*from article* -- While MAME ignores most of these pre-microchip games, the DICE project (Discrete Integrated Circuit Emulator) provides accurate recreations of early classics like Pong and Breakout through emulation. But DICE still hasn’t been able to crack Computer Space, because of its complicated hardware configuration. As a commenter wrote on the project's Work In Progress blog:
"DICE currently only emulates single board games. A lot more code is required before DICE can handle games that use multiple boards including Computer Space or a board rack setup such as Indy 800. It might be a while before multiple board hardware games are emulated." --
That commenter seems very familiar.
And is now out-of-date since Indy 4 is already emulated with the ingenious move by Adam and Rich of having the Indy 4 car control pcbs be treated as a single pcb since the car pcbs are the same. The same thing should be possible with Indy 800, but Indy 800 might not be fully dumped at this time. The belief is there might be a rom or two missing from one of the main boards of Indy 800 card rack.
*also from article*
-- " The very first coin-operated arcade game, released months before Pong in 1971, remains surprisingly unemulated to this day. That's partly because Computer Space ran on hard-wired integrated circuits—like many arcade games of the '70s—and not on modern microprocessor ROMs (controversial 1976 game Death Race is in a similar boat, and also remains unemulated)." --
It shouldn't be surprising because multiple pcbs = multiple magnitude of complexity just to get a 4 or 5 board system up and running. One reason why I don't expect either PSE Desert Patrol nor PSE Bazooka to be emulated any time soon since both use a multiple card rack pcb system. Even if roms are readily available (ie: Bazooka), it won't matter and same thing apllies to Electra Flying Fortress.
Death Race could be possible since it is a single board game, but it may be a while before Death Race is emulated.
Meanwhile some good news regarding Brunswick's Astrohockey because paperwork is now accounted for including the logic schematics that show how gameplay logic works.
Astrohockey chips are all 74xxx ttl so it appear no proms are used compared to some of the Ramtek games that use Intersil 5610 proms.
This means when Astrohockey copies are in Rich or Adam's hands, good odds Astrohockey could be emulated in DICE....also...Qwak artwork piece accounted for. A pcb of Qwak has yet to be dumped, but I am pretty sure proms will eventually be available some time later.
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Re: Ars article on 'unemulated games' *edited*
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