How long have you dabbled in arcade shmup PCBs hobby?

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:26 am

The above topic says it all...

Sure, there are some fellow shmuppers who've dealt with the arcade PCB spectrum of shmups hobby for quite some time now -- be it with a Supergun setup or full-sized Japanese arcade cabinet setup...

Of course, there will always be some shmuppers who do think that those "other" shmuppers who do have such PCBs are such an elitist small hard-core group...that isn't true. If one has the necessary monetary means to afford it, more power to him or her... ^_~

As one will find out, it ain't a cheap hobby to begin with either when dealing with PCBs (especially the latest PCBs from the handful of Japanese arcade developers still around cranking them out occasionally for the purpose of making a profit, business-wise)...

It's great to see more folks get into the arcade PCB hobby -- it really isn't same when playing arcade emulation on Mame/Mame32 compared to playing with the real arcade hardware/software..... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

RGC · Post by **RGC** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:39 am

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:03 am

RGC wrote:I'm about to take the plunge. I just can't decide between Esp Ra.De and Dangun Feveron. I'll admit, the transition is making me apprehensive - is this normal?

Hi there RGC,

I recall when first deleving into the world of arcade PCBs over five years ago, I'll admit that I really didn't know anything about it. Over time, I gradually learned more and more about that fascinating hobby...especially when dealing with some of the older Jamma PCBs from the mid 1980's (they are going to usually be two to three-layered PCBs and enormous in size -- that's typical of how they were manufactured back in those days).

By going with either Cave ESP.ra.de or Dangun Feveron PCB, you can't go wrong. My suggestion is get them both (or get one now and get the other in the nearby future is your best bet). Both Cave shmup PCBs are classics in their own right... ^_~

If you dig those 1970's disco-themed BGM tunes featured in Feveron, then that would appeal to you...the hand-drawn artwork is a beauty to behold! Plus with the cool hidden cat character to unlock with a secret input command, it has a unique sense of charm of it's own... ^_~

If you like a more gritty futuristic vein of storyline with three minors with such ESP powers, then that one may appeal to you...I, personally, like the stylized open palm shaped bullets -- there hasn't been another arcade shmup title that uses those type of bullets since then. The International Version of ESP.ra.de PCB does feature an all-English language text for the on-going storylines between stages and the eventual conclusion for all three characters (giving the player extra incentive to play through again to learn more about their stories and outcome)... ^_~

Sure, it's fine to approach the arcade PCB hobby slowly (when first starting out) and learning what to do & what not to do. It's by trial & error, does one learn from experience first-hand. If you have any hardware or software PCB related questions, feel free to ask in the "Hardware" section of Shmups.org..... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

RGC · Post by **RGC** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:17 am

RGC · Post by **RGC** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:18 am

Shion · Post by **Shion** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:13 pm

I've started my "collection" today actually

Got a pretty old, but decent cab including Batsugun. I don't know how to recognize a bootleg from the original though, so I can't tell if it's the real deal.
I'm thinking about getting a EspGaluda II board sometime next year, since it's the follow-up to my all time favorite game

I'll probably get some cheaper, old PCBs before then though, to test out the mods I'll be making to my cab. My first goal is to modify the angle at which the monitor resides in the cabinet.

szycag · Post by **szycag** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:09 pm

Get Dangun

RGC · Post by **RGC** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:52 pm

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:15 pm

I have a few PCB's and have been burnt a couple of times. I would advise to get a Neo Geo MVS 1 slot if your messing with monitors and control panels because the MVS hardware has a test screen to acknowledge colors and button presses on the control panel.

I would also advise to steer clear of some formats as a beginner, namely CPS2 (suicide encryption) and non Jamma PCB's as the screen is usually upside down (ok for supergun as you just turn the TV the right way, cabs are a pain though) or require special bits like audio amplifiers and jamma adaptors.

Jamma collecting does not have to be expensive, I would say 80% of Jamma PCB's come under $200. Its just the shmups that cost alot. I can't think of one non shmups PCB that costs over $200. And although PCB's are expensive they tend to hold their value better than console games. Obviously a $2000 brand new kit isn't going to hold that value, but purchasers of these kits know the drill.

You should only be apprehensive if your using your own kit, if your buying a professionally made supergun or cabinet its just a plug and play exercise, although its a format that is exposed and needs some TLC.

I'm Alec · Post by **I'm Alec** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:42 pm

Well, first pcb was ESP ra.de. about a year and a half ago. The first arcade shmup I owned though was Blazing Star in a big red MVS. I got that game probably 3 years ago or so.

The Coop · Post by **The Coop** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:59 pm

Never have, and likely never will. No room for a cabinet, and no desire to start trying to store boards that're noticeably larger than your average cart or DVD/CD case. I don't seek utter perfection in arcade ports, so I'm happy with what I have.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 8:38 pm

The Coop wrote:Never have, and likely never will. No room for a cabinet, and no desire to start trying to store boards that're noticeably larger than your average cart or DVD/CD case. I don't seek utter perfection in arcade ports, so I'm happy with what I have.

and im the opposite, been rockin PCBs for a couple of years now, i cant play shmups on anything but a cabinet.

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 9:25 pm

The Coop's and sven's posts raise the question of difference. During the STGT I played Giga Wing on both a small PC Monitor on Mame and on a 26" screen in the arcade. There was a sizeable difference - I could breeze through gaps in the arcade, yet had no such luxury on the PC monitor. I achieved the same crap 1cc scores on both, but found the large arcade cab an easier stress free experience.
It can be added that some ports don't have sound or can have other problems and that the Mush PCB is much more relaxing and enjoyable than the PS2 port.
Some are not ported eg. Ketsui, Pink Sweets etc.

Other than that, I run a supergun on a Hantarex monitor, but will still rush round the arcade to play whenever possible. Luckily I've had good arcades in my vicinity since the 80s. So the question of how long I've run PCBs at home doesn't matter.

MathU · Post by **MathU** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 9:36 pm

Never. I'm not made of money.

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:48 pm

RGC wrote:
szycag wrote:Get Dangun
Ra.de seems like the kinda game a slow old duffer like me could get the hang of, whereas Dangun is purely about reflexes. I'm after the one with greatest replay value but, crucially, whichever is least likely to interfere with my Mushi1 progress. Does this create a deadlock?

Chirst, by the time I decide Ketsui will have been ported!

http://insomnia.ac/reviews/custom/dangunfeveron/

Here´s a Dangun review I did a while ago. It´s really the fastest game Cave ever made, a shining diamond. Esprade seems okay-ish to me, but the scoring is broking cause you have to milk bosses to no end if you really want to get a decent score. If I had enough time to really sink my teeth into a game, it would be Dangun, no doubt.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:53 pm

So it's not enough to show off who has the bigger e-penis, but also who has the oldest e-penis too?

I'm just a little pecker from summer 2005.

drboom · Post by **drboom** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 1:33 am

I'll be starting in a few days - waiting on my candy cab and the pcb's I have ordered to show up!

But, I have also been a dedicated arcade collector on and off for ten years or so. I just got into the modren shmups a little while ago.

\

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:13 am

I started with a final fight cab in 1999, then ninja gaiden, rastan, ninja warriors, magician lord, all stuff from that era. I think my first shmup PCB was... pulstar maybe? Tatsujin?

I'm actually just now graduating to emulation, and am thinking of selling off the emulate-able bits of my collection, depending on how cool of a cab I can make for my computer. Watch for a post from me in the trading station in a few months. I've always been a fairly poor guy- I just spent all my money on the stuff. Here's 8 years worth of PCB collecting
http://www.rest30.com/vids/vids.htm

Sonic R · Post by **Sonic R** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:28 am

The Coop wrote:Never have, and likely never will. No room for a cabinet, and no desire to start trying to store boards that're noticeably larger than your average cart or DVD/CD case. I don't seek utter perfection in arcade ports, so I'm happy with what I have.

I am feel these quotes.
Also for me, I never play arcade game and I am not understanding on how to play arcade game

I also have hard time to play with arcade controller and require a control pad for my games playing

Some time I do dream about playing game like Armed Police Batrider or trying Ketsui though. I also do not enjoy playing games on a PC

I am just dumb dude who is only know video games playing on a console hook up to television

Shit on me some more

scrilla4rella · Post by **scrilla4rella** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:45 am

I got a really nice supergun a little over a year and a half ago, I only have four shmups but when your swimming in games boards like Dangun, Batrider, Strikers 1999, and Dogyun are more than enough to keep me busy.

Last spring I lost $400 on two PCB that never made it through the mail. I don't know what the fuck happened but it really made me a lot more cautious about spending tons of cash on boards. Now I'm in Japan, far far away from Tokyo, where Pink Sweets, Death Smiles, the new Parodius, and Muchi-Muchi can be had for 100 yen a credit. Sounds great but the cost does add up and Muchi-Muchi has caused me to miss the last train home more than once

.

The availability of arcades and the Virtual console has slowed down my lust for PCBs but I'm sure that if I ever find a shop in Fukuoka it will return.

DirtyMonk · Post by **DirtyMonk** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:28 am

I just got a cab a little over a week ago, and I already have three PCBs. I originally just wanted to be able to play Ketsui, since I had this recent epiphany that I loved the game so much. So it all started with just being able to play one PCB on the hardware it was meant to be played on.

But then I noticed how (relatively) cheap a complete Galuda 2 kit was going for at this time, so I decided to get that. First PCB purchase.

The seller of my cab decided to offer me a DOJ board along with the cab also, and I just couldn't resist because I also love DOJ. Another instant PCB. Take note that I also own DOJ on PS2, which is a perfect port. If I never owned a cab or was technically savvy enough to go through the trouble of running my PS2 on a cab, I would think that buying it again was stupid and a waste of money, but I never regretted that decision because it is simply a blast to play it as it was meant to be played: as an arcade game with 29 inches of screen, quarters, scanlines, and sitting on the stool with the CP in front of you at that exact height with the screen at that particular distance from you. Plus, with a double JAMMA switcher, jumping to DOJ after a run with Ketsui is pure bliss.

After owning a couple PCBs and playing them on the hardware they were meant to be played on, it's pretty hard to go back to play those same games via consoles and emulation. It's like going back to Chinese buffet sushi after you've had the most traditional Japanese sushi money can buy.

And now I've got my eye on Futari, plus in the meantime while I'm at it, why not go for Psikyo and some other shooters I like, perhaps some Toaplan, Raizing, or maybe even complete a Cave collection first? I've even begun thinking about getting a second cab for Hori's!

You remember that scene in Aliens where Ripley spills some hot chocolate from Newt's mouth and wipes it off, leaving a small clean spot around it, and then realizing she has to clean her entire face because she just has "to do the whole thing"? That's the completeness I'm beginning to feel in regards to playing shooters. Now that I've bitten the bullet and owned a few, why not go for all of the rest I wanted to get but held back on? After all, I'm not regret.

One particular member once told me that there are other hobbies much more dangerous and consummating than cabs and PCBs, such as drugs or gambling. If spending a lot of money on cabs and PCBs is what makes you happy, then be thankful that is what gets you off. It could be far worse.

And for you console/emulation-only people, I'm also pretty envious of how you guys can enjoy what you have so much. To me, that is just as cool.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:38 am

ride, shoot straight and speak the truth!

RGC · Post by **RGC** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:43 am

cools · Post by **cools** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:48 pm

I'm getting back into the whole PCB thing after realising I simply wasn't enjoying consoles the way I used to as a kid, purely because the investment in a game is utterly negligable nowadays. Back when a Master System was all I had I'd have to scrimp and save and would get a game once every 6 months or more - but I'd play the hell out of everything, even the crap stuff simply because I felt that need to make it worth it.

And I got far more out of every game back then than I have out of the 360. There have been games since that have captured me for a while but they've been too few and too far between, and haven't had the replay value - I've found that I much prefer a game that takes half an hour to complete, but that 18 months to complete for the first time.

20-40-100 hour long games get played to completion then not touched again. I miss arcade games instantaneous nature.

I've done the whole MAME cab thing, it never really sunk its hooks in - although the challenge of setting it up to my standards was good fun it barely saw anything other than Magical Drop or DoDonPachi loaded!

So sinking the same amount of effort relative to my current financial situation into obtaining a cab (or two, I want a vert and a hori) and the boards for it will hopefully see me stop buying and casting off games in the way I've been doing for far too long now.

And to answer the original question - the cab I just sold went after about 8 years, but I sold all the boards when I put MAME on, which was years ago too!

lgb · Post by **lgb** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:58 pm

MathU wrote:Never. I'm not made of money.

Of course. But if I could afford a PCB, I would buy faster than you can say Dang(un).

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 6:06 pm

about two or three years. i got into it after selling my neo aes collection on ebay, which netted about £5k

and i agree with the post above, re: playing games deeply and intently. i generally have a rule with myself to only buy four pcbs a year, max. akthough that has been broken...

i use a sigma supergun, samsung 32" crt, and a comfy armchair

Post by **undamned** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 6:13 pm

1997 - Street Fighter II Dynamo cab for $200 from a local 'cade that was going out of business.

That was my first, but it wasn't until around 2001/2 that I started buying other PCB's. It's been an obsession, since then

-ud

Post by **Dave_K.** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 6:56 pm

Same story here... In 1997 bought my first cab, a mint Stargate (best hori shooter eva!). Bought/Sold/Restored lots of classics over the years, but didn't officially go apeshit into shmup cab/pcb collecting until about 2004.

djvinc · Post by **djvinc** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 7:12 pm

I bought Xexex and Thunder Cross 2 in 1999. It was a bit more expensive than it's now

.
Than my PCB collection fell asleep till 2006, when I realized all the games I still had to buy.

My Cave addiction came only a few months ago, I couldn't buy such expensive games before.

markedkiller78 · Post by **markedkiller78** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 7:31 pm

It's a tough hobby on your wallet, well for me anyways as I struggle to excert any form of self control

There is such an abandunce of excelent games out there ranging from $20-$2220. If you can afford it & have the space there is no substitute for a cab & pcb.

If you don't pay over the odds & decide you don't like it there is a high probability of you making most of your money back if you do decide to sell.

PS Esp Rade was mu first shmup pcb & I'm still enjoying it now 2.5 years later

shmups.system11.org

How long have you dabbled in arcade shmup PCBs hobby?

How long have you dabbled in arcade shmup PCBs hobby?

Pink Sweets in my Local