Anyone a fan of emulation here?

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hazeredmist
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by hazeredmist »

Oh god. The thread is intriguing and is drawing a lot of insight from a few of us...

RUN
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Jobobonobo »

Agreed with many here on the benefits of emulation, particularly in regards to preservation and accessing titles not available in certain regions. For example, I would never have played the delightful Mother 3 if not for the fan translation patch done by the dedicated bunch over at starmen.net and GBA emulation. Likewise I would never have become acquainted with the likes of Chrono Trigger and other SNES RPGs that were denied to Europeans if not for emulation. However, such titles are now easily available worldwide but this was well before such times. Not to mention, if I loved a certain game enough I will happily buy it legally if it gets re-released (got all 13 endings on the DS version of Chrono Trigger!). However, because of nonsense such as licensing agreements being expired or the console hardware having difficulty with running certain games (why Yoshi's Island was never on Wii Virtual Console if I recall) then that is when emulation comes to shine as such games can be preserved in the way they were originally meant to be. And these days when spiteful shitheads such as Konami just yank titles out of digital store fronts such as what happened with P.T., the archival purposes of emulation are more important than ever. I even think that when there is no way the original developer can still make money from the game, then emulate away!

Ha, this thread is making me consider getting a Raspberry Pi...
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by dezm0nd »

Suits wrote: August 20th, 2019, 7:45 am Lol, you want one ??
You got a direct message on twitter. :)
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Flabyo
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Flabyo »

I have a book called ‘Game After’ which is all about game preservation, and it takes the angle that emulation alone isn’t enough. A large part of the cultural artefact that is an old video game is the platform you play it on, and for things like arcade games, the places the machines lived.

Playing Pac-Man on Mame isn’t the same as playing it on the original cab in an arcade, and preservation should be as much about trying to preserve the hardware as it is the software.

Emulation is a valuable part of that of course, but it’s not the complete picture for preservation.

(This is also why I tend to prefer picking up the actual carts for my Megadrive rather than just getting an everdrive and filling it with roms)

The book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/game-after

And here’s an interesting piece on why you shouldn’t restore the distress marks on an old Pac-Man cab: https://retrobitch.wordpress.com/2019/0 ... -the-game/
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Suits »

I’m all over that book Glen, cheers.
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Michiel K
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Michiel K »

Flabyo wrote: August 21st, 2019, 8:48 am I have a book called ‘Game After’ which is all about game preservation, and it takes the angle that emulation alone isn’t enough. A large part of the cultural artefact that is an old video game is the platform you play it on, and for things like arcade games, the places the machines lived.

Playing Pac-Man on Mame isn’t the same as playing it on the original cab in an arcade, and preservation should be as much about trying to preserve the hardware as it is the software.

Emulation is a valuable part of that of course, but it’s not the complete picture for preservation.

(This is also why I tend to prefer picking up the actual carts for my Megadrive rather than just getting an everdrive and filling it with roms)

The book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/game-after

And here’s an interesting piece on why you shouldn’t restore the distress marks on an old Pac-Man cab: https://retrobitch.wordpress.com/2019/0 ... -the-game/
Very cool.

This is also where my sentiments lie, yet at the same time I'll take what I can get. Happy to get the Mega Man X Legacy Collection instead of spending hundreds on carts and discs, for example.

I also love that blog article. A lot in there (including cultural context) that we don't consider when we fire up the game on modern systems.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by hazeredmist »

Man, we've come a long way from "anyone who downloads roms is a filthy scummy cunt" haven't we.

As Flabyo says, while I think it's a side issue to the topic, the hardware itself is a massive part of the picture with preservation. I see museums and exhibitions as critical here. One I recently attended was Game On 2.0 in Newcastle, and is EXACTLY the sort of thing we need. Masses and masses of old consoles and arcade cabs, the vast majority set up for the public to play on.

Thoroughly recommended if anyone here is able to get there. It's on till 4th September. https://www.life.org.uk/events/game-on
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Scrustle »

Flabyo wrote: August 21st, 2019, 8:48 am I have a book called ‘Game After’ which is all about game preservation, and it takes the angle that emulation alone isn’t enough. A large part of the cultural artefact that is an old video game is the platform you play it on, and for things like arcade games, the places the machines lived.

Playing Pac-Man on Mame isn’t the same as playing it on the original cab in an arcade, and preservation should be as much about trying to preserve the hardware as it is the software.
Good point. The importance of emulation shouldn't come at the cost of not also preserving the hardware and the original context of the games.

Lest we forget this powerful stance.

Image
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Suits
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Suits »

I’m stealing that stance.

Not just for gaming either.
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Flabyo
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Flabyo »

If you really want to read something odd from the time, this was rescued and put back into print again recently:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/ ... mis-review

Yes. *That* Martin Amis.

It’s fun to read the views of someone on an industry before decades of its cultural baggage has even begun to accrue.
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by ratsoalbion »

Yes, we talked about this on our Space Invaders podcast. A real curiosity!
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Stanshall
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Stanshall »

Flabyo wrote: August 21st, 2019, 8:48 am I have a book called ‘Game After’ which is all about game preservation, and it takes the angle that emulation alone isn’t enough. A large part of the cultural artefact that is an old video game is the platform you play it on, and for things like arcade games, the places the machines lived.

Playing Pac-Man on Mame isn’t the same as playing it on the original cab in an arcade, and preservation should be as much about trying to preserve the hardware as it is the software.
This is a really great point, and a big reason why I love going to Arcade Club. It's always packed, always got a great atmosphere and there's nothing like playing on original hardware.

As much fun as I have with OutRun 2 regularly on the 360, sitting down in a 2P cab racing against my brother had me laughing and grinning like I was playing for the first time.

Likewise, playing a couple of hours of Dodonpachi Daioujou and Espgaluda and Ikaruga (sometimes with a few people watching over my shoulder) is so much more thrilling than grinding away at home where death is a frustration and success is the expectation, because you're playing on a PCB and, frankly, there's an element of performance to it, even if there's just one person watching! I really really wish there was a shmup scene in the UK to really crank up that live shared, performative, competitive experience. As it is, the Shmups thread is pretty close for now :D
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OneCreditBen
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by OneCreditBen »

Scrustle wrote: August 21st, 2019, 10:47 am
Flabyo wrote: August 21st, 2019, 8:48 am I have a book called ‘Game After’ which is all about game preservation, and it takes the angle that emulation alone isn’t enough. A large part of the cultural artefact that is an old video game is the platform you play it on, and for things like arcade games, the places the machines lived.

Playing Pac-Man on Mame isn’t the same as playing it on the original cab in an arcade, and preservation should be as much about trying to preserve the hardware as it is the software.
Good point. The importance of emulation shouldn't come at the cost of not also preserving the hardware and the original context of the games.

Lest we forget this powerful stance.

Image
Legitimately my stance when playing Ghouls N Ghosts.
People need to recognise.
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Alex79 »

It's true, I've seen the outtakes of Ben playing whilst sat on a stool. Can't even clear level two.
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by OneCreditBen »

Alex79uk wrote: August 22nd, 2019, 1:08 pm It's true, I've seen the outtakes of Ben playing whilst sat on a stool. Can't even clear level two.
The next time I go to Arcade Club, I'll recreate this photograph.
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Simonsloth »

OneCreditBen wrote: August 22nd, 2019, 4:05 pm
Alex79uk wrote: August 22nd, 2019, 1:08 pm It's true, I've seen the outtakes of Ben playing whilst sat on a stool. Can't even clear level two.
The next time I go to Arcade Club, I'll recreate this photograph.
If you keep that pose up for the entire game you’ll need to change your catchphrase to “I need a SIT DOWN!” instead🤩
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Suits »

:lol:
Hevi_Metaru

Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Hevi_Metaru »

Alex79uk wrote: August 20th, 2019, 5:02 pm Hang on lads, we are sure Hevi_Metaru isn't FBI, right?
Shoot, ya got me! My ID is 666S3XYB01666. ;)
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Re: Anyone a fan of emulation here?

Post by Hevi_Metaru »

Jobobonobo wrote: August 20th, 2019, 10:53 pm Agreed with many here on the benefits of emulation, particularly in regards to preservation and accessing titles not available in certain regions. For example, I would never have played the delightful Mother 3 if not for the fan translation patch done by the dedicated bunch over at starmen.net and GBA emulation. Likewise I would never have become acquainted with the likes of Chrono Trigger and other SNES RPGs that were denied to Europeans if not for emulation. However, such titles are now easily available worldwide but this was well before such times. Not to mention, if I loved a certain game enough I will happily buy it legally if it gets re-released (got all 13 endings on the DS version of Chrono Trigger!). However, because of nonsense such as licensing agreements being expired or the console hardware having difficulty with running certain games (why Yoshi's Island was never on Wii Virtual Console if I recall) then that is when emulation comes to shine as such games can be preserved in the way they were originally meant to be. And these days when spiteful shitheads such as Konami just yank titles out of digital store fronts such as what happened with P.T., the archival purposes of emulation are more important than ever. I even think that when there is no way the original developer can still make money from the game, then emulate away!

Ha, this thread is making me consider getting a Raspberry Pi...
A Pi is a good purchase man! Fantastic machine :)
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