Transcript Jonathan Leung`s Presentation on The History of Arcade Circuitry

The History of Arcade
Circuitry and Functionality
TECH 4372
Technology Capstone
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Introduction and Preview
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Technology of the 80s
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Technology of the 90s
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Every game had it’s own harness and set of
pinouts; Simple game design
JAMMA standardizes the way arcade games are
wired; Digitization and MoCap
Technology of Today

Simulators, Bemani, and Emulators
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
The Technology of the 80s
Examples
Space Invaders, Astroids, Pac Man
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
The First Arcade Games
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Space Invaders - 1978
Began the arcade revolution of the 80s
 First arcade scoring system
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Asteroids - 1980
First modern coin door created
 Had to make larger coin boxes to hold quarters
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Pac Man - 1981
Single most popular game of all time
 Born of a pizza with a missing wedge
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Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Hardware Aspects
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Boards Built From Simple Electronics
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Resistors, Transistors, Capacitors, Chips
Used Joysticks/Buttons To Play Game
Separate Pinouts/Harness For Every Game
Arcade Monitor
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Combination of the CRT and chassis upon which
a picture is produced
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Software Aspects
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Small Characters
Levels Look Very Similar
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Later levels often repetitive
Low Number of Programmers Per Game
Simple Joystick/Button Movements
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Four Directions and One Button
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
The Technology of the 90s
Examples
Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Arcade Games Of The 90s
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Street Fighter II - 1991
First arcade fighting game
 Used complex joystick movements
 Several incarnations spawned
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Mortal Kombat
First fully digitized game
 Known for it’s blood content
 Spawned video games ratings
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Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Hardware Aspects
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JAMMA Harness
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A standard wiring setup for use with newer
arcade games
JAMMA+ (Plus)
An addition to JAMMA that allowed for more
players/more buttons per player
 The harness for JAMMA+ is known as a Kick
Harness (Used in Street Fighter II)
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Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Hardware Aspects cont.
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Boards More Complex
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Multi tiered, Multiple boards
Used Joysticks/Buttons To Play Game
Now 8 way directional joystick
 Up to 6 buttons on some games
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Arcade Monitor
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Now used larger monitors (25” and up)
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Software Aspects
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Bigger, More Colorful Characters
More In-Depth Level Design
More Complex Joystick/Button Movements
More Programmers Per Game
Digitization Technology
Motion Capture Technology (MoCap)

Now used in movies as well
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
The Technology of Today
Examples
Simulators, Bemani, MAME
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Arcade Games Of Today
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Simulators
Imitates or pretends to do a certain activity
 Examples
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Crazy Taxi, Daytona USA – Simulate Driving
Bemani Games
A series of games where players perform in
some way to music
 Examples
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Dance Dance Revolution
 Karaoke Revolution
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Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Hardware Aspects
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Traditional Joystick/Buttons Replaced
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Powered More by Computers
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Steering Wheels, Dance Pads, Guns
Hard Drives, DVDs, etc.
Complex Wiring Harnesses
Use of Projection Screens in Simulators
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Software Aspects
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3D Environments and Characters
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3D movement on screen
Faster Gameplay
More Interactivity
Characters and Environments
 Players and the Game
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Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
What is an Emulator/MAME?
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Emulator
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A program that emulates the functions of
another hardware or device
Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator
Emulates the hardware of the original arcade
board the games were built on
 Allows arcade games to run on a standard PC

Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
What Is A MAME Machine?
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Definition
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An arcade cabinet with a computer instead of
an arcade board (or PCB)
Purpose
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Allows you to play all of the games MAME
emulates on one machine (up to 4,500)
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
Summary and Conclusion

Technology of the 80s


Technology of the 90s


Every game had it’s own harness and set of
pinouts; Simple game design
JAMMA standardizes the way arcade games are
wired; Digitization and MoCap
Technology of Today

Simulators, Bemani, and Emulators
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung
The History of Arcade
Circuitry and Functionality
TECH 4372
Technology Capstone
Copyright 2004 – Jonathan Leung