TPA5

I've been watching this game since the days of its Kickstarter. I never backed it, and for some reason I could never bring myself to plunk down the cash for the alpha. Now I'm glad I didn't, it angers me to my very core when companies pull that kind of nonsense. They promise, which I guess doesn't mean very much these days, that 100% offline DRM-free will be available. Then, hidden away in a newsletter a month before release they let everyone know that "Oh, surprise! Your game will actually need to phone into our servers. Sorry, but hey we already have your money so we don't give a shit!" And people wonder why so many are growing disillusioned with the conduct of some (some) modern developers. I was excited for this game, but it's hard to support a company that treats their customers like that.

That's pretty cool, although I must admit I am somewhat perplexed as to why he chose an iPad Mini. It's all touch-based, but now it's mounted vertically so it's more awkward to use. I suppose if it was just used for videos, music, etc then it makes sense. Neat idea though!

Like the sun.

So, it's not a secret that Nintendo is struggling as of late. I don't believe they're going to sink into the mists of time tomorrow, but it's obvious they need to get their footing and re-establish themselves as a serious contender in the gaming market. I was wondering what I would do differently if I was running the show at Nintendo, and I then wondered what you folks may do if you ran the big show? Personally, I would get a focus put on developing a new hand-held console. Something that's really killer, and refreshes the hand-held market. Yes, lots of folks are moving to smartphones and tablets for gaming, but I believe that handhelds can still be a force to reckon with. But they can't keep re-hashing the DS over and over, it's time they put together something really revolutionary. I would also get teams working on really sick ports of classic Nintendo games for mobile devices and tablets. Nintendo is super opposed to this because they're afraid it will bite into their software sales for the DS, but I think the payoff would far outweigh any "lost" software sales. Imagine how people would eat up classics like Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., and the like for mobile platforms. Square Soft did it for Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, and it was a pretty great success. Heck, I'd buy those Nintendo classics for my phone. Finally, I would have effort poured into making an absolutely killer Legend of Zelda game to really move consoles. Nintendo saw some success with a few recent console-moving titles, but they really need a juggernaut like LoZ to move serious product. Those are some of the things I would try, anyway. I'm by no-means any kind of expert on business, but that's my best guess. What do you guys think, what might you change?

Wow, excellent write up! I've been debating adding a TI to my collection, when I have a little more time to take a thorough read of your post, I'm sure it will help in my decision!

Hmm, that's an excellent question! This trackball appears to have the ability to activate left, middle, or right click when pressed down. This spinner can be pushed or pulled, however it's a fair chunk of change. The other option would be to include 2 classic arcade buttons on the control panel, and when you want to teleport or activate the special ability, just quickly slip off the Joystick and hit the button.

I actually would love to get my hands on that compilation, I wanted it when it first came out and never had a chance. Now, the GC seems to be gaining ground for collectors so I should probably get it soon.

Sounds great! I have a quad-core gaming rig, so if you wanted me to record gameplay for you then send you the raw video over my OneDrive account I could do that. Also, if the game needs analog joysticks then the UltraStik 360 from Ultimarc would be the way to go: http://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_info.html They aren't cheap, but they're a true 360-dgree analog stick that connects straight to the PC via USB cable. Spinners would also be great, but they can be even more expensive than the UltraStik. Although, I have seen people make spinners out of old ball mice. I think I have a few old-school mice buried in a box somewhere, so I may see about giving that a shot.

Looks like a great game, I love projects like this! Is it going to be a Windows-only title, or do you plan on porting it over to Linux or OSX? What kind of specs will we be needing? Plus, will you enable joystick controls in the game? This is the sort of game that would be a pile of fun for me to build a little dedicated bartop arcade machine for, especially with the art style. Would look slick in a cab-form! If you need any help beta-testing, I'd be willing to give it a jig. I like to think I'm pretty good at giving constructive feedback. If not, that's fine too! I'd just wait for the full release (PS, release a video!)

I haven't seen too many Star Wars cabs for sale at all, mostly because I don't look too closely. The few threads I've read around the internet about Star Wars cabs always seem to indicate the person needed to do work, although that could be because people are more likely to make a thread featuring a restore than just a straight-up working cab. As for the worth of a Star Wars cab in the condition you describe, I still imagine that it would command at least $500, if not perhaps even more. They are definitely a sought-after cab.

That's something I've wanted to do for awhile! Lots of great examples of that kind of arcade 'round the net, here's just a few...

As others have said, it is not an economical machine to purchase. The guts can be tricky to fix/replace, parts can be hard to find, and that's assuming you can even find a machine in half-decent condition. If you're not familiar with arcade cabs and electronics, it also means much of the work that may need to be done to it would have to be done by someone who is familiar with those machines. Not a beginner-friendly cab to be sure. That being said, if you find one and you want to take on the challenge, take lots of pics and share them with us!

They're not worth much, you should really just give it to me for free. Depending on where you live, Craigslist can actually also be a good bet.

Ingenuity before the internet, what a thing! Any chance you have a picture hanging around of that?

The guys at CD Projekt are awesome, and I wish more developers would take cues from them. They actually respect the player, instead of treating them like a squishy ATM.

I know there's probably threads that talk about the first game you played, favorite moments, etc, but my question is a little different. What was the first game where you had a genuine "Oh snap!" (or other, colorful words) moment. Whether it was the first time you saw something that genuinely blew your mind, something you didn't know could even be done, or even just an experience that raised the bar for gaming in your mind, let's hear it! Even if it wasn't about graphics, it could be music, a plot twist, a game-play mechanic, whatever! For myself, I grew up playing Sierra adventure games and the like with my dad on a DOS machine, then Win95 eventually. I also had an Atari 400 in my room that my dad gave me, and I played the likes of Centipede, Space Invaders, etc. But from sort of '99-2003 I played mostly older PC games and didn't really even know about 'modern gaming', until my dad brought home a Gamecube for Christmas. Then I played Metroid Prime, and it blew my mind for what gaming could be. Great story, amazing gameplay, rich environments, things I didn't even know you could do in a game, and 10 year-old me could barely believe what I was seeing. It really was the 'oh snap' moment for me, because I saw what gaming could be. (Although sadly, I find that since the Gamecube era mainstream gaming has utterly failed to capture me in the same way.) To this day it's my all-time favorite game, and I still do a full play-through of Metroid Prime 1 and 2 at least a couple times a year. So what about you guys? What moment in gaming really blew the doors of your mind?

That's a killer set up! Really great collection of games, and they all look stellar. I'd love to get my hands on a Galaga and stand-up Pole Position cab.

I suppose it depends on if you have cabs around, and how much work it needs. In my neck of the woods, finding cabs for a decent price is very difficult. But yeah, if there's a fair amount of cheap cabs close by, and if they're in decent condition then just using an existing cab can work. The LCD you got from Suzo, was it a 4:3 aspect ratio, or widescreen? My biggest challenge so far is trying to find an LCD with a 4:3 aspect ratio. I guess it's not necessary, but I'd prefer it. Also, have any pics of those cabs? I'd love to see them.

I've heard those cabs are actually quite nicely built, and the buttons/joysticks feel solid. A bummer is some of the games people may be looking for probably won't be on there. Plus, if you're DIY inclined you can build a really killer MAME cab with all the goodies for a fraction of the price. I think on my yet-to-be-finished cab I'm only about 300 bucks in. I picked up a cheap, old cab and did some repairs to use as the shell. In retrospect, and for my next build, I'm going to just put together the cab myself. I've spent more man-hours repairing the old cab than just building a new one. If you really wanted a MAME cab, building it yourself is the way to go. There's some excellent free plans here: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,118612.0.html (I think you have to register to download files, so if you really want the plans just PM me)

Thanks cimerians for the info about the 360 gamepad working with the game. I remember playing the floppy version of Tie-Fighter when I was a wee lad, nice to see GoG has it for sale! I buy piles of games from them, so far I've found that I have pretty good luck with it.

That's my guess. Neat piece of history to be sure, but sealed does not always equate to profits.

That's pretty cool, I wish I had the spare cash to bid on it. That would be a fun bar-top arcade project!

I like that description a lot, actually. Especially this part;

He shipped it so fast I was almost shocked to find it in my mailbox! Not only was he ultra polite and accommodating, because he shipped it so fast it showed up on my birthday, which I thought was just awesome. Excellent seller, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from him again. Thanks much!

Far be it from me to self-promote my posts shamelessly but... *cough* http://atariage.com/forums/topic/222489-tips-for-selling-on-atariage-and-beyond/ *cough*