Ideas for an arcade game booth

[Aru-san]

So I was thinking of hosting an arcade game booth at my cousin's festival that happens every summer, and I brewed up a system that would distribute tickets (yes, I know...just bear with me) based on what goals they completed.

The setup would mainly consist of a TATE'd monitor hooked up to a computer running MAME and will have arcade controls for the player to use. The idea is that the player pays up a dollar in person, then I press the coin button on the computer so they can play the game. The arcade controls will only have the joystick, the buttons needed to play the game (a set of 3), and, of course, the start button.

Here's how I have the ticket distribution planned out. Pardon the small amount of tickets, but the festival prizes, for the most part, don't require that many tickets to earn:

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First goal - 4 tickets
     With 1 Achievement - 5 tickets
     With 2 Achievements - 6 tickets
     With all 3 Achievements - 8 tickets
Second goal - 8 tickets
     With 1 Achievement - 10 tickets
     With 2 Achievements - 12 tickets
     With all 3 Achievements - 15 tickets

And here are the games I have planned. Only two of them are actually going to end up in the booth (1 game per day; festival's 2 days long), but I wanted to be prepared for any future festivals where I don't really want to put in the same game as the year before.

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PAC-MAN
     1st goal - 10,000pts.
     2nd goal - 22,500pts.
     Achievement 1 - Don't let 3 bonus fruit pass
     Achievement 2 - Eat a ghost that's worth 1,600pts.
     Achievement 3 - Beat stage 5
GALAGA
     1st goal - 30,000pts.
     2nd goal - 65,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - 1 PERFECT on CHALLENGING STAGE
     Achievement 2 - Get the double-shot ship
     Achievement 3 - Destroy a captured ship
DIG DUG
     1st goal - 10,000pts.
     2nd goal - 25,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - Kill 2 monsters at the same time with a boulder
     Achievement 2 - Don't let any monsters escape
     Achievement 3 - Get killed by the Fygar's breath
TOWER OF DRUAGA (or HAVE FUN MAKING PROGRESS ROFL)
     1st goal - Beat floor 3
     2nd goal - Beat floor 6
     Achievement 1 - Get 40,000pts.
     Achievement 2 - Don't lose the pickax
     Achievement 3 - Get all the treasures from floor 1 to floor 3
GALAGA '88
     1st goal - 50,000pts.
     2nd goal - 120,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - SECRET BONUS or 1 PERFECT on THAT'S GALACTIC DANCIN'
     Achievement 2 - DIMENSION WARP after the first THAT'S GALACTIC DANCIN'
     Achievement 3 - Get the triple-shot ship
CONTRA
     1st goal - 100,000pts.
     2nd goal - 225,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - Don't pick up the spread shot
     Achievement 2 - Don't die on the 1st base
     Achievement 3 - Don't time out on any of the bases
FROGGER
     1st goal - 5,000pts.
     2nd goal - 12,500pts.
     Achievement 1 - Bring all 5 frogs in a level home without dying
     Achievement 2 - Bring at least 1 lady frog companion home
     Achievement 3 - Collect at least 1 flower
TIME PILOT
     1st goal - 25,000pts.
     2nd goal - 85,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - Hoard 5 lives (4 life icons + active life)
     Achievement 2 - Rescue a paratrooper worth 5,000pts.
     Achievement 3 - Beat stage 4
RAIDEN
     1st goal - 60,000pts.
     2nd goal - 150,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - Don't die on the 1st stage
     Achievement 2 - Discover and achieve the fairy
     Achievement 3 - Beat stage 2
SORCER STRIKER
     1st goal - 120,000pts.
     2nd goal - 280,000pts.
     Achievement 1 - Beat stage 1 without dying
     Achievement 2 - Beat stage 2
     Achievement 3 - Maximize both your weapon and your subweapon (to the point where you can get points from icons)

I'll also have a sign that will have the game of the day, the controls of the game, and what the goals and achievements are, along with a sign that will have the ticket earnings and whatnot.

Tell me what you think of the concept and/or what I should change to the current formula I have set up.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I think if you were to use the original arcade PCBs, then it wouldn't be so bad having to charge folks up to a buck to pay to play arcade emulation on Mame (when they can play for free at home or on their Netbook/notebook PC setup). ^_~

Interesting system with the ticket dispenser and classic arcade game goals/challenges to strive for.

For some really cool extra hard challenge, try crushing three or more Dig Dug enemies with a falling rock -- earns big points with that particular method. It's akin to the idealogy of risk vs. reward -- should one trying to kill as many enemies in one big shot with a falling rock or not and still have time to grab the bonus fruit/vegetable bonus? ^_~

If you offer some cool and choice festival prizes, the festival patron might be willing to spend more than a buck to win one. Whatever number of tickets it takes to earn a smaller prize and with a number of smaller prizes to trade up to a better and cooler bigger prize -- this is how those modern-day carnival games work btw. And some of them are rigged so that the player will still lose intentional (but the player doesn't know that beforehand). ^_~

What kind of monitor are you going to use for the final displaying purposes? A true low-res 15kHz arcade monitor or RGB monitor would be best assuming your PC setup is running ArcadeVGA and have all the rest of the usual hardware to get it up and running properly. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[jonny5]

good idea but charging money for mame

[Aru-san]

I think if you were to use the original arcade PCBs, then it wouldn't be so bad having to charge folks up to a buck to pay to play arcade emulation on Mame (when they can play for free at home or on their Netbook/notebook PC setup). ^_‾

Aren't PCBs for old games really cheap? Maybe I can afford those games, but the real challenge is trying to hook it all up. If I were to do this, this would be the first time I ever handled a PCB, so I'll probably need help on that.

Interesting system with the ticket dispenser and classic arcade game goals/challenges to strive for.

For some really cool extra hard challenge, try crushing three or more Dig Dug enemies with a falling rock -- earns big points with that particular method. It's akin to the idealogy of risk vs. reward -- should one trying to kill as many enemies in one big shot with a falling rock or not and still have time to grab the bonus fruit/vegetable bonus? ^_‾

Interesting. I'll probably replace the stupid "get killed by the Fygar's breath" achievement and put this instead.

If you offer some cool and choice festival prizes, the festival patron might be willing to spend more than a buck to win one. Whatever number of tickets it takes to earn a smaller prize and with a number of smaller prizes to trade up to a better and cooler bigger prize -- this is how those modern-day carnival games work btw. And some of them are rigged so that the player will still lose intentional (but the player doesn't know that beforehand). ^_‾

Oh, it's just tickets that I'm dealing with. No prizes, though the tickets can be turned in to get prizes from the prize booth.

What kind of monitor are you going to use for the final displaying purposes? A true low-res 15kHz arcade monitor or RGB monitor would be best assuming your PC setup is running ArcadeVGA and have all the rest of the usual hardware to get it up and running properly. ^_‾

I'll probably start off with a rather ghetto setup (such as a TATE'd TV monitor with the power button) which I might eventually swap with an actual arcade setup as I get a job and get more money to afford such things.

good idea but charging money for mame

I'm very aware of this. I might end up buying PCBs instead, and considering that the lineup consists of old games, I think there shouldn't be much trouble in obtaining them.