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New Release of DICE, the CPU-Less Arcade Game Emulator, Adds Four Games

Posted by Unknown on from the knew-you-got-that-16-core-machine-for-a-reason dept.

KingofGnG writes "DICE is a small emulator dedicated to recreating on a modern computer the arcade games based on discrete circuits: ancient and bizarre entertainment machines where the electronic components required for the game experience were soldered individually on the circuit board and where there was no trace of integrated circuit or CPU. It's an obscure and fascinating kind of emulation, and the offering of emulated games grows richer with each release." Released a few days ago, DICE 0.8 adds support for four new games: Atari's Crossfire and Pin Pong, and Ramtek's Clean Sweep and Wipe Out.

10 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Monaco GP Please! by ArcadeNut · · Score: 5, Informative

    Although I own the real thing, I would love to see it emulated... It would provide a wealth of technical information about the game that would help with future repairs!

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    Visit the Arcade Restoration Workshop @ http://www.arcaderestoration.com
    1. Re:Monaco GP Please! by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 2

      It definitely had no CPU. If it did, MAME would have kept it in their list of emulated machines.

      In fact, there was once a point in MAME history where they were including discrete circuit "simulations" including PONG and a semi-functional version of Monaco GP.
      Then they decided to concentrate onto emulation and drop the simulations, hence their simulation of "Pong" and "Monaco GP" disappeared in later versions.

      The Monaco GP simulation looked like the real deal, but had controller issues and a few other things IIRC.

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      READY.
      PRINT ""+-0
    2. Re:Monaco GP Please! by Nutria · · Score: 2

      Close-up HD photos of the innards of your "real thing", from multiple angles, would probably be of great help to the DICE team.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    3. Re:Monaco GP Please! by ArcadeNut · · Score: 2

      Photos would not have the information they need. They will need to look at the Schematics for the game, and those are not exactly the best.

      The Schematics are here if you want to take a look at them:
      http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF...

      Hand drawn, somewhat hard to read, but at least they exist.

      If they do emulate Monaco GP, that means they will have a very good understanding of how the hardware works, which will help with future repairs.

      --
      Visit the Arcade Restoration Workshop @ http://www.arcaderestoration.com
  2. Re:Dice again? by ynp7 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Way too many DICEes these days. DICE.com, that DICE video game developer summit, DICE (formerly Digital Illusions CE), this DICE emulator thing. Come on guys, it's not even a cool name!!!

  3. Broken links by Qzukk · · Score: 3, Informative

    Crossfire, Pin Pong, and Clean Sweep all link to the same page.

    Pin Pong appears to be http://www.arcade-history.com/...
    Clean Sweep appears to be http://www.arcade-history.com/...

    --
    If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
  4. Re:Connecticut Leather Company by Immerman · · Score: 2

    I don't see what the problem is, just periodically run through a delay loop a negative number of times.

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    --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
  5. Re:Dice again? by Ken_g6 · · Score: 2

    Way too many DICEes these days.

    Yeah. It's a CPU-less Arcade Game Emulator. It emulates a box with a lot of wires. They should have called it CAGE.

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    (T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
  6. Death Race? by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 2

    I wonder if we'll ever see a simulation of this discrete logic gem? (likely inspired by the terrible Sly Stallone 70s movie of the same name)
    This game was doing the whole "running over people in cars" thing long before Carmageddon and GTA.
    It came with it's own brand of controversy too.

    http://www.arcade-museum.com/g...

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    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
  7. 900MB required? Is that a joke? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

    Pin Pong (Atari, 1974)

    Beware that due to the difficulty of optimizing the background graphics this game requires about 900 MB of RAM to function, although this should allow it to run at full speed on a reasonably fast machine.

    Why so much?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.