So You Wanna Be An Arcade Gamer?!

Emulation's What You Need 

By David Campbell

Emulation. Love it or loathe it, it is a means to an end for many a gamer.

Be it due to cost of collecting the real systems and associated paraphernalia, or be it due to restricted space, emulation is the gateway drug to a full on retro gaming habit.

Getting access to emulators for almost any retro system is a mere Google away, and once you find the rom images of your favourite game, the floodgates open.

"Oh, man, I remember that one.. and that- I used to love that one too!" is how it starts. 

Before you know it, there are external hard drives filled with every system imaginable and complete rom sets of every game, even the ones you've never heard of!

This has never been truer than in the case of MAME.

All of a sudden, these hulking machines that you loved as a kid, and never dreamed you could own - are now available to you, and are only a couple of mouse clicks away.

Getting MAME up and running is a pretty simple affair. and in no time at all, you are playing through some of your favourite games, and for a while it feels great.

But them you realise, it just doesn't feel right.

Arcade games were never played sitting in front of a keyboard. Hitting a key numerous times to fill the game with credits is not satisfying.

This unlocks something in you, and you start down one of three paths.

One - if you have the space (and the money), you might buy a couple of real arcade games. This will soon multiply and your house will soon be overrun with a multitude of cabs.

Two - you see about getting a MAME cabinet. You might save and buy a MAME cabinet from someone, maybe even buy a custom built one.

Three - and this is the most satisfying - you design and build your own MAME cabinet.

I went for the third option.

Framing Supports

Now, I realise not everyone has the skill, tools, or time to build their own cabinet. Let me start off by saying that I'm no carpenter - I can cut a pretty straight line and I'm good with wood filler :)

I spent about 6 months researching and designing my cabinet. Its not something you can do in a weekend. There are a few stages to it (if you want to do it properly), and I'd like to share my experience with y'all, in case it helps you in some way.

The first thing I did was decide on the type of cabinet I'd build. I grew up in the "golden age" of arcades, and as such I wanted my cabinet to have a traditional, old school feel to it. I wanted it to have a proper coin mechanism too, and I knew I wanted a classic style coin mech (more on that later).

Take a look at Jakobuds website (http://www.jakobud.com/plan-list.php) for some inspiration. I settled on a customised Taito style cabinet, reminiscent of most of the games from the early 80’s. You may be slightly younger, and your memories will be of Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter and the like. It really is up to you.

Once I knew the look of the cabinet I wanted, I started on the the part of the design that took the longest - the control panel.

Taking Shape

The only real trouble with a MAME cabinet is that it plays virtually all the arcade games you can think of. That might not sound like much of a burden, but arcade games had a plethora of unique controls to try and prise your pocket money from your sweaty palms. 

Here's just a  starter list of control types:

- Joysticks

- Trackballs

- Light Guns

- Spinners

- Rotary Sticks

- Steering Wheels

- Flight Yokes

- Twin Sticks

.. and there are a lot more besides this.

You can’t have all controls on your panel (and please don't try!), so I would recommend making a list of games you absolutely want to have in your cabinet.

List the control styles (you can check somewhere like the Arcade Museum if your memory is a little hazy - http://www.arcade-museum.com/) for each style of game, and decide what you can fit on your panel.

Control Panel Test

After much deliberation, I decided that I'd have a one player control panel, as it would only be me playing it 90% of the time. This comprises an 8 way joystick, and six buttons (more than enough to play Street Fighter etc). I knew I wanted a Trackball as I love Missile Command and Rampart. I added a second 8 way stick - not for a second player, but for games such as Smash TV, Karate Champ and Robotron.

For the icing on the cake, I also put two buttons on the side of the cabinet, which are flipper buttons for virtual pinball.

One other thing I decided on was that I wanted to be able to swap control panels, if I ever decided to make more specialist panels (driving or Ikari style, for example).

You also need to consider the monitor for your cabinet.

Purists will want a CRT, but these are hard to come by, large, and mey need repairing at some point. I put a 19" 4:3 (i.e. "square") monitor in mine, as most of the games were not widescreen back in the day.

At this point it may be worth mentioning that I use a PC to power my arcade cabinet.

However, throughout the design phase, and right up to the very end, I actualy designed the cab to run from an Xbox, Dreamcast and Playstation 2, using retail compilation discs. This allowed me to play 99% of the games I wanted to to, including light gun games (which generally need a CRT TV).

Paint it black

However, I opted for the PC in the end as it let me play 100% of the games I wanted, and then some!

There are pros and cons to the games console vs PC - its really a matter of personal choice for you.

Now, to interface real arcade controls with your computer (or console), I whole heartedly recommend what I consider to be the best interface on the market - the KADE (http://kadevice.com/). I've bought four of these beauties for various projects. They are inexpensive, straightforward to wire, and are customisable - they are USB powered, so easy to install!

Once you have your design, and I really would urge you to spend a lot of time on the design - no point building a cabinet that you don’t like or wish you had done differently- its time to actually build it.

There are many options and opinions on the best materials to use to build a cabinet. I opted for 25mm MDF for mine. Some people may be horrified at this, but its easy to work with, durable, and can take a battering!

It took me a week from start to “finish” to create my cabinet. You’ll need at a bare minimum the following tools:

• Circular Saw
• Jig Saw
• Drill
• Screwdriver
• Hole Saw

Beta Testing

Take your time cutting the panels. Its easier to take a bit longer with no mistakes than to rush and have to fix a mistake!

Once all your panels are cut, Take the time to ensure that the base and sides are square. If they’re off at all, your cabinet will wobble and the control panel won’t fit properly.

Like I’ve said before - take your time!

Once all the parts are assembled, you need to paint it. This will take the longest time because you need to allow the paint to dry (obviously!), but you also need to do many coats to get a good finish.

I sanded the whole cabinet then wiped down with white spirit prior to priming to ensure the best surface possible.

Prime the whole cabinet with MDF primer. Don’t skip this step or scrimp by using cheap primer - MDF is like a sponge and will absorb paint, so primer it with proper primer to seal the pores and give you a good foundation.

Once your first coat of primer is dry, lightly sand it back with a medium grade sandpaper. This will allow your second coat of primer to fill any minuscule bumps (which look huge once painted!) and give you a nice finish. Wipe down the whole thing with a damp cloth and allow to dry before applying the second coat.

For me, two coats of primer was a good base. I painted my cabinet gloss black - obviously you can paint yours in any way you like. The process of painting was the same as the primer - paint, sand, wipe, paint.

I used a mini foam roller to paint my cabinet. Some people prefer brushes, but the roller gave my cabinet a nice texture that I liked - some people might not like that and prefer a totally smooth finish.

These decisions are the benefits of building your own cabinet!

Here’s a quick overall list of materials I used in my cabinet:

• Three 8’x6’ sheets of 25mm MDF
• one 750ml pot MDF primer
• one 750ml pot black one coat gloss
• one 36x36” sheet MDF for monitor cover and marquee

Hopefully this gives you an overview of building your cabinet.

There are many great resources out there, and here are a few that helped me immensely:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/

http://kadevice.com/

http://www.ultracabs.co.uk/

http://www.arcadeworlduk.com/

http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/index.htm

http://www.jakobud.com/

Have fun, and if you’ve any questions, get in touch and I’ll try to help!

Guest BLOG by GYL Fan - David Campbell

Commodore 64: a visual commpendium - Interview with Sam Dyer

We spoke to Sam Dyer - Author and inspiration being the new Commodore 64 Kickstarter



Tell us a bit about you first 

I'm 32 years old with an ever decreasing hairline and an ever increasing waistline. I'm a Graphic Designer and a huge C64 fan and retro gaming fan in general. As a designer I have over 10 years experience, working for award winning agencies in London and the South West. It has always been a dream of mine to design a book all about the Commodore 64.

How long have you been playing videogames now and what was your first computer or console? 

My first computer was a C64, handed down to me by my (very kind) Uncle. It must have been circa 1986. It came bundled with an Imagine multi-pack, International Soccer and a war strategy game called Theatre Europe! The Imagine pack had some amazing games on it such as Frogger, BC Bill, Arcadia and Pedro. I fell in love with this computer and over the next few years got loads and loads of games and spent many an hour in awe of the graphics and sound. Happy days! 

Tell us about your role at Retro Asylum? 

I absolutely love been part of the Retro Asylum. Since I have been involved about a year ago I have seen it go from strength to strength (obviously not just due to me joining!). My roles include uploading and writing site news, posting up reviews and essentially managing the front page. I also design the podcast covers with co-founder Dean Swain (Swainy). Also, every now and again you can hear me appearing on a podcast rambling on about my love of Sensible Soccer or looking at the career of a certain 8-bit games composer in a series called 'My 8-bit Life'. Been part of the Retro Asylum is loads of fun. It keeps me busy and out of trouble... 

Why are you into retro gaming now? 

Purely for nostalgic reasons. That warm fuzzy feeling I get when I am reminded of my childhood. It's addictive and I am constantly remembering little things that make me smile. I'm obviously a huge gamer too. I'm too tight to buy expencive modern games and have hardly any free time so the 'pick up and play' nature of retro gaming works for me perfectly.

Why do you think retro gaming is so popular in 2014? 

I think a huge part of it is down to emulation. It's there for all to get online, at the click of a button. Also nowadays, with YouTube and websites like Retro Asylum and GamesYouLoved, retro gaming is all over social media, constantly reminding people and sparking their memories. Also the retro gaming community is so friendly and welcoming and it's a great thing to be part of. I've made some great friends through this shared love.

Also, nowadays it's acceptable to be into Retro Gaming and not something you would be embarrassed to admit!
 

Tell us about your graphic design background? 

I went to Art College in Taunton where I spent 5 years and learnt loads. Then went to London and worked at some award winning agencies. I then took everything I had learnt and came back to the South West which is where I now ply my trade. Currently I am head of design at a brand agency and loving every minute of it. Every day if different and I am very lucky to do what I do. 

About the book...

Why the Commodore 64? 

The Commodore 64 was my first computer and the one I have the fondest memories of. It also played a massive part in inspiring me to become a designer. I used to be obsessed with the loading screens and box art. It is so visually rich, everywhere you look there is great design. Whether it's the iconic loading screens, Oliver Freys illustrations or the pixel art. I always wanted a book with all of this this stuff in it, but couldn't find one anywhere. So... I thought I would design one myself! 

Any particular C64 games you love - perhaps a top 10? 

Loads! In no particular order:
Batman The Movie
Up n down
Aztec Challenge
Cabal
Beyond the Forbidden Forest
Slap Fight
Treasure Island Dizzy
Blue Max
Ghostbusters 2
Ghouls and Ghosts

Can you give us any sneak insights into the book that people who are in the community would love to hear?  

One of the rewards I am most excited about is the chance for backers to 'own their own spread'. They pick the game, write the review and then I design it as a spread. I think it will give the book a unique feel and something that backers would be excited about. 

Getting the rights to use Oliver Freys illustrations is a massive deal for me. I have always loved his work and it will look stunning over double page spreads.

I am also planning to have a section on modern C64, looking at current day developers and the art they are producing.

When is the kickstarter due to start? 

1st April 2014

Any reveals on the pledges available? 

I'm still finalising the pledges but these will include a series of A2 loader posters, a chance to own your own spread in the book and also a chance to sponsor the book! There will also be smaller pledges where you can be credited in the book as an official supporter. 
  

Who is writing the book and why? 

The book will not have many words. It's a visual commpendium so accompanying each beautiful image may be a few game facts, a mini review or even a quote from the developer. 

Ex Sensible Software artist and C64 fan Stoo Cambridge will be writing the foreword and I'm hoping to get a few well known retro legends to also write some words here and there. 

What about design and illustration - as a designer what is your vision? 

As previously said, it has always been my ambition to create this book and if there is enough interest my dream will come true. What I would love would be too get the C64 book produced and then maybe do one on the Amiga. The dream would be to walk into a high street bookshop and see my book on the shelf. That would be pretty cool!

Back the project here NOW LIVE:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2146199819/commodore-64-a-visual-commpendium-by-bitmap-books

Watch the promo video:

 

My Gaming Life and Collection - by Nash Veggie

My first game console was the Atari 2600 when I was 7. I wanted every game I could find for it. I would go to department stores and stare at the Atari display dreaming of which game to ask my parents for next. 

Asking rarely did much good but I would usually happen upon a gift of Atari during birthdays and special occasions. During the video game crash of the 80s Atari cartridges could be found for a dollar each and I started building a good collection, all of which I still have today along with that first Atari 2600.

During the age of Nintendo many video rental stores also rented NES games. Those stores would close regularly only to sell their stock off at low prices. I bought many NES games this way. Not very long ago, I was approached by a man who once owned a video rental store and still had his stock of NES and SNES games in storage. I had done some computer work for him and he just wanted to trade out the work for the games. No arguments were made.

I have 58 unique consoles as well as a few arcade games in my collection. My favorite will always be the Atari 2600 but my prize pieces would be my boxed Vectrex and a Magnovox Odyssey, the first home video game console. 

Thanks to Nash Veggie for his Guest Glog. You can follow him on Twitter @nashveggie

King of Chicago - a GYL Review

Experience the new game released by Cinemaware in the words of a Chicago Crime Lord - or the nearest we can get to it - GYL Guest Reviewer, Andy Pryer @ClammyLizard

To maximize your reading pleasure, please read this paragraph aloud, in a gruff voice and out of the corner of your mouth:  Tired of bein’ a two-bit hood pullin’ nickle ‘n dime capers?  You’ve bin payin‘ your dues lang enough.  With Capone, the old Chicago boss in da big house,  dis town is wide open for a change a management an’ it’s time for da cream to rise to-da tap.

Indeed.  Al ‘Scarface’ Capone is in chokey and the underworld of Chicago has been shaken to it’s foundations.  This is the moment you’ve been waiting for; now’s the time to take over the ‘family’ business and expand it’s territory.

You’d better have a brain to back up that roscoe, or you ambitions will be cut pretty short.  Skill with a heater won’t get you far if you can’t trust anyone in your own organization after all.

If you’re going to be a successful head of the family, you’ve got to earn the respect of the existing crew, choose you friends and who you can trust wisely, make allegiances and show the other outfits you mean business. And if that isn’t enough, your moll certainly isn’t content to play second fiddle to your racket and has some demands of her own.

KOC is presented as what used used to be called an ‘Interactive Movie’, but not one of those full of FMV and dodgy acting, here we have soulful graphics drawn with an attention to period details which really help to set the mood. Honkey-tonk piano music and spinning newspaper headlines abound. 

The story is a complex and engrossing one and there are many, many paths though the game. The gameplay, which chiefly involves selecting a course of action in a timely manner throughout a series of well scripted conversations and encounters, is well suited to phones and is perfectly playable with one finger - ideal for a little incognito gaming.  Occasionally you may need to swing your gat around and burn some powder, but this too makes efficient use of the touch screen.

I must admit that I’d never played this game before, despite being a huge fan of some other Cinemaware releases, so I can say without the burden of nostalgia that the game holds up extremely well today, with Cinemaware doing what they do so well in setting the mood as perfectly as ever. 

The snappy dialogue is cliche, but in the best possible way.  While not a comedy game, it is amusing for the dialogs accuracy to the source material even when it’s not cracking one of it’s fairly frequent jokes. Opening the app transports you instantly and completely into the pin-stripe world of the 30s gangster movies, and whether you’re a fan of the genre or not, you’d find it hard to resist pull of an underworld that’s this fully realised.  

I thoroughly recommend King of Chicago as a first class piece of portable escapism, which is as relevant now as it was when it was first released, perhaps it’s even found the ideal home on smartphones?  It certainly makes my commute pass much more quickly.

Review by Andy Pryer for GamesYouLoved

You can buy the King of Chicago on:
iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/nsru5wr
GooglePlay-Store: http://tinyurl.com/pp3p8e8

A New Gen Gamer - Reviews an Old Skool 'New' Console

The GamesYouLoved Team is full of different kinds of gamers - different preferences and ages.  For this review of the Sega Sonic Nano by www.funstock.co.uk we gave it to one of the younger members of the team. All of 21 years old - Alex Reviews...

Let’s face it…gaming has gone mainstream. In the last 5 years or so the popularity of new-gen consoles has grown exponentially, with millions of people now owning an Xbox, a Playstation, or some form of games console.

So in today’s era of modern gaming where bigger, faster and sharper always means better, you could be forgiven for struggling to understand why someone would opt to play a smaller, simpler, retro games console like the Sega Mega Drive Arcade Nano.

As a new-gen gamer myself, I too had a certain degree of uncertainty about what I might be about to play.

But oh how wrong I was.

This little beauty is amazing, plug it into the TV and you’re away in less than 10 seconds. Considering many modern games have loading times long enough to grow a beard in, this is brilliant, and a definite positive if you’re looking for a ‘quick fix’ gaming session.

And if you’re a fan of variety, you’ll be pleased to know that straight out of the box there’s almost as many games on this as there are in your local GAME store.

Sure, the graphics aren’t quite up to the same level as the (massively overpriced) Xbox ONE, but in the age of ultra-fast processors and almost perfect graphics, we seem to have become ‘graphics sluts’, losing any loyalty and prostituting ourselves just to find a game with better graphics, and completely forgetting our roots.

Games don’t need to be perfect to be enjoyable.

The Arcade Nano is the perfect example of this. It’s quick, simple and massively fun to play…and what other games console will clip onto your key ring! It makes a so-called ‘sexy and slim’ Xbox ONE look like a fat geezer that single-handedly keeps his local McDonalds afloat.

I wasn’t around in the age of the original Sega Mega Drive and this retro style of gaming, I was still years away from being born in fact, but I am so glad I can still enjoy those great games today in such an easy, hassle free way.

There’s only one thing wrong with the Arcade Nano…it needs a warning message on the box: WARNING, HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

Get yours here with 10% off - use code GYL10:

http://www.funstock.co.uk/sega-megadrive-arcade-nano-sonic-edition