Fort Apocalypse Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 I think it would be a huge hit to have a dedicated system that could run vector arcade classics like: Asteroids Asteroids Deluxe Battlezone Battlezone Plus! Black Widow Gravitar Lunar Lander Major Havoc Malibu (prototype, unfinished) Quantum Red Baron Space Duel Space War Star Wars Starfighter (prototype, unfinished) Tempest Tempest Tubes The Empire Strikes Back TomCat (concept prototype) Vector Breakout So that said... a few questions: Is it possible to have an Atari Vector Arcade Classics console to be a reasonably priced like the Flashback 2? How much would it cost? How much would you pay? If it is possible: Does Atari/Infogrames own rights for any/all of these roms? Are there any other vector games not in this list that could be included? Would it be possible to finish off any of the unfinished games? Do you think it should be restricted to vector arcade games only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feralstorm Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 the biggest problem I'd see with something like that would be the implementation. a 'true' vector system would require its own screen like the Vectrex, and creating a system to emulate the vector games on a TV screen might be too expensive to be the kind of consumer-priced thing the Flashback systems are. (not to mention some games are vertical screens and some horizontal). A collection of vector game ports could do the job, but I hope they would budget for better programming work than the Fb1 and FB2 got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Seriously, do you think a dedicated unit can do a better job than this budget release? I don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DamonicFury Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 (edited) The "80 classic games in 1" compliation IS nice... but the Star Wars arcade game is sadly missing. I know the licensing must be a headache, but it was worked out for the Gamecube release of Rogue Squadron III (and it's bonus disk), so it's not impossible. That wonderful game really needs a PC release, as the Gamecube controller is really inadequate for the game's unique control needs. I have a hard time imagining a Flashback-type device being able to emulate games with control schemes as different as Star Wars (flight yoke), Asteroids (5 buttons), and Tempest( 1 knob, 1 button) Edited September 14, 2005 by sdamon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 The "80 classic games in 1" compliation IS nice... but the Star Wars arcade game is sadly missing. I know the licensing must be a headache, but it was worked out for the Gamecube release of Rogue Squadron III (and it's bonus disk), so it's not impossible. That wonderful game really needs a PC release, as the Gamecube controller is really adequate for the game's unique control needs.True enough, but it's already had several PC releases, so I suspect the well has run dry as far as getting any more revenue from that 22-year-old game. MAME, baby. I have a hard time imagining a Flashback-type device being able to emulate games with control schemes as different as Star Wars (flight yoke), Asteroids (5 buttons), and Tempest( 1 knob, 1 button) 930423[/snapback] Someone else mentioned how cool it would be to get the Williams games (Defender and Stargate, mostly -- but Joust and Robotron are always nice to have) with the original arcade controls. Jakks is making a Midway stick, but I'm sure it's going to be the usual joystick + button affair we've seen before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DamonicFury Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 True enough, but it's already had several PC releases, so I suspect the well has run dry as far as getting any more revenue from that 22-year-old game. MAME, baby. Did I miss a decent PC release of this game? Aside from the one released by Broderbund with CGA graphics and PC-speaker sound effects, I'm not aware of any other PC release for this game. And while I'll guiltily confess to enjoying the game via MAME, it's a game that I feel deserves a proper release for everyone to enjoy legally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 True enough, but it's already had several PC releases, so I suspect the well has run dry as far as getting any more revenue from that 22-year-old game. MAME, baby. Did I miss a decent PC release of this game? Aside from the one released by Broderbund with CGA graphics and PC-speaker sound effects, I'm not aware of any other PC release for this game. And while I'll guiltily confess to enjoying the game via MAME, it's a game that I feel deserves a proper release for everyone to enjoy legally. 930525[/snapback] Nope, those are the ones to which I refer. The Emulator Strikes Back has a nice comprehensive list. Chances are good that if you have the Cube games, it's probably OK for you to run the MAME version with a relatively clear conscience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fort Apocalypse Posted September 19, 2005 Author Share Posted September 19, 2005 Nope, those are the ones to which I refer. The Emulator Strikes Back has a nice comprehensive list. Chances are good that if you have the Cube games, it's probably OK for you to run the MAME version with a relatively clear conscience. 930638[/snapback] Great site! Thanks for the link! What are the "Cube games"? I wish that people would just sell licenses to use the arcade ROMs for cheap and then everyone could have a clear conscience playing games on an emulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Stella Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I think it would be a huge hit to have a dedicated system that could run vector arcade classics like: Asteroids Asteroids Deluxe Battlezone Battlezone Plus! Black Widow Gravitar Lunar Lander Major Havoc Malibu (prototype, unfinished) Quantum Red Baron Space Duel Space War Star Wars Starfighter (prototype, unfinished) Tempest Tempest Tubes The Empire Strikes Back TomCat (concept prototype) Vector Breakout So that said... a few questions: Is it possible to have an Atari Vector Arcade Classics console to be a reasonably priced like the Flashback 2? How much would it cost? How much would you pay? If it is possible: Does Atari/Infogrames own rights for any/all of these roms? Are there any other vector games not in this list that could be included? Would it be possible to finish off any of the unfinished games? Do you think it should be restricted to vector arcade games only? 930190[/snapback] If such a unit could work out the licensing included with the mentioned games, AND be produced with a vector monitor at a reasonable price, let's say under $200, I'd be down for it. I'm sure the general pop would shine it on though unless it were significantly cheaper, say < $30. The real problem with all of these calculations is, of course, that we don't have a big enough percentage of interested buyers. So "get busy" making Atari baby's! Vectrex = limited success. Ask yourself why, given the price and the time period. I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy the Atarian Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 Interesting, I've thought of something like this before to, but I figured it would be rather difficult to produce because of licensing and other things mentioned. I have the Atari Anthology and it's great to have those, but it would be even better to have them on a bonafide vector monitor for that vector-glow effect. With authentic controls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. You haven't played a real Asteroids machine in recent memory have you? If you do, take a look at the ship's shots and see how it glows and leaves tracers on the screen. This attached pic is someone's custom job.. but you get the idea. But alas.. vector monitors are ancient technology. No one in their right mind would make one today. So in most cases vector graphic emulation has to do.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appleo Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 That's a sweet cocktail machine, btw... I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. You haven't played a real Asteroids machine in recent memory have you? If you do, take a look at the ship's shots and see how it glows and leaves tracers on the screen. This attached pic is someone's custom job.. but you get the idea. But alas.. vector monitors are ancient technology. No one in their right mind would make one today. So in most cases vector graphic emulation has to do.. 936196[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Stella Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 (edited) I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. You haven't played a real Asteroids machine in recent memory have you? If you do, take a look at the ship's shots and see how it glows and leaves tracers on the screen. This attached pic is someone's custom job.. but you get the idea. But alas.. vector monitors are ancient technology. No one in their right mind would make one today. So in most cases vector graphic emulation has to do.. 936196[/snapback] You're right. I haven't. I respect the emulators that try to recreate the glow and ghosting in bitmap though. Agreed with prior poster btw., cocktail asteroids, ummmm, jealous.. Edited September 22, 2005 by Joe Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy the Atarian Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. You haven't played a real Asteroids machine in recent memory have you? If you do, take a look at the ship's shots and see how it glows and leaves tracers on the screen. This attached pic is someone's custom job.. but you get the idea. But alas.. vector monitors are ancient technology. No one in their right mind would make one today. So in most cases vector graphic emulation has to do.. 936196[/snapback] You're right. I haven't. I respect the emulators that try to recreate the glow and ghosting in bitmap though. Agreed with prior poster btw., coctail asteroids, ummmm, jealous.. 936214[/snapback] So far I have yet to see an emulator get it close to right, although I was sure hoping they'd get it with the AA pack. At least they tried. My brother loves to play my Asteroids Deluxe cab mostly because of how cool the real vector look appears. Here's a shot of my AD game in action, unfortunately without the backlight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Stella Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. So far I have yet to see an emulator get it close to right, although I was sure hoping they'd get it with the AA pack. At least they tried. My brother loves to play my Asteroids Deluxe cab mostly because of how cool the real vector look appears. Here's a shot of my AD game in action, unfortunately without the backlight... 936219[/snapback] Does anyone remember an emu by the name of Vector Dream? Not 100% sure it will run on modern systems, but it was the best at look & feel of anything I've seen. Highly tweakable. And what about those crazy laser interfaces someone was building years ago -- Projecting Asteroids onto barn walls or clouds. Wild stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 Its certainly a sexy idea, but too costly. As it is, there are only a very small handful of producers of color XY monitors anymore, they are all 19-21" models and the prices are sky high. When you look at the work that was done in the 80's but the Vectrex guys, these were now fairly expert specialists in XY game design and the color version of the Vectrex was not an easy task. Using a stock VGA monitor (or LCD) and a simple Xscale processor design with a Risc version of MAME, your dream machine could be a reality. Again, however for strickly Vector based games, this would be a nice Mom & Pop sale item as you may sell several hundred to maybe 1-2 thousand, but for more mainstream it would have to be more of a product like an affordable home version of the Ultracade to really get out the type of numbers to make a unit in the $899-$1299 range with a full sized monitor (or LCD) and do it the right way. Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antron Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 (edited) If you have a vector monitor, you can drive it with a pc running VectorMAME using Zektor's Vector Generator. $199 !!! http://www.zektor.com/zvg/ That's about as good as it gets..... unless you want to play the games on some huge surface with laser light show hardware: LaserMAME http://www.nightlase.com.au/lasermame/ Edited September 22, 2005 by antron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appleo Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 Play vector games on clouds / mountains?!? That is just so cool it's sick! Of course you'd probably have the FBI looking for you, shining lasers up at planes and such. If you have a vector monitor, you can drive it with a pc running VectorMAME using Zektor's Vector Generator. $199 !!!http://www.zektor.com/zvg/ That's about as good as it gets..... unless you want to play the games on some huge surface with laser light show hardware: LaserMAME http://www.nightlase.com.au/lasermame/ 936532[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 Nope, those are the ones to which I refer. The Emulator Strikes Back has a nice comprehensive list. Chances are good that if you have the Cube games, it's probably OK for you to run the MAME version with a relatively clear conscience. 930638[/snapback] Great site! Thanks for the link! What are the "Cube games"? I wish that people would just sell licenses to use the arcade ROMs for cheap and then everyone could have a clear conscience playing games on an emulator. 934121[/snapback] Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike on the Nintendo GameCube has all 3 Atari Star Wars games as a hidden extra. They aren't as well emulated as MAME, and the controls are a little wonky with the Cube controller, but they're a very welcome addition and they're great to have in legitimate, easy-loading form. Of course, every *true* Star Wars fan has these already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy the Atarian Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 I'm happy enough with vector graphic emulation -- pretty damn close to my eyes. So far I have yet to see an emulator get it close to right, although I was sure hoping they'd get it with the AA pack. At least they tried. My brother loves to play my Asteroids Deluxe cab mostly because of how cool the real vector look appears. Here's a shot of my AD game in action, unfortunately without the backlight... 936219[/snapback] Does anyone remember an emu by the name of Vector Dream? Not 100% sure it will run on modern systems, but it was the best at look & feel of anything I've seen. Highly tweakable. And what about those crazy laser interfaces someone was building years ago -- Projecting Asteroids onto barn walls or clouds. Wild stuff. 936338[/snapback] I don't think I've heard of that emulator, but it could be worth checking out. Too bad that something like a vector LCD couldn't be made that has the same effect as XY CRT's... BTW- Curt, who does produce XY monitors these days? I haven't found anyone that does it, but in case my tube on my AD cab goes out, I'd like to know where I could go to for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBrazil Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 If you have a vector monitor, you can drive it with a pc running VectorMAME using Zektor's Vector Generator. $199 !!! I'd like to build a Vector system, but I'm in Brazil, and it's very difficult to import stuff. Maybe some of you can help... 1) Asteroids arcade monitor is pretty cool/bright, I like the feeling. Which is this monitor and where can I get one? 2) A color monitor would be recommended? Would it be as bright as the monochrome monitor when playing monochrome games? A few hints of where to start would be appreciated.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antron Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 1) Asteroids arcade monitor is pretty cool/bright, I like the feeling. Which is this monitor and where can I get one?A few hints of where to start would be appreciated.. Look it up at the Killer List of Video Games www.klov.com You will have to find a used vector monitor. They are no longer made. They can be refurbished (to an extent). I plan on searching though all my local dealers. I saw a broken Jeturn of the Jedi in a Thai resturant, but alas, the klov said that they used a raster for that one. Oh well, I will find one someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 If you have a vector monitor, you can drive it with a pc running VectorMAME using Zektor's Vector Generator. $199 !!! Only if you enjoy torturing yourself with DOS. There are no Windows drivers. It's 2005 already. Why can't DOS just die in the emulator scene already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antron Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 (edited) If you have a vector monitor, you can drive it with a pc running VectorMAME using Zektor's Vector Generator. $199 !!! Only if you enjoy torturing yourself with DOS. There are no Windows drivers. It's 2005 already. Why can't DOS just die in the emulator scene already? 939004[/snapback] I have built a few MAME cabs and I only run FreeDOS on them. You can power them on and off whenever you want and they always work (and fast). And those are raster monitors. Vector monitors are a different breed of cat. And they don't even have DOS drivers for them. Only once MAME (or the stand alone menu) has been run will you see anything. Vector support in MAME32 may be possible, but that is all you will be able to do (on the vector monitor through the parallel port, you could still have a pc monitor too). But don't you think a project like this deserves a dedicated computer? Anyway, we are about to see what a new vector monitor (from 1983) is worth these days, on ebay Edited September 28, 2005 by antron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antron Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 As it is, there are only a very small handful of producers of color XY monitors anymore, they are all 19-21" models and the prices are sky high. who produces them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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