Early arcade games and hardware. Not to be used for modern arcade machines capable of running early games, or for custom (e.g. home-made) machines that happen to be old.
See also the gaming tag.
Questions tagged [arcade]
72 questions
45
votes
3 answers
How was a demo mode implemented in arcade machines
On many arcade machines when running in attract mode, they often show a demo gameplay. I wondered how they did this?I guess those are not pre-recorded movies, so I think that they probably ran the game engine with some pre-defined input. On some…
Devolus
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35
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4 answers
What API did the "math box" provide?
Some classic vector arcade games, such as Battlezone and Red Baron, were based on the 6502 CPU. The processor wasn't fast enough to do the 3D computations, so a co-processor commonly known as the "math box" was used for vertex transformations.
How…
fadden
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Are the details of the Galaga entrance patterns deterministic or random?
I've been playing a lot of Galaga lately on a Namco Revision B board, and I'm running into an interesting game detail that has probably been documented or examined by others or could be divined by looking at machine code.
The game has,…
GGMG-he-him
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3
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2 answers
How did Capcom make the decision to produce 1942?
The classic Capcom game 1942 puts the player in the pilot seat of an American fighter aircraft in WW2, shooting down wave after wave of Japanese aircraft.
Capcom is a Japanese company.
How did Capcom come to make the decision to produce a game where…
user
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2
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1 answer
What version of Space Invaders is this?
I would like to know which manufacturer/version is the Space Invaders game that I show playing in the video linked below. The game setup is similar to Galaxian/Galaga but it is not. It also feels faster/ more dynamic (or maybe it's just…
JoanLluch
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vote
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In Donkey Kong (arcade), is there some way to skip the annoying intro sequence?
I find myself dying constantly in Donkey Kong. Although I don't have to pay money each time, it's still annoying to keep having to watch the intro each time.
I've tried pressing all buttons I could think of, so I don't think it's skipable, but maybe…
Antvan
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