Price: $170.45 as of 11/22/2009 22:54 EST
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 794.822
EAN: 9780764556166
ISBN: 0764556169
Label: Wiley
Manufacturer: Wiley
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 504
Publication Date: May 07, 2004
Publisher: Wiley
Studio: Wiley
Features:
Related Items:
Alternate Versions: Click to Display
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
You can go back, and here's howRemember the days—and quarters—you spent pursuing aliens, fleeing ghosts, and gobbling dots in that beloved arcade? They're hiding in these pages, along with diagrams, directions, plans, and materials lists that will enable you to build your very own arcade game. Construct joysticks, buttons, and trackballs; build the console and cabinet; install and configure the software; crank up the speakers; and wham! Step across the time-space continuum and enjoy all those classic games, plus dozens of new ones, whenever you like.Start HereIncludes diagrams, detailed instructions, essential software, and more 1. Plan for your space and budget
2. Design and build the cabinet
3. Construct the controllers
4. Build the console
5. Pick an old game's brain
6. Install the emulator
7. Convince a PC it's a game
8. Connect a monitor and speakers
9. Add a marquee
10. GO PLAY!CD-ROM Includes
Complete cabinet plans and diagrams
MAME32 software
Paint Shop Pro¿ evaluation version
Links to hundreds of arcade cabinet projects
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
I always wanted to build my own arcade game, and this book helped me through it. Granted, I didn't follow it page for page, but it guided me through each step to get me to my ultimate goal.
Most helpful: Schematics of a 'typical' arcade cabinet. This made it easier to draw out and eventually cut the pieces I needed. Also, checklists of items you will need and may need to successfully create your own cabinet.
Least helpful: Listed websites. Most of the online help listed is defunct and useless at this point. Also, the CD it came with was cracked and useless (make sure that doesn't happen to you!)
What would have helped: More on the electrical side of the cabinet. Needed my father-in-law to teach me about the wiring mecahnics of my machine.
Overall: If you've got the initative to build an arcade game, but have minimal knowledge of where to start, this book is PERFECT! The best section by far is BUILDING your cabinet. It takes even the beginner carpenter through step-by-step, so it's do-able for anyone!
Rating:  -
The book is showing its age now. Some links no longer work and some info is dated. It is a very good reference and a good place to start if you are just getting into the MAME scene. I'm happy with it and lend to friends that are getting interested in it.
Rating: -
I bought the book after seeing it recommended on an series of Systm episodes about building your own MAME cabinet. I read the first few chapters of the book and used the plans off the included CD-ROM to start building.
However, the plans are a bit flawed - something not mentioned in the book. If you build your cabinet based off the recommended plans, your cabinet will be exactly 7'6", which is more than a little too tall. I thought I had simply measured wrong, but after re-measuring a dozen times and comparing my measurements to the plans, I realized the plans were just wrong. This is also the case with the cabinet that was built in the Systm episodes; if you watch the final episodes, you'll realize they have a frankencabinet because they followed the plans to the T, just as I did.
That said, the book is a great reference if you have other plans to follow. Construction tips and suggestions and innumerable references and hacks make the book well worthwhile. I find myself going back to the book for things like t-molding vendors, trackball hacks and the like. Of course, all this information (and more) can be located on the internet, but it's helpful to have it in one place to flip through. If you are actually going to build a MAME cab, you'll have more than enough time to go through the book *and* all the internet sites detailing this process. This isn't your one-weekend project. Count on several weekends as well as several trips to Home Depot or Lowes.
Definitely get the book, but don't follow it word-for-word. Use it as a reference guide. Don't be afraid to go off the reservation with your cabinet build if you have a good idea (I built a keyboard drawer in mine, for example) - sandpaper and wood putty will fix some pretty major mistakes. :)
Rating:  -
Following the Arcade scene for a few years, I've been promising myself this book once I'm ready to sit down and start building my own MAME Arcade cabinet.
After getting the book and skimming through the pages, I was disappointed to find it's either information I've already discovered on my own by surfing the Internet, or the links to additional content or files are severely outdated and a number of external links no longer work. The copy of MAME they provide you is ver 0.7x (Latest incarnation of MAME is over .100)
Don't get me wrong, this book is great for those who haven't already done the research and want an all-in-one book on how to do it. For me however, I gained nothing from the book.
Rating: -
This is a good book.
My only thing is most of this is on the internet and may even be more updated if you find the right websites.
But it is helpful as for the beginner will help you plan things out in advance. Would be nice to have a few more illustrations like some sample wire diagrams of the controls etc.
But again..it has lots of reference websites listed in the book that can also assist.
My suggestion is -> don't build a Mame Cabinet if you don't have the internet...because you will need it.
Seems to have covered all the basis and the added cd is a nice touch.
|
