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Messages - ArcadeAction

#31
Retro News & Chat / Re: The joy of CRT
April 13, 2019, 17:23:18 PM
CRT televisions are overall very reliable (you may eventually need to just replace the capacitors). I often get more TVs from discarded sites/recycling centers and more than 90% the ones that have been sitting outside for some time in rain and weather, power on just fine. These are typically from 1980 sets and newer. Hopefully yours will last a very long time.

The sprite trail/phosphor glow on CRTs is my favorite part and gives them their magic for older games.
#32
Over here in USA some recycling people have helped me out. I've found CRT TVs from one of the very first color sets from 1954, which was a 25in size, all the way up to 2005 with HDMI. In general, the classified ads almost no longer contain listings of people selling CRT TVs and most people just throw them out, so I've had to get creative in my searches. I probably own 30+ CRT TVs now. I like them and am planning on making a video wall of sorts some time, as well as having lots of backups for my arcade machines. I swap out burned tubes for compatibles ones from TV sets.

The best consumer TVs in the USA I think are actually JVC-D series which are typically 27" to 32", and Insignia which are about 20" since they have curved tubes AND component video in (which is virtually identical to RGB). I gave away ALL my consumer Sony TVs as the picture was inferior to these sets. Flat screen Sony TVs often have geometry issues. The curved Sonys in the USA unfortunately do not have component input, but S-Video at best. Some of these can be RGB modded though.
If you can find Sony curved screens over there with SCART on them, I'm quite certain those would be great TVs, but none typically here in the USA.

Of the flatscreen CRT variety I've found the Philips brand to have the best picture.
#33
Retro News & Chat / Re: The History of Rastan
February 12, 2019, 05:03:52 AM
This game is about 75% great due to the music. It has somehow very sharp edge looking graphics and definitely felt "arcade" and a step above the graphics available on home consoles at the time. I remember seeing at my local bowling alley for the first time and had pretty much memorized watching the attract screen play through.
#34
Quote from: TrekMD on February 06, 2019, 12:11:24 PM
I never got to play this at an arcade and I've yet to see a machine for it at any retro event.  Looks fun, though. 

It was at the last APE show down in Fort Lauderdale area that you went to, but due to the large number of machines, the power was fluctuating and the power supply in the game wasn't putting out good voltage and so it was not working most of the time. It was actually just a couple machines to the right of the Make Trax machine that you played.
#35
Zoo Keeper is one of my favorite arcade games. I set the local high score at an arcade museum in the fall :-)
#36
This person is definitely good and displays the weaknesses of each character, and exposes the tricks of the game  with demonstrated timing and precision.

Of any video game I've played, I probably mastered and refined my skills in Punch-Out!! more than any other game. Many of these times I had been very close to in the 80s within a few seconds, and I'd matched a couple like the Honda and Popinski and Glass Joe. But getting a second or two faster takes tremendous refined skill which this person has and they showcase in a few of these fights. Fun to see.

I remember discovering the Soda Popinski ducking trick by accident one time and would knock him down in three punches. I also remember handwriting a letter in to Nintendo Fan Club (before Nintendo Power was a thing) describing this trick. When opponents get up on the count of 1, a single uppercut will floor them again. Hesitating slightly before hitting someone will also result in more damage as works especially well to best effect with Tyson.

The two times that stand out the most to me are Don Flamenco in 15sec and Tyson in 2:13. Mario even seems to run out super fast on his second Don knockdown.

37sec was the fastest I'd knocked out Don, and Tyson I could knock down twice in the first round but hadn't beaten him in the first round before (second round was common). Sometimes I'd toy with him and drag it out to three rounds to knock him down the maximum number of times and force a KO instead of a TKO.

Very cool video, thanks for sharing
#37
Retro News & Chat / Re: The History of Punch-Out!!
January 04, 2019, 08:46:53 AM
For those of you who may not have seen this on the Switch with some special vertical holders:

#38
Retro News & Chat / Re: The History of Final Fight
January 03, 2019, 05:13:39 AM
Quote from: TrekMD on January 02, 2019, 12:06:02 PM
Cool.  Do you already own the Final Fight cabinet you'll be restoring? 

Yes, I just need to refurbish it. I have been playing the game PCB in another cabinet for the time being.

It is the same cabinet as in this photo below. I found NOS control panel art for it.

I've been thinking of getting some fence and brick for the wall behind and a pipe/katana etc for decoration.

#39
Retro News & Chat / Re: The History of Final Fight
January 02, 2019, 04:16:56 AM
One of my projects this year will finally be restoring a Final Fight arcade cabinet.

If you watch the TV show Blue Bloods, it is interesting how much Mike Hagar looks like Tom Selleck.
#40
Nice job on the mods on this.

To my recollection: 3DO Doom has the best music of any version I think. I had a lot of fun playing this back in the day. Frame rate was always a bit low, but music made up for it. The original Playstation version used very different atmospheric sounds/audio but was a very good version. The Mac version of Doom was the highest resolution/quality and had a higher detail setting than was available on PC.
#41
Great pickups, I certainly learn a lot here.

I also like the attitude of the members here, which makes it fun.

Finally I picked up Vector Patrol for the mighty Vectrex... and a fine game it is at that!
#42
Homebrew Chat / Re: New Atari 2600 Homebrew - Zoo Keeper
December 08, 2018, 17:51:42 PM
Quote from: TrekMD on December 08, 2018, 04:26:41 AM
Here is a new video of the work in progress...


That's looking good! We need a 5200 version also. I set the recorded location high score recently on Zoo Keeper at: http://www.daytonaarcademuseum.com... :-)
#43
Atari Chat / Re: Atari 5200 Revisited
December 06, 2018, 02:01:32 AM
One other thing...

The storage of the game controllers.

Based on YouTube and others' comments, people seem to incorrectly think that the controllers are meant to be disconnected and the wires wound up inside and shoved together when put in the storage compartment at the back.

This isn't how it is intended to work.

The controllers are intended to be LEFT PLUGGED IN and placed upside down with the nubs fitted to the tops of the joysticks and the cable for the 2nd player controller runs out the specially designed top left hole and the cable for the 1st player controller runs out to the top right hole and both cables simple wrap around to their respective ports.

No unhooking required. No complicated winding up and shoving into the storage area required.

It wasn't form over function. It was form designed with function in mind. You'll note the controller cables are exactly the right length to comfortably allow you to do this. Those holes aren't meant simply to be used to lift open the storage bin. :-)
#44
Announcements and Feedback / Re: Forum Changes
December 04, 2018, 16:20:10 PM
Wishing good health to all this time of year.

I much prefer a traditional website forum setup instead of how Facebook works. Social media is focused on the "here and now", and old posts (even day old ones) on Facebook are sort of lost forever to me as it doesn't really occur to me to search a FB page for past posts.

I like the categories here and the choices that have been made to serve the discussion.
#45
Homebrew Chat / Re: Vectrex RadPad Controllers
December 04, 2018, 16:08:16 PM
Quote from: TrekMD on December 02, 2018, 14:23:08 PM
I'll need to!

Yes, do post a review. They do look great, and I think especially good for games using the joystick of course. When playing Vector Pilot I typically use the button option for turning left/right. It would be fun to try with this joystick.