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Games Entertainment

Laserdisc Arcade Emulator - DAPHNE 89

Posted by michael from the drink-me dept.
Matt Ownby writes: "Ever wanted to play the original arcade version of Dragon's Lair on your PC? A new version of DAPHNE, a laserdisc arcade game emulator, has just been released under the GPL, featuring full mpeg2 support. A total of ten laserdisc arcade games are playable including Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, and Cliff Hanger. Screenshots are available :)" I don't know how many people have laserdisc players these days, but this is still neat.
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Laserdisc Arcade Emulator - DAPHNE More

Laserdisc Arcade Emulator - DAPHNE

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  • Game Name - Supported by DAPHNE?
    Badlands - No
    Cliff Hanger - No
    Dragon's Lair - Yes
    Dragon's Lair 2 - No
    Goal to Go - No
    Space Ace '83 - Yes
    Space Ace '91 - No
    Super Don Qui-xote - No
    Thayer's Quest - No

    Obviously those marked as no are still work in progress
    • I think the reason only those games work is because all the others did at least some graphic overlaying on the laserdisk movie. Since the player hooks directly to the TV with this emulator, that isn't possible.

      There are screenshots of other games being played, so it might support the overlays when using mpeg movies, but I couldn't find any information about that on the site.
    • My mistake.

      To see the current list of supported games, just view the main documentation.

      And they are :

      Astron Belt
      Cliff Hanger
      Cobra Command (running on Astron Belt hardware)
      Dragon's Lair (US)
      Esh's Aurunmilla
      Galaxy Ranger
      Space Ace (US)
      Star Blazer
      Super Don Quix-ote
      Thayer's Quest
  • Hmm. I'm wondering how BIG those MPeg2 files are going to be.

    It probably won't be too long before the Romz Warez folks are spreading those around...

    Then of course I'm thinking there are probably some hardware rom images themselves which will probably need to be dumped (and in most cases, pirated...)

    I actually have a Video Laserdisc player... this would certainly be a lot of fun to play with but unless I yoink the disc out of an arcade cabinet, I doubt I'll be able to get ahold of a legal copy of the Laserdisc. Unless someone knows someplace you can purchase them?
    • Actually right after I posted that I looked on EBay and found this [ebay.com].

      Apparently it's the PCB from a Dragon's Lair arcade cabinet, but it doesn't mention anything about the Laserdisc. Hmm...

      • Yes (Score:1)

        by Tensor ( 102132 )
        Its only the PCB.

        I too own a LD player and it would be awesome to hook it up and play.

        But i cant recall now if it reads CDRs or not. That would seriously complicate the use of warezd roms.

        And getting the real thing should be close to impossible.

        • Re:Yes (Score:2)

          by Pope ( 17780 )
          LD players (well, mine anyway :) play audio CD-Rs just fine. However, just remember there's almost NEVER anything in there that will decode MPEG 1 or 2, much less data CD-Rs.
      • I just wanted to point out that the PCB you pointed out on eBay doesn't contain any of the game logic. It is the power supply for the unit. Probably one of those things an arcade person could have guessed (since putting a transformer next to a PCB is really strange), but would probably take dragon's lair specific information to know.

        Shame on the seller for such a generic description. Look! I have the dragon's lair PCB!!
  • Anyone done this yet and compared them to the DVD releases of Dragon's Lair and Space Ace?

  • equipment (Score:4, Informative)

    by Alien54 ( 180860 ) on Sunday September 23, 2001 @07:36AM (#2337337) Journal
    Q: I'm confused. If I am using a laserdisc player, do I play DAPHNE with my computer monitor or do I use a TV or what?

    A: DAPHNE, when used with a laserdisc player, uses a TV (or VCR) for output. What you do is plug a laserdisc player into your computer, then you plug a TV into your laserdisc player. You control the game using your computer's joystick or keyboard, but you watch the action on your TV. The arcade game worked like this too; it didn't do any of its own graphics, it relied exclusively on the laserdisc player for the video.

    ahhhh

    so i'll need an all in wonder card or something to have everything in my PC, along with the laser disc and laser disc player

    • The type of industrial (not consumer)laserdisc player used in the arcade systems incorporated a RS-232 port so the game hardware could control the LD player... Keep an eye out at Goodwill, they occasionally get industrial LD players in stock whenever a company decides they no longer require one

      Specifically, the model used in Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, was the Pioneer PR-7820, a real antique...

      http://www.blamld.com/DiscoVision/PR-7820.htm

      There are probably several others that could be used, but I'm unsure of if there was a 'approved player' list of compatible manufacturers and models...
      • Yeah, if you dig around in Windows you can eventually find a device designed to control LaserDisc players.

        This is legacy from the old days when a "multimedia" computer meant one that was hooked up to play synchronized audio/video from external devices. Even Apple IIs managed to serve in this roll. (The only time I saw this in use was some console that they got in my high school that allowed one to select and view different college commercials from LD.)

    • I don't think you're going to fit a Laserdisc player inside your PC. The laserdisc itself is 12 inches in diameter.
    • so i'll need an all in wonder card or something to have everything in my PC, along with the laser disc and laser disc player


      No.

      The connection between your computer and the LD player is a serial one, so the computer can control the playback of the video files on the LD player.

    • Re:equipment (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Kanasta ( 70274 )
      No. You plug your a TV into your laserdisc player, not your PC. You should have a keyboard for your computer already. All you need is an LD player. (and a TV)
    • If you are using mpeg, you don't need any additional equipment.. just a reasonably fast computer and preferably a video card with YUV acceleration.
  • No laserdisc mpegs, available from alt.binaries.emulators.misc ... Since Dragon's Lair 1&2 and Space Ace are available as DVD titles, would that be more economical, both as source footage, and for those of us who would rather play them at optimized speeds instead of emulated?
  • a Long time ago (90's) I had a dos program that would control a pioneer commercial Laserdisc player (the one in the games cabinet) and allow you to play the game (spaceace and dragons lair only) on your TV. My only problem was where did people come up with the origional game Laserdiscs? it's not like mediaplay has them in a clearance bin.
    • I currently own a Dragon's Lair arcade machine. W/ laserdisc player. Also, I picked up Space Ace (the origional) and it plays just fine in the D/L cabinet. I picked the discs up for about $30/each (since you "need the cabinet" to play them. hehehe, yeahhhhhh riiiiigh...) from a company near me called "Greater Southern". Don't have a number or website handy, but they're located in Atlanta, on S. Atlanta Road -- near Smyrna. If anybody cares to check them out.

      --Xan
  • I'm glad they made this it isn't a terribly difficult hack, but it certainly requires a lot of detail and time. Perfect for a Laserhead! Thanks.

    But if you read the FAQ pages [xmission.com] for the project, you see the other unfortunate side of Laserheads. They REALLY REALLY hate anyone who isn't near their level of knowledge on laserdisc stuff.

    Don't expect support! ;)
    • Have you read the mplayer mailing list? Hell even the homepage. I understand how 100 of the same questions in the mail can get irritating but it has to be expected on a public project. While the superficial point of public created software is to create software that is useful, I'd like to think it's more about sharing information and community spirit. Alot of people do RTFM, but if they felt comfortable (or got what they needed from the manual) they wouldn't have taken the time to post to a mailing list, or ask the developer a question.
      • QUOTE: Q: Why should I have to put up with being flamed just for trying to get some information? Short Answer: Because you're a guest asking for free technical support for a free product. Long Answer: No one is forcing you to visit the site, send any email, post on the message board, or use the emulator. One of the perks of running a free project is that you answer to no one and do things in your own time and in your own way. True, it can be frustrating for end users, but that's just the way it is. END QUOTE And then they wonder why corps are leery of open source projects. Nice mentality there guys
        • Admittedly, the tone is a bit severe, but what in that statement is not true? Answering the same questions repeatedly, when they have already been addressed in the documentation is NOT a productive use of time. If a project is successful, often times a group of devotees will fill in in this regard, but expecting the authors to do it just doesn't make sense. Long live lasers! :)
        • 1) Why do the concerns of corporations concern anybody? The world is already set up to cater to their every whim.

          2) If the corporation that I work for had a similar policy (RTFM before calling support), life would be better for both company *and* customer.

    • I am not sure why you chose to accuse all laserdisc collectors of "REALLY REALLY [hating]" anyone who isn't near their level of knowledge, and I find this stereotype unfortunate. Perhaps my wording in the FAQ is a little bit strong, but I don't think I ever said that I hated newbies or uninformed people. I just said that our primary goal is to develop the emulator, and not to answer FAQ's all day. If you think that we should be spending our time answering FAQ's instead of writing the emulator, then I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that point.
  • I only saw one Laser Disc on EBay's [ebay.com] site ;-)
  • I'm remembering some laserdisc game that I used to play where you piloted an F14 and took out planes/tanks as you flew along.

    It was incredibly expensive and a sitdown machine. I was absolutely addicted.

    Was it... "Lock-On" or something like that? Too bad it's not in the list. It must be a different format than Dragon's Lair/Space Ace since there was more real-time control of the jet rather than just actions taken at certain story tree points.
    • It was incredibly expensive and a sitdown machine. I was absolutely addicted.

      Same here... I grew up on an island, and that was one of three arcade games that stuck around for any length of time. I've been trying to remember the name for awhile - self-professed "arcade experts" that I've run into are stumped by it. Damn cool game, especially since you could go home, flip though Jane's "All the World's Aircraft" and identify everything in the game.

      --
      Evan

    • MAME even emulates the portions that drew graphics on top of the laserdisc video. I don't know if they have implemented the control system for the Laserdisc player though. In any case, you're right. A DVD player with fast remote control response is sufficient to play Dragon's Lair or Space Ace. It would take a little more for M.A.C.H. 3.

    • Yes, the other folks are right, it is indeed called "M.A.C.H. 3". Damn cool game. And you can see some screenshots here [d-l-p.com].
    • MACH 3 was awesome. Lost alot of money on that one. Another game that was similar to that was based on one of my favorite 80's movies Firefox with Clint Eastwood. It was also a laser game with computer graphic overlays on real terrain.

      Link here:
      http://www.zen.co.uk/stuart/

      and here:
      http://www.atarihq.com/coinops/laser/firefox.htm l

      and then one for MACH 3:
      http://www.klov.com/M/M.A.C.H._3.html

      BTW, the *real* Mig 31 turned out to be an interesting aircraft. Still, I dream that someone will build this one :-)

    • Firefox? Based on the crappy movie of the same name. IIRC the overlaid graphics for the HUD and so on were 1-bit really cruddy looking things. It had the same cool yoke that Star Wars had.

  • Are the any movements afoot to emulate non-CPU games? I've was looking to download Death Race (1975 game that had you and a partner try to run down as many pedestrians as possible -- whoever mowed down the most, won), and apparently it was made of all discrete components without a CPU. There are apparently a number of machines like that.

    I also wonder if it even makes sense to emulate something like that (do you import the schematic?) in a general sort of way, or would you have to write a simulator for each unit.

    • Actually, in the video game you run down gremlins. It's only in the movie that you run down humans.

      Possibly the earliest example of game-makers fearing lawsuits.
    • Use an electronic simulator, like LabView! That would be pretty nifty.

      Or maybe one of those Radio-Shack Breadboard kits.
  • Anybody notice how much the big blue guy [xmission.com]in Space Ace looks like the genie [tripletsrus.com] in Aladdin?
  • Ah yes, I remember when Dragon's Lair came out. Using the laserdisk was a big step ahead over the resolution/image complexity/etc you could get in other video games at the time. And there was a lot of hype about how soon your video game would feature your favorite actors instead of crude cartoons and the like. I guess it hasn't really happened like that very much, but it is true that video games have gotten a lot more visually sophisticated - back in the old days the only *really* nice graphics were on the package (or the side/top of the console in the arcade).

  • "the First Ever Multiple Arcade Laserdisc Emulator! =] DAPHNE is a program that ..."

    We should just call it F.E.M.A.L.E.

    Solomon Chang
  • Spent much of my teenage hours beating Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. Definitely excited about this!! I remeber people would crowd around and watch. It was like a movie for them.
  • I seem to remember that one of the scenes in Dragons Lair was some flaming ropes or chains that you had to swing across a pit of fire with.

    Does anyone else remember this scene?

    I have the PC-CDROM version, which states that it has all of the original arcade game, however lacking this scene, that would look to be a lie.

    DVD version have that scene?
  • Other posts have indicated that Cliff Hanger is not available yet.

    When I was 10 I was addicted to that game. It rocked. I still have a little journal entry I made in a short-lived journal I started at that time, which has the first 30 or so moves in it ...

    I could never beat the Ninjas though. I suppose that now I'll find the whole thing is a piece of cake, like all video games that I thought were so difficult when I was young and have since revisited to beat my old high score of 15 years ago on the very first try ...
    • Mmm, as someone who could beat Cliff Hanger only dying once I think there was a bug with the ninjas.

      All of the hard core players I knew agreed that it was impossible to finish that scene without dying the first time. When you restarted the scene after death, it worked fine.

      I never knew anyone who could finish the game without dying once at the ninjas, but since I lived in a small town with only one copy of the game, it might have been that particular console. That seems odd too though. *shrug*

      I wrote an Apple II program that required you to type in all the moves to continue on as my way of memorizing the game without actually spending money. 'Twas a stupid game, but Lupin is cool.

      -Trevor

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