissed ages ago, along with many others.  Perhaps I should have taken some pictures of my screen which was draped with LEDs in all kinds of locations at various points.

 If there truly is no other reasonable way, then I apologize.   Its merely that as a consumer
Ive gotten the shaft several times over... as well as watching products come out that do not
match the arcade level of accuracy and control... which is extremely disappointing.

 It was like yesterday, that everyone was raving and defending Actlabs guns... which were a
complete waste of plastic... and my hard earned dollars.   People kept saying how good the
accuracy was... and it was Dreadful to the point of being completely un-usable.

 Before that, I ordered a spinner from a well known vendor, only to have it so poorly assembled,
that it fell apart as soon as I started to use it.

 Before that, I bought a high priced encoder.. only to find it had lag, didnt do what was
advertised, AND it became obsolete in like a year.

 I dont mind spending good money on stuff thats worth spending money on.  And people who are
like myself, simply can not enjoy playing a game when the controller messes up the intended
& skillfully guided actions.  If Im going to fail at a game, it should be because I
made a mistake.. not because a controller lacks proper accuracy, glitches, etc.
While surely there are average players who may not even Notice, I can assure you there are
quite the opposition who do.

[Silly Burrito]

I think the important fact that's missing that we're all wondering..

Andy, when are you releasing this as an all-in-one gun shell/AimTrak combo? 

[Ragtag83]

So if I got this right... Xiaou2, you hate the AimTrak because of good reviews and that other companies gave you the shaft in the past? Perfectly logical...    If you bought one and hated it, all rights to you to complain. But until then, ask questions, share concerns, but please don't bash the product or the creator until you know what you are talking about.

[rbarr110]

Which is why I will not be purchasing one.   Give me arcade accuracy without need of a cheaters cursor ,or or forget it.

Since you wont be purchasing one, maybe you can stop posting complaints now based on speculation and not hands on experience.

[Dizzle]

Which is why I will not be purchasing one.   Give me arcade accuracy without need of a cheaters cursor ,or or forget it.

Since you wont be purchasing one, maybe you can stop posting complaints now based on speculation and not hands on experience.

Exactly.  Im all for constructive criticism, but without having even touched the product???  C'mon maaann!!!  If I didn't know any better, I'd think someone was an EMS employee.  Maybe someone will put this thread out of it's misery...

[Dannymh]

I think the important fact that's missing that we're all wondering..

Andy, when are you releasing this as an all-in-one gun shell/AimTrak combo? 

Seconded

[shateredsoul]

Thirded...

I think the important fact that's missing that we're all wondering..

Andy, when are you releasing this as an all-in-one gun shell/AimTrak combo? 

Seconded

[TheShanMan]

Which is why I will not be purchasing one.   Give me arcade accuracy without need of a cheaters cursor ,or or forget it.

Since you wont be purchasing one, maybe you can stop posting complaints now based on speculation and not hands on experience.

Yep. Everyone knows you wouldn't touch an aimtrak with a 10' pole, and why you wouldn't (right or wrong). So why do you feel the need to keep taking a dump in this thread? Oh wait, I know. It's because you're so much smarter than all the rest of us and you need to bless us with your wisdom because we'll spend our money on a worthless product without you being here to protect us. Just go about your business and learn how to ignore products you would never buy.

[shateredsoul]

Ok, so I might not agree with the way he is delivering his info, but he does make a good point about a bias toward the ultimarc guns.

I would like to know .. what's the big difference between these and the topgun IIs? They seem to work off of the same principle.  I bought one, but haven't had time to install the gun yet. However, some people said that the topgun II was made out of cheap plastic.... after actually buying the gun I wonder why I was told that when imo it seems pretty sturdy and rugid. Maybe compared to arcade guns it's cheap but compared to guncons and other console lightguns this is a pretty darn good quality. Not sure how an ultimarc in a guncon casing is any more sturdier.

I'm looking forward to see what ultimarc comes up with for the complete light gun with casing and all

Which is why I will not be purchasing one.   Give me arcade accuracy without need of a cheaters cursor ,or or forget it.

Since you wont be purchasing one, maybe you can stop posting complaints now based on speculation and not hands on experience.

Yep. Everyone knows you wouldn't touch an aimtrak with a 10' pole, and why you wouldn't (right or wrong). So why do you feel the need to keep taking a dump in this thread? Oh wait, I know. It's because you're so much smarter than all the rest of us and you need to bless us with your wisdom because we'll spend our money on a worthless product without you being here to protect us. Just go about your business and learn how to ignore products you would never buy.

[Dannymh]

From what I understand, and i haven't bought one yet as am waiting for full casing to eliminate the DIY factor

The main 2 issues that many people well in fact everyone has with TopGunII are
1) You have to stand a fairly long way back from the screen to get decent accuracy, which of course is not good in limited space or for those with limited eye sight
2) Slide past and lag

The LCD top guns can have a little bit of noticable lag when moving around the screen which of course can sometimes inhibit game play in some games

A 3rd point that is not as much of a concer for all is price, you pay at least in Australia around $100+ for one TopGun whereas you can get 2 modules + 2 LED bars for that price from ultimarc.

Also Andy has apaprently overcome the distance issue and you get a fairly good accuracy from both close to the screen and far away as well as apparently fixing the lag. I am looking forward to seeing some Youtube proof soon but will also look to buy at least one of these once the full kit is released

[shateredsoul]

That's good to know. I bought my guns for 40 each, shipping kills it though (120). Hopefully the price of the completed gun is not too much. So you're pretty much saying that these issues were taken care of by the ultimarc gun? Was it a software fix or a hardware issue? So... could a software update fix the topgun II issues as well?

From what I understand, and i haven't bought one yet as am waiting for full casing to eliminate the DIY factor

The main 2 issues that many people well in fact everyone has with TopGunII are
1) You have to stand a fairly long way back from the screen to get decent accuracy, which of course is not good in limited space or for those with limited eye sight
2) Slide past and lag

The LCD top guns can have a little bit of noticable lag when moving around the screen which of course can sometimes inhibit game play in some games

A 3rd point that is not as much of a concer for all is price, you pay at least in Australia around $100+ for one TopGun whereas you can get 2 modules + 2 LED bars for that price from ultimarc.

Also Andy has apaprently overcome the distance issue and you get a fairly good accuracy from both close to the screen and far away as well as apparently fixing the lag. I am looking forward to seeing some Youtube proof soon but will also look to buy at least one of these once the full kit is released

[Dannymh]

That's good to know. I bought my guns for 40 each, shipping kills it though (120). Hopefully the price of the completed gun is not too much. So you're pretty much saying that these issues were taken care of by the ultimarc gun? Was it a software fix or a hardware issue? So... could a software update fix the topgun II issues as well?

From what I understand, and i haven't bought one yet as am waiting for full casing to eliminate the DIY factor

The main 2 issues that many people well in fact everyone has with TopGunII are
1) You have to stand a fairly long way back from the screen to get decent accuracy, which of course is not good in limited space or for those with limited eye sight
2) Slide past and lag

The LCD top guns can have a little bit of noticable lag when moving around the screen which of course can sometimes inhibit game play in some games

A 3rd point that is not as much of a concer for all is price, you pay at least in Australia around $100+ for one TopGun whereas you can get 2 modules + 2 LED bars for that price from ultimarc.

Also Andy has apaprently overcome the distance issue and you get a fairly good accuracy from both close to the screen and far away as well as apparently fixing the lag. I am looking forward to seeing some Youtube proof soon but will also look to buy at least one of these once the full kit is released

Taken care of completely is probably not accurate.

I have read through every bit of information I can find on these, and basically Andy has gotten past the distance issue to an extent. And you get pretty solid results both close up and at a distance, you can also recalibrate to even further improve at whatever distance you are using the guns at.

Slide past as well from what I have read (not yet seen) is apparently take care of too

The other benefit is the upgradable firmware, meaning as there are further improvements needed you can update the firmware for those improvements, something not possible with other guns.

One issue I have heard though is that they do not function when on their side so you can't hold the gun Gangsta style to shoot zombies etc.

[Xiaou2]

So if I got this right... Xiaou2, you hate the AimTrak because of good reviews and that other companies gave you the shaft in the past?

 Plenty of people gave good reviews on the Actlabs guns... and they were crap.  Should I be
happy about that?  Should I just toss away my money again blindly?  And for a solution that
still is lacking in areas?  I have a right to be upset that after all these years, there has not been an
arcade accurate gun.  I have a right to be Ticked off at the "Suck-Up" reviews that earned
me 2 worthless hunks of plastic.  I have a right to be upset and depressed at MFGs who do not
meet my expectations.  Ever see Gamecabs Starwars yoke?  A fair effort, but it has nothing on
Davids masterpiece.  (Even if the rest never ship)

 If you dont like my comments, dont read them.   If you are happy with so/so..  then
great.  Enjoy yourself.  Plenty of people wouldnt even know if accuracy was good - because
they are horrible shots... and cause really, they dont even care.

 Were you Happy and Sucking up to Mame devs about the lack of ability to play with dual
trackballs in games like Marble Madness?  I wasnt.  And due to my passionate efforts,
I got the ball rolling by getting in touch with lead people who made it happen.

 Are you content that MS Gorf is lost to history?  I wasnt.  So Ive been pestering Jamie Fenton
about trying to salvage it from the floppies they are stored on.  In her last email to me, I got her
in touch with a local guy who has the ability to dump it... due to my passionate
dis-satisfaction.  Even with his help, it may be a long time before it can be translated to
emulation - but, at least its on its way to becoming a reality... rather than being lost forever.


 Sure, Ive been a lot Nicer when getting these things done.  However, this is how I get. I make
no excuses for it.  At times its not pretty, but it just may serve to get the job done.
 
 If we do not voice our passions, then we get exactly what someone else decides to serve us.
If you like Hamburgs.. good for you.  But I prefer Fillet Minion.

The LCD top guns can have a little bit of noticable lag when moving around the screen which of course can sometimes inhibit game play in some games

 Wrong - Unless you are playing a Non-Lightgun game like Terminator 2.

 The Topguns are not meant to track in realtime - they live-update slowly.  However,
when you press the trigger, it refreshes instantly, thus no lag on an actual shot fired.
 
 Personally, Id rather use my T2 guns than a lightgun anyways.  Your arms would probably fall
off if you played thru the entire T2 game with a lightgun.

$100+ for one TopGun whereas you can get 2 modules + 2 LED bars for that price from ultimarc.

 I think I paid less than that, and I have 2 guns.  You know... Actual guns with working trigger,
and even a laser site to line things us.   Unless you have 2 decent gun shells around, you
will have to buy them.  A nintendo zapper has a sucky trigger.  A SMS gun has a much better
trigger - but you may will pay over $12 for one at the local shop - IF you can find one, let alone 2.

 Anyways, costs isnt a factor to me.  Its just that its stupid to mention it when the Ultimarc version
isnt complete.  The cost will most certainly come up with a decent shell + tigger + wiring + assembly.
(little less if he maintains a put-it-together-yourself kit)

1) You have to stand a fairly long way back from the screen to get decent accuracy, which of course is not good in limited space or for those with limited eye sight

 This is the major drawback of the Topguns.  However, Ive heard that someone used a lens
to eliminate the distance problem.  Ill have to give it a try myself when I get a chance.

 Btw - If you have limited eyesight, then certainly you should look into getting Glasses.
I do, and Im glad I finally got them.


 The biggest problem with the Topguns isnt the distance.  Its a problem with other lights
interfering with the sensors.   Andys solution may be better in that respect, but these are still
far from perfect. And if someone came out with something better towmorrow, you would all be
jumping ship to get it, and kissing butt to the new MFG on the block.

[shateredsoul]

WHAT! No gangsta style!? That's it, I quit!

That's good to know. I bought my guns for 40 each, shipping kills it though (120). Hopefully the price of the completed gun is not too much. So you're pretty much saying that these issues were taken care of by the ultimarc gun? Was it a software fix or a hardware issue? So... could a software update fix the topgun II issues as well?

From what I understand, and i haven't bought one yet as am waiting for full casing to eliminate the DIY factor

The main 2 issues that many people well in fact everyone has with TopGunII are
1) You have to stand a fairly long way back from the screen to get decent accuracy, which of course is not good in limited space or for those with limited eye sight
2) Slide past and lag

The LCD top guns can have a little bit of noticable lag when moving around the screen which of course can sometimes inhibit game play in some games

A 3rd point that is not as much of a concer for all is price, you pay at least in Australia around $100+ for one TopGun whereas you can get 2 modules + 2 LED bars for that price from ultimarc.

Also Andy has apaprently overcome the distance issue and you get a fairly good accuracy from both close to the screen and far away as well as apparently fixing the lag. I am looking forward to seeing some Youtube proof soon but will also look to buy at least one of these once the full kit is released

Taken care of completely is probably not accurate.

I have read through every bit of information I can find on these, and basically Andy has gotten past the distance issue to an extent. And you get pretty solid results both close up and at a distance, you can also recalibrate to even further improve at whatever distance you are using the guns at.

Slide past as well from what I have read (not yet seen) is apparently take care of too

The other benefit is the upgradable firmware, meaning as there are further improvements needed you can update the firmware for those improvements, something not possible with other guns.

One issue I have heard though is that they do not function when on their side so you can't hold the gun Gangsta style to shoot zombies etc.

[Dannymh]

At least someone liked my gangsta joke.

X your problem is a complete lack of true comprehension.
Good on you for your truly saint like efforts in getting whatever your claiming you got done. I look forward to the ticker tape parade and the coinciding international holiday named in your honour.

However meanwhile down here on earth I will be happier in the fact that I can safely ignore your self inflated opinions of yourself and your completely uninformed views.

Your argument basically amounts to
I bought a car once, it broke down, I wanted a car that doesn't break down therefore I am not going to buy a new one.

Your out and out attack on a product you have not tested and does not say it is what you are demanding of it is just down right low. Andy has tried to produce a product that ticks every box. That doesn't mean it is 100% accurate but it does mean it has acceptable accuracy for a good price.

To be honest if I were andy people like you would make me not want to bother and that means for 1 ungrateful sob would spoil it for everyone else.
Remember you are running mame, that is not 100% arcade accurate, yet you want a gun that is. You want 100% arcade accuracy, I have a perfect solution for you. Go buy the full arcade machines and don't use mame.

[TPB]

The TopGun II remains a good option.  It still has its fans, and deservedly so.

The AimTrak is a welcome alternative and provides good competition for the TopGun, but it doesn't blow it away.

Just as the AimTrak doesn't deserve to be trashed, nor does the TopGun.

you pay at least in Australia around $100+ for one TopGun

No way !!

Go to play-asia.com

You can get a TopGun II delivered by air mail (box up to 2 kg) to Australia for US$60.30 (being US$39.90 for the gun + US$20.40 for shipping).

Or you can TWO TopGun II's delivered by air courier, either UPS or Fedex, to Australia for US$112.20 (being US$79.80 for the two guns + US$32.40 for shipping).

Considering the exchange rate is currently AUD$1 = US$0.89, the Australian dollar equivalent of those prices isn't much different.

[Dannymh]

Happy to concede the price I mentioned was wrong last time I looked into buying them a single gun was going to set me back nearly 100 aud but that was 6 months ago. I have no problem personally with the top guns. I have a big screen and lots of room behind it.  Once the full aimtrak and case is out I will buy one even just to test same as I did with topgun and second hand act lab. You never really know until you try and I realise that in the pursuit for the right solution for me I am going to have to spend money and sometimes buy duds.

I really object to the way this x character has gone about his denegration and criticism of a product he has not yet tried

[TPB]

I really object to the way this x character has gone about his denegration and criticism of a product he has not yet tried

Yes.

Xiaou, that's for you to answer.

[Hoopz]

I really object to the way this x character has gone about his denegration and criticism of a product he has not yet tried

Yes.

Xiaou, that's for you to answer.

NO!  He's babbled enough! 

Don't
invite
more
rantings
that
are
hard
to
read
and
make
zero
sense.

 

[northerngames]

The AimTrak is a welcome alternative and provides good competition for the TopGun, but it doesn't blow it away.

it did in my book on a 39" smaller screen the lcd topguns may work better but I even tried the larger white bars for a 60" and it still was not even close to the aimtrak.

for me there is no comparison between the two I liked the lcdtopguns case feeling button layout etc. but the guts of the guns and the huge led bars sucked for me.

I sold mine to get the aimtraks and am glad I did and if I had to I would do it all over again although an aimtrak in a lcd topgun case would be nifty 

[swamprat96]

My biggest issue with the topguns is the build quality. I've already had to replace one and the replacements laser did not work. I've had the original repaired but now when I plug it in it is seen as a new device- so I'd have to reset the mame config all over again.

I'm going to replace them with Aim Traks - I like Andy's products

[rbarr110]

Ok, I have tried oh so hard to refrain from posting this, but I cant help myself.

Thats funny, cause when I played Time Crisis at the arcades, I stood 2ft away from the glass,
and had Pixel Perfect accuracy every time.

Btw - If you have limited eyesight, then certainly you should look into getting Glasses.
I do, and Im glad I finally got them.

DAMN! Those must be some good glasses, to able able to pick out the precise pixel you were shooting at, considering there are WELL OVER a million pixels on an average monitor these days.

I highly doubt that an arcade machine, a machine in the wild that has several hundred people playing on it in-between services, was hitting the precise pixel you think it is hitting (especially since pixels are so damn small).

[AndyWarne]

 Were you Happy and Sucking up to Mame devs about the lack of ability to play with dual
trackballs in games like Marble Madness?  I wasnt.  And due to my passionate efforts,
I got the ball rolling by getting in touch with lead people who made it happen.

 Are you content that MS Gorf is lost to history?  I wasnt.  So Ive been pestering Jamie Fenton
about trying to salvage it from the floppies they are stored on.  In her last email to me, I got her
in touch with a local guy who has the ability to dump it... due to my passionate
dis-satisfaction. 
 

I really have to chip in here. I am not going to comment about your views on my product, but the above really is beyond the pale.
"Sucking up to Mame devs" as you call it is known by everyone else here as respecting them and the work they do, and all for no financial reward.
You are stating that you have been dissatisfied with work done by people who give up masses of their time and intellectual energy to provide us with the means by which this entire hobby exists.
How on earth can you post this kind of comment here?

[Paul Olson]

I sold my topgun a while back, and now I really wish I still had it. I hated the gun, but loved the shell. It would be a great housing for the aimtrak.

Andy - what type of shell are you planning to use for these? I still need to try to find a guncon2 locally to see if I like the feel. Knowing what type of shell you are planning would really help me decide if I want to wait for it or buy the board now.

[AndyWarne]

Its similar to the very first Guncon which was for the PS1

This is the chunkiest of all the ones we looked at.

[XtraSmiley]

Its similar to the very first Guncon which was for the PS1

This is the chunkiest of all the ones we looked at.

Great, that is my favorite gun of all time (arcade gun).  I hope you can get as close to that look as possible, and Namco hopefully won't mind since they've since gone to the uglier Guncon2 and ugliest Guncon3.

[Dannymh]

Its similar to the very first Guncon which was for the PS1

This is the chunkiest of all the ones we looked at.

*jumps from foot to foot in excitement and anticipation*

looking forward to getting hold of these for my machine....buck hunter with hand gun may not be perfect but it will do me

[1UP]

Personally, Id rather use my T2 guns than a lightgun anyways.  Your arms would probably fall off if you played thru the entire T2 game with a lightgun.

I played thru almost the entire game the other night, and my arms still work perfectly.     Didn't get any more tired than with the real thing, maybe slightly less so since there is a slight bit of mechanical resistance on the originals.  It's real easy to play shooting from the hip with these free-aiming babies, and I didn't even have to recalibrate!

[Xiaou2]

You are stating that you have been dissatisfied with work done by people who give up masses of their time and intellectual energy to provide us with the means by which this entire hobby exists.
How on earth can you post this kind of comment here?

 Its their choice how they chose to spend their time...  However, remember that many of the
boards which are purchased for dumping and emulating come from people who are NOT
Devs... Including ME.  (some PCBs have been donated directly, and some people have
graciously loaned pcbs as well. Many other Non devs run entire operations of gathering
contacts, looking for PCBS not dumped, and rallying funds as well)

 Ive not only donated money for boards a few times... I also convinced a collector to loan me
his Discs of Tron environmental Backdrop so that I could scan it.   It then took me several weeks
of hand editing, due to problems with the multiple alignments and scan quality (light bleeds).

 In addition, I argued with Devs because they had the lighting incorrect.  To have it changed,
I had to hand scan 20 pages from a schematics sheet to a Dev to Prove it.

 And finally, after all was done... my Art was not added for a few years afterwords, because
devs wouldnt support more than 256 color backdrops.  They even had the gull to ask me to
try to make the scanned image into an arranged 256 color palleted image!  Yeah right!  It
sat finished waiting for well over a year before they changed Mames code.

 Also remember, that the Devs did not invent these games.  If it were not for the True Artists
that created these Gems.... then there would be nothing to emulate.   And by EMULATING them,
they should be Emulated in COMPLETE TOTALITY.  Not only in part.

 It is Tragic, that mames current goals, will likely cause a great deal of Historical Losses that
may never be recoverable.   Everything from Cabinet artwork, To mechanical control panel
pics/assembly information.

 Mame has no support for EM games.  It has almost no support for discrete games, and
Monaco GP alone is just plain Arcade History that should Not be left to disappear forever.

 Mame has no support for the very Basic of 3d output... so games like Video Pinball,
can not be replicated/experienced correctly.

 Mame is far from perfect, and its goals are lopsided and somewhat destructive.
Originally, it was meant to save arcade machines.  Now it just devalues them, they emulate Part
of the game... the rest gets trashed and lost... and we are left with only part of history saved.

 Mame has many good points, and I and many others appreciate that.  But the fact is...
the project Should expand to fill in its lacking areas before its too late.  Mame should not just
be about some programmers hacking away at a puzzle.  It SHOULD be about saving arcade
history.  All of it.

[patrickl]

Maybe you should try to realize that you are not the most important person in the world? The MAME devs have plenty things to do and your "superduperimportant" little nags just don't make the top of the priority.

Amazingly, they even seem to have actually done what you wanted ... and still you whine.

Now get lost so the people who actually know about this new gun can chat about it without being interupped by your stories about yourself.

[Xiaou2]

Didn't get any more tired than with the real thing.

 Well, being that you held the gun close, its understandable.  However, its NOT like the
real thing... being that there is No variable Recoil... which basically makes it a lifeless
version of the original experience.

[Ragtag83]

   Gah! Won't someone please make it stop!

[Hoopz]

X, it's amazing that your an expert in everything.  We thought ChadTower was the resident expert on everything (no offense Chad!), but you know so much more than all of us combined.  A few suggestions:

-start your own development team for emulation.  Since you get so many people who tell you that you're right, I'm sure you have the contacts to get moving and can do it perfectly the first time.

-start your own hardware manufacturing.  You want perfect, you know how to do it and you know what you want.  If you make it, we'll buy it because it will be perfect.

Let us know when you get these things going.  With your obvious intelligence and skill sets, I'm sure you will have some product offerings available soon.  (Probably before Dave sends out anymore yokes too!)

We're lucky to have you around to point out the flaws you see in everything and everyone. 

[/sarcasm]

[XtraSmiley]

When you say the "MAME devs" don't do something, you know what, SO WHAT!  They are just people doing this for free on their own time.

But since you are complaining, I might as well complain as well.  Here we go BYOAC guys.

MAN WTF IS WRONG WITH XIAOU2?!!! HE HASN'T:

1.  Created a perfect home light gun system.
2.  Sold a perfect home light gun system.
3.  Programmed Marble Madness 2 to work with MAME.
4.  He scanned the back drop to one friggin' game, why hasn't he scanned to side art to all the other games?
5.  Why isn't he getting to work on a Pong emulator.
6.  Why doesn't he make MAME run faster?  I still can't run PropCycle on my Pentium 2!!!
7.  WHY WHY WHY???

Dude I could go on for days, but really the point is, what right do you have of demanding anything from ANYONE?  People are doing this for FREE.  This means you cannot put some crazy deadline or demands on them.  They are not your employees and they don't owe you anything!

Before you complain about something, just go fix it yourself.  There problems solved!

By the way, I've helped with art as well as donated a few games that were not in MAME.  One of them took 9 months after a I mailed it to show up in MAME and I also helped with B.O.T.S.S. which took Phil like TWO YEARS before he put it into MAME.  You know what?  The day it showed up (build .136) I sent him an email THANKING him.  Not complaining about the time it took to emulated it.