Hey all - quick question DONKEY KONG 3-in-1 combo

[arcadebasement]

Hi all - long time no post (for me). I had a reformat and completely couldn't remember the URL. Duh!

 

Anyway, quick question for anyone with the namco re-release DK, DK Jr, Mario Bros arcade cab. I just got hold of one for my neighbor for a steal ($1900) and whilst it was new it didn't have the manual and I'd like to get into the user options to turn off continue. My MsPacman has a setup button inside but the DK cab does not. I seem to remember that you power on the cab whilst holding a button (1player?) to get into the admin options but nothing's working.

 

namcoarcade.com and google searches proved worthless.

 

Anyone have this cab able to help? Thanks. Hope to post pics of some of my new toys in my arcade soon including an awesome Starship troopers pinball!

Edited May 31, 2008 by arcadebasement

[+FujiSkunk]

I'm no expert on arcade cabinets, but all Donkey Kong and Mario games were released by Nintendo, not Namco.

 

You can try rummaging through Nintendo's web site for specs. Since Google turned up nothing and the cab was new but did not come with a service manual, there is a good chance you picked up an after-market (possibly pirate) cab.

Edited June 2, 2008 by skunkworx

[arcadebasement]

I'm no expert on arcade cabinets, but all Donkey Kong and Mario games were released by Nintendo, not Namco.

 

You can try rummaging through Nintendo's web site for specs. Since Google turned up nothing and the cab was new but did not come with a service manual, there is a good chance you picked up an after-market (possibly pirate) cab.

 

Namco had licensed DK, DK Jr and Mario Bros for an anniversary cab. They also licensed Missile Command, Quix et al.

 

It isn't a pirate cab. It's a brand new cab just like my anniversary MsPacman/Pacman/Galaga combo cab.

 

http://namcoarcade.com/nai_gamedisplay.asp?gam=dnkykong

[arcadebasement]

And the frustration continues. Namco called me back and told me where the test button was (I must've been blind to miss it!).

 

Now on my MsPac combo, the continue option is clear - "Buy-in disabled". But I cannot find this option on the DK unit. It has '1 Credit to continue' but when you select that it goes to 2 credits, 3, 4 and then back to 1. No disable this feature option is present. A factory reset does not switch off the continue option.

 

To add to the ridiculousness, the continue y/n appears on your second to last life, not when the game is actually over. which totally ruins the flow.

 

I'm again waiting for Namco to call back. Given that between me and my neighbor we've spent nearly 6 grand with namco products you'd think they just bloody email me a copy of the manual.

 

*edit* They did email me the manual. It says nothing about what the options actually do (although most are self-explanatory) and merely shows the different option screens. I'm at a loss here; the tech support dude went and looked on their in-house machine and came back and said he felt the continue option couldn't be switched off. I pointed out that originally Donkey Kong did not have a continue option and their advertisement that the game was 'just like you remember' was misleading. He agreed - I mean, what more could he say? So what can I do? I think the huge CONTINUE y/n that appears in the middle of a game is bloody awful and has to go - but who do I complain to? I wish there was another member here with this cab.

Edited June 4, 2008 by arcadebasement

[+FujiSkunk]

Namco had licensed DK, DK Jr and Mario Bros for an anniversary cab. They also licensed Missile Command, Quix et al.

 

It isn't a pirate cab. It's a brand new cab just like my anniversary MsPacman/Pacman/Galaga combo cab.

 

http://namcoarcade.com/nai_gamedisplay.asp?gam=dnkykong

 

I humbly stand corrected. I hadn't heard of this before.

 

It's interesting to see Namco getting into the business of combo cabs. I guess they figure if the pirates can do it, they can do it better.

 

So what can I do? I think the huge CONTINUE y/n that appears in the middle of a game is bloody awful and has to go - but who do I complain to? I wish there was another member here with this cab.

 

It sounds like you've covered all the bases. The manual didn't offer any insight, tech support didn't offer any insight, and tech support even confirmed the same behavior exists on their in-house machine.

 

It's not exactly a quick solution, but if you're handy with electronics and decent with software configuration, you can always hack the innards of the machine to use a computer running MAME instead. There are variations of MAME out there designed to work with arcade hardware, right down to the funny video specifications some monitors have, and plenty of people have created MAME cabinets even from scratch, so you could find plenty of research material. You and your neighbor have a legitimate claim to the games on the machine, so replacing them with MAME shouldn't cause any moral quandaries.

[arcadebasement]

As a footnote, a guy from Namco called me back his name was Frank Callistino (I think that was his last name - I didn't quit catch it). He seemed very keen on knowing what the problem was and eager to help - so I called him back and left a lengthy message outlining the issue and the steps I've taken to rectify the buy-in problem.

 

He never called me back.

 

That's the last money Namco Arcade will see from me. Terrible customer service. Prompt to respond sure, but they never followed through and I was always chasing them.

 

I am now resigned to the fact that a machine costing thousands does NOT play like the original DK, and is effectively ruined by a simple programming oversight.

Edited July 31, 2008 by arcadebasement

[+DamonicFury]

Terribly sorry to hear about that glitch and the lack of a resolution for it. It IS a damn shame that such an expensive machine wouldn't play the games exactly as they did originally... especially since that machine seems to be the only legal way to purchase a new version of the Donkey Kong arcade games. ( Wish Nintendo would release it's old arcade games in a cheaper format somehow... the Virtual Console would certainly seem like an ideal place to do it.

[GreenDayRlz]

$1900 is a steal?

[arcadebasement]

$1900 is a steal?

 

For a brand new machine that retails for $3500? Yeah I'd say so!

[GreenDayRlz]

Hi all - long time no post (for me). I had a reformat and completely couldn't remember the URL. Duh!

 

Anyway, quick question for anyone with the namco re-release DK, DK Jr, Mario Bros arcade cab. I just got hold of one for my neighbor for a steal ($1900) and whilst it was new it didn't have the manual and I'd like to get into the user options to turn off continue. My MsPacman has a setup button inside but the DK cab does not. I seem to remember that you power on the cab whilst holding a button (1player?) to get into the admin options but nothing's working.

 

namcoarcade.com and google searches proved worthless.

 

Anyone have this cab able to help? Thanks. Hope to post pics of some of my new toys in my arcade soon including an awesome Starship troopers pinball!

 

 

I have 4 in one, but it has 4 Boardsets in it w/ a connector made....DK,DKJR,DK3, and 8 ball action....

Maid it for like $200.....w/ boards.

 

I didn`t know namco did such a thing.....WeIrD...