Flipperless Rat Race (Willams, 1983) and other re-creations with BAM

[Gin]

Having had a quick look / playback of the sounds in the ROM (ratrc_l1) there are about 85 sounds that I have initially listened to :eek: most of which remind me of so many arcade (M.A.M.E.) game sounds; specifically Defender . Difficulty - as @wild states, would be matching them up to the specific game action.

I'm not sure as to what the Switch Matrix actions would simulate... Is there a manual available? Probably not with so little a production run... ???

@wild - when playing the VP8 version, is it not possible for you to extract/capture each sound as you play the game... i.e. where it automatically saves them as they are played (when heard)? I seem to recall that this is a function on vPinMAME; although not too sure...

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

in the meantime, I spent a few hours last night looking for something better than what I saw on the internet, regarding the Rat-Race cabinet .... I found something, but not very useful....

You saw the flyer pics with the resource (download), right? Also the net does seem to have a pretty good number of cabinet pics from what I saw. You're looking for something really specific, I guess?

One thing I was blown away by myself is how big this game is, with the joysticks on the opposite ends and all. Rat Race really is an impressive, fun-looking two player game.

Unfortunately, like many other games of this time period, it might have been shelved due to the famous downturn in gaming markets around '83-'84.

I'm not sure as to what the Switch Matrix actions would simulate... Is there a manual available? Probably not with so little a production run... ???

Looks like the IPDB doesn't have one.

Not sure I totally understand the issue, but in the script, all switches and lights and stuff coming from the pinMAME end should be mapped to corresponding actions on the VP end. If that helps.

Unfortunately I'm way out of the game in terms of VP coding, and doubt I'll be able to be much help with this project, going forward. Pretty much just a staff person, now. :)

 

[Paolo]

@Gin

when playing the VP8 version, is it not possible for you to extract/capture each sound as you play the game... i.e. where it automatically saves them as they are played (when heard)? I seem to recall that this is a function on vPinMAME; although not too sure...

in fact if there would be a way, with vp8, I doubt that I would have been able to.....no, Gin .... while I play with, vp8 / 9 or X, I record what I need with fraps, an external recorder (program) ,sound for sound, one by one.

@Ike Savage

You saw the flyer pics with the resource (download), right? Also the net does seem to have a pretty good number of cabinet pics from what I saw. You're looking for something really specific, I guess?

yes the textures, images that are specifically frontal, but not found, but I have something I could use....meanwhile here is a prototype

View attachment Rat-cab.prototype1.mp4

 

[Gimli]

Nice is this a two way table ?
Cool.
I can add that code as an option if cab players want to try playing from both ends of the table of the TV
I considered a two way table "joust" in the past

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Nice is this a two way table ?

That poor kid's still waiting for a partner to join him! (attached)

But yeah, it's a rare head-to-head pinball.
Indeed, I put together "A roundup of PN's head-to-head game collections" the other day, but still wonder if I'm missing something.

"These are some dang cool-ass games," in the words of a wise, old arcade-goer!

@wild,
So you need pics / texture from the two ends, from where the players would be standing?

 

[Gimli]

That poor kid's still waiting for a partner to join him! (attached)

But yeah, it's a rare head-to-head pinball. I put together "A roundup of PN's head-to-head game collections" the other day, but still wonder if I'm missing something.

"These are some dang cool-ass games," in the words of wise, old arcade-goer.

Nice !
Here's an FP Hockey table that I grabbed the hockey part off the pinball table and put it inside a huge transparent pinball. Just another crazy stupid Idea. But I was testing BAM miniplayfield function. Also I replaced the ball with a puck. BAM lets us create any ball we want...like BB8

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

@Gimli,
Not to mention, look what's in the background of the second pic!

 

[Gimli]

@Gimli,
Not to mention, look what's in the background of the second pic!

@Ike Savage
Is that you Ike or do you mean joust ?

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

@Ike Savage
Is that you Ike or do you mean joust ?

I'm getting there! (maybe one day)

Joust, dangit!

 

[Paolo]

So you need pics / texture from the two ends, from where the players would be standing?

yes, but there are none on the internet, I have already looked at everything ..... thanks, I have solved it.

@Ike Savage
question do you know the game?

Nice is this a two way table ?

@Gimli
yes, it seems that we can also play in two at the same time ...... that you can carry the ball around where you prefer.if there are two joysticks,
it means that you can also play in two ... but one question arises spontaneously ..... one player can cancel the action of the other .... which stimulates more ... no ??? :eek:

 

[Gimli]

yes, but there are none on the internet, I have already looked at everything ..... thanks, I have solved it.

@Ike Savage
question do you know the game?




@Gimli
yes, it seems that we can also play in two at the same time ...... that you can carry the ball around where you prefer.if there are two joysticks,
it means that you can also play in two ... but one question arises spontaneously ..... one player can cancel the action of the other .... which stimulates more ... no ??? :eek:

I don't think they both play at the same time ? They probably alternate turns

 

[Paolo]

I don't think they both play at the same time ? They probably alternate turns

ok, but if so, they could do it with only one joysticks, since they have to alternate .... so why 2??

 

[Gimli]

It's like "Cocktail" video games Pac man etc...

 

[Paolo]

@Gimli @Ike Savage
Ok, I finished (I hope) the cabin for Rat-race .... I spent almost 2 full days, I don't remember making such a complex model ... but I did it, the most difficult part was adapting the textures, I have all redone and elaborated them ... even if they are lines and some art attacks, for me it was very complicated.....

now I dedicate myself to the construction of the Playfield, meanwhile I hope someone can recover the sounds, and maybe play a little at the vp8 table, and give me some suggestions, in the meantime that I build the table....

it will be a new experience, after a standard MiniPlayfied on Krull, a vertical MiniPlayfied (on the back glass) on Nintendo nes pimball, and a MiniPlayfied that goes up and down the table, of Time-machine ..... here is now a MiniPlayfied that tilts wherever you want ...... Well, that's not bad ..... right Bob?

View attachment Rat-cabin.mp4

 

[Gimli]

WOWWW !
That is beautiful !

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Yeah, fantastic!

@Ike Savage
question do you know the game?

Not personally. I never saw one in the... er, wild. (i.e. at arcades and conventions)

With only 10 units produced, the chances are not great. :/

 

[Paolo]

Not personally. I never saw one in the... er, wild. (i.e. at arcades and conventions)

With only 10 units produced, the chances are not great. :/

@Ike Savage
no, I was referring to vp8 ... if you played and you know something already....
sure it would have been nice to try the real one, you say there are 10 ?? like krull, but I was lucky enough to play the real one

meanwhile here's what fp / bam should look like


@Gimli
in your opinion, how do you seems this space between the playfield and the cab? is good,or is it little?

 

[Gimli]

@Ike Savage
no, I was referring to vp8 ... if you played and you know something already....
sure it would have been nice to try the real one, you say there are 10 ?? like krull, but I was lucky enough to play the real one

meanwhile here's what fp / bam should look like
View attachment 13988

@Gimli
in your opinion, how do you seems this space between the playfield and the cab? is good,or is it little?

@wild
WOWWW I love !!! Great job Paolo :)
I would have to try it...I have rediscovered that there is only a limited space that can be used for miniplayfields.
I had to put the "Labryinth" over top of FP table in Table editor for it to work.

So before you do too much I should roll a ball on the playfield where you have it to see it works in a miniplayfield.
Can you send me the WIP ?

We may have to rotate the talble put partially on top of the FP table in table editor.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

@Ike Savage
no, I was referring to vp8 ... if you played and you know something already....
sure it would have been nice to try the real one, you say there are 10 ?? like krull, but I was lucky enough to play the real one

Yes, I re-uploaded it here (based on the original author's policy, i.e. destruk), wrote a small article about games like this (linked above), and of course played it in VP8.

I really do love this kind of project, as it comes close to other VP projects I've coded in the past.

Yes, Rat Race is like Krull, Bigfoot (the largest pinball ever produced for an arcade), Marble Madness II, and stuff like that-- never went in to production, so there are only rare prototypes or early production models out there. The IPDB is where I got the number "10."

Again, thanks a bunch for your awesome work on Rat Race. Really love the attention to detail! Ciao.

 

[Paolo]

@wild

WOWWW I love !!! Great job Paolo :)
I would have to try it...I have rediscovered that there is only a limited space that can be used for miniplayfields.
I had to put the "Labryinth" over top of FP table in Table editor for it to work.

So before you do too much I should roll a ball on the playfield where you have it to see it works in a miniplayfield.
Can you send me the WIP ?

We may have to rotate the talble put partially on top of the FP table in table editor.

@Gimli ok,here the first test1.....

 

[Paolo]

Yes, Rat Race is like Krull
Again, thanks a bunch for your awesome work on Rat Race. Really love the attention to detail! Ciao.

as soon as I can I put Krull as my first table here

it's a pleasure Ike .... and I also think for Gimli:D

 

[Gimli]

as soon as I can I put Krull as my first table here

it's a pleasure Ike .... and I also think for Gimli:D

Ya it was wild starting Krull that lead to Rav developing the object grab and amimate tool , that we call the "miniplayfield tool"

Paolo I think it will be best if simply construct the playfield on top of the default fp table ?

I think it should be rotated anyway ?

That way we wont run into snags with mp. I can gab it later

I'll send something tomorrow

 

[Gimli]

Ok here is applying the tilt to your test.
you'll see where I put the playfield etc... in the table editor

oops its not working now :)

 

[Gimli]

@wild try this
It's kinda rough , but you get the idea

If you detach the joystick from the cab , I can animate them to move with the playfield

 

[Paolo]

@Gimli
ok, I build it on top of Fp .... ok I will put them left out of the closet, but you will have to be careful of the existing inclination of the knobs,this will be something Ike really likes .

question, there is a reason why you made rat-play bigger?

other question, if I build it horizontal is it a problem for you?