Giles N

So you won a beer for a casual go, but had to get to the top of the high-score list for a pencil eraser…?

It’s been ages and ages since I used a physical arcade cabinet; how does these tokens work? Can you have a ‘VIP customer-deal’ where they get 5 credit tokens, or am I just way off how things interact here…? (Last time I used a physical Arcade was in 2009, - or ‘08 -, playing House of the Dead 2 or 3, and one still could just use cash ‘n coins) Is there any ‘movable’ or ‘changable’ element to how to provide/sell tokens to customers?

Yeah, if you let visitors buy 1 year, 2 year, 3 year discount passes you’ll give them a reason to come back to you. Decide that some cabinets will stay there for ‘next period’ (which you define), and have season passes and host tournaments (that are not precisely like the other xxx-cades out there host). Perhaps. I’m just a gamer, and the details of game-design interest me more than the business-strategy part.

@Shaggy the Atarian How many of your arcades, pinbalks and other machines are operated by cash or card per play? How are these machines operated these days as to payment-method?

It was (intended as ) a very, very dry joke from my side… I should’ve emoji’ed it properly… (then even dem kidz wouid’ve taken it) ….yet, thinking about the rockstars of the 70ies and 80ies (and most XXies after that too), the scenario isn’t utterly off…which I find kinda hilarious in its own dysfunctional ‘n tragic way…

Arcades I’d love to see being made: Space Gun (2) - call it whatever, but a new Space Gun game with ultra advanced graphics, massive cinematic sound blasted out - 80-100 inch screen, 4 player co-op, possibility for each gamers to ‘dodge’ (left/right) with their game-character using pedals, selectable routes very often: first to shoot left/middle/right - moves the team onwards, 45-60 mins to complete game. Same atmosphere and feel and music as the original; just more of everything, be it aliens or guns or bombs - everything is bigger and badder. Pole Position 3 (official, not quasi): The Sit-down racer to out-do everything other sit-down racer, - 8 player vs, 64 tracks around every location in the world, - whats important is that it’s varied and looks spectacular, not that its realistic or official + crashes that sends your car flying over the stadion, horizon spinning and pieces flying (reset 5 sec later) graphics 260 fps on 60-inch screen per player, 8K and detail level that is 4 times that of Forza Horizon 5. (dream, dream)

How does classics from 80ies and 90ies hold up? Do they still attract some types of gamers, - are they super niche, or have some moved to Mario-like fame - being played by new gamers also just because their franchises become so fameous…? (I mean other than Pac Man) And, - just a question out of personal curiousity:do you know if Taito is into making Arcades still…?

Lols - horrible, horrible… on the brink to being moderatly a evil prank… 😅

And Arcades now are in what state… rebuilding, adapting, being a niche thing, or still found within gamer-circles and/or Amusement Parks…?

Perhaps Alan-1 and Atari could work out something…? I like the way SneakyBox / Adamvision often recharges the gameplay and sound, but as to visuals and the music (in Trailer A.K.) 1, I feel that Avian Knights (A.K.) feels much more ‘right’ as a style for a new Warlords.

Yes - precisely; such a thing, and crisp, chuncky graphics and sound, with responsive intuitive controllers - fun for entire families or gangs of friends hanging out…!

And… was it popular? Do you see it being used in ways that caters to the crowds…? It’s like - Star Wars or Lord of the Rings with this given crisp and clear-cut gameplay and some spectacular graphics could be really wow!

To reach the younger generations, they’d need a version updated on every front, in every area: graphics, sound, much, much more to collect, build, expand and use.

Have anyone ever made an Arcade game, where the player swings a plastic sword in the air in front of the game screen to hack at incoming monsters, - like a wii-mote, just with attached fake-‘blade’ (harmless materials of course), and use a movable plastic-shield to protect against attacks monsters are performing against the player on the game-screen. That is, instead of a light-gun, a sword and shield which interacts with the graphics on the screen.?

Yes, it could be cool to see a new, Recharged or Re-something version of Warlords - a software version that could be used both on normal up-standing screens, but also be put on flat-lying (table) screens - with four-player option of course. On the table-screen version the players could stand at their respective corners using some direction-button like the one used on Capcoms Forgotten Worlds Arcade machine, to swipe whatever shield or line-up of shields and protective/deflective things gotten back and forth. The screen could be roughly a bit bigger than a typical Pool table, with crisp graphics, lots nice upbeat medievalistic-styled rock music, voices announcing and commenting whats going-on Gauntlet-style… (…ok, I could go on with tons of ideas for such Re-something version of Warlords, but point is its social with 4 player.)

…everyone knows rock-stars usually have enormous personal problems relentlessly screwing up their minds, but I think even Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin noticed Atari’s existence…

… if… …you see them… … why bother to get super-good at a hard-as-nails-game you find, like 5 places on the face of the planet the next decade…? …why not just pay for a ride and a show…? Would you give your 10 year old son 40 bucks to really have a blast in an Arcade one single day, or buy him a new game he’d play several times that year, one play-through being 50 hours long (…and you can only afford 250 bucks total to games for son number 2 that year…)? Why would son number 2 want to get super-good at a super-game which is also super-hard, only to hear he’s very, very unlikely to encounter it ever again…?

It’s easy to understand… (…independent of whether one likes it or not…)

Meaning of course that the logical choice for the next game is, AKKA ARRH in VR, full 4D in hydraulic cabinet… 😁😅

…essentially then, the 2 main groups are Atari-grandads and 8-year old kids… 😃

@JPF997 The Lynx failed (commercially due to low support and interaction from (the then) Atari to have more games produced in shorter time-span, which is a shame really, because it really hit home quite directly with gamers of my age and type. Had games like Lotus, Zool. Turrican, Beyond the Ice Palace - arcade-like titles from the homecomputer world gotten active support, it could’ve been either a commercially viable system or a hit among its own crowd. I played through Shadow of the Beast now: its brilliant, - 9,5/10. I’m waiting for 9 (…was it 8?) more Lynx-titles now. For me I don’t understand that people don’t like at least some of the games, even though it admittedly lacks your typical cute/cool/charismatic 2D action-platformer games. BTW: this is not a criticism of the many brilliant classics on other systems.

Mini review (Played on Analogue Pocket using save-states) RYGAR Not a deep game, and slightly shorter than the Arcade. A fantasy action platformer. The graphics have been zoomed, due to the Lynx’ lower resolution, so the playfield is smaller. But the graphics look very nice and colorful. Animations are smooth. The only drawback in my view, is the lower framerate, meaning the scrolling playfield jerks a bit, although no lag, or very little is felt on the gameplay which is sharp and responsive. Music is repetetive but does the job done, like in the arcade. If you’re into run/shoot/throw/stab-action-platformers and collect for the Lynx this should be a top priority provided you don’t look for anything deep, but just lots of action. Graphics: 8,5/10 Sound: 7/10 Playability: 8,5/10 Lastability: 7/10 Overall: 8/10

When or where will get to see or hear about how final Arcade version of Asteroids:Recharged will play/perform (that is: which changes were made, what is going to be just 1:1 the home-version…?

Cool - that’s some attitude !!! 😉😀