STARBLADE from Namco !!! Road Trip inside...

[uncletom]

Good to see it wasn't any serious damage. It usually is the PSU, due to the capacitors getting bad.

You should install new fresh, more expensive, caps in your Starblade PSU. The game is worth it. Get some of these 105*C long life jap ones. They cost a little more but are alot better than any of the chinese provided.

Regarding what is an original PSU for Starblade, there isn't. Namco, or Electrocoin basically used what was available at the time and according to Ampere need, i.e. my Starblade PSU was like your replacement there, a black switcher with 12 Amp on its 5Volt if I remember correct.

The Cyber Sleds I've worked on, as well as a Ridge Racer 2, had these larger old TDK PSUs, with fan and replacable fuse, from Japan. Not much more powerful specs than the chinese smaller switchers, but alot larger and robust.

[uncletom]

Oh yes, can I ask you, does your Starblade have a fan inside? Min had this 120x120mm fan blowing air upwards from the PCB space into the mirror compartment.

And, placing the Starblade cabinet, although it is very large/high and suits best in a corner against a wall, it is more practical from service point of view to place it in the middle of the room. Perhaps back to back with another, smaller, cabinet so that you can easily move the smaller cabinet to access the rear of your Starblade.

[DarthNuno]

Oh yes, can I ask you, does your Starblade have a fan inside? Min had this 120x120mm fan blowing air upwards from the PCB space into the mirror compartment.

Yes, I have the fan. I didn't really spot it because my access from the back was very limited, but impossible not hear it when you plug the game 

And, placing the Starblade cabinet, although it is very large/high and suits best in a corner against a wall, it is more practical from service point of view to place it in the middle of the room. Perhaps back to back with another, smaller, cabinet so that you can easily move the smaller cabinet to access the rear of your Starblade.

Well it should not be a problem soon. When my new game room will be ready, I'll put this monster against...his big brother, the Galaxian Theater. 

[uncletom]

Aha, new gameroom? Super!

But:
"I'll put this monster against...his big brother, the Galaxian Theater"

The point is really to have Starblade standing against one or two smaller cabinets so that you can move the smaller cab out of the way for easy access to the back of Starblade. You will hardly be moving the G3 theater every time you want service your Starblade.

[DarthNuno]

In order to celebrate the 'repair' of my beloved StarBlade, I've done a movie that include the complete footage of the game.
Don't paid attention at my game play, I was more concerned about the camera fixed on a tripod, laying on the cockpit chair ... between my to legs   I couldn't move too fast, and so not playing as usual. I was almost playing the game via the camera screen...not easy!

Anyway, here the videos  

First part :



Second part :



Do not forget to set 'HD' quality on youtube settings!

 

[uncletom]

Oh yeah. Great video there Nuno! More of that please!!

[uncletom]

I really love Starblade the way it is. But I would be very happy to see some sort of 'expansion' of it. I don't mean any 'evolution' like the "Operation Blue Planet", but rather some alternative missions in its own time and space. Preferably on the original System 21 hardware, using simple flat-shaded polygons, same sounds and layout. It is after all Geosword and we are the gunner.

I only wish namco would have made *more of it*. There is only this mission "operation Starblade", and it takes about .. 10 minutes ? to complete it. That's not enough for me. Ofcourse I am grateful to namco for ever creating this game. It is wonderfully presented and feels awesome to play. Just, I want MORE!

What about "Starblade - Revenge of Red Eye", or "Starblade - The another story", where you would play the same battle but from another gunners perspective! The offensive against Red Eye, just like in Star Wars and the battle against death star, was conducted by many pilots, many ships. Many stories to be told there. Why not show an alternative version of this battle?

And, I think that Starblade (series) must always be presented using flat-shaded polygons, its primitive 3D looks is part of what makes this game so great! I don't want to see any textured polygons with any modern effects or pixel manipulation, or filters. No. Just plain flat-shaded stuff with occasional bitmap overlays for HUD and explosions (which should consist of combined 2D bitmap explosions and 3D polygon scattering). And all in 60 fps.

[uncletom]

Imagine Starblade being upgraded. Imagine returning to the arcade, maybe a year or two later, and there is the Starblade cabinet but with different decals on the sides saying "Starblade - Alphasword".. or something.

Story would be.. "In the aftermath of Red Eye's destruction, the enemy has finished another weapon twice as powerful as Red Eye. .."

And you would be seated in an upgraded version of Geosword, the *Alphasword*, to go after and destroy this new weapon. Guns/lasers would not be shooting from only double cannons at the lower part of your ship, but from all four corners, like the x-wings in Star Wars. The game would hold more space structures, more caves, more deserts and several new enemy targets.

.. damn I must go now.

[DarthNuno]

I really love Starblade the way it is. But I would be very happy to see some sort of 'expansion' of it. I don't mean any 'evolution' like the "Operation Blue Planet", but rather some alternative missions in its own time and space. Preferably on the original System 21 hardware, using simple flat-shaded polygons, same sounds and layout. It is after all Geosword and we are the gunner.

There was already a fan project : Starblade : Operation Black Noise, see this topic. Very promising but never went further than a project/concept  stage... 

I only wish namco would have made *more of it*. There is only this mission "operation Starblade", and it takes about .. 10 minutes ? to complete it. That's not enough for me. Ofcourse I am grateful to namco for ever creating this game. It is wonderfully presented and feels awesome to play. Just, I want MORE!

Well let's say 20 minutes of game play to be exact (thank to my recent full mission video), 23 minutes if you include the ending sequence/credit/high score entry. 

And, I think that Starblade (series) must always be presented using flat-shaded polygons, its primitive 3D looks is part of what makes this game so great! I don't want to see any textured polygons with any modern effects or pixel manipulation, or filters. No. Just plain flat-shaded stuff with occasional bitmap overlays for HUD and explosions (which should consist of combined 2D bitmap explosions and 3D polygon scattering). And all in 60 fps.

I totally agree! No need complex textures or any modern effects... simple shapes like the first Tron movie, old school sounds, and the most important... 60 fps!!!

[uncletom]

Watching your clips there of playing Starblade gives me a real urge to set up my PCB with some controls to play the game myself. I don't have any gun, nor cab to play it in today. But your clips give me such energy to build some preliminary console to be able to play some of my old games currently stored. And especially Starblade.

About "Starblade: Operation Black Noise" fan-project. Yes, I did notice this project as it was on the topic a few years ago. But even though it looked promising it was just that - a fan project. It is a bit like "The Last Starfighter" fan-game on PC. Some very dedicated fans learned to use a game programming language for PC and made a simple game looking like the few clips from the original movie when the game was played. But there is just too much missing for me to be able to feel that it is a good game. As with almost all of the fan-projects, there is just not the skill behind it to impress me, I am sad to say.

I am not idolizing namco or the team behind Starblade, although I do recognize them as very skilled and experienced professionals. And I am very thankful to them that they made Starblade in the first place. It is that kind of competence and that kind of touch the game will need. It can ofcourse be a "fan-project", but it must be made with attention to detail; programwise, designwise, soundwise, controlwise .. I guess it's called "style". I am quite sensitive to that, maybe because I have much respect for the original game.

If there was some way of using perhaps that mjolnir/mame emulator and the orignal Starblade game engine to produce some sort of universe-editor, you could build environments restricted to the hardware, although virtual/emulated, but still create new missions for Starblade to play within the emulator, or even the actual hardware by swapping the ROM ICs.

Anyway, this is what happens when I have too few things to do on a Monday afternoon. I shold learn to program myself really, C++ or some SDK thing.. Sh_t I'm lazy!

[guruguys]

Glad you repaired your Starblade. Its too hot here in the summer to work on mine (its in the garage), but I am thinking about buying another for spare parts:

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/vgm/3162196209.html

[DarthNuno]

...I am thinking about buying another for spare parts:
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/vgm/3162196209.html

That one looks great! Go go go! 

[guruguys]

^^^^

The good news is I bought it. The bad new is the person that I had pick it up for me didn't follow my instructions to REMOVE THE REFLECTOR MIRROR!! The entire thing blew out when he got on the freeway of course. It was then left outside in the ran, so all the particle board  warped. I managed to salvage all the parts today so I have some extra boards, seat, motor, monitor, strobes, control, etc etc. Still it is one less StarBlade that couldn't be saved. Serial number #422.

[uncletom]

This is very unfortunate, #422 R.I.P.

Still, I find it strange that the mirror would pop out, like you say it did. You see, the mirror is secured by several of retaining brackets, besides that it is made of flexible material, plastic. So it should withstand any bumps in the road and impacts from sides while in transit, even on its back with mirror weight 'backwards' (cabinet orientationwise). Provided that it was properly secured and mounted from start. Also, I would imagine that if, I say *if* there was a crack already in the plexi it could have been displaced slightly, and thus crumbled during impact.

Damn, now I remember that I had one whole mirror from my Starblade, I gave it away to a friend while cleaning out my storage! And then, as he was cleaning out his storange, about a year ago, he mentioned this mirror asking me if I'd like it back. Ofcourse I said no thanks! And now, when it is needed, it is no longer! Damned!

I'm so ... I have scattered my Starblade all over Sweden. The gun controller went to a guy named Jesper, and the mirror went to Patrik here nearby. But both the items are probably trashed by now. I blame myself.

[Nic-fryer]

Hey DarthNuno, I noticed that when you move something you keep writing 'loud' I think you mean Heavy.

I don't mean to be picky 

Nic