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| What games does a MAME cab have trouble with? by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/17/2006, 1:10am PDT | ||||
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| I think that Pac-Man has one of the most attractive cabinet designs there is, but when it comes to getting one you essentially overpay to have a (single) game in your home that is completely controlled by just a joystick. For twenty bucks you could make a little joystick that replicated the process. Hell, there is a wireless joystick out there that has Ms. Pac and the other four games it's always collected with for $30. The joystick you make yourself also doesn't have any grease on it that you yourself don't know about. And of course, the MAME cab you make plays it perfectly.
On the other hand, here's the start of a list of games where it just might be better to own the arcade version. BABY PAC-MAN 
Features a pinball game alongside a variant of Pac. The only thing not to like about this game is that the graphics on the video game portion are a step backwards -- the monsters are all one solid color with little holes for eyes. It looks like an Atari 400 attempt at a Pac Man game. The pinball bits are an enormous amount of fun. I don't know of any program that emulates the whole thing. SPY HUNTER 
Ignoring the sit-down component, there are an enormous number of controls for this game. At minimum you are looking at: - shoot - missiles - oil slick - smoke screen - weapons van - hi/lo gear toggle - accelerator - steer left - steer right I think the accelerator is analog, which makes it a pain in the ass to map to a Happ joystick. The gear is also an unamusing mess, as you need it to get into the Weapons Van. I estimate that I fucked that up every single time I tried it on the stick I made. There's no good solution that I have found other than buying the game... and this game suffers from sound problems. You can't have it without the Peter Gunn theme, otherwise your friends will notice and make you feel bad. Accelerating in Paperboy is also a fucking pain in the ass. WACKO 
Not only is the cab tilted (which is not necessary for gameplay) it has a Robotron-style shooter stick to go with the main trakball controller. Okay, actually, Robotron is the real entry here -- I've tried to play it on an Ultracade and while there are technically two joysticks there, they just seem to be too far apart. The decision a MAME cab engineer will have to make is Robotron feel versus rubbing elbows. If it were any other game I'd say avoid the homoerotic overtones that arise from too-close gaming. I've been searching for a Robotron cab within 200 miles of Denver for half a year and come up empty. NOT FEATURED: DEFENDER Making the controls intentionally difficult doesn't count! the dark and gritty...Ice Cream Jonsey! |
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What games does a MAME cab have trouble with? by 07/17/2006, 1:10am PDT  Re: What games does a MAME cab have trouble with? by 07/18/2006, 8:43am PDT Because we're computer nerds, not lifelong woodworking toolmen? NT by 07/18/2006, 11:12am PDT |
